• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.16.1-16.11
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• 2020

Silk is produced by a variety of insects, but only silk made by terrestrial arthropods has been examined in detail. To fill the gap, this study was designed to understand the silk spinning system of aquatic insect. The larvae of caddis flies, Hydatophylax nigrovittatus produce silk through a pair of labial silk glands and use raw silk to protect themselves in the aquatic environment. The result of this study clearly shows that although silk fibers are made under aquatic conditions, the cellular silk production system is quite similar to that of terrestrial arthropods. Typically, silk production in caddisworm has been achieved by two independent processes in the silk glands. This includes the synthesis of silk fibroin in the posterior region, the production of adhesive glycoproteins in the anterior region, which are ultimately accumulated into functional silk dope and converted to a silk ribbon coated with gluey substances. At the cellular level, each substance of fibroin and glycoprotein is specifically synthesized at different locations, and then transported from the rough ER to the Golgi apparatus as transport vesicles, respectively. Thereafter, the secretory vesicles gradually increase in size by vesicular fusion, forming larger secretory granules containing specific proteins. It was found that these granules eventually migrate to the apical membrane and are exocytosed into the lumen by a mechanism of merocrine secretion.

• Biodesign
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.35-37
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• 2019

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a plant pathogen, which causes a bacterial blight of rice. The bacterial blight is one of the most devastating diseases of rice in most of the rice growing countries and there is no effective pesticide against bacterial blight. The β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) plays a key role in fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and is a promising drug target for the development of antibacterial agents. Xoo0878 gene, a fabH gene, from Xoo was cloned and its gene product Xoo0878 was expressed, purified and crystallized. Xoo0878 crystal diffracted to 2.1Å resolution and belonged to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 57.3Å, b = 64.7Å, c = 104.2Å and α = 81.6°, β = 84.7°, γ = 74.4°. There are four monomers in the asymmetric unit, with a corresponding crystal volume per protein weight of 2.65 ų Da^-1 and a solvent content of 53.6%. Xoo0878 structure will be useful to develop new antibacterial agents against Xoo.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.201-210
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• 2024

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as a powerful technique for detecting and analyzing chemical and biological molecules at ultra-low concentrations. The effectiveness of SERS largely depends on structures with sub-10 nm gaps, prompting the proposal of various nanostructures as efficient SERS-active platforms. Among these, single-crystalline gold nanowires (AuNWs) are particularly promising due to their large dielectric constants, well-defined geometries, atomically smooth surfaces, and surface plasmon resonance across the visible spectrum, which produce strong SERS enhancements. This review comprehensively explores the synthesis, functionalization, and application of Au NWs in SERS. We discuss various methods for synthesizing AuNWs, including the vapor transport method, which influences their morphological and optical properties. We also review practical applications in chemical and biosensing, showcasing the adaptability of Au NWs-based SERS platforms in detecting a range of analytes, from environmental pollutants to biological markers. The review concludes with a discussion on future perspectives that aim to enhance sensor performance and broaden application domains, highlighting the potential of these sensors to revolutionize diagnostics and environmental monitoring. This review underscores the transformative impact of AuNW-based SERS sensors in analytical chemistry, environmental science, and biomedical diagnostics, paving the way for next-generation sensing technologies.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2014

Mesoporous tin oxide (meso-$SnO_2$) with 5 nm mesopore and well-aligned $SnO_2$ nanowire-bundles with 5~7 nm diameters were prepared by template synthesis method. In addition to meso-$SnO_2$, meso-$SnO_2$/$SiO_2$, which has almost the same structure as meso-$SnO_2$ including $SiO_2$ used as the template were prepared by the modification of template synthesis. X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy observed structures of meso-$SnO_2$ and meso-$SnO_2$/$SiO_2$. Although the meso-$SnO_2$/$SiO_2$ showed some positive evidences to suppress the volume change of meso-$SnO_2$ through cyclic voltammogram, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and voltage profiles during cycling, its cycle life was not improved highly to address modified structural effects. Thus, further study might be done to control the nanostructure of meso-$SnO_2$/$SiO_2$ for enhanced cycle performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.335-356
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• 1997

Injection of bovine growth hormone (bGH) to lactating dairy cows increases milk yield and yields of milk components including fat. It is generally believed that most of the anabolic effects derived from bGH in animal tissues are primarily mediated by IGF-1. IGF-1 is a strong anabolic peptide in the plasma of animals and exerts mitogenic and metabolic effects on target cells. Contrary to most protein hormones, the majority of IGF-1 in circulation is bound to the binding proteins (IGFBPs) which are known to be responsible for modifying the biological actions of IGF-1, thus making determinations of IGF-1 actions more difficult. On the other hand, fat is a major milk component and the greatest energy source in milk. Currently, the fat content of milk is one of the major criteria used in determining milk prices. It has been known that flavor and texture of dairy products are mainly affected by milk fat and its composition. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is the rate limiting enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA for fatty acid synthesis in 1ipogenic tissues of animals including bovine lactating mammary glands. In addition to the short-tenn hormonal regulation of ACC by changes in the catalytic efficiency per enzyme molecule brought about by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the enzyme, the long-term hormonal regulation of ACC by changes in the number of enzyme molecules plays an essential role in control of ACC and lipogenesis. Insulin, at supraphysiological concentrations, binds to IGF-1 receptors, thereby mimicking the biological effects of IGF-1. The receptors for insulin and IGF-1 share structural and functional homology. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor increased ACC activity in rat hepatocytes and adipocytes. Therefore, it can be assumed that IGF-1 mediating bGH action may increase milk fat production by stimulation ACC with phosphorylation (short term) and/or increasing amounts of the enzyme proteins (long term). Consequently, the main purpose of this paper is to give the readers not only the galactopoietic effects of bGH, but also the insight of bGH action with regard to stimulating milk fat synthesis from the whole body to the molecular levels.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.700-704
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• 2009

A simulation study on SCR(steam carbon dioxide reforming) in gas-to-liquid(natural gas to Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuel) process was carried out in order to find optimum reaction conditions for SCR experiment. Optimum operating conditions for SCR process were determined by changing reaction variables such as temperature and $CH_4/steam/CO_2$ feed ratio. Simulation was carried out by Aspen Plus. During the simulation, overall process was assumed to proceed under steady-state conditions. It was also assumed that physical properties of reaction medium were governed by RKS(Redlich-Kwong-Soave) equation. Optimum simulation variables such as temperature and feed ratio were determined by considering $H_2/CO$ ratio for FTS(Fischer-Tropsch synthesis), $CH_4$ conversion, and $CO_2$ conversion. Simulation results showed that optimum reaction temperature and $CH_4/steam/CO_2$ feed ratio in SCR process were $850^{\circ}C$ and 1.0/1.6/0.7, respectively. Under optimum temperature of $850^{\circ}C$, $CH_4$ conversion and $CO_2$ conversion were found to be 99% and 49%, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.108-109
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• 2013

Mitochondria play key roles in the production of cell's energy. Their dominant function is the synthesis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and phosphate (Pi) through the oxidative phosphorylation. Evaluation of drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity has become increasingly important since mitochondrial dysfunction has recently been implicated in numerous diseases including cancer and diabetes mellitus. Mitochondrial functions have been monitored via oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, and more importantly via ATP synthesis since ATP synthesis is the most essential function of mitochondria. Various analytical methods have been employed to investigate ATP synthesis in mitochondria, including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), bioluminescence technique, and pH measurement. However, most of these methods are based on destructive analysis or indirect monitoring through the enzymatic reaction. Infrared absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) is one of the useful techniques for real-time, label-free, and direct monitoring of biological reactions [1,2]. However, the strong water absorption requires very short path length in the order of several micrometers. Transmission measurements with thin path length are not suitable for mitochondrial assays because solution handlings necessary for evaluating mitochondrial toxicity, such as rapid mixing of drugs and oxygen supply, are difficult in such a narrow space. On the other hand, IRAS in the multiple internal reflection (MIR) geometry provides an ideal optical configuration to combine solution handling and aqueous-phase measurement. We have recently reportedon a real-time monitoring of drug-induced necrotic and apoptotic cell death using MIR-IRAS [3,4]. Clear discrimination between viable and damaged cells has been demonstrated, showing a promise as a label-free and real-time detection for cell-based assays. In the present study, we have applied our MIR-IRAS system to mitochondria-based assays by monitoring ATP synthesis in isolated mitochondria from rat livers. Mitochondrial ATP synthesis and hydrolysis were in situ monitored with MIR-IRAS, while dissolved oxygen level and solution pH were simultaneously monitored with O2 and pH electrodes, respectively. It is demonstrated that ATP synthesis and hydrolysis can be monitored by the IR spectral changes in phosphate groups in adenine nucleotides and MIR-IRAS is useful for evaluating time-dependent drug effects of mitochondrial toxicants.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1505-1508
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• 2012

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a key factor in negative regulation of the insulin pathway, and is a promising target for the treatment of type-II diabetes, obesity and cancer. Herein, compound ($\mathbf{4}$) was first observed to have moderate inhibitory activity against PTP1B with an $IC_{50}$ value of $13.72{\pm}1.53{\mu}M$. To obtain more potent PTP1B inhibitors, we synthesized a series of chalcone derivatives using compound ($\mathbf{4}$) as the lead compound. Compound $\mathbf{4l}$ ($IC_{50}=3.12{\pm}0.18{\mu}M$) was 4.4-fold more potent than the lead compound $\mathbf{4}$ ($IC_{50}=13.72{\pm}1.53{\mu}M$), and more potent than the positive control, ursolic acid ($IC_{50}=3.40{\pm}0.21{\mu}M$). These results may help to provide suitable drug-like lead compounds for the design of inhibitors of PTP1B as well as other PTPs.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.238-244
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• 1984

To produce inulase from Kluyveromyces fragilis No.351 using Jerusalem artichoke tuber extract, optimization of the condition was conducted. As results, the optimal concentration of artichoke tuber extract was 3.5 % and bactocasitone showed better production than yeast extract. The optimal temperature and pH were $30^{\circ}C$ and 5.5, respectively. The addition of $NH_4H_2PO_4$ increased the enzyme production. Inulase synthesis was growth-associated and the enzyme production increased as concentration of dissolved oxygen increased. A higher quantity of industrial grade inulase was prepared by the combination of ultrafiltration and ethanol precipitation with 72% recovery.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.63-67
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• 1999

We have isolated more than a dozen cDNA clones corresponding to genes that were expressed in Arabidopsis leaves when they were kept in the dark. The nucleotide sequence analysis showed that some of the clones encoded proteins with significant homology to $\beta$-glucosidase (din2), branched-chain $\alpha$-keto acid dehydrogenase subunit E1$\beta$(din3), and another subunit E2 (din4), yeast RAD23 (din5), asparagine synthetase (din6), pre-mRNA splicing factor SRp35 (din7), phosphomannose isomerase (din9), seed imbibition protein (din10), and 2-oxoacid-dependent oxidase (din11). Accumulation of transcripts from din3,4,6 and 10 occurred rapidly after the plants were transferred to darkness. Transcripts from din2,9, and 11 could be detected only after 24 h of dark treatment. Inhibition of photo-synthesis by DCMU strongly induced the accumulation of transcripts from those genes, and application of sucrose to detached leaves suppressed the accumulation both in the dark and by DCMU. These observations indicate that expression of the genes is caused by sugar starvation resulted from the cessation of photosynthesis. We further showed that din2-encoded protein also accumulated in senescing leaves. Given these results, possible roles of din genes in leaves in the dark and senescing leaves are discussed.