• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.467-473
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• 2009

Our previous study suggested that OsBWMK1, a gene which encodes a member of the rice MAP kinase family, generates transcript variants which show distinct expression patterns in response to environmental stresses. The transcript variants are generated by alternative splicing and by use of alternative promoters. To test whether the two alternative promoters, pOsBWMK1L (promoter for the OsBWMK1L splice variant) and pOsBWMK1S (promoter for the OsBWMK1S splice variant), are biologically functional, we analyzed transgenic plants expressing GUS fusion constructs for each promoter. Both pOsBWMK1L and pOsBWMK1S are biologically active, although the activity of pOsBWMK1S is lower than that of pOsBWMK1L. Histochemical analysis revealed that pOsBWMK1L is constitutively active in most tissues at various developmental stages in rice and Arabidopsis, whereas pOsBWMK1S activity is spatially and temporally restricted. Furthermore, the expression of pOsBWMK1S::GUS was upregulated in response to hydrogen peroxide, a plant defense signaling molecule, in both plant species. These results suggest that the differential expression of OsBWMK1 splice variants is the result of alternative promoter usage and, moreover, that the mechanisms controlling OsBWMK1 gene expression are conserved in both monocot and dicot plants.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.103-112
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• 2024

Objective: To investigate the association of ultrasound (US) features of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) with tumor invasiveness and prognosis based on the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 54 surgically confirmed FTC patients with US images and TERT promoter mutations (41 females and 13 males; median age [interquartile range], 40 years [30-51 years]). The WHO classification consisted of minimally invasive (MI), encapsulated angioinvasive (EA), and widely invasive (WI) FTCs. Alternative classifications included Group 1 (MI-FTC and EA-FTC with wild type TERT), Group 2 (WI-FTC with wild type TERT), and Group 3 (EA-FTC and WI-FTC with mutant TERT). Each nodule was categorized according to the US patterns of the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS) and American College of Radiology-TIRADS (ACR-TIRADS). The Jonckheere-Terpstra and Cochran-Armitage tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Among 54 patients, 29 (53.7%) had MI-FTC, 16 (29.6%) had EA-FTC, and nine (16.7%) had WI-FTC. In both the classifications, lobulation, irregular margins, and final assessment categories showed significant differences (all Ps ≤ 0.04). Furthermore, the incidences of lobulation, irregular margin, and high suspicion category tended to increase with increasing tumor invasiveness and worse prognosis (all Ps for trend ≤ 0.006). In the WHO groups, hypoechogenicity differed significantly among the groups (P = 0.01) and tended to increase in proportion as tumor invasiveness increased (P for trend = 0.02). In the alternative group, punctate echogenic foci were associated with prognosis (P = 0.03, P for trend = 0.03). Conclusion: Increasing tumor invasiveness and worsening prognosis in FTC based on the WHO classification and TERT promoter mutation results were positively correlated with US features that indicate malignant probability according to both K-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.155-161
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• 2002

The HCV gene was expressed in potato plants under the control of the constitutive CaMV 355 promoter or tuber-specific patatin promoter. Solanum tuberosum plants carrying a plant expression vector harboring the encoding region of HCV gene were generated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated in vitro transformation methods. The presence of HCV gene in the plant genome was detected by PCR and DNA hybridization experiments. We obtained the 5 lines of transgenic potato with the pMBPHCV construct and 4 lines of transgenic potato with the pATHCV construct. The HCV transgenic stably integrated into the potato genome, as well as their transcription. HCV mRNA was identified in leaf and tuber tissues of transgenic plants by Northern blot analysis. The transgenic potato plants produced the expected transcript, and the corresponding HCV protein accumulated in individual transgenic plants.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국응용약물학회 1997년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.80-80
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• 1997

The object of this study was to develop a gene therapy strategy for ovarian cancer. We have previously shown that AV with a L-plastin (LP) promoter infects breast and ovarian cancer cells and expressed ${\beta}$-galactosidase cDNA in preference to normal fibroblast cells and hematopoietic cells. We now report on the cytotoxicity of Ad.LP.CD, an AV carrying a CD cDNA which converts the pro-drug, 5-Fluorocytosine (5-FC) into the toxic drug 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). Infection of Ad.LP.CD into either 293 cells or ovarian cancer cells generated the functional CD as measured by HPLC analysis. Using a ratio of AV to OVCAR3 cell of 100 and a 5-FC concentration of 100 ${\mu}$M, we achieve an over 95 % of cell growth inhibition. We are using flow cytometry analysis for ${\beta}$ -galactosidase and ovarian cancer associated folate receptor to screen primary ascites samples for infectivity after infection with an adenoviral vector, i.e., Ad.LP.LacZ. This vector system may be of value in the treatment of microscopic disease of ovarian cancer in the peritoneal cavity.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.154-159
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• 2006

Interleukin-18 (IL-18), otherwise known as interferon-gamma-inducing factor (IGIF), is one of several well characterized and important cytokines that contribute to host defenses. The complementary DNA (cDNA) of mature human interleukin-18 gene (hIL-18) was fused with the signal peptide of the rice amylase 1A gene (Ramy1A) and introduced into the plant expression vector under the control of a duplicated CaMV 35S promoter. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Havana) using the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The integration of the hlL-18 gene into the genome of transgenic tobacco plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and its expression was observed in the suspension cells that were derived from the transgenic plant callus by using Northern blot analysis. The hlL-18 protein was detected in the extracts of the transgenic callus and in the medium of the transgenic tobacco suspension culture by using immunoblot analysis. Based upon enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) results, the expression level of the hlL-18 protein approximated $166{\mu}g/L$ in the suspension culture medium. Bioassay results from the induction of $interferon-{\gamma}$ from a KG-1 cell line indicated that the hlL-18 secreted into the suspension culture medium was bioactive.

• 한국독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국독성학회 2006년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.19-24
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• 2006

Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) is a tumor suppressor gene associated with gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. The aim of the present study was to characterize more precisely its role in the development and progression of human gastric carcinoma. In this study, using tissue microarray analysis of 283 gastric cancers and related lesions, we found loss of SMAD4 protein expression in the cytoplasm (36/114, 32%) and in the nucleus (46/114, 40%) of gastric cancer cells. The loss of nuclear SMAD4 expression in primary tumors correlated significantly with poor survival, and was an independent prognostic marker in multivariate analysis. We also found a substantial decrease in SMAD4 expression at both the RNA and protein level in several human gastric carcinoma cell lines. To identify the genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms of altered SMAD4 expression in gastric carcinoma, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), promoter hypermethylation, and exon mutations were examined. We found that LOH (20/70, 29%) and promoter hypermethylation (4/73, 5%) were associated with the loss of SMAD4 expression. SMAD4 protein levels wore also affected in certain gastric carcinoma cell lines following incubation with Mc132, a proteasome inhibitor. Taken together, our results indicate that the loss of SMAD4, especially loss of nuclear SMAD4 expression, is involved in gastric cancer progression. The loss of SMAD4 in gastric carcinomas is due to several mechanisms, including LOH, hypermethylation, and proteasome degradation.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제1권4호
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• pp.603-608
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• 1997

Analysis of the 5'-regulatory sequence of the caprine ${\beta}$-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene promoter revealed that two different types of activation were mediated by discrete regions, from -740 to -470 and from -205 to 109, in cultured mammary HC11 cells. Activation mediated by the proximal region was observed regardless of cell growth status. Distal activation, however, was observed only after confluent growth of the cells and was enhanced by the lactogenic hormones. This activation was accompanied by appearance of binding activity of proteins to these regions in the mammary HC11 cells. The binding motifs were broadly distributed over the upstream regulatory sequence. Comparison of the binding regions and mutation analysis suggest that a binding motif homologous to the ${\gamma}$-interferon responsive element (${\gamma}$-IRE) is responsible for transcriptional activation by hormonal induction in the mammary HC11 cells. The multiple ${\gamma}$-IRE homologous motifs seem to play a significant role in enhancing mammary cell-specific activation of the caprine BLG gene.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.152-161
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• 2004

The thermal load is a very important problem to be solved in many industrial systems including the electronic equipment. Impinging Jets have been known to provide a large heat transfer rates on surface for many years. The turbulence enhancement of fluid flow is requested for the efficiency elevation of heat transfer. A study on flow fields by rods attached to the wall surface as a promoter of turbulence enhancement has been carried out. The exact analysis on chracteristics of impinging jet field is requested to obtain the optimum design of the impinging jet system. By visualizing the flow field and processing the high digital image by computer PIV can afford exact data on the velocity vector kinetic energy and turbulence intensity in the complex turbulence field. In this study. three kinds of rod shape such as square. triangle. and semicircle are selected as the turbulence promoter. Nozzle diameters are 10mm. 17mm. and 23mm. And the analysis of the flow characteristics due to the above rods is carried out at Re No. 2.000, 3.000. and 4,000 by PIV measurement. It is clarified that the rod setup is very useful to obtain the turbulence enhancement and the turbulence intensity according to the shapes of rod appears large in order of the shapes of rod such as square 〉 triangle 〉semicircle.

• 한방안이비인후피부과학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.33-45
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• 2009

Objective : Lacca Sinic: Exsiccate (LSE) extracted from Rhus vemicitlus Stokes (RVS) has been used traditionally as a remedy for inflammation in Korea, China, and Japan. However, as yet there is no clear explanation of how LSE affects the production of inflammatory cytokines. This study was to determine the effects of LSE on the mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses. Method : We measured the amount of inflammatory cytokine production induced by the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) plus calcium ionophore(A231S7) in the human mast cell line (HMC-l) incubated with various concentrations of Laces Sinica Exsiccate (LSE). The $TNF-\alpha$, IL-6 and IL-8 secreted protein levels were measured by the ELISA assay. The $TNF-\alpha$, IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA levels were measured by the RT-PCR analysis. Nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins were examined by Western blot analysis. The NF-${\kappa}B$ promoter activity was examined by a luciferase assay. Result : LSE inhibited the PMA + A231S7-induced $TNF-\alpha$, IL-6, and IL-8 expression and suppressed NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in the stimulated-HMC-1. In addition, LSE inhibited induction of NF-${\kappa}B$ promoter-mediated luciferase activity. Conclusion : In this study, we have found that LSE is an inhibitor of NF-${\kappa}B$ and cytokines on the mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제26권6호
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• pp.497-506
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• 1998

Bacillus thurintensis subsp. kurstaki HD1 살충성 단백질 ICP 유전자가 있는 NdeI 단편 3.856 kb를 클로닝하여 제조한 pHLN2-80(-) 클론이 pHLN1-80(-)에 비해서 대장균에서 ICP발현량이 과다발현되는 현상을 규명하고자 하였다. 본 연구에서는 상기의 pHLN2-80(+) 클론의 발현량을 조절하는 원인을 규명하기 위하여 ICP의 아미노산 서열은 변화되지 않는 범위 내에서 pHLN1-80(+) 클론에 있는 Plac프로모터와 ICP유전자 프로모터의 일부인 -80 bp프로모터의 염기서열, 전사 개시점과 종결부위의 변이가 ICP유전자발현에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. pHLN1-80(+)에 5'-말단에 존재하는 -80 bp 프로모터만을 보유한 pHLNK-80 클론은 ICP 생산은 매우 저조하였다. Plac프로모터와 -80 bp 프로모터의 구조 골격을 일부 변이 시킨 pHLNF1-80클론의 ICP생산량은 pHLN2-80(-)가 생산한 양보다는 낮아서 과다발현이 안되었다. Plac프로모터 상류를 약 350bp을 제거하여 만든 클론 pHLND2-80의 ICP 생산량은 모클론인 pHLN2-80(-) 보다 매우 높게 과다발현 되었다. ICP 유전자의 과다발현 현상에 대한 전사 개시점과 전사종결 부위의 역할을 알아보기 위해서 -72bp ICP유전자프로모터를 갖는 클론 pHLD1-72는 재조합 클론 pHLN2-80(-)가 생산한 양보다 적은 양의 ICP을 생성하였고, 클론 pHLD2-72는 재조합 클론 pHLN2-80(-)보다 적은 ICP을 발현하여 과다 발현되었으며, 클론 pHLN2-72는 모클론인 pHLN2-80(-)보다 약간 높은 ICP 생산량을 보여 과다발현되었다. 클론 pHLN2-72를증식하여 파쇄액을 만든 후에 Bombyx mori유충에 대한 살충력 검사에서 클론 pHLN2-72이 생산한 ICP는 pHLN1-80(+)이 생산한 ICP보다 약 90배의 살충력을 보였다. SDS-PAGE와 Western blot 분석에서도 클론 pHLN2-72는 재조합 클론 pHLN2-80(-)보다 약간 높게 ICP가 생성이 되었었다. 이상의 결과는 과다발현에 Plac프로모터와 종결부위가 반드시 필요하며, -72 bp ICP 프로모터가 -80 bp 프로모터보다 과다발현률이 높았으며, ICP 유전자는 반드시 Plac프로모터의 전사 방향에 역방향으로 삽입이 되어야 하는 것으로 나타났다.