• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.435-444
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• 2003

In 1957, Schwarz and Foltz discovered that selenium (Se) was an essential trace mineral and nutritionists then started extensive studies to figure out the metabolic function of this element which has been called as toxic mineral. The discovery that glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) contained Se demonstrated a biochemical role for Se as an essential trace element. The major physiological function of Se containing GSH-Px is thought to maintain low levels of $H_2O_2$ and other hydroperoxides in the cell to prevent tissues from peroxidation damages. It is known that the GSH-Px activity is increased when animals were fed high dietary levels of Se. Chemical properties of Se have much in common with sulfur (S) therefore Se would follow the sulfur pathways in its metabolism in animal body. Two sources of Se are available for supplementation of Se in animal feed. Inorganic Se can also exist in selenide (-2), elemental (0), selenite (+4) and selenate (+6) oxidation state with other minerals. When sulfur in S containing amino acids is replaced by Se, organic Se can be made and named "eleno"prior to the name of S containing amino acid, i.e. selenomethionine. Selenium deficiency affects humans as well as animals and dysfunctions such as exudative diathesis, retained placenta, mastitis, liver necrosis, Keshan disease, numerous diseases and cancer. From several centuries ago, Se toxicity was recognized in various animal species and much of the current toxic Se levels has been established largely based upon the controlled toxicity studies used inorganic Se. Toxic effects of Se in animal result in reduced feed intake, growth retardation, ataxia, diarrhea, alopecia and sloughing of hooves. However, several experiments demonstrated that Se deficiencies or toxicities were varied by dietary Se levels and sources. Recent studies demonstrated that the incidence of colorectal and prostate cancer was reduced by approximately 50% when humans consumed 200 ${\mu}g$ of Se daily.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5281-5286
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• 2013

Purpose: Prostate cancer caused by the abnormal disorderly growth of prostatic acinar cells is the most prevalent cancer of men in western countries. We aimed to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and explore small molecule drugs for prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: The GSE3824 gene expression profile of prostate cancer was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database which including 21 normal samples and 18 prostate cancer cells. The DEGs were identified by Limma package in R language and gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were performed. In addition, potential regulatory microRNAs and the target sites of the transcription factors were screened out based on the molecular signature database. In addition, the DEGs were mapped to the connectivity map database to identify potential small molecule drugs. Results: A total of 6,588 genes were filtered as DEGs between normal and prostate cancer samples. Examples such as ITGB6, ITGB3, ITGAV and ITGA2 may induce prostate cancer through actions on the focal adhesion pathway. Furthermore, the transcription factor, SP1, and its target genes ARHGAP26 and USF1 were identified. The most significant microRNA, MIR-506, was screened and found to regulate genes including ITGB1 and ITGB3. Additionally, small molecules MS-275, 8-azaguanine and pyrvinium were discovered to have the potential to repair the disordered metabolic pathways, abd furthermore to remedy prostate cancer. Conclusions: The results of our analysis bear on the mechanism of prostate cancer and allow screening for small molecular drugs for this cancer. The findings have the potential for future use in the clinic for treatment of prostate cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.571-573
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• 2012

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G-3-P), the substrate of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), is a key intermediate in several metabolic pathways. Recently, we reported that G-3-P directly inhibits caspase-3 activity in a reversible noncompetitive mode, suggesting the intracellular G-3-P level as a cell fate decision factor. It has been known that apoptotic stimuli induce the generation of NO, and NO S-nitrosylates GAPDH at the catalytic cysteine residue, which confers GAPDH the ability to bind to Siah-1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. The GAPDH-Siah-1 complex is translocated into the nucleus and subsequently triggers the apoptotic process. Here, we clearly showed that intracellular G-3-P protects GAPDH from S-nitrosylation at above a certain level, and consequently maintains the cell survival. In case G-3-P drops below a certain level as a result of exposure to specific stimuli, G-3-P cannot inhibit S-nitrosylation of GAPDH anymore, and consequently GAPDH translocates with Siah-1 into the nucleus. Based on these results, we suggest that G-3-P functions as a molecule switch between cell survival and apoptosis by regulating S-nitrosylation of GAPDH.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 2010

Lettuce is an economically important leafy vegetable that accumulates a milk-like sap called latex in the laticifer. Previously, we conducted a large-scale lettuce latex proteomic analysis. However, the identified proteins were obtained only from lettuce ESTs and proteins deposited in NCBI databases. To extend the number of known latex proteins, we carried out an analysis identifying 302 additional proteins that were matched to the NCBI non-redundant protein database. Interestingly, the newly identified proteins were not recovered from lettuce EST and protein databases, indicating the usefulness of this hetero system in MudPIT analysis. Gene ontology studies revealed that the newly identified latex proteins are involved in many processes, including many metabolic pathways, binding functions, stress responses, developmental processes, protein metabolism, transport and signal transduction. Application of the non-redundant plant protein database led to the identification of an increased number of latex proteins. These newly identified latex proteins provide a rich source of information for laticifer research.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.144-152
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• 2010

As the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) was completed in 2005 and opened to the public, many countries are making a lot of investments in researches on the utilization of sequence information along with system development. Also, the necessity of the functional genomics researches using microarray is increased currently to secure unique genes related with major agricultural traits and analyze metabolic pathways. Microrarray enables efficient analysis of large scale gene expression and related transcription regulation. This review aims to introduce available microarrays made based on rice genome information and current status of gene expression analysis using these microarrays integrated with the databases available to the public. Also, we introduce the researches on the large scale functional analysis of genes related with useful traits and genetic networks. Understanding of the mechanism related with mutual interaction between proteins with co-expression among rice genes can be utilized in the researches for improving major agricultural traits. The direct and indirect interactions of various genes would provide new functionality of rice. The recent results of the various expression profiling analysis in rice will promote functional genomic researches in plants including rice and provide the scientists involved in applications researches with wide variety of expression informations.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2016

High-quality gene sets are necessary for functional research of genes. Although Perilla is a commonly cultivated oil crop and vegetable crop in Southeast Asia, the quality of its available gene set is insufficient. To construct a high-quality Perilla gene set, we sequenced mRNAs extracted from different tissues of Perilla citriodora, the wild species (2n = 20) of Perilla. To make a high-quality gene set for P. citriodora, we compared the quality of assemblies produced by Velvet and Trinity, the two well-known de novo assemblers, and improved the de novo assembly pipeline by optimizing k-mers and removing redundant sequences. We then selected representative transcripts for loci according to several criteria. The improved assembly yielded a total of 86,396 transcripts and 38,413 representative transcripts. We evaluated the assembled transcripts by comparing them to 638 homologous Arabidopsis genes involved in fatty acid and TAG biosynthesis pathways. High proportions of full-length genes and transcripts in the assembled transcripts matched known genes in other species, indicating that the P. citriodora gene set can be applied in future functional studies. Our study provides a reference P. citriodora gene set for further studies. It will serve as valuable genetic resource to elucidate the molecular basis of various metabolisms.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2004

Chlorella is a eukaryotic microalgae which shares metabolic pathways with higher plants. These charac-teristics make chlorella a potential candidate for eukaryotic overexpression systems. Recently, a foreign flounder growth hormone gene was stably introduced and expressed in transformed Chlorella ellipsoidea by using a modified plant transformation vector that contains cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S pro-moter and the phleomycin resistant Sh ble gene as a selection marker. In this study, this same vector was modified by incorporating a promoter and a 3' UTR region of the 33kDa peptide gene from a chlorella virus that was isolated in our laboratory. The 33kDa gene promoter was used to replace the 35S promoter and the 3' UTR was introduced to separate the target gene and downstream Sh ble gene. Three different chlorella transformation vectors containing human erythropoietin (EPO) gene were constructed. The mp335EPO vector consists of a promoter from the 33kDa peptide gene, whereas the mp3353EPO vector contains the same promoter from the 33kDa peptide gene and its 3' UTR. The mp35S33pEPO vector contains the 35S promoter and the 3' UTR from the 33 kDa peptide gene. There was no significant difference in the expression levels of EPO protein in chlorella cells transformed with either of three of the transformation vectors. These data indicate that the promoters from the chlorella virus are comparable to the most common CaMV 35S promoter. Furthermore, these data suggest that other promoters from this virus can be used in future construction of chlorella transformation system for higher expression of target proteins.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.167-182
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• 1990

Dietary restriction (caloric restriction) is the only intervention which has been reliably shown to extend the maximum life span of warm-blooded animals and delay the many phenomena associated with aging. It is also one of the most effective modulators of toxicity, especially cancer endpoints. In spite of the known modulator effects of caloric restriction, the biological mechanisms responsible for these effects had not been in vestigated until recently. The National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), in a collaborative effort with the National Institute of Aging (NIA), initiated a project whereby nine (9) combinations of rodent species/strains and diets were fed both restricted and ad libitum. The NIA's initiative was to identify biomarkers of aging whereas NCTR's initiative was to identify the biological effects associated with the profound effects caloric restriction has in protecting against both spontaneous (age-related) and chemically-induced toxic endpoints. Independent of sex or species, caloric restriction has similar effects on body temperature, oxygen consumption and $CO_2$production. Caloric restriction also decreased lipid glycolysis and metabolism in rats and mice, which suggest decreased production of metabolites which could lead to fatty acid epoxide formation. The age-associated loss of ciradian regulation of intermediate enzymes is also significantly reduced. Moreover, caloric restriction reduced the age-associated feminization of sexually dimorphic liver isozymes, increased several glucocorticoid responsive isozymes, elevated glucagon/insulin ratios, produced less microsomal superoxide and enhanced the capacity for utilzing detoxicating metabolic pathways. Calorically restricted rats have less than half the number of aflatoxin ($AFB_1$)-DNA adducts than ad libitum animals and urinary excretion of $AFB_1$ was increased significantly. Finally, DNA repair mechanisms are enhanced and oncogene expression is decreased in calorically restricted animals.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 1973

A study was made on enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in T. concretivorus grown with and without glucose. The present results show that T. concretivorus possesses high activities of pentose shunt pathway and related enzymes, glucokinase, G-6-P dehydrogenase, 6-PG dehydrogenase, and phosphoglucoisomerase, but low activities of enzymes unique to EMP(fructose-1, 6-diphosphate aldolase). Although the synthesis of the latter enzymes remains largely unaffected by the growth enviroment, that of the former is stimulated by glucose. And the failure to detect ED pathway enzymes in cells grown in thiosulate or thiosulfate-glucose medium eliminates the ED pathway as a significant route of glucose catabolism in T.concretivorus. These results suggest that pentose shunt pathway performs an energetic role in glucose metabolism by T.concretivorus with EMP as a subway. The absence of ED pathway and the presence of pentose shunt pathway which is the major route of catabolism in T.concretivorus are similar to those of other obligately chemolitho-trophic thiobacilli. The G-6-P and 6-PG dehydrogenase are both NAD and NADP specific, but MAD predominant. However, the 3-PGAL dehydrogenase is only NAD specific. Since the specific activity of 3-PGAL generated from glucose is converted mainly into pyruvate which is channeled into the TCA cycle. All enzymes of the TCA cycle tested and NADH oxidase are detected in the cells of T.concretivorus grown in thiosulfate. The specific activities of fumarase and isocitrate dehydrogenase are high and others are low. The presence of two isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD-and NADP-linked) may have important regulatory function for this organism. The activity of NAD-oxidase, which is implicated in the energy generating metabolism, was very high in the crude cell-free extract of T.concretivorus, recording 55.11 m$\mu$ mole/min/mg protein. This well coincides with the fact that activities of NAD-linked G-6-P dehydrogenase, 6-PG dehydrogenase and 3-PGAL dehydrogenase were high.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.221-225
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• 2004

Novel cytochrome P450 hydroxylase (CYP) genes were isolated and characterized from P. autotrophica cosmid DNA library using an actinomycete CYP-specific PCR product as a screening probe. The cosmids containing four unique CYP genes (pESK601, 602, 603, 604, 605) were identified, and the four CYP genes were completely sequenced to be homologous to other known Actinomycetes CYP genes involved in various secondary metabolic pathways. Among all novel actinomycete CYP genes found in P. autotrophica, the CYP genes present in pESK601 were revealed to be highly homologous to the CYP genes involved in polyene-type amphotericin and nystatin antibiotic biosynthesis. The nucleotide sequences of the CYP flanking region in pESK601 also revealed the polyene-type biosynthetic genes, implying the presence of a cryptic polyene-type antifungal biosynthetic gene cluster in P. autotrophica.