Publications by authors named "Ju A Shim"

Introduction: Particulate matter (PM) is a harmful air pollutant associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, but its effects on adaptive immunity are poorly understood.

Objectives: This study investigates the role of NRF2 in T cells in mediating immune and pulmonary responses to long-term PM exposure, highlighting its impact on inhalation toxicity.

Methods: To establish a mouse model of lung injury induced by PM exposure, C57BL/6 mice were intranasally administered 20 μg/kg PM or PM daily for 16 weeks.

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  • * The study found that Nrf2, a protein that responds to ROS, is linked to suppressed anti-tumor responses in CTLs; Nrf2 knockout mice showed better tumor control when T cells were depleted.
  • * Nrf2-deficient CTLs displayed enhanced survival and function in the TME, suggesting that targeting Nrf2 could improve T-cell immunotherapy effectiveness against solid tumors.
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  • Cytokines of the common γ chain (γc) are essential for T cell development and immune responses but their regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • This study examines how γc expression in T cells is regulated during T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation through various molecular techniques.
  • Findings reveal that the transcription factors NFAT1 and NFκB work together to increase γc expression, impacting cytokine signaling and T cell homeostasis in response to IL-7.
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Gut microbiota was only considered as a commensal organism that aids in digestion, but recent studies revealed that the microbiome play a critical role in both physiological and pathological immune system. The gut microbiome composition is altered by environmental factors such as diet and hygiene, and the alteration affects immune cells, especially T cells. Advanced genomic techniques in microbiome research defined that specific microbes regulate T cell responses and the pathogenesis of immune-mediated disorders.

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Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are emerging as important regulators in various immune diseases; however, their roles in immune cells remain unclear. In this study, using alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS) mutant (sti) mice with neurodegenerative disorder, we investigated the effect of translational fidelity in immune cells. Dysfunctional AARS caused disorders in immune cell responses and cellularity.

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Novel engineered T cells containing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) that combine the benefits of antigen recognition and T cell response have been developed, and their effect in the anti-tumor immunotherapy of patients with relapsed/refractory leukemia has been dramatic. Thus, CAR-T cell immunotherapy is rapidly emerging as a new therapy. However, it has limitations that prevent consistency in therapeutic effects in solid tumors, which accounts for over 90% of all cancer patients.

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Objectives: Erlotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has been shown to have a dramatic effect in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutation. However, the presence of primary resistance or acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI is the most common reason for switching to other anti-cancer agents. Even though there are newer agents that have activity in the presence of the T790M mutation, identification of potential agents that could overcome resistance to EGFR-TKI is still needed for the treatment of NSCLC patients.

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The differences of serum IL-2 levels were not consistent between Behçet's Disease (BD) patients and healthy controls, however, the correlation of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and BD has not been investigated. IL-2R is composed of three subunits; alpha, beta, and gamma. The expression frequencies of IL-2R subunits were analyzed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells, spleens, and lymph node (LN) cells.

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The T cell immunoglobulin mucin (TIM) proteins regulate T cell activation and tolerance. TIM-1 plays an important role in the regulation of immune responses and the development of autoimmune diseases. TIM-4 is a natural ligand of TIM-1, and the interaction of TIM-1 and TIM-4 is involved in the regulation of T helper (Th) cell responses and modulation of the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance.

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  • * Researchers measured the M1/M2 ratio using specific surface markers and analyzed gene expression of key cytokines involved in inflammatory responses, finding that M1 macrophages were more prevalent in BD mice compared to healthy ones.
  • * Treatment with recombinant cytokines showed that rIFN-γ increased the M1/M2 ratio, while rIL-4 decreased it and improved BD symptoms, suggesting that targeting macrophage activation could be a potential treatment strategy for BD.
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Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is considered to be an early marker of severe sepsis that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we pretreated male ICR mice with IL-6 small interfering RNA (siRNA) before cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and observed the changes in their survival in response to down regulation of IL-6, as well as the role of Th subsets during sepsis. In addition, sham and CLP operated mice were sacrificed at different time points to determine the serum IL-6 levels during early and late sepsis.

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Galectin-9 (Gal-9) has been identified as a Tim-3 ligand (L). The Tim-3-Tim-3L interaction serves as a specific down-regulator of the Th1 immune response. It has been reported that Tim-3 expression is higher in patients with inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis compared to controls.

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Background: It has been suggested that the HLA-G molecule is a genetic risk factor for Behcet's disease (BD). In this study, we evaluated the level of Qa-2, a murine nonclassical class I MHC molecule and possible functional homolog of HLA-G, to determine if it was associated with various symptoms of BD-like mice. In addition, we investigated siRNA (small interfering RNA) treatment to determine if it inhibited Qa-2 expression, thereby changing the symptoms of mice.

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