• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.394-399
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• 2016

Glioma-Associated Oncogene Homolog1 (Gli1) is known to be activated in malignant glioma; however, its downstream pathway has not been fully explained. The aim of this study was to explore the role of Gli1-Aquaporin1 (AQP1) signal pathway in glioma cell survival. Our data suggests that both Gli1 and AQP1 are upregulated in glioma tissues, as in comparison to in normal tissues. These up-regulation phenomena were also observed in glioma U251 and U87 cells. It was demonstrated that Gli1 positively regulated the AQP1 expression. By luciferase reporter gene and ChIP assay, we observed that this modulation process was realized by combination of Gli1 with AQP1 promotor. In addition, knock down of Gli1 by siRNA interference reduced the viability of glioma cells as well as suppressed cell metastasis. Also, the inhibitory effects of cell survival by silenced Gli1 were abrogated by AQP1 overexpression. In summary, glioma cell survival is a regulatory process and can be mediated by Gli1-AQP1 pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6269-6273
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• 2014

Growing evidence suggests that miR-150-5p has an important role in regulating genesis of various types of cancer. However, the roles and the underlying mechanisms of miR-150-5p in development of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unknown. Transwell chambers were used to analyze effects on cell migration and invasion by miR-150-5p. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and dual-luciferase 3' UTR reporter assay were carried out to identify the target genes of miR-150-5p. In our research, miR-150-5p suppressed CRC cell migration and invasion, and MUC4 was identified as a direct target gene. Its effects were partly blocked by re-expression of MUC4. In conclusiomn, miR-150-5p may suppress CRC metastasis through directly targeting MUC4, highlighting its potential as a novel agent for the treatment of CRC metastasis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1575-1579
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• 2015

Some microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in human melanomas. miR-328 is upregulated in blood cells of melanoma patients compared to in healthy controls. This suggests a role for miR-328 in melanoma that warrants investigation. In this study, we demonstrated miR-328 levels to be dramatically decreased in human melanoma cell lines. Moreover, forced expression of miR-328 inhibited proliferation and induced G1-phase arrest of the SK-MEL-1 melanoma cell line. We identified TGFB2 as a direct target gene for miR-328 using a fluorescent reporter assay and western blotting. Levels of TGFB2 were dramatically increased in human melanoma cell lines and were inversely correlated with the miR-328 expression level. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of human melanoma development, indicating that miR-328 has therapeutic potential for this disease.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.402-407
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• 2016

Lactic acid bacteria have been identified to be effective in reducing cholesterol levels. Most of the mechanistic studies were focused on the bile salt deconjugation ability of bile salt hydrolase in lactic acid bacteria. However, the mechanism by which Lactobacillus decreases cholesterol levels has not been thoroughly studied in intact primate cells. 3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) is the vital enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. To confirm the effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains on HMGCR level, in the present study, human hepatoma HepG2 cells were treated with Lactobacillus strains, and then the HMGCR level was illustrated by luciferase reporter assay and RT-PCR. The results showed that the level of HMGCR was suppressed after being treated with the live Lactobacillus strains. These works might set a foundation for the following study of the antihyperlipidemic effects of L. acidophilus, and contribute to the development of functional foods or drugs that benefit patients suffering from hyperlipidemia diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.165-170
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• 2017

Cordyceps bassiana is one of Cordyceps species with anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-angiogenic, and anti-nociceptive activities. This mushroom has recently demonstrated to have an ability to reduce 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced atopic dermatitis symptoms in NC/Nga mice. In this study, we further examined phytochemical properties of this mushroom by column chromatography and HPLC analysis. By chromatographic separation and spectroscopic analysis, 8 compounds, such as 1,9-dimethylguanine (1), adenosine (2), uridine (3), nicotinamide (4), 3-methyluracil (5), 1,7-dimethylxanthine (6), nudifloric acid (7), and mannitol (8) were identified from 6 different fractions and 4 more subfractions. Through evaluation of their anti-inflammatory activities using reporter gene assay and mRNA analysis, compound 1 was found to block luciferase activity induced by $NF-{\kappa}B$ and AP-1, suppress the mRNA levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$. Therefore, our data strongly suggests that compound 1 acts as one of major principles in Cordyceps bassiana with anti-inflammatory and anti-atopic dermatitis activities.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.721-728
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• 2019

Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza virus has been shown to inhibit the innate immune response by blocking the induction of interferon (IFN). In this study, we isolated two single-stranded RNA aptamers specific to NS1 with $K_d$ values of $1.62{\pm}0.30nM$ and $1.97{\pm}0.27nM$, respectively, using a systematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment (SELEX) procedure. The selected aptamers were able to inhibit the interaction of NS1 with tripartite motif-containing protein 25 (TRIM25), and suppression of NS1 enabled retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) to be ubiquitinated regularly by TRIM25. Additional luciferase reporter assay and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) experiments demonstrated that suppression of NS1 by the selected aptamers induced IFN production. It is noted that viral replication was also inhibited through IFN induction in the presence of the selected aptamers. These results suggest that the isolated aptamers are strongly expected to be new therapeutic agents against influenza infection.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2019

This study aimed to develop a bile-responsive expression system for lactobacilli. The promoters of four genes, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase (mannose-specific), L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HPr kinase, and D-alanine-D-alanine ligase, respectively, which were highly expressed by bile addition in Lactobacillus johnsonii PF01, were chosen. Each promoter was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and fused upstream of the ${\beta}$-glucuronidase gene as a reporter, respectively. Then, these constructs were cloned into E. coli-Lactobacillus shuttle vector pULP2, which was generated by the fusion of pUC19 with the L. plantarum plasmid pLP27. Finally, the constructed vectors were introduced into L. plantarum for a promoter activity assay. The LDH promoter showed the highest activity and its activity increased 1.8-fold by bile addition. The constructed vector maintained in L. plantarum until 80 generations without selection pressure. A bile-responsive expression vector, $pULP3-P_{LDH}$, for Lactobacillus spp. can be an effective tool for the bile-inducible expression of bioactive proteins in intestine after intake in the form of fermented dairy foods.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2021

Leguminosae plants are known for its phytoestrogen constituents which play a major role in the prevention of osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease. In this study, the estrogenic activity of 158 samples from 58 species, 3 subspecies and 10 varieties of Leguminosae plants growing in Korea was evaluated. An estrogen, 17β-estradiol was used as a reference compound, and the potency of each sample was expressed in relative efficacy (%) compared to that of the reference by a reporter gene assay using MCF-7 cells. As results, the estrogenic activity of methanolic extracts of Phaseolus vulgaris var. humilis, Sophora flavescens, Lespedeza × robusta, Indigofera pseudotinctoria, Maackia amurensis, Glycine soja, Wisteria floribunda, Robinia pseudoacacia, Astragalus sinicus, Pueraria lobata, Lespedeza maximowiczii var. tomentella, Trifolium repens and Crotalaria sessiliflora showed similar to or higher at 100 ㎍/ml than the positive control at 10 nM. These findings can be a potential evidence for developing estrogen alternatives resolving various types of menopause symptoms with information on proper harvest season and usage plant part. To the best of our knowledge, the estrogenic activity of Lespedeza × robusta, Indigofera pseudotinctoria, Wisteria floribunda, Robinia pseudoacacia and Lespedeza maximowiczii var. tomentella is reported for the first time in this study.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.67.1-67.1
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• 2003

Three new guaianolide type of sesquiterpene lactones, 8${\alpha}$-angeloyloxy-1${\alpha}$-hydroxy-3${\alpha}$,4${\alpha}$-epoxy-5${\alpha}$, 7${\alpha}$H-10(14), 11(13)-guaiadien-12,6${\alpha}$-olide (1), 8${\alpha}$-methylbutyryloxy-1${\alpha}$-hydroxy-3${\alpha}$, 4${\alpha}$-epoxy-5${\alpha}$, 7${\alpha}$H-10(14),11(13)-guaiadien-12,6${\alpha}$-olide (2), and 8${\alpha}$-isovaleryloxy-1${\alpha}$-hydroxy-3${\alpha}$, 4${\alpha}$-epoxy-5${\alpha}$, 7${\alpha}$H-10(14),11 (13)- guaiadien-12,6${\alpha}$-olide (3), together with six known sesquiterpenes, artemisolide (4), 3-methoxytanapartholide (5), deacetyllaurenobiolide (6), moxartenolide (7), arteminolide B (8), and arteminolide D (9) were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation using the NF-kB mediated reporter gene assay system. (omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6949-6954
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• 2014

Background: Recent studies have indicated that microRNA-15a (miR-15a) is dysregulated in breast cancer (BC). We aimed to evaluate the expression of miR-15a in BC tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma tissues. We also focused on effects of miR-15a on cellular behavior of MDA-MB-231 and expression of its target gene synuclein-${\gamma}$ (SNCG). Materials and Methods: The expression levels of miR-15a were analysed in BC formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues by microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. CCK-8 assays, cell cycle and apoptosis assays were used to explore the potential functions of miR-15a in MDA-MB-231 human BC cells. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed direct targets. Results: Downregulation of miR-15a was detected in most primary BCs. Ectopic expression of miR-15a promoted proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in vivo. Further studies indicated that miR-15a may directly interact with the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of SNCG mRNA, downregulating its mRNA and protein expression levels. SNCG expression was negatively correlated with miR-15a expression. Conclusions: MiR-15a has a critical role in mediating cell cycle arrest and promoting cell apoptosis of BC, probably by directly targeting SNCG. Thus, it may be involved in development and progression of BC.