• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.265-274
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• 2016

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous genetic modules that are evolutionally conserved in bacteria and archaea. TA systems composed of an intracellular toxin and its antidote (antitoxin) are currently classified into five types. Commonly, activation of toxins under stress conditions inhibits diverse cellular processes and consequently induces cell death or reversible growth inhibition. These effects of toxins play various physiological roles in such as regulation of gene expression, growth control (stress response), programmed cell arrest, persister cells, programmed cell death, phage protection, stabilization of mobile genetic elements or postsegregational killing of plasmid-free cells. Accordingly, bacterial TA systems are commonly considered as stress-responsive genetic modules. However, molecule screening for activation of toxin in TA system is available as development of antimicrobial agents. In addition, cytotoxic effect induced by toxin is used as effective cloning method with antitoxic effect of antitoxin; consequently cells containing cloning vector inserted a target gene can survive and false-positive transformants are removed. Also, TA system is applicable to efficient single protein production in biotechnology industry because toxins that are site-specific ribonuclease inhibit protein synthesis except for target protein. Furthermore, some TA systems that induce apoptosis in eukaryotic cells such as cancer cells or virus-infected cells would have a wide range of applications in eukaryotes, and it will lead to new ways of treating human disease. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on bacterial TA systems and their applications.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.238-246
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• 2005

We conducted this investigation to observe competitive adsorption phenomena among the heavy metals onto the available sorption sites of soil particle surfaces in sandy clay loam and clay soil collected from Nonsan city, Chungnam and Yoosung, Daejeon in Korea, respectively. Polluted and contaminated soils can often contain more than one heavy metal species, resulting in competition for available sorption sites among heavy metals in soils due to complex competitive ion exchange and specific sorption mechanism. And the adsorption characteristics of the heavy metals were reported that the selectivity for the sorption sites was closely related with electropotential and electro negativity carried by the heavy metals. The heavy metals were treated as single, binary and ternary systems as bulk solution phase. Adsorption in multi-element system was different from single-element system as Cr, Pb and Cd. The adsorption isotherms showed the adsorption was increased with increasing equilibrium concentrations. For binary and ternary systems, the amount of adsorption at the same equilibrium concentration was influenced by the concentration of individual ionic species and valence carried by the respective heavy metal. Also we found that the adsorption isotherms of Cd and Pb selected in this experiment were closely related with electronegativity and ionic potential regardless number of heavy metals in solution, while the adsorption of Cr carried higher valance and lower electro negativity than Cd and Pb was higher than those of Cd and Pb, indicating that adsorption of Cr was influenced by ionic potential than by electronegativity. Therefore adsorption in multi-element system could be influenced by electronegativity and ionic potential and valance for the same valance metals and different valance, respectively. But it still needs further investigation with respect to ionic strength and activity in multi-element system to verify sorption characteristics and reaction processes of Cr, especially for ternary system in soils.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1105-1112
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• 1997

By sequential degradation using partial acid hydrolysis of a weakly acidic polysaccharide (GL-4IIb2'), two acidic oligosaccharide fragments, PA-2' and PA-1-III were isolated and their structures were characterized. PA-2' consisted of almost equal proportion of a rhamnose (Rha) and an unusual sugar, 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octurosonic acid (Kdo). When permethylated oligosaccharide-alditol derived from PA-2' was analyzed by GC-MS, the peak gave the fragment ions at m/z 189 $(bA_1,\;6-deoxyhexose)$ and at m/z 308 $(aJ_2,\;alditol\;from\;Kdo)$. The peak also gave the characteristic ion at m/z 162 but it did not give the fragment ion at m/z 177, suggesting that Kdo is substituted at C5 but not at C4. Methylation analysis also indicated that PA-2' was composed mainly of terminal Rhap and 5-substituted Kdo. When the reduced product from PA-2' was analyzed by $^1H-NMR$, it gave a signal at 5.09 ppm due to an anomeric proton of ${\alpha}-L-Rha$. These results indicated that PA-2' mainly contained ${\alpha}-L-Rhap-(1{\rightarrow}5)-Kdo$. On the other hand, PA-1-III mainly comprised Rha and Kdo in addition to small proportions of arabinose (Ara) and 3-deoxy-D-lyxo-2-heptulosaric acid (Dha). MS analysis of permethylated oligosaccharide-alditols from PA-1-III suggested that the major peak 1P was $Rhap-(1{\rightarrow}5)-Kdo$ whereas the minor peaks 2P and 3P possessed $Araf-(1{\rightarrow}5)-Dha$ unit and these peaks were produced as epimers during reduction of carbonyl groups in Dha.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 1996

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the utilization of various types of fish meal as dietary protein sources in Korean rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli). In the first experiment, averaging 5.7 g fish were divided into two groups and fed one of diets containing $55\%$ steam-dried white fish meal (SWFM) or $55\%$ brown fish meal (BFM) for 45 days. Weight gain and feed efficiency from fish fed SWFM were significantly (P<0.05) higher than those from fish fed BFM diet. However, daily feed intake, protein retention and lipid retention were not influenced by the two different diets. In the second experiment, averaging 86.6 g fish were divided into six groups and fed one of diets containing $56\%$ SWFM, $28\%\;SWFM+31\%$ flame-dried white fish meal (FWFM), $62\%\;FWFM,\;28\%\;SWFM+31\%\;BFM,\;56\%\;BFM$, or $28\%\;SWFM+29\%$ hydrolyzed fish protein (HFP) for 21 weeks. No significant differences were found among fish fed the six different diets in weight gain, feed efficiency, condition factor, whole body composition, and relative liver weight. Results of the present studies indicated that fish size should be considered in selecting feed ingredients and also feed cost could be lowered by replacing SWFM with FWFM or BFM in growing Korean rockfish diet.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.653-658
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• 2016

Poly(ether-block-amide)(PEBAX$_{(R)}$) resin is a thermoplastic elastomer combining linear chains of hard-rigid polyamide block interspaced soft-flexible polyether block. It was believed that the hard polyamide block provides the mechanical strength and permselectivity, whereas gas transport occurs primarily through the soft polyether block. The objective of this work was to investigate the gas permeation properties of carbon dioxide and methane for PEBAX$^{(R)}$-1657 membrane, and compare with those obtained for other grade of pure PEBAX$^{(R)}$, PEBAX$^{(R)}$-2533 and PEBAX$^{(R)}$ based hybrid membranes. The hybrid membranes based PEBAX$^{(R)}$ were obtained by a sol-gel process using GPTMS ((3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane) as the only inorganic precursor. Molecular structure and morphology of membrane were analyzed by $^{29}Si$-NMR, DSC and SEM. PEBAX$_{(R)}$-2533 membrane exhibited higher gas permeability coefficients than PEBAX$^{(R)}$-1657 membrane. This was explained by the increase of chain mobility. In contrast, ideal separation factor of $CO_2/CH_4$ for PEBAX$^{(R)}$-1657 membrane was higher than PEBAX$^{(R)}$-2533 membrane. It was explained by the decrease of diffusion selectivity caused by increase of chain mobility. For PEBAX$^{(R)}$/GPTMS hybrid membrane, gas permeability coefficients were decreased with reaction time. Gas permeability coefficient of $CH_4$ was more significantly decreased than $CO_2$. It can be explained by the reduction of chain mobility caused by the sol-gel process, and strong affinity of PEO segment with $CO_2$. Comparing with pure PEBAX$^{(R)}$-1657 membrane, ideal separation factor of $CO_2/CH_4$ for PEBAX$^{(R)}$/GPTMS hybrid membrane has decreased to 4.5%, and gas permeability coefficient of $CO_2$ has increased 3.5 times.