• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.98-105
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• 2009

Background: It has been recently noticed that type 2 diabetes (T2D), one of the most common metabolic diseases, causes a chronic low-grade inflammation and activation of the innate immune system that are closely involved in the pathogenesis of T2D. Cordyceps militaris, a traditional medicinal mushroom, produces a component compound, cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine). Cordycepin has been known to have many pharmacological activities including immunological stimulating, anti-cancer, and anti-infection activities. The molecular mechanisms of cordycepin in T2D are not clear. In the present study, we tested the role of cordycepin on the anti-diabetic effect and anti-inflammatory cascades in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Methods: We confirmed the levels of diabetes regulating genes mRNA and protein of cytokines through RT-PCR and western blot analysis and followed by FACS analysis for the surface molecules. Results: Cordycepin inhibited the production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-${\alpha}$ in LPS-activated macrophages via suppressing protein expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. T2D regulating genes such as $11{\beta}$-HSD1 and PPAR${\gamma}$ were decreased as well as expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as ICAM-1 and B7-1/-2 were also decreased with the increment of its concentration. In accordance with suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production lead to inhibition of diabetic regulating genes in activated macrophages. Cordycepin suppressed NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in LPS-activated macrophages. Conclusion: Based on these observations, cordycepin suppressed T2D regulating genes through the inactivation of NF-${\kappa}B$ dependent inflammatory responses and suggesting that cordycepin will provide potential use as an immunomodulatory agent for treating immunological diseases.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2007

Kinetin(KN) is an inducer of rice(Oryza sativa L.) defense/stress responses, as evidenced by the induction of inducible secondary metabolite and defense/stress protein markers in leaf. We show a novel light-dependent effect of KN-triggered defense stress responses in rice leaf. Leaf segments treated with KN(100 ${\mu}M$) show hypersensitive-like necrotic lesion formation only under continuous light illumination. Potent accumulation of two phytoalexins, sakuranetin and momilactone A(MoA) by KN that peaks at 48 h after treatment under continuous light is completely suppressed by incubation under continuous dark. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis we identified KN-induced changes in ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, energy- and pathogenesis-related proteins(OsPR class 5 and 10 members) by N-terminal amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry. These changes were light-inducible and could not be observed in the dark(and control). Present results provide a new dimension(light modulation/regulation) to our finding that KN has a potential role in the rice plant self-defense mechanism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1246-1256
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• 2015

Chlamydophila psittaci is an important intracellular pathogen. Persistent infection is an important state of the host-parasite interaction in this chlamydial infection, which plays a significant role in spreading the organism within animal populations and in causing chronic chlamydiosis and serious sequelae. In this study, a C. psittaci persistent infection cell model was induced by penicillin G, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to study the transcriptional levels of 10 C. psittaci genes (dnaA, dnaK, ftsW, ftsY, grpE, rpsD, incC, omcB, CPSIT_0846, and CPSIT_0042) in acute and penicillin-G-induced persistent infection cultures. Compared with the acute cultures, the penicillin-G-treated cultures showed a reduced chlamydial inclusion size and a significantly decreased number of elementary body particles. Additionally, some enlarged aberrant reticulate body particles were present in the penicillin-G-treated cultures but not the acute ones. The expression levels of genes encoding products for cell division (FtsW, FtsY) and outer membrane protein E encoding gene (CPSIT_0042) were downregulated (p < 0.05) from 6 h post-infection onward in the persistent infection cultures. Also from 6 h post-infection, the expression levels of DnaA, DnaK, IncC, RpsD, GrpE, and CPSIT_0846 were upregulated (p < 0.05); however, the expression level of OmcB in the persistent infection was< almost the same as that in the acute infection (p > 0.05). These results provide new insight regarding molecular activities that accompany persistence of C. psittaci, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of C. psittaci infection.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.283-290
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• 2016

A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) mycovirus was detected in malformed fruiting bodies of Pleurotus ostreatus strain ASI2792, one of bottle cultivated commercial strains of the edible oyster mushroom. The partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene of the P. ostreatus ASI2792 mycovirus (PoV-ASI2792) was cloned, and a cDNA sequences alignment revealed that the sequence was identical to the RdRp gene of a known PoSV found in the P. ostreatus strain. To investigate the symptoms of PoV-ASI2792 infection by comparing the isogenic virus-free P. ostreatus strains with a virus-infected strain, isogenic virus-cured P. ostreatus strains were obtained by the mycelial fragmentation method for virus curing. The absence of virus was verified with gel electrophoresis after dsRNA-specific virus purification and Northern blot analysis using a partial RdRp cDNA of PoV-ASI2792. The growth rate and mycelial dry weight of virus-infected P. ostreatus strain with PoV-ASI2792 mycovirus were compared to those of three virus-free isogenic strains on 10 different media. The virus-cured strains showed distinctly higher mycelial growth rates and dry weights on all kinds of experimental culture media, with at least a 2.2-fold higher mycelial growth rate on mushroom complete media (MCM) and Hamada media, and a 2.7-fold higher mycelial dry weight on MCM and yeast-malt-glucose agar media than those of the virus-infected strain. These results suggest that the infection of PoV mycovirus has a deleterious effect on the vegetative growth of P. ostreatus.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2005

In many recent studies, molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis of lung disease. This Experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Sochungyong-tang on gene expressions in Mouse Alveolar Macrophage. Fer this purpose, we observed the cytokines ($IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, IL-10, iNOS, $MIP-1{\alpha},\;MIP-1{\beta},\;MIP-1{\gamma},\;TGF-{\beta},\;TNF-{\alpha}$). We picked the alveolar macrophage out of mice and cultured it. We analyzed the cytokine gene expression by reverse transcription-PCR. The results obtained were as follows : 1 . Sochungyong-tang showed inhibitory effects on $IL-1{\beta}$ in time and concentration. 2. Sochungyong-tang showed inhibitory effects on IL-6 in time and concentration. 3. Sochungyong-tang showed inhibitory effects on IL-10 in concentration. 4. Sochungyong-tang showed inhibitory effects on iNOS. 5. Sochungyong-tang showed inhibitory effects on $TGF-{\beta}$ in time and concentration. 6. Sochungyong-tang showed on inhibitory effects on $MIP-1{\alpha},\;MIP-1{\beta},\;MIP-1{\gamma}$, $TCF-{\beta}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$. According to above results, it is supposed that Sochungyong-tang has the inhibitory effects on cytokine gene expression in mouse alveolar macrophage and can be usefully applied for curing inflammatory process of lung disease. Advanced studies are required to investigate the cure mechanism of Sochungyong-tang in the future.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2005

A virus isolate collected from infected paprika (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) was characterized as Potato virus Y (PVY) based on biological, serological, cytopathological, and molecular properties. In host range studies, the paprika isolate produced the mosaic symptom on some tobacco, tomato and pepper (Capsicum annuum). A new paprika isolate also infected potato cultivars which is different biological characteristic compared to the other popular potyvirus infecting paprika, Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV). Previously reported PVY strains, $PVY^o$ and $PVY^N$ did not infect pepper and typical PepMoV isolates did not infect potato. Distinctive inclusion patterns of the scroll, pinwheel, long laminated inclusions, and helper components in the cytoplasm of infected cells were also different to those observed by the typical PVY isolate infections. However, the paprika isolate reacted to the monoclonal antibody of $PVY^N$ strain with high absorbance readings. RT-PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the 3' untranslated region and a part of coat protein gene also added additional evidence of the paprika isolate as the $PVY^N$-related isolate. Multiple alignments as well as cluster dendrograms of PVY-paprika isolate revealed close phylogenetic relationship to the $PVY^N$ subgroup. Altogether, these results suggest that a new PVY isolate infecting paprika contained distinct characteristics compared to the other previously described PVY strains with closer relationship to the $PVY^N$ strain.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.377-387
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• 2016

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a member of the genus Begomovirus, is one of the most important viruses of cultivated tomatoes worldwide, mainly causing yellowing and curling of leaves with stunting in plants. TYLCV causes severe problems in sub-tropical and tropical countries, as well as in Korea. However, the mechanism of TYLCV infection remains unclear, although the function of each viral component has been identified. TYLCV C4 codes for a small protein involved in various cellular functions, including symptom determination, gene silencing, viral movement, and induction of the plant defense response. In this study, through yeast-two hybrid screenings, we identified TYLCV C4-interacting host proteins from both healthy and symptom-exhibiting tomato tissues, to determine the role of TYLCV C4 proteins in the infection processes. Comparative analyses of 28 proteins from healthy tissues and 36 from infected tissues showing interactions with TYLCV C4 indicated that TYLCV C4 mainly interacts with host proteins involved in translation, ubiquitination, and plant defense, and most interacting proteins differed between the two tissues but belong to similar molecular functional categories. Four proteins-two ribosomal proteins, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase, and 14-3-3 family protein-were detected in both tissues. Furthermore, the identified proteins in symptom-exhibiting tissues showed greater involvement in plant defenses. Some are key regulators, such as receptor-like kinases and pathogenesis-related proteins, of plant defenses. Thus, TYLCV C4 may contribute to the suppression of host defense during TYLCV infection and be involved in ubiquitination for viral infection.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.362-369
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• 2017

White root rot disease, caused by the pathogen Rosellinia necatrix, is one of the world's most devastating plant fungal diseases and affects several commercially important species of fruit trees and crops. Recent global outbreaks of R. necatrix and advances in molecular techniques have both increased interest in this pathogen. However, the lack of information regarding the genomic structure and transcriptome of R. necatrix has been a barrier to the progress of functional genomic research and the control of this harmful pathogen. Here, we identified 10,616 novel full-length transcripts from the filamentous hyphal tissue of R. necatrix (KACC 40445 strain) using PacBio single-molecule sequencing technology. After annotation of the unigene sets, we selected 14 cell cycle-related genes, which are likely either positively or negatively involved in hyphal growth by cell cycle control. The expression of the selected genes was further compared between two strains that displayed different growth rates on nutritional media. Furthermore, we predicted pathogen-related effector genes and cell wall-degrading enzymes from the annotated gene sets. These results provide the most comprehensive transcriptomal resources for R. necatrix, and could facilitate functional genomics and further analyses of this important phytopathogen.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.490-494
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• 2014

Dermatophagoides farinae plays important role in the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis as environmental allergens. Also, many studies revealed that D. farinae was the main causative allergen for Korean dogs with atopic dermatitis. To identify major allergens of D. farinae in Korean atopic dogs allergic to D. farinae by immunoblot using commercial allergenic extracts, 26 dogs from two groups were enrolled in the study. Control group consists of 10 dogs with no clinical signs of disease and atopic group consists of 16 dogs diagnosed as atopic dermatitis. Sera from Korean dogs with atopic dermatitis showed six allergens of D. farinae extract by procedure of immunoblot. The molecular weights of identifying protein bands were 177, 109, 75, 44, 27, 15 kDa. The major allergens showing reactivity with greater than 50% of atopic dogs were detected at approximately 44, 109 and 177 kDa. Subsequent investigations will be carried out to verify the identity of the allergens detected in this study.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2014

Smoking is one of the most serious but preventable causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Key aspects of pathological process associated with smoking include endothelial dysfunction, a prothrombotic state, inflammation, altered lipid metabolism, and hypoxia. Multiple molecular events are involved in smoking-induced CVD. However, the dysregulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and metabolism mainly contribute to the development of diverse CVDs, and NADPH oxidase (NOX) has been established as a source of ROS responsible for the pathogenesis of CVD. NOX activation and resultant ROS production by cigarette smoke (CS) treatment have been widely observed in isolated blood vessels and cultured vascular cells, including endothelial and smooth muscle cells. NOX-mediated oxidative stress has also been demonstrated in animal studies. Of the various NOX isoforms, NOX2 has been reported to mediate ROS generation by CS, but other isoforms were not tested thoroughly. Of the many CS constituents, nicotine, methyl vinyl ketone, and ${\alpha}$,${\beta}$-unsaturated aldehydes, such as, acrolein and crotonaldehyde, appear to be primarily responsible for NOX-mediated cytotoxicity, but additional validation will be needed. Human epidemiological studies have reported relationships between polymorphisms in the CYBA gene encoding p22phox, a catalytic subunit of NOX and susceptibility to smoking-related CVDs. In particular, G allele carriers of A640G and $-930^{A/G}$ polymorphisms were found to be vulnerable to smoking-induced cardiovascular toxicity, but results for C242T studies are conflicting. On the whole, evidence implicates the etiological role of NOX in smoking-induced CVD, but the clinical relevance of NOX activation by smoking and its contribution to CVD require further validation in human studies. A detailed understanding of the role of NOX would be helpful to assess the risk of smoking to human health, to define high-risk subgroups, and to develop strategies to prevent or treat smoking-induced CVD.