TmSR-C, scavenger receptor class C, plays a pivotal role in antifungal and antibacterial immunity in the coleopteran insect Tenebrio molitor

Kim, S.G.,Jo, Y.H.,Seong, J.H.,Park, K.B.,Noh, M.Y.,Cho, J.H.,Ko, H.J.,Kim, C.E.,Tindwa, H.,Patnaik, B.B.,Bang, I.S.,Lee, Y.S.,Han, Y.S. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2017 Insect biochemistry and molecular biology Vol.89 No.-

Scavenger receptors (SRs) constitute a family of membrane-bound receptors that bind to multiple ligands. The SR family of proteins is involved in removing cellular debris, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, and pathogens. Specifically, class C scavenger receptors (SR-C) have also been reported to be involved in phagocytosis of gram-positive and -negative bacteria in Drosophila and viruses in shrimp. However, reports are unavailable regarding the role of SR-C in antifungal immune mechanisms in insects. In this study, a full-length Tenebrio molitor SR-C (TmSR-C) sequence was obtained by 5'- and 3'-Rapid amplification of cDNA ends-polymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR). The TmSR-C full-length cDNA comprised 1671 bp with 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions of 23- and 107-bp, respectively. TmSR-C encodes a putative protein of 556 amino acid residues that is constitutively expressed in all tissues of late instar larvae and 2-day-old adults, with the highest transcript levels observed in hemocytes of larvae and adults. TmSR-C mRNA showed a 2.5-fold and 3-fold increase at 24 and 6 h after infection with Candida albicans and β-glucan, respectively. Immunoassay with TmSR-C polyclonal antibody showed induction of the putative protein in the cytosols of hemocytes at 3 h after inoculation of C. albicans. RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene silencing and phagocytosis assays were used to understand the role of TmSR-C in antifungal immunity. Silencing of TmSR-C transcripts reduced the survivability of late instar larvae at 2 days post-inoculation of C. albicans, Escherichia coli, or Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, in TmSR-C-silenced larvae, there was a decline in the rate of microorganism phagocytosis. Taken together, results of this study suggest that TmSR-C plays a pivotal role in phagocytosing not only fungi but also gram-negative and -positive bacteria in T. molitor.

N₂/ CH₄가스비에 따른 Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Nitride 박막의 특성

장홍규(H. K. Jang),김근식(G. S. Kim),황보상우(S. W. Whangbo),이연승(Y. S. Lee),황정남(C. N. Whang),유영조(Y. Z. Yoo),김효근(H. G. Kim) 한국진공학회(ASCT) 1998 Applied Science and Convergence Technology Vol.7 No.3

DC saddle-field-plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition(PECVD) 장치를 이용하여 상온에서 p-type Si (100) 기판위에 hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride [a-C:H(N)]박막을 증착하였다. 원료가스인 CH₄과 N₂의 전체압력은 90 mTorr로 고정하고 N₂/CH₄비를 0에서 4까지 변화하면서 제작한 a-C:H(N) 박막의 미세 구조의 변화를 연구하였다. 진공조의 도달 진공도는 1×10^(-6) Torr이고, 본 실험시 CH₄+N₂가스의 유량은 5 sc㎝으로 고정하고 배기량을 조절하여 진공조의 가스 압력을 90 mTorr로 고정하였으며 기판에 200 V의 직류 bias 전압을 인가하였다. α-step과 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)를 이용한 분석결과 N₂/CH₄비가 0에서 0.5로 증가함에 따라 박막 두께는 4840 Å에서 2600 Å으로 급격히 감소하였으며, 박막내의 탄소에 대한 질소함유량(N/C비)는 N₂/CH₄비가 4일때 최대 0.25로 증가하는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 XPS 스펙트럼의 fitting 결과 N₂/CH₄비가 증가할수록 CN결합이 증가하였다. Fourier Transformation Infrared (FT-IR) 분석결과 N₂/CH₄비가 증가함에 따라 박막내의 C-H 결합은 감소하고, N-H, C≡N 결합은 증가하였다. Optical bandgap 측정 결 과 N₂/CH₄비가 0에서 4로 증가함에 따라 a-C:H(N)박막의 bandgap 에너지는 2.53 eV에서 2.3 eV로 감소하는 것을 확인하였다. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon nitride[a-C:H(N)] films were deposited on p-type Si(100) at room temperature with substrate bias voltage of 200 V by DC saddle-field plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Effects of the ratio of N₂to CH₄(N₂/CH₄), in the range of 0 and 4 on such properties as optical properties, microstucture, relative fraction of nitrogen and carbon, etc. of the films have been investigated. The thickness of the a-C:H(N) film was abruptly decreased with the addition of nitrogen, but at N₂/CH₄> 0.5, the thickness of the film gradually decreased with the increase of the N₂/CH₄. The ratio of N to C(N/C) of the films was saturated at 0.25 with the increase of N₂/CH₄. N-H, C≡N bonds of the films increased but C-H bond decreased with the increase of N₂/CH₄. Optical band gap energy of the film decreased from 2.53 eV deposited with pure methane to 2.3 eV at the ratio of N₂/CH₄=4.

Interleukin-18, transforming growth factor-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to primary glomerulonephritis

Choi, H.-J.,Cho, J.-H.,Kim, J.-C.,Seo, H.-J.,Hyun, S.-H.,Kim, G.-H.,Choi, J.-Y.,Choi, H.-J.,Ryu, H.-M.,Cho, J.-H.,Park, S.-H.,Kim, Y.-L.,Han, S.,Kim, C.-D. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2010 Tissue antigens Vol.76 No.4

<P>Several studies have showed an association of gene polymorphisms with the development of glomerulonephritis (GN). We investigated the effects of gene polymorphisms on the development of GN by analyzing polymorphisms in the interleukin (IL)-18, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) genes in Korean patients with primary GN. The study included 146 normal subjects (controls) and 100 patients diagnosed with primary GN by kidney biopsy. The gene polymorphisms A-607C and G-137C in <I>IL-18</I>, C-509T and T869C in <I>TGF-</I>β<I>1</I>, and C-2578A and C405G in <I>VEGF</I> were investigated in DNA extracted from peripheral blood. Significant differences were observed between the GN and control groups in the genotype and allele frequencies of A-607C <I>IL-18</I> and C405G <I>VEGF</I>. The frequencies of the <I>IL-18</I>−607CC genotype [<I>P</I> = 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 2.473] and the <I>VEGF</I> 405GG genotype (<I>P</I> = 0.001, OR = 2.473) were significantly increased in the GN group. The combination of <I>IL-18</I>−607CC+ and <I>VEGF</I> 405GG+ genotypes had a higher risk for developing GN in comparison with the combination of <I>IL-18</I>−607CC− and <I>VEGF</I> 405GG− genotypes (<I>P</I> < 0.001, OR = 8.642). In the haplotype analysis of the <I>IL-18</I> gene, the CG haplotype was significantly more frequent in the GN group than the control group (61.5% <I>vs</I> 46.9%, <I>P</I> = 0.002). These results show that the −607CC genotype of the <I>IL-18</I> gene and the 405GG genotype of the <I>VEGF</I> gene are associated with susceptibility to and the development of primary GN.</P>

Gut-Specific Delivery of T-Helper 17 Cells Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance in Mice

Hong, C.P.,Park, A.,Yang, B.G.,Yun, C.H.,Kwak, M.J.,Lee, G.W.,Kim, J.H.,Jang, M.S.,Lee, E.J.,Jeun, E.J.,You, G.,Kim, K.S.,Choi, Y.,Park, J.H.,Hwang, D.,Im, S.H.,Kim, J.F.,Kim, Y.K.,Seoh, J.Y.,Surh, C. Elsevier North Holland [etc.] 2017 Gastroenterology Vol.152 No.8

<P>BACKGROUND & AIMS: Obesity and metabolic syndrome have been associated with alterations to the intestinal microbiota. However, few studies examined the effects of obesity on the intestinal immune system. We investigated changes in subsets of intestinal CD4(+) T-helper (T-H) cells with obesity and the effects of gut-tropic T(H)17 cells in mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS: We isolated immune cells from small intestine and adipose tissue of C57BL/6 mice fed a normal chow diet or a HFD for 10 weeks and analyzed the cells by flow cytometry. Mice fed a vitamin A-deficient HFD were compared with mice fed a vitamin A-sufficient HFD. Obese RAG1-deficient mice were given injections of only regulatory T cells or a combination of regulatory T cells and T(H)17 cells (wild type or deficient in integrin beta 7 subunit or interleukin 17 [IL17]). Mice were examined for weight gain, fat mass, fatty liver, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance. Fecal samples were collected before and after T cell transfer and analyzed for microbiota composition by metagenomic DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Mice placed on a HFD became obese, which affected the distribution of small intestinal CD4(+) T-H cells. Intestinal tissues from obese mice had significant reductions in the proportion of T(H)17 cells but increased proportion of T(H)1 cells, compared with intestinal tissues from nonobese mice. Depletion of vitamin A in obese mice further reduced the proportion of T(H)17 cells in small intestine; this reduction correlated with more weight gain and worsening of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Adoptive transfer of in vitro-differentiated gut-tropic T(H)17 cells to obese mice reduced these metabolic defects, which required the integrin beta 7 subunit and IL17. Delivery of T(H)17 cells to intestines of mice led to expansion of commensal microbes associated with leanness. CONCLUSIONS: In mice, intestinal T(H)17 cells contribute to development of a microbiota that maintains metabolic homeostasis, via IL17. Gut-homing T(H)17 cells might be used to reduce metabolic disorders in obese individuals.</P>

Intramolecular energy flow and bond dissociation in iodoacetylene and iododiacetylene

Ree,J.,Shin,H. K,Lee,C. S.,Kim,Y.H. 國立昌原大學校 基礎科學硏究所 1994 基礎科學硏究所論文集 Vol.6 No.-

Intermolecular and intramolecular energy flow and subsequent bond dissociation in collinear collisions Ⅰ-C≡C-H+Ar and Ⅰ-C≡C-C≡C-H+Ar have been studied by classical trajectory techniques over the collision energy range of 0 to 10 eV. When the molecule is initially in the ground state, the overall energy transfer in Ⅰ-C≡C-H+Ar is very small, but in Ⅰ-C≡C-C≡C-H+Ar it is large. The collisionally perturbed C-H bond stores a large amount of energy from translation for a brief period during the early stage of collision and transfers most of it to the inner region of the molecule, specifically to the low frequency C-I vibration. Thus the high-frequency vibration of the perturbed C-H bond during the collision plays a crucial role in determining the extent of intramolecular energy transfer and, in turn, C-I dissociation. But in nondissociative collisions, there is another series of the C-H vibration at the latter stage of collision. transferring energy back to translation. This study also considers collision-induced intramolecular energy flow in the molecule with an initially excited C-H bond. The relaxation of the low-lying C-H excitation is significantly weakened, thus becoming comparable to that of the triple bond, in which case the isolating effect of the adjacent C≡C bond is no longer important and intramolecular energy flow becomes efficient.

Validation of egg yolk antibody based C-ELISA for avian influenza surveillance in breeder duck

Jeong, O.M.,Kim, M.C.,Kang, H.M.,Ha, G.W.,Oh, J.S.,Yoo, J.E.,Park, C.H.,Kwon, J.S.,Pack, M.R.,Kim, H.R.,Kim, Y.J.,Kwon, J.H.,Lee, Y.J. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co 2010 Veterinary microbiology Vol.144 No.3

Active surveillance for avian influenza virus (AIV) has expanded from chicken to various poultry species including duck. To further effective antibody screening in laying breeder ducks, we validated the egg yolk antibody as alternative source to serum for AIV antibody. Sera and eggs were collected at weekly intervals after two types of AIV vaccination, H5N3 and H9N2. The antibody levels were determined by an agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test, haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA). AGID test did not detect antibodies in egg yolk, and the agreement between AGID test and either HI test or C-ELISA in serum was slight and fair based on kappa statistics (kappa value (κ)@?0.19 in H5N3 group and κ@?0.37 in H9N2 groups). However, there was almost perfect agreement between HI test and C-ELISA (κ>0.9 in all group). The C-ELISA was as sensitive and specific as the HI test, and could be used as a pre-screening test for the detection of type A avian influenza virus antibody. Comparison was made between egg yolk and serum antibody titers by a regression analysis. A high correlation was observed between serum and yolk antibody titers (r=0.8762 for H5N3 and 0.8914 for H9N2 in HI test; r=1 for H5N3 and 0.9686 for H9N2 in ELISA test), although egg yolk antibodies were detected later and remained lower levels than serum antibodies. In field trials involving 54 duck flocks, the positive rate of egg yolk and serum samples showed agreement for the detection of AIV antibody. We concluded that as an alternative to serum, antibody monitoring of laying breeder duck using egg yolk with C-ELISA is feasible and is recommended.

Ethanol extract of Prunus mume fruit attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis involving Nrf2/HO-1 activation in C2C12 myoblasts

Kang, J.S.,Kim, D.J.,Kim, G.Y.,Cha, H.J.,Kim, S.,Kim, H.S.,Park, C.,Hwang, H.J.,Kim, B.W.,Kim, C.M.,Choi, Y.H. Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia 2016 Revista brasileira de farmacognosia Vol.26 No.2

<P>The fruit of the Prunus mume (Siebold) Siebold & Zucc., Rosaceae (Korean name: Maesil) has long been used as a health food or valuable medicinal material in traditional herb medicine in Southeast Asian countries. In this study, we determined the potential therapeutic efficacy of the ethanol extract of P. mume fruits (EEPM) against H2O2-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the murine skeletal muscle myoblast cell line C2C12, and sought to understand the associated molecular mechanisms. The results indicated that exposure of C2C12 cells to H2O2 caused a reduction in cell viability by increasing the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and by disrupting mitochondrial membrane permeability, leading to DNA damage and apoptosis. However, pretreatment of the cells with EEPM before H2O2 exposure effectively attenuated these changes, suggesting that EEPM prevented H2O2-induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, the increased ex-pression and phosphorylation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and up-regulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a phase II antioxidant enzyme, were detected in EEPM-treated C2C12 cells. We also found that zinc protoporphyrin IX, an HO-1 inhibitor, attenuated the protective effects of EEPM against H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation and cytotoxicity. Therefore, these results indicate that the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway might be involved in the protection of EEPM against H2O2-induced cellular oxidative damage. In conclusion, these results show that EEPM contributes to the prevention of oxidative damage and could be used as a nutritional agent for oxidative stress-related diseases. (C) 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.</P>

Ex situ catalytic upgrading of lignocellulosic biomass components over vanadium contained H-MCM-41 catalysts

Kim, B.S.,Jeong, C.S.,Kim, J.M.,Park, S.B.,Park, S.H.,Jeon, J.K.,Jung, S.C.,Kim, S.C.,Park, Y.K. Elsevier Science Publishers 2016 CATALYSIS TODAY - Vol.265 No.-

<P>H-V-MCM-41 catalysts containing 5, 10, and 30 wt% of vanadium were synthesized and applied to the ex situ catalytic pyrolysis (CP) of three polymeric components of lignocellulosic biomass for the first time. Characterization of the catalysts was performed using N-2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, FT-IR, and NH3-TPD. The results of XRD analysis showed that 5 wt% and 10 wt% H-V-MCM-41 catalysts maintained the mesoporous structure, whereas the mesoporous structure was destroyed in 30 wt% H-V-MCM-41 with considerable amount of small V2O5 crystalline outside the framework. NH3-TPD showed that H-V-MCM-41 has mostly weak acid sites and that 10 wt% H-V-MCM-41 had the largest quantity of acid sites due to framework vanadium. In the case of CP of cellulose using Py-GC/MS, 10 wt% H-V-MCM-41 showed the highest catalytic activity for the production of valuable furanic compounds such as furfural because of the enhanced deoxygenation over the acid sites formed on framework vanadium. In the case of CP of xylan as well, 10 wt% H-V-MCM-41 led to the largest yield of mono-aromatics. The production of acetic acid was also promoted by H-V-MCM-41 catalysts. The CP of lignin over H-V-MCM-41 catalysts promoted substantially the production of important feedstock chemicals for the petrochemical industry: phenolics and mono-aromatics. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

High-resolution 3-μm spectra of Jupiter: Latitudinal spectral variations influenced by molecules, clouds, and haze

Kim, S.J.,Geballe, T.R.,Kim, J.H.,Jung, A.,Seo, H.J.,Minh, Y.C. Academic Press 2010 Icarus Vol.208 No.2

We present latitudinally-resolved high-resolution (R=37,000) pole-to-pole spectra of Jupiter in various narrow longitudinal ranges, in spectral intervals covering roughly half of the spectral range 2.86-3.53μm. We have analyzed the data with the aid of synthetic spectra generated from a model jovian atmosphere that included lines of CH<SUB>4</SUB>, CH<SUB>3</SUB>D, NH<SUB>3</SUB>, C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>2</SUB>, C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>6</SUB>, PH<SUB>3</SUB>, and HCN, as well as clouds and haze. Numerous spectral features of many of these molecular species are present and are individually identified for the first time, as are many lines of H<SUB>3</SUB><SUP>+</SUP> and a few unidentified spectral features. In both polar regions the 2.86-3.10-μm continuum is more than 10 times weaker than in spectra at lower latitudes, implying that in this wavelength range the single-scattering albedos of polar haze particles are very low. In contrast, the 3.24-3.53μm the weak polar and equatorial continua are of comparable intensity. We derive vertical distributions of NH<SUB>3</SUB>, C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>2</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>6</SUB>, and find that the mixing ratios of NH<SUB>3</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>6</SUB> show little variation between equatorial and polar regions. However, the mixing ratios of C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>2</SUB> in the northern and southern polar regions are ∼6 and ∼3 times, respectively, less than those in the equatorial regions. The derived mixing ratio curves of C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>2</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>6</SUB> extend up to the 10<SUP>-6</SUP> bar level, a significantly higher altitude than most previous results in the literature. Further ground-based observations covering other longitudes are needed to test if these mixing ratios are representative values for the equatorial and polar regions.

Angular dependences of SiO₂ etch rates at different bias voltages in CF₄, C₂F₆, and C₄F₈ plasmas

Kim, J.H.,Cho, S.W.,Park, C.J.,Chae, H.,Kim, C.K. Elsevier Sequoia 2017 THIN SOLID FILMS - Vol.637 No.-

The angular dependences of SiO<SUB>2</SUB> etch rates at different bias voltages for in CF<SUB>4</SUB>, C<SUB>2</SUB>F<SUB>6</SUB>, and C<SUB>4</SUB>F<SUB>8</SUB> plasmas were investigated using a Faraday cage system. When the bias voltage was -400V, the normalized etch yields (NEYs) reached a maximum at 70<SUP>o</SUP> in CF<SUB>4</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>F<SUB>6</SUB> plasmas, while they decreased monotonically with ion-incident angle in a C<SUB>4</SUB>F<SUB>8</SUB> plasma. This was because the thickness of the steady-state fluorocarbon film formed on the SiO<SUB>2</SUB> surface was minimized at an ion incident angle of 70<SUP>o</SUP> in CF<SUB>4</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>F<SUB>6</SUB> plasmas, while much thicker fluorocarbon films were deposited in a C<SUB>4</SUB>F<SUB>8</SUB> plasma. When the bias voltage was as high as -1200V, the thicknesses of the steady-state fluorocarbon films were very thin (less than 2A) and nearly unchanged at all ion-incident angles for CF<SUB>4</SUB> and C<SUB>2</SUB>F<SUB>6</SUB> plasmas, resulting in nearly the same shape of the NEY curves. In a C<SUB>4</SUB>F<SUB>8</SUB> plasma, the NEY showed a maximum at an ion-incident angle of 50<SUP>o</SUP> because the thickness of the steady-state fluorocarbon film was minimized at this angle.