• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.295-303
• /
• 2003

Physiological cellular activities responses to cadmium (Cd) exposure in green algae with several reductases activities and viability of the cell were examined. The cell division of green algae, Selenastrum capricornutum treated with 5ppm was significantly decreased than that of normal algae. The mean cell number of normal algal culture was as twice much as than that of algae at 6 days after Cd treatment. The cellular viability of algae was analysed by flow-cytometry with fluorescent dye after esterase reaction on cell membrane. The 85.35% of cellular viability of normal culture was decreased to 34.35% when algae was treated with 5 ppm of Cd at 6 days after treatment. It was considered that those method of flow-cytometry is useful tool for toxicity test on micro-organisms in the respect of identifying cellular viability. Also, the activities of both glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), which are indirectly react against oxidative stress through reduction of glutathione by Cd were significantly increased with 25%. It is considered that both GPX and APX are involved in the metabolic pathway of Cd -detoxification with similar portion in Selenasturm capricornutum.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.325-334
• /
• 2018

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most species of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The heavy incidence and severe or lethal damage caused by T. gondii infection clearly indicate a need for the development of an effective vaccine. T. gondii GRA8 is a member of the dense granules protein family and is used as a marker of acute infection. In the present study, we evaluated the protective immunity induced by DNA vaccination based on a recombinant eukaryotic plasmid, pDsRed2-GRA8, against acute toxoplasmosis in mice. BALB/c mice were intramuscularly immunized with the pDsRed2-GRA8 plasmid and then challenged by infection with the highly virulent GFP-RH strain of T. gondii. The specific immune responses and protective efficacy against T. gondii of this vaccine were analyzed by measuring cytokine and serum antibody titers, splenocyte proliferation assays, and the survival times of mice after challenge. Our results showed that mice immunized with pDsRed2-GRA8 demonstrated specific humoral and cellular responses, induced higher IgG antibody titers with predominant IgG2a production; increased levels of IL-10, IL-12 (p70), $IFN-{\gamma}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and splenocyte proliferation; and prolonged survival times compared to those of control mice. The present study showed that DNA immunization with pDsRed2-GRA8 induced humoral and cellular immune responses, and all immunized mice showed greater Th1-type immune responses and longer survival times than those of control mice. These results indicated that T. gondii GRA8 DNA immunization induces a partial protective effect against acute toxoplasmosis.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
• /
• 2002.10a
• /
• pp.151-152
• /
• 2002

Bacterial infection is a very complex process in which both pathogenic microorganisms and host cells play crucial roles, and it is the outcome of interactions between the two participants. To elucidate the bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms, therefore, it is essential to understand the cellular and systemic responses of the host as well as the virulence factors of the pathogen. Infection of a host by pathogenic bacteria causes drastic changes in the physiology of host cells, leading to activation of a program of various gene expression. (omitted)

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.211-217
• /
• 2000

Oxidative stress is implicated in a number of diseases, in ageing of organisms, and in damage to plants that have been exposed to freezing and thawing or water stress. From the perspective of yeast as a model eukaryotic system, this article reviews the systems that are involved in the cellular responses to exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during aerobic growth of the organism. The discussion includes the defense systems involved, the ability of cells to adapt to ROS treatment, cell-division cycle delay and the systems regulating gene expression that are activated by oxidative stress.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.10
• /
• pp.1132-1139
• /
• 2018

The stability of diverse cellular proteins in eukaryotes is regulated via ubiquitination. Moreover, E3 ligase plays a crucial role in determining substrate specificity and transfers ubiquitins into the substrates during the ubiquitination process. As a type of multi-subunit E3 ligase, cullin4 (CUL4)-based E3 ligase (CRL4) complex is involved in a variety of cellular processes, such as hormonal and stress responses in plants. In spite of several reports on the versatile roles of CRL4 in various signalings in Arabidopsis, CRL4's function in rice has been poorly known. To learn about CRL4-mediated cellular processes in rice in more detail, OsCUL4 that exhibits the highest homology with Arabidopsis CUL4 was isolated, and its expression patterns in various tissues and in response to plant hormones and abiotic stresses were monitored. Exogenous application of ABA or cytokinin increased the transcript levels of the OsCUL4 gene. Moreover, OsCUL4 was significantly upregulated in response to drought and salt stresses. These findings imply that OsCUL4 may be functionally related to ABA- and/or cytokinin-mediated cellular responses. OsCUL4 directly interacted with OsDDB1, an adaptor protein of CRL4, indicating that OsCUL4 can act as a scaffold protein of CRL4. An expression study on the OsCUL4 gene from this report could be used as a starting point to elucidate cellular responses in which a CRL4-mediated ubiquitination process is involved in rice.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.479-486
• /
• 2008

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play an indispensable role in activation of the myogenic program, which is responsive to mechanical stimulation. Although there is accumulating evidence of mechanical force-mediated cellular responses, the role of MAPK in regulating the myogenic process in myoblasts exposed to cyclic stretch is unclear. Cyclic stretch induced the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts and inhibited their differentiation into myotubes. In particular, it induced persistent phosphorylation of p38 kinase, and decreased the level of phosphorylation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK). Partial inhibition of p38 phosphorylation increased cellular levels of MyoD and p-ERK in stretched C2C12 cells, along with increased myotube formation. Treatment with $10{\mu}M$ PD98059 prevented myogenin expression in response to a low dose of SB203580 ($3{\mu}M$) in the stretched cells, suggesting that adequate ERK activation is also needed to allow the cells to differentiate into myotubes. These results suggest that cyclic stretch inhibits the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells by activating p38-mediated signaling and inhibiting ERK phosphorylation. We conclude that p38 kinase, not ERK, is the upstream signal transducer regulating cellular responses to mechanical stretch in skeletal muscle cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.48-54
• /
• 1999

Effects of zinc chloride (Zn) on the immune responses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were studied by using ICR mice. Mice were divided into 4 groups (10 mice/group), and Zn was given to the mice with i.p. injection at 0.3 mg/kg 5 times a week for 14 days, and 1 hr after Zn administration, LPS was given with i.p. injection at 5 mg/kg twice a week. Mice were immunized and challenged with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Immunobiological responses were evaluated by humoral, cellular and nonspecific immunity. LPS treatment significantly increased the relative weights of spleen and thymus, hemagglutination titer (HA) and proliferation of splenocytes compared with those in controls, but significantly decreased the body weight gain. Zn treatment significantly increased proliferation of splenocytes and circulating leukocytes compared with those in controls. Combination of Zn and LPS significantly decreased the body weight gain and proliferation of splenocytes compared with those in controls. Combination of Zn and LPS significantly decreased HA and proliferation of splenocytes than in LPS alone. These findings indicate that zinc lowered the humoral immune responses of LPS.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.41 no.8
• /
• pp.705-716
• /
• 2018

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a critical organelle for protein synthesis, folding and modification, and lipid synthesis and calcium storage. Dysregulation of ER functions leads to the accumulation of misfolded- or unfolded-protein in the ER lumen, and this triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which restores ER homeostasis. The UPR is characterized by three distinct downstream signaling pathways that promote cell survival or apoptosis depending on the stressor, the intensity and duration of ER stress, and the cell type. Mammalian cells express the UPR transducers IRE1, PERK, and ATF6, which control transcriptional and translational responses to ER stress. Direct links between ER stress and immune responses are also evident, but the mechanisms by which UPR signaling cascades are coordinated with immunity remain unclear. This review discusses recent investigations of the roles of ER stress in immune responses that lead to differentiation, maturation, and cytokine expression in immune cells. Further understanding of how ER stress contributes to the pathogenesis of immune disorders will facilitate the development of novel therapies that target UPR pathways.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.63-67
• /
• 2005

Adaptive responses to diverse microbial pathogens might be limited in relatively few types. Host cell responses to pathogens are believed to be patterned or stereotyped along with species or class. We tried to compose the host response to Mycoplasma in terms of cellular gene expression. Although gene expression profile of two host HeLa and 293 cells were quite different each other, 30 genes were differentially expressed by mycoplasma infection in both of HeLa and 293 cells. Six of them (PR48, MADH4, MKPX, CRK, RBM7, NEK3) were related to cell cycle or proliferation. Another category of genes like IL1 HY1, KLRF1, TNFSF14, GBP1 were host defense to elicit immune responses. With this set of genes, we establish the prediction model for mycoplasma contamination.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.231-237
• /
• 2007

Exposure to DNA-damaging agents can elicit a variety of stress-related responses that may alter the expression of genes associated with numerous biological pathways. We used 19 k whole human genome chip to detect gene expression profiles and potential signature genes in human normal hepatocytes (THLE-3) by treatment of five direct acting mutagens, furylfuramide (AF-2), N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU), methylmethanesulfonate (MMS), 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) and 2-nitrofluorene (2NF) of the $IC_{20}$ concentration for 3 h. Fifty one up-regulated common genes and 45 down-regulated common genes above 1.5-fold by five direct-acting mutagens were identified by clustering analysis. Many of these changed genes have some association with apoptosis, control of cell cycle, regulation of transcription and signal transduction. Genes related to these functions, as TP73L, E2F5, MST016, SOX5, MAFB, LIF, SII3, TFIIS, EMR1, CYTL1, CX3CR1 and RHOH are up-regulated. Down-regulated genes are ALOX15B, xs155, IFITM1, BATF, VAV2, CD79A, DCDC2, TNFSF8 and KOX8. We suggest that gene expression profiling on mutagens by toxicogenomic analysis affords promising opportunities to reveal potential new mechanistic markers of genotoxicity.