The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect and its mechanism on Radix Aconiti(RA) extract in lung cancer cell lines. RA extract treatment decreased the cell viability in a dose-dependent fashions in lung cancer cells including A549, H460, H23 and H157 cells. Many investigators reported that A549 and H460 cells expressed wild-type p53, but H23 and H157 cells preserved mutated p53. After treatment with RA extract in A549 and H460 cells, we measured the expression of p53 protein levels using Western blot. analysis. In both cells treated with RA extracts, p53 protein expressions were increased in a dose-dependent manner. In our experiments, RA extracts also have cytotoxic effects in H23 and H157, which have mutated p53. Treatment with RA extract decreased bcl-2 protein expressions in both cells. These results suggest that RA extracts have cytotoxic effects via p53 expression increase and bcl-2 inhibitable pathways in A549, H460 cells and H23, H157 cells, respectively.

Many naturally occurring plant extracts are studied for their beneficial effects for health and particularly on cancer. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs in both normal and pathological conditions, including cancer Dysregulation of apoptosis allows transformed cells to continually and uninhibitedly enter the cell cycle, thus perpetuating the sequence of mutation, genomic instability and, finally, oncogenesis. To investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of the extract of Fructus Trichosanthis (EFT) on leukemic HL-60 cells and its mechanism, HL-60 cells in vitro in culture medium were given different doses of the extract. The inhibitory rate of cells were measured by microculture tetrazolium assay, cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry, morphology of cell apoptosis was observed by DAPI fluorescence staining, and the activations of caspases and PARP were detected using Western blotting analysis. The extract could activate the caspase-3 and caspase-8, induce PARP cleavage, inhibit growth of HL-60 cells, and cause apoptosis significantly The suppression was in dose-dependent manner. Marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis including condensation of chromatin and nuclear fragmentation were observed clearly by DAPI fluorescence staining especially. These results will provide strong laboratory evidence of EFT for clinical treatment of acute leukemia.

Annexin I plays an important role in the process of keratinization as a compont of the cornified envelope of skin epithelium. The effect of annexin I on the terminal ifferentiation of normal human oral keratinocyte(NHOK) have remained to be defined. To understand the role of annexin I on the terminal differentiaiton of NHOK, NHOK and NHEK cells were primarily cultured in KBM bullet kit. When the cells reached confluence, terminal differentiation was induced by switching the medium to KGM bullet kit containing 1.2mM Ca2+. Preconfluency of NHOK under 0.05mM Ca++ conc as control group was used. The cells was examined with inverted microscope. Under 0.05mM Ca++ conc(Precon, Postcon), and 1.2mM Ca++ conc(Postcon), RT-PCR for annexin I mRNA measurement, and immunoblotting for annexin I protein measurements in triplicate, respectively. The purpose of this study were to study differential mRNA & protein expression of annexin I between NHOK & NHEK by using RT-PCR & immunoslot blotting during terminal differentiation, and to apply these results to study a role of annexin I on epithelial differentiation of oral mucosal diseases in the future. Cultured NHEK showed larger area of cellular stratification than cultured NHOK in 1.2mM Ca ++ concentration. Annexin I mRNA and protein expression of cultured NHOK showed higher than that of cultured NHEK in higher calcium concentration. Annexin I mRNA and protein expression of cultured NHOK showed about 2-2.7 fold higher in 1.2mM Ca++ conc. than in 0.05mM Ca++ conc. Although annexin I was involved in the terminal differentiation of cultured NHOK & NHEK in higher calcium concentration, annexin I play an important role in the terminal differentiation of cultured NHOK in higher calcium concentration. From the aboving results, It was suggested that annexin I would play an important role in the terminal differentiation of NHOK in higher calcium, which be helpful to study epithelial differentiation of oral mucosal diseases.

In order to perform the protein analysis using the paraffin sections previous fixed with formalin, we applied the ImmunoMemBlot (IMB) method1) to detect the epitopes of target proteins with specific antibodies. In this study the protein extracts were obtained from the paraffin sections of each representative case of ameloblastoma, adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT), and normal gingiva, and more a protein extract from fresh tissue of ameloblastoma was also compared to evaluate the IMB results used with 24 different antibodies. First of all, in the comparison between the paraffin section extract and fresh tissue extract of ameloblastoma, the latter consistently showed more positive IMB reaction than the former. Meanwhile, the paraffin section extract of ameloblastoma was more comparable with that of normal gingival, disclosing that most of proliferating genes, oncogenes, and apoptosis related genes, i.e., PCNA, CDK4, c-erbB2, CEA, p53, Bax, Bad, FLIP, FAS, Bcl-2, p21, N-ras, MMP-2, MMP-9, caspase-3, -8, -9, were highly expressed in ameloblastoma, but EGFR, HGF, and VEGF were similarly expressed both in the ameloblastoma and in normal human gingiva. On the other hand, the comparison between ameloblastoma and AOT both in the immunohistochemistry and IMB using their paraffin section extracts clearly demonstrated that the ameloblastoma showed more expression of proliferating genes and oncogenes while the AOT showed more expression of apoptosis related genes, i.e., Bax, Bad, FLIP, and caspase-9. Taken together, these data suggest that the IMB can be used for the primary screening of quantitative protein analysis using the paraffin section extract, and that the IMB results could be evaluated in conjunction with the immunohistochemical observation.

Polo-Like Kinase(PLK) is a cell cycle-regulated, cyclin-independent serine/threonine protein kinase. Recent reports have shown a critical role for PLK during tumorigenesis. To explore whether PLK plays a general role as a tumor marker of oral squamous cell carcinomas, we examined the expression of PLK mRNA and protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and immortalized normal oral keratinocytes(INOK). We also investigated that PLK mRNA was expressed in specimens from 4NQO-induced SD rat tongue carcinomas using in situ RT-PCR methods. Immunocytochemically, most of the PLK was highly expressed in the nucleus of carcinoma cells, but not INOK. RT-PCR revealed PLK1 mRNA was detected in the FaDu and Hep2 cancer cells, but no detected in the INOK. In situ RT-PCR revealed PLK1 mRNA expression increased sequentially from hyperplasia to dysplasia, and squamous cell carcinoma during the malignant progression. PLK1 expression could reflect the degree of malignancy and proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinomas. Thus, in addition to being of diagnostic value, modulation of PLK1 activity in the tumors by chemotherapeutic agents or gene therapy may prove to be of therapeutic value.

The tumor suppressor gene, phosphate and tensin homologue(PTEN) has been shown to dephosphorylate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI 3-K)-generated phosphatidylinositol(3-5)-triphosphate in vivo, thus interfering with the potentially oncogenic signals emanating from PI 3-K. Promoter hypermethylation of CpG islands has recently been shown to be an epigenetic change resulting in loss of function in some genes involved in cell cycle regulation and DNA repair. Immunohistochemal staining for monoclonal antibody 6H2.1 was performed from paraffin embedded blocks of 20 benign epithelial lesions and 40 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas(HNSCCs). Immunoreactivity was graded semiquantitatively by considering the percentage and intensity of the staining of the tumor cells. Also, this study tried to identify PTEN methylation in benign epithelial lesions(24 cases) and HNSCCs(44 cases of paraffin embedded blocks, 4 cases of frozen tissues) using methylation-specific PCR(MSP). In HNSCCs, immunoreactive scores of stage 1 and 2(12 cases, average score 85.2) were higher than those of stage 3 and 4(15 cases, 41.9) and statistically significant(P=0.017). Immunoreactive scores of moderate and poorly differentiated carcinomas(22 cases, 61.6) are more or less lower than those of well differentiated carcinoma(15 cases, 87.0) but not significant(P=0.361). Among 24 cases of benign epithelial lesions, 12 cases showed unmethylated PTEN but none methylated. In HNSCCs, 22 of 44 paraffin embedded blocks showed unmethylated PTEN but none methylated, and all 4 frozen tissue revealed unmethylated PTEN, one of which(25%) methylated. We consider that the loss of PTEN protein expression may be associated with the progression of HNSCCs and the other alteration rather than methylation may be important in the inactivation of PTEN in HNSCCs.

Shit-tzu견에서 발정 주기, 교배 적기 및 배란 시기를 정확하게 추정하기 위한 질 세포 검사를 확립하기 위하여 Shih-tzu 견 12두를 대상으로 발정 주기동안 질 세포 검사 및 estradiol-와 progesterone 농도를 측정하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 발정주기별 질 세포상의 특징적인 변화로서 발정 전기에는 무핵 세포와 적혈구, 발정기에는 표층 세포와 무핵 세포 및 적혈구가 주종을 이루는 세포였으며 발정 휴지기에는 소형 중간 세포와

본 연구는 융합 전 수핵란의 활성화 처리 유무와 활성화 처리 시간이 소 체세포 유래 핵이식란의 체외 발육능에 미치는 영향을 검토하기 위해 수행하였다. 소 체외성숙란의 탈핵 후 체세포 핵을 이식하고 일부는 전기 융합 후 활성화를 유기하였고(pre-AC), 일부는 먼저 활성화 처리 후 융합을 실시(post-AC)하였다. 난자의 활성화는 Ca2+-ionophore(A23187)로 처리 후 DMAP로 4시간 배양하는 방법으로 유기하였다. 핵이식란은 CR1aa액에서 9일간 배양하여 발육율을 검토하였으며, 활성화 후 30분～2.5시간에 고정하여 confocal microscope 하에서 핵형 변화를 검사하였다. 배반포기까지 발육율은 post-AC구(20.6%)가 pre-AC(15.3%)보다 다소 높게 나타났다. 또한 활성화 처리를 하여 핵이식란의 배 발달을 비교한 결과 post-AC구가 더 늦은 배 발달 속도를 나타내었다. Post-AC구를 활성화 후 30분, 2시간, 4시간으로 나누어 융합하여 발육율을 검토한 결과 발육율에 차이가 없었다. 본 연구의 결과는 수핵란의 활성화 시간에 따라 핵이식란의 발육 및 핵형이 영향을 받을 수 있음을 시사한다.

본 연구에서 돼지 난포란에서 채취된 난모세포들을 체외 성숙 후 세포 손상이 없이 성숙 난모세포의 발생능을 알아낼 수 있는 마커로 극체의 방출이 효과적으로 활용될 수 있는지를 알아보았다. 난모세포를 48시간 성숙 배양 후 극체의 방출 유무를 검사하고, 핵염색하여 염색체의 형태를 검사하였다. 확인된 난모세포들을 시간 추가 배양한 후 7% ethanol로 활성화시키고 cytochalasin B에 5시간 노출 후 NCSU23 배양액으로 7일간 배양하였다. 극체

This research was designed to investigate changes of growth factors and bone matrix proteins during the bone healing processes using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Especially this study was focused on the changes of bone matrix and growth factors around the titanium implant. Threaded implants were introduced into the long bone of tibia. Time dependent changes of several bone associated protein and and its mRNAs were observed. Proteins investigated in this study are collagen, osteonectin(ON), osteopontin(OPN), osteocalcin(OC). Expression of the proteins were measured using immunohistochemistry. VEGF and ON were measured using in situ hybridization, and northen blot technique. Bone regeneration were observed as early as the third day of experiment. Matrix proteins and growth factors observed around implant were identical to the proteins observed in the control group. The expression of the ON, OC and VEGF were observed mainly in the osteoblast-like cell on the surface of new bone around the implant and the cells lining the margin of bone defect apart from the implant. The observation may not result from direct osteoconducting activities of titanium but by passive adsorption of extracellular factors which has bone inducing capacities. These passive adsorption results in the immobilization of the growth factors and consequent prolongation of the activities.

ISPARC (Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) is detected in the bone stroma during wound-healing process. To understand the roles of SPARC in bony wound-healing process, SPARC cDNA were synthesized from rat calvarial osteoblast culture, and SPARC protein was synthesized from the cDNA. To observe the effects of SPARC protein on the differentiation of osteoblasts, bony defect were made on rat tibia, and the distributions of bone matrix related proteins and SPARC were investigated using immunohistochemistry. In the rat osteoblastic culture using untreated plastic surface, Collagen-SPARC treated surface presented higher protein synthesis than untreated surface or only collagen treated surface. SPARC synthesis in the bony defect of rat tibia was augmented by introducing SPARC to the bony defect. SPARC synthesis were increased from the center of the defect compared to the control. SPARC synthesis in cells of the center of the defect was increased and maintained for 14 days. We could conclude that SPARC introduction may affect the early bone matrix formation, including SPARC, and mineralization in bony wound healing process.