Hepatoprotective and Antioxidative Activities of <i>Cornus officinalis</i> against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

Lee, Nam-Hun,Seo, Chang-Seob,Lee, Ho-young,Jung, Da-Young,Lee, Jun-Kyung,Lee, Jin-Ah,Song, Kye Yong,Shin, Hyeun-kyoo,Lee, Mee-Young,Seo, Young Bae,Kim, Hokyoung,Ha, Hyekyung Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2012 Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medic Vol.2012 No.-

<P>The fruit of <I>Cornus officinalis </I>Sieb. et Zucc. is commonly prescribed in Asian countries as a tonic formula. In this study, the hepatoprotective effect of ethanolic extracts of the fruit of <I>C. officinalis</I> (ECO) was investigated in a mouse model of acetaminophen- (APAP-) induced liver injury. Pretreatment of mice with ECO (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg for 7 days) significantly prevented the APAP (200 mg/kg) induced hepatic damage as indicated by the serum marker enzymes (AST, ALT, and LDH). Parallel to these changes, ECO treatment also prevented APAP-induced oxidative stress in the mice liver by inhibiting lipid peroxidation (MDA) and restoring the levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and HO-1) and glutathione. Liver injury and collagen accumulation were assessed using histological studies by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Our results indicate that ECO can prevent hepatic injuries associated with APAP-induced hepatotoxicity by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress.</P>

Functional Analyses of Two Acetyl Coenzyme A Synthetases in the Ascomycete Gibberella zeae

Lee, Seunghoon,Son, Hokyoung,Lee, Jungkwan,Min, Kyunghun,Choi, Gyung Ja,Kim, Jin-Cheol,Lee, Yin-Won American Society for Microbiology 2011 EUKARYOTIC CELL Vol.10 No.8

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P> Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) is a crucial metabolite for energy metabolism and biosynthetic pathways and is produced in various cellular compartments with spatial and temporal precision. Our previous study on ATP citrate lyase (ACL) in Gibberella zeae revealed that ACL-dependent acetyl-CoA production is important for histone acetylation, especially in sexual development, but is not involved in lipid synthesis. In this study, we deleted additional acetyl-CoA synthetic genes, the acetyl-CoA synthetases ( <I>ACS</I> genes <I>ACS1</I> and <I>ACS2</I> ), to identify alternative acetyl-CoA production mechanisms for ACL. The <I>ACS1</I> deletion resulted in a defect in sexual development that was mainly due to a reduction in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-linoleoyl-rac-glycerol production, which is required for perithecium development and maturation. Another ACS coding gene, <I>ACS2</I> , has accessorial functions for <I>ACS1</I> and has compensatory functions for <I>ACL</I> as a nuclear acetyl-CoA producer. This study showed that acetate is readily generated during the entire life cycle of G. zeae and has a pivotal role in fungal metabolism. Because ACSs are components of the pyruvate-acetaldehyde-acetate pathway, this fermentation process might have crucial roles in various physiological processes for filamentous fungi. </P>

ELP3 is involved in sexual and asexual development, virulence, and the oxidative stress response in Fusarium graminearum.

Lee, Yoonji,Min, Kyunghun,Son, Hokyoung,Park, Ae Ran,Kim, Jin-Cheol,Choi, Gyung Ja,Lee, Yin-Won APS Press 2014 Molecular plant-microbe interactions Vol.27 No.12

<P>Fusarium graminearum is an important fungal plant pathogen that causes serious losses in cereal crop yields and mycotoxicoses in humans and livestock. In this study, we characterized an insertion mutant, Z39R9282, with pleiotropic defects in sexual development and virulence. We determined that the insertion occurred in a gene encoding an ortholog of yeast elongator complex protein 3 (ELP3). Deletion of elp3 led to significant defects in sexual and asexual development in F. graminearum. In the elp3 deletion mutant, the number of perithecia formed was reduced and maturation of perithecia was delayed. This mutant also produced morphologically abnormal ascospores and conidia. Histone acetylation in the elp3 deletion mutant was reduced compared with the wild type, which likely caused the developmental defects. Trichothecenes were not produced at detectable levels, and expression of trichothecene biosynthesis genes were significantly reduced in the elp3 deletion mutant. Infection of wheat heads revealed that the elp3 deletion mutant was unable to spread from inoculated florets to neighboring spikelets. Furthermore, the elp3 deletion mutant was more sensitive to oxidative stress than the wild type, and the expression of putative catalase genes was reduced. We demonstrate that elp3 functions in sexual and asexual development, virulence, and the oxidative stress response of F. graminearum by regulating the expression of genes involved in these various developmental processes.</P>

Development of a Conditional Gene Expression System Using a Zearalenone-Inducible Promoter for the Ascomycete Fungus Gibberella zeae

Lee, Jungkwan,Son, Hokyoung,Lee, Seunghoon,Park, Ae Ran,Lee, Yin-Won American Society for Microbiology 2010 Applied and environmental microbiology Vol.76 No.10

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P>The ascomycete fungus <I>Gibberella zeae</I> is an important plant pathogen that causes fusarium head blight on small grains. Molecular studies of this fungus have been performed extensively to uncover the biological mechanisms related to pathogenicity, toxin production, and sexual reproduction. Molecular methods, such as targeted gene deletion, gene overexpression, and gene fusion to green fluorescent protein (GFP), are relatively easy to perform with this fungus; however, conditional expression systems have not been developed. The purpose of this study was to identify a promoter that could be induced by zearalenone (ZEA) for the development of a conditional expression system in <I>G. zeae</I>. Through microarray analysis, we isolated one zearalenone response gene (<I>ZEAR</I>) whose expression was increased more than 50 times after ZEA treatment. Northern blot analysis showed that the <I>ZEAR</I> transcript dramatically increased after 1 h of ZEA treatment. To determine the utility of the <I>ZEAR</I> promoter, called Pzear, in a conditional expression system, we transformed a <I>Pzear</I>::<I>GFP</I> fusion construct into <I>G. zeae</I>. Our data showed a ZEA concentration-dependent increase in GFP expression. We also replaced the promoter of <I>G. zeae metE</I> (<I>GzmetE)</I>, an essential gene for methionine biosynthesis, with the Pzear promoter. The growth of the <I>Pzear-GzmetE</I> mutant on minimal medium was dependent on the ZEA concentration supplemented in the medium and showed that GzMetE expression was induced by ZEA. This study is the first report of an inducible promoter in <I>G. zeae.</I> Our system will be useful for the characterization of essential gene functions in this fungus through differential and ZEA-dependent gene expression. In addition, the Pzear promoter may be applicable as a biosensor for the detection of ZEA contamination in agricultural products.</P>

Rotor Sail 관련 한국선급 규칙 소개

이호경(Hokyoung Lee) 한국신재생에너지학회 2023 한국신재생에너지학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2023 No.6

Mitochondrial Carnitine-Dependent Acetyl Coenzyme A Transport Is Required for Normal Sexual and Asexual Development of the Ascomycete Gibberella zeae

Son, Hokyoung,Min, Kyunghun,Lee, Jungkwan,Choi, Gyung Ja,Kim, Jin-Cheol,Lee, Yin-Won American Society for Microbiology 2012 EUKARYOTIC CELL Vol.11 No.9

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P> Fungi have evolved efficient metabolic mechanisms for the exact temporal (developmental stages) and spatial (organelles) production of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). We previously demonstrated mechanistic roles of several acetyl-CoA synthetic enzymes, namely, ATP citrate lyase and acetyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs), in the plant-pathogenic fungus Gibberella zeae . In this study, we characterized two carnitine acetyltransferases (CATs; CAT1 and CAT2) to obtain a better understanding of the metabolic processes occurring in G. zeae . We found that CAT1 functioned as an alternative source of acetyl-CoA required for lipid accumulation in an <I>ACS1</I> deletion mutant. Moreover, deletion of <I>CAT1</I> and/or <I>CAT2</I> resulted in various defects, including changes to vegetative growth, asexual/sexual development, trichothecene production, and virulence. Although CAT1 is associated primarily with peroxisomal CAT function, mislocalization experiments showed that the role of CAT1 in acetyl-CoA transport between the mitochondria and cytosol is important for sexual and asexual development in G. zeae . Taking these data together, we concluded that G. zeae CATs are responsible for facilitating the exchange of acetyl-CoA across intracellular membranes, particularly between the mitochondria and the cytosol, during various developmental stages. </P>

천안 위례성과 사산성의 발굴조사 성과

이호경(hokyoung Lee) 충청남도역사문화연구원 2022 충청학과 충청문화 Vol.32 No.1

백제시대 고고학적 연구자료를 통해 백제가 국가로 성장한 한성기 백 제의 중심지는 지금의 서울 강동구와 송파구 일대의 풍납토성이 유력한 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 三國遺事와 三國史記의 기록을 통해 천안 직산지역의 위례성을 백제의 초도지라는 기록이 확인되고 있으며, 직산 일대에 백제와 관련한 지명과 민속, 전설 등과 같은 여러 전승이 남아 있다. 사산성은 안성천 남안의 백제시대 관방유적과 연계되는 전략적 위치 에 있으며, 위례성과 함께 천안지역의 백제 진출과 관련된 고고학 자료 로 알려져 있다. 천안 위례성과 사산성을 대상으로 천안지역에 위례성이 남아 전하는 까닭에 대한 구체적이고 객관적인 연구가 꾸준히 요구되어 왔으며, 두 성곽에 대한 조사도 최근까지 진행되어 왔다. 최근까지의 발굴조사 결과 천안 위례성에서는 그간 확인되지 않았던 백제시대 유적으로서 목곽고가 확인되었고, 사산성은 내성과 외성을 가 진 2중성으로서 내성은 백제시대에 축조되었고 이후 외성을 축조하여 천안지역의 거점성으로 활용되었을 가능성이 있는 것으로 보고되고 있다. 본고는 천안 위례성과 사산성에 대한 조사성과를 종합하여 검토하였다. 이를 통해 천안지역의 백제시대 관방유적에 대한 연구자료를 제공 하였다는데 의의가 있다. It is known that Pungnaptoseong in the present-day Gangdong-gu and Songpa-gu area of Seoul is the center of Baekje during the Hanseong period, when Baekje grew into a nation through archaeological research data of the Baekje period. However, through the records of 三國遺事 and 三國史記, it is confirmed that Wiryeseong in the Jiksan area of Cheonan was the first place of Baekje, and various traditions such as place names, folklore, and legends related to Baekje remain. Sasanseong Fortress is located in a strategic location connected to the Gwanbang Ruins of the Baekje Period on the south bank of Anseongcheon, and it is known as an archaeological material related to the advance of Baekje in the Cheonan region along with Wiryeseong. As described above, research related to Wiryeseong and Sasanseong in Cheonan has been conducted, and archaeological investigations have also been carried out in parallel. As a result of excavation until recently, in Wiryeseong, Cheonan, the largest wooden storehouse in Korea was confirmed as a relic of the Baekje period, It is reported that Sasanseong Fortress is a dual fortress with inner and outer fortresses, and the inner fortress was built during the Baekje period, and it is reported that there is a possibility that it may be used as a base fortress in the Cheonan region by constructing an outer fortress. This paper is the results of investigations on Wiryeseong and Sasanseong in Cheonan. It is significant in that it provided research data on the Gwanbang ruins of the Baekje period in the Cheonan area.

A novel gene, <i>GEA1</i>, is required for ascus cell-wall development in the ascomycete fungus <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>

Son, Hokyoung,Lee, Jungkwan,Lee, Yin-Won Society for General Microbiology 2013 Microbiology Vol.159 No.6

<P>The ascomycete fungus <I>Fusarium graminearum</I> is a devastating plant pathogen for major cereal crops. Ascospores are produced via sexual reproduction and forcibly discharged from mature perithecia, which function as the primary inocula. Perithecium development involves complex cellular processes and is under polygenic control. In this study, a novel gene, <I>GEA1</I>, was found to be required for ascus wall development in <I>F. graminearum</I>. <I>GEA1</I> deletion mutants produced normal-shaped perithecia and ascospores, yet ascospores were observed to precociously germinate inside the perithecium. Moreover, <I>GEA1</I> deletions resulted in abnormal ascus walls that collapsed prior to ascospore discharge. Based on localization of GEA1 to plasma membrane, GEA1 may be directly involved in ascus wall biogenesis. This is the first report to identify a unique gene required for ascus wall development in <I>F. graminearum</I>.</P>

Cynanchum wilfordii의 성분함량 분석

이혜원(Lee Hyewon),박소영(Park Soyoung),이아영(Lee Ayoung),채성욱(Chae Sungwook),최고야(Choi Goya),추병길(Choo Byungkil),김호경(Kim Hokyoung) 한국한의학연구원 2008 한국한의학연구원논문집 Vol.14 No.1

Objectives : Cynanchum wilfordii(Asclepiadaceae) has been traditionally used as a tonic, the prevention and treatment of various geriatric diseases in Korea. Acetophenone derivatives from C. wilfordii showed neuroprotective activity. In this study, two acetophenones were isolated and quantitative determination of acetophenones from C. wilfordii has been developed for quality stand. Methods : Three acetophenone derivatives were isolated from methanol extract of C. wilfordii by the chromatographic separation. Their structures were identified as cynandione A, 2,5-dihydroxy acetophenone and cynanchone A on the basis of spectral data(MS, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR) and chemical analysis. HPLC analysis was performed to determine the contents of cynandione A and 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone in C. wilfordii. Results: According to the results, the contents of cynandione A and 2,5- dihydroxyacetophenone were 0.274%, 0.035% by HPLC, respectively. Conclusions: In these results, we have determined the contents of cynandione A and 2.5-dihydroxyacetophenone in Cynanchum wilfordii, respectively. We hope that this study will contribute to the standardization and quality control of herbal medicine.

A Phenome-Based Functional Analysis of Transcription Factors in the Cereal Head Blight Fungus, <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>

Son, Hokyoung,Seo, Young-Su,Min, Kyunghun,Park, Ae Ran,Lee, Jungkwan,Jin, Jian-Ming,Lin, Yang,Cao, Peijian,Hong, Sae-Yeon,Kim, Eun-Kyung,Lee, Seung-Ho,Cho, Aram,Lee, Seunghoon,Kim, Myung-Gu,Kim, Yongs Public Library of Science 2011 PLoS pathogens Vol.7 No.10

<▼1><P><I>Fusarium graminearum</I> is an important plant pathogen that causes head blight of major cereal crops. The fungus produces mycotoxins that are harmful to animal and human. In this study, a systematic analysis of 17 phenotypes of the mutants in 657 <I>Fusarium graminearum</I> genes encoding putative transcription factors (TFs) resulted in a database of over 11,000 phenotypes (phenome). This database provides comprehensive insights into how this cereal pathogen of global significance regulates traits important for growth, development, stress response, pathogenesis, and toxin production and how transcriptional regulations of these traits are interconnected. In-depth analysis of TFs involved in sexual development revealed that mutations causing defects in perithecia development frequently affect multiple other phenotypes, and the TFs associated with sexual development tend to be highly conserved in the fungal kingdom. Besides providing many new insights into understanding the function of <I>F. graminearum</I> TFs, this mutant library and phenome will be a valuable resource for characterizing the gene expression network in this fungus and serve as a reference for studying how different fungi have evolved to control various cellular processes at the transcriptional level.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author Summary</B></P><P>Large collections of mutant lines allow for identification of gene functions. Here we constructed a mutant library of 657 putative transcription factors (TFs) through homologous recombination in the head blight fungus, <I>Fusarium graminearum</I>, providing a resource for understanding gene regulation in fungus. By screening these mutants in 17 phenotypic categories, we constructed a dataset of over 11,000 phenotypes. This study provides new insight into understanding multiple phenotypes caused by single TF as well as regulation of gene expression at the transcription level in <I>F. graminearum</I>. Furthermore, our TF mutant library will be a valuable resource for fungal studies through the distribution of mutants and easy access to our phenotypic and genetic data.</P></▼2>