• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.681-687
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• 2018

Recently, several researchers have been developing cosmetics from natural ingredients for skin whitening and anti-aging products. The red sea cucumber (RSC), Apostichopus japonicas, is a species of sea cucumber in the family stichopodiae, which is widely distributed in China, Japan, and Korea. To use Red Sea Cucumber as a cosmetic ingredient, its inhibitory effects on melanogenesis and the anti-aging effects of RSC extracts were investigated. First, a tyrosinase activity assay was performed, which showed that RSC inhibited tyrosinase activity at a concentration of $200{\mu}g/ml$. An MTT assay was carried out to evaluate cell toxicity, and the results showed that RSC extract has no cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase related protein 2 (TRP-2), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) genes treated with RSC extract in B16F10 and HaCaT cells decreased. Moreover, a wound-healing assay was performed to identify the cell regeneration effect of RSC extracts. Also, a skin turnover effect was confirmed by creating a three-dimensional cell culture with HaCaT and human fibroblasts. Altogether, the results suggested that Red Sea Cucumber may possess a high ability to induce whitening and anti-wrinkle effects as a cosmeceutical ingredient.

• 보존과학연구
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• s.32
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• pp.137-153
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• 2011

Paper cultural heritages in museums and libraries are deteriorated by many biological factors like as fungi, insects, bacteria and rodents and get irreversibly damaged. Especially, paper components like as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectins, tannins, proteins and mineral additives are good nourishment for microorganism. Through some studies on fungi causing the aging of paper materials, Aspergilli (about 30%) and Penicilli (more than 30%) are the most common among 300 different kinds of microorganism that caused the biological aging of paper cultural heritages in museums and libraries. At present, various treatments are attempted to control the biodeterioration by these fungi. Especially, it is focused on the control of environmental factors such as humidity, temperature and oxygen. In this study, the oxygen absorbent was used to control oxygen, one of the these favorable conditions during the biological aging of Hanji by Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium polonicum and then the effect on prevention in aging by this treatment was investigated. In result, the oxygen absorbent treatment had the good effect on prevention in aging during the biological aging by two species of fungi.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.858-864
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• 2008

In the greenhouse fields for fruits and vegetables during the winter in Korea, there are serious damages by the sclerotium diseases due to the low temperature and humidity. This study was carried out to select an antagonic agent for the biological control of the sclerotium diseases. The 55 antagonic agents were selected from the rhizosphere in soil where the fruits and vegetables were cultivated in the green house fields, and strain AB02 among the tested isolates was estimated to be the strongest antagonist against the sclerotium disease. Using strain AB02, the antifungal spectrum was tested against 5 different plant pathogens. According to the results of the test, strain AB02 . showed the high antagonistic effect against Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. For the experiment of biological control against the sclerotium disease, it was estimated the suppression effect and the control effect by the strain in the pot experiment using the green perilla. According to the result of the pot experiments, the suppression effect was 40% and the control effect was 62%, respectively. For the stimulation effect of the tested plant growth by strain AB02 compared to the control, it was improved as 120% for the total length, 141% for the liveweight, 121% for the total number of leaves, 185% for the leaf area, and 327% for the liveweight of the root, respectively. Strain AB02 showing the antagonistic effect against the sclerotium disease and the stimulation effect for the plant growth was identified as Bacillus sp.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.277-285
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• 2007

PCD (programmed cell death) is important mechanism for development, homeostasis and disease. To analyze the gene expression pattern in brain cells undergoing PCD in response to serum deprivation, we analyzed the cDNA microarray consisting of 2,300 genes and 7 housekeeping genes of cortical cells derived from mouse embryonic brain. Cortical cells were induced apoptosis by serum deprivation for 8 hours. We identified 69 up-regulated genes and 21 down-regulated genes in apoptotic cells. Based on the cDNA microarray data four genes were selected and analyzed by RT-PCR and northern blotting. To characterize the role of UNC-51-like kinase (ULK2) gene in PCD, we investigated cell death effect by ULK2. And we examined expression of several genes that related with PCD. Especially GAPDH was increased by ULK2. Theses findings indicated that ULK2 is involved in apoptosis through p53 pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.295-300
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• 2002

Previously, we reported induced expression of developmentally regulated CTP-binding protein 2 (DRG2) in fish cells at the late stage of rhabdovirus infection. To investigate the biological role of fish DRG2 (fDRG2), we transfected CHSE-214 cells with an expression vector containing complete fDRG2 fused to the N-terminal end of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Low level expression of fDRG2-EGFP did not induce morphological change or cell death. However, a high level expression of fDRG2-EGFP induced cell rounding and caused depletion of the cell population in FACS analysis. Several truncated fragments were fused to EGFP. FACS analysis was conducted to determine the presence of cells expressing high levels of the resulting chimera. While cells expressing a high level of N-terminus were detected, those expressing high levels of the C-terminal fragment 243-290 containing the G4 motif were absent in FACS analysis. Based on these observations, we propose that overexpression of fDRG2 may induce cell rounding, a representative cytopathic effect of virus-infected cells in the late stage of infection and the C-terminus of the fDRG2 is essential for this function.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.6-13
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• 2000

Melanin is specifically produced in melanocytes. The pathway for melanin biosynthesis is mainly controlled by tyrosinase. To estimate the inhibitory effect of melanin biosynthesis from 31 medicinal plants extracts, we tested the inhibitory effects of the tyrosinase promoter on B16 mouse melanoma cells. The result of this study demonstrated that Mori Radicis Cortex and Castena Fractus extracts only in tested medicinal plant extracts have high inhibitory effects on tyrosinase promoters with very low cytotoxicity on B16 mouse melanoma cells. Therefore, extracts of Mori Radicis Cortex and Castena Fractus were evaluated as very effective negative regulators of tyrosinase gene expression.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.263-267
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• 2005

In order to isolate hyaluronidase (HAase) inhibitor from Astragali radix (AR), dried roots were extracted with ethanol, prior to sequential fractionations with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous fractions. The n-butanol soluble fraction was found to exhibit the most pronounced inhibitory effect (68%) on HAase, and the active components were separated using various chromatographic methods, including column chromatography and preparative HPLC. The active component was isolated from the n-butanol soluble fraction of AR and was structurally identified as calycosin-7-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside by LC-MS, IR, $^1H$ NMR, and $^{13}C$ NMR analysis. The $IC_{50}$ of calycosin-7-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside's HAase activity was found to be 3.7 mg/mL.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.403-409
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• 2008

Eclipta prostrata grows abundantly in the tropical and the sub-tropical parts of the world including most part of the Korean Peninsula. The plant has been traditionally used for the treatment of a number of inflammatory diseases including hepatitis and enteritis but the nature of its immuno-modulating activity needs more studies. In this study, water-soluble sugar-containing fractions were purified from the herb and their effects on the culture of mouse splenocytes were examined. One of the fractions significantly suppressed apoptosis of the splenocytes in culture, which involves the gene expression regulation of a number of cytokines and cytokine receptors including MIP1-$\beta$. This study could explain an immunological activity of Eclipta prostrata and would lead to identify an immuno-active compound from the plant.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.252-257
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• 2007

Escherichia coli HslVU is an ATP-dependent protease consisting of two heat shock proteins, the HslU ATPase and HslV peptidase. In the reconstituted enzyme, HslU stimulates the proteolytic activity of HslV by one to two orders of magnitude, while HslV increases the rate of ATP hydrolysis by HslU several-fold. Here we show that HslV alone can efficiently degrade certain unfolded proteins, such as unfolded lactalbumin and lysozyme prepared by complete reduction of disulfide bonds, but not their native forms. Furthermore, HslV alone cleaved a lactalbumin fragment sandwiched by two thioredoxin molecules, indicating that it can hydrolyze the internal peptide bonds of lactalbumin. Surprisingly, ATP inhibited the degradation of unfolded proteins by HslV. This inhibitory effect of ATP was markedly diminished by substitution of the Arg86 residue located in the apical pore of HslV with Gly, suggesting that interaction of ATP with the Arg residue blocks access of unfolded proteins to the proteolytic chamber of HslV. These results suggest that uncomplexed HslV is inactive under normal conditions, but may can degrade unfolded proteins when the ATP level is low, as it is during carbon starvation.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1358-1364
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• 2009

Electric polarity of working electrode and counter electrode was periodically switched at the intervals of 30 sec. Electric current generated by anodic and cathodic reaction of working electrode was reached to +30 and -12 mA in low intensity pulsed electric field (LIPEF). The yeast growth, ethanol production, and malate consumption in the initial cultivation time were more activated in the LIPEF than the conventional condition (CC). Polyphenol, total phenolic contents (TPC), and total flavonols (TF) were gradually decreased in all cultivation conditions during incubation for 2 weeks but antioxidation activity was not. TF was significantly lower in 3 and 4 V of LIPEF than CC and 2 V of LIPEF; however, the polyphenol, TPC, and antioxidation activity were a little influenced by the LIPEF. After ripening of the winemaking culture for 15 days, polyphenol, TPC, and TF were a little increased but the antioxidation activity was not.