• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.1337-1343
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to isolate chicken feather-degrading bacteria with high keratinolytic activity and to investigate cultural conditions affecting keratinolytic enzyme production by a selected isolate. A chicken feather-degrading bacterial strain CH3 was isolated from poultry wastes. Isolate CH3 degraded whole chicken feather completely within 3 days. On the basis of phenotypical and 16S rDNA studies, isolate CH3 was identified as Bacillus thuringiensis CH3. This strain is the first B. thuringiensis described as a feather degrader. The bacterium grew with an optimum at pH 8.0 and $37^{\circ}C$, where maximum keratinolytic activity was also observed. The composition of optimal medium for keratinolytic enzyme production was feather 0.1%, sucrose 0.7%, casein 0.3%, $K_2HPO_4$ 0.03%, $KH_2PO_4$ 0.04%, $MgCl_2$ 0.01% and NaCl 0.05%, respectively. The keratinolytic enzyme had a pH and temperature optima 9.0 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. The keratinolytic activity was inhibited ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and metal ions like $Hg^{2+},\;Cu^{2+}\;and\;Zn^{2+}$. The enzyme activated by $Fe^{2+}$, dithiothreitol and 2-mercaptoethanol.

• 한국지능시스템학회논문지
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.545-550
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• 2004

생태학, 환경공학, 임상진단 등 생물학 분야에서 미생물의 다양성 연구의 중요성이 대두되고 그 연구가 점증하고 있다. 특히 16S rRNA를 분자지표로한 DNA 염기서열 분석방법이 널리 사용되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 16S rRNA의 염기서열 분석과정을 각 단계별로 자동화하고, 생물학자들의 결과 판단이나 사용상의 편의를 도모하기 위하여 웹기반의 미생물 다양성 분석 어플리케이션을 개발하였다. 이를 위하여 단계별 자동화 및 인터페이스 개발에 적합한 폴더-프로세스-필터 모델을 고안하고 적용하였다. 제공되는 생물정보분석도구는 서열입력, 서열방향교정, 다중서열정렬 및 가시화, 서열동정 등의 분석이 있으며, 각 결과는 계통분류도구와 호환 가능하도록 하였다. 또한 신생아의 장내 세균총에 대한 분석을 수행하여 개발된 도구의 유용성을 확인하였다. 개발된 웹 어플리케이션은 리눅스 시스템 상에서 Perl 과 CGI를 이용하였으며, http://home.pusan.ac.kr/～genome/tools/rat.htm으로 접속하여 사용할 수 있다.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.562-567
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• 2001

Styrene oxide 계열의 라세믹 에폭사이드 기질에 대한 입체선택적 가수분해능이 우수한 Aspergillus nigerr계열의 생촉매를 선발하였고, A.niger LK 유래의 EHase의 기질 특이성을 분석하였다. A. niger LK의 EHase는 benzene ring에 oxirane ring이 직접 연결되어 있는 styrene oxide, p-nitrostyrene oxide 기질에 대해서는 (R)-이성질체, benzene ring과 oxirane ring사이에 ether 등의 연결 chain이 있는 기질에 대해서는 (S)-이 성질체에 대한 입체선택적 가수분해능이 우수하였다. A niger LK의 EHase 유전자를 RT-PCR 방법으로 클로닝하였고, sequencing을 통해 다른 미생물 유래의 EHase와의 sequence identity 분석 등을 통해 특성을 분석하였다. Yeast 유래의 EHase와는 32% 수준의 sequence identity를 보였으며, Agrobacterisum, Corynebacterium 등의 박테리아 유래 EHase와는 identity가 매우 낮은 특성을 보였다. E. coli 숙주에서 발현된 재조합 EHase의 활성은 라세믹 에폭사이드 기질에 대한 입체선택적 가수분해 반응을 통해 확인할 수 있었다. 클러닝된 EHase의 보다 효율적인 발현 연구가 필요하며, 이러한 재조합 EHase는 고부가가치 광학활성 에폭사이드 제조를 위한 생물전환공정 시스템의 생촉매로 응용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.581-588
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• 2016

Lonchocarpine is a phenylpropanoid compound isolated from Abrus precatorius that has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antiepileptic activities. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidant effects of lonchocarpine in brain glial cells and analyzed its molecular mechanisms. We found that lonchocarpine suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cell death in hydrogen peroxide-treated primary astrocytes. In addition, lonchocarpine increased the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), which are all under the control of Nrf2/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling. Further, mechanistic studies showed that lonchocarpine increases the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of Nrf2 to ARE as well as ARE-mediated transcriptional activities. Moreover, lonchocarpine increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and three types of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). By treating astrocytes with each signaling pathway-specific inhibitor, AMPK, c-jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and p38 MAPK were identified to be involved in lonchocarpine-induced HO-1 expression and ARE-mediated transcriptional activities. Therefore, lonchocarpine may be a potential therapeutic agent for neurode-generative diseases that are associated with oxidative stress.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.13-19
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• 1999

The visco-elastic properties of gluten are major determinants of the processing properties of doughs. These visco-elastic properties are strongly influenced by the ratio of monomeric and polymeric proteins and the size distribution of the polymeric proteins, which make up the gluten fraction of the dough. Recent studies have revealed that other features, such as the number of the cysteine residues of the HMW-GS, also play an important role in determining the functional characteristics. To modify the processing properties at molecular level, the relationship between the structure of molecules and dough properties has to be understood. In order to explore the relationships between individual proteins and dough properties, we have developed procedures for incorporating bacterially expressed proteins into doughs, and measuring their functional properties in small-scale equipment. A major problem in investigating the structure/function relationships of individual seed storage proteins is to obtain sufficient amounts of pure polypeptides from the complex families of proteins expressed in the endosperm. Therefore, we have established a simplified model system in which we produce specific protein genes through bacterial expression and test their functional properties in smallscale apparatus after incorporation into base flour. An S poor protein gene has been chosen as a template gene. This template gene has been modified using standard recombinant DNA techniques in order to test the effects of varying the number and position of cysteine residues, and the size of the protein. Doughs have been mixed in small scale apparatus and characterized with respect to their polymeric composition and their functional properties, including dough mixing, extensibility and small scale bating. We conclude that dough characteristics can be manipulated in a predictable manner by altering the cysteine residues and the size of high molecular weight glutenins.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.182-188
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• 2005

Objectives: This study was undertaken to investigate the source of infection and mode of transmission of shigellosis, which occurred sporadically among residents and students in a subcounty of Cheongwon county, Chungbuk province, Korea, from June 4 to July 3 2003. Methods: 692 subjects completed a questionnaire and provided a swab for microbiological examinations,and 7 environmental specimens were examined for bacterial organisms. PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) and fingerprinting were performed to find the genetic relationship among the temporally associated sporadic isolates. Results: A total of 29 patients had symptoms consistent with the case definition, with 13 confirmed and 16 suspected cases. The frequency of diarrhea was 6 times or more a day (80.8%), with a duration of 1 to 4 days (88.5%) in most cases. The most common symptoms accompanying the diarrhea were fever (80.9%) followed by abdominal pain (76.9%), headache (65.4%), chill (61.5%), vomiting (46.2%) and tenesmus (15.4%). The epidemic curve was characteristic of a person-to-person transmission. The PFGE and fingerprinting demonstrated identical or similar DNA patterns among the 3 Shigella sonnei isolates (A51, A53 and A61 types) found in this outbreak. Conclusion: A genetically identical strain of S. sonnei was estimated to be the cause of this outbreak, and the mode of transmission was most likely person-to-person.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.103-109
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• 1996

To investigate the effect of the third intracellular loop (i3 loop) peptide of human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor on receptor agonist binding, we expressed third intracellular loop region of human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor as glutathione S-transferase fusion protein in E. coli. DNA fragment of the receptor gene which encodes amino acid 221-274 of human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and subcloned into the bacterial fusion protein expression vector pGEX-CS and expressed as a form of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in E. coli DH5$\alpha$. The receptor fusion protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot using monoclonal anti-GST antibody. The fusion protein expressed in this study was purified to an apparent homogeneity by glutathione Sepharose CL-4B affinity chromatography. The purified i3 loop fusion proteins at a concentration of 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ι caused right shift of the isoproterenol competition curve of [$^3$H]Dihydroalprenolol binding to hamster lung $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor indicating lowered affinity of isoproterenol to $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor possibly due to the uncoupling of receptor and G protein in the presence of the fusion protein. The uncoupling of receptor and G protein suggests that i3 loop region plays a critical role on $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor G protein coupling.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.97-102
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• 1996

To investigate whether human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor devoid of the C-terminal two transmembrane helices retain its ligand binding activity and specificity, 5'780-bp DNA fragment of the receptor gene which encodes amino acid 1-260 of human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor was subcloned into the bacterial fusion protein expression vector and expressed as a form of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in E. coli DH5$\alpha$. The receptor fusion protein was expressed as a membrane bound form which was verified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The fusion protein expressed in this study specifically bound $\beta$-adrenergic receptor ligand [$^3$H] Dihydroalprenolol. In saturation ligand binding assay, the $K_{d}$ value was 7.6 nM which was similar to that of intact $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor in normal animal tissue ( $K_{d}$=1~2 nM) and the $B_{max}$ value was 266 fmol/mg membrane protein. In competition binding assay, the order of binding affinity of various adrenergic receptor agonists to the fusion protein was isoproterenol》epinephrine norepinephrine, which was similar to that of intact receptor in normal animal tissue. These results suggest that N-terminal five transmembrane helices of the $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor be sufficient to determine the ligand binding activity and specificity, irrespective of the presence or absence of the C-terminal two transmembrane helices.s.s.s.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.257-264
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• 2009

Gardenia yellow, extracted from gardenia fruit, has been widely used as a coloring agent for foods, and thus, safety of its usage is of prime importance. In the current study, short-term genotoxicity assays were conducted to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of gardenia yellow. The gardenia yellow used was found to contain 0.057 mg/g of genipin, a known biologically active compound of the gardenia fruit extract. Ames test did not reveal any positive results. No clastogenicity was detected by a chromosomal aberration test, even on evaluation at the highest feasible concentration of gardenia yellow. Gardenia yellow was also shown to be non-genotoxic using an in vitro comet assay and a micronucleus test with L5178Y cells, although a marginal increase in DNA damage and micronuclei frequency was reported in the respective assays. Additionally, in vivo micronucleus test results clearly demonstrated that oral administration of gardenia yellow did not induce micronuclei formation in the bone marrow cells of male ICR mice. Taken together, our results indicate that gardenia yellow is not mutagenic to bacterial cells, and that it does not cause chromosomal damage in mammalian cells, either in vitro or in vivo.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2004년도 임시총회 및 추계학술발표회
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• pp.175-178
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• 2004

Little study has been published specifically addressing the dynamics of nitrate reducing bacteria (NBR) during the bioremediation of nitrate-contaminated aquifer. In our previous study we successfully quantified fumarate-enhanced microbial nitrate reduction rate in a nitrate-contaminated aquifer by using a series of single-well push-pull tests (PPTs). In this study we analyzed the suspended population during PPTs. To monitor changes in the microbial community, PCR amplification of 16S rDNA genes and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to study the dynamics of the bacterial community in detail. Before the stimulation of NBR, the dominant DGGE bands obtained by PCR were affiliated with V-Proteobacteria consisting of Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens. However, as NBR biostimulation proceeded, the dominant patterns of DGGE bands changed, and they were affiliated with Azoarcus denitrificans Td-3 and Flavobacterium xanthum. Azoarcus denitrificans Td-3 is known to completely reduce nitrate to nitrogen gas. The series of single-well push-pull tests in this study should prove useful for conducting rapid, low-cost feasibility assessments for in situ denitrification and provide important information about which microorganisms play a key role in bioremediation of a nitrate contaminated aquifer.