• Title/Summary/Keyword: functional linkage

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5-Hydroxytryptamine 6 Receptor (5-HT6R)-Mediated Morphological Changes via RhoA-Dependent Pathways

  • Rahman, Md. Ataur;Kim, Hanna;Lee, Kang Ho;Yun, Hyung-Mun;Hong, Jung-Hwa;Kim, Youngjae;Choo, Hyunah;Park, Mikyoung;Rhim, Hyewhon
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.40 no.7
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    • pp.495-502
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    • 2017
  • The $5-HT_6R$ has been considered as an attractive therapeutic target in the brain due to its exclusive expression in the brain. However, the mechanistic linkage between $5-HT_6Rs$ and brain functions remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of $5-HT_6R$-mediated cell morphological changes using immunocytochemistry, Western blot, and live-cell imaging assays. Our results showed that the activation of $5-HT_6Rs$ caused morphological changes and increased cell surface area in HEK293 cells expressing $5-HT_6Rs$. Treatment with 5-HT specifically increased RhoA-GTP activity without affecting other Rho family proteins, such as Rac1 and Cdc42. Furthermore, live-cell imaging in hippocampal neurons revealed that activation of $5-HT_6Rs$ using a selective agonist, ST1936, increased the density and size of dendritic protrusions along with the activation of RhoA-GTP activity and that both effects were blocked by pretreatment with a selective $5-HT_6R$ antagonist, SB258585. Taken together, our results show that $5-HT_6R$ plays an important role in the regulation of cell morphology via a RhoA-dependent pathway in mammalian cell lines and primary neurons.

A Study on the Classification of Institutional Long-term Care Based Upon Characteristics of Institutionalized Elderlies (노인복지시설 수용자 특성별 장기 요양서비스 유형설정에 관한 연구)

  • 김영숙;문옥륜
    • Health Policy and Management
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.27-57
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    • 1994
  • The objective of running a long-term care institution is to provide services helpful for maintaining, supporting, and improving elderlies' optimum level of physical, mental, and psychosocial functioning. For the purpose of analyzing the current situations of institutional long term care facilities in Korea, 27 facilities were selected proportionately from each of the cities and provinces, out of the total 152 facilities. About 20% of those who were institutionalized during 25 August through 2 Qctober 1993, the 391 elderlies were chosen on a systematic random basis. The instrument of this study was developed by modifying the tools of CARE, MAI and PCTC. A multivariate approach of discriminant analysis and clustering technique were employed for this study. The Stiudy reveals that there is no clear differentiation of goals and functions among the longterm care institutions in Korea. Staffing patte군 of long-term care facilities shows a shortage of nurses, physical therapists, and dieticians. The linkage between acute care facilities and long-term care is weak, and administration of long-term care faciltiy is carried out by non-professionals. They are responsible for assessing health status before entering the facility, and evaluating elderlies' care. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that most of the facilities have accommodated agede regardless of their real needs and health status. Based upon findings of the analysis, this study has classified long-term care facilities into four types : Type I is to help elderlies maintain independence in daily living activities. Type II facilities have the objective of maintaining and improving the current level of elderlies' function. Type III is to maintain maximum independence of elderlies in activities of daily living. And Type IV is identified for the group of facilities designed to restore or improve functional abilities of elderlies. In conclusion, the following suggestions are made : the need for long-term care should be assessed by multidimensional measurement. Institutional long-term care facilities should be classified and developed in response to type of type of care and service need. Both acute and long-term care facilities should be linked together in order to support the evaluation of service operation and program development.

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Identification of Candidate Genes Associated with Beef Marbling Using QTL and Pathway Analysis in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

  • Park, Hye-Sun;Seo, Seong-Won;Cho, Yong-Min;Oh, Sung-Jong;Seong, Hwan-Hoo;Lee, Seung-Hwan;Lim, Da-Jeong
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.25 no.5
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    • pp.613-620
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    • 2012
  • Marbling from intramuscular fat is an important trait of meat quality and has an economic benefit for the beef industry. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) fine mapping was performed to identify the marbling trait in 266 Hanwoo steers using a 10K single nucleotide polymorphism panel with the combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium method. As a result, we found nine putative QTL regions for marbling: three on BTA6, two on BTA17, two on BTA22, and two on BTA29. We detected candidate genes for marbling within 1 cM of either side of the putative QTL regions. Additionally, to understand the functions of these candidate genes at the molecular level, we conducted a functional categorization using gene ontology and pathway analyses for those genes involved in lipid metabolism or fat deposition. In these putative QTL regions, we found 95 candidate genes for marbling. Using these candidate genes, we found five genes that had a direct interaction with the candidate genes. We also found SCARB1 as a putative candidate gene for marbling that involves fat deposition related to cholesterol transport.

Positional cloning in mice: a new mutant mouse, Sims (Sexual Immaturity, Megaencephaly, and Seizure)

  • Koo, S.K.;Jin, S.J.;Lee, K.S.;Oh, B.S.
    • Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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    • 1999.10b
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    • pp.31-31
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    • 1999
  • Characterization of mutant mice has been utilized as an animal model for the study of human inherited diseases. In addition to the pathogenesis stduy using the mutant mice, the mice have been used for the identification of the genes causing the phenotypes. Functional cloning and positional cloning are two approaches, depending on the phenotypes of the mutant mice. Though it takes a long time positional cloning has been well used to identify the gene of which function can not be presumed from the mouse phenotype. Recently by the advance of the molecular tools and the human genome project close to 10,000 genetic markers are developed to make the procedure faster. We obtained a new mutant mouse, sims, spontaneously arose and the affected mouse has a mild tremor and seizure was observed. Homozygote in either sex is sterile since uterus growth in female and seminal vesicle in male are not induced for the growth in puberty, implying the abnormal hormonal regulation during puberty. Supporting this, there is no detectable testosterone in the serum of the mutant male and the brain of the mutant is 30% heavier than littermate. To identify the location of the mutated gene, intraspecies cross to CAST/Ei was carried out and the 37 affected mice was analyzed for the linkage. The gene was mapped on chromosome 18, 20 cM from the centromere. More than 500 F2 progenies have been analyzed for the linkage and the locus becomes narrow within 3cM between Egrl and Fgf gene.f gene.

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Impulse Trafficking in Neurons of the Mesencephalic Trigeminal Nucleus

  • Saito, Mitsuru;Kang, Young-Nam
    • International Journal of Oral Biology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.113-118
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    • 2006
  • In the primary sensory neuron of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (MTN), the peripheral axon supplies a large number of annulospiral endings surrounding intrafusal fibers encapsulated in single muscle spindles while the central axon sends only a few number of synapses onto single ${\alpha}-motoneurons({\alpha}-MNs)$. Therefore, the ${\alpha}-{\gamma}$ linkage is thought to be very crucial in the jaw-closing movement. Spike activity in a ${\gamma}-motoneuron\;({\gamma}-MN)$ would induce a large number of impulses in single peripheral axons by activating many intrafusal fibers simultaneously, subsequently causing an activation of ${\alpha}-MNs$ in spite of the small number of synapses. Thus, the activity of ${\gamma}-MNs$ may be vital for modulation of jaw-closing movements. Independently of such a spindle activity modulated by ${\gamma}-MNs$, somatic depolarization in MTN neurons is known to trigger the oscillatory spike activity. Nevertheless, the trafficking of these spikes arising from the two distinct sources of MTN neurons is not well understood. In this short review, switching among multiple functional modes of MTN neurons is discussed. Subsequently, it will be discussed which mode can support the ${\alpha}-{\gamma}$ linkage. In our most recent study, simultaneous patch-clamp recordings from the soma and axon hillock revealed a spike-back-propagation from the spike-initiation site in the stem axon to the soma in response to a somatic current pulse. The persistent $Na^+$ current was found to be responsible for the spike-initiation in the stem axon, the activation threshold of which was lower than those of soma spikes. Somatic inputs or impulses arising from the sensory ending, whichever trigger spikes in the stem axon first, would be forwarded through the central axon to the target synapse. We also demonstrated that at hyperpolarized membrane potentials, 4-AP-sensitive $K^+$ current ($IK_{4-AP}$) exerts two opposing effects on spikes depending on their origins; the suppression of spike initiation by increasing the apparent electrotonic distance between the soma and the spike-initiation site, and the facilitation of axonal spike invasion at higher frequencies by decreasing the spike duration and the refractory period. Through this mechanism, the spindle activity caused by ${\gamma}-MNs$ would be safely forwarded to ${\alpha}-MNs$. Thus, soma spikes shaped differentially by this $IK_{4-AP}$ depending on their origins would reflect which one of the two inputs was forwarded to the target synapses.

Ecological Landscape Characteristics in Urban Biotopes - The Case of Metropolitan Daegu - (도시 비오톱의 경관생태학적 특성분석 - 대구광역시를 사례로 -)

  • 나정화;이정민
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.128-140
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    • 2003
  • The purpose of this research was to present characteristics for the classification of biotopes and classification method of biotopes as basic data for ecological landscape planning in Metropolitan Daegu. The results of this study were as follows. 1) The study identified fifteen characteristics for classification of biotopes. Ecological landscape characteristics were divided into structural and functional factors. There are six structural factors such an inclination, and nine functional factors such as temperature. 2) The study area was separated into sixty eight biotope types. For example, an industrial district was divided into two biotope types: a biotope type of an industrial district with abundant green space, and a biotope type of an industrial district with scarce green space. 3) In the result of cluster analysis using the average linkage method between groups, biotope groups were divided into fifteen clusters and biotope groups were divided into seven clusters. Each cluster was named according to the features of a descriptive statistics analysis. For example, cluster 8 was identified as a biotope type with an impermeable pavement rate of more than 90 percent and an afforestation rate under 10 percent. 4) Fifteen biotope groups were converted to land use patterns for remote application and utilization of urban biotope in city planning. Biotope groups of a building area beyond an intermediate floor with an afforestation rate under 20-30 percent was converted to a land use pattern such as a tall apartment complex or commercial district. When examining the characteristics that were established in this research, there was a limit to achieve the objective of grade-classification because of a lack of related basic data. The research of landscape ecological characteristics for the classification of biotopes could not be completed due to a lack of time and resources, thus the study of ecological landscape characteristics will be accomplished over time.

$p19^{ras}$ Accelerates $p73{\beta}$-mediated Apoptosis through a Caspase-3 Dependent Pathway

  • Jang, Sang-Min;Kim, Jung-Woong;Choi, Kyung-Hee
    • Animal cells and systems
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.399-403
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    • 2009
  • $p19^{ras}$ is an alternative splicing variant of the proto-oncogene c-H-ras pre-mRNA of $p21^{ras}$. In contrast to $p21^{ras}$, $p19^{ras}$ does not have a C-terminal CAAX motif that targets the plasma membrane and is localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus. We found that $p19^{ras}$ activated the transcriptional activity of $p73{\beta}$ through protein-protein interactions in the nucleus. p73 is known to play an important role in cellular damage responses such as apoptosis. Although p73 is a structural and functional homologue of p53, p73-mediated apoptosis has not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that the interaction between $p19^{ras}$ and $p73{\beta}$ accelerated $p73{\beta}$-induced apoptosis through a caspase-3 dependent pathway. Treatment with DEVD-CHO, a caspase inhibitor, also strengthened $p73{\beta}$-mediated apoptosis through a caspase-3 dependent pathway. Furthermore, the enhanced transcriptional activity of endogenous $p73{\beta}$ by treatment with Taxol was amplified by $p19^{ras}$ overexpression, which markedly increased caspase-3 dependent apoptosis in the p53-null SAOS2 cancer cell line. Our findings indicate a functional linkage between $p19^{ras}$ and p73 in caspase-3 mediated apoptosis of cancer cells.

Syntheses and Structures of Two Reduced Open-framework Titanophosphates

  • Zhao, Yongnan;Yu, Jianguo;Kwon, Young-Uk
    • Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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    • v.29 no.4
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    • pp.805-810
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    • 2008
  • Using metallic Ti powder as raw materials and 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) as the trial template, two novel reduced titanophosphate open-structures were hydrothermally isolated by varying the $H_3PO_4/H_2O$ ratio to adjust the pH value. TiPO-1 crystallizes in orthorhombic Pbca space group with cell parameters a = 21.956(3) $\AA$, b = 8.6268(11) $\AA$, c = 7.2883(9) $\AA$, V = 1380.5(3) $\AA^3$, Z = 4. TiPO-2 crystallizes in triclinic space group P$\bar{1}$ with parameters a = 5.1620(10) $\AA$, b = 8.815(2) $\AA$, c = 10.655(3) $\AA$, $\alpha$ = $99.45^{\circ}$, $\beta$ = $102.94^{\circ}$, $\gamma$ = $91.06^{\circ}$, V = 465.34 $\AA^3$. TiPO-1 is constructed by infinite -Ti-O-Ti-O- linkage that is capped by $PO_4$ groups to form a chain structure with protonated DACH molecules occupying the interchain spaces. TiPO-2 represents a rare 3-D reduced titanophosphate with 12-MR channels. The structure of TiPO-2 is a neutral framework with water molecules located in the channels.

Analysis of Green Space Connectivity by Land Cover Changes: A Case Study of Yongin-si, South Korea

  • Woo Hyeon Park;Ye Inn Kim;Jin-Woo Park;Se Jin Oh;Seung Min Lim;Won Seok Jang
    • Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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    • v.40 no.3
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    • pp.241-249
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    • 2024
  • Human development activities have led to changes in land cover, resulting in the loss of green spaces such as forests and agricultural lands. This loss accompanies issues of habitat reduction and hindrance to wildlife movement. Due to the decrease in urban green spaces, urban green connectivity is reducing. This study aims to analyze changes in green space connectivity through structural and functional changes in green spaces caused by land cover changes. Quantitative analysis of landscape patterns using landscape indices through Fragstats model was employed to analyze the structural changes in green spaces. This study used seven landscape indices to assess the fragmentation and isolation of green spaces. The analysis was focused on changes occurring in agricultural lands, forests, and grasslands within Yongin-si, South Korea, over 20 years from 1989 to 2019. Among the landscape indices for forests, PLAND showed a decrease of approximately 8.2% from 1989 to 2009, while NP exhibited a decline of about 2,025 patches. This indicates both a reduction in the total area of green spaces in Yongin-si. Also, we analyzed functional changes based on landscape index variations in forest land within the study area between 2009 and 2019, and least-cost path (LCP) analysis was conducted using Linkage Mapper. Results yielded 18 and 16 links for 2009 and 2019, respectively, with 12 common links. It was observed that five links showed a slight decrease, indicating partial deletions of links, contributing to the fragmentation and discontinuity of forests.