• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 2007

Purpose: RUNX3, a novel tumor suppressor, is frequently inactivated in gastric cancer. In the present study, we examined the pattern of RUNX3 expression in gastric cancer cells from gastric cancer specimens and the impact of its alteration on clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 samples of both gastric cancer and normal tissue were obtained from 124 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy at the Seoul Medical Center from January 2001 to December 2005. RUNX3 expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining, and the results were analyzed. Statistical analysis wabased on clinicopathological findings and differences in survival rates. Results: The mean age of the patients was 61 years, and the male:female ratio was 1.9:1. The expression rate of RUNX3 was 59.7% (74/124). The expression rate was higher in differentiated gastric cancers (nucleus: 9.1%, cytoplasm: 57.6%) than in the undifferentiated types (nucleus: 5.2%, cytoplasm: 46.6%) (P=0.133). The 5-year survival rates according to RUNX3 expression determined from cancer tissue were 88.9% for the nucleus $\pm$ cytoplasm(+) group of patients, 76.1% for the cytoplasm only (+) group of patients, and 65.3% for the RUNX3 negative expression group of patients (P=0.626). Only UICC TNM staging showed statistical significance related to the survival rate, as determined by multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The RUNX3 expression rate was higher in differentiated gastric cancer than in the undifferentiated types without significance. Although RUNX3 expression predicted better survival, based on multivariate analysis, the finding was not statistically significant. More cases should be further evaluated.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

The objective of the present study was to determine the expression of genes associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced stressor in two breeds of chickens: the Korean native chicken (KNC) and the White Leghorn chicken (WLH). Forty chickens per breed, aged 40 weeks, were randomly allotted to the control (CON, administered the saline vehicle) and LPS-injected stress groups. Samples were collected at 0 and 48 h post-LPS injection, and total RNA was extracted from the chicken livers for RNA microarray and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses. In response to LPS, 1,044 and 1,193 genes were upregulated, and 1,000 and 1,072 genes were downregulated in the KNC and WLH, respectively, using a ${\geq}2$-fold cutoff change. A functional network analysis revealed that stress-related genes were downregulated in both KNC and WLH after LPS infection. The results obtained from the qRT-PCR analysis of mRNA expression of heat shock 90 (HSP90), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), and X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) were confirmed by the results of the microarray analysis. There was a significant difference in the expression of stress-associated genes between the control and LPS-injected KNC and WLH groups. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the stress-related $HSP90{\alpha}$ and HMGCR genes were downregulated in both LPS-injected KNC and WLH groups. However, the HSP70 and $HSP90{\beta}$ genes were upregulated only in the LPS-injected KNC group. The results suggest that the mRNA expression of stress-related genes is differentially affected by LPS stimulation, and some of the responses varied with the chicken breed. A better understanding of the LPS-induced infective stressors in chicken using the qRT-PCR and RNA microarray analyses may contribute to improving animal welfare and husbandry practices.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.8 s.88
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• pp.1090-1099
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• 2007

Myristicin, l-allyl-3,4-methylenedioxy-5-methoxybenzene, was one of the major essential oils of nutmeg. However, its anti-allergic effect in the Th1/Th2 immune response was poorly understood. Recently, it was shown that T-bet and GATA-3 was master Th1 and Th2 regulatory transcription factors. In this study, we have attempted to determine whether myristicin regulates Th1/Th2 cytokine production, T-bet and GATA-3 gene expression in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model mice. Myristicin reduced levels of IL-4, Th2 cytokine production in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. In the other side, it increased $IFN-{\gamma}$, Th1 cytokine production in myristicin administrated mice. We also examined to ascertain whether myristicin could influence eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity. After being sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) showed typical asthmatic reactions. These reactions included an increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, an increase in inflammatory cell infiltration into the lung tissue around blood vessels and airways, and the development of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). The administration of myristicin before the last airway OVA challenge resulted in a significant inhibition of all asthmatic reactions. Accordingly, these findings provide new insight into the immunopharmacological role of myristicin in terms of its effects in a murine model of asthma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7849-7855
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• 2014

Purpose: To investigate the effect of deacetylase inhibitory trichostatin A (TSA) on anti HepG2 liver carcinoma cells and explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells exposed to different concentrations of TSA for 24, 48, or 72h were examined for cell growth inhibition using CCK8, changes in cell cycle distribution with flow cytometry, cell apoptosis with annexin V-FTIC/PI double staining, and cell morphology changes under an inverted microscope. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1, HDAC3, H3K9, CyclinD1 and Bax proteins was tested by Western blotting. Gene expression for ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1and HDAC3 was tested by q-PCR. ${\beta}$-catenin and H3K9 proteins were also tested by immunofluorescence. Activity of Renilla luciferase (pTCF/LEF-luc) was assessed using the Luciferase Reporter Assay system reagent. The activity of total HDACs was detected with a HDACs colorimetric kit. Results: Exposure to TSA caused significant dose-and time-dependent inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation (p<0.05) and resulted in increased cell percentages in G0/G1 and G2/M phases and decrease in the S phase. The apoptotic index in the control group was $6.22{\pm}0.25%$, which increased to $7.17{\pm}0.20%$ and $18.1{\pm}0.42%$ in the treatment group. Exposure to 250 and 500nmol/L TSA also caused cell morphology changes with numerous floating cells. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, H3K9and Bax proteins was significantly increased, expression levels of CyclinD1, HDAC1, HDAC3 were decreased. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin at the genetic level was significantly increased, with no significant difference in HDAC1and HDAC3 genes. In the cytoplasm, expression of ${\beta}$-catenin fluorescence protein was not obvious changed and in the nucleus, small amounts of green fluorescence were observed. H3K9 fluorescence protein were increased. Expression levels of the transcription factor TCF werealso increased in HepG2 cells following induction by TSA, whikle the activity of total HDACs was decreased. Conclusions: TSA inhibits HDAC activity, promotes histone acetylation, and activates Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to inhibit proliferation of HepG2 cell, arrest cell cycling and induce apoptosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4517-4525
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• 2016

Background: Sperm DNA damage is underlying aetiology of poor implantation and pregnancy rates but also affects health of offspring and may also result in denovo mutations in germ line and post fertilization. This may result in complex diseases, polygenic disorders and childhood cancers. Childhood cancer like retinoblastoma (RB) is more prevalent in developing countries and the incidence of RB has increased more than three fold in India in the last decade. Recent studies have documented increased incidence of cancers in children born to fathers who consume alcohol in excess and tobacco or who were conceived by assisted conception. The aetiology of childhood cancer and increased disease burden in these children is lin ked to oxidative stress (OS) and oxidative DNA damage( ODD) in sperm of their fathers. Though several antioxidants are in use to combat oxidative stress, the effect of majority of these formulations on DNA is not known. Yoga and meditation cause significant decline in OS and ODD and aid in regulating OS levels such that reactive oxygen speues meditated signal transduction, gene expression and several other physiological functions are not disrupted. Thus, this study aimed to analyze sperm ODD as a possible etiological factor in childhood cancer and role of simple life style interventions like yoga and meditation in significantly decreasing seminal oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage and thereby decreasing incidence of childhood cancers. Materials and Methods: A total of 131 fathers of children with RB (non-familial sporadic heritable) and 50 controls (fathers of healthy children) were recruited at a tertiary center in India. Sperm parameters as per WHO 2010 guidelines and reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA fragmentation index (DFI), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxy guanosine (8-OHdG) and telomere length were estimated at day 0, and after 3 and 6 months of intervention. We also examined the compliance with yoga and meditation practice and smoking status at each follow-up. Results: The seminal mean ROS levels (p<0.05), sperm DFI (p<0.001), 8-OHdG (p<0.01) levels were significantly higher in fathers of children with RB, as compared to controls and the relative mean telomere length in the sperm was shorter. Levels of ROS were significantly reduced in tobacco users (p<0.05) as well as in alcoholics (p<0.05) after intervention. DFI reduced significantly (p<0.05) after 6 months of yoga and meditation practice in all groups. The levels of oxidative DNA damage marker 8-OHdG were reduced significantly after 3 months (p<0.05) and 6 months (p<0.05) of practice. Conclusions: Our results suggest that OS and ODD DNA may contribute to the development of childhood cancer. This may be due to accumulation of oxidized mutagenic base 8OHdG, and elevated MDA levels which results in MDA dimers which are also mutagenic, aberrant methylation pattern, altered gene expression which affect cell proliferation and survival through activation of transcription factors. Increased mt DNA mutations and aberrant repair of mt and nuclear DNA due to highly truncatred DNA repair mechanisms all contribute to sperm genome hypermutability and persistant oxidative DNA damage. Oxidative stress is also associated with genome wide hypomethylation, telomere shortening and mitochondrial dysfunction leading to genome hypermutability and instability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report decline in OS and ODD and improvement in sperm DNA integrity following adoption of meditation and yoga based life style modification.This may reduce disease burden in next generation and reduce incidence of childhood cancers.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2006

Vitellogenin(Vg) is a sex specific serum protein present in sexually maturing female blood of oviparous vertebrates. Estrogen($E_2$) is a main inducer of hepatic Vg synthesis. We investigated the effects of androgen and growth hormone(GH) on regulation of Vg and estrogen receptor(ER) genes in Japanese eel. Immature eels($200{\sim}250\;g$) were given a single injection of $E_2(5{\sim}5,000\;{\mu}g/kg\;bw)$ alone, or in combination with eel recombinant GH(eGH, $1{\sim}10\;{\mu}g/kg$) or methyltestosterone(MT, $1{\sim}5\;mg/kg$) and sacrificed 10 days after the hormone treatments. Expression levels of ER and Vg genes from the liver were determined by means of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Administration of $E_2$ stimulated Vg gene expression in a dose dependent manner. Levels of Vg mRNA after the injection of $E_2(500\;{\mu}g/kg)$ with MT(5mg/kg) or eGH($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) were much higher than in that of $E_2$ alone($500\;{\mu}g/kg$). Whereas, injection of either vehicle, eGH ($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) or MT(5mg/kg) alone did not induce the expression of Vg gene in the liver. ER mRNA was detected from the fish treated with vehicle alone. $E_2$ injection($5{\sim}500\;{\mu}g/kg\;bw$) increased this ER expression but dose dependent response was not clear. Addition of MT(5mg/kg) or eGH($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) did not affect $E_2-stimulated$ ER mRNA expression. This study confirms the necessity of $E_2$ as the primary factor for Vg gene expression and requirement of additional hormones such as MT or GH for the full expression of Vg mRNA, and suggests that the additive effect of MT or GH on Vg gene expression would be mediated by some unknown factors other than ER.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.171-178
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• 2004

Metallothionein (MT) is a family of ubiquitous, low molecular weight (6-7 kDa), cysteine-rich protein with a high affinity to metal ions and has no aromatic amino acids and histidine. Some of the known functions of MT include detoxification of heavy metals and alkylating agents and neutralization of free radicals. Also, this protein may affect a number of cellular processes including gene expression, apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation. But, its actual functions are still not clear. The present study was undertaken to examine immunocytochemically the localization of MT in developing rat liver. On the day 11 of gestation, the fetal rat liver has already been formed and contained numerous oval cells with high nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, which were the progenitors of hepatic parenchymal cells, but no reaction products of MT were detected at this time. And then, positive reactions against MT started to appear predominantly in the parenchymal cells of liver from the 13th day after gestation. Reaction products, immunogold particles or brown coloration, were localized at both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of the parenchymal cells, except mitochondria. The intensity of this reaction gradually increased, and exhibited the strongest at birth. The intensity of MT staining and immunogold labelling diminished with growth, and by the 15th day after birth weak positive reaction was observed in the cells. In brief, positive reactions for MT were observed in the oval cells and the parenchymal cells during fetal stage, meanwhile they were present only in the parenchymal cells after birth. The present results suggest that MT possibly involves parechymal cell proliferation and differentiation through the storage or the supply of various metal ions in the developing rat liver.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2007

Tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein(TonEBP) is a transcriptional factor essential in the function and development of the renal medulla. TonEBP plays a critical role in protecting renal medullary cells from the deleterious effect of hypertonicity. TonEBP is a key regulator of urinary concentration via stimulation of transcription of urea transporter(UT) in a manner independent of vasopressin. UT in the renal inner medulla is important for the conservation of body water due to its role in the urine concentrating mechanism. Mongolian gerbil(Meriones unguiculatus) has been as an model animal for studying the neurological disease such as stroke and epilepsy because of the congenital incomplete in Willis circle, as well as the investigation of water metabolism because of the long time-survival in the condition of water-deprived desert condition, compared with other species animal. In this study, we divide 3 groups of which each group include the 5 animals. In the study of 7 or 14 days water restricted condition, we investigated the TonEBP and UT-A by using a immunohistochemistry in the kidney. In the normal kidney, the distribution of TonEBP is generally localized on nuclei of inner medullary cells. Nuclear distribution of TonEBP is generally increased throughout the medulla in 7 and 14 days dehydrated group compared with control group. Increased nuclear localization was particularly dramatic in thin limbs. In control groups, UT-A was expressed in inner stripe of outer medulla(ISOM) and inner medulla(IM). UT-A was present in the terminal part of the short-loop of descending thin limbs (DTL) in ISOM and also present in the inner medullary collecting duct(IMCD), where the intensity of it gradually increased toward the papillary tip. In the dehydrated kidney, UT-A immunoreactivity was increased in the short-loop of DTL in ISOM and in the long-loop of DTL in the initial part of IM, where was expressed moderate positive reaction in the normal kidney. Also it was up regulated in the IMCD in initial & middle part of IM. However UT-A down regulated in the IMCD, where the intensity of it gradually decreased toward the papillary tip. These findings suggest that increased levels of TonEBP in medulla and UT-A in shot-loop of DTL and IMCD play a important role for maintain fluid balance in the water-deprived mongolian gerbil kidney.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.2008-2020
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• 2020

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary corn resistant starch (RS) on the intestinal morphology and barrier functions of broilers. Methods: A total of 320 one-day-old broilers were randomly allocated to 5 dietary treatments: one normal corn-soybean (NC) diet, one corn-soybean-based diet supplementation with 20% corn starch (CS), and 3 corn-soybean-based diets supplementation with 4%, 8%, and 12% corn resistant starch (RS) (identified as 4% RS, 8% RS, and 12% RS, respectively). Each group had eight replicates with eight broilers per replicate. After 21 days feeding, one bird with a body weight (BW) close to the average BW of their replicate was selected and slaughtered. The samples of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum digesta, and blood were collected. Results: Birds fed 4% RS, 8% RS and 12% RS diets showed lower feed intake, BW gain, jejunal villus height (VH), duodenal crypt depth (CD), jejunal VH/CD ratio, duodenal goblet cell density as well as mucin1 mRNA expressions compared to the NC group, but showed higher concentrations of cecal acetic acid and butyric acid, percentage of jejunal proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive cells and delta like canonical Notch ligand 4 (Dll4), and hes family bHLH transcription factor 1 mRNA expressions. However, there were no differences on the plasma diamine oxidase activity and D-lactic acid concentration among all groups. Conclusion: These findings suggested that RS could suppress intestinal morphology and barrier functions by activating Notch pathway and inhibiting the development of goblet cells, resulting in decreased mucins and tight junction mRNA expression.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.197-203
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• 2005

Purpose : Changes in metalloproteinases(MMP) activity have been demonstrated in several disease states, including rheumatoid arthritis and tumor metastasis. More importantly, increased myocardial MMP activity has been reported to occur in both clinical and experimental forms of dilated cardiomyopathy. There was no report about MMP in adriamycin(ADR)-induced cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate gene expression of MMP and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases(TIMP) in ADR-induced cardiomyopathy and clarify the relationship between MMP and cytokines. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. The first group was control. The second group was given intraperitoneal injections of ADR(5 mg/kg) twice a week over two weeks. Serum concentrations of MMP, TIMP, interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-${\alpha}$ were measured. RNA extraction was performed from frozen rat hearts. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was employed. cDNA Microarray analysis was performed by using a set of 5,184 sequence-verified rat cDNA clones. Results : Serum MMP and TIMP levels were not significantly different between the two groups. IL-6 was $36.8{\pm}2.8pg/mL$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ $2.2{\pm}2.7pg/mL$ in the ADR group. They were significantly higher than in the control group. Serum MMP correlated significantly with TNF-${\alpha}$(r=0.41, P<0.05). There was no gene expression of MMP, IL-6 or TNF-${\alpha}$ in the hearts of both groups. Gene expression of TIMP was significantly depressed in the hearts of the ADR group. Conclusion : These results suggested a potential role for TNF-${\alpha}$ in the regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling in ADR induced cardiomyopathy. Rapid screening of multiple decreased gene expression by DNA chip may be a useful diagnostic test to detect early cardiac injury before developing ADR induced cardiomyopathy.