• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.241-248
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• 2010

Hypoxic(oxygen-deficient) water masses are a key threat to the ecosystem of shallow marine coastal areas worldwide. The phenomena of hypoxia occurred at Gamak Bay, on the southeast coast of Korea, in late June 2007. In this paper, the physicochemical characteristics of seawater were surveyed for a period of hypoxic water mass disappearance. The hypoxic water mass was located between Sunso and the northwestern area of the inner bay. The dissolved oxygen(DO) concentrations of surface and bottom water were $1.3mgL^{-1}$ and less than $2mgL^{-1}$, respectively, in the hypoxic water masses, and $4.5{\sim}6.8mgL^{-1}$ and $3.8{\sim}6.0mgL^{-1}$ at the other oxygen-rich sample sites, respectively. Chlorophyll a concentrations were $4.9{\sim}25.3{\mu}gL^{-1}$ at the surface, $2.3{\sim}23.1{\mu}gL^{-1}$ in the middle, and $1.9{\sim}9.0{\mu}gL^{-1}$ at the bottom of the hypoxic water masses. When the hypoxic water mass appeared in Gamak Bay, it formed three different vertical types. The first type occurred throughout the water depth around Sunso. The second type developed from the bottom. The third type of hypoxic water mass was formed in the middle water layer when the inversion of water temperature occurred. The third type of phenomena appeared at only St. 9, St. 14 and St. 21 sites near the Hodo coast. Aquatic surface respiration of bottom-dwelling fishes such as the oriental goby(Acanthogobius flavimanus) was observed and many crustaceans were seen along the adjacent shore of the hypoxic water mass area. About 3,000 oriental gobies as well as many crustaceans died due to this event in Gamak Bay. The results of this study could provide fundamental data for the mechanism of hypoxic water masses in Gamak Bay.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.825-831
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of immune function and respiratory system on aerobic exercise of 75 %HRmax intensity in an exposed acute hypobaric hypoxic environment. The subjects were 20 male college students, 10 of which were soccer players (19.6${\pm}$0.8 yr, BMI 22.3${\pm}$1.0, V02max 56.5${\pm}$4.8 mljkgjmin) and 10 general students (22.2${\pm}$2.3 yr, BMI 22.7${\pm}$2.1, $VO_{2max}$ 50.5${\pm}$6.6 ml/kg/min). Items of measurement after exercise on level and high altitude were $O_{2}$, $CO_{2}$, ventilation (VE), respiratory frequency, respiratory quotient, RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC, Hb, Hct, reticulocyte, WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, and immunoglobulin (IgA, IgD, IgG, IgM). As the result of the verifying hypothesis, these results may suggest three new findings: first, to produce hypoxic ventilatory depression not only at level land but also at 3,000 m high altitude during 30 minute aerobics exercise of 75 %HRmax intensity, second to be more excellent for soccer players in adaptation and sensibility on response of respiratory system at high altitude, and third, to change each other by regular exercise habits or altitude in the monocyte.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.864-874
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• 2023

Natural killer (NK) cell dysfunctions against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a hypoxic environment. Many solid tumors are present in a hypoxic condition, which changes the effector function of various immune cells. The transcription of hypoxic-inducible factors (HIFs) in cancer cells make it possible to adapt to their hypoxic environment and to escape the immune surveillance of NK cells. Recently, the correlation between the transcription of HIF-1α and pro-inflammatory cytokines has been reported. Interleukin (IL)-6 is higher in cancers with a highly invasive ability, and is closely related to the metastasis of cancers. This study showed that the expression of HIF-1α in HCC cells was associated with the presence of IL-6 in the environment of HCC-NK cells. Blocking of IL-6 by antibody in the HCC-NK interaction changed the production of several cytokines including TGF-β, IL-1, IL-18 and IL-21. Interestingly, in a co-culture of HIF-1α-expressed HCC cells and NK cells, blocking of IL-6 increased the production of IL-21 in their supernatants. In addition, the absence of IL-6 significantly enhanced the cytotoxic ability and the expression of the activating receptors (NKG2D, NKp44, and NKG2C) in NK cells to HIF-1α-expressed HCC cells. These effects might be made by the decreased expression of HIF-1α in HCC cells through the inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3. In conclusion, the absence of IL-6 in the interaction of HIF-1α-expressed HCC cells and NK cells could enhance the antitumor activity of NK cells to HCC cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.30-42
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• 2010

The effects of internal waves on dynamics of hypoxic waters were investigated by numerical simulation by means of a hydrostatic-ecosystem coupled numerical model for Lake Biwa. The numerical model consists of hydrostatic and ecosystem submodels. Numerical simulation was carried out for a period during April 2007 and March 2008, after preliminary numerical simulation for three years. As a result, the numerical model could capture the vertical profiles of the observed water quality. During September 30 and October 21 in 2007, the major internal waves were Kelvin and Poincare waves, the periods of which were 1.63 or 1.77 days and 0.48 days, respectively. Hypoxic waters appeared in bottom boundary layer around October and were still when thermocline locates in upper layer. During late autumn and winter seasons, differences in density between upper and lower layers were reduced and the amplitude of internal waves increased. Hypoxic waters began to move under the effects of internal waves. Movement of hypoxic waters will diminish the habitat for aquatic organisms in deeper waters.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.180-187
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• 2013

Hypoxia is an integral part of the environment during luteolysis. In this study we examined whether hypoxia could directly stimulate endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide (NO). Endothelial cells were cultured in hypoxic (5% $O_2$) or normoxic (20% $O_2$) conditions and the levels of total NO, inducible NO and endothelial NO was measured. We found that hypoxia but not normoxia upregulated NO production. The increased NO levels correlated with increased inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression whereas expression of endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression remained constant. Addition of the iNOS specific inhibitor 1400W to hypoxic cultures prevented NO production suggesting that hypoxia-induced NO production in endothelial cells was due mainly to upregulation of iNOS. We also found that prostaglandin $F_{2{\alpha}}$ (PGF) production was unaffected by hypoxia suggesting that upregulation of NO was not due to increased synthesis of PGF. In summary, we report that endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions produce NO via the iNOS pathway. This study provides the importance of the relation between the hypoxic environment and the induction of NO by endothelial cells during regression of the corpus luteum in the ovary.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.459-468
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• 2003

Annual variation of water qualities in the Shihwa Lake were observed 18 times from June 1996 to October 2001. We studied at the station of the upper streams and near the water gate of lake. After the flow of the outer seawater through the water gate, the surface salinity in Shihwa Lake increased to the range of 25-30 psu in both stations after October 1998. Due to the declination of the salinity differences between the surface and the bottom water, the pycnocline in which had existed until 1997 has weakened, and made the water column mix vertically. This led to the improvement of anoxic/hypoxic environment at bottom waters after April 1998. However, despite the continuous flow of the outer seawater, the concentrations of chlorophyll-a at surface layer were varied from $2{\mu}g/l\;to\;60{\mu}g/l$, and these values indicated the eutrophication. The following organic matter load was greatly influencing the surface layer's COD concentration. During the rainy season, the salinity at the surface layer to the below 15 psu resulting in stratification between the surface and bottom layer. Organic matters that were provided from the surface layer to the bottom layer due to active primary production in the year exhausted dissolved oxygen at the bottom layer, and the bulks of organic matters at bottom gave rise to hypoxic or anoxic environment. It was observed that the enrichment of ammonia and phosphate were main factors to worsen the water quality of the Shihwa Lake. The results of examining the annual variations in Shiwha Lake through principal component analysis shown that water characteristics in the rainy season were similar with those before input of outer sea water.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.1089-1102
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• 2004

Seasonal variation of biogeochemical characteristics was determined in Lake Shihwa from October 2002 to August 2003. When the lake was artificially constructed for the freshwater reservoir in 1988, the development of the strong haline density stratification resulted in two-layered system in water column and hypoxic/anoxic environment prevailed in the bottom layer due to oxidation of accumulated organic matters in the lake. Recently, seawater flux to the lake through the sluice has been increased to improve water quality in the lake since 2000, but seasonal stratification and hypoxic bottom layer of the lake still developed in the summer due to the nature of artificially enclosed lake system. As the lake is still receiving tremendous amount of organic matters and other pollutants from neighboring streams during the rainy summer season, limited seawater flux sluicing into the lake may not be enough for the physical and biogeochemical mass balance especially in the summer. The excess of accumulated organic matters in the bottom layer apparently exhausted dissolved oxygen and affected biogeochemical distributions and processes of organic and inorganic compounds in the stratified two-layered environment in the summer. During the summer, ammonia and dissolved organic carbon remarkably increased in the bottom layer due to the hypoxic/anoxic condition in the bottom layer. Phosphate also increased as the result of benthic flux from the bottom sediment. Meanwhile, dissolved organic carbon showed the highest value at the upstream area and decreased along the salinity gradient in the lake. In addition to the sources from the upstream, autochthonous origin of particulate organic carbon from algal bloom in the lake might be more important for sustaining aggravated water quality and development of deteriorated bottom environment in the summer. The removal of trace metals could be attributed to scavenging by strong insoluble metal-sulfide compounds in the hypoxic/anoxic bottom layer in the summer.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2016

Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) have potential to differentiate to various cell types including osteoblasts, adipocytes and neurons. SKPs are a candidate for cell-based therapy since they are easily accessible and have multipotency. Most mammalian cells are exposed to a low oxygen environment with 1 to 5% $O_2$ concentration in vivo, while 21% $O_2$ concentration is common in in vitro culture. The difference between in vitro and in vivo $O_2$ concentration may affect to the behavior of cultured cells. In this report, we investigated the effect of hypoxic condition on stemness and proliferation of SKPs. The results indicated that SKPs exposed to hypoxic condition for 5 days showed no change in proliferation. In terms of mRNA expression, hypoxia maintained expression of stemness markers; whereas, oncogenes, such as Klf4 and c-Myc, were downregulated, and the expression of Nestin, related to cancer migration, was also downregulated. Thus, SKPs cultured in hypoxia may reduce the risk of cancer in SKP cell-based therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.2031-2035
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• 2015

Intra-tumoral hypoxia is an environment that promotes tumor cell migration, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition that accounts for a major mechanism of metastasis. Chloroquine potentially offers a new therapeutic approach with an 'old' drug for effective and safe cancer therapies, as it exerts anti-metastatic activity. We investigated the inhibitory effect of chloroquine on cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell migration under cobalt chloride ($CoCl_2$)-stimulated hypoxia. We showed that chloroquine suppressed CCA cell migration under hypoxic-mimicking conditions on exposure to $100{\mu}M$ $CoCl_2$. Moreover, chloroquine stabilized the protein level of prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHD-2) but reduced the levels of hypoxic responsive proteins such as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It also suppressed epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) by increasing the ratio of E-cadherin to N-cadherin under hypoxic conditions. In conclusion, chloroquine can inhibit hypoxia-stimulated metastasis via HIF-$1{\alpha}$/VEGF/EMT which may serve as a useful additional strategy for CCA therapy.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1137-1152
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• 2016

Cells sense, respond, and adapt to a low oxygen environment called hypoxia, which is widely involved in a variety of human diseases. Adaptation to low oxygen concentrations includes gene expression changes by inducing hypoxic genes and reducing aerobic genes. Recently, the mitochondrial respiratory chain has been implicated in the control of these oxygen-regulated genes when cells experience hypoxia. In order to obtain an insight into an effect of the mitochondrial respiratory chain on cellular response to hyxpoxia, we here examined whole genome transcript signatures of respiration-proficient and respiration-deficient budding yeasts exposed to hypoxia using DNA microarrays. By comparing whole transcriptomes to hypoxia in respiration-proficient and respiration-deficient yeasts, we found that there are several classes of oxygen-regulated genes. Some of them require the mitochondrial respiratory chain for their expression under hypoxia while others do not. We found that the majority of hypoxic genes and aerobic genes need the mitochondrial respiratory chain for their expression under hypoxia. However, we also found that there are some hypoxic and aerobic genes whose expression under hypoxia is independent of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. These results indicate a key involvement of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in oxygen-regulated gene expression and multiple mechanisms for controlling oxygen-regulated gene expression. In addition, we provided gene ontology analyses and computational promoter analyses for hypoxic genes identified in the study. Together with differentially regulated genes under hypoxia, these post-analysis data will be useful resources for understanding the biology of response to hypoxia.