• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1356-1363
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• 2014

Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid orexigenic peptide hormone that is secreted predominantly by tX/A cells in the stomach, and it plays a major role in energy homeostasis. Activated ghrelin has an n-octanoyl group covalently linked to the hydroxyl group of the Ser3 residue, which is critical for its binding to the G-protein coupled growth hormone secretagogue receptor-1a (GHS-R1a). According to recent reports, both ghrelin and its receptor, GHS-R1a, are expressed by a variety of immune cells, including T- and B-lymphocytes, monocytes, and dendritic cells, and ghrelin stimulation of leukocytes provides a potent immunomodulatory signal controlling systemic and age-associated inflammation and thymic involution. Here, we report that ghrelin protected murine thymocytes from dexamethasone (DEX)-induced cell death both in vivo and in vitro. Subsequently, we explored the molecular mechanisms of the antiapoptotic effect of ghrelin. According to our experiments, ghrelin inhibited the expression of proapoptotic proteins via the regulation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) phosphorylation. As a result, ghrelin inhibited the proapoptotic activation of proteins, such as Caspase-3, PARP, and Bim. These data suggest that ghrelin, through GHS-R, inhibits the pathway to apoptosis by regulation of the proapoptotic protein activation signal pathway. They provide evidence that blocking apoptosis is an essential function of ghrelin during the development of thymocytes.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.333-338
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• 2003

Transgenic mice containing GH Receptor (GHR) gene fused to metallothionein promoter were analyzed to evaluate effect of GHR expression on growth in vivo. Three founder mice lines contained copies of GHR transgene and transmitted these genes into F$_1$ and F$_2$ progenies. The mRNA expression of transgene was identified using RT-PCR with GHR genes in tissues. To analyze the effects of transgenes on growth performance, body weights of pups were measured at 4, 10 and 14 weeks after birth. The body weight of transgenic mice was higher compared with that of non-transgenic control mice regardless of sex (P<0.05). Body weights between transgenic and non-transgenic mice were increased with aging. Overall, GHR transgenic mice tended to grow about 10 to 15 ％ faster than non-transgenic mice without any pathological defects.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2019

Fish shows great difference in growth rate between individuals during larval development and early growth. This difference seriously reduces the production efficiency in fish culture. Growth hormone (GH)/Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) system is said to play some pivotal roles in fish growth. In this study, we investigated differences of GH, IGF1 and GHR gene expressions in juvenile red spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara) with different growth performance. Red spotted groupers were reared under the same environmental condition (water temperature $24{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, natural light) for 96 days after hatching. They were divided into 3 groups by size (fast growing, middle growing and slow growing groups: FGG, MGG, and SGG, respectively). RNA was extracted from the brain, liver and muscle tissues from each group, and target gene expression was examined by real-time PCR. In the brain with pituitary gland, expression of GH gene in FGG was significantly higher than the expression in SGG, but the expression of IGF1 and GHR genes in the muscle was highest in SGG. Difference of GHR and IGF1 mRNA in the liver between groups with different growth performance was less clear than that in other tissues, although level of IGF1 mRNA was higher in SGG than in MGG. These results suggest that hormonal governing of growth is not the same in fast growing and slow growing fish, and size grading could cause a shift of hormonal state and growth pattern in this species.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2022

Because of their specificity to target insects and relatively low toxicity to non-target organisms, insect growth regulators (IGRs) have been regarded as attractive alternatives to chemical insecticides. Commercially available IGRs are classified into juvenile hormone agonists (JHAs), ecdysone agonists (EAs), and chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSIs) according to their mode of action. Recently, JH-mediated interaction of methoprene-tolerant (Met), which is JH receptor, and its binding partners have been replicated in vitro using yeast cells transformed with the Met and FISC/CYC genes of A. aegypti. Using this in vitro yeast two-hybrid β-galactosidase assay, juvenile hormone antagonists (JHANs) have been identified from various sources including chemical libraries, plants, and microorganisms. As juvenile hormone (JH) is an insect specific hormone and regulates development, reproduction, diapause and other physiological processes, JHANs fatally disrupt the endocrine signals, which result in abnormal development and larval death. These results suggested that JHANs could be efficiently applied as IGR insecticides with a broad insecticidal spectrum. This review discuses JH signaling pathway mediated by Met and future prospects of JHANs as environmentally benign IGR insecticides.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.146-152
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• 2004

Ghrelin is an acylated peptide recently identified as the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone (GH) secretagogues receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) and is involved in a novel system for regulating GH release. To understand the long-term effects of ghrelin, here we constructed six myogenic expression vectors containing the cDNA of swine mature ghrelin (pGEM-wt-sGhln, pGEM-wt-hGhln), ghrelin mutant of $Ser^3$ with $Trp^3$ (pGEM-mt-sGhln, pGEM-mt-hGhln) and truncated ghrelin derivative (pGEM-tmtsGhln, pGEM-tmt-hGhln) encompassing the first 7 residues of ghrelin (including $Ser^3$ substituted with $Trp^3$) and adding a basic amino acid, Lys (K) in the C-terminus. The constructs, pGEM-wt-sGhln, pGEM-mt-sGhln and pGEM-tmt-sGhln were linked with the ghrelin leader sequence, while the pGEM-wt-hGhln, pGEM-mt-hGhln and pGEM-tmt-hGhln were linked with a leader sequence from the human growth hormone releasing hormone (hGHRH). Intramuscular injection of 200 ${\mu}g$ pGEM-wt-sGhln or pGEM-tmt-sGhln augmented growth over 3 weeks in normal rats and peaked at day 21 or 14 post-injection respectively, whose body weight gains were on average approximately 6% or 19% heavier over controls. However, other injectable vectors had no such enhanced growth effects. Our results suggested that the efficacy of the ghrelin leader sequence was more effective than that of hGHRH in our system. Moreover, the results indicated that skeletal muscle might have the ability to posttranslationally modify the in vivo expressed ghrelin. And the most strikingly, the short ghrelin analog seems to mimic the biological effects more efficiently when compared with the full-length ghrelin.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2001

The present study was designed to obtain porcine growth hormone binding protein (pGHBP) improved biological activation as derived mutation in binding site with growth horlnone (GH). A 756 bp of fragment encoding the extracellular domain of pGHBP gene was cloned from the total RNA of porcine fat tissue by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and created mutation in positions 26 and 122 using site-directed mutagenesis method. Position 26 is one and it is near to get on five potential N-linked glycosylation sites located in the extracellular domain of porcine growth hormone receptor known to have a direct influence on combination with GH. Position 122 is known as one of conformational epitope in bovine. It was over-expressed in E. coli using pET-32(c) expression vector and precisely purified by S-protein agarose and enterokinase. In our results, we was obtained pmGHBP of 30 kDa. It suggests to study the effects of the pmGHBP on cell proliferation in vitro and growth rate in vivo after administration.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.430-436
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• 2010

The objective of the present studies was to develop and validate a system for isolation, purification and extended culture of pigment-producing cells in alpaca skin (melanocytes) responsible for coat color and to determine the effect of alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone treatment on mRNA expression for the melanocortin 1 receptor, a key gene involved in coat color regulation in other species. Skin punch biopsies were harvested from the dorsal region of 1-3 yr old alpacas and three different enzyme digestion methods were evaluated for effects on yield of viable cells and attachment in vitro. Greatest cell yields and attachment were obtained following dispersion with dispase II relative to trypsin and trypsin-EDTA treatment. Culture of cells in medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor, bovine pituitary extract, hydrocortisone, insulin, 12-O-tetradecanolphorbol-13-acetate and cholera toxin yielded highly pure populations of melanocytes by passage 3 as confirmed by detection of tyrosinase activity and immunocytochemical localization of melanocyte markers including tyrosinase, S-100 and micropthalmia-associated transcription factor. Abundance of mRNA for tyrosinase, a key enzyme in melanocyte pigment production, was maintained through 10 passages showing preservation of melanocyte phenotypic characteristics with extended culture. To determine hormonal responsiveness of cultured melanocytes and investigate regulation of melanocortin 1 receptor expression, cultured melanocytes were treated with increasing concentrations of ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone. Treatment with ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone increased melanocortin receptor 1 mRNA in a dose dependent fashion. The results demonstrated culture of pure populations of alpaca melanocytes to 10 passages and illustrate the potential utility of such cells for studies of intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of genes controlling pigmentation and coat color in fiber-producing species.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.149-157
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate the effects of Cheunggyeongsamul-tang extract on the growth of longitudinal bone in adolescent female rats. Methods : Longitudinal bone growth was measured by fluorescent microscopy. To examine the effects on the growth plate metabolism, the total height of growth plate, the induction of local insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), IGF-1 receptor, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), BMPR-1A, indian hedgehog (IHH), and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) were measured. Results : Cheunggyeongsamul-tang extract enhanced longitudinal bone growth and total height of the growth plate. Also, it promoted the induction of local IGF-1, BMP-2, IHH and PTH-rP of the growth plate. Conclusions : This study shows that the Cheunggyeongsamul-tang extract effects longitudinal bone growth in adolescent rats and might be used for both stunted adolescents and inherent growth failure patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.799-805
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• 2005

Hypothyroidism is a deficiency in thyroid hormone secretion by the thyroid gland and a defect in thyroid hormonal receptor activity. It is categorized by the two major forms in children, the one is congenital hypothyroidism and the other is acquired hypothyroidism. Congenital hypothyroidism is one of the commonest treatable causes of mental retardation and occurs in 1 in 3,000-4,000 infants worldwide. Acquired hypothyroidism is a diseases that have an onset usually after 6 months of age and it may be relate to deceleration in linear growth. The objectives of this article are obtain general and practical concepts of congenital and acquired hypothyroidism during infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

• Proceedings of the Korean Aquaculture Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.126-127
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• 2005