• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.169-177
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• 2017

Tissue-specific transcription is critical for normal development, and abnormalities causing undesirable gene expression may lead to diseases such as cancer. Such highly organized transcription is controlled by enhancers with specific DNA sequences recognized by transcription factors. Enhancers are associated with chromatin modifications that are distinct epigenetic features in a tissue-specific manner. Recently, super-enhancers comprising enhancer clusters co-occupied by lineage-specific factors have been identified in diverse cell types such as adipocytes, hair follicle stem cells, and mammary epithelial cells. In addition, noncoding RNAs, named eRNAs, are synthesized at super-enhancer regions before their target genes are transcribed. Many functional studies revealed that super-enhancers and eRNAs are essential for the regulation of tissue-specific gene expression. In this review, we summarize recent findings concerning enhancer function in tissue-specific gene regulation and cancer development.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.83-102
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• 2018

The process model of emotion regulation suggests that cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression engage at different time points in the regulation process. Although multiple brain regions and networks have been identified for each strategy, no articles have explored changes in network characteristics or network connectivity over time. The present study examined (a) the whole-brain network and six other resting-state networks, (b) their modularity and global efficiency, which is an index of the efficiency of information exchange across the network, (c) the degree and betweenness centrality for 160 brain regions to identify the hub nodes with the most control over the entire network, and (d) the intra-network and inter-network functional connectivity (FC). Such investigations were performed using a traditional large-scale FC analysis and a relatively recent sliding window correlation analysis. The results showed that the right inferior orbitofrontal cortex was the hub region of the whole-brain network for both strategies. The present findings of temporally altering functional activity of the networks revealed that the default mode network (DMN) activated at the early stage of reappraisal, followed by the task-positive networks (cingulo-opercular network and fronto-parietal network), emotion-processing networks (the cerebellar network and DMN), and sensorimotor network (SMN) that activated at the early stage of suppression, followed by the greater recruitment of task-positive networks and their functional connection with the emotional response-related networks (SMN and occipital network). This is the first study that provides neuroimaging evidence supporting the process model of emotion regulation by revealing the temporally varying network efficiency and intra- and inter-network functional connections of reappraisal and suppression.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.95-126
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• 2001

Functional values for wastewater treatment and atmospheric regulation in coastal wetland and rice paddy ecosystems are quantified, and an illustration is given on how to integrate biophysical parameters into a valuation framework. This is one of most controversial issues in economic analysis for wetland preservation versus wetland conversion to agricultural use. This paper includes theoretical considerations for estimating functional values of environmental ecosystems, and the integration of biophysical data and replacement cost method employed. Specific physical and geographical characteristics and data on ecosystem functions and services in coastal wetlands and rice paddies are addressed for evaluating their values in economic terms. In particular this paper indicates double counting problems and overestimation in the previous studies, and demonstrates how to avoid them and to maintain the consistency of valuation process involving a least-cost method, thus enables an accurate integration of the coastal wetland ecology and wetland economics. As a result which is far away from the previous studies, the total economic present value of wastewater assimilation by coastal wetland is estimated at 7,484,640 won/ha, and the net present value of positive effect for atmospheric regulation, negative effects for air pollution and water pollution by rice paddy is estimated at -37,934 won/ha, assuming that resources are infinitely long-lived and the annual value and the rate of discount (10%) is constant every year. In conclusion, for further reliability and validity of functional values for natural resources it is very noteworthy that a general equilibrium framework that could directly incorporate the interdependence between ecosystem functions and services would be preferred to the partial equilibrium framework.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2023

Objectives : Network pharmacology-based research is one of useful tool to predict the possible efficacy and molecular mechanisms of natural materials with multi compounds-multi targeting effects. In this study, we investigated the functional underlying mechanisms of Astragalus membranaceus Bunge (AM) on its anti-obesity effects using a network pharmacology analysis. Methods : The constituents of AM were collected from public databases and its target genes were gathered from PubChem database. The target genes of AM were compared with the gene set of obesity to find the correlation. Then, the network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.9.1. and functional enrichment analysis was conducted to predict the most relevant pathway of AM. Results : The result showed that AM network contained the 707 nodes and 6867 edges, and 525 intersecting genes were exhibited between AM and obesity gene set, indicating that high correlation with the effects of AM on obesity. Based on GO biological process and KEGG Pathway, 'Response to lipid', 'Cellular response to lipid', 'Lipid metabolic process', 'Regulation of chemokine production', 'Regulation of lipase activity', 'Chemokine signaling pathway', 'Regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes' and 'PPAR signaling pathway' were predicted as functional pathways of AM on obesity. Conclusions : AM showed high relevance with the lipid metabolism related with the chemokine production and lipolysis pathways. This study could be a basis that AM has promising effects on obesity via network pharmacology analysis.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.115-136
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interaction effects of fathers' parenting and their play participation on emotional regulation of preschoolers. The participants of this study consisted of 269 preschoolers (M: 61.4 months, SD: 15.3) located in Seoul and Gyeong-gi province. The results of regression analysis revealed that; 1) Father's parenting (such as rational instruction, friendly attitude) positively predicted child's emotion regulations. 2) The interaction effects of fathers' parenting (such as parenting participation, reaction, rational instruction, friendly attitude) with their constructive play participation predicted children's emotion regulations. Namely, fathers with higher constructive play participation showed higher emotion regulations of preschoolers under father's parenting participation, reaction, rational instruction and friendly attitude. 3) The interaction effects between fathers' functional play participation and father's parenting participation predicted children's emotion regulations. Findings indicate that fathers play a role in improving children's emotion regulation by parenting. Moreover, its effects appeared more apparently when fathers participated with constructive and functional play methods. In conclusion, it is suggested that fathering and the level of play involvement may be key variables for developing young children's emotion regulation.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.135-138
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• 2012

The pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorder(FGID) is not completely understood, but the importance of the 'Brain-Gut Axis(BGA)' model in FGID is being increasingly recognized. The BGA model is a bidirectional, hard-wired and homeostatic relationship between the central nervous system(CNS) and the enteric nervous system(ENS) via neural, neurohormonal and neuroimmunological pathways. In addition, the BGA model would provide a rationale for the use of psychotropics on FGID. The authors experienced two cases in which duloxetine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, was effective in relieving FGID symptoms as well as psychiatric symptoms such as depression and hypochondriacal anxiety. Therefore we discuss the vignettes from the perspective of BGA theory. Duloxetine showed efficacy in these two patients by reducing visceral hypersensivity (bottom-up regulation) and by relieving depression and anxiety(top-down regulation).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.889-893
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• 2012

Appressorium is a specialized infection structure of filamentous pathogenic fungi and plays an important role in establishing a pathogenic relationship with the host. The Egh16/Egh16H family members are involved in appressorium formation and pathogenesis in pathogenic filamentous fungi. In this study, a homolog of Egh16H, Magas1, was identified from an entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium acridum. The Magas1 protein shared a number of conserved motifs with other Egh16/Egh16H family members and specifically expressed during the appressorium development period. Magas1-EGFP fusion expression showed that Magas1 protein was not localized inside the cell. Deletion of the Magas1 gene had no impact on vegetative growth, conidiation and appressorium formation, but resulted in a decreased mortality of host insect when topically inoculated. However, the mortality was not significant between the Magas1 deletion mutant and wild-type treatment when the cuticle was bypassed by injecting conidia directly into the hemocoel. Our results suggested that Magas1 may influence virulence by affecting the penetration of the insects' cuticle.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.13-15
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• 2006

microRNA는 유전자의 전사 후 과정에서 negative regulation을 담당하는 small noncoding RNA의 한 증류이다. 최근까지 330여개의 인간 microRNA가 발견되었지만 그들의 기능이 밝혀진 것은 소수에 불과하다. microRNA의 기능은 3'UTR에 불완전 상보결합을 통해 negative regulation을 받게 되는 유전자의 기능으로부터 유추되는 것이 일반적이다. 특별히 유전체상에 군집화 된 microRNA들은 하나의 전사체로부터 발현되는 것으로 판단되며, 같은 또는 관련된 기능을 하거나 같은 목표 유전자를 조절하기 위한 functional family일 가능성이 높다. 또한 이러한 functional family는 하나의 전사체로부터 발현되기 때문에, 조직별로 조건별로 같은 발현 패턴을 보여야 한다. 본 연구에서는 발현데이터로부터 microRNA functional family를 탐색하기 위해, 5개의 연구 그룹에서 공개한 조직별 microRNA 발현데이터를 표준화 작업을 거친 후 통합하고 k-nearest neighbor 알고리즘을 이용해 결측치를 보정한 후 microRNA 발현사이의 correlation을 계산한다. 이때 데이터 통합에서 생기는 문제에 robust한 결과를 얻기 위해 실제 발현데이터가 아닌 rank 데이터부터 correlation을 측정한다. 계산된 spearman ranked correlation 결과와 microRNA의 genomic coordination 정보로부터 34개의 functional family를 정의할 수 있었다.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2007

The labeling for functionality of food or food components are recognized globally and are essential for the growth of dairy product industry. To expand the functional claims of dairy product especially fermented milk product, the regulations restricting the labeling of functionality should be amended as soon as possible. The labeling regulations of functionality and efficacy for processed and functional foods in related Acts and subordinated statues such as definition, scope of claims, etc. were reviewed and the problems existed in the system were identified. The definition and classification of efficacy for processed food in Food Sanitation Act were analyzed to revise the labeling regulation of dairy product. A draft of amended labeling regulation for the functionality of dairy product is proposed, which provides consumers with appropriate information of beneficial effects on health purpose for human body structure and function. In order to develop the dairy products and related industries, these contents should be considered when the annexed Table 14 in the Enforcement Rule of the Processing of Livestock Products Act is amended.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.101-108
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• 2022

Drosophila melanogaster lymph gland, the primary site of hematopoiesis, contains myeloid-like progenitor cells that differentiate into functional hemocytes in the circulation of pupae and adults. Fly hemocytes are dynamic and plastic, and they play diverse roles in the innate immune response and wound healing. Various hematopoietic regulators in the lymph gland ensure the developmental and functional balance between progenitors and mature blood cells. In addition, systemic factors, such as nutrient availability and sensory inputs, integrate environmental variabilities to synchronize the blood development in the lymph gland with larval growth, physiology, and immunity. This review examines the intrinsic and extrinsic factors determining the progenitor states during hemocyte development in the lymph gland and provides new insights for further studies that may extend the frontier of our collective knowledge on hematopoiesis and innate immunity.