• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.197-201
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• 2001

Extraction efficiency of ${\beta}-ecdysone$ in Achyranthis radix was investigated using the methods of solvent extraction and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The optimum SFE conditions for the analysis of ${\beta}-ecdysone$ in A. radix were 300 atm, $80^{\circ}C$, 100 ml of extraction volume, and 20% ratio of modifier(methanol). As revealed through SFE, detection limit of ${\beta}-ecdysone$ in A. radix was 5 ng and recoveries of ${\beta}-ecdysone$ in A. radix shoots and root were $90.7{\sim}93.5%$ and $77.8{\sim}81.9%$, respectively. Recoveries of ${\beta}-ecdysone$ in A. radix shoots and root through solvent extraction were $76.4{\sim}93.0%$ and $80.6{\sim}93.1%$, respectively. ${\beta}-Ecdysone$ content was determined to be highest at 654.9 ppm in the first year A. radix roots harvested in August.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.275-281
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the cathepsin B inhibition effect by Achyranthes japonica N. root extract in vitro. The methanol/$H_{2}O$(4:1, v/v) extract was fractionated by ethyl acetate(F1), chloroform(F2), chloroform/methanol(3:1, v/v)(F3) and methanol(F4). The yield of F4 in Achyranthes japonica N. root was $8.27\%$. As an index material of Achyranthes japonica N. root, 20-hydroxy ecdysone was detected by TLC, and HPLC and it's content was $0.33\%$. Three isolates(F1, F3, F4) showed the cathepsin B inhibition activity, and F4 showed the highest inhibition activity among them. In the inhibition activity on cathepsin B, leupeptin, 20-hydroxy ecdysone and F4(at the same concentration of 20-hydroxy ecdysone.) were 92, 88 and $97\%$ on BANA($N{\alpha}$-benzoyl-DL-arginine ${\beta}$-naphthylamide) substrate, and 62, 36 and $67\%$ on CLN($N{\alpha}$-CBZ(carbobenzlyoxy)-L-lysine p-nitrophenyl ester HCI) substrate, respectively.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 1984

In order to investigate an endocrinological effect on metamorposis of the midgut in silkworm, Bombyx mori, 20-hydroxyecdysone and rude extract of brain (PTTH) were injected into pupal isolated abdomens, devoid of prothoracic glands and also in the brainless diapausing pupae with the prothoracic glands (so-called dauer pupae). When ecdysone was assayed abdomens, drastic morphological changes occurred in the midgut. The wet weights of midguts were found decrease as like the normal pupae at metamorphosis. Proteineous changes in epithelial midgut were also observed; pupal specific proteins (PSP) vanished while the adult proteins were newly synthesized. Similar results were also found in the changes of protein in the midgut of dauer pupae by injecting ecdysone and PTTH.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1-5
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• 2002

Drosophila Kc cells are ecdysone-responsive : hormone treatment leads rapidly to increased synthesis of several ecdysone-inducible polypeptides (EIPs) and to commitment to eventual proloferative arrest. Later the treated cells undergo morphological transformation, cease to proliferate and to grow. These responses have proven useful as models for studying ecdysone action and environmental endocrine disrupting actions. In this study, we used 20-HE to check out the Kc cells properties to the ecdysone and this properties will be applied to the environmental chemicals to find out the endocrine disrupting action in ecosystem. The cell counts of cultures harvested after 3 days' growth in the presence of 20-hydroxyecdysone. In Kc cell cultures, there were statistically significant different from control cells at 20HE 10/sup 7/-10/sup 5/. The morphological effects of all the hormones were similar, differing only in the dose level at which they were initiated.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to investigate the specific correlation between physicochemical properties and bioactivity in ecdysteroids found in living organisms. Methods: The examined steroidal compounds were classified into three groups according to their relevance to ecdysone activity. Each compound molecule was completely drawn to automatically calculate its physicochemical parameters and docked against 20-hydroxyecdysone to calculate the total distance. Electronic charge distribution was also observed for each molecule. All procedures were conducted using a computational chemistry program. Results: Ecdysone agonists showed different ranges of parameter values, such as log P, hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), solubility parameter (SP), hydrophilic surface (HPS), hydrogen bond (HB) and Kappa 2, when compared with antagonists and steroids without ecdysone activity. They also showed a similar electronic charge distribution that is significantly different from the electron charge distribution of antagonists and steroids without ecdysone activity. The total distance values of agonists, estimated by docking them with 20-hydroxyecdysone, were relatively small but showed no correlation with binding affinity with receptor ligand. Conclusions: These results suggest that physicochemical properties such as steric and electronic effects, hydrophobicity and hydrogen bonding may operate in combination to determine the binding activity of ecdysteroids to the receptor protein.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.1024-1032
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• 2018

The central mechanisms coordinating growth and sexual maturation are well conserved across invertebrates and vertebrates. Although mutations in the gene encoding makorin RING finger protein 3 (mkrn3) are associated with central precocious puberty in humans, a causal relationship has not been elucidated. Here, we examined the role of mkrn1, a Drosophila ortholog of mammalian makorin genes, in the regulation of developmental timing. Loss of MKRN1 in $mkrn1^{exS}$ prolonged the $3^{rd}$ instar stage and delayed the onset of pupariation, resulting in bigger size pupae. MKRN1 was expressed in the prothoracic gland, where the steroid hormone ecdysone is produced. Furthermore, $mkrn1^{exS}$ larvae exhibited reduced mRNA levels of phantom, which encodes ecdysone-synthesizing enzyme and E74, which is a down-stream target of ecdysone. Collectively, these results indicate that MKRN1 fine-tunes developmental timing and sexual maturation by affecting ecdysone synthesis in Drosophila. Moreover, our study supports the notion that malfunction of makorin gene family member, mkrn3 dysregulates the timing of puberty in mammals.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 1998

The analytical method of ${\beta}-ecdysone$, the insect moulting hormone, by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) with UV detector was developed using boronic ester derivatization and applied to the extracts of Ajuga iva, Silene otites and Schistocerca egg. Derivatization of yield with methyl-, butyl-, and phenyl-boronate was completed under mild conditions with 20-hydroxyecdysone. The conversion ratios of boronate were estimated to be 70% in methylboronic acid, 89% in butylboronic acid and 93% in phenylboronic acid. Phenylboronate showed a high sensitivity and demonstrated an effective separation on HPLC. The optimum temperature and reaction time for derivative formation were $25^{\circ}C$ and 20 min. respectively. ${\beta}-Ecdysone$ was effectively identified in extracts of Ajuga iva, Silene otites and Schistocerca egg by the HPLC method.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2001

In order to isolate genes involved in ecdysteroids biosynthesis in plants, total RNA was isolated from Achyranthes japonica Nakai, and RT-PCR was performed using degenerate primers selected based on the results of multi-alignment of four cytochrome P450 genes from plants and a putative ecdysone 20-hydroxylase gene from an insect. Fourteen partial cDNA clones showing unique base sequences were obtained, out of which six showed homologies at the levels of nucleotide and amino acid sequences to the other cytochrome P450 genes known to be involved in the ecdysteroid biosynthesis. Of the six clones, four showed relatively high homologies to a putative ecdysone 20-hydroxylase gene isolated from an insect.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.131-136
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• 2001

The developmental profiles of rpr, grim, dcp-1, diapl, diap2 transcripts, which were involved in programmed cell death, were analyzed using competitive RT-PCR in whole animals during Drosophila development. The fluctuation patterns of transcript levels of the apoptotic initiators(rpr and grim) were similar to those of the ecdysone titer in Drosophila life cycle. The transcript of dcp-1, which is considered as effector caspase, was expressed strong1y at early embryo and female adult stages. However, the transcript levels of anti-apoptotic factors diap1 and diap2, showed the reverse pattern comparing with those of apoptotic factors(rpr and grim). Also, the transcript levels of rpr, diap2 and dcp-1 were quantified in the salivary glands and wing discs dissected from the wandering late third instar larva. The transcript levels of rpr and diap2 were changed reversely each other in both tissues from wandering stage to puparium formation. These results suggest that the expressions of cell death related genes are regulated by the ecdysone signals during normal development.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2002

An experimental study was undertaken to quantify the effects of insect hormones on the replication of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV). The results demonstrated that TCID/ sub 50/ at 72 h post-infection (hpi) rose systematically from 0.55$\times$10$^{8}$ /m1, for untreated cells, up to 1.67$\times$10$^{8}$ / ml at 3$\mu$g/ml, then dropped down to 1.45$\times$10$^{8}$ /m1 at 4 $\mu$g/ml, by adding ecdysone to the culture medium for Bm-N cells infected with a wild-type Bambyx mori. nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV). The optimum enhancement of about 3 times on budded virus (BV) titer at 72 hpi was given at 3 $\mu$g/ml of ecdysone. While the polyhedra number had no obvious variation within the range of concentrations from 0 to 4 $\mu$g/ml. By addition of juvenile hormone analogue (JHA) into the media with this concentration range, the BmNPV TCID/ sub 50/ and polyhedra number at 72 hpi did not show significant changes. Also, the addition of either 3 $\mu$g/ml of ecdysone or 3 $\mu$g/ml of JHA to the culture media did not appear to affect the TCID/ sub 50/ and polyhedra number significantly in infected Sf-21 cells with the autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV).