• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2002

The effects of two natural polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) on the synthesis of ArcA, a response regulator of the Arc two-component signal transduction system, were studied using an E. coli mutant deficient in polyamine biosynthesis. Endogenous polyamine deficiency of the mutant resulted in marked reduction in the ArcA level determined by Western blot analysis. Putrescine supplement to the growth medium effectively increased the ArcA level of the mutant in a concentration-dependent manner. Spermidine also stimulated the ArcA level in the mutant to a greater degree than putrescine. Expression of arcA'::lacZ operon fusion in the mutant was stimulated 6-fold and 10-fold by putrescine and spermidine at a 1mM concentration, respectively, indicating that the stimulatory effect of the polyamines on ArcA synthesis is due to transcriptional induction, and that spermidine is a more potent arcA inducer than putrescine. The polyamine-dependent arcA'::lacZ induction was growth-phase-dependent and independent of either arcA or fnr which are two regulators involved in anaerobic stimulation of the Arch level. These results suggested that putrescine and spermidine polyamines may be potential intracellular signal molecules in the control of arcA expression, and thereby may play an important role in cellular metabolism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.251-257
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• 2003

Metabolic engineering has become a new paradigm for the more efficient production of desired bioproducts. Metabolic engineering can be defined as directed modification of cellular metabolism and properties through the introduction, deletion, and modification of metabolic pathways by using recombinant DNA and other molecular biological tools. During the last decade, metabolic flux analysis(MFA) has become an essential tool fur metabolic engineering. By MFA, the intracellular metabolic fluxes can be quantified by the measurement of extracellular metabolite concentrations in combination with the stoichiometry of intracellular reactions and mass balances. The usefulness and functionality of MFA are demonstrated by applying to metabolic pathways in E. coli. First, a large-scale in silico E. coli model is constructed, and then the effects of carbon sources on intracellular flux distributions and succinic acid production were investigated on the basis of the uptake and secretion rates of the relevant metabolites. The results indicated that succinic acid yields increased in order of gluconate, glucose and sorbitol. Acetic acid and lactic acid were produced as major products rather than when gluconate and glucose were used carbon sources. The results indicated that among three carbon sources available, the most reduced substrate is sorbitol which yields efficient succinic acid production.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.364-370
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on the pharmacokinetics of loratadine in rats. The effect of curcumin on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 activity was evaluated. Pharmacokinetic parameters of loratadine were also determined after oral and intravenous administration in the presence or absence of curcumin. Curcumin inhibited CYP3A4 activity with an IC50 value of 2.71 ${\mu}M$ and the relative cellular uptake of rhodamine-123 was comparable. Compared to the oral control group, curcumin significantly increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve and the peak plasma concentration by 39.4-66.7% and 34.2-61.5%. Curcumin also significantly increased the absolute bioavailability of loratadine by 40.0-66.1% compared to the oral control group. Consequently, the relative bioavailability of loratadine was increased by 1.39- to 1.67-fold. In contrast, curcumin had no effect on any pharmacokinetic parameters of loratadine given intravenously, implying that the enhanced oral bioavailability may be mainly due to increased intestinal absorption caused via P-gp and CYP3A4 inhibition by curcumin rather than to reduced renal and hepatic elimination of loratadine. Curcumin enhanced the oral bioavailability of loratadine in this study. The enhanced bioavailability of loratadine might be mainly attributed to enhanced absorption in the gastrointestinal tract via the inhibition of P-gp and reduced fi rst-pass metabolism of loratadine via the inhibition of the CYP3A subfamily in the small intestine and/or in the liver by curcumin.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.537-546
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• 2001

목적: 고양이 대뇌피질 절편을 사용하여 저산소 발작을 유발한 뒤, 성향정기산이 세포의 이온 환경과 대사의 변화와 관련하여 어떤 영향을 미치는지 연구하였다. 방법: 고양이의 대뇌 피질 절편에 저산소 발작을 유발한 뒤 flame photometry scintillation, Spectrophotometry, method of Jorgensen and Skou, method of Fiske and Subbarow, oxygen monitor, luciferin-luciferase assay 등을 이용하여 세포내 이온함량과 세포대사를 측정하였다. 결과: 성향정기산은 저산소증으로 유발된 세포내의 $K^+$와 $Na^+$의 함량의 변화를 현저하게 지연시켰다. 성향정기산은 Na-K-ATPase의 억제제인 와바인 또는 대사억제제인 2.4-DNP로 유발된 세포내 $K^+$함량의 변화에 어떤 효과도 보이지 않았다. 또한, 정상 상태의 절편뿐만 아니라 저산소 상태의 절편에서 분리된 과립체의 분설에 있어서 Na-K-ATPase의 활동도에 영향을 미치지 않았다. 성향정기산은 저산소 발작하에서 산소 소비량과 세포의 ATP함량이 떨어지는 것을 현저하게 막았다. 또한 ATP를 생산하는 기능을 보호하는 저산소 조직의 사립체를 돕는데 효과적이었다. 결론: 성향정기산은 대뇌 조직의 저산소 발작하에서 세포의 이온 환경과 대사를 보호하는 유익한 효과가 있음을 알 수 있다.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2008

Bacillus sp. SB-007 was isolated from pea leaves harvested from the southwestern parts of South Korea through screening on a minimal medium containing 0.2% purified cutin for its ability to induce the cutinase production. However, no cutinase was produced when it was grown in a minimal medium containing 0.2% glucose. A proteomic approach was applied to separate and characterize these differentially secreted proteins. The expression level of 83 extracellular proteins of the cutinase-producing Bacillus sp. strain SB-007 incubated in a cutinase-induced medium increased significantly as compared with that cultured in a non cutinase-induced medium containing glucose. The extracellular proteome of Bacillus sp. SB-007 includes proteins from different functional classes, such as enzymes for the degradation of various macromolecules, proteins involved in energy metabolism, sporulation, transport/binding proteins and lipoproteins, stress inducible proteins, several cellular molecule biosynthetic pathways and catabolism, and some proteins with an as yet unknown function. In addition, the two protein spots showed little similarities with the known lipolytic enzymes in the database. These secreted proteome analysis results are expected to be useful in improving the Bacillus strains for the production of industrial cutinases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 1980

In the previous experiment, authors have shown that during the latter half of estrous cycle there was an increase in plasma testosterone level in the rats stimulated with hCG. To determine the physiologic significance of elevated plasma testosterone, changes of the plasma concentrations of TeBG and testosterone following hCG stimulation were analyzed in the rats having a regular 5 day cycle. The rats were divided into three groups; the control, the rats stimulated with single hCG on the day of proestrus and stimulated with hCG throughout the entire cycle. Blood samples were obtained once a day for an estrous cycle and analyzed for the binding capacity of TeBG using ammonium sulphate precipitation method and testosterone concentration by means of radioimmunoassay. Followings were the results; 1) There was no significant variation in the binding capacity of TeBG in peripheral blood during the estrous cycle of the control rats. 2) No cyclic variation in the binding capacity of TeBG was observed in the rats stimulated with single hCG on proestrus. although the levels tended to be higher in the rats with stimulation than in the control rats. 3) Continual stimulation of hCG produced a marked increase in the binding capacity of TeBG especially on the day of metaestrus. 4) The changes in the plasma level of testosterone followed the same basic pattern seen in the TeBG binding capacity. 5) From above results, the followings were suggested. a. hCG related increase of the binding capacity of TeBG is probably secondary to a modest increase in estrogen as well. b. hCG related increase of plasma testosterone in female rats is not entirely due to excess production rather in part due to decreased metabolism induced by the rise in TeBG. c. It seems likely that most of elevated testosterone shown in the rat stimulated with hCG is bound to TeBG and only small portion is unbound form which influence cellular activity. It is rather possible that an increase in TeBG could augment estrogen activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1060-1066
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• 2005

Under environmental stress, such as strong irradiance or nitrogen deficiency, unicellular green algae of the genus Haematococcus accumulate secondary carotenoids, i.e. astaxanthin, in the cytosol. The induction and regulation of astaxanthin biosynthesis in microalgae has recently received considerable attention owing to the increasing use of secondary carotenoids as a source of pigmentation for fish aquacultures, and as a potential drug in cancer prevention as a free-radical quencher. Accordingly, this study generated expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a library constructed from astaxanthin-induced Haematococcus pluvialis. Partial sequences were obtained from the 5' ends of 1,858 individual cDNAs, and then grouped into 1,025 non-overlapping sequences, among which 708 sequences were singletons, while the remainder fell into 317 clusters. Approximately $63\%$ of the EST sequences showed similarity to previously described sequences in public databases. H. pluvialis was found to consist of a relatively high percentage of genes involved in genetic information processing ($15\%$) and metabolism ($11\%$), whereas a relatively low percentage of sequences was involved in the signal transduction ($3\%$), structure ($2\%$), and environmental information process ($3\%$). In addition, a relatively large fraction of H. pluvialis sequences was classified as genes involved in photosynthesis ($9\%$) and cellular process ($9\%$). Based on this EST analysis, the full-length cDNA sequence for superoxide dismutase (SOD) of H. pluvialis was cloned, and the expression of this gene was investigated. The abundance of SOD changed substantially in response to different culture conditions, indicating the possible regulation of this gene in H. pluvialis.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-54
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• 2011

Gene structure of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD; sod1) was characterized in Hemibarbus mylodon (Teleostei; Cypriniformes), an endangered freshwater fish species in Korean peninsula. Full-length cDNA of H. mylodon SOD1 consisted of a 796-bp open reading frame sequence encoding 154 amino acids, and the deduced polypeptide sequence shared high sequence homology with other orthologs, particularly with regard to metal-coordinating ligands. Genomic structure of the H. mylodon sod1 gene (hmsod1; 1,911 bp from the ATG start codon to the stop codon) was typical quinquepartite (i.e., five exons interrupted by four introns); the lengths of the exons were similar among species belonging to various taxonomic positions. The molecular phylogeny inferred from sod1 genes in the teleost lineage was in accordance with the conventional taxonomic assumptions. 5'-flanking upstream region of hmsod1, obtained using the genome walking method, contained typical TATA and CAAT boxes. It also showed various transcription factor binding motifs that may be potentially involved in stress/immune response (e.g., sites for activating proteins or nuclear factor kappa B) or metabolism of xenobiotic compounds (e.g., xenobiotic response element; XRE). The hmsod1 transcripts were ubiquitously detected among tissues, with the liver and spleen showing the highest and lowest expression, respectively. An experimental challenge with Edwardsiella tarda revealed significant upregulation of the hmsod1 in kidney (4.3-fold) and spleen (3.1-fold), based on a real-time RT-PCR assay. Information on the molecular characteristics of this key antioxidant enzyme gene could be a useful basis for a biomarker-based assay to understand cellular stresses in this endangered fish species.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10393-10396
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• 2015

Background: Endometral carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the female genital tract and the fourth most common cancer in women after breast, colorectal and lung cancers Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a key transcription factor that regulates cellular response to hypoxia HIF-1 plays important roles in the development and progression of cancer through activation of various genes that are involved in crucial aspects of cancer biology, including angiogenesis, energy metabolism, vasomotor function, erythropoiesis, and cell survival. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between HIF-1 1772 C/T polymorphisms and endometrial cancer. Materials and Methods: 75 patients with endometrial carcinoma and 75 patients whose underwent hysterectomy for non tumoral indication selected for evaluation of HIF-1 1772 C/T polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP and sequencing. Results: For the 1772 C/T polymorphism, the analysis showed that the T allele and genotype TT were significantly associated with endometrial cancer risk. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the C1772T polymorphism of the HIF-1a may be associated with endometrial cancers.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.301-307
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• 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of kaempferol on the pharmacokinetics of nimodipine in rats. Nimodipine and kaempferol interact with cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and the increase in the use of health supplements may result in kaempferol being taken concomitantly with nimodipine as a combination therapy to treat orprevent cardiovascular disease. The effect of kaempferol on P-gp and CYP3A4 activity was evaluated and Pharmacokinetic parameters of nimodipine were determined in rats after an oral (12 mg/kg) and intravenous (3 mg/kg) administration of nimodipine to rats in the presence and absence of kaempferol (0.5, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg). Kaempferol inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner with 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of $17.1{\mu}M$. In addition, kaempferol significantly enhanced the cellular accumulation of rhodamine-123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared to the oral control group, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve ($AUC_{0-\infty}$) and the peak plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) of nimodipine significantly increased, respectively. Consequently, the absolute bioavailability of nimodipine in the presence of kaempferol (2.5 and 10 mg/kg) was 29.1-33.3%, which was significantly enhanced compared to the oral control group (22.3%). Moreover, the relative bioavailability of nimodipine was 1.30- to 1.49-fold greater than that of the control group. The pharmacokinetics of intravenous nimodipine was not affected by kaempferol in contrast to those of oral nimodipine. Kaempferol significantly enhanced the oral bioavailability of nimodipine, which might be mainly due to inhibition of the CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of nimodipine in the small intestine and /or in the liver and to inhibition of the P-gp efflux transporter in the small intestine by kaempferol. The increase in oral bioavailability of nimodipine in the presence of kaempferol should be taken into consideration of potential drug interactions between nimodipine and kaempferol.