• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2016

Background: Adipocyte-macrophage communication plays a critical role regulating white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammatory gene expression. Because WAT inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic diseases, there is significant interest in understanding how exogenous compounds regulate the adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk. An aqueous (AQ) extract of North American (NA) ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was previously shown to have strong inflammo-regulatory properties in adipocytes. This study examined whether different ginseng extracts influence adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk, as well as WAT inflammatory gene expression. Methods: The effects of AQ and ethanol (EtOH) ginseng extracts ($5{\mu}g/mL$) on adipocyte and macrophage inflammatory gene expression were studied in 3T3-L1 and RAW264.7 cells, respectively, using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Adipose tissue organ culture was also used to examine the effects of ginseng extracts on epididymal WAT (EWAT) and inguinal subcutaneous WAT (SWAT) inflammatory gene expression. Results: The AQ extract caused significant increases in the expression of common inflammatory genes (e.g., Mcp1, Ccl5, Tnf-${\alpha}$, Nos2) in both cell types. Culturing adipocytes in media from macrophages treated with the AQ extract, and vice versa, also induced inflammatory gene expression. Adipocyte Ppar-${\gamma}$ expression was reduced with the AQ extract. The AQ extract strongly induced inflammatory gene expression in EWAT, but not in SWAT. The EtOH extract had no effect on inflammatory gene expression in either both cell types or WAT. Conclusion: These findings provide important new insights into the inflammo-regulatory role of NA ginseng in WAT.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.117-128
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• 2014

Objective : It is known that Pueriaria lobata has an anti-osteoporetic effect, anti-cancer effect, anti-pyretic effect, and anti-diabetic effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate anti-obesity effect of Pueriaria lobata extract (PLE), and elucidate the effect of it on gene expression related to lipid metabolism. Method : The experiments were performed with the use of ovariectomized rats as estrogen-deficient obesity model. They were grouped NC (normal control), OC (estrogen-deficient control), PLH (100mg/kg of PLE), PLL (20mg/kg). PLE was orally administered for 6 weeks. Body weights and serum lipid level were estimated, and real-time PCR was performed to investigate the effect of PLE on gene expression in liver. Results : PLE decreased the body weight and serum cholesterol and triglyceride, but increased HDL-cholesterol. And PLE increased leptin, CYP27, CPT1, CYP8B1, ACAT2, LDLR, and SCD1, but reduced $PPAR{\gamma}$, PGC1A, HMG-CoA-R, ACAT1, SCD1, and APoB gene expression in liver tissue of rat with estrogen-deficient obesity. Conclusion : It is concluded that Pueriaria lobata reduced body weight, and its effect was expressed by regulation of gene expression related to lipid metabolism in rats with estrogen-deficient obesity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.700-706
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• 2000

Iron- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (FeZnSOD) and nickel-containing superoxide dismutase (NiSOD) are cytoplamic enzymes in Streptomyces griseus. The sodF gene coding for FeZnSOD was cloned from genomic Southern hybridization analysis with a 0.5-kb DNA probe, which was PCR-amplified with facing primers corresponding to the N-terminal amino acid of the purified FeZnSOD of S. griseus and a C-terminal region which is conserved among bacterial FeSODs and MnSODs. The sodF open reading frame (ORF) was comprised of 213 amino acid (22,430 Da), and the deduced sequence of the protein was highly homologous (86% identity) to that of FeZnSOD of Streptomyces coelicolor. The FeZnSOD expression of exponentially growing S. griseus cell was approximately doubled as the cell growth reached the early stationary phase. The growth-associated expression of FeZnSOD was mainly controlled at the transcriptional level, and the regulation was exerted through the 110 bp regulatory DNA upstream from the ATG initiation codon of the sodF gene.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.113-118
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• 2009

In this study, we have shown the transcriptional regulation of the human GD3 synthase (hST8Sia I) induced by valproic acid (VPA) in human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the regulation of hST8Sia I gene expression in VPA-stimulated SK-N-BE(2)-C cells, we characterized the promoter region of the hST8Sia I gene. Functional analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the hST8Sia I gene by the transient expression method showed that the -1146 to -646 region, which contains putative binding sites for transcription factors c-Ets-1, CREB, AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$, functions as the VPA-inducible promoter of hST8Sia I in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. Site-directed mutagenesis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that the NF-${\kappa}B$ binding site at -731 to -722 was crucial for the VPA-induced expression of hST8Sia I in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells. In addition, the transcriptional activity of hST8Sia I induced by VPA in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells was strongly inhibited by SP600125, which is a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, and $G{\ddot{O}}6976$, which is a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, as determined by RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) and luciferase assays. These results suggest that VPA markedly modulated transcriptional regulation of hST8Sia I gene expression through PKC/JNK signal pathways in SK-N-BE(2)-C cells.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.269-275
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• 1998

The reporter plasmid pMT-lacZ containing the metallothionein (MT) promoter region (-320∼+58 with respect to the transcription initiation site) fused to the lacZ gene in a P-element vector was constructed. Transgenic Drosophila bearing the MT-lacZ fusion gene were established by P-element mediated transformation. Expression of the MT-lacZ fusion gene in transformants was examined during development. By treatment with low concentration of cadmium (>1O uM) or paraquat (>50 uM), increased expression of B-galactosidase was shown in fat body, brain lobe, and ganglion transgenic larval tissues. The results show that transformants bearing the MT-lacZ fusion gene are useful for further studies on the mechanism of regulation of MT gene expression and for monitoring toxic metals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1552-1556
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• 2005

The UCPs are members of the mitochondrial inner membrane transporter family, present in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Their main function is increasing the energy expenditure via diminishing the resulting production of ATP from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation instead of yielding dissipative heat. They are associated with the metabolism of fat and regulation of energy expenditure. The UCP gene can be viewed as the candidate gene for chicken fatness. In the present study, RT-PCR and Northern Blot methods were developed to investigate the expression of the UCP gene in ten tissues including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, gizzard, intestine, brain, breast muscle and abdominal fat of chicken. The results of both RT-PCR and Northern Blot methods showed that the UCP gene expressed specific in breast muscle. The expression levels of UCP gene in breast muscles from egg-type and meat-type chickens of hatching, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wk of age were detected by RT-PCR assay and results showed that the expression levels of UCP gene were related to breeds. Expression level of UCP gene in layers was higher than that in broilers at various weeks of age except at 6 wk. The UCP gene's expression was higher at 6 wk and had no significant difference among other weeks of age in broilers; in layers the expression level of UCP gene had no significant difference among weeks of age. The experiment results also showed that insulin could increase the expression level of UCP gene by 40% compared with control group.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.120-125
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• 2001

The pyrR gene of the pyrimidine biosynthesis (pyr) operon of the thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus, encoding a uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase), turned to rely as a pyr operon regulator. It has been proposed that PyrR mediates transcriptional termination-antitermination at three intercistronic regions of the par operon (S.-Y Ghim and J. Neuhard, J. Bacteriol.,176, 3698-3707, 1994). In this research, a plasmid carrying the pyrR region of B. caldolyticus could restore a pyrimidine regulation in a pyrR mutant of B. subtilis. Expression of pyrR was found to increase 6-7 fold during pyrimidine starvation. Additionally, a highly conserved nucleotide sequence which may constitute the binding site for a PyrR protein (PyrR-binding loop) in transcript was staggested. Alternative antiterminator and terminator structures involving three conserved motifs in front of the pyrR, pyrP and pyrB genes, respectively, are proposed to account for the observed regulation pattern.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.877-880
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• 2000

Cycloinulooligosaccharide fructanotransferase (CFTase) converts inulin into cyclooligosaccharides consisting of six to eight molecules $\beta$-($2\rightarrow1$)-linked cyclic D-fructofuranose through intramolecular transfructosylation. We have examined the regulation of CFTase synthesis in Bacillus macerans and Bacillus subtilis. Synthesis of the CFTase was induced by inulin and it was subject to carbon catabolite repression (CCR) by glucose in both microorganisms. The DNA sequence upstream of the promoter of the CFTase gene was not involved in the inulin induction and glucose repression of the CFTase gene expression in B. subtilis. This suggests that the DNA element(s) responsible for the inuline induction and glucose repression is located downstream of the promoter region. Unexpectedly, the CCR of the expression of CFTase gene was observed not to be dependent on CcpA protein in B. subtilis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.333-337
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• 2012

Gene expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) changes in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) depending on feeding conditions, which is decreased during food deprivation and restored by refeeding, and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) was suggested to play a role in its regulation. This study was conducted to examine if the fasting-induced down-regulation of the PVN-nNOS expression is restored by activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway. Freely moving rats received intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of cAMP/PKA activator Sp-cAMP (40 nmol) or vehicle (sterilized saline) following 48 h of food deprivation. One hour after drug injections, rats were transcardially perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde, and the PVN tissues were processed for nNOS or pCREB immunohistochemistry. Sp-cAMP significantly increased not only nNOS but also pCREB immunoreactivities in the PVN of food deprived rats. Fastinginduced down-regulation of the PVN-nNOS was restored by 1 h after the icv Sp-cAMP. Results suggest that cAMP/PKA pathway may mediate the regulation of the PVN-nNOS expression depending on different feeding conditions.

• Genes and Genomics
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.1127-1136
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• 2018

The Greater Sudbury Region has been known as one of the most ecologically disturbed areas in Canada for the past century. Plant adaptation to environmental stressors often results in modifications in gene expression at the transcriptional level. The main objective of the present study was to compare the expression of genes associated with nickel resistance in Acer rubrum and Populus tremuloides growing in areas contaminated and uncontaminated with metals. Primers targeting Nramps4, Nas 3, At2G, MRP4 and alpha-tubulin genes were used to amplify cDNA of both species. The expression of the At2G gene, was $2{\times}$ and $9{\times}$ higher in P. tremuloides than in A. rubrum for St. Charles (uncontaminated site) and Kelly Lake (metal contaminated site), respectively. There was a much smaller difference between the two species for the Nramps 4 gene as its expression was $2.5{\times}$ and $3{\times}$ higher in P. tremuloides compared to A. rubrum from St. Charles and Kelly Lake, respectively. The same trend was observed for the MRP4 gene whose expression was $2{\times}$ and $14{\times}$ higher in P. tremuloides than in A. rubrum from St. Charles and Kelly Lake, respectively. For the Nas 3 gene, the expression was similar in both sites. This gene was upregulated $11{\times}$ and $10{\times}$ in P. tremuloides compared to A. rubrum in samples from St. Charles and Kelly Lake, respectively. In general, no significant difference was observed between the metal contaminated and uncontaminated sites for gene expression. In depth analysis revealed that AT2G and MRP4 genes were significantly down regulated in A. rubrum from the metal contaminated sites compared to those from uncontaminated areas, but environmental factors driving this differential gene expression couldn't be established.