• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.2
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• pp.1-31
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• 1962

The purpose of this treatise is to prove the presence of cystine in silk fiber through wide sampling throughout all the sericultural processes of Bombyx mori.; also to show that disulfide cross linkages exist in the silk fiber. The conclusions reached were as follows: 1. Crystalline cystine was obtained from silk fibroin using Folin's Method. 2. Analytical data showing the cystine content of silk fiber and its related materials were obtained using Sullvan's Method as follows: Material Percent Cystine A. Mulberry leaf protein 0.175 B. Silkworm egg 0.33 C. Silkworm Body, matured, fat extracted, without silk gland 0.41 D. Silk gland, matured 1.23 E. Silkworm feces none F. Silkworm pupa, fat extracted 0.30 G. Silkworm moth, fat extracted 0.60 H. Raw Silk 0.22 I. Fibroin 0.175 J. Sericin 0.30 3. The presence of cystine in the silkworm was substantiated the existence of 0.175 % methionine in mulberry leaves and 0.12% methionine in the silk gland. 4. Part of the sulfhydryl compounds in the silk gland is believed to transfer to serine and methionine, with the former being secreted into the liquid silk finally as silk fiber and the latter used for nutritive purposes in the growing of silk gland tissue. 5. The cystine content is variable by mulberry species, silkworm species, sex, breeding process, and other culturing environments. 6. Hybrid silkworms require more nutritive amino acids for effective growth than the original parents, and secrete less of them as silk fiber. 7. From such an observation, the amino acid composition of silk fiber is believed to be fairly flexible. Cystine if included in the amorphous part of the fiber, especially in sericin. 8. The result from enriching the silkworm diet with pure cystine or wool cystine did not result in any advantage, therefore it is believed that the natural cystine and methionine contents in the mulberry leafaregoodenoughforsilkwormnutrition. 9. The disulfide cross linkage in silk fiber was verified by using the Harris Method. Contraction took place following the treatment of the fiber with various salts and acids. Comparisons were made with wool fiber. 10. During these experiments, the fibrious structure of silk fiber and the net-globular liquid form were photographed microscopically. It is believed that the globules of liquid silk are net-formed by the inter attraction of the OH ion of the globular peptide and the H ion of water as shown by the hair cracking behavior of the film. The net-globular protein precipitation from the mulberry protein solution showed that mulberry is a proper diet for the formation of fibrous protein in the silk fiber. 11. The significance of the presence of cystine in silk fiber as emphasized in this paper should result in modification of the general conception that cystine is absent from this fiber. NOTICE: A part of this treatise was presented at the annual Korea Sericultural Society meeting held in 1961.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 1990

The present study exarnines the physiological alteradons in prolactin (PRL) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and serum PRL levels during the rat estrous cycle and the effed of naloxone, an endogenous oploid peptide receptor antagonist, on PRL gene expression during the rat estrous cycle. Adult female rats exhibiting at least two consecutive 4-day estrous cycles were used in this study. A single injection of naloxone (2mg/kg b.w.) or saline was given sc 30 mm prior to decapitation. Animals were sacrificed at 10:00 h of each stage of the estrous cycle, and at 2-h intervals from 10:00 h to 20:00 h during the proestrus. PRL mRNA and serum PRL levels were determined by a RNA-blot hybridization with the rat PRL cDNA probe and by a PRL radjoimmunoassay, respectively. PRL mRNA and serum PRL levels were not dramatically altered in the morning of each stage of diestrus I, II and proestrus, and naloxone failed to modify the two parameters. During estrus naloxone clearly suppressed serum PRL levels, but it was unable to modify PRL mRNA levels. A more detailed examination of the proestrus stage revealed that PRL mRNA and serum PRL levels were fluctuated as a function of time: PRL mRNA levels reached a maximum level at 12:00 h and gradually decreased until 18:00 h. PRL mRNA levels then rose at 20:00 h. No difference of PRL mRNA levels between the control and naloxone-treated groups was observed. Changes in serum PRL levek during proestrus were conversely related to changes in PRL mRNA: serum PRL levels were low from 10:00 h to 14:00 h, then increased and reached a maximum level at 16:00-18:00 h. Following then, serum PRL levels were decreased. Naloxone was effective in suppressing the charaderistic afternoon surge of PRL from 16:00 h to 20:00 h. These data clearly showed that alterations in PRL mRNA levels were conversely correlated with changes mn serum PRL levels on proestrus, indicating a differential regulation of PRL gene expression and secretion.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2003

Corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF) and neuropeptide Y(NPY) are known to play important roles in mediating stress responses and stress-related behavior. To elucidate the role of neuropeptides in response to the condition that had paired with traumatic event, we observed the changes of CRF and NPY by immunohistochemistry using a conditioned footshock paradigm. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in a shuttle box and exposed to 20 pairings of a tone(< 70dB, 5sec) followed by a footshock(FS, 0.8mA, 1sec) over 60min. A second group was exposed to the tone-footshock pairings, returned to the homecage for 2days, and then reexposed to the test chamber and 20tones alone for 60min, prior to sacrifice. Control groups were : a) sacrificed without exposure to FS ; b) exposed to the tone-footshock pairings and then sacrificed two days later ; or c) exposed to the chamber and tones alone, returned to the homecage for 2days and then reexposed to the chamber and 20tones over 60min prior to sacrifice. CRF was increased in animals exposed to FS or the aversive condition(context and tone) that had paired to FS in bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) compared to the control. NPY was increased by FS in amygdala and PVN, but the condition previously associated with FS results in slight increase only in amygdala area. These results suggest that the BNST appears to be the mostly involved neural circuit in response to explicit cues previously paired with footshock. Moreover, this study raise the possibility that increased CRF peptide in the BNST in response to re-exposure to the aversive condition may underlie, in part, the experience of conditioned fear-related anxiety behavior.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.287-296
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• 2005

To investigation protein expression pattern in rice leaves exposed to cold stress, the soluble proteins extracted from leaf tissue were fractionated with $15\%$ PEG and separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Differentially expressed proteins were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Eight proteins up-regulated and 10 down-regulated were found in $15\%$ PEG supernatant fraction. In addition, 13 proteins up-regulated and 14 down-regulated were found in $15\%$ PEG pellet fraction. It was identified the differentially expressed proteins in $15\%$ PEG supernatant fraction as pimerase/dehydratase fructokinase, ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi), chaperonin 21 precursor, probable photosystem II oxygen-envolving complex (PS II OEC) protein 2 precursor and thioredoxin h-type (Trx-h) and those in $15\%$ PEG pellet fraction as OSINBb0059K02.15, hypothetical protein, putative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK), beta 7 subunit of 205 proteasome, ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) small subunit. These proteins are involved in metabolism, energy, protein synthesis, disease/defense and signal transduction-related proteins.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 2009

Oryza grandiglumis Chitinase IVa (OgChitIVa) cDNA encoding a class IV chitinase was cloned from wild rice (Oryza grandiglumis). OgChitIVa cDNA contains an open reading frame of 867 nucleotides encoding 288 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 30.4 kDa and isoelectric point of 8.48. Deduced amino acid sequences of OgChitIVa include the signal peptide and chitin-binding domain in the N-terminal domain and conserved catalytic domain. OgChitIVa showed significant similarity at the amino acid level with related monocotyledonous rice and maize chitinase, but low similarity with dicotyledoneous chitinase. Southern blot analysis showed that OgChitIVa genes are present as two copies in the wild rice genome. It was shown that RNA expression of OgChitIVa was induced by defense/stress signaling chemicals, such as jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethephon or cantharidin and endothall or wounding, and yeast extract. It was demonstrated that overexpression of OgChitIVa in Arabidopsis resulted in mild resistance against the fungal pathogen, Botrytis cinerea, by lowering disease rate and necrosis size. RT-PCR analysis showed that PR-1 and PR-2 RNA expression was induced in the transgenic lines. Here, we suggest that a novel OgChitIVa gene may play a role in signal transduction process in defense response against B. cinerea in plants.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.539-544
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• 2006

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to determine whether N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP) may be used to differentiate acute Kawasaki disease(KD) from other clinically similar diseases. Methods : Using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, NT-proBNP concentrations were measured in the acute phase within 10 days after the onset of KD(n=58) and in the convalescent phase, 60 to 81 days after the onset(n=51), and also in patients with acute febrile disease as a control(n=34). Echocardiography was performed to detect pericardial effusion(PE) and coronary artery lesions(CAL), and to measure the left ventricular dimension at diastole(LVIDd) and ejection fraction(LVEF). The cutoff value of NT-proBNP for separating KD from other diseases was determined. Results : NT-proBNP concentration in the acute phases of KD was significantly higher than that in the control group($1,501.6{\pm}2,132.6$ vs. $139.0{\pm}88.8pg/mL$, P<0.0001). In KD patients, NT-proBNP was elevated in the acute phase and was lowered in the convalescent phase($1,466.0{\pm}2,173.2$ vs. $117.5{\pm}95.5pg/mL$, P<0.0001). The cutoff value of 260 pg/mL discriminated KD patients from other patients, with a sensitivity of 93 percent and a specificity of 88 percent. The NT-proBNP was higher in patients with PE(n=17) compared with those without PE(n=41)($1,784.2{\pm}1,903.1$ vs. $1,384.4{\pm}2,232.6pg/mL$, P=0.52). Comparison of NT-proBNP could not be done between patients with CAL and those without, owing to a small number of patients with CAL(n=3). There was no correlation between NT-proBNP and LVEF index(r=0.104, P=0.46) or LVIDd index(r=0.171, P=0.22). Conclusion : NT-proBNP increases in the acute phase of KD and decreases to within normal range in the convalescent phase. NT-proBNP >260 pg/mL may be highly suggestive of acute KD. NT-proBNP may be used as a diagnostic tool for KD.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-48
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• 1974

The studies were carried out to disclose the physical and chemical properties of sericin fraction obtained from silk cocoon shells and its characteristics of swelling and solubility. The following results were obtained. 1. The physical and chemical properties of sericin fraction. 1) In contrast to the easy water soluble sericin, the hard soluble sericin contains fewer amino acids include of polar side radical while the hard soluble amino acid sach as alanine and leucine were detected. 2) The easy soluble amino acids were found mainly on the outer part of the fibroin, but the hard soluble amino acids were located in the near parts to the fibroin. 3) The swelling and solubility of the sericin could be hardly assayed by the analysis of the amino acid composition, and could be considered to tee closely related to the compound of the sericin crystal and secondary structure. 4) The X-ray patterns of the cocoon filament were ring shape, but they disappeared by the degumming treatment. 5) The sericin of tussah silkworm (A. pernyi), showed stronger circular patterns in the meridian than the regular silkworm (Bombyx mori). 6) There was no pattern difference between Fraction A and B. 7) X-ray diffraction patterns of the Sericin 1, ll and 111 were similar except interference of 8.85A (side chain spacing). 8) The amino acids above 150 in molecular weight such as Cys. Tyr. Phe. His. and Arg. were not found quantitatively by the 60 minutes-hydrolysis (6N-HCI). 9) The X-ray Pattern of 4.6A had a tendency to disappear with hot-water, ether, and alcohol treatment. 10) The partial hydrolysis of sericin showed a cirucular interference (2A) on the meridian. 11) The sericin pellet after hydrolysis was considered to be peptides composed with specific amino acids. 12) The decomposing temperature of Sericin 111 was higher than that of Sericin I and II. 13) Thermogram of the inner portioned sericin of the cocoon shell had double endothermic peaks at 165$^{\circ}C$, and 245$^{\circ}C$, and its decomposing temperature was higher than that of other portioned sericin. 14) The infrared spectroscopic properties among sericin I, II, III and sericin extracted from each layer portion of the cocoon shell were similar. II. The characteristics of seriein swelling and solubility related with silk processing. 1) Fifteen minutes was required to dehydrate the free moisture of cocoon shells with centrifugal force controlled at 13${\times}$10$^4$ dyne/g at 3,000 R.P.M. B) It took 30 minutes for the sericin to show positive reaction with the Folin-Ciocaltue reagent at room temperature. 3) The measurable wave length of the visible radiation was 500-750m${\mu}$, and the highest absorbance was observed at the wave length of 650m${\mu}$. 4) The colorimetric analysis should be conducted at 650mu for low concentration (10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$), and at 500m${\mu}$ for the higher concentration to obtain an exact analysis. 5) The absorbing curves of sericin and egg albumin at different wave lengths were similar, but the absorbance of the former was slightly higher than that of the latter. 6) The quantity of the sericin measured by the colorimetric analysis, turned out to be less than by the Kjeldahl method. 7) Both temperature and duration in the cocoon cooking process has much effect on the swelling and solubility of the cocoon shells, but the temperature was more influential than the duration of the treatment. 8) The factorial relation between the temperature and the duration of treatment of the cocoon cooking to check for siricin swelling and solubility showed that the treatment duration should be gradually increased to reach optimum swelling and solubility of sericin with low temperature(70$^{\circ}C$) . High temperature, however, showed more sharp increase. 9) The more increased temperature in the drying of fresh cocoons, the less the sericin swelling and solubility were obtained. 10) In a specific cooking duration, the heavier the cocoon shell is, the less the swelling and solubility were obtained. 11) It was considered that there are differences in swelling or solubility between the filaments of each cocoon layer. 12) Sericin swelling or solubility in the cocoon filament was decreased by the wax extraction.. 13) The ionic surface active agent accelerated the swelling and solubility of the sericin at the range of pH 6-7. 14) In the same conditions as above, the cation agent was absorbed into the sericin. 15) In case of the increase of Ca ang Mg in the reeling water, its pH value drifted toward the acidity. 16) A buffering action was observed between the sericin and the water hardness constituents in the reeling water. 17) The effect of calcium on the swelling and solubility of the sericin was more moderate than that of magnecium. 18) The solute of the water hardness constituents increased the electric conductivity in the reeling water.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.854-861
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• 1997

CYPRA 21-1 is known to be a cytokeratin 19 fragment, and it can be detected by using two specific monoclonal antibodies (KS 19-1 and BM 19-21) and can be clinically applied as a useful circulating tumor marker The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) expression was evaluated and characterized by its tyrosine protein kinase activity and by its ligand-stimulated autophosphorylation, a property shared with other peptide growth factor receptors. Autocrine or para'urine action was initiated by a growth factor, or by a transforming growth factor o, which had an extensive homology with EGP and which also stimulated tyrosine kinase activity on the EGF-R. The CYFRA 21-1 and the EGF-R levels in 30 patients with primary lung tumors were investigated. There were 24 patients with squamous cell carcinomas and 6 patients with adenocarcinomas. Specimen 5 mm3 in size were sampled at three different locations ; the main lesion, the boundary between the lesion and the unaffected tissue, and the unaffected tissue of the patients. The results were as follows 1. The CYPRA 21-1 concentration in the cancer boundary, the most malignant region,(348.6 : 89.9 ng/ml) was the lowest value. The CYFRA 21-1 concentration in unaffected tissue,(718.4$\pm$77.8 ng/ml) was higher than that in the main lesion. which had intact cellularity. 2. The EGF-R concentration in the main lesion was higher than that in the unaffected tissue, and the EGF-R concentration in a squamous cell cacinoma was higher than that in an adenocarcinoma. also, the EGF-R concentration in the cancer b undary was highest at stage 1, ll. The EGF-R concentration was higher in the main cancer lesion that in the unaffected tissue at stage 111, IV. 3. The CYFRA 21-1 was a cytoplasmic skeleton and the EGF-R was a cell-wall component; there was no correlation. In conclusion, CYFRA 21-1 was abundant in the cytoplasm but had a higher concentration in the unaffected tissue than in the main cancer lesion. The CYFRA 21-1 concentration of the tissue did not reflect the amount of cancer activity, the EGP-R was located in the cell membrane, the level of tissue that reflects cancer activity, so the main cancer lesion had a higher concentration than the unaffected tissue. CYFRA 21-1 is not a useful tumor maker at the tissue level. Because the EGF-R concentration re(looted the cancer activity, its a useful tumor marker for lung cancer.