• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.3695-3702
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• 2013

A nickel(II) complex $[Ni(H_2biim)_2(H_2O)_2](ClO_4)_2{\cdot}H_2O$ (1) of biimidazole ligand has been synthesized and characterized (Where $H_2biim$ = 2,2'-biimidazole). The single crystal X-ray diffraction of the complex shows a dimeric structure with six coordinated psudo-octahedral geometry. The cyclic voltammograms of complex exhibited one quasireversible reduction wave ($E_{pc}=-0.61V$) and an irreversible oxidation wave ($E_{pa}=1.28V$) in DMF solution. The interaction of the complex with Calf-Thymus DNA (CT-DNA) has been investigated by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The complex is an avid DNA binder with a binding constant value of $1.03{\times}10^5M^{-1}$. The results suggest that the nickel(II) complex bind to CT-DNA via intercalative mode and can quench the fluorescence intensity of EB bind to CT-DNA with $K_{app}$ value of $3.2{\times}10^5M^{-1}$. The complex also shown efficient oxidative cleavage of supercoiled pBR322 DNA in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agent. The DNA cleavage by complex in presence of quenchers; viz. DMSO, KI, $NaN_3$ and EDTA reveals that hydroxyl radical or singlet oxygen mechanism is involved. The complex showed invitro antimicrobial activity against four bacteria and two fungi. The antimicrobial activity was nearer to that of standard drugs and greater than that of the free ligand.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.265-271
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• 2014

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a potent anti-apoptotic cytokine that enhances immune effector cell functions and is essential for lymphocyte survival. While it known to induce differentiation and proliferation in some haematological malignancies, including certain types of leukaemias and lymphomas, little is known about its role in solid tumours, including breast cancer. In the current study, we investigated whether IL-7 could enhance the in vivo antitumor activity of tumor-reactive $CD8^+$ T cells with induction of IFN-${\gamma}$ in a murine breast cancer model. Human IL-7 cDNA was constructed into the eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1, and then the recombinational pcDNA3.1-IL-7 was intratumorally injected in the TM40D BALB/C mouse graft model. Serum and intracellular IFN-${\gamma}$ levels were measured by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. $CD8^+$ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity was analyzed using the MTT method. Our results showed that IL-7 administration significantly inhibited tumor growth from day 15 after direct intratumoral injection of pcDNA3.1-IL-7. The anti-tumor effect correlated with a marked increase in the level of IFN-${\gamma}$ and breast cancer cells-specific CTL cytotoxicity. In vitro cytotoxicity assays showed that IL-7-treatment could augment cytolytic activity of $CD8^+$ T cells from tumor bearing mice, while anti-IFN-${\gamma}$ blocked the function of $CD8^+$ T cells, suggesting that IFN-${\gamma}$ mediated the cytolytic activity of $CD8^+$ T cells. Furthermore, in vivo neutralization of $CD8^+$ T lymphocytes by CD8 antibodies reversed the antitumor benefit of IL-7. Thus, we demonstrated that IL-7 exerts anti-tumor activity mainly through activating $CD8^+$ T cells and stimulating them to secrete IFN-${\gamma}$ in a murine breast tumor model. Based on these results, our study points to a potential novel way to treat breast cancer and may have important implications for clinical immunotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2015

Coastal plant species, Plantago camtschatica Cham. native to the coastal region of the East Sea were sampled and then morphologically different 20 endophytic fungal strains were purely isolated. Phylogenetic analysis of isolates was done by the Bayesian program based on sequenced internal transcribed spacer (ITS-rDNA) region. Culture filtrates of each of 20 isolates were treated to Waito-c rice (WR) seedlings for verifying plant growth-promoting activity, respectively. As the results, E/PC/10/1 strain showed the highest plant growth-promoting activity among them. The culture filtrate of the strain E/PC/10/1 was revealed as containing gibberellins ($GA_1$, $GA_3$, $GA_4$) by using HPLC, and gas GC/MS with selected ion monitoring (SIM). Finally, this strain was identified as novel Penicillium spinulosum species that producing new GAs with microscopic observation and further molecular analysis with beta-tubulin gene sequence.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.71-74
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• 2018

Because castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) does not respond to androgen deprivation therapy and has a very poor prognosis, it is critical to identify a prognostic indicator for predicting high-risk patients who will develop CRPC. Here, we report a dataset of whole genomes from four pairs of primary prostate cancer (PC) and CRPC samples. The analysis of the paired PC and CRPC samples in the whole-genome data showed that the average number of somatic mutations per patients was 7,927 in CRPC tissues compared with primary PC tissues (range, 1,691 to 21,705). Our whole-genome sequencing data of primary PC and CRPC may be useful for understanding the genomic changes and molecular mechanisms that occur during the progression from PC to CRPC.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.167-173
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• 2005

Three different cDNAS for cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) which are involved in the second step of the general phenylpropanoid pathway were isolated and designated as pc4h1 (1,755 bp), pc4h2 (1,655 bp), and pc4h3 (1,316 bp), respectively. The nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that both pc4h1 and pc4h2 clones encode polypeptides of 505 amino acids frame but pc4h3 clone was truncated at the 5'-end of coding region. The alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences showed that PC4H1 and PC4H2 are highly homologous (95.8% identical) with each other and contain three conserved domains which are typical in cytochrome P450 monooxygenase: proline-rich region, threonine-containing binding pocket for the oxygen molecule, and heme binding region. In addition, result of the phylogenic tree analysis revealed that both pepper C4Hs belong to Class 1. pc4h2 transcription was strongly induced in wounded fruit (400%) and root (200%) relative to its very low basal level but not in leaf or stem tissue. In case of pc4h1, the basal level of transcription was higher than pc4h2 but induction by wounding was lower in fruit and root while leaf and stem tissues did not respond to wounding. The basal level of pc4h3 transcripts was not, if any, detectable and response to wounding was not observed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.72-77
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• 2004

Previously, we synthesized a novel Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, MCS-5A. Also, we investigated the involvement of cell cycle regulatory events during MCS-5A-mediated apoptosis in HL-60(+p16/-p53) cells with up-regulation of p16 protein expression. In contrast, apoptosis was not observed in A549(-p16/+p53) cells. Therefore we propose that $p16^{INK4A}$ is a key enzyme for inducing apoptosis. In the present studies, we have explored the mechanism of $p16^{INK4A}$ -mediated cytotoxicity and the role of p16.sup INK4A/ overexpression in the induction of apoptosis in human tumor cells. The tumor suppressor gene $p16^{INK4A}$ is known as a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) and cell cycle regulator. We expressed wild type $p16^{INK4A}$ in pcDNA3.1 vector and then transfected into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell expressing different statue of p16$^{INK4A}$, p53 gene〔A549(-p16/+p53), H1299(-p16/-p53) and HeLa(+pl6/+p53) cell line〕. TUNEL assay (including propidium iodide staining following transfection of these cell line with pcDNA3.1-pl6) indicate that p16$^{INK4A}$-mediated cytotoxicity was associated with apoptosis. This is supported by studies demonstrating an induction of caspase 3 cleavage due to the transfection of A549, H1299 and HeLa cells with pcDNA3.1-pl6. These results suggest that p16$^{INK4A}$ has a new function of inducing apoptosis which is not related with the function of tumor suppressor gene p53.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2001

Purpose : This study was conducted to assess the effects of x-irradiation on the expression of the novel glutathione S-transferase K1 gene. Materials and methods : Human glutathione S-transferase K1 (hGSTK1) DNA was purified and ligated to a pcDNA3.1/Myc-His(+) vector for the overexpression of hGSTK1 gene. MCF-7 cells were transfected with or without the recombinant hGSTK1 gene, and irradiated with 6 MV x-ray. After incubation of 14 days, cell survival was measured and compared. The expression of hGSTK1 and the effect of x-irradiation on hGSTK1 expression were also estimated in MCF-7 cells transfected with or without the hGSTK1 gene by RT-PCR. Results : Following 2 to 12 Gy of x-irradiation, the cell survivals were higher in the MCF-7 cells transfected with the hGSTK1 gene than in those without transfection. Despite the higher cell survival in the hGSTK1-transfected cells, RT-PCR for hGSTK1 mRNA revealed no significant differences according to radiation dose, fractionation, and time after irradiation. Conclusion : The MCF-7 cells transfected with the hGSTK1 gene showed higher cell survival than those without transfection of the gene. The hGSTK1 gene might be associated with the radiosensitivity of MCF-7 cell line and further analysis should be needed.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-99
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• 2009

Geldanamycin is a benzoquinone ansamycin antibiotic that binds to cytosol HSP90 (Heat Shock Protein 90) and changes its biological function. HSP90 is involved in the intracellular important roles for the regulation of the cell cycle, cell growth, cell survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis and oncogenesis. To identify genes expressed during geldanamycin treatment against neurons of rats (PC12 cells), DNA microarray method was used. We have isolated 2 gene groups (up-or down-regulated genes) which are geldanamycin differentially expressed in neurons. Granzyme B is the gene most significantly increased among 204 up-regulated genes (more than 2 fold over-expression) and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 20 is the gene most dramatically decreased among 491 down-regulated genes (more than 2 fold down-expression). The gene increased expression of Cxc110, Cyp11a1, Gadd45a, Gja1, Gpx2, Ifua4, Inpp5e, Sox4, and Stip1 are involved stress-response gene, and Cryab, Dnaja1, Hspa1a, Hspa8, Hspca, Hspcb, Hspd1, Hspd1, and Hsph1 are strongly associated with protein folding. Cell cycle associated genes (Bc13, Brca2, Ccnf, Cdk2, Ddit3, Dusp6, E2f1, Illa, and Junb) and inflammatory response associated genes (Cc12, Cc120, Cxc12, Il23a, Nos2, Nppb, Tgfb1, Tlr2, and Tnt) are down-regulated more than 2 times by geldanamycin treatment. We found that geldanamycin is related to expression of many genes associated with stress response, protein folding, cell cycle, and inflammation by DNA microarray analysis. Further experimental molecular studies will be needed to figure out the exact biological function of various genes described above and the physiological change of neuronal cells by geldanamycin. The resulting data will give the one of the good clues for understanding of geldanamycin under molecular level in the neurons.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1459-1466
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• 2006

The water extract of Hwansodan has been traditionally used for treatment of ischemic brain damage in oriental medicine. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the water extract of Hwansodan rescues cells from neurodegenerative disease. PC12 pheochromocytoma cells have been used extensively as a model for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell damages. Under deprivation of growth factor and ischemic injury, PC12 cells spontaneously undergoes apoptotic cell death. Serum and glucose deprivation markedly decreased the viability of PC12 cells, which was characterized with apparent apoptotic features such as membrane blebbing as well as fragmentation of genomic DNA and nuclei. However, the aqueous extract of Hwansodan significantly reduced serum and glucose deprivation-induced cell death and apoptotic characteristics through reduction of intracellular peroxide generation. Pretreatment of Hwansodan also ingibited the activation of caspase-3, in turn, degradation of ICAD/DFF45 was completely abolished in serum and glucose deprivated cells. Furthermore, pretreatment of Hwansodan obviously increased heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression in PC12 cells. Taken together, the data suggest that the protective effects of Hwansodan against serum and glucose deprivation induced oxidative injuries may be achieved through the scavenging of reactive oxygene species accompanying with HO-1 induction.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.189-194
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• 2010

We confirmed the hypo-osmotic shock strengths and duration, different type of vectors, and subcelluar localization to identify the optimum analysis condition of plant aquaporin activity in Xenopus ooctye using Arabidopsis thaliana AtPIP2-1 gene. Six minutes and 1/5ND buffer hypoosmotic shock treatment was the best condition to show the maximum swelling of Xenopus oocytes where AtPIP2-1 was expressed using pcDNA3.1 vector. AtPIP2-1 protein was expressed more efficiently in pGEMHE vector which has 5' and 3' UTR (untranslation region) of Xenopus ${\beta}$-GLOBIN gene in multiple cloning site than in pcDNA3.1 vector. Also green fluorescence of GFP fused to AtPIP2-1 was detected onto oocyte plasmamembrane where is the proper subcellular localization target of AtPIP2-1.