• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.234-241
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• 2019

An intensive interaction between yeasts and insects has highlighted their relevance for attraction to food and for the insect's development and behavior. Yeast associated in the gut of insects secretes cellulase which aided in the food digestion (cellulose degradation). Three strains of cellulose-degrading yeast were isolated from the gut of adult grasshoppers collected in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The strains $ON22^T$, $G10^T$, and $G15^T$, showed positive cellulolytic activity in the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-plate assay. The phylogenetic tree based on sequence analysis of D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions revealed that the strains $ON22^T$ (100 and 98.4% sequence similarities in D1/D2 domains and ITS) and $G10^T$ (99.8 and 99.5% in D1/D2 domain and ITS region) were most closely related to the species Moesziomyces aphidis JCM $10318^T$; $G15^T$ (100% in D1/D2 domains and ITS) belongs to the species Moesziomyces antarcticus JCM $10317^T$, respectively. Morphology and biochemical test results are provided in the species description. Cellulase with its massive applicability has been used in various industrial processes such as biofuels like bioethanol productions. Therefore, this is the first report of the cellulolytic yeast strains $ON22^T$, $G10^T$, and $G15^T$ related to the genus Moesziomyces in the family Ustilaginaceae (Ustilaginales), in Korea.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.415-425
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• 2013

This study compared the characteristics of five Bacillus strains capable of aerobic and anaerobic growth, CBW3, CBW4, CBW9, CBW14 and EBW10. They were isolated and selected from a polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, which is known as a good degrader of organic compounds in marine wetland. Based on a 16S rRNA sequence, CBW3 and CBW14 were found to share more than 99.8% similarity with B. nanhaiensis, B. arsenicus and B. barbaricus. CBW4, CBW9 and EBW10 shared 92.7%, 99.8%, and 99.8% similarity with B. anthracis, B. algicoa and B. thuringiensis, respectively. The temperature, salinity, and pH ranges of the cell growth of the Bacillus strains were $4-45^{\circ}C$, 0-17%, and pH 5-pH 9, respectively. All Bacillus strains were found to exhibit enzyme activities for the degradation of casein and starch. Notably, strain EBW10 exhibited the enzyme activities for all the tested macromolecules, DNA, casein, starch, cellulose, and four kinds of Tweens, which suggests the possibility that it had protease, amylase, cellulose, and lipase. All five Bacillus strains had alkaline phosphatase activities, and the strains CBW3, CBW4, and EBW10 also had acid phospatase. Strains CBW3 and EBW10 exhibited the enzyme activities both for esterase (C4) and esterase lipase (C8). The analysis of fatty acids revealed that in all strains, major fatty acids were anteiso $C_{15:0}$ and iso $C_{15:0}$.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.38-46
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• 2013

With increasing environmental issues from synthetic chemical herbicides, microbe-originated herbicides could be a fascinating alternative in current agriculture. We isolated Streptomyces strains that produced herbicidal active metabolite(s) against a grass weed Digitaria sanguinalis. According to the result from 16S rDNA sequence comparison with the close strains, the best isolate (Code name MS-80673) was identified as Streptomyces scopuliridis KR-001. The closest type strain was Streptomyces scopuliridis RB72 which was previously reported as a bacteriocin producer. The optimal culture condition of S. scopuliridis KR-001 was $28^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0 and culture period 4 to7 days. Both of soil and foliar application of the crude culture broth concentrate was effective on several troublesome or noxious weed species such as a Sciyos angulatus in a greenhouse and field condition. Phytotoxic symptoms of the culture broth concentrate of S. scopuliridis KR-001 by foliar application were wilting and burndown of leaves, and stems followed by discoloration and finally plant death. In crops such as rice, wheat, barley, hot pepper and tomato, growth inhibition was observed. These results suggest that the new S. scopuliridis KR-001 strain producing herbicidal metabolites may be a new bio-herbicide candidate and/or may provide a new lead molecule for a more efficient herbicide.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.231-239
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• 2006

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in bone marrow (BM) can be induced to differentiate into a variety of mesenchymal tissues, including adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondroblasts, under the influence of certain growth or environmental factors. In this study, we analyzed the differentiation process and the associated gene expression profiles inherent to the process by which hMSCs differentiate into osteoblasts. We conducted a comparison of gene expression profiles of the normal human BM MSCs, using human 8K cDNA microarray, incubated in media containing either a combination of $\beta$-glycerol phosphate, L-ascorbic acid, and dexamethasone, or in medium lacking these osteogenic supplements. During the osteoblastic differentiation process, 36 genes were determined to be up-regulated, and 59 genes were shown to be down-regulated. Osteoprotegerin, LRP5, and metallothionein 2A, all of which are associated with the osteogenetic process, were up-regulated, and genes associated with the differentiation of MSCs into other lineages, including muscle, adipose tissue and vascular structure were down-regulated. The set of differentially expressed genes reported in this work should contribute to our current understanding of the processes inherent to the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.118-126
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• 2002

To evaluate the correlations of microbial populations with soil healthiness and crop production and establish the criteria for microbial population of soil types. We analyzed the microbial community structure of 13 soils which were different in physical and chemical properties and cultivation methods. According to the analysis of microbial population suing the dilution plate method, the large differences of the microbial population structures among soil types were shown: aerobic bacteria $2-27{\times}10^6$, fluorescent Pseudomonas $1-1,364{\times}10^5$, Gram negative bacteria $1-126{\times}10^4$, and mesophilic Bacillus $1-110{\times}10^5$. The density of Gram negative bacteria was highest on red pepper cultivating soils (sample no. 4 and 6) of Umsung and Gesan, Chungbuk, and the density of the fluorescent Pseudomonas was highest on greenhouse soil (sample no. 7) of Jinju, Kyungnam. The crop productivity of three soils was high as compared with those of other soils. It was supposed that the density of fluorescent Pseudomonas and mesophilic Bacillus were correlated with the incresed crop production. By MIDI analysis, 579 strains isolated from 13 soils composed of a variety of microbes including 102 isolates of Agrobacterium, 112 isolates of Bacillus, 32 isolates of Pseudomonas, 44 isolates of Kocuria, and 34 isolates of Pseudomonas. Among the 624 isolates of Gram negative bacteria, Pseudomonas including P. putida and p. fluorescens occupied the highest density (51%), and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Burkholderia cepacia also appeared at high density. From RAPD analysis, the fluorescent Pseudomonas strains isolated from 13 soil types showed a high level of strain diversities and were grouped into 2 - 14 patterns according to soil types. Many of unknown bacteria were recovered from the paddy soil, and needed to be further characterized on the molecular basis.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.81-98
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to indicate the ways to identify the gifted child in the sports, and the research direction in this area in the future. The most of researches related to the early development of the children who showed the gifted talents in the certain sports skills were published from the European area such as the old East Germany or Soviet Union. Those research papers or articles were main focus of this study to be analyzed. The analysis in this study will be assistant to provide the direction of the research in the future about the method to identify appropriately on the children with the gifted sports skills. -Related to the period of selection of the children with sports skill gifted, the divided selection procedure will be good such as the 1st selection and 2nd selection. In the 1st selection, the goal will be to test the potentials of the children with the sports talents in the public school with creating the special group, and the 2nd selection will be to examine the qualification of the admission to the special schools for the children with the sports talents. -Related to the method of selection of the children with sports talents, the special item on the developmental procedure should be considered on the each field as well as the potentials focused. And, the physical factors, the condition of growth and development, psychological factor, and environmental factor should be comprehensively considered. -The system of promotion in the period of the primary school will be appropriate in the special group for the children with the sports talents, and the special school will be good from the middle school. The system outlooks will be adequate if shaped as the hierarchical structure. -The curriculum for the children with the sports talents will be proper that the basic fitness for the earlier ages and the professional skills will be recommended if getting older. -The continuous research is strongly required for the judgement and promotion of the children with sports talents, therefore, the multiple intelligences approach will be helpful for the development of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and in other words, the new era of the genetic method will be another prospective area such as the DNA analysis in the identification of the talented children for the sports filed.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 2009

Purpose: Preeclampsia is a multifactorial disorder with genetic and environmental components. Recently, the STOX1 gene, identified as a candidate gene for preeclampsia in Dutch women, has been shown to be placentally expressed and subject to imprinting with preferential transmission of the maternal allele. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between the STOX1 Y153H variation and preeclampsia in Korean pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This study involved 202 preeclamptic and 204 healthy pregnant women who were genotyped for the Y153H variant of the STOX1 gene using a commercially available SNapShot assay kit and an ABI Prism 3730 DNA Analyzer. Results: There were no significant differences in genotype frequencies of the Y153H variant of the STOX1 gene between preeclamptic patients and normal controls (P>0.05). The H allele frequency of the STOX1 Y153H variation was similar in patients with preeclampsia (87.1%) and in normal controls (86.5%). In addition, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the YH, HH, and YH/HH genotypes were not associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia when compared to the YY genotype. Conclusion: This is the first study to characterize the Y153H variant of the STOX1 gene in Korean patients with preeclampsia. We found no differences in the genotype and allele frequencies between preeclamptic and normal pregnancies. Although limited by a relatively small sample size, our study suggests that the STOX1 Y153H variation is not associated with the development of preeclampsia in Korean pregnant women.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.9-9
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• 2014

Null mutants generated by targeted gene replacement are frequently used to reveal function of the genes in fungi. However, targeted gene deletions may be difficult to obtain or it may not be applicable, such as in the case of redundant or lethal genes. Constitutive expression system could be an alternative to avoid these difficulties and to provide new platform in fungal functional genomics research. Here we developed a novel platform for functional analysis genes in Magnaporthe oryzae by constitutive expression under a strong promoter. Employing a binary vector (pGOF1), carrying $EF1{\beta}$ promoter, we generated a total of 4,432 transformants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. We have analyzed a subset of 54 transformants that have the vector inserted in the promoter region of individual genes, at distances ranging from 44 to 1,479 bp. These transformants showed increased transcript levels of the genes that are found immediately adjacent to the vector, compared to those of wild type. Ten transformants showed higher levels of expression relative to the wild type not only in mycelial stage but also during infection-related development. Two transformants that T-DNA was inserted in the promotor regions of putative lethal genes, MoRPT4 and MoDBP5, showed decreased conidiation and pathogenicity, respectively. We also characterized two transformants that T-DNA was inserted in functionally redundant genes encoding alpha-glucosidase and alpha-mannosidase. These transformants also showed decreased mycelial growth and pathogenicity, implying successful application of this platform in functional analysis of the genes. Our data also demonstrated that comparative phenotypic analysis under over-expression and suppression of gene expression could prove a highly efficient system for functional analysis of the genes. Our over-expressed transformants library would be a valuable resource for functional characterization of the redundant or lethal genes in M. oryzae and this system may be applicable in other fungi.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.484-491
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• 2019

Proanthocyanidins are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds abundant in many vegetables, plant skins (rind/bark), seeds, flowers, fruits, and nuts. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated myriad effects potentially beneficial to human health, such as antioxidation, immunomodulation, DNA repair, and antitumor activity. Among immune cells, macrophages are crucial players in a variety of inflammatory responses to environmental conditions. However, it has been widely reported that macrophages cause chronic inflammation and are involved in a variety of diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. In this study, we report the suppressive effect of proanthocyanidins via the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)-related system, on the immune response of the LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7. Increased HO-1 expression at mRNA and protein levels were found in proanthocyanidins-treated RAW264.7 cells. Further, proanthocyanidins enhanced nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 translocation into the nucleus. RAW264.7 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with or without proanthocyanidins, and inflammatory mediator expression levels were assessed. Proanthocyanidins treatment resulted in the attenuation of nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, mRNA and protein expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-6, was inhibited by proanthocyanidins treatment in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These findings support proanthocyanidins as a promising anti-inflammatory agent.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.255-263
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• 2019

Glycyrrhizae radix is one of the most frequently prescribed ingredients in Oriental medicine, and Glycyrrhizae radix extract has been shown to exert anti-cancer effects. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of programed cell death (apoptosis) by Glycyrrhizae radix are poorly defined. In the present study, it was examined the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis by water extracts of Glycyrrhizae radix (GRW) in human bladder T24 cancer cells. It was found that GRW could inhibit the cell growth of T24 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death, as evidenced by the formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation and increased populations of annexin-V positive cells. The induction of apoptotic cell death by GRW was connected with an up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein expression and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), and inhibition of apoptosis family proteins (XIAP, cIAP-1 and cIAP-2). In addition, apoptosis-inducing concentrations of GRW induced the activation of caspase-9, an initiator caspase of the mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of PARP. GRW also induced apoptosis via a death receptor-mediated extrinsic pathway by caspase-8 activation, resulting in the down-regulation of total Bid and suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Taken together, the present results suggest that GRW may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human bladder cancer cells.