• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1232-1238
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• 2004

To investigate the production and characteristics of thermostable levan sucrase from Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 33071, the levan sucrase gene from R. aquatilis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli without induction system. Expression of levansucrase gene in E. coli had no notable or detrimental effect on the growth of host strain, and the recombinant levan sucrase exhibited levan synthesis activity. Levansucrase was secreted to the periplasm in E. coli, and addition of $0.5\%$ glycine yielded further secretion of levansucrase to the growth medium and resulted in an increase of total levansucrase activity. Furthermore, the cellular levansucrase was evaluated for the production of levan by using toluene­permeabilized whole-cells. The levansucrase was thermostable at $37^{\circ}C$. The molecular size oflevan was $1{\times}\;10^{6}$ Da, as determined by HPLC, and the degree of polymerization of levan varied with incubation temperatures: Low incubation temperature was preferable for the production of high-molecular size levan. The present study demonstrated that the mass production of levan and levan oligosaccharides can be achieved by glycine supplementation to the growth medium or by toluene­permeabilized whole-cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1262-1268
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• 2006

In the search for a novel cytotoxic substance from medicinal plants, HY53 ($C_{17}H_{32}O_2N_2$; molecular weight 296) was isolated from the leaves of Pata de Vaca (Bauhinia forficata). The growth of the HepG2 cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when treated with 0.07 to 0.40 mM HY53 for 24 h (IC$_{50}$: 0.13 mM). Furthermore, nuclear DAPI staining revealed the typical nuclear features of apoptosis in the HepG2 cells exposed to 0.27 mM HY53, whereas a flow cytometric analysis of the HepG2 cells using propidium iodide showed that the apoptotic cell population increased gradually from 8% at 0 mM to 23% at 0.14 mM and 45% at 0.40 mM after being exposed to each concentration of HY53 for 24 h. Moreover, a TUNEL assay also exhibited the apoptotic induction of the HepG2 cells treated with HY53. To obtain further information on the HY53-induced apoptosis, the expression level of certain apoptosis-associated proteins was examined using a Western blot analysis. Treatment of the HepG2 cells with HY53 resulted in the activation of caspase-3, and subsequent proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Consequently, the results confirmed that the apoptosis in the HepG2 cells was induced by HY53 and the involvement of caspase-3-mediated PARP cleavage in the apoptotic process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1053-1059
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• 2006

The effectiveness of a proteinaceous fibrous material formed during commercial fermentation of soy protein (PFSP) and cysteine addition were evaluated in order to improve on the properties of soy protein-based films. Nine types of films were prepared at pH 7, 9, and 11, with heat treatments at $70^{\circ}C\;and\;90^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, by casting 5% (w/w) PFSP aqueous solution, containing 2.25% (w/w) glycerol, on to polystyrene plates. The tensile strength (TS) of films ranged from 3.88 to 6.87 MPa. The highest puncture strength (PS) was observed with pH 7.0 films prepared from PFSP solution heated at $70^{\circ}C$ (P<0.05). Alkaline pH and temperature caused a decrease in both the TS and PS of the films. The thickness of films ranged from $58\;to\;74{\mu}m$. Water vapor permeabilities of the films decreased with increasing pH and temperature. To produce films from PFSP, pH value of 7.0 to 9.0 and heat treatment of $70^{\circ}C\;to\;90^{\circ}C$ were needed. A soluble nature of PFSP films in water might be useful for preparation of hot water-soluble pouches. Cysteine addition could be necessary to produce films with increased TS and enhanced barrier properties. The combination treatment that provided the best combination of barrier and mechanical properties was the PFSP film prepared at pH 7.0 with addition of 1% cysteine. The films were good oxygen barriers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.470-475
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• 2002

In the course of screening for a novel cell cycle inhibitor, a potent Cdk 1 inhibitor, HY558, was found from the culture broth of Penicillium minioluteum F558 isolated from a soil sample. The molecular ion of HY558 was identified at m/z 329 (MH+) with a molecular formula of $C_20H_44ON_2$. HY558 exhibited selective antiproliferative effects on various human cancer cell lines. Its $IC_50$ values were estimated to be 0.29 mM on HepG2, 0.30 mM on HeLa, 0.30 mM on HL6O, 0.33 mM on HT-29, and 0.25 mM on AGS cells. Interestingly, Hy558 demonstrated no antiproliferative effect with normal lymphocytes used as the control, and a low level of inhibition on the proliferation of A549 cancer cells. A flow cytometric analysis of HepG2 cells revealed an appreciable arrest of cells at the G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle following treatment with Hy558. furthermore, DNA fragmentation due to apoptosis was observed in HeLa cells treated with 0.46 mM of HY558.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.607-612
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• 2003

To elucidate the action mechanism of MCS-C2, a novel analogue of toyocamycin and sangivamycin, its effect on the expression of cell cycle-related proteins in the human myelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 was examined using Western blotting and a flow cytometric analysis. MCS-C2, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, was found to inhibit cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and inhibits cell cycle progression by inducing the arrest at G1 and G2/M phases, in HL-60 cells. The flow cytometric analysis revealed an appreciable arrest of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle after treatment with MCS-C2. The HL-60 cell population increased gradually from 13% at 0 h, to 28% at 12 h in the G2/M phase, after exposure to $2{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that MCS-C2 induced the cell cycle arrest at G1 phase through the inhibition of pRb phosphorylation. Hypophosphorylated pRb accumulated after treatment with $5{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2 for 12 h, whereas, the level of hyperphosphorylated pRb was reduced. Thus, treatment of the cell with MCS-C2 suppressed the hyperphosphorylated form of pRb with a commensurate increase in the hypophosphorylated form.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.205-214
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• 2016

As a large amount of graph-structured data is widely used in various applications such as social networks, semantic web, and bio-informatics, keyword-based search over graph data has been getting a lot of attention. In this paper, we propose an efficient method for keyword search over graph data to find a set of top-k answers that are relevant as well as non-redundant in structure. We define a non-redundant answer structure for a keyword query and a relevance measure for the answer. We suggest a new indexing scheme on the relevant paths between nodes and keyword terms in the graph, and also propose a query processing algorithm to find top-k non-redundant answers efficiently by exploiting the pre-calculated indexes. We present effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach compared to the previous method by conducting an experiment using a real dataset.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.151-157
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• 2004

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chicory fructan fiber supplementation on bone mineral density, apparent absorption of minerals and serum parameters related to bone turnover in postmenopausal women. Twenty-six healthy Korean postmenopausal women participated in the study. 1be participants were randomly divided into two groups in a double-blind parallel design and took one of the supplements for 3 months; either a placebo of 8g maltodextrins/sucrose mixture (control group) or 8g chicory fructan fiber (fructan group). During the 3-month experimental period no differences were found in bone mineral density (BMD) between the two groups. Apparent calcium absorption significantly increased by 42% in the fructan group, while that of the control group decreased by 29% as compared to the values at baseline. Urinary calcium excretion was not significantly different between the group;;. After 3 months, the level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly lower in the fructan group than in the control group and deoxypyridinolin showed a trend toward a slight reduction. In conclusion, intake of chicory fructan fiber with a regular increases apparent calcium absorption in postmenopausal women.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2009

To investigate the vegetation structure of mountain ridges ranging from Sebong to Gwaneumbong 23 plots($400m^2$) set up with random sampling method were surveyed. Two groups of Pinus densiflora community, Pinus densiflora-Quercus variabilis-Quercus serrata community were classified by cluster analysis. Pinus densiflora, Quercus variabilis, Quercus serrata, Carpinus laxiflora, and Quecus mongolica were found as a mostly dominant woody plant species in the ridge area from Sebong to Gwaneumbong. In the future, the importance percentage of Pinus densiflora might be decreased, but those of Quercus variabilis, Quercus serrata, Carpinus laxiflora, and Quecus mongolica might be increased. High positive correlations were proved between Quercus variabilis and Fraxinus sieboldiana, Acer palmatum and Ilex macropoda, Cornus kousa and Platycarya strobilacea, Sorbus alnifolia and Carpinus laxiflora, and relatively weak negative correlations were proved between Pinus densiflora and Carpinus laxiflora, Fraxinus sieboldiana and Carpinus laxiflor, Quecus mongolica and Sorbus alnifolia, Ilex macropoda and Sorbus alnifolia. Species diversity index(H') of investigated groups was ranged $0.665{\sim}1.169$.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.560-564
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• 2012

The role of peroxiredoxin (Prx) I as an erythrocyte antioxidant defense in red blood cells (RBCs) is controversial. Here we investigated the function of Prx I by using Prx $I^{-/-}$ and Prx I/$II^{-/-}$ mice. Prx $I^{-/-}$ mice exhibited a normal blood profile. However, Prx I/$II^{-/-}$ mice showed more significantly increased Heinz body formation as compared with Prx $II^{-/-}$ mice. The clearance rate of Heinz body-containing RBCs in Prx $I^{-/-}$ mice decreased significantly through the treatment of aniline hydrochloride (AH) compared with wild-type mice. Prx I deficiency decreased the phagocytic capacity of macrophage in clearing Heinz body-containing RBCs. Our data demonstrate that Prx I deficiency did not cause hemolytic anemia, but showed that further increased hemolytic anemia symptoms in Prx $II^{-/-}$ mice by attenuating phagocytic capacity of macrophage in oxidative stress damaged RBCs, suggesting a novel role of Prx I in phagocytosis of macrophage.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.980-985
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• 2006

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of a newly developed functional food containing Bacillus polyfermenticus (BP) and other physiologically active materials on the antioxidant system and the process of colon carcinogenesis in male F344 rats. Following a one-week adaptation period, the rats were divided into 3 groups and fed either a high-fat, low-fiber diet (control and DMH groups), or a high-fat, low-fiber diet supplemented with B. polyfermenticus ($3.1{\times}10^8\;CFU/day$) and other physiologically active materials (chitosan, chicory, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, and flavonoids) (DMH+BP group). One week after the initiation of the diets, 2 groups of rats were subjected to six weeks of treatment with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH, 180 mg/kg BW, s.c.). The dietary treatments remained consistent throughout the entire experimental period. Nine weeks after the initial DMH injection, the rats supplemented with B. polyfermenticus had significantly lower numbers of aberrant crypt foci than those in the DMH group. Injections with DMH resulted in significantly higher leukocytic DNA damage and plasma lipid peroxidation levels, as well as in a lower plasma total antioxidant potential. These effects were reversed following supplementation with B. polyfermenticus and other physiological materials. Our results indicate that a functional food containing B. polyfermenticus exerts a protective effect on the antioxidant system and on the process of colon carcinogenesis, thereby suppressing the development of preneoplastic lesions.