• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.151-158
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• 2017

Background: Chong-Myung-Tang (CMT) extract is widely used in Korea as a traditional herbal tonic for increasing memory capacity in high-school students and also for numerous body ailments since centuries. The use of CMT to improve the learning capacity has been attributed to various plant constituents, especially black ginseng, in it. Therefore, in this study, we have first investigated whether black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts affected spatial learning using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. Their molecular mechanism of action underlying improvement of learning and memory was examined in vitro. Methods: We used two types of black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts, designated as CM-1 and CM-2, and evaluated their efficacy in the MWM test for spatial learning behavior and their anti-inflammatory effects in BV2 microglial cells. Results: Our results show that both black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts improved the learning behavior in scopolamine-induced impairment in the water maze test. Moreover, these extracts also inhibited nitric oxide production in BV2 cells, with significant suppression of expression of proinflammatory cytokines, especially inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and $interleukin-1{\beta}$. The protein expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ pathway factors was also diminished by black ginseng-enriched CMT extracts, indicating that it not only improves the memory impairment, but also acts a potent anti-inflammatory agent for neuroinflammatory diseases. Conclusion: Our research for the first time provides the scientific evidence that consumption of black ginseng-enriched CMT extract as a brain tonic improves memory impairment. Thus, our study results can be taken as a reference for future neurobehavioral studies.

• 고려인삼학회:학술대회논문집
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• 고려인삼학회 1998년도 Advances in Ginseng Research - Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Ginseng -
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• pp.231-243
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• 1998

In the present study, we provide evidence that ginsenoside $Rh_2$ (G-$Rh_2$) as well as staurosporine induces apoptosis of human hepatoma SK-HEP-1 cells by caspase 3-mediated processing of $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ in the early stage of apoptosls. Immunoblottings showed that G-$Rh_2$ as well as statrosporine induced the processing of caspase-3 to an active form, pl7. In stable Bcl-2 transfectants however, G-$Rh_2$ induced DNA fragmentation, while staurosporine did not. In the early stage of apoptosis, $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ was detected to undergo proteolytic processing specifically conducted by caspase-3. $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ translated in vitro was cleaved into a p14 fragment, when incubated with cell extracts obtained from either G-$Rh_2$- or staurosporine-treated cells. Cleavage was equally inhibited in both cases by adding Ac-DEVD-cho, a specific caspase-3 inhibitor, but not by Ac-YVkD-cho, a specific caspase-l inhibitor. Similarly, $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ was efficiently leaved by recombinant caspase-3 overexpressed in E. coli. Moreover, the endogenous $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ of untreated-cell extracts was also cleaved by recombinant caspase-3. Mutation analysis allowed identification of two caspase-3 cleavage sites, $DHVD^{112}$/L and $SMTD^{149}$/F, which are located within, or near the interaction domains for cyclins, Cdks, and PCNA. Taken together, these results show that G-$Rh_2$ as well as staurosporine increases caspase-3 activity, which in turn directly cleaves $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ resulting in elevation of Cdk kinase activity in the early stages of apoptosis. We propose that proteolytic cleavage of $p21^{WAFI/CIPI}$ is a functionally relevant event that allows unleashing the cyclin/Cdk activity from the inhibitor seen in the earlier stage of apoptosis, the event of which may be associated with the triggering mechanism for the execution of apoptosis.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.321-331
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• 2011

Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC), is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis. Detection of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis using conventional culture- and biochemical-based assays is time-consuming. Therefore, a simple and sensitive molecular assay for rapid detection would be of great help in specific situations such as faster diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infection in the abattoirs. We developed a novel multiplex real-time PCR assay which was applied directly to biological samples with evidence of bTB and it was allowed to differentiate between M. bovis and M. tuberculosis. The primers and TaqMan probes were designed to target the IS1081 gene, the multi-copy insertion element in the MTC and the 12.7-kb fragment which presents in M. tuberculosis, not in the M. bovis genome. The assay was optimized and validated by testing 10 species of mycobacteria including M. bovis and M. tuberculosis, and 10 other bacterial species such as Escherichia coli, and cattle lymph nodes (n=113). The tests identified 96.4% (27/28) as M. bovis from the MTC-positive bTB samples using conventional PCR for specific insertion elements IS1081. And MTC-negative bTB samples (n=85) were tested using conventional PCR and the real-time PCR. When comparative analyses were conducted on all bovine samples, using conventional PCR as the gold standard, the relative accuracy of real-time PCR was 99.1%, the relative specificity was 100%, and the agreement quotient (kappa) was 0.976. The detection limits of the real-time PCR assays for M. bovis and M. tuberculosis genomic DNA were 10 fg and 0.1 pg per PCR reaction, respectively. Consequently, this multiplex real-time PCR assay is a useful diagnotic tool for the identification of MTC and differentiation of M. bovis and M. tuberculosis, as well as the epidemiologic surveillance of animals slaughtered in abattoir.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.24-29
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• 2014

본 연구는 구기자와 구기엽 추출물이 난소를 절제한 흰쥐의 체중 증가, 골밀도, 에스트로겐 수용체의 발현에 미치는 영향을 밝히고자 시행하였다. 실험군은 흰쥐 24마리를 가장수술군(Sham군), 난소를 절제한 대조군(OVX군), 난소절제 후 구기자 추출액을 투여한 군(LCF군), 난소절제 후 구기엽 추출액을 투여한 군(LCL군)으로 구분하였다. 8주 후 난소를 절제한 OVX군($330{\pm}5.39g$), LCF군($315{\pm}2.99g$) 및 LCL군($318{\pm}2.06g$)의 체중은 Sham군($281{\pm}1.71g$)에 비하여 증가하였다. 혈청 osteocalcin 활성은 OVX군($107{\pm}3.52ng/mL$)에 비하여 LCF군($444.6{\pm}26.9ng/mL$)과 LCL군($407{\pm}18.9ng/mL$)에서 증가하였다. Alkaline phosphatase의 활성은 OVX군($95{\pm}2.9U/L$)에 비하여 LCF군($108{\pm}2.7U/L$)과 LCL군($407{\pm}18.9ng/mL$)에서 증가하였다. 8주 후 넙다리뼈를 실체현미경으로 관찰한 결과 뼈 기질밀도는 난소절제군에서 감소하였으나, 구기자와 구기엽을 추출액을 투여한 군에서는 뚜렷이 회복되었다. 에스트로겐 수용체의 mRNA 발현은 OVX군에서는 거의 발현되지 않았으나, LCF군과 LCL군에서 뚜렷이 증가하였다. 이상의 결과로 보아 구기자와 구기엽 물추출물이 난소절제에 의하여 유발된 흰쥐의 뼈 기질 회복 또는 손실 지연에 효과가 있다고 할 수 있을 것이다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권11호
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• pp.785-794
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• 2014

Mitophagy, a cellular process that selectively targets dysfunctional mitochondria for degradation, is currently a hot topic in research into the pathogenesis and treatment of many human diseases. Considering that hypoxia causes mitochondrial dysfunction, which results in cell death, we speculated that selective activation of mitophagy might promote cell survival under hypoxic conditions. In the present study, we introduced the Regulator of calcineurin 1-1L (Rcan1-1L) to initiate the mitophagy pathway and aimed to evaluate the effect of Rcan1-1L-induced mitophagy on cell survival under hypoxic conditions. Recombinant adenovirus vectors carrying Rcan1-1L were transfected into human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human adult cardiac myocytes. Using the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT assay and Trypan blue exclusion assay, Rcan1-1L overexpression was found to markedly reverse cell growth inhibition induced by hypoxia. Additionally, Rcan1-1L overexpression inhibited cell apoptosis under hypoxic conditions, as detected by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis assay. Meanwhile, the mitochondria-mediated cell apoptotic pathway was inhibited by Rcan1-1L. In contrast, knockdown of Rcan1-1L accelerated hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, Rcan1-1L overexpression significantly reduced mitochondrial mass, decreased depolarized mitochondria, and downregulated ATP and reactive oxygen species production. We further delineated that the loss of mitochondrial mass was due to the activation of mitophagy induced by Rcan1-1L. Rcan1-1L overexpression activated autophagy flux and promoted translocation of the specific mitophagy receptor Parkin into mitochondria from the cytosol, whereas inhibition of autophagy flux resulted in the accumulation of Parkin-loaded mitochondria. Finally, we demonstrated that mitochondrial 1permeability transition pore opening was significantly increased by Rcan1-1L overexpression, which suggested that Rcan1-1L might evoke mitophagy through regulating mitochondrial permeability transition pores. Taken together, we provide evidence that Rcan1-1L overexpression induces mitophagy, which in turn contributes to cell survival under hypoxic conditions, revealing for the first time that Rcan1-1L-induced mitophagy may be used for cardioprotection.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.523-531
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• 2018

Tumour metastasis is one of the most serious challenges of cancer as it is the major cause of mortality in patients with solid tumours, including osteosarcoma (OS). In this regard, anti-metastatic genes have potential for metastasis inhibition strategies. Recent evidence showed the importance of breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1) in control of OS invasiveness, but the regulation of BRMS1 in OS remains largely unknown. Here, we used bioinformatics analyses to predict BRMS1-targeting microRNAs (miRNAs), and the functional binding of miRNAs to BRMS1 mRNA was evaluated using a dual luciferase reporter assay. Among all BRMS1-targeting miRNAs, only miR-151b, miR-7-5p and miR-3200-5p showed significant expression in OS specimens. Specifically, we found that only miR-3200-5p significantly inhibited protein translation of BRMS1 via pairing to the 3'-UTR of the BRMS1 mRNA. Moreover, we detected significantly lower BRMS1 and significantly higher miR-3200-5p in the OS specimens compared to the paired adjacent non-tumour bone tissues. Furthermore, BRMS1 and miR-3200-5p levels were inversely correlated to each other. Low BRMS1 was correlated with metastasis and poor patient survival. In vitro, overexpression of miR-3200-5p significantly decreased BRMS1 levels and promoted OS cell invasion and migration, while depletion of miR-3200-5p significantly increased BRMS1 levels and inhibited OS cell invasion and migration. Thus, our study revealed that miR-3200-5p may be a critical regulator of OS cell invasiveness.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.277-281
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• 2008

HIV에 감염된 환자의 경우 다양한 종류의 암이 발생하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이러한 암종의 높은 발생률의 원인으로, 감염에 의한 면역세포의 감소 및 결핍과 같은 간접적인 이유 뿐 아니라, HIV 바이러스 단백질의 발현이 직접적으로 병의 발생에 관여한다는 보고가 있다. 본 연구에서는 HIV 환자에서 높게 나타나는 암의 발생에 대한 기전을 이해하기 위하여 HIV-1 Tat 유전자와, 다수의 암 발생과 관련이 있는 세포막단백 CD99와의 관계를 규명하였다. 먼저 CD99의 발현에 미치는 Tat의 영향을 알아보기 위하여 HIV-1 Tat 발현 안정화 세포주를 확립하고 Tat 단백에 의한 CD99 유전자의 발현 양상 변화를 분석하였다. 실험결과 Tat의 발현에 의하여 CD99 유전자의 발현이 활성화되는 것이 관찰되었으며 이와 반대로 STAT3의 발현은 낮아졌다. CD99 프로모터는 CpG 함량이 높기 때문에 Tat 단백이 DNA 메칠화를 통해서 CD99 유전자의 발현을 조절하는지 확인하기 위하여 methylation specific PCR을 수행하였고 Tat의 발현이 높은 곳에서 특이적으로 CD99 프로모터 부위가 탈메칠화되는 것을 발견하였다. Tat 발현 세포에서만 특이적인 발현 차이를 보이는 유전자 분석을 위한 Differentially Expressed Gene keratin 17과 collagen, type IV 증가됨이 확인되었다. 위의 결과는 HIV Tat 단백이 직접 세포 단백들을 조절하여 암을 발생시킬 수 있다는 보고를 뒷받침한다.

• 한국안광학회지
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.103-109
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• 2008

목적: 본 논문에서는 활성산소(reactive oxygen species, ROS)와 활성질소(reactive oxygen species, RNS)생성의 결과 초래되는 산화스트레스(oxidative stress)와 안질환과의 관계, 특히, 백내장발생과의 관련성 연구에 대한 고찰과, 안구의 기능이상에 있어 산화스트레스의 매개체(mediator)로서 과산화지질(lipid peroxide)의 역할에 대해 논의하고자 한다. 방법: 산화스트레스는 단백질 산화, DNA 파괴, 세포사(apoptosis), 지질과산화(lipid peroxidation) 등의 다양한 세포손상을 나타낸다. 이러한 손상은 많은 질병의 발생과 관련되어 있다. 백내장 발생의 주요한 원인중의 하나가 안구조직이 일정하고 지속적으로 산화스트레스의 환경에 노출되는 것으로 알려져 있다. 따라서 산화스트레스의 안구기능이상에 대한 역할을 조사하였다. 결과: 수정체는 자외선에의 만성적인 노출과 세포대사과정에서 필수불가결하게 생성되는 활성산소에 의해 끊임없이 공격을 받는다. 과도하게 생성된 활성산소에 의한 수정체 단백질의 분해(degradation), 산화(oxidation), 가교형성(crosslinking), 응집(aggregation) 등은 백내장발생에 있어 중요한 요인으로 사료된다. 결론: 산화스트레스와 체내의 산화/항산화 불균형이 과도한 활성산소를 생성하게 되고 결국, 안구의 기능이상을 일으킨다고 할 수 있다. 이러한 결과들에도 불구하고, 산화스트레스와 안구이상과의 관계를 더욱 정확하게 설명할 수 있는 분자기전에 대한 정보는 아직 부족한 상태이며, 더욱 많은 연구가 필요하다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.66-73
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• 2014

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important role in impairing the function of T cells. We characterized MDSCs in two chronic hepatitis C (CHC) cohorts: a cross-sectional group that included 61 treatment-naive patients with CHC, 14 rapid virologic response (RVR) cases and 22 early virologic response (EVR) cases; and a longitudinal group of 13 cases of RVR and 10 cases of EVR after pegylated-interferon-${\alpha}$/ribavirin treatment for genotype 1b HCV infection. Liver samples from 32 CHC patients and six healthy controls were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis. MDSCs frequency in treatment-naive CHC was significantly higher than in RVR, EVR, or healthy subjects and was positively correlated with HCV RNA. Patients infected with HCV genotype 2a had a significantly higher frequency of MDSCs than those infected with genotype 1b. Decreased T cell receptor (TCR) ${\zeta}$ expression on $CD8^+$ T cells was significantly associated with an increased frequency of MDSCs in treatment-naive CHC patients and was restored by L-arginine treatment in vitro. Increased numbers of liver arginase-$1^+$ cells were closely associated with the histological activity index in CHC. The TCR ${\zeta}$ chain was significantly downregulated on hepatic $CD8^+$ T cells in CHC. During antiviral follow up, MDSCs frequency in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was directly correlated with the HCV RNA load in the plasma and inversely correlated with TCR ${\zeta}$ chain expression in $CD8^+$ T cells in both RVR and EVR cases. Notably, the RVR group had a higher frequency of MDSCs at baseline than the EVR group. Collectively, this study provides evidence that MDSCs might be associated with HCV persistence and downregulation of CD8 ${\zeta}$ chain expression.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.8-17
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• 2017

Purpose: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an indicator of arterial stiffness, and is considered a marker of vascular damage. However, a genome-wide association study analyzing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) has not been conducted in healthy populations. We performed this study to identify SNPs associated with baPWV in healthy populations in Korea. Materials and Methods: Genomic SNPs data for 2,407 individuals from three sites were analyzed as part of the Korean Genomic Epidemiologic Study. Without replication samples, we performed multivariable analysis as a post hoc analysis to verify the findings in site adjusted analysis. Healthy subjects aged between 40 and 70 years without self-reported history or diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and cancer were included. We excluded subjects with a creatinine level >1.4 mg/dL (men) and 1.2 mg/dL (women). Results: In the site-adjusted association analysis, significant associations (P<$5{\times}10^{-8}$) with baPWV were detected for only 5 SNPs with low minor allele frequency. In multivariable analysis adjusted by age, sex, height, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, site, smoking, alcohol, and exercise, 11 SNPs were found to be associated (P<$5{\times}10^{-8}$) with baPWV. The 5 SNPs (P<$5{\times}10^{-8}$) linked to three genes (OPCML, PRR35 and RAB40C) were common between site-adjusted analysis and multivariable analysis. However, meta-analysis of the result from three sites for the 11 SNPs showed no significant associations. Conclusion: Using the recent standard for genome-wide association study, we did not find any evidence of significant association signals with baPWV.