• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2019

Background: Breast cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease and one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapy as an important breast cancer treatment option has been severely limited because of the inherent or acquired resistance of cancer cells. The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) upregulated in response to cellular stress is required for functions such as conformational maturation, activation and stability in more than 200 client proteins, mostly of the signaling type. In this study, the expression of HSP90 isoforms including $HSP90{\alpha}$ and $HSP90{\beta}$ in breast cancer cell lines before and after treatment with doxorubicin (DOX) was assessed. Material and Methods: The cell cytotoxicity of DOX in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines was determined using the MTT assay. immunofluorescence and western blotting techniques were used to determine the expression of $HSP90{\beta}$ in the cell lines before and after DOX treatment. Immunofluorescence was also conducted to ascertain the expression of $HSP90{\alpha}$. Results: The MTT assay results showed that the MDA-MB-231 cells ($IC_{50}=14.521{\mu}M$) were more sensitive than the MCF-7 cells ($IC_{50}=16.3315{\mu}M$) to DOX. The immunofluorescence results indicated that the expression of $HSP90{\alpha}$ in both cell lines decreased after exposure to DOX. The western blot and immunofluorescence analyses showed that $HSP90{\beta}$ expression decreased in the MCF-7 cells but increased in the MDA-MB-231 cells after DOX treatment. Conclusion: The obtained results suggested that $HSP90{\alpha}$ and $HSP90{\beta}$ expression levels were reduced in the MCF-7 cells after exposure to DOX. In the MDA-MB-231 cells, $HSP90{\alpha}$ expression was reduced while $HSP90{\beta}$ was found to be overexpressed following DOX treatment.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.195-203
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• 2018

Interferon-tau (IFNT) is known as a major conceptus protein that signals the process of maternal recognition of pregnancy in ruminants. Also, multiple interferon genes exist in cattle, However, molecular mechanisms of these bovine IFNT (bIFNT) genes whose expressions are limited have not been characterized. We and others have observed that expression levels of bovine subtype IFNT genes in the tissues of ruminants; thus, bIFNT1 and other new type I (bIFNTc1/c2/c3) gene co-exist during the early stages of conceptus development and non-trophoblast cells. Its genes transcription could be regulated through CDX2 and ETS2 and JUN and/or cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CREBBP) expression, a transcription factor implicated in the control of cell differentiation in the trophectoderm. Bovine ear-derived fibroblast cells, were co-transfected with luciferase reporter constructs carrying upstream (positions -1000 to +51) regions of bIFNT1 and other new type I gene and various transcription factor expression plasmids. Compared to each - 1kb-bIFNT1/c1/c2/c3-Luc increased when this constructs were co-transfected with CDX2, ETS2, JUN and/or CREBBP. Also, Its genes was had very effect on activity by CDX2, either alone or with the other transcription factors, markedly increased luciferase activity. However, the degree of transcriptional activation of the bIFNTc1 gene was not similar to that bIFNT1/c2/c3 gene by expression plasmid. Furthermore, Sequence analyses also revealed that the expression levels of bIFNT1/c2/c3 gene mRNAs expression were highest on day 17, 20 and 22 trophoblast and, Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK), Bovine ear-derived fibroblast (EF), and endometrium (Endo) non-trophoblast cells. But, bIFNTc1 mRNA had not same expression level, bIFNTc1 lowest levels than those of IFNT1/c2/c3 gene in both trophoblast and non-trophoblast cells. These results demonstrate that bovine subtype bIFNT genes display differential, in the trophoblast and non-trophoblast cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.448-459
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• 2019

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway is a promising target for gastric cancer (GC) treatment; however the efficacy of PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors in GC has not yet been maximized. Additionally, the effect of autophagy regulation by PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitors has not been clearly elucidated in GC treatment. We aimed to show that our newly developed PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, CMG002, when combined with an autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine (CQ), potently induces effective cancer cell death in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) cells, where both the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and autophagy pathways play important roles in disease pathogenesis. EBV- and mock-infected AGS and NUGC3 GC cell lines were treated with CMG002 +/- CQ. PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway mediators, cellular apoptosis and autophagy markers were confirmed by Western blot assay. Cell viability was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. CMG002 effectively blocked the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by markedly decreasing phosphorylation of AKT and its downstream mediator S6. CMG002 induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and enhanced apoptotic cell death in AGS and NUGC3 cells, particularly EBV-infected cells compared with mock-infected cells, as confirmed by flow cytometric analyses and TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) assays. The combination of CMG002 plus CQ synergistically increased apoptotic cell death in EBV-infected GC cell lines when compared with CMG002 alone (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that the new PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, CMG002, when used in combination with the autophagy inhibitor, CQ, provides enhanced therapeutic efficacy against EBVaGC.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.463-475
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• 2020

Presence of microplastics in soil and groundwater has recently been reported and environmental concerns are raised as to the plastic pollution. In the subsurface environment, clay minerals and metal oxide minerals are commonly found as finely dispersed states. Because the minerals have high sorption capacities for diverse pollutants, interactions with mineral surface play an important role in the transport of microplastics in groundwater. Accordingly, environmental mineralogy investigating the interactions between microplastics and mineral surfaces is the essential research area to understand the fate and transport of microplastics in the subsurface environment. The microplastic-mineral surface research requires molecular- to nano-scale analyses to be able to probe the relatively weak interactions between them. The current report introduces a nano-scale analysis tool called quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) that can measure the sorbed/desorbed mass of nanoplastics on mineral surfaces at the level of a few nanograms (~10-9 g). This report briefly reviews the main principles in the QCM measurement and discusses applications of QCM to the environmental mineralogy research.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.653-660
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• 2020

Spirometra tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) collected from carnivorous mammals in Tanzania were identified by the DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and by morphological characteristics. A total of 15 adult worms were collected from stool samples and carcasses of Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, and Crocuta crocuta in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania. Three Spirometra species: S. theileri, S. ranarum and S. erinaceieuropaei were identified based on morphological features. Partial cox1 sequences (400 bp) of 10 specimens were revealed. Eight specimens showed 99.5% similarity with Spirometra theileri (MK955901), 1 specimen showed 99.5% similarity with the Korean S. erinaceieuropaei and 1 specimen had 99.5% similarity with Myanmar S. ranarum. Sequence homology estimates for the ITS1 region of S. theileri were 89.8% with S. erinaceieuropaei, 82.5% with S. decipiens, and 78.3% with S. ranarum; and 94.4% homology was observed between S. decipiens and S. ranarum. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with 4 species of Spirometra and 2 species of Dibothriocephalus (=Diphyllobothrium). By both ML and BI methods, cox1 and ITS1 gave well supported, congruent trees topology of S. erinaceieuropaei and S. theileri with S. decipiens and S. ranarum forming a clade. The Dibothriocephalus species were sisters of each other and collectively forming successive outgroups. Our findings confirmed that 3 Spirometra species (S. theileri, S. ranarum, and S. erinaceieuropaei) are distributed in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.609-617
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• 2020

Plasmodium vivax reemerged in 1993. It has been sustained for more than 25 years and become one of the important indigenous parasitic diseases in northern and western parts of the Republic of Korea near the demilitarized zone. In particular, relapse is a significant concern for the control of malaria, as short- and long-term incubation periods vary among those infected in Korea. In this study, the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers was examined among residents of high endemic areas of vivax malaria during nonseasonal transmission of mosquitoes. Blood samples from 3 endemic regions in northwestern Korea were evaluated by microscopic examination, rapid diagnostic testing, and nested PCR to identify asymptomatic patients carrying malaria parasites in the community. However, no positive malaria case among residents of endemic areas was detected. Additionally, serological analysis was carried out to measure antibodies against 3 antigenic recombinant proteins of P. vivax, merozoite surface protein 1-19, circumsporozoite surface protein-VK210, and liver-stage antigen (PvLSA-N), by the protein array method. Interestingly, seropositivity of sera between previous exposure and samples without exposure to malaria was significantly higher using the PvLSA-N antigen than the other antigens, suggesting that PvLSA-N can be used as a serological marker to analyze the degree of exposure for malaria transmission in endemic areas. This indicates a very low asymptomatic carrier prevalence during the nonmalaria season in the endemic areas of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.595-603
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• 2020

To elucidate the structure-function relationship of polysaccharides obtained from Colocasia esculenta, the immuno-stimulating polysaccharide, CE-4a was purified to homogeneity from the crude polysaccharide (CE) extracted from the corms of C. esculenta by two subsequent column chromatographies using DEAE-Sepharose FF and Sephadex G-100, and analysis of their immuno-stimulatory activities and structure were conducted. CE-4a showed an increase in anti-complementary activity in a dose-dependent fashion. The molecular mass was estimated to be 182.4 kDa, which mainly consisted of galactose (43.5%) and mannose (18.2%). Methylation analysis indicated that CE-4a comprised at least 10 different glycosyl linkages, such as terminal Galp, 3-linked Galp, and 4-linked Manp, as well as a characteristic linkage, 2,4,6-branched Manp residue. To analyze the fine structure of CE-4a, it was sequentially digested using endo-α-(1→4)-polygalacturonase, exo-α-galactosidase and endo-β-1,4-D-mannanase. These analyses suggested that CE-4a is to be a highly branched galactomannan with a (1→4)-mannan backbone and galactopyranosyl oligosaccharide side chains.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.425-434
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• 2020

Background: Viral infection outbreaks are emerging public health concerns. They often exhibit seasonal patterns that could be predicted by the application of big data and bioinformatic analyses. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify trends in diarrhea-causing viruses such as rotavirus (Gr.A), norovirus G-I, and norovirus G-II in Cheonan, Korea. The identified related factors of diarrhea-causing viruses may be used to predict their trend and prevent their infections. Method: A retrospective analysis of 4,009 fecal samples from June 2010 to December 2019 was carried out at Dankook University Hospital in Cheonan. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was employed to identify virus strains. Information about seasonal patterns of infection was extracted and compared with local weather data. Results: Out of the 4,009 fecal samples tested using multiplex RT-PCR (mRT-PCR), 985 were positive for infection with Gr.A, G-I, and G-II. Out of these 985 cases, 95.3% (n = 939) were under 10 years of age. Gr.A, G-I, and G-II showed high infection rates in patients under 10 years of age. Student's t-test showed a significant correlation between the detection rate of Gr.A and the relative humidity. The detection rate of G-II significantly correlated with wind-chill temperature. Conclusion: Climate factors differentially modulate rotavirus and norovirus infection patterns. These observations provide novel insights into the seasonal impact on the pathogenesis of Gr.A, G-I, and G-II.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2020

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily represents the largest transmembrane protein that transports a variety of substrates across extra- and intra-cellular membranes. In insects, the ABC transporter proteins play crucial roles in insecticide resistance. To date, no studies have investigated the involvement of ABC transporter gene for cross-resistance to insecticide chemistries. Here, we studied such possible mechanisms against six conventional insecticides using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster strains carrying Mdr49 transcript variant A. For the 91-R and 91-C strains of Drosophila melanogaster, although they have a common origin, 91-R has been intensely selected with DDT for over 60 years, while 91-C has received no insecticide selection. Our transgenic analyses showed that overexpression of 91-R-MDR49 transcript variant A along with three amino acid variations can yield a relatively low degree of cross-resistance to carbofuran (2.0~6.7-fold) and permethrin (2.5~10.5-fold) but did not show cross-resistance to abamectin, imidacloprid, methoxychlor, and prothiofos as compared to the Gal4-driver control strain without transgene expression. These results indicate that the overexpression of Mdr49A in itself leads to a cross-resistance and three amino acid changes have additional effects on positive cross-resistance to carbofuran and permethrin.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.544-555
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• 2022

Objective: Spermatozoa are produced within the seminiferous tubules after sexual maturity. The expression levels of mRNAs and lncRNAs in testicular tissues are different at each stage of testicular development and are closely related to formation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and spermatogenesis. Therefore, we set out to study the expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs during the different developmental stages of the goat testis. Methods: We constructed 12 RNA libraries using testicular tissues from goats aged 3, 6, and 12 months, and studied the functions of mRNAs and lncRNAs using the gene ontogeny (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) databases. Relationships between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network and protein-protein interaction network (PPI). Finally, the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 6 (IGFBP6) were detected by western blotting. Results: We found 23, 8, and 135 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 161, 12, and 665 differentially expressed mRNAs that were identified between 3 vs 6, 6 vs 12, and 3 vs 12 months, respectively. GO, KEGG, and PPI analyses showed that the differential genes were mainly related to the ECM. Moreover, MMP2 was a hub gene and co-expressed with the lncRNA TCONS-0002139 and TCONS-00093342. The results of quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction verification were consistent with those of RNA-seq sequencing. The expression trends of MMP2, IGF2, and IGFBP6 protein were the same as that of mRNA, which all decreased with age. IGF2 and MMP2 were significantly different in the 3 vs 6-month-old group (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in sexual maturation of the goat testis.