• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.13-20
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• 2011

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$ ($PPAR{\alpha}$) is a nuclear transcription factor that plays a central role in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. To investigate whether swim training improves obesity and lipid metabolism through $PPAR{\alpha}$ activation in female sham-operated (Sham) and ovariectomized (OVX) mice, we measured body weight, visceral adipose tissue mass, serum free fatty acid at 6 weeks as well as the expression of hepatic $PPAR{\alpha}$ target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation. Swim-trained mice had decreased body weight, visceral adipose tissue mass and serum free fatty acid levels compared to high fat diet fed control mice in both female Sham and OVX mice. These reductions were more prominent in OVX than in Sham mice. Swim training significantly increased hepatic mRNA levels of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target genes responsible for mitochondrial fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation, such as carnitine palmitoyltransgerase-1 (CPT-1), very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD), and medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) in OVX mice. However, swim trained female Sham mice did not increase hepatic mRNA levels of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target genes responsible for mitochondrial fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation compared to Sham control mice. These results indicate that swim training differentially regulates body weight and adipose tissue mass between OVX and Sham mice, at least in part due to differences in liver $PPAR{\alpha}$ activation.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.95-108
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• 1987

Effects of allopurinol (2mM), a specific inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, on the growth and metabolism of llantoin in dark grown Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L.) seedlings were investigated. Allopurinol treatment maintained the fresh and dry weights of cotyledons at higher levels, but inhibited the elongation of hypocotyls and roots of the seedlings. Total nitrogen content in the cotyledons decreased at slower rate by allopurinol. Accordingly, the levels of total nitrogen contents in the hypocotyls and roots, were depressed by the inhibitor. In the cotyledons, allopurinol began to elevate RNA levels after day 3, which it did not affect DNA level throughout the experiment. Activities of xanthine oxidase (XO:EC 1.2.3.2), uricase (UO:EC 1.7.3.3) and allantoinase (AL:EC 3.5.2.5) in the cotyledons were examined. The activity of XO was not detected, but the accumulation of xanthine by allopurinol treatment presented an indirect evidence of the existence of XO in the organ. Allopurinol kept UO activity high up to day 2 after sowing and depressed AL activity throughout the experiment. By allopurinol treatment, allantoin content was kept high over the control both in cotyledons and roots, but it was kept low in hypocotyls. The level of allantoic acid in the 3 organs were shown to be depressed by allopurinol. These results suggest that allantoin and allantoic acid produced by the degradation of stored and newly synthesized RNA are transported from the storage tissue to hypocotyls and roots as important nitrogen sources for the development of Chinese cabbage seedlings.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.227-233
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• 2008

The aim of the present study was to assess the anti-obesity effects of grape seed extract (GSE) supplement in C57BL/6J mice. Thirty mice were divided into three groups; normal diet control group (ND), high fat diet control group (HD) and high fat diet plus grape seed extract supplemented group (HD+GSE). Results were as follows: 1. GSE supplement reduced the weight gain in mice fed high fat diets; epididymal and back fat weights, were lower compared to non-supplemented HD group. 2. Blood lipid concentrations were lower in the HD+GSE group than in the HD group. Serum HDL-C concentrations were higher in the HD+GSE group compared with the other groups. 3. The concentrations of acid-insoluble acylcarnitines, (AIAC) in serum and liver were higher in the HD+GSE group than in the HD group. 4. GSE supplementation increased mRNA levels of lipolytic genes such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase-l (CPT-1) and decreased mRNA levels of lipogenic genes such as acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC). These findings suggest that grape seed extract supplements in high fat diet might normalize body weight, epididymal and back fat weights, lipid concentrations, and carnitine levels through controlling lipid metabolism.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.196-204
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common metabolic disease triggered by epigenetic alterations, including lysine acetylation at histone or non-histone proteins, affecting the stability or transcription of lipogenic genes. Although various natural dietary compounds have anti-lipogenic effects, their effects on the acetylation status and lipid metabolism in the liver have not been thoroughly investigated. MATERIALS/METHODS: Following oleic-palmitic acid (OPA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, the acetylation status of histone and non-histone proteins, HAT activity, and mRNA expression of representative lipogenic genes, including $PPAR{\gamma}$, SREBP-1c, ACLY, and FASN, were evaluated. Furthermore, correlations between lipid accumulation and HAT activity for 22 representative natural food extracts (NExs) were evaluated. RESULTS: Non-histone protein acetylation increased following OPA treatment and the acetylation of histones H3K9, H4K8, and H4K16 was accelerated, accompanied by an increase in HAT activity. OPA-induced increases in the mRNA expression of lipogenic genes were down-regulated by C-646, a p300/CBP-specific inhibitor. Finally, we detected a positive correlation between HAT activity and lipid accumulation (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.604) using 22 NExs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that NExs have novel applications as nutraceutical agents with HAT inhibitor activity for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.45.1-45.11
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• 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common type of chronic liver disease, with severity levels ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The extent of liver fibrosis indicates the severity of NASH and the risk of liver cancer. However, the mechanism underlying NASH development, which is important for early screening and intervention, remains unclear. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a useful method for identifying hub genes and screening specific targets for diseases. In this study, we utilized an mRNA dataset of the liver tissues of patients with NASH and conducted WGCNA for various stages of liver fibrosis. Subsequently, we employed two additional mRNA datasets for validation purposes. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to analyze gene function enrichment. Through WGCNA and subsequent analyses, complemented by validation using two additional datasets, we identified five genes (BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2) as hub genes. GSEA analysis indicated that gene sets associated with liver metabolism and cholesterol homeostasis were uniformly downregulated. BICC1, C7, EFEMP1, LUM, and STMN2 were identified as hub genes of NASH, and were all related to liver metabolism, NAFLD, NASH, and related diseases. These hub genes might serve as potential targets for the early screening and treatment of NASH.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제21권12호
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• pp.1800-1806
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• 2008

Cytokines play a central role in the mucosal immune response and are involved in regulation of nutrient absorption, metabolism and animal growth. This study investigated the effect of diet manipulation with specialized protein or peptide sources on expression of cytokine (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-${\alpha}$) mRNA abundance in different intestinal regions and at different ages post-weaning in piglets. A total of 48 (17 days of age, $6.16{\pm}0.34kg\;BW$) weanling pigs were fed either a corn-soy/whey protein basal diet, the basal diet supplemented with spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP), or the basal diet supplemented with $Peptiva^{(R)}$, a hydrolyzed marine plant protein. A fourth treatment group was fed the SDPP diet, but the feed intake level was limited (SDPP-LF). Pigs were killed at 3 and 10 d, and intestinal cytokine mRNA was measured by real-time PCR using the relative quantification method. The SDPP-LF group exhibited an increased TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA abundance compared with the ad libitum SDPP group (p<0.05). The TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-10 mRNA abundance increased from the proximal to distal part of the intestine, and the mRNA abundance was greater (p<0.01) in the distal intestine as compared with the proximal and middle intestine. The cytokines IL-1-${\beta}$, IL-10 and TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA abundance also increased from d3 to d10 postweaning (p<0.01). In summary, restricted feeding increased the TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA abundance in the small intestine, however neither SDPP nor peptide supplementation affected cytokine mRNA expression. Abundance of mRNA for most cytokines examined in this study increased with age post-weaning, suggesting that during 10 d after weaning the mucosal immune system is still under development.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.192-202
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• 2017

황정 주정 추출물 ID1216의 고지방 식이 유도 비만 마우스에서의 체중 증가 억제 효과에 대한 분자생물학적 기전을 확인하고자 단백질과 mRNA 수준에서 지질 및 에너지 대사 관련 유전자들의 발현 변화를 관찰하였다. 본 연구에서 확인된 지표들 간의 상호 작용 및 ID1216의 조절 여부에 관해 Fig. 10에 나타내었다. 실험 결과 ID1216은 고지방 식이 유도 비만 마우스에서 체중 증가 억제를 나타내었으며, 비만 대사 관련 pathway의 상위 유전자로 사료되는 SIRT1과 AMPK의 발현을 조절하는 것으로 나타났다. 활성화된 SIRT1과 AMPK는 $PGC1{\alpha}$의 활성화에 관여하고, 이를 통해 열 발산 대사와 관련된 UCP 단백질과 핵 수용체 단백질인 $PPAR{\alpha}$의 발현이 백색지방, 갈색지방, 간 및 근육에서 증가되는 것이 확인되었다. 각 조직 별로 RT-PCR을 진행한 결과에서는 $PPAR{\alpha}$의 하위 유전자인 aP2, ACO, Acadl, Acadm, CPT1a, CPT1b의 mRNA 발현 수준을 향상시켜 주어 ID1216이 지방산 산화 대사인 ${\beta}$-oxidation의 활성화에 기여할 가능성을 보여주었다. 이와는 별개로 ID1216은 중성지질을 분해하는 것으로 알려진 ATGL의 mRNA 발현 또한 증가시키는 것으로 확인되었다. 본 연구를 통해 ID1216이 조직에 따라 지질 및 에너지 대사와 관련된 인자의 발현에 영향을 주는 체중 조절에 효과적인 소재임을 알 수 있었다. 또한 비만 치료제와의 기전적 차별성과 생약 특유의 섭취 안전성을 특징으로 하는 체중 또는 체지방 조절 기능성 소재로의 활용 가능성도 충분히 가지고 있음을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.975-984
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• 2021

Objective: Inbreeding depression of reproduction is a major concern in the conservation of native chicken genetic resources. Here, based on the successful development of strongly inbred (Sinb) and weakly inbred (Winb) Langshan chickens, we aimed to evaluate inbreeding effects on reproductive traits and identify candidate genes involved in inbreeding depression of reproduction in Langshan chickens. Methods: A two-sample t-test was performed to estimate the differences in phenotypic values of reproductive traits between Sinb and Winb chicken groups. Three healthy chickens with reproductive trait values around the group mean values were selected from each of the groups. Differences in ovarian and hypothalamus transcriptomes between the two groups of chickens were analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Results: The Sinb chicken group showed an obvious inbreeding depression in reproduction, especially for traits of age at the first egg and egg number at 300 days (p<0.01). Furthermore, 68 and 618 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the hypothalamus and ovary between the two chicken groups, respectively. In the hypothalamus, DEGs were mainly enriched in the pathways related to vitamin metabolism, signal transduction and development of the reproductive system, such as the riboflavin metabolism, Wnt signaling pathway, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction and focal adhesion pathways, including stimulated by retinoic acid 6, serpin family F member 1, secreted frizzled related protein 2, Wnt family member 6, and frizzled class receptor 4 genes. In the ovary, DEGs were significantly enriched in pathways associated with basic metabolism, including amino acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycosaminoglycan degradation. A series of key DEGs involved in folate biosynthesis (gamma-glutamyl hydrolase, guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1), oocyte meiosis and ovarian function (cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 1, structural maintenance of chromosomes 1B, and speedy/RINGO cell cycle regulator family member A), spermatogenesis and male fertility (prostaglandin D2 synthase 21 kDa), Mov10 RISC complex RNA helicase like 1, and deuterosome assembly protein 1) were identified, and these may play important roles in inbreeding depression in reproduction. Conclusion: The results improve our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying inbreeding depression in chicken reproduction and provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of species resources.

• BMB Reports
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.344-348
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• 2010

Messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) are used to transport mRNAs along neuronal dendrites to their site of translation. Staufen2 is an mRNA-binding protein expressed in the cell bodies and cellular processes of different brain cells. It is notably involved in the transport of dendritic mRNAs along microtubules. Its knockdown expression was shown to change spine morphology and impair synaptic functions. However, the identity of Staufen2-bound mRNAs in brain cells is still completely unknown. As a mean to identify these mRNAs, we immunoprecipitated Staufen2-containing mRNPs from embryonic rat brains and used a genome wide approach to identify Staufen2-associated mRNAs. The genome wide approach identified 1780 mRNAs in Staufen2-containing mRNPs that code for proteins involved in cellular processes such as post-translational protein modifications, RNA metabolism, intracellular transport and translation. These results represent an additional and important step in the characterization of Staufen2- mediated neuronal functions in rat brains.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.497-502
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• 2002

Thirty-nine strains of Leuconostocs found to be tolerant to $10\%$ or more garlic were selected for further identification, by comparing their whole-cell protein pattern, 16S rRNA gene (first 530 bases) sequence, cellular fatty acid composition, and carbon source metabolism. Two isolates were Identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides and 32 others as Leuconostoc citreum. Five other strains belonging to a cluster could not be allocated to the existing species. 16S rRNA gene sequence and cellular fatty acid composition of the unidentified bacteria exhibited close similarity with Leuconostoc argentinum. The unidentified isolates were not allocated to L. argentinum, because they formed polysaccharide from sucrose, while L. argentinum strains do not. Leuconostocs tolerant to high concentration of garlic were found predominantly on garlic surface, an extreme environment which is unfit for most of other microorganisms.