이원우 교수

In humans, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) has been suggested as an essential cytokine for developing IL-17- or IL-17A-producing CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells. However, little is known about the relationship of IL-1 receptor expression and Th17 cell differentiation. We report here the presence of 2 distinct CD4(+) T-cell populations with and without expression of IL-1RI that correlates with the capacity to produce IL-17 in naive and memory CD4(+) T cells of human peripheral blood. IL-1RI(+) memor

1998년 규제개혁위원회의 설립 이후 규제완화는 양적으로나 질적으로 획기적인 성과를 거두었다. 우리나라는 OECD에서도 규제완화의 모범국으로 인정받고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 우리나라의 규제가 합리적이라는 소리는 들어본 일이 없다. 끊임없는 개혁에도 불구하고 성과가 크지 않다면 문제는 개혁의 부족이 아니라 개혁의 방향에 있는 것은 아닌가? 이러한 문제제기가 이 논문의 출발점이다. 현대국가에서 정부규제의 역할이나 기능에 대한 평가를 보면, 학계나 실무계를 막론하고 일반적으로 매우 비판적인 것으로 보인다. 정부규제는 국민(개인과 기업)의 자유를 침해하고, 시장 메카니즘의 효율성을 떨어뜨려 사회 전체의 비합리성을 증대시키는 중요한 원인으로 취급하는 경향이 있다. 그러나 규제, 경쟁, 자유, 효율, 공익 등 기본적인 관념들 상호관계에 대한 이러한 입장은 재고되어야 한다. 이 글은 이들 상호관계에 대하여 기존의 시각과는 다른 시각을 제시한다. 규제와 자유, 경쟁, 효율, 공익 등의 관계는 관

Amino acids (AAs) are necessary nutrients which act not only as building blocks in protein synthesis but also in crucial anabolic cellular signaling pathways. It has been demonstrated that SLC7A5 is a critical transporter that mediates uptake of several essential amino acids in highly proliferative tumors and activated T cells. However, the dynamics and relevance of SLC7A5 activity in monocytes/macrophages is still poorly understood. We provide evidence that SLC7A5-mediated leucine influx contri

Zinc is an essential micronutrient with crucial roles in multiple facets of biological processes. Dysregulated zinc homeostasis impairs overall immune function and resultantly increases susceptibility to infection. Clinically, zinc supplementation is practiced for treatment of several infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and malaria. Recent focus on zinc as a beneficial element for immune system support has resulted in investigation of the immunomodulatory roles of zinc in a variety of immune c

Monocytes function as crucial innate effectors in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, including autoimmunity, as well as in the inflammatory response against infectious pathogens. Human monocytes are heterogeneous and can be classified into three distinct subsets based on CD14 and CD16 expression. Although accumulating evidence suggests distinct functions of monocyte subsets in inflammatory conditions, their pathogenic roles in autoimmune diseases remain unclear. Thus, we investig

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by premature immune aging with accumulation of degenerate T cells deficient for CD28. Gene expression profiling of CD4(+)CD28(-) and CD4(+)CD28(+) T cells to discover disease-promoting activities of CD28(-) T cells identified expression of CD70 as a most striking difference. Hence, CD70 was significantly more expressed in CD4 T cells from RA patients compared with age-matched controls (p < 0.006). The underlying mechanism was a failure to repress CD70 e

Senescent T cells have been implicated in chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we explored the relationship between senescent T cells and glycemic status in a cohort of 805 participants by investigating the frequency of CD57⁺ or CD28^null senescent T cells in peripheral blood. Participants with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with follow-up data (<i>N</i> = 149) were included to determine whether hyperglycemia (prediabetes or type 2 diabetes) devel

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a uremic toxin associated with increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with chronic kidney disease. Despite the crucial role of uremia-related immune dysfunction, a majority of studies attempting to elucidate its pathogenic role in CVD have focused on IS-mediated endothelial dysfunction. Thus, we investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in IS-induced production of TNF-α, a major cardiotoxic cytokine, by human macrophages. We fou

Quantitative SPECT/CT is more accurate than conventional TUS for measuring TcO4 %thyroid uptake. Quantitative measurements using SPECT/CT may facilitate more accurate assessment of thyroid tracer uptake.