• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2013

The anti-obesity effects of a hot water extract from wasabi (Wasabia japonica Matsum.) leaves (WLE), without its specific pungent constituents, such as allyl-isothiocyanate, were investigated in high fat-diet induced mice. C57J/BL mice were fed a high-fat diet (control group) or a high-fat diet supplemented with 5% WLE (WLE group). Physical parameters and blood profiles were determined. Gene expression associated with lipid metabolism in liver and white adipose tissue were analyzed. After 120 days of feeding, significantly lower body weight gain, liver weight and epididymal white adipose tissue weight was observed in the WLE group compared to the control group. In liver gene expression within the WLE group, PPAR${\alpha}$ was significantly enhanced and SREBP-1c was significantly suppressed. Subsequent downstream genes controlled by these regulators were significantly suppressed. In epididymal white adipose tissue of the WLE group, expression of leptin, PPAR${\gamma}$, and C/EBP${\alpha}$ were significantly suppressed and adiponectin was significantly enhanced. Acox, related to fatty acid oxidization in adipocytes, was also enhanced. Our results demonstrate that the WLE dietary supplement induces mild suppression of obesity in a high-fat diet induced mice, possibly due to suppression of lipid accumulation in liver and white adipose tissue.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.155-168
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• 2012

Therapeutic cancer is a long lasting and turbulent history accompany with the milestones in surgical intervention, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In the past decade, however, metastatic cancer still obstinately exists challenging the professional scientist. Beside the major forms of cancer treatment, Diphtheria toxin (DT) which is produced by a pathogenic strain of bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria to shield themselves against the other dangerous organism, have been researched as a potential candidate to overcome the drawback such as non-specific, non-effect to drug resistant cancer cell and side effects when using chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In the context of suicide gene therapy, the DT expression under controlling of tissue-specific promoter will be targeted in cancer cell but defect in normal cell. The molecular mechanism, characteristic of DT-bases therapy and prominent achievements of preclinical and clinical studies for the past decade are summarized and discussed in this review.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.88-97
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• 2008

Lipoproteins are complexes of lipids and specific apolipoproteins that are involved in lipid transport and redistribution among various tissues. In this study, we isolated full-length apolipoprotein cDNA sequences encoding apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), apoE, apoC-II, and apo-14 kDa in barred knifejaw, Oplegnathus fasciatus. In addition, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees and investigated mRNA tissue distributions. Alignment analyses of amino acid sequences revealed that secondary structures of the polypeptides apoA-I, apoE, and apoC-II in barred knifejaw are well conserved with their teleostean and mammalian counterparts in terms of characteristic tandem repetitive units forming amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helices. Both the sequence alignment data and cleavage sites of apo-14 kDa indicated a clear differentiation between Percomorpha and Cypriniformes. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic trees of apolipoprotein sub-families suggested that the common ancestor prior to the split of the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and Sarcopterygii (tetrapods) would have possessed the primordial protein-encoding genes. Tissue distribution of each apolipoprotein transcript determined by semi-quantitative RTPCR showed that barred knifejaw apoA-I transcripts were more or less ubiquitously expressed in the liver, intestines, brain, muscle, spleen, and kidney. The most striking difference from previous observations on barred knifejaw was the ubiquitous expression of apoE across all somatic tissues. Barred knifejaw apoC-II showed tissue-specific expression in the liver and intestines, while the liver and brain were the major sites of apo-14kDa mRNA synthesis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 1998.07a
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• pp.59-60
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• 1998

A DNA construct containing rat T $\alpha$ 1 $\alpha$ -tuulin gene 5'-flanking sequence and GFP reporer gene was microinjected into 1-cell loach embryos. Neuron-specific FGP expression was observed in developing loach embryos and early stage fry. The results demonstrated that rat T $\alpha$ 1 $\alpha$ -tubulin gene promoter may be sufficient to specify gene expression to neurons in loach embryos. Thus, the use of GFP reporter controlled by T $\alpha$ 1 $\alpha$ -tubulin gene promoter may facilitate visualization of the dynamic processes of neural tissue development.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2001

Objective: Recently, microdissection of tissue sections has been used increasingly for the isolation of morphologically identified homogeneous cell populations, thus overcoming the obstacle of tissue complexity for the analysis cell-specific expression of macromolecules. The aim of the present study was to establish the minimal conditions required for the RNA extraction and amplification from the cells captured by the laser captured microdissection. Methods : Mouse ovaries were fixed and cut into serial sections (7 im thickness). Oocytes were captured by laser captured microdissection (LCM) method by using PixCell $II^{TM}$ system. The frozen sections were fixed in 70% ethanol and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, while the paraffin sections were stained with Multiple stain. Sections were dehydrated in graded alcohols followed by xylene and air-dried for 20 min prior to LCM. All reactions were performed in ribonuclease free solutions to prevent RNA degradation. After LCM, total RNA extraction from the captured oocytes was performed using the guanidinium isothiocyanate (GITC) solution, and subsequently evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Results: With the frozen sections, detection of the GAPDH mRNA expression in the number of captured 25 oocytes were not repeatable, but the expression was always detectable from 50 oocytes. With 25 oocytes, at least 27 PCR cycles were required, whereas with 50 oocytes, 21 cycles were enough to detect GA PDH expression. Amount of the primary cDNA required for RT-PCR was reduced down to at least 0.25 $\grave{i}$ l with 50 oocytes, thus the resting 19.75 il cDNA can be used for the testing other interested gene expression. Tissue-to-slide, tissue-to-tissue forces were very high in the paraffin sections, thus the greater number of cell procurement was required than the frozen sections. Conclusion: We have described a method for analyzing gene expression at the RNA level with the homogeneously microdissected cells from the small amount of tissues with complexity. We found that LCM coupled with RT-PCR could detect housekeeping gene expression in 50 oocytes captured. This technique can be easily applied for the study of gene expression with the small amount of tissues.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.28.1-28.12
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• 2018

Intertidal macroalgae are exposed to many abiotic stress factors, and they must regularly react to changes in their environment. We used RNA-seq to describe how Porphyra umbilicalis (Rhodophyta) changes gene expression patterns to interact with different habitats. Tissue samples were taken from a typical habitat along the open-coast of the Northwest Atlantic, as well as from a rare, atypical habitat in an estuarine tidal rapid environment. Differential gene expression analyses suggest that pathogic bacteria and viruses may be a significant factor influencing the transcriptome in the human-impacted estuarine environment, but the atypical habitat does not necessarily induce more stress in Porphyra umbilicalis growing there. We found genes related to nitrogen transport are over-expressed in tissue from the open-coastal site compared to those from the estuarine site, where environmental N levels approach hypertrophic levels. Low N levels impede growth, but high levels are toxic to cells, and we use qPCR to show this species regulates expression of a putative high-affinity $NH_4{^+}$ transporter under low and high N conditions. Differences in expression of this transporter in these habitats appear to be inherited from parent to offspring and have general implications for adaptation to habitat in other species that are capable of asexual reproduction, as well as more specific implications for this species' use in aquaculture.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.426-431
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• 2015

Odin has been implicated in the downstream signaling pathway of receptor tyrosine kinases, such as the epidermal growth factor and Eph receptors. However, the physiologically relevant function of Odin needs to be further determined. In this study, we used Odin heterozygous mice to analyze the Odin expression pattern; the targeted allele contained a ${\beta}$-geo gene trap vector inserted into the 14t intron of the Odin gene. Interestingly, we found that Odin was exclusively expressed in ependymal cells along the brain ventricles. In particular, Odin was highly expressed in the subcommissural organ, a small ependymal glandular tissue. However, we did not observe any morphological abnormalities in the brain ventricles or ependymal cells of Odin null-mutant mice. We also generated BAC transgenic mice that expressed the PTB-deleted Odin (dPTB) after a floxed GFP-STOP cassette was excised by tissue-specific Cre expression. Strikingly, Odin-dPTB expression played a causative role in the development of the hydrocephalic phenotype, primarily in the midbrain. In addition, Odin-dPTB expression disrupted proper development of the subcommissural organ and interfered with ependymal cell maturation in the cerebral aqueduct. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that Odin plays a role in the differentiation of ependymal cells during early postnatal brain development.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.677-684
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• 2002

We have investigated the expression patterns of candidates for growth stage specifically expressed genes. The expression patterns of the EPV20, aldolase A, Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) and Adipocyte Differentiation Related Protein (ADRP) were examined by semiquantitative RT-PCR and northern blot analysis in skeletal muscle tissues of Hanwoo, especially in the longissimus dorsi at various growth stages. The EPV20 mRNA was expressed in longissimus dorsi tissue of Hanwoo, but there was no difference of expression levels during growth stages. Though the aldolase A gene was reported to be muscle-specific and regulated at developmental stages, the expression levels of aldolase A mRNA in the longissimus dorsi tissues showed little differences at various growth stages. The expression levels of TCTP which was reported as growth-related protein regulated at translation step were gradually increased during growth of Hanwoo. The expression levels of ADRP mRNA were rapidly increased at 24-month-old longissimus dorsi tissue of Hanwoo, and decreased at 30-month-old. Our data suggest that the ADRP gene show as growth-stage dependent expression and is related to fat deposition within muscular tissue.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2010

Aim of the study: An alternative source of adult stem cells that could be obtained in large quantities, under local anesthesia, with minimal discomfort would be advantageous. Adipose tissue could be processed to obtain a fibroblast-like population of cells or adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ATSCs). This study was performed to confirm the availability of ATSCs in bone tissue engineering. Materials amp; Methods: In this study, adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell was extracted from the liposuctioned abdominal fat of 24-old human and cultivated, and the stem cell surface markers of CD 105 and SCF-R were confirmed by immunofluorescent staining. The proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell and ATSCs were compared, and evaluated the osteogenic differentiation of ATSCs in a specific osteogenic induction medium. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by von Kossa and alkaline phosphatase staining. Expression of osteocyte specific BMP-2, ALP, Cbfa-1, Osteopontin and osteocalcin were confirmed by RT-PCR. With differentiation of ATSCs, calcium concentration was assayed, and osteocalcin was evaluated by ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay). The bone formation by 5-week implantation of HA/TCP block loaded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and ATSCs in the subcutaneous pocket of nude mouse was evaluated by histologic analysis. Results: ATSCs incubated in the osteogenic medium were stained positively for von Kossa and alkaline phosphatase staining. Expression of osteocyte specific genes was also detected. ATSCs could be easily identified through fluorescence microscopy, and bone formation in vivo was confirmed by using ATSC-loaded HA/TCP scaffold. Conclusions: The present results show that ATSCs have an ability to differentiate into osteoblasts and formed bone in vitro and in vivo. So ATSCs may be an ideal source for further experiments on stem cell biology and bone tissue engineering.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.85-97
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• 2018

The trans-differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is employed, but there is little understanding of the cell source-dependent trans-differentiation potential of MSCs into corneal epithelial cells. In the present study, we induced trans-differentiation of MSCs derived from umbilical cord matrix (UCM-MSCs) and from dental tissue (D-MSCs), and we comparatively evaluated the in vitro trans-differentiation properties of both MSCs into corneal epithelial-like cells. Specific cell surface markers of MSC (CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105) were detected in both UCM-MSCs and D-MSCs, but MHCII and CD119 were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in UCM-MSCs than in D-MSCs. In UCM-MSCs, not only expression levels of Oct3/4 and Nanog but also proliferation ability were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in D-MSCs. In vitro differentiation abilities into adipocytes and osteocytes were confirmed for both MSCs. UCM-MSCs and D-MSCs were successfully trans-differentiated into corneal epithelial cells, and expression of lineage-specific markers (Cytokeratin-3, -8, and -12) were confirmed in both MSCs using immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR analysis. In particular, the differentiation capacity of UCM-MSCs into corneal epithelial cells was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of D-MSCs. In conclusion, UCM-MSCs have higher differentiation potential into corneal epithelial-like cells and have lower expression of CD119 and MHC class II than D-MSCs, which makes them a better source for the treatment of corneal opacity.