Cordycepin promotes apoptosis by modulating the ERK-JNK signaling pathway via DUSP5 in renal cancer cells.

Constitutive activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling commonly occurs in tumors. The activation of ERK promotes cell proliferation, whereas that of JNK induces cell apoptosis. However, the apoptotic mechanism of ERK-JNK signaling in cancer is not well understood.

Plant Recycling for Molecular Biofarming to Produce Recombinant Anti-Cancer mAb.

The expression and glycosylation patterns of anti-colorectal cancer therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) CO17-1A recognizing the tumor-associated antigen GA733-2, expressed in human colorectal carcinoma cells, were observed in the leaf and stem tissues of primary (0 cycle), secondary (1 cycle), and tertiary (2 cycle) growths of seedlings obtained from the stem cut of T2 plants. The bottom portion of the stem of T2 seedlings was cut to induce the 1 cycle shoot growth, which was again cut to induce the 2 cycle shoot growth. In the 1 and 2 cycle growths, the periods for floral organ formation (35 days) was shorter than that (100 days) for the 0 cycle growth.

The Pepper CaOSR1 Protein Regulates the Osmotic Stress Response via Abscisic Acid Signaling.

Plants are sessile organisms, and their growth and development is detrimentally affected by environmental stresses such as drought and high salinity. Defense mechanisms are tightly regulated and complex processes, which respond to changing environmental conditions; however, the precise mechanisms that function under adverse conditions remain unclear. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of the CaOSR1 gene, which functions in the adaptive response to abiotic stress.

Functional Characterization of Bacterial Communities Responsible for Fermentation of Doenjang: A Traditional Korean Fermented Soybean Paste.

Doenjang samples were prepared in triplicate and their microbial abundance, bacterial communities, and metabolites throughout fermentation were analyzed to investigate the functional properties of microorganisms in doenjang. Viable bacterial cells were approximately three orders of magnitude higher than fungal cells, suggesting that bacteria are more responsible for doenjang fermentation. Pyrosequencing and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were applied for the analysis of bacterial communities and metabolites, respectively.

Anti-sarcopenic effects of diamino-diphenyl sulfone observed in elderly female leprosy survivors: a cross-sectional study.

Background: It has been reported that 4,4'-diamino-diphenyl sulfone (DDS), the longtime treatment of choice for leprosy, prolongs the lifespan and increases mobility in animal models by reducing the levels of reactive oxygen species and inhibiting muscle pyruvate kinase activity. This study aimed to investigate whether sarcopenic status in leprosy survivors was influenced by recent history of DDS medication.

Methods: Forty-one elderly female leprosy survivors were recruited.

A Cross-Cultural Examination of SNS Usage Intensity and Managing Interpersonal Relationships Online: The Role of Culture and the Autonomous-Related Self-Construal.

Perception of the autonomy and relatedness of the self may be influenced by one's experiences and social expectations within a particular cultural setting. The present research examined the role of culture and the Autonomous-Related self-construal in predicting for different aspects of Social Networking Sites (SNS) usage in three Asian countries, especially focusing on those aspects serving interpersonal goals. Participants in this cross-cultural study included 305 university students from Malaysia (n = 105), South Korea (n = 113), and China (n = 87).

A Preliminary Study on the Biased Attention and Interpretation in the Recognition of Face-Body Compound of the Individuals with Social Anxiety.

The present study aimed to investigate the processes through which individuals with social anxiety (SA) attend to and interpret compound emotional expressions of the face and body. Incongruent face-body compound images that combined an angry face (or body) with a fearful, sad, or happy body (or face) were presented to a SA group (n = 22) and a healthy control (HC) group (n = 22). The participants were instructed to interpret the emotional state of the image, and their eye-movements and behavioral responses were measured.

A Zinc-Dependent Protease AMZ-tk from a Thermophilic Archaeon is a New Member of the Archaemetzincin Protein Family.

A putative zinc-dependent protease (TK0512) in Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 shares a conserved motif with archaemetzincins, which are metalloproteases found in archaea, bacteria, and eukarya. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses showed that TK0512 and its homologues in Thermococcaceae represent new members in the archaemetzincins family, which we named AMZ-tk. We further confirmed its proteolytic activity biochemically by overexpression of the recombinant AMZ-tk in Escherichia coli and characterization of the purified enzyme.

Optimization of Ammonium Sulfate Concentration for Purification of Colorectal Cancer Vaccine Candidate Recombinant Protein GA733-FcK Isolated from Plants.

A protein purification procedure is required to obtain high-value recombinant injectable vaccine proteins produced in plants as a bioreactor. However, existing purification procedures for plant-derived recombinant proteins are often not optimized and are inefficient, with low recovery rates. In our previous study, we used 25-30% ammonium sulfate to precipitate total soluble proteins (TSPs) in purification process for recombinant proteins from plant leaf biomass which has not been optimized.

High resolution depth distribution of Bacteria, Archaea, methanotrophs, and methanogens in the bulk and rhizosphere soils of a flooded rice paddy.

The communities and abundances of methanotrophs and methanogens, along with the oxygen, methane, and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations, were investigated along a depth gradient in a flooded rice paddy. Broad patterns in vertical profiles of oxygen, methane, TOC, and microbial abundances were similar in the bulk and rhizosphere soils, though methane and TOC concentrations and 16S rRNA gene copies were clearly higher in the rhizosphere soil than in the bulk soil. Oxygen concentrations decreased sharply to below detection limits at 8 mm depth.

Effect of the developmental stage and tissue position on the expression and glycosylation of recombinant glycoprotein GA733-FcK in transgenic plants.

The influence of developmental stage and position (top, middle, and base) of leaves and stem tissues on the expression and glycosylation pattern of a recombinant therapeutic protein -GA733-FcK- was observed in transgenic seedlings during a 16-week growth period. RNA expression gradually increased with age in the middle and basal leaves and decreased in top leaves after 14 weeks. The protein expression level at all leaf positions increased until 14 weeks and slightly decreased at 16 weeks; it was lower in yellow leaves than in green leaves.

Association between common genetic variants of α2A-, α2B- and α2C-adrenoceptors and the risk of silent brain infarction.

Silent brain infarction (SBI) is an asymptomatic cerebrovascular disorder. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between adrenoceptor-α2 (ADRA2) gene polymorphisms and SBI. A total of 361 patients with SBI and 467 healthy control subjects were examined.

A functional analysis of deception detection of a mock crime using infrared thermal imaging and the Concealed Information Test.

The purpose of this study was to utilize thermal imaging and the Concealed Information Test to detect deception in participants who committed a mock crime. A functional analysis using a functional ANOVA and a functional discriminant analysis was conducted to decrease the variation in the physiological data collected through the thermal imaging camera. Participants chose between a non-crime mission (Innocent Condition: IC), or a mock crime (Guilty Condition: GC) of stealing a wallet in a computer lab.

Effects of the combination of P3-based GKT and reality monitoring on deceptive classification.

The study aimed to investigate whether a combination of the P3-based Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) and reality monitoring (RM) distinguished between individuals who are guilty, witnesses, or informed, and using both tests provided more accurate information than did the use of either measure alone. Participants consisted of 45 males that were randomly and evenly assigned to three groups (i.e.

Embolic stroke after carotid artery ligation during carotid body tumor resection.

This report describes a case of a delayed cerebral embolic infarction, after internal carotid artery (ICA) ligation secondary to carotid body tumor resection. We describe a 34-year-old woman who underwent left ICA ligation during a large carotid body tumor surgery. Immediately after surgery, the patient was neurologically asymptomatic; however, she subsequently developed a cerebral embolic infarction nine hours postoperatively.

Induction of steroid sulfatase expression by tumor necrosis factor-α through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells.

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is responsible for the hydrolysis of aryl and alkyl steroid sulfates and has a pivotal role in regulating the formation of biologically active estrogens. STS may be considered a new promising drug target for treating estrogen-mediated carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism of STS expression is not well-known.

Overweight and effect of hormone replacement therapy on lipid profiles in postmenopausal women.

Background: Many experimental and observational studies have suggested that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women is cardioprotective. However, the results of randomized controlled trials have been discouraging. We attempted to evaluate the influence of overweight, a frequent risk factor for coronary artery disease, on the lipid-modifying effects of HRT.

Evaluation of tTA-mediated gene activation system on human cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type-1 infections.

The tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA)-mediated gene activation system was examined in virus infected cells to determine its role in the control of gene expression. In the presence of tTA, the gene expression from the tetO-modified minimal promoter was efficiently activated in the uninfected cells, whereas essentially no activation was observed from the only minimal promoter without the seven direct repeats of 42 bp tetO sequences. However, essentially no activation was observed when only the minimal promoter was used, without the seven direct repetitions of the 42 bp tetO sequences.

Diarylheptanoids from the leaves of Alnus hirsuta Turcz.

Diarylheptanoids, (5S)-1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5-hydroxyheptane-3-one (1, hirsutanonol), (5S)-1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-3-one-5-O-beta-D-xylopyranosi de (2, oregonin), (5R)-1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-5-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside (3), and (5R)-1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4) were isolated from the leaves of Alnus hirsuta Turcz. The structures of these compounds were identified based on the spectral and physicochemical data.