Associations between periodontal infection and cardiovascular disease have been documented. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a well-established periodontal pathogen, and tissue factor (TF) is a key initiator of the coagulation cascade. In this context, P. gingivalis has been reported to enhance TF expression in human endothelial cells. The present study investigated the underlying mechanisms of TF induction by P. gingivalis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. P. gingivalis increased TF expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Not only live bacteria but also glutaraldehyde-fixed bacteria increased TF expression to the same extent. However, sonicates of P. gingivalis did not induce TF expression. Cytochalasin D and SMIFH2, which are inhibitors of actin polymerization and actin nucleation, respectively, inhibited the TF expression induced by P. gingivalis . Finally, TF production was decreased or increased in the presence of various signaling inhibitors, including mitogen-activated protein kinases. These results suggest that P. gingivalis induces endothelial TF expression by a bacterial internalization-dependent mechanism and through diverse signal transduction mechanisms.

In marine ecosystems, the biosynthesis and catabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) by marine bacteria is critical to microbial survival and the ocean food chain. Furthermore, these processes also influence sulfur recycling and climate change. Recent studies using emerging genome sequencing data and extensive bioinformatics analysis have enabled us to identify new DMSP-related genes. Currently, seven bacterial DMSP lyases (DddD, DddP, DddY, DddK, DddL, DddQ and DddW), two acrylate degrading enzymes (DddA and DddC), and four demethylases (DmdA, DmdB, DmdC, and DmdD) have been identified and characterized in diverse marine bacteria. In this review, we focus on the biochemical properties of DMSP cleavage enzymes with special attention to DddD, DddA, and DddC pathways. These three enzymes function in the production of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) and CO2 from DMSP. DddD is a DMSP lyase that converts DMSP to 3-hydroxypropionate with the release of dimethylsulfide. 3-Hydroxypropionate is then converted to malonate semialdehyde by DddA, an alcohol dehydrogenase. Then, DddC transforms malonate semialdehyde to acetyl-CoA and CO2 gas. DddC is a putative methylmalonate semialdehyde dehydrogenase that requires nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and CoA cofactors. Here we review recent insights into the structural characteristics of these enzymes and the molecular events of DMSP degradation.

While inspecting the Natanz Nuclear Site (Iran) on October 6, 2019, an inspector of the IAEA was found to carry suspicious materials. She was prevented from entering the site by the Iranian authorities and was shortly returned to the Agency’s headquarters. Iran could not prosecute her, because of the inspector’s immunity by the Agency. However, in addition to exhaustion of the dispute settlement mechanisms predicted in the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the IAEA which has also provided the recourse to the ICJ, Iran may prosecute the Agency by attributing the conduct of the inspector to the Agency in the national courts of non-member States of the Agency that has not accepted the immunity of international organizations as customary international law. This article deals with the immunity of international organizations and its agents, as well as examining the Agency inspector’s fault in inspecting the Natanz Nuclear Site and the Judicial Mechanisms for follow-ups.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and currently there are many approaches developing towards cancer treatment. Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are often painful and have adverse effects. The mechanism of apoptosis is a complex process and it involves different pathways in its mechanism of action. Apoptosis can be caused by signals within the cell such as stress, or by extrinsic signals such as ligands binding to cell surface death receptors. The programmed cell death plays a important role in the several physiological and pathological processes. It plays important role in homeostasis. Flavonoids have gained importance as anticancer agents promoting cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cancer cells. Flavonoids are present in many medicinal plants which are a kind of ubiquitous natural products and essential active ingredients. They have strong biological activities with high efficiency and low toxicity, possessing good preventive and cure effects on different tumor forms. Flavonoids such as Scutellarein, Pectolinarigenin and Naringin have reported to possess significant anti-cancer effects on different cancer cell lines till date. In this review, we provide a summary about the anti-cancer effect of the three flavonoids and its mechanisms of action that can be used in future for understanding their potent anti-tumor properties.

최근의 연구는 개방형 혁신이 전략적 측면에서 혁신에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 에 중점을 두고 있어 개방성의 형태와 관련된 연구는 부족하다. 또한, 개방형 혁신을 위해 개 방을 해야 하지만 혁신을 보호해야 하기도 한다는 모순이 존재한다. 최근 이와 관련하여 혁 신 보호 연구의 필요성이 확대되고 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 개방성의 형태가 제품혁신에 미 치는 영향을 살펴보고, 개방성의 형태와 제품혁신의 관계는 전유성 메커니즘에 따라 어떻게 달라지는지 탐구하였다. 본 연구는 OECD에서 개발하고 배포하는 CIS(Community Innovation Survey)를 기반으 로 국내 실정에 맞게 작성된 KIS(Korean Innovation Survey) 자료를 사용하였다. 연구의 주 요 연구결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 개방성의 형태는 제품혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미 친다. 구체적으로 외부 탐색은 활용적 혁신에 정(+)의 영향을 미쳤으며, 협업은 탐험적 혁신 에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 전유성 메커니즘은 개방성의 형태와 제품 혁신의 관계에 정(+)의 조절효과를 가진다. 구체적으로 공식적 전유성 메커니즘은 외부 탐색 과 활용적 혁신의 관계에 정(+)의 조절효과를 보였으며, 비공식적 전유성 메커니즘은 협업과 탐험적 혁신의 관계에 정(+)의 조절효과를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 다음과 같은 기여를 할 것으로 기대된다. 첫째, 개방성의 형태를 기존의 방식과 는 다르게 외부 탐색과 협업으로 구분하였으며 이에 따라 제품혁신에 미치는 영향을 파악하 여 제품혁신의 유형과 적합한 개방성의 형태를 파악하였다. 둘째, 전유성 메커니즘의 특성에 따라 개방성의 형태와 제품혁신의 관계에 정(+)의 조절효과를 미치는 것을 파악하여 개방성 의 형태와 제품혁신의 유형에 따라 더 적합한 전유성 메커니즘 유형을 파악하였다.

Based on the system and field of international exchange and cooperation between local governments after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, this paper analyzes the characteristics and future issues of international exchange and cooperation between local governments of China and South Korea. The main achievements of bilateral cooperation are as follows: First, sister cities of friendship between the two sides have developed rapidly. Local government cooperation has both the characteristics of "transborder regional parallel diplomacy" and "trans regional parallel diplomacy". Second, local governments at all levels in South Korea paid relatively low attention to the cities in the central and western regions far away from South Korea in the early stage. In the past 10 years, local governments at all levels in South Korea have gradually started to form sister cities with cities in the central and western regions of China. Third, the bilateral and multilateral cooperation system mechanism of local government cooperation between China and South Korea has gradually became mature. Fourth, various forms of local cooperation at different levels enrich the content of cooperation between China and South Korea and become an important platform for people to people and cultural exchanges between China and South Korea. If it is the geographical and ethnic factors that play an important role in the initial stage of local government exchanges and cooperation between China and South Korea, the policy system will become a new driving force for bilateral cooperation, and the policy promotion at the government level of China and South Korea will become an important consideration for the rational choice of local government transnational cooperation.

내부통제장치의 효과에 대해 기존 연구들은 상반된 결과를 보고하고 있다. 내부통제장치가 기업에서 발생하는 대리인 문제를 줄이는데 효과가 있음을 주장하는 연구가 존재하는 반면, 유의할만한 효과를 나 타내지 못하며 기업의 자원 및 비용을 소모한다는 연구도 존재한다. 본 연구는 내부통제장치의 효과가 경영활동의 특성에 따라 다르게 나타나기 때문에, 내부통제장치의 효과를 명확히 살펴보기 위해서는 경영성과가 아닌 각 경영활동에 미치는 영향을 구분하여 살펴봐야 함을 제시한다. 경영자들은 공시 활동과 같이 평가 가능하고 명확한 경영 활동에 있어서는 내부통제장치에 순응하는 모습을 보일 것이다. 이러한 특성의 경영활동에서는 경영자의 행동이 쉽게 관찰되고 평가될 수 있기 때문이다. 반면, 모호하고 평가가 어려운 경영 활동에 있어서는 경영자의 행동을 평가하기가 어렵기 때문에, 경영자는 자신의 지위나 특권을 지키기 위해 내부통제장치에 순응하지 않을 것이다. 따라서 내부통제장치는 모호하고 평가가 어려운 경영활동보다는 명확하고 평가하기 쉬운 경영활동에 있어서 더욱 효과적일 것으로 예상 된다. 본 연구에서는 내부통제장치가 기업의 자발적 공시 활동에 미치는 영향을 살펴봄으로써, 내부통제장치가 명확하고 평가 가능한 경영활동에 어떤 영향을 미치는가를 실증분석하였다. 실증분석은 2017년 기준 331개의 한국 제조업 기업을 대상으로 실시되었다. 분석 결과, 사외이사 및 스톡옵션과 같은 내부통제장치의 강도가 높아질수록, 경영자가 자율공시 항목에 속하는 예상 실적에 대한 공시를 하는 경향이 높아짐을 확인할 수 있었다.

Here, we investigated antioxidant defense mechanism in the spermatheca of A. mellifera queens via RNA-seq analysis of spermathecae in both mated and virgin queens. We identified the genes encoding antioxidant proteins, which were differentially expressed in the spermatheca of mated queens. The concentrations of antioxidant proteins, such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GTPX), and transferrin (Tf) together with the levels of ROS, H2O2, and iron were higher in the spermathecal fluid of mated queens as opposed to those in the spermathecal fluid of virgin queens; this indicated that increase in antioxidant protein concentration is an antioxidant defense mechanism occurring in the spermathecal fluid of mated queens against ROS; this mechanism involves conversion of ROS using antioxidant enzymes and Tf-mediated inhibition of the Fenton reaction occurring between Fe2+ and H2O2. Our data indicate that an increased expression of antioxidant proteins could facilitate prolonged storage and survival of sperms in the spermatheca of mated queens, suggesting the role of antioxidant proteins in antioxidative defense against ROS.

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most important pest species, because it devastates many horticultural and ornamental crops and fruit trees. The resistance ratios calculated for the LC50 value in acequinocyl- and pyridaben-resistant strain was 4,237- and 5,555-fold higher than that of the susceptible strain, respectively. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cross-resistance to several acaricides and to identify the mechanisms associated with acequinocyl- and pyridaben-resistant strain of T. urticae.

A residual contact vial plus water (RCVpW) bioassay method was established to monitor insectiside resistance in field populations of the melon thrips, Thrips palmi. Resistance level against six major insecticides were evalutated in five regions to test applicability of RCVpW as an on-site resistance monitoring tool. Reduced mortality in response to six test insecticides were exhibited compared to the RDA susceptable strain showing 100 % mortality, indicating different degree of resistance. An apparently reduced mortality to emamectin benzoate and chlofenapyr was observed in some field populations, suggesting uneven distribution of resistance to these insecticides in field populations. In addition, spinosad resistance was high and widely distributed in the test regions. Synergistic bioassay revealed that cytochrome P450-mediated metabolic factor is involved in spinosad resistance in the Korean population.

Recent transcriptome analyses have shown that long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play prevalent roles in transcriptional regulation. We have reported that promoter-associated ncRNAs (pancRNAs) activate the partner gene expression via local epigenetic changes. Here, we identify thousands of genes under the pancRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation in five mammalian species in common. In the mouse, 1) pancRNA-partnered genes show tissue-specific expression pattern, 2) expression of pancRNAs significantly enriched H3K4me3 and H3K27ac marks towards the partner gene expression, 3) H3K4me1 marks the pancRNA-partnered genes regardless of their expression level, and 4) C- or G-skewed motifs were exclusively overrepresented between -200 and -1 bp relative to the transcription start sites of pancRNA-partnered genes. More importantly, the comparative transcriptome analysis among five different mammalian species using a total of 25 counterpart tissues showed that overall pancRNA expression profile exhibited extremely high species-specificity compared to that of mRNA, suggesting that a significant number of pancRNAs contributed to the enhancement of a set of partner genes' expression in a sequence-specific manner. We conclude that the gain and/or loss of gene-activation-associated pancRNA repertories, caused by formation or disorganization of the genomic GC-skewed structure, finely shapes tissue-specific pattern of gene expression according to a given species.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a food-borne bacterial pathogen that causes various diseases in both humans and animals such as hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Because cattle are the main reservoir of this microorganism, undercooked meat and meat byproducts contaminated with EHEC O157:H7 are most commonly associated with epidemic disease outbreaks. As an enteric pathogen, EHEC O157:H7 enters the body via a fecal-oral route and must survive passage through the gastric stomach at pH 1.5 to 3.5 to establish an infection within the gastrointestinal tracts. Therefore, the ability to resist such acidic environments is important to the pathogenesis of EHEC O157:H7 during a host infection. In this review, we will discuss on the acid resistance (AR) mechanisms induced by EHEC O157:H7 when E. coli encounters acidic environments.

Phosphine (PH3) resistance in the stored-products insect pests has been reported throughout the world in various insect species, including Rhyzopertha dominica, Tribolium castaneum, and Cryptolestes ferrugineus, leading farmers and fumigators to identify new fumigation tools to control PH3-resistant insect pests in storage facilities. Understanding PH3-resistance mechanisms in insects might contribute to providing clues for the development of new chemicals, including fumigants, to control various PH3-resistant insects. A proteomic study has shown 15 decreased proteins in the PH3-resistant R. dominica (CRD343 strain) in comparison to the PH3-susceptible R. dominica, and among those 15 proteins, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD), a protein involved in the Krebs cycle, was identified (Park et al., 2008). The DLD polymorphisms responsible for genetic resistance have disulfide active sites for PH3 binding and are highly sensitive to arsenic exposure after mutagenesis in insects (R. dominica and T. castaneum) and Caenorhabditis elegans (Schlipalius et al., 2012). Here, two PH3- resistant S. oryzae strains were used to understand the development of PH3 resistance in these insects. Acute toxicity test by PH3 on the two PH3-resistant strains was undertaken followed by ethyl formate inhibition study on cytochrome c oxidase activity. The Lineweaver-Burk plots after inhibition studies showed there were significantly difference in inhibition mode between the resistant strains and the control. The RT-qPCR analysis and the next-generation sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA revealed significant changes in metabolism and energy production. Taken together, the PH3 resistance in S. oryzae was definitely acquired by the overall transformation of biochemical reactions to overcome PH3 toxicity.