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Research on Anti-lipogenic Effect and Underlying Mechanism of Laminaria japonica on Experimental Cellular Model of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (비알코올성 지방간 세포 모델에서 곤포의 효능과 기전 연구)

  • Kim, So-Yeon;Kwon, Jung-Nam;Lee, In;Hong, Jin-Woo;Choi, Jun-Yong;Park, Seong-Ha;Kwun, Min-Jung;Joo, Myung-Soo;Han, Chang-Woo
    • The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.175-183
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    • 2014
  • Objectives : We tried to uncover the anti-lipogenic effect and underlying mechanism of Laminaria japonica on an experimental cellular model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods : Ethanol extract of Laminaria japonica (LJ) was prepared. Intracellular lipid content of palmitate-treated HepG2 cells was evaluated with or without LJ treatment. We measured the effects of LJ on liver X receptor α (LXRα) and sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c) expression, transcription level of lipogenic genes, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation in HepG2 cells. Results : LJ markedly attenuated palmitate-induced intracellular lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. LJ suppressed LXRα-dependent SREBP-1c activation, and SREBP-1c mediated induction of ACC, FAS, and SCD-1. Furthermore, LJ activated Nrf2, which plays an important cytoprotective role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Conclusions : Our study suggests that LJ has the potential to alleviate hepatic lipid accumulation, and this effect was mediated by inhibiting the LXRα-SREBP-1c pathway that leads to hepatic steatosis. In addition, the anti-lipogenic potential may, at least in part, be associated with activation of Nrf2.

Effect of High-Fat Diet Feeding on the Reproductive System in Male Rats

  • Jeon, Eun-Young;Kwak, Byung-Kook;Lee, Sung-Ho
    • Development and Reproduction
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    • v.15 no.3
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    • pp.265-272
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    • 2011
  • It is well known that adipose tissue or body fat has been proved as a crucial component of brain-peripheral axis which can modulate the activities of reproductive hormonal axis in female mammals including rodents and human. Concerning the male reproduction, however, the role of adipose tissue has not been thoroughly studied. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet on the reproductive system of postpubertal male rats. The HF diet (45% energy from fat, HF group) was applied to male rats from week 8 after birth for 4 weeks. The blood glucose levels, body and tissue weights were measured. Histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the reproductive tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus and pituitary, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Body weights (p<0.01) and blood glucose levels (p<0.01) of HF group were significantly higher than those of control animals. Similarly, the weights of epididymis (p<0.05), prostate (p<0.01), seminal vesicle (p<0.01) in HF group were higher than control levels. The weights of testis were not changed. The weights of kidney (p<0.001) and spleen (p<0.01) were significantly higher than control levels while the adrenal and pancreas weights were not changed. There were only slight alterations in the microstructures of accessory sex organs; the shape of luminal epithelial cells in epididymis from HF group were relatively thicker and bigger than those from control animals. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the mRNA levels of hypothalamic GnRH (p<0.05) in HF group were significantly higher than those from the control animals. The mRNA levels of kisspeptin in HF group tend to be higher than control levels, the difference was not significant. Unlike the hypothalamic GnRH expression, the mRNA levels of pituitary LHβ and FSHβ were significantly decreased in HF group (p<0.05). The present study indicated that the 4-weeks feeding HF diet during the postpubertal period can alter the hypothalamus-pituitary (H-P) neuroendocrine reproductive system These results suggest that the increased body fat and the altered leptin input might disturb the H-P reproductive hormonal activities in male rats, and the changed activities seem to be responsible for the changes of tissue weights in accessory sex organs.

Identification of a Second Type of AHL-Lactonase from Rhodococcus sp. BH4, belonging to the α/β Hydrolase Superfamily

  • Ryu, Du-Hwan;Lee, Sang-Won;Mikolaityte, Viktorija;Kim, Yea-Won;Jeong, Haeyoung;Lee, Sang Jun;Lee, Chung-Hak;Lee, Jung-Kee
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.937-945
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    • 2020
  • N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated quorum sensing (QS) plays a major role in development of biofilms, which contribute to rise in infections and biofouling in water-related industries. Interference in QS, called quorum quenching (QQ), has recieved a lot of attention in recent years. Rhodococcus spp. are known to have prominent quorum quenching activity and in previous reports it was suggested that this genus possesses multiple QQ enzymes, but only one gene, qsdA, which encodes an AHL-lactonase belonging to phosphotriesterase family, has been identified. Therefore, we conducted a whole genome sequencing and analysis of Rhodococcus sp. BH4 isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The sequencing revealed another gene encoding a QQ enzyme (named jydB) that exhibited a high AHL degrading activity. This QQ enzyme had a 46% amino acid sequence similarity with the AHL-lactonase (AidH) of Ochrobactrum sp. T63. HPLC analysis and AHL restoration experiments by acidification revealed that the jydB gene encodes an AHL-lactonase which shares the known characteristics of the α/β hydrolase family. Purified recombinant JydB demonstrated a high hydrolytic activity against various AHLs. Kinetic analysis of JydB revealed a high catalytic efficiency (kcat/KM) against C4-HSL and 3-oxo-C6 HSL, ranging from 1.88 x 106 to 1.45 x 106 M-1 s-1, with distinctly low KM values (0.16-0.24 mM). This study affirms that the AHL degrading activity and biofilm inhibition ability of Rhodococcus sp. BH4 may be due to the presence of multiple quorum quenching enzymes, including two types of AHL-lactonases, in addition to AHL-acylase and oxidoreductase, for which the genes have yet to be described.

Post-cancer Treatment with Condurango 30C Shows Amelioration of Benzo[a]pyrene-induced Lung Cancer in Rats Through the Molecular Pathway of Caspase-3-mediated Apoptosis Induction -Anti-lung cancer potential of Condurango 30C in rats-

  • Sikdar, Sourav;Mukherjee, Avinaba;Bishayee, Kausik;Paul, Avijit;Saha, Santu Kumar;Ghosh, Samrat;Khuda-Bukhsh, Anisur Rahman
    • Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.11-22
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    • 2013
  • Objectives: The present investigation aimed at examining if post-cancer treatment with a potentized homeopathic drug, Condurango 30C, which is generally used to treat oesophageal cancer, could also show an ameliorating effect through apoptosis induction on lung cancer induced by benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in white rats (Rattus norvegicus). Methods: Lung cancer was induced after four months by chronic feeding of BaP to rats through gavage at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight for one month. After four months, the lung-cancer-bearing rats were treated with Condurango 30C for the next one (5th), two (5th6th) and three (5th7th) months, respectively, and were sacrificed at the corresponding time-points. The ameliorating effect, if any, after Condurango 30C treatment for the various periods was evaluated by using protocols such as histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), annexinV-FITC/PI assay, flow cytometry of the apoptosis marker, DNA fragmentation, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and western blot analyses of lung tissue samples. Results: Striking recovery of lung tissue to a near normal status was noticed after post-cancerous drug treatment, as evidenced by SEM and histology, especially after one and two months of drug treatment. Data from the annexinV-FITC/PI and DNA fragmentation assays revealed that Condurango 30C could induce apoptosis in cancer cells after post-cancer treatment. A critical analysis of signalling cascade, evidenced through a RT-PCR study, demonstrated up-regulation and down-regulation of different pro- and anti-apoptotic genes, respectively, related to a caspase-3-mediated apoptotic pathway, which was especially discernible after one-month and two-month drug treatments. Correspondingly, Western blot and immunohistochemistry studies confirmed the ameliorative potential of Condurango 30C by its ability to down-regulate the elevated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, a hallmark of lung cancer. Conclusion: The overall result validated a positive effect of Condurango 30C in ameliorating lung cancer through caspase-3-mediated apoptosis induction and EGFR down-regulation.

The Effect of Porcine Sperm Cytosolic Factor (SCF) on In Vitro Development of Porcine PA and NT Embryos

  • Shim, Joo-Hyun;Kim, Dong-Hoon;Ko, Yeoung-Gyu;Hwang, Seong-Soo;Oh, Keon-Bong;Yang, Boh-Suk;Jin, Dong-Il;Park, Jin-Ki;Im, Gi-Sun
    • Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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    • v.35 no.3
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    • pp.319-327
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    • 2011
  • This study investigated whether the addition of porcine sperm cytosolic factor (SCF) at fusion/activation affects in vitro development of porcine parthenogenetic(PA) and nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. To determine the optimum concentration of SCF, control group of oocytes was activated with 0.3M mannitol (1.0 mM CaCl22H2O), other three groups of oocytes were parthenogentically activated with the fusion medium (0.1mM CaCl22H2O) supplemented with 100, 200 or 300 μg/ml SCF, respectively. Matured oocytes were activated with two electric pulses (DC) of 1.2 kv/cm for 30 μsec. The activated embryos were cultured in PZM-3 under 5% CO2 in air at 38.5C for 6 days. Oocytes activated in the presence of SCF showed a significantly higher blastocyst rate than control (p<0.05). Apoptosis rate was significantly lower in 100 μg/ml SCF group than other groups (p<0.05). Cdc2 kinase activity in control and SCF treatment group of oocytes was determined using MESACUP cdc2 kinase assay kit at 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after activation. Cdc2 kinase activity was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in SCF group than MII oocytes or control within 5 min. For NT embryo production, reconstructed oocytes were fused in the fusion medium supplemented with 0.1 mM CaCl22H2O (T1), 1.0 mM CaCl22H2O (T2) and 0.1 mM CaCl22H2O with 100 μg/ml SCF (T3). Fused embryos were cultured in PZM-3 under 5% CO2 in air at 38.5C for 6 days. Developmental rate to blastocyst stage was significantly higher in T3 than other groups (23.0% vs. 13.5 to 15.2%) (p<0.05). Apoptosis rate was significantly lower in T3 than T1 or T2 (p<0.05). The relative abundance of Bax-α/Bcl-xl was significantly lower in in vivo or SCF group than that of control (p<0.05). Moreover, the expression of p53 and caspase3 mRNA was significantly lower in in vivo or SCF group than that of control (p<0.05). These results indicate that the addition of SCF at fusion/activation might improve in vitro development of porcine NT embryos through regulating cdc2 kinase level and expression of apoptosis related genes.

Endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EP103 was effective against Phytophthora capsici causing blight in chili pepper (식물근권에서 분리한 Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EP103에 의한 고추역병억제)

  • Kim, Tack-Soo;Dutta, Swarnalee;Lee, Se Won;Park, Kyungseok
    • The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.422-428
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    • 2014
  • Endophytic bacterial strains from root tissue of strawberry were screened for their efficacy in growth improvement and control of Phytophthora blight disease of chili pepper plant under greenhouse condition. Plants treated with the strain EP103, identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, showed growth improvement in terms of fresh weight and root length compared to the untreated control and other endophytic strains. When challenged with Phytophthora capsici, there was significant reduction of disease in EP103 treated plants with an efficacy of 78.7%. There was no direct inhibition of the target pathogen by EP103 when tested under in vitro antibiosis assay. Analysis of differential expression of selected marker genes for induced systemic resistance (ISR) in plants treated with EP103 and challenged with P. capsici showed up-regulation of PR1 and PR10 pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. PCR analysis showed that EP103 produced secondary metabolites such as pyoluteorin, pyrrolnitrin, hydrogen cyanide and orfamide A. This study indicated the potential of endophytic P. fluorescens strain EP103 as an efficient biocontrol agent against P. capsici in chili pepper plant.

Isolation and Characterization of Actinomycete Strain BK185 Possessing Antifungal Activity against Ginseng Root Rot Pathogens (인삼 뿌리썩음병균에 항균활성이 있는 방선균 BK185의 분리 및 특성)

  • Kim, Byung-Yong;Bae, Mun-Hyung;Ahn, Jae-Hyung;Weon, Hang-Yeon;Kim, Sung-Il;Kim, Wan-Kyu;Oh, Dong-Chan;Song, Jaekyeong
    • The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.396-403
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    • 2014
  • Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is an economically valuable pharmaceutical crop in Korea. In order to find promising biocontrol agents for soil-borne fungal pathogens which infect ginseng roots, we have isolated actinomycete, BK185 from soil. The isolate was investigated for the antifungal activity against to ginseng rot pathogens prior to testing genetic and chemical properties. The strain was identified as Streptomyces sp. using phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The most closely related species was S. sporoclivatus and S. geldanamycininus with high similarities (>99%). The isolate, BK185 showed positive reaction for PCR detection targeting biosynthetic gene clusters of PKS (Type-I polyketide synthase) and NRPS (Non-ribosomal polypeptide synthetase) genes. Major metabolite from the BK185 was analyzed by The LC/MS and identified to geldamycin, which was known to contained broad antibacterial, antifungal or anticancer activities. The results provide evidences that the strain, BK185 can be promising biocontrol agent for ginseng organic farming.

Changes in Korean Consumer's Perception and Attitudes toward Genetically-modified Foods (우리나라 국민의 유전자재조합식품에 대한 인지도 및 수용도 변화)

  • Kwon, Sun-Hyang;Chung, In-Shick;Choi, Mee-Kyung;Chae, Kyung-Yun;Kyung, Kyu-Hang
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.182-190
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    • 2008
  • A survey on consumer's awareness and perception toward genetically-modified(GM) foods was conducted on 2110 random samples of Korean consumers. More than 65% of the respondents were exposed to some information related to GM foods. The respondents answered that the greatest benefit of the development of GM foods is remedy of potential food shortages in the future. More than 90% of Korean consumers wanted GM foods to be labeled as such. More than 50% of the respondents would not buy until they know more about GM foods. Only 35.8% of Korean consumers were found to know that food items originating from plants contained genes. More consumers responded that they would not buy herbicide-resistant GM soybean but buy vitamin-enriched GM soybean. Many Korean consumers' decision of acceptance or rejection of GM foods depend not on the basis of biotechnology, but on the basis of the degree of benefit to the consumers. Only 6.4% of Korean consumers responded that GM foods were the greatest threat to the safety of Korean foods. The perception of Korean consumers on GM foods has not changed significantly during the past 5 years.

pep27 and lytA in Vancomycin-Tolerant Pneumococci

  • Olivares, Alma;Trejo, Jose Olivares;Arellano-Galindo, Jose;Zuniga, Gerardo;Escalona, Gerardo;Vigueras, Juan Carlos;Marin, Paula;Xicohtencatl, Juan;Valencia, Pedro;Velazquez-Guadarrama, Norma
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.21 no.12
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    • pp.1345-1351
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    • 2011
  • Vancomycin therapy failure due to the emergence of tolerance in pneumococci is increasing. The molecular mechanism of tolerance is not clear, but lytA and pep27 are known to be involved. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of both genes in vancomycin-tolerant Streptococcus pneumoniae (VTSP) strains. Eleven VTSP strains from a total of 309 clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae from 1997 to 2006 were classified according to the criteria of Liu and Tomasz. All VTSP strains were evaluated for susceptibility according to CLSI criteria, serotype by the Quellung test, and clonality by PFGE. The expressions of lytA and pep27 were analyzed in different growth phases by RT-PCR with and without vancomycin. Eighty-two percent of VTSP strains showed resistance to penicillin, and 100% were sensitive to vancomycin and cefotaxime. The most frequent serotypes of VTSP strains were 23F (4/11) and 6B (3/11). Clonal relationship was observed in only two strains. No significant changes were observed in pep27 expression in the three phases of growth in VTSP strains with and without vancomycin. Interestingly, pep27 expression in the stationary phase in the non-tolerant reference strain R6 was significantly higher. However, no significant differences in lytA expression were observed between VTSP and R6 strains during the phases of growth analyzed. The absence of changes in pep27 expression in VTSP strains in the stationary phase may be related to their ability to tolerate high antibiotic concentrations, and thus, they survive and remain in the host under the antibiotic selective pressure reflected in therapeutic failure.

Elucidation of the Biosynthetic Pathway of Vitamin B Groups and Potential Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters Via Genome Analysis of a Marine Bacterium Pseudoruegeria sp. M32A2M

  • Cho, Sang-Hyeok;Lee, Eunju;Ko, So-Ra;Jin, Sangrak;Song, Yoseb;Ahn, Chi-Yong;Oh, Hee-Mock;Cho, Byung-Kwan;Cho, Suhyung
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.505-514
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    • 2020
  • The symbiotic nature of the relationship between algae and marine bacteria is well-studied among the complex microbial interactions. The mutual profit between algae and bacteria occurs via nutrient and vitamin exchange. It is necessary to analyze the genome sequence of a bacterium to predict its symbiotic relationships. In this study, the genome of a marine bacterium, Pseudoruegeria sp. M32A2M, isolated from the south-eastern isles (GeoJe-Do) of South Korea, was sequenced and analyzed. A draft genome (91 scaffolds) of 5.5 Mb with a DNA G+C content of 62.4% was obtained. In total, 5,101 features were identified from gene annotation, and 4,927 genes were assigned to functional proteins. We also identified transcription core proteins, RNA polymerase subunits, and sigma factors. In addition, full flagella-related gene clusters involving the flagellar body, motor, regulator, and other accessory compartments were detected even though the genus Pseudoruegeria is known to comprise non-motile bacteria. Examination of annotated KEGG pathways revealed that Pseudoruegeria sp. M32A2M has the metabolic pathways for all seven vitamin Bs, including thiamin (vitamin B1), biotin (vitamin B7), and cobalamin (vitamin B12), which are necessary for symbiosis with vitamin B auxotroph algae. We also identified gene clusters for seven secondary metabolites including ectoine, homoserine lactone, beta-lactone, terpene, lasso peptide, bacteriocin, and non-ribosomal proteins.