• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.32 no.8
• /
• pp.1112-1121
• /
• 2019

Objective: Gram-negative bacteria lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been reported to be associated with uterine impairment, embryonic resorption, ovarian dysfunction, and follicle retardation. Here, we aimed to investigate the toxic effects of LPS on the maturation ability and parthenogenetic developmental competence of bovine oocytes. Methods: First, we developed an in vitro model to study the response of bovine cumulusoocyte complexes (COCs) to LPS stress. After incubating germinal vesicle COCs in $10{\mu}g/mL$ of LPS, we analyzed the following three aspects: the expression levels of the LPS receptor toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in COCs, activities of intracellular signaling protein p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$); and the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, and IL-6. Furthermore, we determined the effects of LPS on the maturation ability and parthenogenetic developmental competence of bovine oocytes. Results: The results revealed that LPS treatment significantly elevated TLR4 mRNA and protein expression levels in COCs. Exposure of COCs to LPS also resulted in a marked increase in activity of the intracellular signaling protein p-p38 MAPK and NF-${\kappa}B$. Furthermore, oocytes cultured in maturation medium containing LPS had significantly higher concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-6. LPS exposure significantly decreased the first polar body extrusion rate. The cytoplasmic maturation, characterized by polar body extrusion and distribution of peripheral cortical granules, was significantly impaired in LPS-treated oocytes. Moreover, LPS exposure significantly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and the relative mRNA abundance of the antioxidants thioredoxin (Trx), Trx2, and peroxiredoxin 1 in oocytes. Moreover, the early apoptotic rate and the release of cytochrome C were significantly increased in response to LPS. The cleavage, morula, and blastocyst formation rates were significantly lower in parthenogenetically activated oocytes exposed to LPS, while the incidence of apoptotic nuclei in blastocysts was significantly increased. Conclusion: Together, these results provide an underlying mechanism by which LPS impairs maturation potential in bovine oocytes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.158-164
• /
• 2021

Hypertriglyceridemia is the main risk factor for atherosclerosis. It is reported that triglyceride (TG) induces macrophage cell death, and is involved in the formation of plaques and development of atherosclerosis. We previously reported that TG-induced cell death of macrophages is mediated via pannexin-1 activation, which increases the extracellular ATP and subsequent increase in potassium efflux, thereby activating the caspase-2/caspase-1/apoptotic caspases, including the caspase-8 pathway. Contrarily, some studies have reported that caspase-8 is an upstream molecule of caspase-1 and caspase-2 in several cellular processes. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate whether caspase-8 influences its upstream molecules in TG-stimulated macrophage cell death. We first confirmed that caspase-8 induces caspase-3 activation and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage in TG-treated macrophages. Next, we determined that the inhibition of caspase-8 results in reduced caspase-1 and -2 activity, which are upstream molecules of caspase-8 in TG-induced cell death of macrophages. We also found that ATP treatment restores the caspase-8 inhibitor-induced caspase-2 activity, thereby implying that caspase-8 affects the upstream molecules responsible for increasing the extracellular ATP levels in TG-induced macrophage cell death. Taken together, these findings indicate that caspase-8 potentiates the TG-induced macrophage cell death by activating its upstream molecules.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.542-549
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide an economical and easy preparation method for recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) without the need for an expensive enzyme to cleave the fusion part. However, the N-terminal fusion part is still useful for affinity chromatography. The hEGF is an important hormone in cell growth and proliferation in humans, and many studies on the expression and purification of this protein have been reported. In the present study, the hEGF gene was designed to be optimized with the E. coli codon usage preference and to contain Asn-Gly at the N-terminus of the protein. The gene was inserted into pRSET_A, an E. coli expression vector, and transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). The recombinant fusion protein was successfully co-expressed with pG-Tf2, a chaperone vector, in E. coli and purified by Ni-NTA column chromatography. The rhEGF was then released by hydroxylamine treatment and confirmed by SDS-PAGE. ELISA analysis showed that the activity of the free rhEGF was more than 92% similar to that of commercial EGF. The biological activity of the rhEGF was confirmed by a cell proliferation test with human skin fibroblasts.

• 한국사회정책
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.245-275
• /
• 2017

It is attempted here to explain change in welfare attitudes for two decades in 10 countries with the cohort effect, especially differences in societal values between generations. It was found that for the last 20 years pro-welfare attitudes of the public has been strengthened, on which the generation has impact, more by the cohort effect than by the age effect, and that the Millennials/Y-generation are the strongest supporters for the state welfare. Value-differences between cohorts, as a background factor for the cohort effect on welfare attitudes, are clear but show a kind of linear trend from the older to the younger cohorts. As for the cohort effect on welfare attitudes, it is expected, at least for the short-term future, in the direction toward supporting the expansion of the state welfare. Korean welfare attitudes show an exceptional pattern - preferring income inequality as incentives, and at the same time, the expansion of governmental welfare responsibility, which echoes recent arguments of contradictoriness and non-class-orientedness of Korean welfare attitudes. Especially, Korean Millennials/Y-G shows this contradictory welfare attitudes the most strongly, which is unique between 10 countries in this study, implying their fierce competition is being internalized. It is expected that the contradictoriness of Korean welfare attitudes may limit its possibility to back up welfare expansion in Korea.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.126-133
• /
• 2021

Background: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (20(S)-PPD), one of the aglycone derivatives of major ginsenosides, has been shown to have an anticancer activity toward a variety of cancers. This study was initiated with an attempt to evaluate its anti-cancer activity toward human endometrial cancer by cell and xenograft mouse models. Methods: Human endometrial cancer (HEC)-1A cells were incubated with different 20(S)-PPD concentrations. 20(S)-PPD cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected using the annexin V binding assay and cell cycle analysis. Cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and activated caspase-9 were assessed using western blotting. HEC-1A cell tumor xenografts in athymic mice were generated by inoculating HEC-1A cells into the flank of BALB/c female mice and explored to validate 20(S)-PPD anti-endometrial cancer toxicity. Results: 20(S)-PPD inhibited HEC-1A cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 3.5 μM at 24 h. HEC-1A cells morphologically changed after 20(S)-PPD treatment, bearing resemblance to Taxol-treated cells. Annexin V-positive cell percentages were 0%, 10.8%, and 58.1% in HEC-1A cells when treated with 0, 2.5, and 5 μM of 20(S)-PPD, respectively, for 24 h. 20(S)-PPD subcutaneously injected into the HEC-1A cell xenograft-bearing mice three times a week for 17 days manifested tumor growth inhibition by as much as 18% at a dose of 80 mg/kg, which sharply contrasted to controls that showed an approximately 2.4-fold tumor volume increase. These events paralleled caspase-9 activation and PARP cleavage. Conclusion: 20(S)-PPD inhibits endometrial cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell death via a caspase-mediated apoptosis pathway. Therefore, the 20(S)-PPD-like ginsenosides are endowed with ample structural information that could be utilized to develop other ginsenoside-based anticancer agents.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.546-557
• /
• 2021

Objective: If fertilization does not occur within a specific period, the quality of unfertilized oocytes in the oviduct (in vivo aging) or in culture (in vitro aging) will deteriorate over time. Icariin (ICA), found in all species of Epimedium herbs, has strong antioxidant activity, and is thought to exert anti-aging effects in vitro. We asked whether ICA protects oocytes against age-related changes in vitro. Methods: We analyzed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and expression of antioxidant, maternal, and estrogen receptor genes, and along with spindle morphology, and the developmental competence and quality of embryos in the presence and absence of ICA. Results: Treatment with 5 μM ICA (ICA-5) led to a significant reduction in ROS activity, but increased mRNA expression of glutathione and antioxidant genes (superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1], SOD2, peroxiredoxin 5, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2), during aging in vitro. In addition, ICA-5 prevented defects in spindle formation and chromosomal alignment, and increased mRNA expression of cytoplasmic maturation factor genes (bone morphogenetic protein 15, cyclin B1, MOS proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase, and growth differentiation factor-9). It also prevented apoptosis, increased mRNA expression of antiapoptotic genes (BCL2-like 1 and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 5), and reduced mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic genes (BCL2 antagonist/killer 1 and activation of caspase-3). Although the maturation and cleavage rates were similar in all groups, the total cell number per blastocyst and the percentage of apoptotic cells at the blastocyst stage were higher and lower, respectively, in the control and ICA-5 groups than in the aging group. Conclusion: ICA protects oocytes against damage during aging in vitro; therefore, it can be used to improve assisted reproductive technologies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.11
• /
• pp.1583-1590
• /
• 2021

Studies have demonstrated that PE_PGRS45 is constitutively expressed under various environmental conditions (such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, and low pH) of the in vitro growth conditions examined, indicating that PE_PGRS45 protein is critical to the basic functions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there are few reports about the biochemical function and pathogenic mechanism of PE_PGRS45 protein. The fact that this M. tuberculosis gene is not easily expressed in E. coli may be mainly due to the high content of G+C and the use of unique codons. Fusion tags are indispensable tools used to improve the soluble expression of recombinant proteins and accelerate the characterization of protein structure and function. In the present study, His6, Trx, and His6-MBP were used as fusion tags, but only MBP-PE_PGRS45 was expressed solubly. The purification using His6-MBP tag-specific binding to the Ni column was easy to separate after the tag cleavage. We used the purified PE_PGRS45 to immunize New Zealand rabbits and obtained anti-PE_PGRS45 serum. We found that the titer of polyclonal antibodies against PE_PGR45 was higher than 1:256000. The result shows that purified PE_PGRS45 can induce New Zealand rabbits to produce high-titer antibodies. In conclusion, the recombinant protein PE_PGRS45 was successfully expressed in E. coli and specific antiserum was prepared, which will be followed by further evaluation of these specific antigens to develop highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for tuberculosis.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.857-862
• /
• 2021

Recently, rapid climate change has had a significant impact on the bee ecosystem. The decrease in the number of bees and the change in the flowering period have a huge impact on the harvesting of beekeepers. Accordingly, attention is focused on smart beekeeping, which introduces IoT technology to beekeeping. According to the characteristics of beekeeping, it is impossible to continuously observe the beehive in the hive with the naked eye, and the condition of the hive is mostly dependent on knowledge from experience. Although a system that can measure partly through sensors such as temperature/humidity change inside the hive and measurement of the amount of CO2 is applied, there is no research on measuring the movement path and amount of movement of bees inside the beehive. Part of the migration of honeybees inside the hive can provide basic information to predict the most important cleavage time in beekeeping. In this study, we propose a device that detects the movement path of bees and measures and records data entering and exiting the hive in real time. The device proposed in this study was developed according to the honeycomb standard of the existing beehive so that beekeeping farms could use it. The development method used a photodetector that can detect the movement of bees to configure 16 movement paths and to detect the movement of bees in real time. If the measured honeybee movement status is utilized, the problem of directly observing the colony with the naked eye in order not to miss the swarming time can be solved.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.285-293
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the laccase genes of Flammulina velutipes var. lupinicola. Five laccase genes (g1934, g1937, g2415, g2539, g5858) were selected based on the copper binding site and signal peptide analysis results using the laccase gene selected from the F. velutipes var. lupinicola genome. The size of the laccase genes of F. velutipes var. lupinicola were 1,488 bp~1,662 bp. As a result of cDNA sequence analysis, 14 to 17 introns were identified in the laccase genes. The cleavage site predicted as the signal peptide of the laccase gene was found to be located between 20 bp and 34 bp from the N-terminus. In addition, separation and purification were performed to characterize the F. velutipes var. lupinicola laccases, and the optimal activity of the separated and purified proteins were analyzed by pH, temperature and time. Five bands with laccase activity were found from zymogram analysis. The optimal pH of the reaction was 5.5, the optimal temperature was found to be 40℃. Therefore, characterization of the laccase genes identified in this study should help in better understanding the biomass decomposition of F. velutipes var. lupinicola.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.553-561
• /
• 2022

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slowly progressing hematopoietic cell disorder. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) plays established roles in tumor initiation, progression, and chemotherapy resistance in a wide range of cancers, including leukemia. However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting SPHK1 in CML still need to be developed. This study revealed the role of SPHK1 in CML and investigated the potential anti-leukemic activity of hirsuteine (HST), an indole alkaloid obtained from the oriental plant Uncaria rhynchophylla, in CML cells. These results suggest that SPHK1 is highly expressed in CML cells and that overexpression of SPHK1 represents poor clinical outcomes in CML patients. HST exposure led to G2/M phase arrest, cellular apoptosis, and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and CDC2 and cleavage of Caspase 3 and PARP in CML cells. HST shifted sphingolipid rheostat from sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) towards the ceramide coupled with a marked inhibition of SPHK1. Mechanistically, HST significantly blocked SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways. In addition, HST can be docked with residues of SPHK1 and shifts the SPHK1 melting curve, indicating the potential protein-ligand interactions between SPHK1 and HST in both CML cells. SPHK1 overexpression impaired apoptosis and proliferation of CML cells induced by HST alone. These results suggest that HST, which may serve as a novel and specific SPHK1 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic activity by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways in CML cells, thus conferring HST as a promising anti-leukemic drug for CML therapy in the future.