• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.289-298
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• 1992

Acanthamoeba sap., free-living amoebae inhabited in moist soil, pond, freshwater, sewage, atmosphere and swimming pool, may be causative protozoa of the fatal primary amoebic meningoence-phalitis in experimental animals and humans. In this study, Acar,thamoeba spry. , including Acan. thamoeba sp. YM-4 (isolated strain from Korea) had been compared by the two-dimensional electrophoresis and hybridoma technique as well as the difference of morphological characteristics. Trophozoite of Acenthamoeba sp. YM-4 is usually uninucleate and show the hyaline filamentous projections (acanthopoda) . No aagellate stage observed. Cysts have two walls, the outer wall is nearly circular, but inner wall is oval or some irregular. As results of SDS-PAGE for Iysate of Acanthamoeba sp. VM-4, 16 major protein fractions are similiar to those of A. cuzbertsoni, but different to A. royreba and A. polyphaga. Findings of two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns of Acanthamceba sp. YM-4 are almost same to those of A. culberssoni, The isotope of monoclonal antibodies produced from McAY 6, McAY 7, McAY 8, McAY 13 and McAY 16 clones were IgGl, and McAY 10 and McAY 11 clones were IsM. As results of the cross-reactivity among various amoebae using ELISA with monoclonal antibodies, McAY 7 monoclonal antibody (molecular weight 43 kDa by EITB) was only reacted with Acanthamoeba sp. YM-4, but McAY 6 and McAY 10 monoclonal antibodies were reacted to A. cuzbertsoni as well as Acanthamoeba sp. YM-4.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2017

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activities and cell viability of Amelanchier asiatica (A. asiatica) 70% ethanol extracts against RAW 264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cell toxicity test on macrophage cells (RAW 264.7) was performed by 3-[4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay and results showed 96% cell viability at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ concentration. Anti-inflammatory activity was examined via the inhibitory tests on the production of LPS induced NO in RAW 264.7 cells by Griess assay. The result showed that the extract inhibited NO production in concentration dependent manner. The iNOS and COX-2 protein expression inhibitory effects were confirmed by western blot and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). From the former they were decreased by 84.3%, 56.2% at $500{\mu}g/mL$ concentration, respectively, and from the latter decreased by 89.8%, 84.9% at $500{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. In conclusion, this study showed the anti-inflammatory effects of A. asiatica extracts. Thus, this could be applied to an anti-inflammatory agent.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.441-448
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the proximate components (water, crude ash, crude protein, crude fat, and carbohydrates) and nutritive components (vitamin A, C, E, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids) of rice flour and develop several rice bread recipes using rice flour. The water, crude ash, crude protein, crude lipid, carbohydrate contents of rice flour were measured to be 8.53%, 0.10 g, 6.80 g, 0.14 g and 84.43 g, respectively. No vitamin A was detected in the rice flour, and vitamin C and E contents were found to be 8.30 and 0.3467 mg/100 g, respectively. Calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and sodium contents were measured as 6.23, 65.05, 9.78, 0.17 and 2.84 mg/100 g; the large amount of potassium helps to discharge the sodium. Rice flour has nine kinds of essential amino acids in it; essential amino acids form 45.15% of rice flour's content. which is higher than 32.3%. Fatty acids were barely detected in the rice powder; saturated fatty acids were measured as 31.25 mg/100 g, and unsaturated fatty acids as 25.54 mg/100 g. Regarding essential fatty acids, linoleic acids were measured as 41.01 mg/100 g, and linolenic acids as 2.20 mg/100 g. The researcher used rice loaf bread as the base and developed rice bread recipes using rice flour to make a total of 11 items: 8 items with 75% rice flour (rice bagel, rice sweet red-bean bread, rice butter roll bread, rice mocha bread, rice buttertop bread, rice custard cream bread, and rice streusel), 2 items with 80% rice flour (stollen and rice hobbang), and 1 item with 85% rice flour (rice donut).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2022

Thymosin β-4 (TB4) is a small peptide composed of 43 amino acids. To obtain sufficient biologically active mouse TB4 economically, we cloned and overexpressed this gene in an Escherichia coli system. With the isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside induction of the E. coli transformant, TB4 fusion protein with intein- and chitin-binding domain was successfully expressed in the soluble fraction within the E. coli cell. The TB4-intein - chitin-binding domain fusion protein was purified from the soluble fraction of E. coli cell lysate. The affinity chromatography with chitin beads and dithiothreitol-mediated intein self-cleavage reaction releases the TB4 peptide into the stripping solution. Sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analyses were used to confirm that the recombinant TB4 peptide was produced with the expected size of 5 kDa. We found that the recombinant TB4 stimulated cell migration in the transwell plate chamber assay. After 18 hr of the treatment of the recombinant TB4 with 1 ng/ml concentration, the migration of the HT1080 cell was increased by 20% compared with that of the chemically synthesized TB4. The recombinant TB4 was also observed to promote the healing of a wound area in C57BL/6 mice by as high as 35% compared with that of the chemically synthesized TB4. These results suggest that the recombinant TB4 has better biological activity for cell migration and wound healing than that of the chemically synthesized TB4 peptide.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1996

Antigenic components reacting with IgE and IgG antibodies were localized in muscular layer of adult and of larva, sparganum. But the antigenic components inducing IgG were localized at tegument and parenchyma in addition to muscular layer in adult and sparganum. Also in sparganum, the surface of calcareous corpuscles of parenchyma showed immunoreactivity to IgG antibody. However antigenic components inducing IgE antibody were not localized in tegument and parenchyma, but in adult worm, we observed the immunopositive reaction at the lining of vitelline follicles in mature proglottis and on surface of egg shell within uterus of graved proglottis. By the method of immunogold-labelling, we observed the location of antigenic particles in tegument of sparganum. The density of antigenic particles inducing IgG was higher than that of antigen particles inducing IgE in syncytial tegument, tegument cells. A total of 43 and 36 protein bands were resolved from crude extracts of adult and sparganum, respectively, by SDS-PAGE. 34 bands from crude extracts of adult and larva were migrated to same positions. By EITB, 21 bands of 44 bands in adult were recognized with IgG antibody, and also 21 bands of 36 bands in sparganum. 13 bands of them were common antigenic components both in the adult worm and sparganum. Because 19 bands of 44 bands in adult worm were reacted with IgE antibody, they were IgE antigenic component. In sparganum, 13 bands were IgE antigenic components. 9 bands of them were common antigenic component inducing IgE antibody in both a-dult and sparganum. 3 bands of antigenic component recognized by IgE and IgG antibody were nonspecific antigen in both adult and sparganum of Spirometra erinacei.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.66-75
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• 2020

Saturated fatty acids contribute to β-cell dysfunction in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cellular responses to lipotoxicity include oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and blockage of autophagy. Palmitate induces ER Ca²⁺ depletion followed by notable store-operated Ca²⁺ entry. Subsequent elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ can activate undesirable signaling pathways culminating in cell death. Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU) is the major route for Ca²⁺ uptake into the matrix and couples metabolism with insulin secretion. However, it has been unclear whether mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake plays a protective role or contributes to lipotoxicity. Here, we observed palmitate upregulated MCU protein expression in a mouse clonal β-cell, MIN6, under normal glucose, but not high glucose medium. Palmitate elevated baseline cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) and reduced depolarization-triggered Ca²⁺ influx likely due to the inactivation of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (VGCCs). Targeted reduction of MCU expression using RNA interference abolished mitochondrial superoxide production but exacerbated palmitate-induced [Ca²⁺]_i overload. Consequently, MCU knockdown aggravated blockage of autophagic degradation. In contrast, co-treatment with verapamil, a VGCC inhibitor, prevented palmitate-induced basal [Ca²⁺]_i elevation and defective [Ca²⁺]_i transients. Extracellular Ca²⁺ chelation as well as VGCC inhibitors effectively rescued autophagy defects and cytotoxicity. These observations suggest enhanced mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake via MCU upregulation is a mechanism by which pancreatic β-cells are able to alleviate cytosolic Ca²⁺ overload and its detrimental consequences.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.13 no.1_2
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• pp.117-125
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• 1997

In order to assess the possibility whether CYP2D is involved in caffeine metabolism, we have purified and characterized the rat liver microsomal cytochrome P4502D1 (CYP2D1), equivalent to CYP2D6 in human liver, and have utilized the reconstituted CYP2D1 in the metabolism of 4 primary caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) metabolites such as paraxanthine (1, 7-dimethylxanthine), 1, 3, 7-trimethylurate, theophylline (1, 3-dimethylxanthine) and theobromine (3, 7-dimethylxanthine). Rat liver CYP 2D1 has been purified to a specific content of 8.98 nmole/mg protein (13.4fold purification, 1.5% yield) using $\omega$-aminooctylagarose, hydroxlapatite, and DE52 columns in a sequential manner. As judged from sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the purified CYP2D1 was apparently homogeneous. Molecular weight of the purified CYP2D1 was found to be 51, 000 Da. Catalytic activity of the purified and then reconstituted CYP2D1 was confirmed by using bufuralol, a known subsFate of CYP2D1. The reconstituted CYP2D1 was found to produce to 1-hydroxylbufuralol at a rate of 1.43$\pm$0.13 nmol/min/nmol P450. The kinetic analysis of bufuralol hydroxylation indicated that Km and Vmax values were 7.32$\mu M$ and 1.64 nmol/min/nmol P450, respectively. The reconstituted CYP2D1 could catalyze the 7-demethylation of PX to 1-methylxanthine at a rate of 12.5 pmol/min/pmol, and also the 7- and 3- demethylations of 1, 3, 7-trimethylurate to 1, 3-dimethylurate and 1, 7-dimethylurate at 6.5 and 12.8 pmol/min/pmol CYP2D1, respectively. The reconstituted CYP2D1 could also 3-demethylate theophylline to 1-methylxanthine at 5 pmol/min/pmol and hydroxylate the theophylline to 1, 3-dimethylurate at 21.8 pmol/min/pmol CYP2D1. The reconstituted CYP2D1, however, did not metabolize TB at all (detection limits were 0.03 pmol/min/pmol). This study indicated that CYP2D1 is involved in 3-and 7-demethylations of paraxanthine and theophylline and suggested that CYP2D6 (equivalent to CYP2D1 in rat liver) present in human liver may be involved in the secondary metabolism of the primary metabolites of caffeine.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.197-203
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• 2009

An indole oxygenase originated from Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 was cloned into the expression vector, pTrc99A, in Escherichia coli, and designated pTCAN1. The pTCAN2 was constructed from pTCAN1 by the deletion of $lacI^q$ for the constitutive expression of indole oxygenase without adding IPTG in the medium. The complete open reading frame of indole oxygenase was 1,224 bp long, which encodes a protein of 407amino acids. Crude extracts of E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$/pTCAN1 and pTCAN2, respectively, were prepared and subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis. A band corresponding to molecular mass of about 43 kDa was appeared and this result correlated with the predicted molecular mass of cloned indole oxygenase. The E. coli harboring pTCAN1 and pTCAN2, respectively, showed blue color colony in LB plate. The pigment showing blue color was prepared from E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$/pTCAN2, and identified as indigo by experiments using spectrophotometer, HPLC, and TLC. The indigo-forming activity of indole oxygenases from the whole cell of E. coli $DH5{\alpha}/pTCAN1$ cultured at LB medium added 1mM of IPTG and that of E. coli/pTCAN2 showed about 1.75nmol/min/mg DCW (dry cell weight) and 3.85 nmol/min/mg DCW, respectively. Also, the E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$/pTCAN2 produced about $236{\mu}M$ of indigo after 48 hours incubation in TB medium supplemented with 2.5 mM of tryptophan.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.199-204
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• 2006

This study was conducted to investigate the quality characteristics of noodles prepared with the addition of nanofiltered (NF) powder of sunmul. Noodles were prepared with different levels $(0\%,\;1.5\%,\;3\%\;and\;5\%,\;w/w)$ of NF powder and physico-chemical properties were examined. Results of rapid visco analyzer showed that peak, trough, final viscosity and set back decreased as the NF powder level increased. The weight and volume of cooked noodles increased with the addition of NF powder. Turbidity of soup also increased as the amount of NF powder increased, indicating higher cooking loss. The color of wet and cooked noodles became greenish yellow as the NF powder level increased. Hardness, springiness, gumminess and brittleness of cooked noodles decreased with the increasing amount of NF powder. Results of sensory evaluation showed that noodles prepared with up to $3\%$ addition of NF powder was considered to be as acceptable as noodles prepared without NF powder.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2012

Stimulation of mast cells through the high affinity IgE receptor (Fc${\varepsilon}$RI) induces degranulation, lipid mediator release, and cytokine secretion leading to allergic reactions. Although various signaling pathways have been characterized to be involved in the Fc${\varepsilon}$RI-mediated responses, little is known about the precious mechanism for the expression of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) in mast cells. Here, we report that rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), reduces the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. IgE or specific antigen stimulation of RBL-2H3 cells increases the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and activates various signaling molecules including S6K1, Akt and p38 MAPK. Rapamycin specifically inhibits antigeninduced TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level, while other kinase inhibitors have no effect on TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level. These data indicate that mTOR signaling pathway is the main regulation mechanism for antigen-induced TNF-${\alpha}$ expression. TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA stability analysis using reporter construct containing TNF-${\alpha}$ adenylate/uridylate-rich elements (AREs) shows that rapamycin destabilizes TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA via regulating the AU-rich element of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA. The antigen-induced activation of S6K1 is inhibited by specific kinase inhibitors including mTOR, PI3K, PKC and $Ca^{2+}$chelator inhibitor, while TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA level is reduced only by rapamycin treatment. These data suggest that the effects of rapamycin on the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA are not mediated by S6K1 but regulated by mTOR. Taken together, our results reveal that mTOR signaling pathway is a novel regulation mechanism for antigen-induced TNF-${\alpha}$ expression in RBL-2H3 cells.