Publications by authors named "Ji Su Sun"

Adverse effects of spaceflight on the human body are attritubuted to microgravity and space radiation. One of the most sensitive organs affected by them is the eye, particularly the retina. The conditions that astronauts suffer, such as visual acuity, is collectively called a spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS); however, the underlying molecular mechanism of the microgravity-induced ocular pathogenesis is not clearly understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dysfunction of primary cilia is related to dyshomeostasis, leading to a wide range of disorders. The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is known to regulate several homeostatic processes, but those modulated specifically by VMH primary cilia are not yet known. In this study, we identify VMH primary cilia as an important organelle that maintains energy and skeletal homeostasis by modulating the autonomic nervous system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Obesity is one of the worldwide prevalent disease caused by the imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. Over a 100 years of research demonstrate that hypothalamus is the critical brain region regulating energy homeostasis, and evidences suggest the participation of non-neuronal populations such as astrocytes and microglia in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Recently, fat-rich diet induced hypothalamic inflammation has been found to deregulate the energy homeostasis, leading to the insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and obesity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: While leptin has been associated with various psycho-physiological functions, the molecular network in leptin-mediated mood regulation remains elusive.

Methods: Anxiolytic behaviors and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels were examined after leptin administration. Functional roles of STAT3 and FoxO1 in regulation of TH expression were investigated using in vivo and in vitro systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nicotinamide (NA), a water-soluble vitamin B₃, has been shown to exert cellular-protective effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS). In order to improve the cellular-protective effects of NA, we synthesized a novel compound, nicotinyl⁻isoleucine⁻valine⁻histidine (NA⁻IVH), by combining NA with jellyfish peptides' IVH. In the present study, we examined the cellular-protective effects of the novel synthetic nicotinyl-peptide, NA⁻IVH.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is recognized as a universal tumor biomarker and a feasible therapeutic target due to its specific overexpression in cancer tissues. Despite its up-regulation in prostate cancer (PCa), biological significance and clinicopathological features of CYP1B1 are still elusive. Here, we show that overexpression or hyperactivation of CYP1B1 stimulated proliferative, migratory and invasive potential of non-tumorigenic PCa cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Periodontitis is a very common oral inflammatory disease that results in the destruction of supporting connective and osseous tissues of the teeth. Although the exact etiology is still unclear, Gram-negative bacteria, especially Porphyromonas gingivalis in subgingival pockets are thought to be one of the major etiologic agents of periodontitis. Endothelin (ET) is a family of three 21-amino acid peptides, ET-1, -2, and -3, that activate G protein-coupled receptors, ETA and ETB.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF