Publications by authors named "Jingu Lee"

A few years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain rapidly becomes and has remained the predominant strain. To date, Omicron and its subvariants, while more transmittable, appear to cause less severe disease than prior strains. To study the cause of this reduced pathogenicity we compare SARS-CoV-2 ancestral Nsp6 with Nsp6-Omicron, which we have previously identified as one of the most pathogenic viral proteins.

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Background: Ca release-activated Ca channel regulator 2A (CRACR2A) has been linked to immunodeficiency attributable to T-cell dysfunction in humans. We discovered that neutrophil CRACR2A promotes neutrophil adhesive and migratory functions by facilitating Ca mobilization and β2 integrin activation.

Methods: Myeloid-specific cracr2a conditional knockout mice and intravital microscopy were used to investigate the physiologic role of neutrophil cracr2a in neutrophil recruitment in vascular inflammation.

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Stressed cells secret misfolded proteins lacking signaling sequence via an unconventional protein secretion (UcPS) pathway, but how misfolded proteins are targeted selectively in UcPS is unclear. Here, we report that misfolded UcPS clients are subject to modification by a ubiquitin-like protein named ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1). Using α-synuclein (α-Syn) as a UcPS model, we show that mutating the UFMylation sites in α-Syn or genetic inhibition of the UFMylation system mitigates α-Syn secretion, whereas overexpression of UFBP1, a component of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated UFMylation ligase complex, augments α-Syn secretion in mammalian cells and in model organisms.

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: Hip fractures are commonly found in elderly patients, and often result in chronic pain and decreased physical function, as well as worsening of overall health. It is known that early surgical intervention during the acute phase and rehabilitation are important for improving clinical outcomes for these patients. However, the importance of management for improving the quality of life of these patients is becoming more emphasized.

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People of African ancestry who carry the APOL1 risk alleles G1 or G2 are at high risk of developing kidney diseases through not fully understood mechanisms that impair the function of podocytes. It is also not clear whether the APOL1-G1 and APOL1-G2 risk alleles affect these cells through similar mechanisms. Previously, we have developed transgenic Drosophila melanogaster lines expressing either the human APOL1 reference allele (G0) or APOL1-G1 specifically in nephrocytes, the cells homologous to mammalian podocytes.

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Background: People of Sub-Saharan African ancestry are at higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), attributed to the Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene risk alleles (RA) G1 and G2. The underlying mechanisms by which the APOL1-RA precipitate CKD remain elusive, hindering the development of potential treatments.

Results: Using a Drosophila genetic modifier screen, we found that SNARE proteins (Syx7, Ykt6, and Syb) play an important role in preventing APOL1 cytotoxicity.

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Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) can occur in immunocompromised patients, and an early detection and intensive treatment are crucial. We sought to determine the potential of Aspergillus galactomannan antigen titer (AGT) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum titers of beta-D-glucan (BDG) to predict IPA in lung transplantation recipients, as opposed to pneumonia unrelated to IPA. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 192 lung transplant recipients.

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Background: Platelet adhesion and aggregation play a crucial role in arterial thrombosis and ischemic stroke. Here, we identify platelet ERO1α (endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1α) as a novel regulator of Ca signaling and a potential pharmacological target for treating thrombotic diseases.

Methods: Intravital microscopy, animal disease models, and a wide range of cell biological studies were utilized to demonstrate the pathophysiological role of ERO1α in arteriolar and arterial thrombosis and to prove the importance of platelet ERO1α in platelet activation and aggregation.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common renal diseases manifested by gradual loss of kidney function with no symptoms in the early stage. The underlying mechanism in the pathogenesis of CKD with various causes such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and kidney infection is not well understood. longitudinal repetitive cellular-level observation of the kidney of the CKD animal model can provide novel insights to diagnose and treat the CKD by visualizing the dynamically changing pathophysiology of CKD with its progression over time.

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This prospective randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effects of sevoflurane and propofol anesthesia on the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) following lung transplantation (LTx) surgery. Sixty adult patients undergoing bilateral LTx were randomized to receive either inhalation of sevoflurane or continuous infusion of propofol for general anesthesia. The primary outcomes were AKI incidence according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria and blood biomarker of kidney injury, including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C levels within 48 h of surgery.

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SARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19, a severe acute respiratory disease associated with cardiovascular complications including long-term outcomes. The presence of virus in cardiac tissue of patients with COVID-19 suggests this is a direct, rather than secondary, effect of infection. Here, by expressing individual SARS-CoV-2 proteins in the Drosophila heart, we demonstrate interaction of virus Nsp6 with host proteins of the MGA/MAX complex (MGA, PCGF6 and TFDP1).

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Oral mucosa is a soft tissue lining the inside of the mouth, protecting the oral cavity from microbiological insults. The mucosal immune system is composed of diverse types of cells that defend against a wide range of pathogens. The pathophysiology of various oral mucosal diseases has been studied mostly by ex vivo histological analysis of harvested specimens.

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Unstable wireless power transmission toward multiple living animals in an animal cage is one of the significant barriers to performing long-term and real-time neural monitoring in preclinical research. Here, seamless capacitive body channel (SCB) wireless power transmission (WPT) along with power management integrated circuit (PMIC) is designed using a standard 65 nm CMOS process. The SCB WPT enables stable wireless power transmission toward multiple 35 mm×20 mm×2 mm sized receivers (RXs) attached to freely moving animals in a 600 mm×600 mm×120 mm sized animal cage.

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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is commonly used to treat patients with various blood disorders, genetic and immunological diseases, and solid tumors. Several systemic complications following HSCT are critical limiting factors for achieving a successful outcome. These systemic complications are mainly due to the lack of initial engraftment after transplantation.

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Protein degradation is fundamentally important to ensure cell homeostasis. In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway targets incorrectly folded and unassembled proteins for turnover by the cytoplasmic proteasome. Previously, we showed that the rhomboid protease RHBDL4, together with p97, mediates membrane protein degradation.

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Cerebral microinfarct increases the risk of dementia. But how microscopic cerebrovascular disruption affects the brain tissue in cellular-level are mostly unknown. Herein, with a longitudinal intravital imaging, we serially visualized in vivo dynamic cellular-level changes in astrocyte, pericyte and neuron as well as microvascular integrity after the induction of cerebral microinfarction for 1 month in mice.

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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases closely associated with the metabolic system, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. The progression of NAFLD with advanced fibrosis is associated with an increased risk of liver cirrhosis and cancer as well as various extra-hepatic diseases. Yet, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood partly due to the absence of effective high-resolution imaging methods and the appropriate animal models recapitulating the pathology of NAFLD.

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(1) Background: Lung transplant recipients (LTRs) are at substantial risk of invasive fungal disease (IFD), although no consensus has been reached on the use of antifungal agents (AFAs) after lung transplantation (LTx). This study aimed to assess the risk factors and prognosis of fungal infection after LTx in a single tertiary center in South Korea. (2) Methods: The study population included all patients who underwent LTx between January 2012 and July 2019 at a tertiary hospital.

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Obtaining a histological fingerprint from the in-vivo brain has been a long-standing target of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In particular, non-invasive imaging of iron and myelin, which are involved in normal brain functions and are histopathological hallmarks in neurodegenerative diseases, has practical utilities in neuroscience and medicine. Here, we propose a biophysical model that describes the individual contribution of paramagnetic (e.

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Purpose: To establish a custom-built, high-speed 90 frame-per-second laser-scanning confocal microscope for real-time in vivo retinal imaging of individual flowing red blood cells (RBCs) in retinal vasculature of live mouse model.

Methods: Fluorescently labeled RBCs were injected into mice of different ages (3 to 62 weeks old). Anti-CD31 antibody conjugated with Alexa Fluor 647 was injected to visualize retinal endothelial cells (ECs).

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Background: SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19 with a widely diverse disease profile that affects many different tissues. The mechanisms underlying its pathogenicity in host organisms remain unclear. Animal models for studying the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 proteins are lacking.

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Background: SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19 which has a widely diverse disease profile. The mechanisms underlying its pathogenicity remain unclear. We set out to identify the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenic proteins that through host interactions cause the cellular damages underlying COVID-19 symptomatology.

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Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an image-guided locoregional therapy used for the treatment of patients with primary or secondary liver cancer. However, conventional TACE formulations are rapidly dissociated due to the instability of the emulsion, resulting in insufficient local drug concentrations in the target tumor. To overcome these limitations, a doxorubicin-loaded albumin nanoparticle-conjugated microbubble complex in an iodized oil emulsion (DOX-NPs-MB complex in Lipiodol) has been developed as a new ultrasound-triggered TACE formulation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Multi-element transmit arrays are important for ultra-high field MRI because they help achieve low specific absorption rate (SAR) and high SAR efficiency.
  • Recent developments in using dipole antennas have shown promise for producing better MRI images, though they face limitations due to radiofrequency interference and cable connections.
  • The study introduces asymmetric sleeve antennas as a more effective alternative, demonstrating that these antennas achieved 28% lower peak SAR and 18.6% higher SAR efficiency compared to traditional dipole antennas in tests at 10.5 Tesla.
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