• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1249-1253
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• 2010

Sericin is a type of high molecular weight water-soluble glycoprotein surrounding fibroin (silk protein) that has been used as a cell culture supplement and accelerates cell proliferation in various serum-free media. The purpose of this study was to investigate the enhancing effect of thyroglobulin (Tg) secretion by sericin in thyrocytes, FRTL-5 cells. While Tg-mRNA expression was not enhanced, a secreted form of Tg was obviously increased by sericin. In this status, expression of both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) molecular chaperones (Bip & calreticulin) and ER membrane proteins (IRE1, PERK & ATF6) was enhanced. The proximal step of IRE1, XBP1 mRNA splicing was slightly detected however, the proximal step of PERK, phosphorylation of $eIF2{\alpha}$, was changeless. In addition, sericin enhanced cell viability by the MTT assay. The above results showing the ability of sericin to promote protein production demonstrated its potential usefulness as a new biomaterial.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.653-663
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• 2006

Objective : Graves' disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, is an autoimmune disorder associated with autoantibodies to the TSH receptor. The clinical features of Graves' disease are goiter and hypermetabolic symptoms induced by excessive hormones. Antithyroid drug therapy is the first-line treatment for Graves' disease in Korea, Japan and European countries. Yet in spite of a long period and high-dose of treatment, it is hard to achieve remission because of adverse effects, frequent recurrence and resistance to antithyroid drugs. Recently, it has been reported that the abnormal thyroid hormone and clinical symptoms of Graves' disease were reduced by Ahnjeonbaekho-tang (AJBHT). Methods : To investigate the effectiveness and action mechanism of AJBHT, we studied the influence of AJBHT on FRTL-5 thyroid cell proliferation, DNA synthesis and expression of T4, TSH, cAMP, Tg and TPO mRNA. Results : AJBHT significantly inhibited the FRTL-5 cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, T4 synthesis, cAMP production and the expression of Tg mRNA in comparison with control and MMI. Conclusions : These results suggest that AJBHT may inhibit the cell proliferation and DNA synthesis by regulating the cAMP, and suppress the T4 synthesis by modulating Tg mRNA expression and cAMP synthesis, and that it may be useful agent for treating the goiter and hormone abnormality of Graves' disease.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2010

The subfamily Murinae is a very controversial group concerning their phylogenetic relationship. Previous studies could not resolve phylogeny among four genera Apodemus, Micromys, Mus and Rattus of the Muridae. In the present study, eight rodent species resident in South Korea were collected and phylogenetically analyzed based on sequence data of five mitochondrial and nuclear DNA regions: 12S rRNA, cytochrome b gene (cyt b), cytochrome oxidase II (COII), control region of mitochondrial DNA, and a thyroglobulin (Tg) of nuclear DNA. According to the phylogeny of the concatenated data, M. musculus separated early in Murinae (ML 100%; BA 1.00 pp) and the genus Rattus grouped with the harvest mouse, M. minutes; these were separated from the genus Apodemus with relatively strong support (ML 74%; BA 0.76 pp). The Siberian chipmunk population was also examined using the five genes to obtain better resolution. The phylogeny for Korean rodents determined using the 12S rRNA, cyt b, COII and control regions discriminated the Siberian chipmunk populations from Korea, Russia, and China.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.29.1-29.10
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• 2021

In our previous studies, we have demonstrated the association of certain variants of the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and thyroglobulin (TG) genes with congenital hypothyroidism. Herein, we explored the mechanistic basis for this association using different in silico tools. The mRNA 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) plays key roles in gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In TSHR variants (rs2268477, rs7144481, and rs17630128), the binding affinity of microRNAs (miRs) (hsa-miR-154-5p, hsa-miR-376a-2-5p, hsa-miR-3935, hsa-miR-4280, and hsa-miR-6858-3p) to the 3'-UTR is disrupted, affecting post-transcriptional gene regulation. TPO and TG are the two key proteins necessary for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones in the presence of iodide and H₂O₂. Reduced stability of these proteins leads to aberrant biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Compared to the wild-type TPO protein, the p.S398T variant was found to exhibit less stability and significant rearrangements of intra-atomic bonds affecting the stoichiometry and substrate binding (binding energies, ΔG of wild-type vs. mutant: -15 vs. -13.8 kcal/mol; and dissociation constant, K_d of wild-type vs. mutant: 7.2E^-12 vs. 7.0E^-11 M). The missense mutations p.G653D and p.R1999W on the TG protein showed altered ΔG(0.24 kcal/mol and 0.79 kcal/mol, respectively). In conclusion, an in silico analysis of TSHR genetic variants in the 3'-UTR showed that they alter the binding affinities of different miRs. The TPO protein structure and mutant protein complex (p.S398T) are less stable, with potentially deleterious effects. A structural and energy analysis showed that TG mutations (p.G653D and p.R1999W) reduce the stability of the TG protein and affect its structure-functional relationship.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.512-519
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• 2018

Phthalates widely used in the manufacture of plastics have deeply penetrated into our everyday lives. Recently, a concern over the toxicity of phthalates on thyroid, has been raised but in most of cases, the doses employed were unrealistically high. To investigate the effects of phthalates on thyroid, we investigated the effects of the repeated oral exposure to low to high doses (0.3, 3, 30 and 150 mg/kg) di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) from weaning to maturity for 90 days in juvenile rats on the thyroid. The histological examination revealed that DEHP significantly induced hyperplasia in the thyroid from the doses of 30 mg/kg, which was confirmed with Ki67 staining. In line with this finding, increased mRNA expression of thyrotropin releasing hormone (Trh) was observed in the thyroid of female at 0.3 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg as determined by RNAseq analysis. Moreover, significantly increased expression of parathyroid hormone (Pth) in the female at 0.3 mg/kg, and thyroglobulin (Tg) and thyroid hormone responsive (Thrsp) in the male at 0.3 mg/kg were noted in the blood, of which changes were substantially attenuated at 150 m/kg, alluding the meaningful effects of low dose DEHP on the thyroid hormone regulation. Urinary excretion of mono-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (MEHP), a major metabolite of DEHP was determined to be 4.10 and 12.26 ppb in male, 6.65 and 324 ppb in female at 0.3 and 30 mg/kg DEHP, respectively, which fell within reported human urine levels. Collectively, these results suggest a potential adverse effects of low dose phthalates on the thyroid.