• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.91-91
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• 2003

The beta-turn has been implicated as an important conformation for biological recognition of peptides or proteins. We adapted the concept of general Ca atom positioning from the cluster analysis and recombination of each ideal beta-turn conformation pattern by Garland and Dean (1. Computer-Aided Molecular Design, 1999, 13, 469) as one strategy of designing non-peptide beta-turn scaffolds. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.271.2-271.2
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• 2003

The ${\gamma}$- and ${\beta}$-secretase are one of the most important proteases, which cleave amyloid precursor protein (APP) into neurotoxic A${\beta}$ peptide in Azheimer's type dementia. In the course of screening for anti-dementia agents from natural products, the mycelial culture of mushroom Phellinus linteus showed potent inhibition againt ${\beta}$-secretase (BACE1). (omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.124.1-124.1
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• 2003

We investigated whether the mushroom extracts can protect neuronal death and ameliorate memory deficits in Alzheimer"s disease induced by $\beta$-amyloid peptide[A$\beta$(25-35)]. Cellular model of Alzheimer"s disease was produced by using SK-N-SH human neuronal cells treated with $A\beta$. Treatment with 40uM $A\beta$ for 48hours caused a 46% loss of cell viability. First, we examined the effects of 22 mushroom extracts on neuronal death using MTT assay. We found that 3 mushroom extracts increased viability of the cells from 46% to 87%. (omitted)

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.380-386
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• 2009

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer' and Parkinson', microglial cell activation is thought to contribute to CNS injury by producing neurotoxic compounds. Prothrombin and kringle-2 increase levels of NO and the mRNA expression of iNOS, IL-1$\beta$, and TNF-$\alpha$ in microglial cells. In contrast, the human prothrombin kringle-2 derived peptide NSA9 inhibits NO release and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1$\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$, and IL-6 in LPS-activated EOC2 microglia. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of NSA9 in human prothrombin- and kringle-2-stimulated EOC2 microglia. Treatment with 20-100 ${\mu}M$ of NSA9 attenuated both prothrombin- and kringle-2-induced microglial activation. NO production induced by MAPKs and NF-$\kappa$B was similarly reduced by inhibitors of ERK (PD98059), p38 (SB203580), NF-$\kappa$B (N-acetylcysteine), and NSA9. These results suggest that NSA9 acts independently as an inhibitor of microglial activation and that its effects in EOC2 microglia are not influenced by the presence of kringle-2.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.31-46
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• 2009

Objectives : This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of Gojineumja(Guzhenyinzi, GJEJ) on damaged neural tissue in cultured glial cells and in the mouse brain tissue. Methods : The effects of the GJEJ on activation of astrocytes and caspase 3-positive cell counts in cultured glial cells administered with ${\beta}$-amyloid peptide were investigated. The effects of the GJEJ on levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)-positive reactive astrocyets and caspase 3-positive cells in the hippocampal subfields in the rats administered with scopolamine were investigated. Results : 1. GJEJ reduced levels of activated astrocytes and caspase 3-positive cell counts in cultured glial cells administered with ${\beta}$-amyloid peptide. 2. GJEJ reduced levels of GFAP-positive reactive astrocyets and caspase 3-positive cells in the hippocampal subfields in the rats administered with scopolamine. Conclusions : The present data. suggest that GJEJ may have a protective function of neuronal and non-neuronal cells in damaged neural tissue caused by AD-like stimulations. Further studies on identification of effective molecular components of GJEJ and their interactions with damaged neural cells would be important for understanding molecular mechanism and may be further applicable for the development of therapeutic strategies.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.127-132
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• 2010

We have characterized full-length cDNA encoding Gall-6-tox protein, which was cloned from the fat body of the immunized Galleria mellonella larvae. The cloned cDNA of Gall-6-tox consists of 1301 nucleotides and contained an open reading frame of 891 nucleotides corresponding to a protein of 296 residues that includes a putative 16-residue signal sequence and a 280-residue mature peptide with a calculated mass of 30,707.73 Da. The deduced mature peptide contains conserved tandem repeats of six cysteine-stabilized alpha beta ($Cs{\alpha}{\beta}$) motifs, which was detected in scorpion toxins and insect defensins. In the sequence homology search, mature Gall-6-tox showed 34% and 28% amino acid sequence homology with Bomb-6-tox from Bombyx mori and Spod-11-tox from Spodoptera frugiperda, respectively. Gall-6-tox orthologs were only found in Lepidopteran species, indicating that this new immune-related gene family is specific to this insect order. RT-PCR analysis revealed that Gall-6-tox was expressed primarily in the larval fat bodies, hemocytes, and midgut against invading bacteria into hemocoel. Moreover, the expression time course of Gall-6-tox was examined up to 24 h in the fat bodies and midgut after injection of E. coli. Altogether, these results suggest that Gall-6-tox is derived from defensins and Gall-6-tox may play a critical role in Lepidoptera immune system.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2010

The ${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase gene of Bacillus licheniformis B1 was expressed in Esherichia coli BL21, and a protein with a mass of 50 kDa that was soluble was overproduced. A protein with a mass of 37 kDa was secreted from B. licheniformis. It seems that the ${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase produced in E. coli contained the leader peptide and unprocessed carboxy-terminal region, but its processing occurred in the carboxyterminal in Bacillus. The optimal temperature of ${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase was $40^{\circ}C$. The enzyme still had 76% maximal activity at $60^{\circ}C$. The optimal pH of the enzyme was 7. The enzyme retained considerable activities over the weak-acidic, neutral, and weak-basic pH range. Acidic fungal cellulases are used in food, detergent, pulp, paper, textile industries. However, studies about neutral and alkaline cellulase are not enough. The cellulase developed in this study may be useful for industrial applications in the fields of biofuel development.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.242-245
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• 2005

The most common feature of neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Alzheimer's disease, AD) is the increased number of activated microglial cells nearby the pathogenic area of the brain, such as amyloid plaque in AD. An abnormality of protein regulation and an imbalance of clearance against ${\beta}-amyloid\;(A{\beta})$ produced amyloid precursor protein (APP) can turn microglia into the activated feature out of the ramified resting phase. We examined the possibility that ginsenoside Rb1 could attenuate the microglial activation induced by massive $A{\beta}$ that has known to induce a chronic inflammation, which is a major cause of AD by damaging neuronal cells (i.e. apoptosis or necrosis). Aggregated $A{\beta}42\;(5\;{\mu}M)$ peptide was used with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ($10\;{\mu}g$) for a comparative control up to 48hours. We found that Rb1 reduced the production of nitric oxide as well as proinflammatory cytokines, such as $IL-1{\beta}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.147-153
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• 1999

Chitinolytic enzymes such as ${\beta}$-N-acetylglucosaminidase are major hydrolases involved in insect molting. We have isolated, sequenced a CDNA encoding ${\beta}$-N-acetylglucosaminidase from the silkworm, Bombyx mandarina, and compared its sequence with genes encoding chitinolytic enyzmes from other sources. The insert DNA in the clone is 3,284 nucleotides long with an open reading frame of 1,788 nucleotides that encodes a protein of 596 amino acids with a molecular weight of 68.2 kDa. There is a 3’-untranslated region composed with 1.479 nucleotides and are several potential polyadenylation signals. The predicted amino acid sequence apparently contains a leader peptide of 23 amino acids. A search of the amino acids sequence databases for sequences similarities to other ${\beta}$-N-acetylglucosaminidases or ${\beta}$-N-acetylhexosaminidases. The highest similarity matched with the enzyme from B. mori, which has a sequence identity of 95%. On the other hand, the identity between the B. mandarina enzyme and those from M. sexta and human are 70% and 24%, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2001.12a
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• pp.69-73
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• 2001

Two opioid peptides, YPLDL and YPLDLF, were isolated from enzymatic digests of spinach ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) and named rubiscolin-5 and -6, respectively. These peptides were selective for delta-receptor and the latter was about 3 times more potent than the former. After oral administration in mice at the dose of 100 mg/kg, rubiscolin-6 showed analgesic activity in tail pinch test. It also stimutated learning performance at the same dose in passive avoidance experiment using step-through apparatus. An immunostimulating peptide, MITLAIPVNKPGR, was isolated from a trypsin digest of soybean protein and named soymetide. Immunostimulating activy of soymetide was mediated by fMLP receptor. Interestingly, after oral administration in rats at a dose of 300 mg/kg (po.), soymetide-4 (MITL) protected alopecia (hair-loss) induced by etoposide, a cancer chemotherapy agent. Stimulation of IL-1 release by the peptide was involved in the mechanism. Ovokinin(2-7), RADHPF, is a vasorelaxing peptide released from ovalbumin by the action of chymotrypsin. It lowered blood pressure of spontaneously hypersensive rats (SHR) after oral administration at a dose of 10 mg/kg. RPLKPW, which was designed by replacing 4 amino acid residues in ovokinin(2-7), exhibited hypotensive activity at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg (po.). This peptides was introduced into 3 homologous sites in soybean beta-conglycinin alpha' subunit by site-directed mutagenesis of the cDNA and expressed in E. coli. The minimum effective dose for hypotensive activity of the genetically modified beta-conglycinin alpha' subunit was 10 mg/kg (po.), which is about 1/200 that of ovalbumin.