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>

Potential roles of D-serine and serine racemase in experimental temporal lobe epilepsy

Ryu, H.J.,Kim, J.-E.,Yeo, S.-I.,Kim, D.-S.,Kwon, O.-S.,Choi, S.Y.,Kang, T.-C. Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2010 Journal of neuroscience research Vol.88 No.11

<P>To confirm the roles of D-serinergic gliotransmission in epilepsy, we investigated the relationship between spatiotemporally specific glial responses and the D-serine/serine racemase system in mesial temporal structures following status epilepticus (SE). In control animals, D-serine and serine racemase immunoreactivities were detected mainly in astrocytes. After SE, D-serine and serine racemase immunoreactivities were increased in astrocytes. Double-immunofluorescence study revealed that up-regulation of serine racemase immunoreactivity was relevant not to D-serine immunoreactivity but to nestin or vimentin immunoreactivity. Neither D-serine nor serine racemase was found in naïve or reactive microglia. In addition, phosphorylated N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 1 (pNR1-Ser896) immunoreactivity in the hippocampus was increased compared with controls. Increased D-serine immunoreactivity showed direct correlation with the phosphorylation of Ser896 of NR1. Given the findings of our previous study, these findings suggest that D-serine and serine racemase in astrocytes may play roles in neuronal hyperexcitability via a cooperative activation of NMDA receptors. Furthermore, serine racemase may be involved in migration and differentiation of immature astrocytes, which is relevant to reactive astrogliosis. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.</P>

d-pinitol regulates Th1/Th2 balance via suppressing Th2 immune response in ovalbumin-induced asthma

Lee, J.S.,Lee, C.M.,Jeong, Y.I.,Jung, I.D.,Kim, B.H.,Seong, E.Y.,Kim, J.I.,Choi, I.W.,Chung, H.Y.,Park, Y.M. North-Holland Pub ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2007 FEBS letters Vol.581 No.1

d-pinitol has been demonstrated to exert insulin-like and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its anti-allergic effect in the Th1/Th2 immune response is poorly understood. Recently, it was shown that T-bet and GATA-3 are master Th1 and Th2 regulatory transcription factors. In this study, we have attempted to determine whether d-pinitol regulates Th1/Th2 cytokine production, T-bet and GATA-3 gene expression in OVA-induced asthma model mice. We also examined to ascertain whether d-pinitol could influence eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) activity. After being sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) showed typical asthmatic reactions. These reactions included an increase in the number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, an increase in inflammatory cell infiltration into the lung tissue around blood vessels and airways, airway luminal narrowing, and the development of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR). The administration of d-pinitol before the last airway OVA challenge resulted in a significant inhibition of all asthmatic reactions. Accordingly, this study may provide evidence that d-pinitol plays a critical role in the amelioration of the pathogenetic process of asthma in mice. These findings provide new insight into the immunopharmacological role of d-pinitol in terms of its effects in a murine model of asthma, and also broaden current perspectives in our understanding of the immunopharmacological functions of d-pinitol.

Effective suppression of C5a-induced proinflammatory response using anti-human C5a repebody

Hwang, D.E.,Choi, J.M.,Yang, C.S.,Lee, J.j.,Heu, W.,Jo, E.K.,Kim, H.S. Academic Press 2016 Biochemical and biophysical research communication Vol.477 No.4

The strongest anaphylatoxin, C5a, plays a critical role in the proinflammatory responses, causing the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory diseases including sepsis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Inhibitors of C5a thus have great potential as therapeutics for various inflammatory disorders. Herein, we present the development of a high-affinity repebody against human C5a (hC5a), which effectively suppresses the proinflammatory response. A repebody scaffold composed of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) modules was previously developed as an alternative protein scaffold. A repebody specifically binding to hC5a was selected through a phage display, and its affinity was increased up to 5 nM using modular engineering. The repebody was shown to effectively inhibit the production of C5a-induced proinflammatory cytokines by human monocytes. To obtain insight into a mode of action by the repebody, we determined its crystal structure in complex with hC5a. A structural analysis revealed that the repebody binds to the D1 and D3 regions of hC5a, overlapping several epitope residues with the hC5a receptor (hC5aR). It is thus likely that the repebody suppresses the hC5a-mediated immune response in monocytes by blocking the binding of hC5a to its receptor. The anti-hC5a repebody can be developed as a potential therapeutic for C5a-involved inflammatory diseases.

O-free polyacrylonitrile doping to improve the J_c(B) and H_c2 of MgB₂ wires

Hwang, S.M.,Sung, K.,Choi, J.H.,Kim, W.,Joo, J.,Lim, J.H.,Kim, C.J.,Park, Y.S.,Kim, D.H. North-Holland 2010 Physica. C, Superconductivity Vol.470 No.20

We selected polyacrylonitrile (PAN, -[C<SUB>3</SUB>H<SUB>3</SUB>N]-) as an O-free organic dopant and fabricated C-doped MgB<SUB>2</SUB> wires by in situ and powder-in-tube techniques. 0-5 wt.% PAN powders were uniformly mixed with B powder using a liquid mixing method. The precursor powders were mixed with Mg powder, filled into Fe tubes, and then drawn into wires. Sintering was performed at 900<SUP>o</SUP>C for 1h in a flowing Ar gas. The PAN doping decreased the critical temperature (T<SUB>c</SUB>) and a-axis lattice parameter, but significantly improved the critical current density (J<SUB>c</SUB>) in high fields, upper critical field (H<SUB>c2</SUB>), and irreversibility field (H<SUB>irr</SUB>) performances. These results are attributed to the replacement of B sites with C by the PAN doping. Furthermore, as expected, the MgO amount did not increase as the doping content increased. The J<SUB>c</SUB> of the PAN-doped MgB<SUB>2</SUB> wires was more than one order of magnitude higher than that of the undoped MgB<SUB>2</SUB> wire at 5K and 6.6T (1.46-3.82kA/cm<SUP>2</SUP> vs. 0.11kA/cm<SUP>2</SUP>).

Identification of Novel SNPs with Effect on Economic Traits in Uncoupling Protein Gene of Korean Native Chicken

Oh, J.D.,Kong, H.S.,Lee, J.H.,Choi, I.S.,Lee, S.J.,Lee, S.G.,Sang, B.D.,Choi, C.H.,Cho, B.W.,Jeon, G.J.,Lee, H.K. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.8

The avian uncoupling protein (avUCP) is a member of the mitochondrial transporter superfamily that uncouples proton entry in the mitochondrial matrix from ATP synthesis. The sequencing analysis method was used to identify nucleotide polymorphisms within the avUCP gene in Korean native chicken (KNC). This study identified ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the avUCP gene. We analyzed the SNPs of the avUCP gene to investigate whether polymorphism in the gene might be responsible for quantitative variations in economic traits in KNC. Three significant polymorphic sites for economic traits were avUCP C+282T (mean body weight, p<0.05), avUCP C+433T (daily percent lay, p<0.05), and avUCP T+1316C (daily percent lay, p<0.05). The frequency of each SNP was 0.125 (C+282T in avUCP gene exon 1 region), 0.150 (C+433T in avUCP gene intron 1 region), and 0.15 (T+1316C in avUCP gene exon 3 region), respectively. Among the identified SNPs, one pair of SNPs (genotype CC, C+282T and TT, avUCP C+433T) showed the highest daily percent lay (p<0.05) and mean body weight (p<0.05) and the frequency was 0.067. This study of the avUCP gene could be useful for genetic studies of this gene and selection on economic traits for KNC.

Effects of the addition of ZnO and Y₂O₃ on the electrochemical characteristics of a Ni(OH)₂ electrode in nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries

Jung, K.W.,Yang, D.C.,Park, C.N.,Park, C.J.,Choi, J. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2010 International journal of hydrogen energy Vol.35 No.23

This study examined the effects of the addition of ZnO and Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> on the electrochemical characteristics of a Ni(OH)<SUB>2</SUB> electrode in nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) secondary batteries. The discharge capacity of the electrode was less affected by the addition of ZnO and Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> at a 0.2 C-rate and 25<SUP>o</SUP>C. However, the addition of Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> deteriorated the discharge capacity and the cycle life of the electrode by increasing the charge transfer resistance of the electrode at an increased C-rate of 1 C and 25<SUP>o</SUP>C. Under severer conditions at 1 C-rate and 60<SUP>o</SUP>C, the electrode materials were separated from the current collector and, accordingly, the discharge capacity was abruptly degraded with cycling for the electrodes comprising only 4wt% ZnO or 4wt% Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB>. In contrast, the electrodes containing both 2wt% ZnO and 2wt% Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> exhibited stable discharge capacity with cycling and excellent cycle life due to the high overvoltage for oxygen evolution. The present results indicate that the addition of ZnO and Y<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> with an optimum composition suppresses oxygen evolution in the interfaces between active materials and the current collector and improves the cycle life of the electrode.

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>

Ion scattering spectroscopy study of the Si(001)c(4x4)-C surface reconstruction

Park J. Y.,Chae K. H.,Choi D. S.,Kim J. Y.,Kim S. S.,Seo J. H.,Whang C. N. 한국물리학회 2004 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.45 No.3

Reconstructed Si(001)c(4 4)-C surface has been studied by coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (CAICISS). When 100L ethylene (C2H4) was exposed on Si(001)-(2 1) surface at 700 C, Si(001) dimer structures were changed by induced carbon (C) atoms. The experimental CAICISS spectra and simulation results reveal that the reconstructed Si(001)c(4 4)-C surface shows good agreement with the missing dimer model, rather than the Si-C heterodimer model, and adsorbed C atoms in uence only the reconstructed vertical plane of Si(001) surface. On comparing the azimuthal-scan curves for 100L C/Si(001) with those for clean Si(001), it can be suggested that C atoms occupy the fourth subsurface layer of Si(001) directly below the HB (bridge) site. These results are new evidence supporting the previous studies based on the C incorporation into Si(001) surface with missing dimers and the substitution of the fourth Si layers.

한국재래계의 염색체 분염 표지 분석

백규흠,이철영,상병돈,최철환,김학규,손시환 한국동물자원과학회 2003 한국축산학회지 Vol.45 No.1

본 연구에서는 국내 고유 재래 가축들의 유전정보와 유전학적 개량의 기초자료 제공을 목적으로 고분염 분석(high-resolution banding) 방법에 의한 한국재래계의 염색체 분염 표지를 제시하였다. 본 연구에 공시된 한국재래계로서의 축산기술연구소에서 계통화 시킨 황갈색 및 적갈색계통으로 이들이 생산한 수정란의 초기 배자를 이용하여 염색체 분석을 수행하였으며 닭의 초기배자에 EtBr 및 colchicine을 처리함으로써 보다 양호한 고정도 염색체를 획득하였다. 한국 재래계의 GTG-banding 결과 모든 상동염색체간에 뚜렷하고 특징적인 band 양상을 얻을 수 있었으며, Leghorn 및 국제표준핵형(ISSAK)과 비교시 염색체의 형태적 양상에서는 거의 차이가 없는 것으로 분석되었고 대표적 landmark간에도 거의 일치되는 양상을 보였다. 그러나 대부분의 한국재래계의 대형염색체에서 더 많은 G-band의 분리 양상을 보이고 특히 1번 및 Z염색체에서 특징적 분리 양상의 차이를 보였다. 한국재래계의 C-banding 분석에서는 세포별 heterochromatin의 다형성을 보이기는 하나 대부분의 염색체의 동원체와 말단부위에서 C-band가 나타났으며, Z 염색체 장완 말단부와 W 염색체 전체에서는 거의 모든 세포에서 C-band가 출현하였다. 또한 3번 염색체 동원체와 Z 염색체 장완 말단부에서 특징적 다형성을 나타내어 이들 염색체들에서는 상동염색체간 heterochromatin의 이형적 양상(heteromorphic)이 존재함을 밝혔다. The present study was carried out to establish the standard karyotype of the Korean Native Chicken and to find their chromosomal band markers using high-resolution banding technique. Chromosome analysis was performed on early chick embryos following in vitro culture of fertilized eggs of the yellow-brown and the red-brown lines of the Korean Native Chicken which had been established at National Livestock Research Institute. The high-resolution banding of the chromosome was achieved by treating the embryos with ethidium bromide and colchicine during culture. On GTG-banding, the Korean Native Chicken exhibited a typical chick banding pattern in all the macrochromosomes. Overall chromosomal morphology and positions of typical landmarks of the Korean Native Chicken were virtually identical to those of White Leghorn International System for Standardized Avian Karyotypes(ISSAK0. However, the lengths and G-band number of the Korean Native Chicken macrochromosomes were greater than those of White Leghorn and ISSAK. Especially in chromosomes I and Z. the Korean Native Chicken exhibited more separated bands in compared with ISSAK. In C-banding patterns, although a lot of observed cells had C-band polymorphic patterns. almost the Korean Native Chicken macrochromosomes had heterochromatic C-band on centromeres and/or near terminal part. However, the heterochromatic C-band was constantly observed at the end of q-arm of Z chromosomes and on the whole W chromosome. In addition, the Korean Native Chicken exhibited distinctive heteromorphic patterns of C-bands on the centromere of chromosome 3 and at the end of q-arm of Z chromosome between homologous chromosomes.