• Development and Reproduction
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.253-262
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• 2018

The spermatogenesis is the process by which spermatozoa are generated in the testes. The spermatozoa travel male reproductive tract during which they meet many substances secreted from reproductive organs. One of the substances is epididymal protease inhibitor (EPPIN) that is involved in the post-testicular maturation including capability of fertilizing the eggs. The expression of EPPIN gene was investigated in various tissues of sexually mature and regressed male Syrian hamsters by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The EPPIN gene was identified in the testis and epididymis of the male Syrian hamsters and compared to the genes reported previously. There was no expression of EPPIN gene in reproductively and completely regressed testes of Syrian hamster. These results suggest that the expressions of the EPPIN gene are associated with the reproductive capability in the Syrian hamsters.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1258-1266
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• 2005

The present study was carried out in order to assess the protective effects of calycosin-7-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside, isolated from Astragali radix (AR), on hyaluronidase (HAase) and the recombinant human interleukin-$1\beta$ (IL-$1\beta$)-induced matrix degradation in human articular cartilage and chondrocytes. We isolated the active component from the n-butanol soluble fraction of AR (ARBu) as the HAase inhibitor and structurally identified as calycosin-7-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside by LC-MS, IR, ${1}^H$ NMR, and ${13}^C$ NMR analyses. The $IC_{50}$ of this component on HAase was found to be 3.7 mg/ml by in vitro agarose plate assay. The protective effect of ARBu on the matrix gene expression of immortalized chondrocyte cell line C28/I2 treated with HAase was investigated using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and its effect on HAase and IL-$1\beta$-induced matrix degradation in human articular cartilage was determined by a staining method and calculating the amount of degraded glycosaminoglycan (GAG) from the cultured media. Pretreatment with calycosin-7-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside effectively protected human chondrocytes and articular cartilage from matrix degradation. Therefore, calycosin-7-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside from AR appears to be a potential natural ant-inflammatory or antii-osteoarthritis agent and can be effectively used to protect from proteoglycan (PG) degradation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 2011

This study provides first-hand proteomic data on the survival strategy of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 when subjected to long-term iron-starvation conditions. 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis of iron-deficient Anabaena revealed significant and reproducible alterations in ten proteins, of which six are associated with photosynthesis and respiration, three with the antioxidative defense system, and the last, hypothetical protein all1861, conceivably connected with iron homeostasis. Iron-starved Anabaena registered a reduction in growth, photosynthetic pigments, PSI, PSII, whole-chain electron transport, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and ATP and NADPH content. The kinetics of hypothetical protein all1861 expression, with no change in expression until day 3, maximum expression on the $7^{th}$ day, and a decline in expression from the $15^{th}$ day onward, coupled with in silico analysis, suggested its role in iron sequestration and homeostasis. Interestingly, the up-regulated FBP-aldolase, Mn/Fe-SOD, and all1861 all appear to assist the survival of Anabeana subjected to iron-starvation conditions. Furthermore, the $N_2$-fixation capabilities of the iron-starved Anabaena encourage us to recommend its application as a biofertilizer, particularly in iron-limited paddy soils.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 1998

${\alpha},\;{\beta}-Adrenergics$, and calcium channels were known to be related to inducing cardiac hypertrophy. Recently, it was reported that the cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) was an important factor in ventricular hypertrophy. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of ${\alpha},\;{\beta}-adrenergic$, and calcium channel blockers that might be involved in the regulation of cardiac RAS. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of renin gene in the perfused rat heart. Changes in angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity and cyclic AMP (cAMP) content which were thought to play a role in inducing cardiac hypertrophy were measured in the perfused rat heart. The expression of renin gene was not only increased by isoproterenol with metoprolol-pretreatment but also increased by vasopressin treatment in the presence of calcium channel blocker, nifedipine or verapamil. Either prazosin alone or norepinephrine with prazosin-pretreatment significantly increased the ACE activity. However, isoproterenol with metoprolol-pretreatment significantly decreased the ACE activity. On the other hand, the ACE activity was not changed by vasopressin, nifedipine, or verapamil treatments. The content of cAMP was significantly increased by either isoproterenol or vasopressin treatment. According to these results, renin gene expression was associated with ${\beta}2$ - adrenoceptor and calcium channel. ACE activity was associated with ${\alpha}-\;and{\beta}2$ - adrenoceptor. In conclusion, ${\beta}2$ - adrenoceptor was important in cardiac renin gene expression and ACE activity and ${\alpha},\;{\beta}$ -adrenergic, and calcium channel blockers might be involved in the regulation of cardiac RAS in a complicated way.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2001

Bovine ${\beta}1$-adrenergic receptor (AR) cDNA was cloned using degenerative primers. Bovine ${\beta}1$-AR coded for 467 amino acids and the comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with that of sheep showed 93.4% identity. Northern blot analysis indicated that transcript size for the bovine ${\beta}1$-AR was 3.6 kb in the adipose tissue. The expression level of three $\beta$-ARs (1, 2, and 3) in bovine abdominal, subcutaneous, and perirenal adipose tissues were examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the levels of ${\beta}1$- and ${\beta}3$-AR mRNA were found to be lower in the subcutaneous adipose tissue than in the abdominal and perirenal adipose tissues. These results suggest that the expression of $\beta$-ARs mRNA are differentially regulated among the adipose tissues.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2011

The hawthorn fruit (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge var. typica Schneider) is used as a traditional medicine in Korea. The objective of this study was to understand the mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory effects of the water fractionated portion of hawthorn fruit on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cellular model. The level of nitric oxide (NO) production in the water fraction and LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells were determined with an ELISA. The cytotoxicity of the water fraction and LPS was measured with an MTT assay. Expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin $1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$) mRNA were analyzed with a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The water fraction of hawthorn fruit was determined to be safe and significantly inhibited NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and suppressed COX-2, (TNF)-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6 expression. The observed anti-inflammatory effects of the water fraction of hawthorn fruit might be attributed to the down-regulation of COX-2, (TNF)-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.415-422
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• 2018

Terpenoids have a wide range of biological functions and have extensive applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and flavoring industry. The white-rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis, is able to synthesize terpenoids via terpene synthase, which catalyzes an important step that forms a large variety of sesquiterpene products from farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). To improve the production of sesquiterpenes, the terpene synthase gene was isolated from Polyporus brumalis and was heterologously transformed into a Pichia pastoris strain. The open reading frame of the isolated gene (approximately 1.2 kb) was inserted into Pichia pastoris to obtain a recombinant enzyme. Five transformants were obtained and the expression of terpene synthase was analyzed at the transcript level by reverse transcription PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and at the protein level by SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). Expression of the terpene synthase gene product was elevated in the transformants and as expected the molecular weight of the protein was approximately 45 kDa. These recombinant enzymes have potential practical applications and future studies should focus on their functional characterization.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.461-474
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to assess some biological activities of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from P. intermedia and P. nigrescens. LPS was prepared by the standard hot phenol-water method. NO production was assayed by measuring the accumulation of nitrite in culture supernatants. $TNF-{\alpha}$ production was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot analysis of iNOS and analysis of reverse transcription (RT)-PCR products were carried out. LPS from P. intermedia demonstrated higher KDO content than those from two stains of P. nigrescens. LPSs from P. intermedia and P. nigrescens were mitogenic for spleen cells of BALB/C mouse. The present study clearly shows that LPSs from P. intermedia and P. nigrescens fully induced iNOS expression and NO production in RAW264.7 cells in the absence of other stimuli. Moreover, LPSs from P. intermedia and P. nigrescens clearly induced $TNF-{\alpha}$ production in RAW264.7 cells. The biological activities of LPS from P. intermedia was found to be comparable to those of P. nigrescens LPS. The ability of LPSs from P. intermedia and P. nigrescens to promote the production of NO and $TNF-{\alpha}$ may be important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory periodontal disease.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.109-109
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• 2003

Taurine is present in a variety of tissue and exhibits many important physiological functions in many tissues. Although it is known that many tissues mediate taurine transport, its functions of taurine transport in bone have not been identified yet. In the present study, we investigated the expression of taurine transporter (TauT) and taurine uptake using mouse stromal ST2 cells and osteoblast-like MC3T3-El cells, which is bone related cells. Detection of TauT mRNA expression in these cells were performed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The activity of TauT was assessed by measuring the uptake of ［$^3$H］taurine in the presence or absence of inhibitors. TauT mRNA was detected in these cells. ［$^3$H］Taurine uptake was dependent upon the presence of extracellular sodium, chloride and calcium ions, and inhibited by cold-taurine and ${\beta}$-alanine. These results suggest that taurine has biological functions in bone and some effect on the bone cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6863-6867
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• 2013

Phyllanthus emblica (PE) is known to exhibit various pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antimetastatic potential of a PE aqueous extract. Cytotoxicity to human fibrosarcoma cells, HT1080, was determined by viability assay using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol,2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reagent. Cell migration and invasion were investigated using chemotaxis chambers containing membranes precoated with collagen IV and Matrigel, respectively. Cell attachment onto normal surfaces of cell culture plates was tested to determine the cell-adhesion capability. The molecular mechanism of antimetastatic activity was assessed by measuring the gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases, MMP2, and MMP9, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The mRNA levels of both genes were significantly down-regulated after pretreatment with PE extract for 5 days. Our findings show the antimetastatic function of PE extract in reducing cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and adhesion in both dose- and time-dependent manners, especially growth arrest with low $IC_{50}$ value. A decrease in the expression of both MMP2 and MMP9 seems to be the cellular mechanism for antimetastasis in this case. There is a high potential to use PE extracts clinically as an optional adjuvant therapeutic drug for therapeutic intervention strategies in cancer therapy or chemoprevention.