• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.12-21
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• 2005

Objectives: In the present study, we investigated whether an aqueous extract of Armeniacae semen induces apoptotic neuronal cell death upon mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells. Methods: 1. Cell viability was determined by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTI) assay. 2. For in situ detection of apoptotic cells, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. 3. The fraction of cells was revealed by flow cytometric analysis used that. 4. For detection of apoptotic DNA cleavage, DNA fragmentation assay was performed. 5. For detection of bax and bcl-2, Western blot analysis was performed. 6. Caspase enzyme activity was measured using caspase-3 assay. Results: From the present results, N2a neuroblastoma cells treated with Armeniacae semen extract exhibited several characteristics of apoptosis. A treatment of Armeniacae semen extract was shown to increase the expression of Bax, a proapoptotic protein, and the treatment decreased the expression of Blc2, an anti-apoptotic protein. In addition, Armeniacae semen extract increased the caspase-3 enzyme activity. Conclusions: The present results show that Armeniacae semen extract induces apoptotic cell death in mouse N2a neuroblastoma cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2007

The xynA gene encoding the xylanase A of Paenibacillus sp. DG-22 was isolated with a DNA probe obtained by PCR amplification, using degenerated primers deduced from the amino acid residues of the known N-terminal region of the purified enzyme and the conserved region in the family 11 xylanases. The positive clones were screened on the LB agar plates supplemented with xylan, by the Congo-red staining method. The xynA gene consists of a 630-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 210 amino acids, and the XynA preprotein contains a 28-residues signal peptide whose cleavage yields a l82-residues mature protein of a calculated molecular weight of 20,000Da and pI value of 8.77. The cloned DNA fragment also has another ORF of 873 nucleotides that showed 76% identity to the putative transcriptional activator of Bacillus halodurans C-125. Most of the xylanase activity was found in the periplasmic space of E. coli. The xynA gene was subcloned into pQE60 expression vector to fuse with six histidine-tag. The recombinant xylanase A was purified by heating and immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were 6.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. This histidine-tagged xylanase A was less thermostable than the native enzyme.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.182-186
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• 1988

The possibility of strain improvement of cellulolytic fungus, Penicillium verruculosum via protoplast fusion was investigated. The cellulolytic activities of the six fusants, finally selected for their hyper-cellulolytics were 2 times of those of wild type and 1.2 to 4.4 times of those parental auxotrophs. It was confirmed that the nuclear fusion occurred in fusants by their DNA contents and nuclear staining with Giemsa. It was also found that the fusants were aneuploids, and their genetic stability was demonstrated from the subculture for four months.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 1991

Biochemical characteristics of Spodoptera uigua nuclear polyhedrosis virus (SeNPV) isolated in Jinju were studied. SeNPV contained a number of nucleocapsids within a viral envelope embeded in polyhedra. The polyhedral protein of SeNPV was composed of a single polypeptide with a M. W. of 30kd. Double-immunodiffusion test showed that the polyhedral protein of SeNPV had common antigenic determinants with SINPV and BmNPV. Virion proteins of SeNPV were resolved into 49 polypeptides by silver staining after SDS-PAGE. The approximate genome size of SeNPV by restriction endonuclease analysis was 1l0kb.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2003

Karyotype analysis and chromosomal localization of 5S and 45S rDNAs using multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (McFISH) technique were carried out in two Angelica species. The numbers of diploid chromosomes were the same in two same in two species as 2n=22, however the lengths of chromosomes were varied from 4.25 to 6.50 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in A gigas and 4.95 to 8.50 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in A acutiloba. The chromosomes of A. gigas were composed of five metacentric and six submetacentric pairs, while those of A. acutiloba were six metacentic, one submetacentric and four subtelocentric paris. In FISH experiments, the numbers and size of 45S rDNA signals were varied between two species, however dach signal of the 5S rDNA was observed in two species.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.1 s.68
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• pp.141-146
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• 2005

For a long time Rhus vemiciflua Stokes (RVS) has been traditionally used as a herbal plant in Asia. In this study, we have investigated the effect of acetone extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVSE) and fisetin, a component of RVSE, on DNA damage response in NIH3T3 cells. Exposure of cells to DVB light $(200 J/m^2)$ and postincubation in growth medium for 48 hr resulted in a decrease of cell viability to about $10-20\%$ of nontreated control. Addition of various concentrations of RVSE in the postincubation medium, however, significantly increased the cell viability as compared with the values expected. The genotoxicity-decreasing effect was also demonstrated in cells exposed to UVB light and incubated in medium containing fisetin. The genotoxicity-decreasing effect of RVSE and fisetin was further demonstrated by various analyses including cell morphology studies, trypan blue exclusion assay and DAPI staining. By Annexin V binding analysis, RVSE and fisetin were shown to decrease the early apoptosis induced by UVB exposure. These results suggest the RVSE contain components that either increase the DNA repair or decrease the apoptosis in UVB-exposed cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.48-51
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• 1992

Achromobacter xylosoxidans KF701 and Pseudomonas putida (NAH7) were significantly different in degradative capability of aromatic compounds including benzoates, biphenyls, and naphthalene. However, both of the bacterial strains can grown on catechol as the sole carbon and energy source. Catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase gene for naphthalene oxidation or biphenyl oxidation was cloned into Escherichia coli HB 701. A E. coli HB 101 clone containing catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase gene from P. putida (NAH7) contains a recombinant plasmid with 3.60kb pBR322 and 6-kb insert DNA. Another E. coli HB101 clone containing catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase gene from A. xylosoxidans KF 701 has a recombinant plasmid with 4.4kb pBR322 and 10-kb insert DNA. Physical maps of the recombinant plasmids were constructed, and catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase gene in the recombinant plasmide was further localized and subcloned int M13. The cloned-catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase game products were identified as yellow bands on nondenaturaing polyacrylamide gel after electrophoresis followed by activity staining with catechol solution.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2000

Zinc is known to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), which eventually contribute to cytotoxicity in a variety of cell types. Here in, we demonstrated that zinc decreased the viability of C6 glial cells in a time and dose-dependent manner, which was revealed as apoptosis characterized by ladder-pattern fragmentation of genomic DNA. chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation in Hoechst dye staining. Zinc-induced apoptosis of C6 glial cells was prevented by the addition of catalase and antioxidants including reduced glutathione (GSH), N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC). Wefurther confirmed that zinc decreased intrac-ellular levels of GSH and generated $H_2O_2$in C6 glial cells. Moreover, antioxidants also decreased the generation of zinc-induced $H_2O_2$ in C6 glial cells. These data indicated that zinc-induced the apoptotic death of C6 glial cells via generation of reactive oxygen species such as $H_2O_2$.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.255-261
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• 1990

Cell fusion between complementary mutants isolated from astaxanthin-producing yeast, Phaffia rhodozyma, was carried out to obtain astaxanthin-overproducing strains by protoplast fusion technique. The frequency of protoplast fusion was ranged from 2.3$\times$10-5 to 6.0$\times$10-5, and nuclear fusion in the cells of hybrids was demonstrated by several techniques such as isolation of recombinants after mitotic segregation of parental genetic markers, estimation of DNA content, direct observation of nuclei with nuclear staining, and comparison of survival rate to UV exposure. One of several hybrids, Fl, showed approximately 3-fold increase in astaxanthin content when compared with wild parent.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.293-296
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• 2003

Prunellae Spica is a flower petal of Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina used for treatment of lymphoma, breast cancer, hepatitis and pathological fluid related diseases in oriental medicine. We tried to evaluate the mechanism of Prunellae Spica in the treatment of cancer. The ethyl acetate layer of Prunellae Spica showed a good cytotoxicity on U937 cells with IC50 of 8 ug/ml. It induced apoptosis in U937 dose-dependently by cell cycle analysis following PI staining. We also confirmed it induced DNA fragmentation in U937 cells from the concentration of 10 ug/ml. From western blot assay we observed the ethyl acetate layer of Prunellae Spica downregulated procaspase-3 and cleaved PARP in a dose dependent manner, whereas it didn't affect bax and bcl-2. Taken together, these results indicate the ethyl acetate layer of Prunellae Spica can induce apoptosis in U937 cells suggesting it can be potently applied to cancer.