• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Serpin peptidase inhibitor, Clade B (ovalbumin), Member 5 (SERPINB5), also known as maspin, is a potent tumor suppressor gene. It has correlations with many tumor cells, from pancreas cancer to breast cancer, so it is possible that it may also affect liver cancer. There has also been a report that SERPINB12, a gene placed right next to SERPINB5, is expressed in liver. For this study, 32 polymorphisms were identified in SERPINB5 by direct DNA sequencing, and 11 of them were selected to be tested with a larger scale subjects. The association of the 11 SERPINB5 polymorphisms with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence and the onset age of HCC were analyzed. There were no significant associations found between 11 SERPINB5 polymorphisms and HBV clearance. In the case of HCC occurrence, one of the haplotypes (ht) showed association with HCC occurrence (OR=2.26, p=0.005, $P^{Cor}=0.05$), albeit with a low statistical power (40.8%) and haplotype frequency (0.052). Further study with a bigger sample size will be needed to clearly verify the association between ht5 and HCC occurrence.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2006

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is a multidomain serine protease containing two kringle domains, TK1-2. Previously, Pichia-derived recombinant human TK1-2 has been reported as an angiogenesis inhibitor although t-PA plays an important role in endothelial and tumor cell invasion. In this work, in order to improve in vivo efficacy of TK1-2 through elimination of immune reactivity, we mutated wild type TK1-2 into non-glycosylated form (NE-TK1-2) and examined whether it retains anti-angiogenic activity. The plasmid expressing NE-TK1-2 was constructed by replacing $Asn^{l17}\;and\;Asn^{184}$ with glutamic acid residues. After expression in Pichia pastoris, the secreted protein was purified from the culture broth using S-sepharose and UNO S1-FPLC column. The mass spectrum of NE-TK1-2 showed closely neighboring two peaks, 19631.87 and 19,835.44 Da, and it migrated as one band in SDS-PAGE. The patterns of CD-spectra of these two proteins were almost identical. Functionally, purified NE-TK1-2 was shown to inhibit endothelial cell migration in response to bFGF stimulation at the almost same level as wild type TK1-2. Therefore, the results suggest that non-glycosylated NETK1-2 can be developed as an effective anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor agent devoid of immune reactivity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.798-803
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• 1999

Prolyl endopeptidase [PEP; EC 3.4.21.26], a serine protease which is known to cleave peptide bonds on the carboxy side of a proline residue, plays an important role in the degradation of proline-containing neuropeptides that have been suggested to participate in learning and memory processes. An abnormal increase in the level of PEP, which can lead to generation of $A{\beta}$, is also suggested to be involved in Alzheimer's type senile dementia. In the course of screening PEP inhibitors from Basidiomycetes, the mushroom Polyozellus multiplex exhibited a high inhibitory activity against PEP. Two active compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction by consecutive purification, using silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and Lobar RP-18 chromatography. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified as thelephoric acid and 12-acety1-2,3,7,8-tetrahydroxy-[12H]-12-hydroxymethylbenzobis[I.2b,3.4b'] benzofuran-11-one (kynapcin-9) by spectral data including UV, IR, MS, HR-MS, $^1H-,{\;}^{13}C-$, and 2D-NMR. The $IC_{50}$ values of the thelephoric acid and kynapcin-9 were 0.157 ppm (446nM) and 0.087 ppm (212nM) and their inhibitor constants ($K_i$) were 0.73ppm ($2.09{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$) and 0.060 ppm (146 nM), respectively. Furthermore, they were non-competitive with a substrate in Dixon plots.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.539-545
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• 2016

Nafamostat mesilate (NM), a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, has anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. The intracellular mediator and external anti-inflammatory external signal in the vascular wall have been reported to protect endothelial cells, in part due to nitric oxide (NO) production. This study was designed to examine whether NM exhibit endothelium dependent vascular relaxation through Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation and generation of NO. NM enhanced Akt/eNOS phosphorylation and NO production in a dose- and time-dependent manner in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and aorta tissues obtained from rats treated with various concentrations of NM. NM concomitantly decreased arginase activity, which could increase the available arginine substrate for NO production. Moreover, we investigated whether NM increased NO bioavailability and decreased aortic relaxation response to an eNOS inhibitor in the aorta. These results suggest that NM increases NO generation via the Akt/eNOS signaling pathway, leading to endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation. Therefore, the vasorelaxing action of NM may contribute to the regulation of cardiovascular function.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2013

A bacterium producing a fibrinolytic enzyme was isolated from Cheonggukjang. The bacterium was identified as a strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by 16S rDNA analysis and designated as B. amyloliquefaciens HC188. The optimum culture medium appeared to be one containing 0.5% (w/v) maltose and 0.5% (w/v) soytone. Bacterial growth in the optimal medium at $37^{\circ}C$ reached the stationary phase after 27 h of incubation and the fibrinolytic enzyme showed optimum activity at 24 h. The enzyme was purified by 20-80% ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM Sepharose fast flow ion exchange chromatography, and Sephacryl S-200HR column chromatography. Its specific activity was 38359.3 units/mg protein and the yield was 5.5% of the total activity of the crude extracts. The molecular weight was 24.7 kDa and the amino acids of the N-terminal sequence were AQSVPYGVSQIKAPA. The fibrinolytic enzyme activity had an optimum temperature of $40^{\circ}C$ and an optimum pH of 8.0, and the enzyme was stable in the ranges $20-40^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.0-8.0. Enzyme activity was increased by $Ca^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$ but inhibited by $Cu^{2+}$, EDTA, and PMSF. It is suggested that the purified enzyme is a metallo-serine protease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.515-521
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• 2007

Aprotinin, a serine protease inhibitor, has been used to ameliorate the inevitable consequences, including blood component injury after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, there are many arguments on its dosage or usage. We assessed whether administration of low dose of aprotinin in only priming solution has any beneficial effect or reduces its side effects on cardiac surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to aprotinin group (n=15) which received aprotinin in priming solution (two million kallikrein inhibitory unit, KIU) and added one million KIU at 1 hour after the beginning of CPB or control group (n=15) which did not receive it. Hematological and biochemical variables, cytokines and cardiac marker levels, and postoperative outcomes were compared between two groups at before, during or after operation. Platelet count in aprotinin group was higher than that of control group at postoperative 24 hr. Activated partial thromboplastin time in aprotinin group was longer than that of control group at intensive care unit (ICU). Troponin-I level and postoperative blood loss volumes in aprotinin group were lower than those of control group at ICU. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the others. These results showed that low dosage of only priming solution during cardiac surgery with CPB reduced platelet destruction and postoperative bleeding, and attenuates myocardial damage. However, further studies need to be carried out with more population or pediatric patients for evaluating various aprotinin usage.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.273-281
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• 2015

The follistatin (FST) gene encodes a monomeric glycoprotein that plays a role in binding and inhibiting the functions of members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}$ superfamily. Thus, FST facilitates a wide variety of functions, ranging from muscle growth, to inflammation and immunity. In this study, we sought to characterize an FST counterpart, RbFST, which was identified from rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus. The RbFST cDNA sequence (2,419 bp) contains a 933-bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a putative amino acid sequence for RbFST (35 kDa). The putative amino acid sequence contains a Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor domain (51-98 residues) and an EF-hand, calcium-binding domain (191-226 residues). Additionally, this sequence shares a high identity (98.7%) with the Siniperca chuatsi FST sequence, with which it also has the closest evolutionary relationship according to a phylogenetic study. Omnipresent distribution of RbFST transcripts were detected in the gill, liver, spleen, head kidney, kidney, skin, muscle, heart, brain, and intestine of healthy animals, with significantly higher expression levels in the heart, followed by the liver tissue. Under pathogenic stress caused by two bacterial pathogens, Streptococcus iniae and Edwardsiella tarda, RbFST transcription was found to be significantly up-regulated. Altogether, our findings suggest the putative role of RbFST in immune related responses against pathogenic infections, further prefiguring its significance in rock bream physiology.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.300-307
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• 2010

Photosensitized peroxidation of membrane lipids has been implicated in skin pathologies such as phototoxicity and premature aging. We have previously reported that syriacusin compounds isolated from Hibiscus Syriacus inhibited lipid peroxidation. Here, we investigated whether syriacusins could be effective inhibitor to skin aging using ultraviolet-irradiated human dermal fibroblast cells (HDFCs). Syriacusins A, B, and C inhibit the activity of human neutrophil elastase (HNE), a serine protease to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including elastin, with $IC_{50}s$ of 8.0, 5.2, and $6.1\;{\mu}M$, respectively. No changes in cell viability were detected by syriacusins A and B in UV-B ($10\;mJ/cm^2$) irradiated HDFCs. Matrix metallo-proteinase (MMP)-1 expression in HDFCs was increased by UV-B irradiation. MMP-1 expression in UV-B irradiated HDFCs was decreased by $10\;{\mu}M$ and $20\;{\mu}M$ syriacusin A to 50% and 20% of untreated control, respectively. Syriacusin B treated with $20\;{\mu}M$ reduced MMP-1 expression in UV-B irradiated HDFCs to 60% of untreated control. Syriacusin A also inhibited MMP-2 expression accompanying the increase of type-I pro-collagen in UV-B irradiated HDFCs. These results demonstrate that syriacusin A could be a more effective compound to inhibit skin aging caused by UV irradiation. It suggests that syriacusins A and B might be developed as possible agents to treat or prevent skin aging.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.159-172
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• 1998

사람 성장호르몬 수용체(hGHR) cDNA는 PCR방법에 의하여 fagment로서 보고되어진 바 있으나, liver cDNA로 부터 전장을 cloning한 보고는 없는 실정으로 본 연구에서는 기능을 가진 약 4.6kbp의 cDNA hGHR을 cloning 하는데 성공하였다. 먼저 cloning하기 위하여 human liver mRNA와 human breast cancer tissue로부터 회수한 mRNA를 RT-PCR방법에 의하여 human cDNA library와 cloning에 필요한 probe를 제작하였다. human library mRNA는 GT-PCR방법에 의하여 증폭하여 증폭되어진 산물은 λZAP Vector를 이용하여 cDNA library를 구축하였고,screeing을 위하여 임 보고 되어진 hGHR fragment native sequence를 기초로 N-terminal부분의 primer를 설계하여 950bp의 probe를 얻는데 성공하였다. 이 probe를 이용하여 준비된 human liver cDNA library로부터 2.5$\times$10 6개의 plaque로부터 6개의 positive clone을 획득하였고, 이들중 poly Asignal인 "AATAAA"를 포함하고 있는 가장 긴 약 3.8kbp의 clone을 sequencing한 결과 open reading frame을 포함하고 있었으나, 5'부분의 결손되어 있었다. 그리하여 이 부분은 human breast cancer tissue로 부터 회수한 mRNA를 RT-PCR에 의하여 증폭하였고, sequencing결과 이미 보고되어진 native hGHR와 비교한 결과 하나의 nucleotide가 silent mutation으로 판명되었다.한편 human liver cDNA library로부터 cloning한 3.8cp의 positive clone의 5'end의 결손된 부분에 silent mutation된 PCR 산물을 연결함으로써 native hGHR와 유사한 cDNA hGHR subcloning에 성공하였다. 이러한 cDNA hGHR의 clone이 function을 가지고 있는지를 검토하기 위하여 eukaryotic 발현 vector인 pCXN2에 의거 ligation한 후 chinese hamster ovary cell[CHO-KI]에 transfect를 실시하였다. Dexamethasone은 첨가하지 않고 hGH만의 존재하에서 이들 cell을 배양시키고 cell menbrane에서 발현 여부를 판정키 위하여 hGHR monocloual antibody를 사용하여 flow cytometery해석을 실시하는 한편 125I-hGH binding assay에 의하여 hGH binding activity를 측정하였다. 최종적으로 GH signal transduction의 target genedf으로 알려져 있는 serine protease inhibitor 2.1(Spi 2.1) gene의 promotor activity를 검토한 결과 hGHR을 transfect한 CHO Cell에 있어서 hGH의 농도에 의존적으로 증가되었다. 따라서 본 실험에서 cloning한 cDNA hGHR는 native hGHR와 같은 기능을 가지는 것으로 판명되었다.것으로 판명되었다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.728-733
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• 2016

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) effectively reduce airway inflammation and regenerate the alveolus in cigarette- and elastase-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) animal models. The effects of stem cells are thought to be paracrine and immune-modulatory because very few stem cells remain in the lung one day after their systemic injection, which has been demonstrated previously. In this report, we analyzed the gene expression profiles to compare mouse lungs with chronic exposure to cigarette smoke with non-exposed lungs. Gene expression profiling was also conducted in a mouse lung tissue with chronic exposure to cigarette smoke following the systemic injection of human cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hCB-MSCs). Globally, 834 genes were differentially expressed after systemic injection of hCB-MSCs. Seven and 21 genes, respectively, were up-and downregulated on days 1, 4, and 14 after HCB-MSC injection. The Hbb and Hba, genes with oxygen transport and antioxidant functions, were increased on days 1 and 14. A serine protease inhibitor was also increased at a similar time point after injection of hCB-MSCs. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the levels of genes related to immune responses, metabolic processes, and blood vessel development were altered, indicating host responses after hCB-MSC injection. These gene expression changes suggest that MSCs induce a regeneration mechanism against COPD induced by cigarette smoke. These analyses provide basic data for understanding the regeneration mechanisms promoted by hCB-MSCs in cigarette smoke-induced COPD.