Jae Min Lee

BACKGROUND: Zinc, an essential trace element, inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and in vivo. The molecular mechanism for the inhibitory effect of zinc, however, is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of zinc and determine its molecular mechanism on receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in mouse bone marrow-derived monocyte cells (BMMs) and RAW264.7 cells. RESULTS: In BMMs, zinc treatment during osteoclast different

Epstein-Barr virus infection in vitro immortalizes primary B cells. EBNA2 is an Epstein-Barr virus-encoded transcriptional transactivator that mimics the effects of activated Notch signaling and is essential for this proliferative response. An assay using Sindbis virus (SV) as a cell death inducer revealed that, like Notch, EBNA2 also has antiapoptotic activity. We show that Nur77 is a mediator of SV-induced cell death and that EBNA2 antiapoptotic activity results from interaction with Nur77. EB

Reduction of CD56(bright) cells may precede NK cell dysfunction, leading to impaired cytotoxicity against PCa cells. These observations may explain one of the mechanisms behind NK cell dysfunction observed in PCa microenvironment and lend support to the development of future cancer immunotherapeutic strategies.

Although smallpox has been eradicated globally, the potential use of the smallpox virus in bioterrorism indicates the importance of stockpiling smallpox vaccines. Considering the advantages of microneedle-based vaccination over conventional needle injections, in this study, we examined the feasibility of microneedle-based smallpox vaccination as an alternative approach for stockpiling smallpox vaccines. We prepared polylactic acid (PLA) microneedle array patches by micromolding and loaded a seco

The replication of flaviviruses results in the secretion of four virus-coded proteins into the extracellular environment. Three of these proteins, E, C and M (or pre-M), are found in purified virions. A fourth virus-specified extracellular protein which was not present in either the slowly sedimenting haemagglutinin particles or in virions is described. The relationship of this protein to the intracellular NS1 polypeptide was investigated along with its similarity to the soluble complement-fixin

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1) transports antidepressive agents in the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, polymorphisms in the MRP1 gene may affect the treatment response of antidepressants. This study was aimed to identify the association between genetic variations in MRP1/ABCC1 and the therapeutic response to the antidepressant citalopram. One hundred and twenty-three patients who had been treated with citalopram monotherapy to control their major depressive

In addition to functioning as a transcriptional transactivator, Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2 interacts with Nur77 to protect against Nur77-mediated apoptosis. Estrogen-regulated EBNA2 in EREB2-5 cells was replaced by either EBNA2 or EBNA2 with a deletion of conserved region 4 (EBNA2DeltaCR4). Both EBNA2-converted and EBNA2DeltaCR4-converted EREB2-5 cells grew in the absence of estrogen and expressed LMP1. Treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha did not induce apoptosis of EBNA2- or EBNA2DeltaCR4-

BACKGROUND: Chitinase 3-like 1 protein (CHI3L1) (YKL-40 in humans and breast regression protein [BRP]-39 in mice) is required for optimal allergen sensitization and Th2 inflammation in various chronic inflammatory diseases including asthma. However, the role of CHI3L1 in airway inflammation induced by respiratory viruses has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CHI3L1 and airway inflammation caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection

elevation and ANO6-dependent phosphatidylserine externalization in ACE2/TMPRSS2-positive mammalian cells. A high-throughput screening of drug-like chemical libraries identifies three different structural classes of chemicals showing ANO6 inhibitory effects. Among them, A6-001 displays the highest potency and ANO6 selectivity and it inhibits the single-round infection of SARS2-PsV in ACE2/TMPRSS2-positive HEK 293T cells. More importantly, A6-001 strongly inhibits authentic SARS-CoV-2-induced phos

Under ER stress conditions, the ER form of transmembrane proteins can reach the plasma membrane via a Golgi-independent unconventional protein secretion (UPS) pathway. However, the targeting mechanisms of membrane proteins for UPS are unknown. Here, this study reports that TMED proteins play a critical role in the ER stress-associated UPS of transmembrane proteins. The gene silencing results reveal that TMED2, TMED3, TMED9 and TMED10 are involved in the UPS of transmembrane proteins, such as CFT

In this paper, we study multirate transversal adaptive digital filters (ADF's) based on the block least-mean-square (BLMS) algorithms. These include an ADF with decimation (ADFD) and an ADF with interpolation (ADFI). We first formulate these filters based on the block mean-squared error (BMSE) criterion and derive BLMS multi-rate weight-adjustment algorithms, and then study efficient realization of those filters. It is shown that the BLMS ADFD can be realized efficiently in the direct form or in

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that is characterized by the production of excess amounts of sweat. The botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) has been used to treat hyperhidrosis through multiple intradermal injections at the site of the condition. However, because of BoNT/A toxicity, it is important to precisely deliver the proper dose of the toxin to the target site. In addition, the use of a conventional hypodermic needle for multiple injections in the palm makes the approach undesirable and painful. H