• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2005

Abstract Griseofulvin has been used as an antifungal antibiotic for the treatment of mycotic diseases of humans and veterinary animals. The purpose of this work was to identify a griseofulvin-producing endophytic fungus from Abies holophylla and evaluate its in vivo antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi. Based on nuclear ribosomal ITS1-5.8SITS2 sequence analysis, the fungus was identified and labeled as Xylaria sp. F0010. Two antifungal substances were purified from liquid cultures of Xylaria sp. F0010, and their chemical identities were determined to be griseofulvin and dechlorogriseofulvin through mass and NMR spectral analyses. Compared to dechlorogriseofulvin, griseofulvin showed high in vivo and in vitro antifungal activity, and effectively controlled the development of rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea), rice sheath blight (Corticium sasaki), wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), and barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei), at doses of 50 to 150 ${\mu}$g/ml, depending on the disease. This is the first report on the production of griseofulvin and dechlorogriseofulvin by Xylaria species.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc
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• pp.1-69
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• 2023

This study aims to establish a comprehensive, synthetic inventory system for the fauna and flora of Dokdo Island, Republic of Korea, which has been conducted by a specialized research group consisting of more than 50 experts. The research was conducted over five years(2015-2019) and supported by the National Institute of Biological Resources, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea. All possible publications on the fauna and flora of Dokdo Island over the last 68 years from 1952 to 2020 were reviewed. As a result, 1,302 species were found on Dokdo Island during the study period. An updated list of 1,963 species was created. This is expected to be of great help for the conservation and national publicity of important indigenous biological resources of Dokdo Island.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.351-355
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• 2020

Argyreia gyrobracteata Traiperm & Chitchak (Convolvulaceae) is newly recorded in Vietnam. It is similar to A. mekongensis Gagnep & Courch in having a white campanulate corolla but differs from that species by having whitish surface of the abaxial leaf, narrowly lanceolate or linear-oblong, curly, rolled up the bract with a longer length of the petiole and a shorter pedicel. It was previously known only in Thailand, but was recently found in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, for the first time. The present study provides a detailed description, colorful photos and the distribution of the species. Furthermore, a comparison of the diagnostic characters between this species and a related species in Vietnam, A. mekongensis Gagnep & Courch, is provided.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1071-1077
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• 2019

Natural gamma-decalactone (GDL) produced by biotransformation is an essential food additive with a peach-like aroma. However, the difficulty of effectively controlling the concentration of the substrate ricinoleic acid (RA) in water limits the biotransformation productivity, which is a bottleneck for industrialization. In this study, expanded vermiculite (E-V) was utilized as a carrier of RA to increase its distribution in the medium. E-V and three commonly used organic compounds were compared with respect to their effects on the biotransformation process, and the mechanism was revealed. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis indicated that RA was physically adsorbed onto the surface of and inside E-V instead of undergoing a chemical reaction, which increased the opportunity for interactions between microorganisms and the substrate. The highest concentration of GDL obtained in the medium with E-V was 6.2 g/l, which was 50% higher than that in the reference sample. In addition, the presence of E-V had no negative effect on the viability of the microorganisms. This study provides a new method for producing natural GDL through biotransformation on an industrial scale.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.613-622
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• 2021

In vertebrate eyes, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) provides structural and functional homeostasis to the retina. The RPE takes up retinol (ROL) to be dehydrogenated and isomerized to 11-cis-retinaldehyde (11-cis-RAL), which is a functional photopigment in mammalian photoreceptors. As excessive ROL is toxic, the RPE must also establish mechanisms to protect against ROL toxicity. Here, we found that the levels of retinol dehydrogenases (RDHs) are commonly decreased in phosphatase tensin homolog (Pten)-deficient mouse RPE, which degenerates due to elevated ROL and that can be rescued by feeding a ROL-free diet. We also identified that RDH gene expression is regulated by forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factors, which are inactivated by hyperactive Akt in the Pten-deficient mouse RPE. Together, our findings suggest that a homeostatic pathway comprising PTEN, FOXO, and RDH can protect the RPE from ROL toxicity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.649-659
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• 2022

A long-term energy nutritional imbalance fundamentally causes the development of obesity and associated fat accumulation. Lysosomes, as nutrient-sensing and lipophagy centers, critically control cellular lipid catabolism in response to nutrient deprivation. However, whether lysosome activity is directly involved in nutrient-induced fat accumulation remains unclear. In this study, worm fat accumulation was induced by 1 mM glucose or 0.02 mM palmitic acid supplementation. Along with the elevation of fat accumulation, lysosomal number and acidification were also increased, suggesting that lysosome activity might be correlated with nutrient-induced fat deposition in Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, treatments with the lysosomal inhibitors chloroquine and leupeptin significantly reduced basal and nutrient-induced fat accumulation in C. elegans. The knockdown of hlh-30, which is a critical gene in lysosomal biogenesis, also resulted in worm fat loss. Finally, the mutation of aak-2, daf-15, and rsks-1 showed that mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex-1) signaling mediated the effects of lysosomes on basal and nutrient-induced fat accumulation in C. elegans. Overall, this study reveals the previously undescribed role of lysosomes in overnutrition sensing, suggesting a new strategy for controlling body fat accumulation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.617-627
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• 2019

Brain organoids are an exciting new technology with the potential to significantly change our understanding of the development and disorders of the human brain. With step-by-step differentiation protocols, three-dimensional neural tissues are self-organized from pluripotent stem cells, and recapitulate the major millstones of human brain development in vitro. Recent studies have shown that brain organoids can mimic the spatiotemporal dynamicity of neurogenesis, the formation of regional neural circuitry, and the integration of glial cells into a neural network. This suggests that brain organoids could serve as a representative model system to study the human brain. In this review, we will overview the development of brain organoid technology, its current progress and applications, and future prospects of this technology.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.393-397
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• 2017

Background: It has been suggested that engaging technology can empower individuals to be more proactive about their health and reduce their health risks. The aim of the present intervention was to study the effects of technology-aided testing and feedback on physical activity and biological age of employees in a middle-sized enterprise. Methods: In all, 121 employees (mean age $42{\pm}10$ years) participated in the 12-month three-arm cluster randomized trial. The fitness measurement process (Body Age) determined the participants' biological age in years. Physical activity was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. Results: Physical activity did not change during the intervention. Biological age (better fitness) improved in all groups statistically significantly (p < 0.001), but with no interaction effects. The mean changes (years) in the groups were -2.20 for the controls, e2.83 for the group receiving their biological age and feedback, and -2.31 for the group receiving their biological age, feedback, and a training computer. Conclusion: Technology-aided testing with feedback does not seem to change the amount of physical activity but may enhance physical fitness measured by biological age.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.36.1-36.19
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• 2023

The LIM domain-containing proteins are dominantly found in plants and play a significant role in various biological processes such as gene transcription as well as actin cytoskeletal organization. Nevertheless, genome-wide identification as well as functional analysis of the LIM gene family have not yet been reported in the economically important plant sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). Therefore, we conducted an in silico identification and characterization of LIM genes in S. bicolor genome using integrated bioinformatics approaches. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis and conserved domain, we identified five LIM genes in S. bicolor (SbLIM) genome corresponding to Arabidopsis LIM (AtLIM) genes. The conserved domain, motif as well as gene structure analyses of the SbLIM gene family showed the similarity within the SbLIM and AtLIM members. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment study revealed that the candidate LIM genes are directly involved in cytoskeletal organization and various other important biological as well as molecular pathways. Some important families of regulating transcription factors such as ERF, MYB, WRKY, NAC, bZIP, C2H2, Dof, and G2-like were detected by analyzing their interaction network with identified SbLIM genes. The cis-acting regulatory elements related to predicted SbLIM genes were identified as responsive to light, hormones, stress, and other functions. The present study will provide valuable useful information about LIM genes in sorghum which would pave the way for the future study of functional pathways of candidate SbLIM genes as well as their regulatory factors in wet-lab experiments.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2003.07c
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• pp.2911-2914
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• 2003

Conventionally, biological manipulations have been performed manually with long training and pretty low success rates. To overcome this problem, a novel biological manipulation system has been developed to manipulate biological cells without any interference of a human operator, In this paper, we demonstrate a development of tole-autonomous Cell Manipulation System (CMS) using an image processing at a remote site. The CMS consists of two manipulators, a plane stage, and an optical microscope. We developed deformable template-model-matching algorithm for micro objects and pattern matching algorithm of end effect for these manipulators in order to control manipulators and the stage. Through manipulation of biological cells using these algorithms, the performance of the CMS is verified experimentally.