General interaction mode of CIDE:CIDE complex revealed by a mutation study of the Drep2 CIDE domain

AbstractThe CIDE domain is a well known protein–protein interaction module that is initially detected at the apoptotic DNA fragmentation factor (DFF40/45). The interaction mechanism via the CIDE domain is not well understood. To elucidate CIDE domain mediated interactions in the apoptotic DNA fragmentation system, we conducted biochemical and mutational studies and found that the surface of CIDE domains can be divided into an acidic side and a basic side. In addition, a mutagenesis study revealed that the basic surface side of Drep2 CIDE is involved in the interaction with the acidic surface side of Drep1 CIDE and Drep3 CIDE. Our research supports the idea that a charge–charge interaction might be the general interaction mode of the CIDE:CIDE interaction.Structured summary of protein interactionsDrep2andDrep2bindbymolecular sieving(View Interaction:1,2)Drep1andDrep2bindbymolecular sieving(View interaction)Drep3andDrep2bindbymolecular sieving(View interaction)Drep2andDrep3bindbyblue native page(View interaction)Drep2andDrep1bindbyblue native page(View interaction

Efficiency Analysis of Major Container Ports in Asia: Using DEA and Shannon’s Entropy

This paper attempts to evaluate performance (i.e. efficiency) of Asias container ports. Measurement of the ports performance is critical to increase the competitiveness of maritime transport, ultimately leading to one nations competitive advantages over other countries. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which is a non-parametric method widely used for assessing efficiency of units which have similar characteristics, was selected to analyse the data. Due to the limitations of the DEA method producing diverse results according to different models, and to the complexities of choosing a specific model among several DEA models, Shannons Entropy was also employed. By including Shannons Entropy, the efficiency results calculated from each model were integrated in order to rank the ports. The results in this study will provide port managers with valuable information in order to understand the current status of Asias container ports in terms of their efficiency

Influence of Job-seeking Stress on Perimenstrual Symptoms of Female College Students in Health and Non-health related Majors: Mediating Effects of Stress Coping Styles

PURPOSE: To determine effects of job-seeking stress on perimenstrual symptoms of female college students with health and non-health related majors and mediating effects of stress coping styles. METHODS: Data were collected from 189 female college students who were juniors or seniors. This study was conducted using questionnaires on job-seeking stress, perimenstrual symptoms, and stress coping styles. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS, version 23.0. Mediation analysis was performed according to the Baron and Kenny method and Sobel test. RESULTS: Job-seeking stress was significantly and positively correlated with perimenstrual symptoms in non-health college students. Passive stress coping styles demonstrated a complete mediating effect on the relationship between job-seeking stress and perimenstrual symptoms of those with non-health related majors (β=0.31, p=.002). Such effect was significant (Sobel test; Z=2.06, p=.039). CONCLUSION: Effects of job-seeking stress on perimenstrual symptoms were mediated by passive stress coping styles of non-health related major students. Based on findings of this study, effective stress cope strategies should be developed considering characteristics of majors to manage perimenstrual symptoms of female college students with high job-seeking stress

Substitution of Heavy Complementarity Determining Region 3 (CDR-H3) Residues Can Synergistically Enhance Functional Activity of Antibody and Its Binding Affinity to HER2 Antigen

To generate a biobetter that has improved therapeutic activity, we constructed scFv libraries via random mutagenesis of several residues of CDR-H3 and -L3 of hu4D5. The scFv clones were isolated from the phage display libraries by stringent panning, and their anti-proliferative activity against HER2-positive cancer cells was evaluated as a primary selection criterion. Consequently, we selected AH06 as a biobetter antibody that had a 7.2-fold increase in anti-proliferative activity (IC50: 0.81 nM) against the gastric cancer cell line NCI-N87 and a 7.4-fold increase in binding affinity (K-D : 60 pM) to HER2 compared to hu4D5. The binding energy calculation and molecular modeling suggest that the substitution of residues of CDR-H3 to W98, F100c, A101 and L102 could stabilize binding of the antibody to HER2 and there could be direct hydrophobic interactions between the aromatic ring of W98 and the aliphatic group of I613 within HER2 domain IV as well as the heavy and light chain hydrophobic interactions by residues F100c, A101 and L102 of CDR-H3. Therefore, we speculate that two such interactions were exerted by the residues W98 and F100c. A101 and L102 may have a synergistic effect on the increase in the binding affinity to HER2. AH06 specifically binds to domain IV of HER2, and it decreased the phosphorylation level of HER2 and AKT. Above all, it highly increased the overall level of p27 compared to hu4D5 in the gastric cancer cell line NCI-N82, suggesting that AH06 could potentially be a more efficient therapeutic agent than hu4D5.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201620640RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A002901CITE_RATE:2.67DEPT_NM:화학생물공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM:

The Protective Effect of Apamin on LPS/Fat-Induced Atherosclerotic Mice

Apamin, a peptide component of bee venom (BV), has anti-inflammatory properties. However, the molecular mechanisms by which apamin prevents atherosclerosis are not fully understood. We examined the effect of apamin on atherosclerotic mice. Atherosclerotic mice received intraperitoneal (ip) injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2 mg/kg) to induce atherosclerotic change and were fed an atherogenic diet for 12 weeks. Apamin (0.05 mg/kg) was administered by ip injection. LPS-induced THP-1-derived macrophage inflammation treated with apamin reduced expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1, and intracellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, as well as the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Apamin decreased the formation of atherosclerotic lesions as assessed by hematoxylin and elastic staining. Treatment with apamin reduced lipids, Ca2+ levels, and TNF-α in the serum from atherosclerotic mice. Further, apamin significantly attenuated expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, TGF-β1, and fibronectin in the descending aorta from atherosclerotic mice. These results indicate that apamin plays an important role in monocyte/macrophage inflammatory processing and may be of potential value for preventing atherosclerosis

A lab-on-a-disc platform enables serial monitoring of individual CTCs associated with tumor progression during EGFR-targeted therapy for patients with NSCLC

Rationale: Unlike traditional biopsy, liquid biopsy, which is a largely non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring tool, can be performed more frequently to better track tumors and mutations over time and to validate the efficiency of a cancer treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are considered promising liquid biopsy biomarkers; however, their use in clinical settings is limited by high costs and a low throughput of standard platforms for CTC enumeration and analysis. In this study, we used a label-free, high-throughput method for CTC isolation directly from whole blood of patients using a standalone, clinical setting-friendly platform. Methods: A CTC-based liquid biopsy approach was used to examine the efficacy of therapy and emergent drug resistance via longitudinal monitoring of CTC counts, DNA mutations, and single-cell-level gene expression in a prospective cohort of 40 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Results: The change ratio of the CTC counts was associated with tumor response, detected by CT scan, while the baseline CTC counts did not show association with progression-free survival or overall survival. We achieved a 100% concordance rate for the detection of EGFR mutation, including emergence of T790M, between tumor tissue and CTCs. More importantly, our data revealed the importance of the analysis of the epithelial/mesenchymal signature of individual pretreatment CTCs to predict drug responsiveness in patients. Conclusion: The fluid-assisted separation technology disc platform enables serial monitoring of CTC counts, DNA mutations, as well as unbiased molecular characterization of individual CTCs associated with tumor progression during targeted therapy

Transcriptional Regulator TonEBP Mediates Oxidative Damages in Ischemic Kidney Injury

TonEBP (tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein) is a transcriptional regulator whose expression is elevated in response to various forms of stress including hyperglycemia, inflammation, and hypoxia. Here we investigated the role of TonEBP in acute kidney injury (AKI) using a line of TonEBP haplo-deficient mice subjected to bilateral renal ischemia followed by reperfusion (I/R). In the TonEBP haplo-deficient animals, induction of TonEBP, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and functional injury in the kidney in response to I/R were all reduced. Analyses of renal transcriptome revealed that genes in several cellular pathways including peroxisome and mitochondrial inner membrane were suppressed in response to I/R, and the suppression was relieved in the TonEBP deficiency. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the cellular injury was reproduced in a renal epithelial cell line in response to hypoxia, ATP depletion, or hydrogen peroxide. The knockdown of TonEBP reduced ROS production and cellular injury in correlation with increased expression of the suppressed genes. The cellular injury was also blocked by inhibitors of necrosis. These results demonstrate that ischemic insult suppresses many genes involved in cellular metabolism leading to local oxidative stress by way of TonEBP induction. Thus, TonEBP is a promising target to prevent AKI

Broussonetia papyrifera Root Bark Extract Exhibits Anti-inflammatory Effects on Adipose Tissue and Improves Insulin Sensitivity Potentially Via AMPK Activation

The chronic low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue plays a causal role in obesity-induced insulin resistance and its associated pathophysiological consequences. In this study, we investigated the effects of extracts of Broussonetia papyrifera root bark (PRE) and its bioactive components on inflammation and insulin sensitivity. PRE inhibited TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappa B transcriptional activity in the NF-kappa B luciferase assay and pro-inflammatory genes' expression by blocking phosphorylation of I kappa B and NF-kappa B in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, which were mediated by activating AMPK. Ten-week-high fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL6 male mice treated with PRE had improved glucose intolerance and decreased inflammation in adipose tissue, as indicated by reductions in NF-kappa B phosphorylation and pro-inflammatory genes' expression. Furthermore, PRE activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and reduced lipogenic genes' expression in both adipose tissue and liver. Finally, we identified broussoflavonol B (BF) and kazinol J (KJ) as bioactive constituents to suppress pro-inflammatory responses via activating AMPK in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Taken together, these results indicate the therapeutic potential of PRE, especially BF or KJ, in metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes

Prediction Forecast for Culex tritaeniorhynchus Populations in Korea

AbstractObjectivesJapanese encephalitis is considered as a secondary legal infectious disease in Korea and is transmitted by mosquitoes in the summer season. The purpose of this study was to predict the ratio of Culex tritaeniorhynchus to all the species of mosquitoes present in the study regions.MethodsFrom 1999 to 2012, black light traps were installed in 10 regions in Korea (Busan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeju) to capture mosquitoes for identification and classification under a dissecting microscope. The number of mosquitoes captured/week was used to calculate its daily occurrence (mosquitoes/trap/night). To predict the characteristics of the mosquito population, an autoregressive model of order p (AR(p)) was used to execute the out-of-sample prediction and the in-sample estimation after presumption.ResultsCompared with the out-of-sample method, the sample-weighted regression method's case was relatively superior for prediction, and this method predicted a decrease in the frequency of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus for 2013. However, the actual frequency of this species showed an increase in frequency. By contrast, the frequency rate of all the mosquitoes including Cx. tritaeniorhynchus gradually decreased.ConclusionThe number of patients with Japanese encephalitis has been strongly associated with the occurrence and density of vector mosquitoes, and the importance of this infectious disease has been highlighted since 2010. The 2013 prediction indicated an increase after an initial decrease, although the ratio of the two mosquito species decreased. The increase in vector density may be due to changes in temperature and the environment. Thus, continuous prevalence prediction is warranted