• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.158-168
• /
• 2023

The global output of Pyropia yezoensis (dried seaweed or laver, also called 'Gim' in Korea) has been reduced over the half-decade due to the wide spread of red rot disease, a serious algal disease affecting P. yezoensis. Recently, Gold 1 (G1), which is a resistant strain of P. yezoensis to red rot disease, was developed and commercialized in South Korea, yet its physiological activity has not been investigated. In this study, a comparative study was performed on G1 and commercially available strain of P. yezoensis (CP) for their antioxidative activities. Aqueous extract of G1 showed more marked 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity compared to that of CP. In 293T cells, antioxidant activity against H₂O₂-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was only observed in G1 extract. In addition, G1 extract showed more potent inhibitory effect on H₂O₂-induced apoptotic cell death than CP extract, as examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and fluorescence microscopy. Expression levels of various apoptosis-related genes, including B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein, p53, capase-3, and inflammatory cytokines, in H₂O₂-treated cells were significantly decreased by the treatment of G1. Taken together, the present study suggests that a new strain of red seaweed G1 can recover oxidative stress effectively by improving the imbalance of ROS generation and has a potential to be used a functional ingredient as an antioxidant source.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.106-112
• /
• 2020

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetase complex interacting multifunctional protein 2 (AIMP2) is a scaffolding protein required for the assembly of multi-tRNA synthetase, and it can exert pro-apoptotic activity in response to DNA damage. In the presence of DNA damage, AIMP2 binds to mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) to protect p53 from MDM2 attack. TGF-β signaling results in the nuclear translocation of AIMP2, whereby AIMP2 interacts with FUSE-binding protein, and, thus, suppresses c-myc. TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) is an important mediator between TNF-receptors 1 and 2 which are involved in the signaling of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). TRAF2 is required for the activations of JNK and NF-κB via TNF-α and the mediation of anti-apoptosis signaling. AIMP2 can also enhance pro-apoptosis in the TNF-α signaling. During this signaling, AIMP2 assists the association of E3 ubiquitin ligase, the cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 (c-IAP1) which is well known and responsible for the degradation of TRAF2. The formation of a complex among AIMP2, TRAF2, and c-IAP1 results in proteasome-mediated TRAF2 degradation. AIMP2 can induce apoptosis via downregulation of TRAF2 to interact directly in TNF-α signaling. This review provides new insight into the molecular mechanism responsible for AIMP2 and TRAF2 complex formation and treatments for TNFα-associated diseases.

• Journal of Biomedical and Translational Research
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.116-124
• /
• 2018

Korean Native Pig (KNP) has a uniform black coat color, excellent meat quality, white colored fat, solid fat structure and good marbling. However, its growth performance is low, while the western origin Yorkshire pig has high growth performance. To take advantage of the unique performance of the two pig breeds, we raised crossbreeds (KNP ${\times}$ Yorkshire to make use of the heterotic effect. We then analyzed the liver transcriptome as it plays an important role in fat metabolism. We sampled at two stages: 10 weeks and at 26 weeks. The stages were chosen to correspond to the change in feeding system. A total of 16 pigs (8 from each stage) were sampled and RNA sequencing was performed. The reads were mapped to the reference genome and differential expression analysis was performed with edgeR package. A total of 324 genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed (${\left|log2FC\right|}$ > 1 & q < 0.01), out of which 180 genes were up-regulated and 144 genes were down-regulated. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the samples clustered according to stages. Functional annotation of significant DEGs (differentially expressed genes) showed that GO terms such as DNA replication, cell division, protein phosphorylation, regulation of signal transduction by p53 class mediator, ribosome, focal adhesion, DNA helicase activity, protein kinase activity etc. were enriched. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DEGs functioned in cell cycle, Ras signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway etc. Twenty-nine transcripts were also part of the DEGs, these were predominantly Cys2His2-like fold group (C2H2) family of zinc fingers. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that there were three highly interconnected clusters, suggesting an enrichment of genes with similar biological function. This study presents the first report of liver tissue specific gene regulation in a cross-bred Korean pig.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.10
• /
• pp.1447-1451
• /
• 2007

Through the screening of marine natural compounds that inhibit cancer cell proliferation, we previously reported that pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) isolated from marine sponges exhibits selective cytotoxicity against several cell lines in p53-deficient tumor cells compared to those with functional p53. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anti-proliferative action on malignant cell growth are not completely known. To further explore the mechanisms of its anti-cancer activity and to test whether the status of p53 in liver cancer cells correlates with their chemo-sensitivities to PTX-2, we used two well-known hepatocarcinoma cell lines, p53-deficient Hep3B and p53-wild type HepG2. We have demonstrated that PTX-2 markedly inhibits Hep3B cell growth and induces apoptosis whereas HepG2 cells are much more resistant to PTX-2 suggesting that PTX-2 seems to act by p53-independent cytotoxic mechanism. The apoptosis induced by PTX-2 in Hep3B cells was associated with the modulation of DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) family proteins, up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members such as Bax and Bcl-xS and activation of caspases (caspase-3, -8 and -9). Blockade of the caspase-3 activity by caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, prevented the PTX-2-induced growth inhibition in Hep3B cells. Moreover, treatment with PTX-2 also induced phosphorylation of AKT and extracellular-signal regulating kinase (ERK), but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MARK). Specific inhibitors of PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) and ERK1/2 inhibitor (PD98059) significantly blocks PTX-2-induced-anti-proliferative effects, whereas a JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and a p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) have no significant effects demonstrating that the pro-apoptotic effect of PTX-2 mediated through activation of AKT and ERK signal pathway in Hep3B cells.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.142-146
• /
• 2001

This study was performed to investigate chemical and functional properties of Glechoma hederacea leaves in respect to its potential use as food material or as a medicinal herb. The chemical compositions on a dry harris were 20.38% in protein, 3.96% in fat, 59.58% in carbohydrate, 15.78% in ash, 5.36% in reducing sugar, 14.11% in total sugar and 0.26% in polyphenol, respectively. The free sugars were mainly comprised of glucose, fructose and sucrose. In fatty acids compositiosn, linolenic acid showed the highest concentration at 45%, while the ratios of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids were 1 : 1.91. Seventeen kinds of total amino acids were determined, with the highest concentration (2,465.71 mg%) of glutamic acid. Among the free amino acids, praline showed the highest concentration (260.09 mg%), followed by glutamine, $\alpha$ -amino adipic acid, glutamic acid and valine. The contents of major minerals were 647.32 mg% in Na, 597.53 mg% in K and 239.75 mg% in Ca. The antioxidative activity of 10% water extract was similar to that of 50 ppm tocopherol. The nitrite scavenging ability reached the highest bevel at pH 1.2 and the lowest at pH 6.0.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.519-525
• /
• 2012

Effects of cultivated conditions on antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activities of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) were determined. The cultivated variety was Shinyulmi, and they were cultivated in a conventional culture, successful cropped hairy vetch culture, successful cropped barley cultivation, successful cropped rye cultivation, successful cropped mix-seeding of hairy vetch and barley, successful cropped mix-seeding of hairy vetch and rye, and not fertilizer. The brix degree, moisture, protein, and ash content of the sweet potatoes did not significantly change with the cultivated conditions. However amylose, total dietary fiber, and mineral content had significant changes. The total polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin content of the methanolic extracts of the sweet potato's pericarp showed significant differences from cultivated conditions, however, the sweet potato's sarcocarp did not significantly change. The highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of the methanolic extracts of the sweet potatoes were 958.81 and 663.53 mg TE/100 g in the sweet potato's pericarp on the successful cropped hairy vetch culture. Generally, there was a difference in antioxidant compound content and radical scavenging activity on the methanolic extract of sweet potato with cultivated conditions.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.189-194
• /
• 2010

We confirmed the hypo-osmotic shock strengths and duration, different type of vectors, and subcelluar localization to identify the optimum analysis condition of plant aquaporin activity in Xenopus ooctye using Arabidopsis thaliana AtPIP2-1 gene. Six minutes and 1/5ND buffer hypoosmotic shock treatment was the best condition to show the maximum swelling of Xenopus oocytes where AtPIP2-1 was expressed using pcDNA3.1 vector. AtPIP2-1 protein was expressed more efficiently in pGEMHE vector which has 5' and 3' UTR (untranslation region) of Xenopus ${\beta}$-GLOBIN gene in multiple cloning site than in pcDNA3.1 vector. Also green fluorescence of GFP fused to AtPIP2-1 was detected onto oocyte plasmamembrane where is the proper subcellular localization target of AtPIP2-1.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.988-995
• /
• 2003

Physiological parameters were measured on six primiparous, non-pregnant Holstein cows prior to peak lactation over a 3-month summer season in southwestern Taiwan. The objectives were to characterize heat stress-induced change in functionality of mammary gland under natural climates of tropical summer and to establish physiological indices applicable to this environment in referring to this change. Environmental and physiological readings, milk and blood samples were taken at 15:00 h biweekly for totally five time points during the study. Climate readings showed that the afternoon humidex value reached the highest (53.5) around mid summer. Rectal temperature of cows taken simultaneously varied between $38.26^{\circ}C$ and $40.02^{\circ}C$ in parallel to humidex. Milk production declined drastically from 29.2 to 22.2 kg/d the first month entering summer but leveled up at end of the summer season suggesting effects exerted by heat stress rather than stages of lactation. Lactose content decreased linearly (p<0.05) with times in summer, from 4.69 to 4.38%. On the other hand, activity of N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGase) in milk increased linearly to over two folds (p<0.05) during the same intervals. Elevations of fractional constituent of BSA in whey protein and serum cortisol level were also noticed in the course. Measurement of arteriovenous concentration (A-V) difference across the mammary gland demonstrated net uptake of glucose and net release of urea throughout the study period. The amount of urea released from mammary gland increased (p<0.05) progressively from 1.54 to 7.76 mg/dl during summer. It is concluded that gradual regression of mammary gland occurred along the humid tropical summer season. This regression is likely initiated through elevation of body temperature, which is irreversible above certain point. The increased release of urea from mammary gland during heat stress suggests its potential role as an early indicator of suboptimal mammary function.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.56-62
• /
• 2003

The liver progenitor cells could form a potential target cell population fore both tumor-initiating and -promoting chemicals. Induction of drug-metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes, including AhR-dependent CYP1A1, NQO-1 and AKR1C9, was detected in the rat liver epithelial WB-F344 "stem-like" cells. Additionally, WB-F344 cells express a functional, wild-type form of p53 protein, a biomarker of genotoxic events, and connexin 43, a basic structural unit of gap junctions forming an important type of intercellular communication. In this cellular model, two complementary assays have been established for detection of the modes of action associated with tumor promotion: inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and proliferative activity in confluent cells. We found that the PAHs and PCBs, which are AhR agonists, released WB-F344 cells from contact inhibition, increasing both DNA synthesis and cell numbers. Genotoxic effects of some PAHs that lead to apoptosis and cell cycle delay might interfere with the proliferative activity of PAHs. Contrary to that, the nongenotoxic low-molecular-weight PAHs and non-dioxin-like PCB congeners, abundant in the environment, did not significantly affect cell cycle and cell proliferation; however both groups of compounds inhibited GJIC in WB-F344 cells. The release from contact inhibiton by a mechanism that possibly involves the AhR activation, inhibition of GJIC and genotoxic events induced by environmental contaminants are three important modes of action that could play an important role in carcinogenic effects of toxic compounds. The relative potencies to inhibit GJIC, to induce AhR-mediated activity, and to release cells from contact inhibition were determined for a large series of PAHs and PCBs and their metabolites. In vitro bioassays based on detection of events on cellular level (deregulation of GJIC and/or proliferation) or determination of receptor-mediated activities in both ?$stem-like^{\circ}{\times}$ and hepatocyte-like liver cellular models are valuable tools for detection of modes of action of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. They may serve, together with concentration data, as a first step in their risk assessment.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.57-64
• /
• 2014

Nanopowdered chitosan (NPC) has high biological activities, such as blood cholesterol lowering effect and antidiabetic activity. This study is carried out to determine the effects of nano-powdered chitosan-added Maribo cheese (NCMC) for the physicochemical properties and sensory analysis during its ripening at $14^{\circ}C$ for 6 mon. From the results, the moisture and fat levels are not significantly influenced from the addition of chitosan (p>0.05), but ash contents increased with increasing chitosan concentrations and the protein contents decreased with increasing chitosan concentrations. In the short-chain fatty acids analysis during the ripening, the total production is initially 13.79 ppm in 0.2% NCMC and 13.81 ppm in control, and their levels have steadily increased to 59.94 and 53.11 ppm, respectively. For the color levels, the $L^*$ values decreased, while the $a^*$ and $b^*$ values significantly increased during ripening for all samples (p<0.05). In texture analysis, the hardness and gumminess of NCMC significantly decreased as compared to the control during ripening (p<0.05), while the cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness were not significantly different among the treatments (p>0.05). In sensory analysis, the butyric off-flavor and bitterness increased slightly with increasing concentrations of NCMC during ripening. The overall acceptability of 0.2% NCMC held the highest score amongst the samples during the ripening. From the results obtained, the 0.2% NCMC was preferred during the ripening and observed the possibility of functional cheese.