• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1586-1592
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• 2016

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped, and encapsulated bacterium in the normal flora of the intestines, mouth, skin, and food, and has decarboxylation activity, which results in generation of diamines (cadaverine, agmatine, and putrescine). However, there is no specific information on the exact mechanism of decarboxylation in K. pnuemoniae. Specifically lysine decarboxylases that generate cadaverine with a wide range of applications has not been shown. Therefore, we performed a functional study of lysine decarboxylases. Enzymatic characteristics such as optimal pH, temperature, and substrates were examined by overexpressing and purifying CadA and LdcC. CadA and LdcC from K. pneumoniae had a preference for L-lysine, and an optimal reaction temperature of 37℃ and an optimal pH of 7. Although the activity of purified CadA from K. pneumoniae was lower than that of CadA from E. coli, the activity of K. pneumoniae CadA in whole cell bioconversion was comparable to that of E. coli CadA, resulting in 90% lysine conversion to cadaverine with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate L-lysine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1585-1590
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• 2007

Although a number of melanogenesis inhibitors have recently been reported and used as cosmetic additives, none is completely satisfactory, leaving a need for novel skin-depigmenting agents. Thus, to develop a novel skin depigmenting agent from natural sources, the inhibition of melanogenesis by Chinese plants was evaluated. A methanolic extract of Nigella glandulifera Freyn was found to inhibit the melanin synthesis of murine B16F10 melanoma cells by 43.7% and exhibited a low cytotoxicity (8.1%) at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$. Thus, to identify the melanogenesis-inhibiting mechanism, the inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase, the key enzyme of melanogenesis, was further evaluated, and the results showed inhibitory effects on the activity of intracellular tyrosinase yet not on mushroom tyrosinase. Finally, to isolate the compounds with a hypopigmenting capability, activity-guided isolation was performed, and Dioctyl phthalate identified as inhibiting melanogenesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2313-2318
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• 2014

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-${\gamma}$), a ligand-dependent nuclear transcription factor, has been found to widely exist in tumor tissues and plays an important role in affecting tumor cell growth. In this study, we investigated the effect of PPAR-${\gamma}$ on aspects of the cervical cancer malignant phenotype, such as cell proliferation and apoptosis. Cell growth assay, Western blotting, Annexin V and flow cytometry analysis consistently showed that treatment with troglitazone (TGZ, a PPAR-${\gamma}$ agonist) led to dose-dependent inhibition of cervical cancer cell growth through apoptosis, whereas T0070907 (another PPAR-${\gamma}$ antagonist) had no effect on Hela cell proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, we also detected the protein expression of p53, p21 and Mdm2 to explain the underlying mechanism of PPAR-${\gamma}$ on cellular apoptosis. Our work, finally, demonstrated the existence of the TGZ-PPAR-${\gamma}$-p53 signaling pathway to be a critical regulator of cell apoptosis. These results suggested that PPAR-${\gamma}$ may be a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.211-221
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• 2012

The process of embryo implantation requires physical contact and physiological communication between the conceptus trophectoderm and the maternal uterine endometrium. During the peri-implantation period in pigs, the conceptus undergoes significant morphological changes and secretes estrogens, the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy. Estrogens secreted from the conceptus act on uterine epithelia to redirect $PGF_2{\alpha}$, luteolysin, secretion from the uterine vasculature to the uterine lumen to prevent luteolysis as well as to induce expression of endometrial genes that support implantation and conceptus development. In addition, conceptuses secrete cytokines, interferons, growth factors, and proteases, and in response to these signals, the uterine endometrium produces hormones, protease inhibitors, growth factors, transport proteins, adhesion molecules, lipid molecules, and calcium regulatory molecules. Coordinated interactions of these factors derived from the conceptus and the uterus play important roles in the process of implantation in pigs. To better understand mechanism of implantation process in pigs, this review provides information on signaling molecules at the conceptus-uterine interface during early pregnancy, including recently reported data reported.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1996.06a
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• pp.50-63
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• 1996

Nitrogen (N) is an important regulator of the expression of genes involved in carbon and N assimilation pathways in plants by selectively altering the levels of proteins and/or mRNAs. These in C4 plants include genes for such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, carbonic anhydrase, and pyruvate-Pi dikinase. The C4 genes are regulated in mesophyll cells by N availability both transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally through cytokinins and glutamine as signals. The level of both the signals is up-regulated by N availability: cytokinins in roots and glutamine in leaves. The level of glutamine is controlled by the differential expression by N of glutamine synthetase and ferrdoxin-dependent glutamate synthase genes which locate in the mesophyll cells of C4 plants. The results is discussed as molecular mechanism for the greater N use efficiency of the plants as well as N partitioning is the photosynthetic cells.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.66-68
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• 2006

SUF machinery in Echerichia coli, responsible for the biosynthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, is composed of six protein components (SufABCDSE), among which SufB, SufC, and SufD associate in a complex. We have determined the structures of SufA, SufC, and SufD by X-ray crystallography. SufA is a dimer, in which C-terminal segments containing essential cysteine residues (Cys-Gly-Cys) are positioned to allow coordination of an Fe-S cluster and/or an Fe atom. SufC has the overall structure similar to that of ABC-ATPase but takes an inactive form. SufD has a ${\beta}-helix$ flanked with a-helical domains. We also studied the functional roles of the residues in SufD by mutagenesis and determined the crystal structure of SufCD complex. Molecular mechanism of Fe-S cluster biosynthesis is discussed on the basis of the structural and functional evidence.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.614-619
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• 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a highly aggressive cancer. HBV X protein (HBx), one of four HBV gene products, plays pivotal roles in the development and metastasis of HCC. It has been reported that HBx induces liver cancer cell migration and reorganizes actin cytoskeleton, however the molecular basis for actin cytoskeleton reorganization remains obscure. In this study, we for the first time report that HBx promotes actin polymerization and liver cancer cell migration by regulating calcium modulated protein, calmodulin (CaM). HBx physically interacts with CaM to control the level of phosphorylated cofilin, an actin depolymerizing factor. Mechanistically, HBx interacts with CaM, liberates Hsp90 from its inhibitory partner CaM, and increases the activity of Hsp90, thus activating LIMK1/cofilin pathway. Interestingly, the interaction between HBx and CaM is calcium-dependent and requires the CaM binding motif on HBx. These results indicate that HBx modulates CaM which plays a regulatory role in Hsp90/LIMK1/cofilin pathway of actin reorganization, suggesting a new mechanism of HBV-induced HCC metastasis specifically derived by HBx.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.116-124
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• 2019

The rehabilitation training robots for treating the upper limbs of stroke patients were mainly focused on the upper proximal treatment of it, but recently studies of the distal parts of the upper limbs for rehabilitation of the hand is making some progress even though it is still a small number so far. In this paper, we present the hand robot for the rehabilitation training of stroke patients that is the fingertip contact-typed mechanism, and it has also equipped with the wrist rehabilitation unit to be worked like human hand that enables any movements through mutual cooperation by fingers while picking up or grasping objects. The robot that is presented for this purpose supports the movement of fingers with 5-DoF and the wrist with 3-DoF that moves independently, and operates with a structure that allows the joints of the wrist and fingers to be collaborated organically together to each other. Also, hereby the simulation and evaluation test on its robot mechanism are performed to ensure that fingers with 5-DoF and the wrist with 3-DoF of the serial kinematical mechanism are designed to comply with or exceed ROM for ADL.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.262-268
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• 2020

Severe asthma patients comprise about 3% to 13% of all asthma patients, but they have higher hospital utilization rates and higher medical costs than those of nonsevere asthma patients. Treatment methods for severe asthma patients are still lacking; however, the recent development of biologics is expected to have a positive effect. The biological therapies developed so far are mainly aimed at treating asthma patients with type 2 inflammation. These biologics have been found to reduce symptoms of asthma, improve lung function, reduce the use of oral corticosteroids, and improve quality of life of patients. This article reviews the mechanism of action and indications for approved biologics and discusses what should be considered when choosing biologics.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.348-353
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• 2014

The speed of sound (SOS) value is an indicator of bone mineral density (BMD). Previous genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified a number of genes, whose variations may affect BMD levels. However, their biological implications have been elusive. We re-analyzed the GWA study dataset for the SOS values in skeletal sites of 4,659 Korean women, using a gene-set analysis software, GSA-SNP. We identified 10 common representative GO terms, and 17 candidate genes between these two traits (PGS < 0.05). Implication of these GO terms and genes in the bone mechanism is well supported by the literature survey. Interestingly, the significance levels of some member genes were inversely related, in several gene-sets that were shared between two skeletal sites. This implies that biological process, rather than SNP or gene, is the substantial unit of genetic association for SOS in bone. In conclusion, our findings may provide new insights into the biological mechanisms for BMD.