• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제15권24호
• /
• pp.10697-10703
• /
• 2015

The laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors occurring in the head and neck. Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis induce ligand (TRAIL) and TRAIL-receptors (DR4, DR5, DcR1, DcR2) are known as important members of TRAIL-mediated biochemical signaling pathway. Associations between polymorphisms in these genes and clinicopathological characteristics of human laryngeal carcinoma are not well defined. This study therefore aimed to investigate a possible relationship among the TRAIL and TRAIL-DR4 polymorphisms and sTRAIL levels in the risk or progression of LSCC. A total of 99 patients with laryngeal cancer and 120 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. DR4 C626G and TRAIL 1595 C/T genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis and sTRAIL levels were measured by ELISA. There were significant differences in the distribution of DR4 C626G genotypes and frequencies of the alleles between laryngeal cancer patients and controls (p<0.001) but not in TRAIL 1595 C/T. We found the increased frequency of the DR4 C626G homozygote CC genotype in patients than in controls (p<0.001). Haplotype analysis revealed that there was also a statistically significant relationship between TRAIL and TRAIL-DR4 polymorphisms and laryngeal cancer. Serum sTRAIL levels in the laryngeal patients with CC genotype who had advanced tumour stage were lower than those of patients with early tumor stage (p=0.014). Our findings suggest that DR4 C626G genotypes and sTRAIL levels might be associated with progression of laryngeal cancer in the Turkish population.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제46권4호
• /
• pp.389-396
• /
• 2009

Objective : Triptolide (TP) has been reported to suppress the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), of which main function is to inactivate the extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 (ERK-1/2), the p38 MAPK and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1/2 (JNK-1/2), and to exert antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities. However, the mechanisms underlying antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of TP are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the down-regulation of MKP-1 expression by TP would account for antiproliferative activity of TP in immortalized HT22 hippocampal cells. Methods : MKP-1 expression and MAPK phosphorylation were analyzed by Western blot. Cell proliferation was assessed by $^3H$-thymidine incorporation. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) against MKP-1, vanadate (a phosphatase inhibitor), U0126 (a specific inhibitor for ERK-1/2), SB203580 (a specific inhibitor for p38 MAPK), and SP600125 (a specific inhibitor for JNK-1/2) were employed to evaluate a possible mechanism of antiproliferative action of TP. Results : At its non-cytotoxic dose, TP suppressed MKP-1 expression, reduced cell growth, and induced persistent ERK-1/2 activation. Similar growth inhibition and ERK-1/2 activation were observed when MKP-1 expression was blocked by MKP-1 siRNA and its activity was inhibited by vanadate. The antiproliferative effects of TP, MKP-1 siRNA, and vanadate were significantly abolished by U0126, but not by SB203580 or SP600125. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that TP inhibits the growth of immortalized HT22 hippocampal cells via persistent ERK-1/2 activation by suppressing MKP-1 expression. Additionally, this study provides evidence supporting that MKP-1 may play an important role in regulation of neuronal cell growth.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제37권6호
• /
• pp.709-714
• /
• 2004

The wild-type repressor CI of temperate mycobacteriophage L1 and the temperature-sensitive (ts) repressor CIts391 of a mutant L1 phage, L1cIts391, have been separately overexpressed in E. coli. Both these repressors were observed to specifically bind with the same cognate operator DNA. The operator-binding activity of CIts391 was shown to differ significantly than that of the CI at 32 to $42^{\circ}C$. While 40-95% operator-binding activity was shown to be retained at 35 to $42^{\circ}C$ in CI, more than 75% operator-binding activity was lost in CIts391 at 35 to $38^{\circ}C$, although the latter showed only 10% less binding compared to that of the former at $32^{\circ}C$. The CIts391 showed almost no binding at $42^{\circ}C$. An in vivo study showed that the CI repressor inhibited the growth of a clear plaque former mutant of the L1 phage more strongly than that of the CIts391 repressor at both 32 and $42^{\circ}C$. The half-life of the CIts391-operator complex was found to be about 8 times less than that of the CI-operator complex at $32^{\circ}C$. Interestingly, the repressor-operator complexes preformed at $0^{\circ}C$ have shown varying degrees of resistance to dissociation at the temperatures which inhibit the formation of these complexes are inhibited. The CI repressor, but not that of CIts391, regains most of the DNA-binding activity on cooling to $32^{\circ}C$ after preincubation at 42 to $52^{\circ}C$. All these data suggest that the 131st proline residue at the C-terminal half of CI, which changed to leucine in the CIts391, plays a crucial role in binding the L1 repressor to the cognate operator DNA, although the helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif of the L1 repressor is located at its N-terminal end.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제37권6호
• /
• pp.720-725
• /
• 2004

A number of signaling molecules contain small pleckstrin homology (PH) domains capable of binding phosphoinositides or proteins. Phospholipase C (PLC)-${\gamma}1$ has two putative PH domains, an $NH_2$-terminal (PH1) and a split PH domain ($nPH_2$ and $cPH_2$). We previously reported that the split PH domain of PLC-${\gamma}1$ binds to phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI(4)P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)$P_2$) (Chang et al., 2002). To identify the amino acid residues responsible for binding with PI(4)P and PI(4,5)$P_2$, we used site-directed mutagenesis to replace each amino acid in the variable loop-1 (VL-1) region of the PLC-${\gamma}1$ $nPH_2$ domain with alanine (a neutral amino acid). The phosphoinositide-binding affinity of these mutant molecules was analyzed by Dot-blot assay followed by ECL detection. We found that two PLC-${\gamma}1$ nPH2 domain mutants, P500A and H503A, showed reduced affinities for phosphoinositide binding. Furthermore, these mutant PLC-${\gamma}1$ molecules showed reduced PI(4,5)$P_2$ hydrolysis. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein system, we showed that both $PH_1$ and $nPH_2$ domains are responsible for membrane-targeted translocation of PLC-${\gamma}1$ upon serum stimulation. Together, our data reveal that the amino acid residues $Pro^{500}$ and $His^{503}$ are critical for binding of PLC-${\gamma}1$ to one of its substrates, PI(4,5)$P_2$ in the membrane.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• 제35권4호
• /
• pp.295-301
• /
• 2010

근관세척제인 NaOCl과 CHX를 병행 사용하는 경우 적갈색의 발암물질로 알려진 PCA가 생성된다. 본 연구의 목적은 CHX와 유사한 buigunide 계통의 소독제인 ALX을 NaOCl 과 혼합 반응 시 PCA가 생성되는지 여부를 mass spectrometry를 이용하여 평가하고자 하였다. 대조군으로는 4% NaOCl 용액과 2% CHX의 혼합용액, 0.5% PCA 용액, 및 1% ALX 용액을 사용하였고 실험군으로는 5가지 농도(1%, 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.125%, 0.0625%)의 ALX 용액과 4% NaOCl의 혼합용액을 질량분석기를 이용하여 molecular peak를 분석한 결과 ALX과 NaOCl의혼합물에서는 PCA (m/w = 128)로 보이는 128 피크가 관찰되지 않았다. 또한 용액의 색 변화에서도 ALX이 농도가 높을수록 옅은 노랑색을 띄었으나 농도가 낮아질수록 흰색으로 관찰되었으며 어떠한 침전물의 형성도 보이지 않았다.

• 대한물리치료과학회지
• /
• 제13권2호
• /
• pp.137-145
• /
• 2006

We investigated whether increased contractile responsiveness to epidermal growth factor (EGF) is associated with altered activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the aortic smooth muscle of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. EGF induced contraction and MAPK activity in aortic smooth muscle strips, which were significantly increased in tissues from the DOCA-salt hypertensive rats compared with those from sham-operated rats. AG1478, PD98059, and LY294002, inhibitors of EGF receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase, MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), respectively, inhibited the contraction and the activity of ERK1/2 that were elevated by EGF. Y27632 and GF109203X, inhibitors of Rho kinase and protein kinase C, respectively, attenuated EGF-induced contraction, with no diminution of ERK1/2 activity. Although EGF also elevated the activity of EGFR tyrosine kinase in both sham-operated and DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, the expression and the magnitude of activation did not differ between strips. These results strongly suggest that EGF induces contraction by the activation of ERK1/2, which is regulated by the PI3K pathway in the aortic smooth muscle of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제17권4호
• /
• pp.638-643
• /
• 2007

The full encoding sequence for human type II hexokinase (HXK II) was cloned into the E. coli expression vector pET 21b and expressed as a C-terminally hexahistidine-tagged protein in the BL2l (DE3) strain. The IPTG-induced HXK II approximately accounted for 17% of the total E. coli proteins, and 81% of HXK $II_{6{\times}His}$ existed in inclusion bodies. To improve the production of soluble recombinant HXK II protein, in the functionally active form, we used low temperature, and the osmotic stress expression method. When expressed at $18^{\circ}C$, about 83% of HXK $II_{6{\times}His}$ existed in the soluble fraction, which amounted to a 4.1-fold yield over that expressed at $37^{\circ}C$. The soluble form of HXK $II_{6{\times}His}$ was also highly produced in the presence of 1M sorbitol under the standard condition $(37^{\circ}C)$, which indicated that temperature downshift and low water potentials were required to improve the yield of active recombinant HXK II protein. The expressed protein was purified by metal chelate affinity chromatography performed in an IDA Excellose column charged with $Ni^{2+}$ ions, resulting in about 40mg recombinant HXK II protein obtained with purity over 89% from 51 of E. coli culture. The identity of HXK $II_{6{\times}His}$ was confirmed by Western blotting analysis. Taken together, using the stress-governed expression described in this study, human active HXK II can be purified in sufficient amounts for biochemical and biomedical studies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제19권11호
• /
• pp.1401-1407
• /
• 2009

Many Lactobacillus strains have been promoted as good probiotics for the prevention and treatment of diseases. We engineered recombinant Lactobacillus casei, producing biologically active canine granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (cGM-CSF), and investigated its possibility as a good probiotic agent for dogs. Expression of the cGM-CSF protein in the recombinant Lactobacillus was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting methods. For the in vivo study, 18 Beagle puppies of 7 weeks of age were divided into three groups; the control group was fed only on a regular diet and the two treatment groups were fed on a diet supplemented with either $1\times10^9$ colony forming units (CFU)/day of L. casei or L. casei expressing cGM-CSF protein for 7 weeks. Body weight was measured, and fecal and blood samples were collected from the dogs during the experiment for the measurement of hematology, fecal immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG, circulating IgA and IgG, and canine corona virus (CCV)-specific IgG. There were no differences in body weights among the groups, but monocyte counts in hematology and serum IgA were higher in the group receiving L. casei expressing cGM-CSF than in the other two groups. After the administration of CCV vaccine, CCV-specific IgG in serum increased more in the group supplemented with L. casei expressing cGM-CSF than the other two groups. This study shows that a dietary L. casei expressing cGM-CSF enhances specific immune functions at both the mucosal and systemic levels in puppies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.110-115
• /
• 2004

This study was undertaken to develop PCR primers for the simultaneous detection of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, using two species-specific reverse primers in combination with a single conserved forward primer. These primers target the variable and conserved regions of the 16S rDNA. The primer specificity was tested against (i) four F. nucleatum and three A. actinomycetemcomitans strains and (ii) seven representatives of the different species of oral bacteria. The primer sensitivity was determined by testing serial dilutions of the purified genomic DNA of F. nucleatum and A. actinomycetemcomitans. The data indicate that species-specific amplicons could be obtained for all the F. nucleatum and A. actinomycetemcomitans strains tested, which were not found in the seven other species. The multiplex PCR could detect as little as 4 fg of chromosomal DNA of F. nucleatum and A. actinomycetemcomitans simultaneously. These findings suggest that these PCR primers are highly sensitive and are suitable for applications in epidemiological studies, diagnosis, and monitoring F. nucleatum and A. actinomycetemcomitans after the treatment of periodontitis.

• 한국임상수의학회지
• /
• 제26권5호
• /
• pp.441-444
• /
• 2009

허혈/재관류 손상은 장기이식 분야에서 해결해야 할 주요 문제점으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 대퇴 동,정맥 부위에서 기존의 혈관 문합법 대신 맥관 connector를 이용하여 간단하면서 효과적인 체외 재관류 모델을 개발하였기에 소개하고자 한다. 개발된 모델이 허혈/재관류 손상연구에 효과적인지 알아보기 위해 혈액 동력학적 평가와 신장의 재관류 후 손상 양상을 분석하였다. 기존의 재관류 모델에서 사용되는 문합 부위인 복강 대동맥의 혈압과 본 연구에서 재관류 부위로 활용된 대퇴동맥의 혈압은 유의적 차이가 없었다. 허혈 손상 후 재관류 효과를 알아보기 위해 미니돼지에서 적출한 신장을 HTK 용액에 24, 48시간 동안 각각 저온보관 후 대퇴부에 이식하여 재관류 한 결과, 신장의 재관류까지 수술시간은 평균 $7.0{\pm}1.1$분 소요되었으며, 3시간 재관류 후 재관류 손상 정도는 저온보관시간에 따라 증가되는 것이 확인되었다. 이는 개발된 모델이 맥관 문합 없이 간단한 관류방법이면서도 기존의 복잡한 수술에 의한 재관류 방법과 유사한 손상 모델을 만들 수 있는 효과적인 허혈/재관류 동물모델이라는 것을 의미한다. 따라서 본 연구에서 개발한 신장 재관류 모델은 초기 허혈/재관류 손상 연구와 장기이식에서 이식면역연구에 효과적인 모델이라 사료된다.