• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2004

Purpose: The tumor suppressor gene p53 has been shown to be a factor in the carcinogenesis or progression of gastric cancer. The mutant p53 has been reported to cause a higher risk of lymph-node metastasis. Futhermore, mutation of the p53 has been linked to a poor prognosis for gastric cancer. The heat shock protein-27 (HSP27), a stress protein, has also been reported to be a poor prognostic factor in ovarian and breast cancers. However, in gastric-cancer patients, controversies exist as to its influence on the prognosis. In the present study, we used an immunohistochemical stain to observe the effects of p53 and HSP27 on the clinicopathological factors and on the prognosis for gastric-cancer patients. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the significance of p53 and HSP27 in gastric cancer patients, we analyzed 212 cases of gastric cancer (stage I.IV). Tissue samples of 212 patients were stained immunohistochemically for the mutant p53 protein and for HSP27. The correlations between protein expression and the clinicopathological factors were investigated. Results: The overall expression rates for p53 and HSP27 were $36.9\%\;and\;27.8\%$, respectively. p53 and HSP27 were correlated to each other because the HSP27 expression rate was higher in the p53-positive group (P=0.046). Statistically, the p53 and the HSP27 expression rates were significantly increased in the case of tumor invasiveness, lymphatic metastasis and vessel involvement. Therefore, they play a role in cancer progression. The 5-year survival rates of the p53-positive and the p53-negative groups were $62.8\%\;and\;60.1\%$, respectively (P=0.793) while the 5-year survival rates for the HSP27-positive and HSP27-negative groups were $54.2\%\;and\;63.1\%$, respectively (P=0.090). Conclusion: p53 and HSP27 were correlated to each other in our immunohistochemical study of gastric carcinomas and they were not independent prognostic factors in gastric- cancer patients. However, further studies are needed to determine their prognostic values for gastric-cancer patients.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.887-896
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• 2004

The present study was carried out to investigate the blood markers of Mongolian horses. The blood redcell types and blood protein types(biochemical polymorphisrns) were tested from 19 Mongolian horses by serological and electrophoretic procedure, and their phenotypes and gene frequencies were estimated. The blood group and biochemical polymorphism phenotypes observed with high frequency were $A^{af}$(42.1%), $C^a$(89.5%), $K^-$(84.2%), $U^a$(63.2%), $P^a$(42.1%) $P^-$42.1%), $Q^c$(31.6%) $Q^-$(31.6%), $AL^{AB}$((52.6%), AI$B^K$(89.5%), $ES^1$(63.2%), $GC^F$(78.9%), $HB^BI$1(68.4%), PG$D^F$(84.2%), $TF^{FIR}$(21.1%), $TF^{F2R}$(21.1%)(21.1%), and genotypes $D^{cgm/dghm}$(15.8%), $D^{dghm/dghm}$(15.8%), $D^{ad/dghm}$(10.5%), $D^{ade/dghm}$(10.5%), in Mongolian horses, respectively. Alleles observed with high frequency were $A^a$(0.4211), $C^a$(0.8947), $K^-$(0.8421), $U^a$(0.6316), $P^a$(0.4474), $Q^c$(0.4474), $D^{dghm}$(0.4211), $AL^B$(0.6579), $AIB^K$(0.9211), $ES^I$(0.7895), $GC^F$(0.8947), $HB^{BI}$(0.7895), $PGD^F$(0.8421) and $TF^R$(0.3421) in Mongolian horses. These results present basic information for estimating the genetic relationships between the Korean native horse, and developing a system for parentage verification and individuals identification in Mongolian horse.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.93-98
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• 2006

Biosynthetic processing of fibrillar procollagens is essential for producing mature collagen monomers that polymerize into fibrils by a self-assembly process. The metalloproteinase ADAMTS-2 is the major enzyme that processes the N-propeptide of type I procollagen in the skin and also of type II and type III procollagens. Mutations in the ADAMTS-2 gene cause dermatospraxis in animals and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome VIIC in humans, both of which are characterized by the accumulation of type I pN-collagen and the formation of abnormal collagen fibrils in the skin. Despite its importance in procollagen processing, little is known about the regulation of ADAMTS-2 expression. Here, we demonstrate that ADAMTS-2 can be regulated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, an inducer of type I procollagen synthesis. This steroid hormone induced ADAMTS-2 mRNA ${\sim}3-fold$ in MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells and MC3T3-E1 murine osteoblastic cells. This induction was dose- and time-dependent in MG-63 cells. In contrast, secreted ADAMTS-2 protein was increased only 1.4-fold with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Finally, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the presence of ascorbate increased levels of secreted ADAMTS-2 1.9-fold over ascorbate treatment alone, which did not appreciably change ADAMTS-2 expression. These data indicate that the regulation of ADAMTS-2 is coupled with the synthesis of type I procollagen through 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 signaling and may involve translational or posttranslational control.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1719-1727
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• 2014

In the present study, whispovirus immediate early 1 promoter (ie-1) was used to initiate surface expression of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of Egyptian H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) by using the baculovirus expression vector system. The HA gene and whispovirus ie-1 promoter sequence were synthesized as a fused expression cassette (ie1-HA) and successfully cloned into the pFastBac-1 transfer vector. The recombinant vector was transformed into DH10Bac competent cells, and the recombinant bacmid was generated via site-specific transposition. The recombinant bacmid was used for transfection of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) insect cells to construct the recombinant baculovirus and to induce expression of the HA protein of H5N1 AIV. The recombinant glycoprotein expressed in Sf-9 cells showed hemadsorption activity. Hemagglutination activity was also detected in both extra- and intracellular recombinant HAs. Both the HA and hemadsorption activities were inhibited by reference polyclonal anti-H5 sera. Significant expression of the recombinant protein was observed on the surface of infected insect cells by using immunofluorescence. SDS-PAGE analysis of the expressed protein revealed the presence of a visually distinguishable band of ~63 kDa in size, which was absent in the non-infected cell control. Western blot analysis confirmed that the distinct 63 kDa band corresponded to the recombinant HA glycoprotein of H5N1 AIV. This study reports the successful expression of the HA protein of H5N1 AIV. The expressed protein was displayed on the plasma membrane of infected insect cells under the control of whispovirus ie-1 promoter by using the baculovirus expression vector system.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1999-2002
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• 2012

Background: DNA polymerase is a single-copy gene that is considered to be part of the DNA repair machinery in mammalian cells. The encoded enzyme is a key to the base excision repair (BER) pathway. It is evident that pol beta has mutations in various cancer samples, but little is known about ovarian cancer. Aim: Identification of any variant form of $pol{\beta}$ cDNA in ovarian carcinoma and determination of association between the polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk in Indian patients. We used 152 samples to isolate and perform RT-PCR and sequencing. Results: A variant of polymerase beta (deletion of exon 4-6 and 11-13, comprising of amino acid 63-123, and 208-304) is detected in heterozygous condition. The product size of this variant is 532 bp while wild type pol beta is 1 kb. Our study of association between the variant and the endometrioid type shows that it is a statistically significant factor for ovarian cancer [OR=31.9 (4.12-246.25) with p<0.001]. The association between variant and stage IV patients further indicated risk (${\chi}^2$ value of 29.7, and OR value 6.77 with 95% CI values 3.3-13.86). The correlation study also confirms the association data (Pearson correlation values for variant/stage IV and variant/endometrioid of 0.44 and 0.39). Conclusion: Individuals from this part of India with this type of variant may be at risk of stage IV, endometrioid type ovarian carcinoma.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.182-188
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• 2008

Purpose: Transcriptional factors of CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) are involved in regulating the gene expression in response to a variety of signaling pathways. The proteins produced by the CREB genes play key roles in many physiological processes, including memory and long-term potentiation. The retinoic acid receptor (RAR) axis mediates epithelial cell differentiation and proliferation in many tissues. This study examined the expressions of RAR and CREB and their relationship with the clinicopathologic factors and their significance. Materials and Methods: The levels of the RAR and CREB expressions were measured in 150 gastric adenocarcinomas by performing immunohistochemical staining. Results: 1. An RAR protein expression was found in 63.3% of the adenocarcinomas (95/150) and a CREB expression was found in 60.7% (91/150) of the adenocarcinomas. 2. An RAR protein expression was found in 72.2% (78/108) of the intestinal type adenocarcinomas and in 40.5% (17/42) of the diffuse type adenocarcinomas (P<0.05). Based on the depth of invasion, an RAR protein expression was found in 58.3% (14/24) of the T1 adenocarcinomas, in 61.9% (13/21) of the T2 adenocarcinomas, in 63.5% (61/96) of the T3 adenocarcinomas, in 77.8% (7/9) of the T4 adenocarcinomas and in 74.7% (62/83) of the adenocarcinomas with lymph node metastasis and in 49.2% (33/67) of the adenocarcinomas without lymph node metastasis (P<0.01). 3. A CREB expression was found in 69.4% (75/108) of the intestinal type and in 38.1% (16/42) of the diffuse type (P>0.05). Based on the depth of invasion, a CREB expression was found in 50% (12/24) of the T1 adenocarcinomas, in 52.4% (11/21) of the T2 adenocarcinomas, in 64.6% (62/96) of the T3 adenocarcinomas, in 66.6% (6/9) of the T4 adenocarcinomas, in 71.1% (59/83) of the adenocarcinomas with lymph node metastasis and in 47.8% (32/67) of the adenocarcinomas without lymph node metastasis (P<0.01). 4. The RAR protein and CREB expressions coincided in 71.4% of the gastric adenocarcinomas and a significant correlation between them was found (P<0.05). Conclusion: We found a significant relationship between the expression of RAR and CREB and the histology and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer. Further studies are needed to confirm their biologic meaning in gastric carcinogenesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.873-880
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• 2009

A novel xylanase gene, Kxyn, was cloned from Kocuria sp. Mn22, a bacteria isolated from the deep sea of the east Pacific. Kxyn consists of 1,170 bp and encodes a protein of 390 amino acids that shows the highest identity (63%) with a xylanase from Thermohifida fusca YX. The mature protein with a molecular mass of approximately 40 kDa was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The recombinant Kxyn displayed its maximum activity at $55^{\circ}C$ and at pH 8.5. The $K_m,\;V_{max}$, and $k_{cat}$ values of Kxyn for birchwood xylan were 5.4 mg/ml, $272{\mu}mol/min{\cdot}mg$, and 185.1/s, respectively. Kxyn hydrolyzed birchwood xylan to produce xylobiose and xylotriose as the predominant products. The activity of Kxyn was not affected by $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Na^+,\;K^+$, ${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol, DTT, or SDS, but was strongly inhibited by $Hg^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},Zn^{2+}$, and $Pb^{2+}$. It was stable over a wide pH range, retaining more than 80% activity after overnight incubation at pH 7.5-12. Kxyn is a cellulase-free xylanase. Therefore, these properties make it a candidate for various industrial applications.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.59-63
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• 2011

Obesity provokes many serious human diseases, including various cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Body mass index (BMI) is a highly heritable trait that is broadly used to diagnose obesity. To identify genetic loci associated with obesity in Asians, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a population of Korean adults (n=6,742, age 40~60 years) and detected six BMI risk loci (TNR, FAM124B, RGS12, NFE2L3, MC4R and FTO) having p< $1{\times}10^{-5}$. However, in the replication study, only melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) (rs9946888, p=$4.58{\times}10^{-7}$) was replicated with marginal significance (p<0.05) in the second cohort (n=5,102, age 40~60 years). This study indicates that each locus associated with BMI has very weak genetic effect.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.1082-1091
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• 2020

Microbial transglutaminases (MTGs) are widely used in the food industry. In this study, the MTG gene of Streptomyces sp. TYQ1024 was cloned and expressed in a food-grade bacterial strain, Bacillus subtilis SCK6. Extracellular activity of the MTG after codon and signal peptide (SP Ync M) optimization was 20 times that of the pre-optimized enzyme. After purification, the molecular weight of the MTG was 38 kDa and the specific activity was 63.75 U/mg. The optimal temperature and pH for the recombinant MTG activity were 50℃ and 8.0, respectively. MTG activity increased 1.42-fold in the presence of β-ME and 1.6-fold in the presence of DTT. Moreover, 18% sodium chloride still resulted in 83% enzyme activity, which showed good salt tolerance. Cross-linking gelatin with the MTG increased the strength of gelatin 1.67 times and increased the thermal denaturation temperature from 61.8 to 75.8℃. The MTG also significantly increased the strength and thermal stability of gelatin. These characteristics demonstrated the huge commercial potential of MTG, such as for applications in salted protein foods.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.243-248
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• 2008

The Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) has been shown to regulate transcription of cell cycle genes essential for $G_1$-S and $G_2$-M progression, including $p27^{kip1}$. The $p27^{kip1}$ gene is a member of the universal cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor family. Immunohistochemical studies for FoxM1 and $p27^{kip1}$ were performed in 154 lung cancers (69 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 85 adenocarcinomas (ADC)). Immunoreactivity for FoxM1 and $p27^{kip1}$ were found in 79 (51.3%) and 49 (31.8%) out of 154 cases, respectively. Forty-six (58.2%) of the 79 cases with a positive FoxM1 immunoreactivity showed a negative $p27^{kip1}$ expression in 154 lung cancers. According to histologic type, 22 (53.7%) of the 41 SCC cases with a positive FoxM1 immunoreactivity showed a negative $p27^{kip1}$ expression and 24 (63.2%) of the 38 ADC cases with a positive FoxM1 immunoreactivity showed a negative $p27^{kip1}$ expression. The expression of $p27^{kip1}$ was significantly higher in the SCC than in the ADC (P=0.050). There were no significant associations between the FoxM1 and $p27^{kip1}$ expressions and other clinicopathologic factors. These findings suggest that FoxM1 overexpression may diminish the expression of $p27^{kip1}$ protein in lung cancers. Further studies are needed to define the relation between FoxM1 and $p27^{kip1}$ for examining the mechanisms of tissue-specific FoxM1 expression.