The expression of ketohexokinase is diminished in human clear cell type of renal cell carcinoma

For identification and targeting of tumor-associated marker proteins, the proteome of clear cell type of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and normal kidney tissues was analyzed by 2-DE. Ketohexokinase (also called fructokinase), which catalyzes the phosphorylation of fructose to fructose 1-phosphate, was identified by MALDI-TOF MS and found to be expressed at low rates in the renal tumor tissues. We found a decreased amount of ketohexokinase mRNA in RCC compared to that observed in the normal kidney tissues by Northern blot. The activity of ketohexokinase in 20 clear cell RCC specimens and the 20 corresponding normal kidneys was investigated, and its activity was shown to be approximately 1.4-fold lower in the RCC specimens than in the normal kidney. Ketohexokinase activity in tumor stage pT3 RCC was 1.5-fold lower than in pT1 RCC. The level of ketohexokinase activity in histological grade 3 RCC was 1.8-fold lower than that in grade 1 cancer. In addition, using in situ hybridization, it was revealed that ketohexokinase in the normal kidney tissue was confined to the proximal tubular epithelial cells, while the expression of ketohexokinase in RCC tissues was extremely low. Our research results show that the expression of human ketohexokinase was diminished in clear cell RCC.

The plasma alpha-synuclein levels in patients with Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy

alpha-Synuclein, a synaptic protein of unknown function, is a major component of Lewy bodies and may play a role in the pathophysiological process of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we measured the plasma alpha-synuclein levels in 105 patients with PD, 38 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 51 age-matched controls. The alpha-synuclein level was significantly elevated in patients with PD (79.9 +/- 4.0 pg/ml, p < 0.001) and in those with MSA (78.1 +/- 3.5 pg/ml, p = 0.019) compared with the level in controls (76.1 +/- 3.9 pg/ml). The alpha-synuclein level was higher in patients with PD than in those with MSA (79.9 +/- 4.0 vs 78.1 +/- 3.5, p = 0.016). Our study demonstrated that the alpha-synuclein level in plasma is elevated in patients with PD and MSA.

Implications of increased tumor blood flow and oxygenation caused by mild temperature hyperthermia in tumor treatment

In many past clinical studies in which hyperthermia enhanced the efficacy of radiotherapy, the tumor temperatures could be raised only to 40-42 degrees C range in most cases. The heat-induced cell death, cellular radiosensitization, and vascular damage induced by such mild temperature hyperthermia (MTH) are likely to be insignificant despite the increased response of tumors to radiotherapy. Heating rodent tumors at 40-42 degrees C was found to cause an enduring increase in blood flow and oxygenation in the tumors. Recent studies with canine soft tissue sarcoma and human tumor clinical studies also demonstrated that MTH improves tumor oxygenation, and enhances response of the tumors to radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The increased blood flow and vascular permeability caused by MTH may also improve the delivery of various therapeutic agents such as chemotherapy drugs, immunotherapeutic agents and genetic constructs for gene therapy to tumor cells. MTH as a means to potentiate the efficacy of radiotherapy and others warrants further investigation.

Involvement of lymphocytes in dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis

AIM: To investigate the roles of lymphocytes in the development of dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.

METHODS: Using various doses of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), we induced colitis in wild-type B6 control and Rag-1 knockout (H-2^b haplotype) mice, and evaluated the colitis in terms of symptomatic and histologic parameters, such as weight loss, survival, severity of diarrhea, shortage of colon length and histological changes. Symptomatic parameters were checked daily and histological changes were scored.

RESULTS: Although development of colitis in Rag-1 knockout mice treated with high dose (5%) of DSS was comparable to that in B6 control mice, colitis progression was much more tolerable in Rag-1 knockout mice compared to than in B6 mice treated with low dose (1.5%) DSS. Symptomatic parameters as well as histopathologic changes were improved in Rag-1 knockout mice.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the presence of lymphocytes contributes to colitis progression at low dose of DSS stimulation. Lymphocytes may play roles as an aggravating factor in DSS-induced colitis.

Production of optically active ketoprofen by direct enzymatic esterification

For the production of optically active ketoprofen, enzymatic resolution of racemic ketoprofen in an organic solvent has been accomplished via enantioselective esterification. Pharmacologically inactive (R)-ketoprofen is converted into the corresponding (R)-ester by this method. Enantioselectivity in lipase-catalyzed resolution of racemic ketoprofen was mainly dependent on the sources of lipase, alcohol moiety, organic solvent, and water content. Ethanol was used as the alkyl donor and the optimum water content required for highly efficient enzymatic resolution was determined to be 0.1-0.15% (v/v), which was maintained using salt hydrates such as Na2SO4 x 10H2O. (S)-Ketoprofen could be obtained with high enantioselectivity (E=15) in n-hexane supplemented with ethylene dichloride (20% (v/v)) using commercially available Candida antarctica lipase (Novozym 435).

Thymocyte-Thymocyte Interaction for Efficient Positive Selection and Maturation of CD4 T Cells

Despite numerous reports on MHC class II expression by T cells from a wide spectrum of mammalian species including humans, the biological relevance of this phenomenon has never been tested with appropriately designed animal models. To address this issue, we developed mouse models in which immature thymocytes are the only positively selecting antigen-presenting cells in the thymus. In these mice, CD4+ T cells were generated with the appropriate maturation phenotype and showed a diverse repertoire of TCR Vbetas. The CD4+ T cells were functionally competent, mediating effective allogeneic responses that involved polyclonal TCR Vbetas. These results suggest that the thymocyte-thymocyte (T-T) interaction operates as an independent pathway for CD4+ T cell selection in the thymi of species with MHC II-positive thymocytes. This T-T interaction appears to be the basis for the generation of donor MHC-restricted CD4+ T cells in xenogeneic hosts.

Rapid divergency of rodent CD99 orthologs: implications for the evolution of the pseudoautosomal region

The human pseudoautosomal region 1 (PAR1) is essential for the obligatory X-Y crossover in male meiosis. Despite its critical role, comparative studies of human and mouse pseudoautosomal genes have been limited owing to the scarcity of genes conserved between the two species. Human CD99 is a 32-kDa cell surface protein that is encoded by the MIC2 gene localized to the PAR1. Although several sequences such as CD99L2, PBDX, and CD99L1 are related to CD99, its murine ortholog, Cd99, has not yet been identified. Here we report a novel mouse Cd99, designated D4, which shows overall sequence homology to CD99, with the highest conservation between the two genes being found in the transmembrane regions. In addition, the D4 protein displays biochemical characteristics, functional homology, and expression patterns similar to those of CD99. The D4 gene is localized on an autosome, chromosome 4, reflecting a common mapping feature with other mouse orthologs of human PAR1 genes. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis of CD99-related genes confirmed that the D4 gene is indeed an ortholog of CD99 and exhibits the accelerated evolution pattern of CD99 orthologs, as compared to the CD99L2 orthologs. On the basis of these findings, we suggest that CD99 belongs to the ancient PAR genes, and that the rapid interspecies divergence of its present sequence and map position is due to a high recombination frequency and the occurrence of chromosomal translocation, supporting the addition-attrition hypothesis for PAR evolution.

Identification and characterization of the peroxiredoxin gene family in chickens

Peroxiredoxin (PRX) is a crucial antioxidant protein that protects against endogenously produced peroxides in prokaryotes to eukaryotes. To date, 6 different isoforms have been identified in mammals. In this study, we describe the first members of the PRX protein family to be characterized in Chicken. Through bioinformatics analysis, we observed that at least 4 different classes of PRX protein have been evolutionarily conserved in chickens. Furthermore, in vitro functional assays of the candidate chicken PRX proteins demonstrated that they had levels of antioxidant activity similar to those of the mammalian enzymes. The expression patterns of the PRX transcript in several chicken tissues were not tissue specific, suggesting that they might play an essential role as a housekeeping gene in all tissues to protect against oxidative damage. In conclusion, the sequences of the putative members of this functional gene family in chickens could be effectively retrieved in silico through bioinformatics analysis, and the functionality of their gene products evaluated by in vitro comparative assay.

Discovery of SNPs in soybean genotypes frequently used as the parents of mapping populations in the United States and Korea

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including insertion/deletions (indels) serve as useful and informative genetic markers. The availability of high-throughput and inexpensive SNP typing systems has increased interest in the development of SNP markers. After fragments of genes were amplified with primers derived from 110 soybean GenBank ESTs, sequencing data of PCR products from 15 soybean genotypes from Korea and the United States were analyzed by SeqScape software to find SNPs. Among 35 gene fragments with at least one SNP among the 15 genotypes, SNPs occurred at a frequency of 1 per 2,038 bp in 16,302 bp of coding sequence and 1 per 191 bp in 16,960 bp of noncoding regions. This corresponds to a nucleotide diversity (theta) of 0.00017 and 0.00186, respectively. Of the 97 SNPs discovered, 78 or 80.4% were present in the six North American soybean mapping parents. The addition of "Hwaeomputkong," which originated from Japan, increased the number to 92, or 94.8% of the total number of SNPs present among the 15 genotypes. Thus, Hwaeomputkong and the six North American mapping parents provide a diverse set of soybean genotypes that can be successfully used for SNP discovery in coding DNA and closely associated introns and untranslated regions.

Coptis japonica root extract induces apoptosis through caspase3 activation in SNU-668 human gastric cancer cells

Apoptosis-modulating approaches offer an attractive opportunity for therapeutic use for many tumors. We investigated the effects of the roots of Coptis japonica var. dissecta (Ranunculaceae) on human gastric cancer cells, SNU-668. The cytotoxicity of Coptis japonica at 100 microg/ml (methanol extract) by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was 13.89 +/- 1.91% of control value. Considering the features by 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, it was confirmed that the death of SNU-668 cells was due to apoptosis. In the apoptosis-regulating genes, BCL2 expression was diminished out, whereas BAX and CASP3 expressions were increased, compared with control. Furthermore, the activity of caspase3 was significantly increased by Coptis japonica treatment. These results suggest that Coptis japonica could induce apoptotic anticancer effect through caspase3 activation on SNU-668 human gastric cancer cells.

Comparison of rifaximin and lactulose for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy: a prospective randomized study

Rifaximin has been reported to be effective for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in Europe. However, it is unknown whether Rifaximin is effective for the treatment of HE in Koreans, therefore we conducted a open-label prospective randomized study to evaluate the efficacy of rifaximin versus lactulose in Korean patients. Fifty-four patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy were enrolled. Thirty-two patients were randomized to receive rifaximin and 22 to receive lactulose both over a 7-day periods. Before and at the end of treatment, gradation of blood ammonia, flapping tremor, mental status, number connection test (NCT) were performed and estimation of HE indexes determined. Both rifaximin and lactulose were effective in the majority of patients (84.4% and 95.4%, respectively, p = 0.315). Blood NH3, flapping tremor, mental status, and NCT was significantly improved by rifaximin and lactulose, and the post- treatment levels of these measures were similar for the rifaximin and lactulose-treated groups, as was the HE index (rifaximin group (10.0 --> 4.2, p = 0.000); lactulose group (11.3 --> 5.0, p = 0.000)). One patient treated with rifaximin complained of abdominal pain, which was easily controlled. There was no episode of renal function impairment in either treatment group. Rifaximin proved to be as safe and as effective as lactulose for the treatment of Korean patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Identification of proteins differentially expressed in the conventional renal cell carcinoma by proteomic analysis

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most malignant tumors in urology, and due to its insidious onset patients frequently have advanced disease at the time of clinical presentation. Thus, early detection is crucial in management of RCC. To identify tumor specific proteins of RCC, we employed proteomic analysis. We prepared proteins from conventional RCC and the corresponding normal kidney tissues from seven patients with conventional RCC. The expression of proteins was determined by silver stain after two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). The overall protein expression patterns in the RCC and the normal kidney tissues were quite similar except some areas. Of 66 differentially expressed protein spots (p<0.05 by Student t-test), 8 different proteins from 11 spots were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS. The expression of the following proteins was repressed (p<0.05); aminoacylase-1, enoyl-CoA hydratase, aldehyde reductase, tropomyosin alpha-4 chain, agmatinase and ketohexokinase. Two proteins, vimentin and alpha-1 antitrypsin precursor, were dominantly expressed in RCC (p<0.05).

Genetic association study of adiponectin polymorphisms with risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Korean population

AIMS

To investigate any association between Type 2 diabetes mellitus and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the adiponectin gene, T45G and G276T, in the Korean population.

METHODS

We genotyped 427 non-diabetic controls and 493 Type 2 diabetic patients for SNPs T45G and G276T of adiponectin gene, measured plasma adiponectin concentrations, and examined clinical parameters in Koreans.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in allele frequencies of SNPs 45 and 276 comparing control with Type 2 diabetic subjects (T frequency 68.3% vs. 71.6%, P=0.13 for SNP45, G frequency 72.2% vs. 68.9%, P=0.12 for SNP276). The genotype distributions of these SNPs had no association with the risk of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic parameters of insulin resistance. Plasma levels of adiponectin were not statistically different according to T45G and G276T either, in both control and Type 2 diabetic subjects.

CONCLUSION

The T45G and G276T of the adiponectin gene may not be an important determinant of Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance in Korean subjects.

Impact of IL-1 receptor antagonist gene polymorphism on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVES

Variable levels of cytokines were observed in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and an especially high level of interleukin-1 (IL-1) was detected in schizophrenia patients. It is known that IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) binds to IL-1 receptors and inhibits the receptor binding of IL-1alpha and IL-1beta.

METHODS

In this study, the association between the variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism of the IL-1RA gene and schizophrenia (n=269) and bipolar disorder (n=83) was investigated.

RESULTS

The genotype distribution and allele frequency were significantly different between schizophrenic patients and the control group (P<0.05); however, there were no prominent differences between bipolar patients and the control group. The carriage rate for the IL1RN*2 allele was associated with higher risk of schizophrenia (odds ratio=2.24).

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that IL-1RA could be a candidate gene for susceptibility to schizophrenia.

4-1BB promotes long-term survival in skin allografts treated with anti-CD45RB and anti-CD40L monoclonal antibodies

4-1BB (CD137) is a T-cell co-stimulatory molecule that promotes T cell activation. Using a skin transplantation model, we observed that simultaneous administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeting CD45RB and CD40L prolonged skin allograft in co-stimulation blockade (CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD40L mAb)-resistant mice, because of reducing CD8(+) T cells and CD4(+) CD45RB(high) T cells. Anti-CD45RB mAb (45RB) blocks the activation of T helper 1 (Th1) cells and generates regulatory T cells (T(reg)). The experimental design included five groups: group 1, control; group 2, 45RB-MR1; group 3, 45B-MR1 + 4-IBBL; group 4, anti-CD4 mAb plus group 3 treatment; group 5, anti-CD8 mAb plus group 3 treatment. In this study we highlight the involvement of 4-1BB/4-1BBL in the development of T-cell responses. C57BL/6 recipients of BALB/c skin grafts were treated with 45RB, anti-CD40L mAb (MR1), and antagonistic anti-4-1BBL mAb (4-1BBL) on days 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 posttransplantation. Additional 4-1BBL further prolonged skin graft survival, although the percentage of splenocyte-derived CD8(+) T cells was reduced similarly in both groups. Use of 4-1BBL seems to have additive effects on T(reg) cells, which play a major role in the maintenance of tolerance. Even after immunosuppressive therapy in combination with CD4(+) T-cell depletion, we did not achieve prolonged graft survival, possibly because of the absense of T(reg) cells, which require CD4-independent CD8(+) T cells, based on the observation of increasing proportion of CD8(+) T cells in similar degree as the control group.

Survival of freeze-dried Lactobacillus bulgaricus KFRI 673 in chitosan-coated calcium alginate microparticles

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alginate microparticles coated with three kinds of chitosans of different molecular weights on the survival of Lactobacillus bulgaricus KFRI 673 in simulated gastric (SGJ) and intestinal juices (SIJ) and on their stability during storage at 4 and 22 degrees C. L. bulgaricus KFRI 673 loaded in alginate microparticles was prepared by spraying the mixture of sodium alginate and cell culture into the calcium chloride solution using an air-atomizing device. When L. bulgaricus KFRI 673 was exposed to SGJ of pH 2.0 for 60 min, none of the microorganism survived. Contrary to this result, microbiological analysis indicated that microencapsulation in alginate microparticles improved the survival of acid-sensitive L. bulgaricus KFRI 673 in SGJ and that high molecular weight chitosan coating resulted in the highest survival in SGJ. To study storage stability of free and microencapsulated cells, in vitro studies were conducted at 4 and 22 degrees C during a 4 week period. Both free and microencapsulated cells showed similar stabilities during 4 weeks of storage at 4 degrees C. However, the stability of Lactobacillus at 22 degrees C was appreciably improved when loaded in high molecular weight chitosan-coated alginate microparticles. In conclusion, microencapsulation of lactic acid bacteria with alginate and chitosan coating offers an effective way of delivering viable bacterial cells to the colon and maintaining their survival during refrigerated storage.

Baicalin induces NAD(P)H:quinone reductase through the transactivation of AP-1 and NF-κB in Hepa 1c1c7 cells

Baicalin (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone-7-O-D-glucuronic acid, BA) is a flavone isolated from Scutellariae radix. In our previous report BA was a major active principle of NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR) induction mediated by Scutellariae radix extract and the induction was related to the transcriptional activation of the QR gene in Hepa 1c1c7 cells. The primary aim of the present study was to determine the molecular mechanism of QR gene expression by baicalin. The antioxidant or electrophile response element (ARE/EpRE) found at the 5'-flanking region of phase II genes may play an important role in mediating their induction by xenobiotics, including chemopreventive agents. In accordance, to study the molecular mechanisms of QR gene expression by BA, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), using nuclear extracts of treated and untreated cells against ARE, activator protein-1 (AP-1) or nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) binding sites, showed that BA increased the binding levels of the parameters in a dose-dependent manner. Further, Hepa 1c1c7 cells were transiently transfected with a plasmid containing three copies of the AP-1- or NF-kappaB-binding site linked to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene. Using the CAT reporter gene assay, a dose-dependent transactivation of AP-1- or NF-kappaB-mediated CAT expression was observed with the treatment of BA. These results clearly indicate that BA induces the QR gene expression and activity by transactivation of AP-1 and NF-kappaB, and thus BA may be considered as a potential cancer chemopreventive agent with the induction of phase II detoxification enzyme.

Abnormal motor behavior and vestibular dysfunction in the stargazer mouse mutant

In stargazer mutant mice, a mutation in the gene encoding stargazin results in absence epilepsy, cerebellar ataxia, and a characteristic abnormal motor syndrome. The main goal of the current studies was to characterize the nature and source of the abnormal motor behavior. Because the stargazer motor syndrome resembles that of other rodents with vestibular dysfunction, the motor abnormalities were compared with those of normal mice treated with toxins known to damage the vestibular system. Quantitative open field assessments revealed that the stargazer mice display a motor syndrome very similar to that exhibited by mice with toxin-induced vestibulopathy. However, stargazer mice also displayed several additional behaviors, such as ataxic gait and sustained extensor movements of the neck. In addition, stargazer mice performed worse than mice with toxin-induced vestibulopathy in most standard tests of motor function. Motor function was also impaired on each of four behavioral tests sensitive to vestibular function. Because of the close associations between the vestibular and auditory systems, tests of auditory function were also employed. The stargazer mutants exhibited relatively normal auditory brainstem evoked responses but no apparent acoustic startle reflex. Histological examination of vestibular sensory epithelium at the light and electron microscopic levels confirmed the existence of abnormalities in the stargazer mutants. These results imply a previously unrecognized role for stargazin in the normal functions of the vestibular system and indicate that some, but not all, of the abnormal motor syndrome of stargazer mice can be attributed to vestibular dysfunction.

Suppressive effects of nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression by Calystegia soldanella methanol extract on lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 cells

Since nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been found to be involved in various pathophysiological processes, including inflammation and carcinogenesis, the modulators of NO synthesis or expression have been considered as potential anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive agents. In this study, to procure the iNOS inhibitors from natural products, we evaluated 57 methanol extracts of natural products including Korean indigenous plants for the inhibition of NO formation on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells. As a result, several extracts including those from Actinodaphne lancifolia, Calystegia soldanella, Caryratia japonica, Citrus dachibana, Dystaenia takeshimana, Erysimum aurantiacum, Hovenia undulata, Stewartia koreana and Viburnum awabuki showed potent inhibitory activities of NO production (>70% inhibition at the test concentration of 40 microg/ml). In particular, the extract of Calystegia soldanella showed a potential inhibition of NO production in a dose-dependent manner (IC50=4.3 microg/ml). Subsequent study also exhibited that the extract of Calystegia soldanella significantly suppressed iNOS protein and gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that Calystegia soldanella might be a new potential candidate for developing an iNOS inhibitor from natural products and also could be warranted for further elucidation of active principles for the development of new anti-inflammatory and/or cancer chemopreventive agents.

Effects of Paeonia lactiflora root extracts on the secretions of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and -3 in human nasal fibroblasts

In the field of Oriental medicine, the root of Paeonia lactiflora (Paeoniae Radix) has been prescribed usually to treat the common cold, and it was thought to alleviate upper respiratory infection or nasal inflammation. Monocyte chemotactic proteins (MCP)-1 and MCP-3 are known as the most potent chemokines to mediate allergic inflammation. The object of the study was to investigate the effect of Paeoniae Radix on the release of the chemokines such as MCP-1 and MCP-3. To detect the secretion of MCPs, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed for human nasal mucosal fibroblasts after stimulation with several cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). The secretion of MCP-1 was increased after stimulation with TNF-alpha or IL-1beta treatment. Co-treatment of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, or IL-1beta and IFN-gamma increased the secretion of MCP-1 and MCP-3. Paeoniae Radix was tested with inflammatory cytokines, and the results showed that the Paeoniae Radix significantly decreased the secretion of MCP-1 and MCP-3. In our study, Paeoniae Radix may play an important role in nasal inflammation with a modulation of MCP-1 and MCP-3.