• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.314-320
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• 2009

We examined metabolic conversion of cysteine into glutathione (GSH) and taurine in rat liver under oxidative stress. Administration of tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP) into the portal vein of male rats resulted in a rapid elevation of serum sorbitol dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase activities, which decreased gradually in 24 hr. Hepatic cysteine concentration was reduced in 3 hr, and recovered progressively, reaching a level greater than 200% of the normal value in 24 hr. GSH was increased both in liver and blood at 9 hr after t-BHP challenge, whereas hypotaurine or taurine was not altered. $\gamma$-Glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS) activity was increased from 9 hr after t-BHP treatment, but protein expression of the GCS-heavy subunit was not changed in liver. Activity or expression of cysteine dioxygenase was not affected by t-BHP treatment. Taken together, these data show that an acute oxidant challenge to the rats may induce upregulation of cysteine availability and GCS activity, resulting in an enhancement of hepatic GSH synthesis, but the increased cysteine level does not stimulate taurine synthesis via cysteine sulfinate pathway. It is indicated that the regulation of GSH and taurine biosynthesis from cysteine is not solely dependent on the cysteine concentration in rat liver under oxidative stress.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.141-146
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• 2014

A series of bimetallic Cu-Zn/$SiO_2$ catalysts were prepared via thermal decomposition of the as-synthesized $CuZn(OH)_4(H_2SiO_3)_2{\cdot}nH_2O$ hydroxides precursors. This highly dispersed Cu-solid base catalyst is extremely effective for hydrogenation of ethyl acetate to ethanol. The reduction and oxidation features of the precursors prepared by coprecipitation method and catalysts were extensively investigated by TGA, XRD, TPR and $N_2$-adsorption techniques. Catalytic activity by ethyl acetate hydrogenation of reaction temperatures between 120 and $300^{\circ}C$, different catalyst calcination and reduction temperatures, different Cu/Zn loadings have been examined extensively. The relation between the performance for hydrogenation of ethyl acetate and the structure of the Cu-solid base catalysts with Zn loading were discussed. The detected conversion of ethyl acetate reached 81.6% with a 93.8% selectivity of ethanol. This investigation of the Cu-Zn/$SiO_2$ catalyst provides a recently proposed pathway for ethyl acetate hydrogenation reaction to produce ethanol over Cu-solid base catalysts.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.197-201
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• 2006

Diaminopimelate decarboxylase (DAPDC, EC 4.1.1.20) catalyzes the conversion of diaminopimelate into lysine (Lys), which is the last step in Lys biosynthetic pathway. The genes for DAPDC have been reported in many bacteria, and more recently in Arabidopsis. Here we report characterization of a gene for DAPDC from rice (OsDAPDC). Sequence analysis of a cDNA clone revealed a full-length open reading frame for OsDAPDC that encoded 490 amino acids, approximately 53.2 kDa protein. The OsDAPDC protein contains a consensus binding site for pyridoxal-5'-phosphate as a cofactor and has a sequence at the amino terminus that resembles a transit peptide for localization to plastids, similar to that of Arabidopsis. Single gene encoding DAPDC was found in chromosome II in rice. The predicted amino acid sequence of OsDAPDC is highly homologous to that of the enzymes for DAPDC encoded by lysA of many bacteria. Expression of OsDAPDC in lysA mutants of Escherichia coli shows that the gene is able to functionally complement the mutants. These results suggest that OsDAPDC encodes a protein for diaminopimelate decarboxylase in rice.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.654-661
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• 2019

This study assessed the stabilization of fluorine (F)-contaminated soil using calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) and the consequent changes in human health risk. The bioavailable F decreased to 3.5%, (i.e., 57.9 ± 1.27 mg/kg in 6% Ca(OH)₂-treated soil sample) from 43.0%, (i.e., 711 ± 23.4 mg/kg in control soil sample). This resulted from the conversion of water-soluble F to stable calcium fluoride, which was confirmed by XRD spectrometry. Soil ingestion, inhalation of fugitive dust from soil, and water ingestion were selected as exposure pathways for human health risk assessment. Non-carcinogenic risks of F in soils reduced to less than 1.0 after stabilization, ranging from 4.2 to 0.34 for child and from 3.0 to 0.25 for adult. Contaminated water ingestion owing to the leaching of F from soil to groundwater was considered as a major exposure pathway. The risks through soil ingestion and inhalation of fugitive dust from soil were insignificant both before and after stabilization, although F concentration exceeded the Korean soil regulatory level before stabilization. Our data suggested that substantial risk to human health owing to various potential exposure pathways could be addressed by managing F present in soil.

• Proceedings of the EASDL Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.13-30
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• 2004

There are two groups of significant functional constituents in sesame seeds on the whole; one is the vegetable oils and another is the anti-oxidative compounds. However, although high amounts of major fatty acids are synthesized in sesame seeds, their composition is unfavorable because the contents of alpha- and gamma-linolenic acid, the essential fatty acids, are very low or do not produced in sesame seeds. So, to increase these fatty acids in sesame seeds, one strategy is to overexpress their genes, ${\omega}$-3 fatty acid desaturase for alpha-linolenic acid and delta-6 fatty acid desaturase for gamma-linolenid acid, in them. Another molecular target is to enhance alpha-tocopherol, vitamin E, because its content is very low in sesame seeds. The enzyme, gamma-tocopherol methyltransferase, catalyzes the conversion of gamma-tocophero to alpha-tocopherol. Overexpression of this enzyme in sesame seeds could be also a good molecular breeding target. Reduction of phytic acid is also another molecular target in sesame seeds because phosphorus pollution may be caused by its high content in sesame seeds. Accordingly, to do so, one of target enzymes could be myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase which is a key regulatory enzyme in the pathway of phytic aicd biosyntheses. In this lecture, a molecular strategy for development of value-added sesame crop is described in association with some results of our experiments involved in the molecular characterizations of the genes mentioned above.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.864-873
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• 2006

As fuel cells approach commercialization, hydrogen production becomes a critical step in the overall energy conversion pathway. Reforming is a process that produces a hydrogen-rich gas from hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogen production via autothermal reforming (ATR) is particularly attractive for applications that demand a quick start-up and response time in a compact size. However, further research is required to optimize the performance of autothermal reformers and accurate models of reactor performance must be developed and validated. The design includes the requirement of accommodating a wide range of experimental set ups. Factors considered in the design of the reformer are capability to use multiple fuels, ability to vary stoichiometry, precise temperature and pressure control, implementation of enhancement methods, capability to implement variable catalyst positions and catalyst arrangement, ability to monitor and change reactant mixing, and proper implementation of data acquisition. A model of the system was first developed in order to calculate flowrates, heating, space velocity, and other important parameters needed to select the hardware that comprises the reformer. Predicted performance will be compared to actual data once the reformer construction is completed. This comparison will quantify the accuracy of the model and should point to areas where further model development is required. The end result will be a research tool that allows engineers to optimize hydrogen production via autothermal reformation.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.669-673
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• 1993

The CO substitution reactions of the complex, $Cp(S-2,4-Me_2C_5H_5)CrCo$ with $PR_3(PR_3=PMePh_2,\;P(OCH_3)_3,\;PMe_2Ph)$ were investigated spectrophotometrically at various temperatures. From the reaction rates, it was suggested that the CO substitution reaction took place by first-order (dissociative) pathway. Activation parameters in decaline were ${\Delta}H^{\neq}\;=\;22.0\;kcal{\cdot}mol^{-1}$, ${\Delta}S^{\neq}=\;-3.8cal{\cdot}mol^{-1}{\cdot}K^{-1}$. Unusually low value of ${\Delta}S{\neq}$ suggests an ${\eta}^5-S{\to}{\eta}^5-U$ conversion of the pentadienyl ligand. This suggestion was confirmed by the Extended-Huckel molecular orbital (EHMO) calculations, which revealed that the total energy of $Cp(S-2,4-Me_2C_5H_5$)CrCO is about 0.42 kcal/mol more lower than that of $Cp(U-2,4-Me_2C_5H_5)CrCO$ and the energy of $[Cp(U-2,4-Me_2C_5H_5)Cr{\cdots}CO]^{\neq} $ transition state is about 2.43 kcal/mol lower than that of $[Cp(S-2,4-Me_2C_5H_5)Cr{\cdots}CO]^{\neq}$ transition state.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2000

Using a murine T cell hybridoma, activation-induced cell death (AICD) was studied. As an in vitro model system for the AICD, 1 cell hybridoma expressing TCR/CD3 complex was incubated onto the immobilized purified anti-CD3 antibody. The immobilized anti-CD3 antibody induced AICD effectively up to 40%. At 1-100 $\mu$M range of SNP, an exogenous source of nitric oxide (NO), the cell proliferation was not affected, but at 1 mM SNP, cell proliferation was significantly reduced. The AICD of T cell hybridoma was inhibited by exogenous NO at non-cytotoxic concentration, In the cells undergoing AICD, the expressions of caspase-3 and FasL were detected, but not iNOS. Similar result was recognized in the apoptosis induced by dexamethasone, an apoptosis-inducing agent. However, the conversion from the inactive form of caspase-3 (32 kDa) to the active form (17 kDa) was significantly reduced in the cells in AICD induced by anti-CD3 antibody, With the result of increased PARP cleavage in the cells, we propose that another PARP cleavage pathway not involving caspase-3 may function in the anti-CD3 antibody induced AICD in the T cell hybridoma.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.202-210
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• 2019

In order to maximize the utilization of sewage sludge, a waste from wastewater treatment facility, the residual sewage sludge generated after lipid and carbohydrate extraction for biodiesel and bioethanol production was used to produce bio-oil by pyrolysis. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that sludge pyrolysis mainly occurred between 200 and $550^{\circ}C$ (with peaks formed around 337.0 and $379.3^{\circ}C$) with the decomposition of the main components (carbohydrate, lipid, and protein). Bio-oil was produced using a micro-tubing reactor, and its yield (wt%, g-bio-oil/g-residual sewage sludge) increased with an increase in the reaction temperature and time. The maximum bio-oil yield of 33.3% was obtained after pyrolysis at $390^{\circ}C$ for 5 min, where the largest amount of energy was introduced into the reactor to break the bonds of organic compounds in the sludge. The main components of bio-oil were found to be trans-2-pentenoic acid and 2-methyl-2-pentenoic acid with the highest selectivity of 28.4% and 12.3%, respectively. The kinetic rate constants indicated that the predominant reaction pathway was sewage sludge to bio-oil ($0.1054min^{-1}$), and subsequently to gas ($0.0541min^{-1}$), rather than the direct conversion of sewage sludge to gas ($0.0318min^{-1}$).

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.44-52
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• 2018

A synthetic pathway, which consisted of fatty acid double bond hydratase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase, was applied to Chlorella oil to produce ester fatty acids, which can be hydrolyzed into medium chain fatty acids. Since linoleic acid is a major fatty acid constituent of Chlorella oil, a fatty acid double bond hydratase from Lactobacillus acidophilus NBRC13951, which is able to convert linoleic acid into 13-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid, was used. Recombinant Escherichia coli expressing the fatty acid double bond hydratase from L. acidophilus NBRC13951 successfully transformed linoleic acid in Chlorella oil hydrolysates into 13-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid with approximately 60% conversion yield. 13-Hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid was further converted into ester fatty acids by the recombinant E. coli expressing a long chain secondary alcohol dehydrogenase and a Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase. The resulting ester fatty acids were then hydrolyzed into medium chain fatty acids by a lipase. Overall, industrially relevant medium chain fatty acids were produced from Chlorella oil hydrolysates. Thereby, this study may contribute to biosynthesis of medium chain fatty acids from microalgae oils as well as long chain fatty acids.