• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2004

The FimH subunit of type 1-fimbriated Escherichia coli has been determined as a major cause for urinary tract infections. In our previous study, the Adhesin/CTXA2B was expressed as soluble recombinant chimaeric protein derived from the uropathogenic Escherichia coli adhesin genetically coupled to cholera toxin A2B (CTXA2B) subunit in Escherichia coli. Since it is very important to optimize IPTG concentration and culture temperature to maximize cell growth and productivity, These optimal culture factors were determined to increase the productivity of the expressed Adhesin/CTXA2B chimaeric protein in Escherichia coli TB1 carrying pMALfimH/ctxa2b. Our data demonstrate that optimal concentration of IPTG for increased production of chimaeric protein was 0.5 mM. Additionally, culture time was 10 hours and temperature, 37${\circ}C$.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.35-43
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• 1973

This study is concerned with the nutritional status of the packed lunch boxes which are brought by the junior high school students in Capital City of Seoul. Four hundred and eights students of the 8 school districts in Seoul had been randomly selected as subjects. The contained nutrients in the packed lunch were analysed by the Food Composition Table. To observe the influence of home economical status and mother's educational level on the nutrient concents of packed lunches, the chosen subjects were classified into three large groupings, which are upper, middle and low classes respectively. In addition, comparison between the Recommended Daily Allowanced for Korean people-13 to 15 age group-and the contained nutrients in the lunch boxed had been conducted. T-test was applied to clarify the significance of the differences between each group both economical and educational level. 1. The averaged rations between the Recommended Daily Allowances and the contained nutrients in the lunches stand: Calorie 59.7% (566 Cal.) protein 53.1% (18g), animal protein 48.6% (5g), fat 39.8% (5g), calcium 371.% (0.1g), ferret 66.4% (2.9g) Vitamin A 642 1.U. (31.3%), Vitamin $B_1$ 70.2% (0.3mg), Vitamin $B_2$ 41.4% (0.2g), Niacin 77.0%(4mg), Vitamin C 51.9% (13mg). All of the nctrients fall far behind the Recommended Daily, Allowances for 13 to 15 age group. 2. Home economical status brings influence on the kinds of foods which could been. Protein, animal protein, fat, Vitamin $B_2$, Vitamin C showed significance of diffierences between the upper and middle classes. Between the middle and low classes, Protein, animal protein, fat, calcium and Vitamin C showed significance of difference. And finally, between the upper and low classes, protein, fat, calcium, ferret, Vitamin $B_2$ and Vitamin C showed a great significance. 3. Regardless to the living conditions of the subject students, all the nutrients of the lunches packed by the mothers in the entire educational levels did not reach the Recommended Daily Allowances. Protein, animal protein, fat, ferret, Vitamin A, and Niacin showed the significance of the differences between the upper and middle classes. On the other hand, calorie, animal protein, fat, Vitamin A and Vitamin C showed the significance between the middle and low classes. Between the upper and the low classes, protein, animal protein, fat, and ferret showed significance. 4. The mairdish-ice of the lunch boxes supplied calorie, protein, Vitamin $B_1$, Vitamin $B_2$ and Niacin which stand at 83.8%, 56.1%, 52.5%, and 54.8% respectivly when compared with the whole nutritional contents. 5. The side-dishes of the packed lunch lack in variety of cooking methods. One interesting fact is that entire subject students are very favorable to the food cooked with every kind of grains.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.165-174
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• 2022

As the mechanism underlying glucose metabolism regulation by oxymatrine is unclear, this study investigated the effects of oxymatrine on pyroptosis in INS-1 cells. Flow cytometry was employed to examine cell pyroptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Cell pyroptosis was also investigated via transmission electron microscopy and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Protein levels were detected using western blotting and interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 secretion by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The caspase-1 activity and DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 protein (Nrf2) were also assessed. In the high glucose and high fat-treated INS-1 cells (HG + PA), the caspase-1 activity and LDH content, as well as Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3, Gsdmd-N, caspase-1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD, IL-1β, and IL-18 levels were increased. Moreover, P65 protein levels increased in the nucleus but decreased in the cytoplasm. Oxymatrine attenuated these effects and suppressed high glucose and high fat-induced ROS production. The increased levels of nuclear Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the HG + PA cells were further elevated after oxymatrine treatment, whereas cytoplasmic Nrf2 and Keleh-like ECH-associated protein levels decreased. Additionally, the elevated transcriptional activity of p65 in HG + PA cells was reduced by oxymatrine, whereas that of Nrf2 increased. The results indicate that the inhibition of pyroptosis in INS-1 cells by oxymatrine, a key factor in its glucose metabolism regulation, involves the suppression of the NF-κB pathway and activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1067-1075
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• 2011

Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 98 (CCDC98) plays a role in G2/M DNA damage checkpoint pathways by recruiting breast cancer 1 (BRCA1)-A complex to the DNA-damaged sites. However, the molecular mechanism of CCDC98 on the DNA damage-induced G2/M checkpoint pathways is unclear. In this study, we identifed Wilms tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) as a novel CCDC98-binding protein, using tandem affinity purification. We confirmed the association between CCDC98 and WTAP using in vivo and in vitro binding assays. We demonstrated that CCDC98 regulates cyclin B1 expression by affecting WTAP protein stability. Based on these results, we suggest that CCDC98 may act as a novel cell cycle regulator by regulating the expression level of cyclin B1.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.75-87
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• 2021

Type I Interferons (IFNα) are known for their role as biological anticancer agents owing to their cell-apoptosis inducing properties. Development of an appropriate, cost-effective host expression system is crucial for meeting the increasing demand for proteins. Therefore, this study aims to develop codon-optimized IFNα-2b in L. lactis NZ3900. These cells express extracellular protein using the NICE system and Usp₄₅ signal peptide. To validate the mature form of the expressed protein, the recombinant IFNα-2b was screened in a human colorectal cancer cell line using the cytotoxicity assay. The IFNα-2b was successfully cloned into the pNZ8148 vector, thereby generating recombinant L. lactis pNZ8148-SP_Usp45-IFNα-2b. The computational analysis of codon-optimized IFNα-2b revealed no mutation and amino acid changes; additionally, the codon-optimized IFNα-2b showed 100% similarity with native human IFNα-2b, in the BLAST analysis. The partial size exclusion chromatography (SEC) of extracellular protein yielded a 19 kDa protein, which was further confirmed by its positive binding to anti-IFNα-2b in the western blot analysis. The crude protein and SEC-purified partial fraction showed IC₅₀ values of 33.22 ㎍/ml and 127.2 ㎍/ml, respectively, which indicated better activity than the metabolites of L. lactis NZ3900 (231.8 ㎍/ml). These values were also comparable with those of the regular anticancer drug tamoxifen (105.5 ㎍/ml). These results demonstrated L. lactis as a promising host system that functions by utilizing the pNZ8148 NICE system. Meanwhile, codon-optimized usage of the inserted gene increased the optimal protein expression levels, which could be beneficial for its large-scale production. Taken together, the recombinant L. lactis IFNα-2b is a potential alternative treatment for colorectal cancer. Furthermore, its activity was analyzed in the WiDr cell line, to assess its colorectal anticancer activities in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2019

Thp1/PCID2 is a subunit of the evolutionally conserved TREX-2 complex, which is required for transcription-coupled mRNA export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, there are two orthologs of the Thp1/PCID2 protein. In addition to pci2 (SPBC1105.07c) gene, SPAC1B3.08 gene encodes a PCI domain-containing protein that is predicted as a component of TREX-2 complex. Overexpression of SPAC1B3.08 cause slight defects of both growth and mRNA export. Yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation analysis exhibits that the SPAC1B3.08 protein interacted with Sac3 and Dss1, which are another components of TREX-2 complex. These observations support the possibility that the S. pombe SPAC1B3.08 protein, as a component of TREX-2 complex, is involved in mRNA export.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.394-405
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• 2011

Osteoporosis is a rising problem, as the older age population is increasing due to prolongation of life. Genetic and environmental factors play key roles in bone metabolism, and diet is also an important factor. We investigated the relationship among factors affecting bone mineral density (BMD), including daily food intake and nutrient intake in men aged >50 years. Seventy-eight men, who visited the health promotion center at one of the university medical centers, were divided into normal and osteopenia groups according to their BMD. The body weight of the normal group was significantly higher than that of the osteopenia group. The osteopenia group showed significantly higher carbohydrate intake and lower calcium and vegetable calcium intake compared to those in the normal group. Lumbar spine BMD was negatively correlated with energy, fat, vitamin B1, and sodium intake in the normal group. Additionally, femoral neck BMD was negatively correlated with total animal protein, energy, protein, fat, phosphorous, iron, animal iron, potassium, vitamin B1, B2, B6, and niacin intake. Lumbar spine BMD was positively correlated with fruit, calcium, vegetable calcium, animal calcium, and vitamin C intake in the osteopenia group. Femoral neck BMD was negatively correlated with meat, dairy product, total animal protein, plant protein, animal protein, vitamin A, and cholesterol intake. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that several dietary factors affected BMD, including energy, fat, vitamin B1, B2, B6, niacin, sodium, protein, iron, animal iron, phosphorous, potassium, and animal protein in the normal group and zinc, calcium, vegetable calcium, animal calcium, vitamin C, fruit, protein, animal protein, meat, dairy product, carbohydrates, cholesterol, vegetables, mushrooms, and seasonings in the osteopenia group. These results indicate that adequate nutrient intake plays an important role maintaining optimum bone health in middle aged men.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1008-1015
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• 2018

$I{\kappa}B$, a cytoplasmic inhibitor of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$), is reportedly degraded via the proteasome. However, we recently found that long-term incubation with proteasome inhibitors (PIs) such as PS-341 or MG132 induces $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation via an alternative pathway, lysosome, which results in $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and confers resistance to PI-induced lung cancer cell death. To enhance the anti-cancer efficacy of PIs, elucidation of the regulatory mechanism of PI-induced $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation is necessary. Here, we demonstrated that PI up-regulates nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) via both de novo protein synthesis and Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) degradation, which is responsible for $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation via macroautophagy activation. PIs increased the protein level of light chain 3B (LC3B, macroautophagy marker), but not lysosome-associated membrane protein 2a (Lamp2a, the receptor for chaperone-mediated autophagy) in NCI-H157 and A549 lung cancer cells. Pretreatment with macroautophagy inhibitor or knock-down of LC3B blocked PI-induced $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation. PIs up-regulated Nrf2 by increasing its transcription and mediating degradation of KEAP1 (cytoplasmic inhibitor of Nrf2). Overexpression of dominant-negative Nrf2, which lacks an N-terminal transactivating domain, or knock-down of Nrf2 suppressed PI-induced LC3B protein expression and subsequent $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation. Thus, blocking of the Nrf2 pathway enhanced PI-induced cell death. These findings suggest that Nrf2-driven induction of LC3B plays an essential role in PI-induced activation of the $I{\kappa}B$/$NF-{\kappa}B$ pathway, which attenuates the anti-tumor efficacy of PIs.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2013

Dietary inorganic sulfur is the minor component in our diet, but some studies suggested that inorganic sulfur is maybe effective to treat cancer related illness. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of inorganic sulfur on cell proliferation and gene expression in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured the absence or presence of various concentrations (12.5, 25, or 50 ${\mu}mol/L$) of inorganic sulfur. Inorganic sulfur significantly decreased proliferation after 72 h of incubation (P < 0.05). The protein expression of $ErbB_2$ and its active form, $pErbB_2$, were significantly reduced at inorganic sulfur concentrations of 50 ${\mu}mol/L$ and greater than 25 ${\mu}mol/L$, respectively (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of $ErbB_2$ was significantly reduced at an inorganic sulfur concentration of 50 ${\mu}mol/L$ (P < 0.05). The protein expression of $ErbB_3$ and its active form, $pErbB_3$, and the mRNA expression of $pErbB_3$ were significantly reduced at inorganic sulfur concentrations greater than 25 ${\mu}mol/L$ (P < 0.05). The protein and mRNA expression of Akt were significantly reduced at an inorganic sulfur concentration of 50 ${\mu}mol/L$ (P < 0.05), but pAkt was not affected by inorganic sulfur treatment. The protein and mRNA expression of Bax were significantly increased with the addition of inorganic sulfur concentration of 50 ${\mu}mol/L$ (P < 0.05). In conclusion, cell proliferation was suppressed by inorganic sulfur treatment through the ErbB-Akt pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.230-233
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• 2007

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) acts as a negative regulator of insulin signaling, and selective inhibition of PTP1B has served as a potential drug target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. As part of our searching for PTP1B inhibitors from natural products, the extracts of marine microorganisms were screened for the inhibitory effects on the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). Among the tested 304 extracts, 29 extracts exhibited inhibition rate ranging 40.1 - 83.6 % against PTP1B at the concentration level of $30{\mu}g/mL$.