• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제14권4호
• /
• pp.205-210
• /
• 2016

Interleukin-10 (IL10) plays an important role in initiating and maintaining an appropriate immune response to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Previous studies have revealed that the transcription of IL10 mRNA and its protein expression may be infl uenced by several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter and intron regions, including rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872. However, the impact of polymorphisms of the IL10 gene on NHL prognosis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the association between IL10 polymorphisms and NHL prognosis. This study involved 112 NHL patients treated at the National Cancer Center, Korea. The median age was 57 years, and 70 patients (62.5%) were men. Clinical characteristics, including age, performance status, stage, and extra-nodal involvement, as well as cell lineage and International Prognostic Index (IPI), were evaluated. A total of four polymorphisms in IL10 with heterozygous alleles were analyzed for hazard ratios of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common histologic type (n = 83), followed by T-cell lymphoma (n = 18), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 6), and others (n = 5). Cell lineage, IPI, and extra-nodal involvement were predictors of prognosis. In the additive genetic model results for each IL10 polymorphism, the rs1800871 and rs1800872 polymorphisms represented a marginal association with OS (p = 0.09 and p = 0.06) and PFS (p = 0.05 and p = 0.08) in B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). These findings suggest that IL10 polymorphisms might be prognostic indicators for patients with B-cell NHL treated with R-CHOP.

• 한국환경보건학회지
• /
• 제46권5호
• /
• pp.599-609
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has rapidly become a global pandemic with over 26.4 million confirmed cases and approximately 871,000 fatalities worldwide as of this writing. In the Republic of Korea, disease clusters frequently occurred in long-term care hospitals where the majority of residents are elderly with underlying medical conditions. Despite the fact that public health authorities and local community health centers have put tremendous efforts into preventing the spread of disease, positive cases have continued to occur. Thus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention rapid response team decided to conduct an environmental investigation of a long-term care hospital to identify whether environmental contamination has remained and contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Methods: An environmental investigation was conducted at Hospital A. The characteristics of the facility and its HVAC system were assessed by checking the layout and interviewing the people in charge. A total of 64 surface samples were collected from areas of concern, including patient rooms, toilets, elevators, and nurses' station. These samples were tested by a regional health and environmental research institute using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: All samples from Hospital A were confirmed to be negative. Through interviews with high-level personnel at the regional community health center, we found that extensive disinfection is frequently performed on potentially contaminated areas in Hospital A in accordance with government guidelines. Conclusion: The environmental control measures implemented in Hospital A had been sufficient for mitigating the risk of further infection, suggesting that such measures may also be effective for other long-term health care facilities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.192-197
• /
• 2011

The dietary intake of whole grains is known to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. To investigate whether there are anti-adipogenic activities in various Korean cereals, we assessed water extracts of nine cereals. The results showed that treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with Sorghum bicolor L. Moench, Setaria italica Beauvois, or Panicum miliaceum L. extract significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation, as determined by measuring oil red-O staining, triglyceride accumulation, and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Among the nine cereals, P. miliaceum L. showed the highest anti-adipogenic activity. The effects of P. miliaceum L. on mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}$, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, and the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-${\alpha}$ were evaluated revealing that the extract significantly decreased the expression of these genes in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, P. miliaceum L. extract changed the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids in adipocytes, which is related to biological activity and cell characteristics. These results suggest that some cereals efficiently suppress adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In particular, the effect of P. miliaceum L. on adipocyte differentiation is associated with the downregulation of adipogenic genes and fatty acid accumulation in adipocytes.

• 한국작물학회지
• /
• 제62권1호
• /
• pp.40-50
• /
• 2017

Seed storage proteins are used as carbon and nitrogen sources for the nutritional improvement of seeds. Since the composition of proteins from the Korean cultivars of proso millet is unknown, this study was conducted to obtain a reference map of millet seed proteins and identify the functional characteristics of the identified proteins. Proteins extracted from proso millet seeds of various cultivars were investigated using proteomic techniques such as 2-D electrophoresis coupled with mass fingerprinting; 1152 (differentially expressed) protein spots were detected on the 2-D gels. Among them, 26 reproducible protein spots were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Out of the 26 proteins, 2 proteins were upregulated in all the millet cultivars, while 13 proteins were upregulated and 11 proteins were downregulated in 2 cultivars. Abundance of most of the identified protein species associated with polysaccharide and starch metabolism, transcription, and pathogenesis was significantly enhanced, while that of other protein species involved in glycolysis, stress response, and transduction was severely reduced. Taken together, the results suggest that the differential expression of the proteins from the four millet cultivars may be cultivar-specific. By conducting a proteomic investigation of millet seeds from different cultivars, we sought to better understand the functional categorization of individual proteins on the basis of their molecular functions. We believe that the identified proteins may help in investigating genetic variations in millet cultivars.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제24권8호
• /
• pp.1081-1087
• /
• 2014

Aspergillus oryzae is generally recognized as safe, but it is closely related to A. flavus in morphology and genetic characteristics. In this study, we tested the aflatoxigenicity and genetic analysis of nine commercial A. oryzae strains that were used in Korean soybean fermented products. Cultural and HPLC analyses showed that none of the commercial strains produced detectable amount of aflatoxins. According to the molecular analysis of 17 genes in the aflatoxin (AF) biosynthetic pathway, the commercial strains could be classified into three groups. The group I strains contained all the 17 AF biosynthetic genes tested in this study; the group II strains deleted nine AF biosynthetic genes and possessed eight genes, including aflG, aflI, aflK, aflL, aflM, aflO, aflP, and aflQ; the group III strains only had six AF biosynthetic genes, including aflG, aflI, aflK, aflO, aflP, and aflQ. With the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the group I A. oryzae strains showed no expression of aflG, aflQ and/or aflM genes, which resulted in the lack of AF-producing ability. Group II and group III strains could not produce AF owing to the deletion of more than half of the AF biosynthetic genes. In addition, the sequence data of polyketide synthase A (pksA) of group I strains of A. oryzae showed that there were three point mutations (two silent mutations and one missense mutation) compared with aflatoxigenic A. flavus used as the positive control in this study.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.43-54
• /
• 2011

Gene structure of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD; sod1) was characterized in Hemibarbus mylodon (Teleostei; Cypriniformes), an endangered freshwater fish species in Korean peninsula. Full-length cDNA of H. mylodon SOD1 consisted of a 796-bp open reading frame sequence encoding 154 amino acids, and the deduced polypeptide sequence shared high sequence homology with other orthologs, particularly with regard to metal-coordinating ligands. Genomic structure of the H. mylodon sod1 gene (hmsod1; 1,911 bp from the ATG start codon to the stop codon) was typical quinquepartite (i.e., five exons interrupted by four introns); the lengths of the exons were similar among species belonging to various taxonomic positions. The molecular phylogeny inferred from sod1 genes in the teleost lineage was in accordance with the conventional taxonomic assumptions. 5'-flanking upstream region of hmsod1, obtained using the genome walking method, contained typical TATA and CAAT boxes. It also showed various transcription factor binding motifs that may be potentially involved in stress/immune response (e.g., sites for activating proteins or nuclear factor kappa B) or metabolism of xenobiotic compounds (e.g., xenobiotic response element; XRE). The hmsod1 transcripts were ubiquitously detected among tissues, with the liver and spleen showing the highest and lowest expression, respectively. An experimental challenge with Edwardsiella tarda revealed significant upregulation of the hmsod1 in kidney (4.3-fold) and spleen (3.1-fold), based on a real-time RT-PCR assay. Information on the molecular characteristics of this key antioxidant enzyme gene could be a useful basis for a biomarker-based assay to understand cellular stresses in this endangered fish species.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제16권4호
• /
• pp.265-271
• /
• 2012

HoxB4, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor, is involved in the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells in vivo and in vitro, and plays a key role in regulating the balance between hematopoietic stem cell renewal and cell differentiation. However, the biological activity of HoxB4 in other cells has not been reported. In this study, we investigated the effect of overexpressed HoxB4 on cell survival under various conditions that induce death, using the Ba/F3 cell line. Analysis of phenotypical characteristics showed that HoxB4 overexpression in Ba/F3 cells reduced cell size, death, and proliferation rate. Moreover, the progression from early to late apoptotic stages was inhibited in Ba/F3 cells subjected to HoxB4 overexpression under removal of interleukin-3-mediated signal, leading to the induction of cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and attenuated cell death by Fas protein stimulation in vitro. Furthermore, apoptotic cell death induced by doxorubicin-treated G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest also decreased with HoxB4 overexpression in Ba/F3 cells. From these data, we suggest that HoxB4 may play an important role in the regulation of pro-B cell survival under various apoptotic death environments.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제39권2호
• /
• pp.87-93
• /
• 2012

Objective: Lin28 has been known to control the proliferation and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the downstream effectors of Lin28 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) by RNA interference and microarray analysis. Methods: The control siRNA and Lin28 siRNA (Dharmacon) were transfected into mESCs. Total RNA was prepared from each type of transfected mESC and subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to confirm the downregulation of Lin28. The RNAs were labeled and hybridized with an Affymetrix Gene-Chip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array. The data analysis was accomplished by GenPlex 3.0 software. The expression levels of selected genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Results: According to the statistical analysis of the cDNA microarray, a total of 500 genes were altered in Lin28-downregulated mESCs (up-regulated, 384; down-regulated, 116). After differentially expressed gene filtering, 31 genes were selected as candidate genes regulated by Lin28 downregulation. Among them, neuropeptide Y5 receptor and oocyte-specific homeobox 5 genes were significantly upregulated in Lin28-downregulated mESCs. We also showed that the families of neuropeptide Y receptor (Npyr) and oocyte-specific homeobox (Obox) genes were upregulated by downregulation of Lin28. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we suggest that Lin28 controls the characteristics of mESCs through the regulation of effectors such as the Npyr and Obox families.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.187-196
• /
• 2003

The cytokines are the hormone-like proteins, which are produced in the mononuclear cells. They have many roles, such as immune mediators, cell differentiations, angiogenesis. The chemokines have chemotactic effects which control the host immune response. There were few reports about the cytokines associated with musculoskeletal tumors. From late 1980s, the cytokine studies of bone tumors such as osteosarcoma were started, but most studies for benign and malignant musculoskeletal tumors were left to be explored. To evaluate the characteristics of the cytokines in variable musculoskeletal tumors, tissues were obtained from the seven patients who visited the Yeungnam University hospital from February to July 2000. They were lipoma (1 case), parosteal osteoma (1 case), enchondroma (2 cases), pigmented villonodular synovitis (1 case), ganglion (1 case), and metastaic squamous cell carcinoma (1 case). The gene experession of the cytokines were analyzed by RNase protection assay (RPA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The lipoma and parosteal osteoma expressed MIP-$1{\beta}$, and IP-10 genes. The two enchondromas showed different results, one expressed all of MIP-$1{\alpha}$, MIP-$1{\beta}$ and IP-10 genes but the other expressed none of above. The pigmented villonodular synovitis strongly expressed MIP-$1{\alpha}$ and IP-10 when compared with the other cases. The ganglion did not express all of the chemokines mentioned above. And the metastatic squamous cell carcinoma expressed all of the chemokines and especially IP-10 was highly expressed. Even though this study has only a few cases, these results provide a basis for the cytokine mediating network study in musculoskeletal tumors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권12호
• /
• pp.7551-7554
• /
• 2013

Tumor-associated microRNAs have been detected in serum or plasma, but whether plasma microRNA-21 (miR-21) could be a potential circulating biomarker for gastric cancer (GC) prognosis in Chinese is still uncertain. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed in this study to compare the relative expression of miR-21 between pre-operative and post-operative paired plasmas from 42 patients with primary GCs. The results showed that the expression levels of miR-21 in the post-operative plasmas were significantly reduced by an average of 18.2 times in all patients when compared to the pre-operative plasmas, and by 22.1 times in the subgroup of patients without family history, while only 1.76 times in the subgroup of patients with a family history. With respect of clinicopathological characteristics, the plasma miR-21 expression was highly associated with differentiation degree and lymph node metastasis rate. The results suggested plasma miR-21 could be a novel potential biomarker for GC prognosis and evaluation of surgery outcomes, especially in patients without a family history.