• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제18권12호
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• pp.1331-1338
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• 2009

Marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum producing paralytic shellfish toxins is responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). To investigate its temporal distributions in Chinhae Bay where PSP occurs annually, SYBR Green I based A. minutum-specific real-time PCR probe was developed on the LSU rDNA region. Assay specificity and sensitivity were tested against related species, and its specificity was further confirmed by sequencing of field-derived samples. Ten months field survey in 2008 (a total 100 surface water samples) by using the real-time PCR probe showed that A. minutum was detected at very low densities of 1-4 cells $L^{-1}$ in May and June being spring in Chinhae Bay, Korea.

• BMB Reports
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• 제52권4호
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• pp.250-258
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• 2019

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective and progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Genetic and environmental risk factors are associated with this disease. The genetic factors are composed of approximately 20 genes, such as SNCA, parkin, PTEN-induced kinase1 (pink1), leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), ATP13A2, MAPT, VPS35, and DJ-1, whereas the environmental factors consist of oxidative stress-induced toxins such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), rotenone, and paraquat. The analyses of their functions and mechanisms have provided important insights into the disease process, which has demonstrated that these factors cause oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. The most invaluable studies have been performed using disease model organisms, such as mice, fruit flies, and worms. Among them, Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as an excellent model organism to study both environmental and genetic factors and provide insights to the pathways relevant for PD pathogenesis, facilitating development of therapeutic strategies. In this review, we have focused on the fly model organism to summarize recent progress, including pathogenesis, neuroprotective compounds, and newer approaches.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제61권1호
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• pp.69-73
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• 2018

표고버섯(Lentinus edodes)은 원목이나 톱밥배지를 사용하여 재배한다. 이 배지에 푸른곰팡이(Trichoderma)가 감염되면 표고버섯의 생장을 크게 억제한다. 버섯은 신선식품이기 때문에 푸른곰팡이를 방제하기 위한 항생제와 화학약품의 사용은 허용되지 않는다. Pseudomonas tolaasii에 의해 분비되는 펩티드 독소인 톨라신과 톨라신 유사체들은 항진균 활성을 가져 푸른곰팡이병 방제에 성공적이었다. 푸른곰팡이 Trichoderma harzianum H1에 톨라신 펩티드를 처리하였을 때 곰팡이의 성장은 효과적으로 억제되었고, 실제 톱밥배지에서 균주 배양액을 푸른곰팡이 균사에 분사하였을 때, 균사 성장은 완벽하게 억제되었다. 특히, P. tolaasii 6264와 HK11 균주의 배양 추출액을 혼합하여 처리하였을 때에 항진균 활성이 크게 증가하였다. 따라서 이러한 균주들과 펩티드 독소들은 푸른곰팡이의 성장을 억제할 수 있고, 표고버섯 재배에서 푸른곰팡이병을 방제하기 위한 좋은 후보가 될 수 있다.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.250-254
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• 2009

Contamination of microcystins, a family of heptapeptide hepatotoxins, in eutrophic water bodies is a worldwide problem. Due to their poisoning effects on animals and humans, there is a requirement to characterize and quantify all microcystins present in a sample. As microcystins are, for most part, intracellular toxins produced by some genera of cyanobacteria, lysing cyanobacterial cells to release all microcystins is considered an important step. To date, although many cell lysis methods have been used, little work has been conducted comparing the results of those different methods. In this study, various methods for cell lysis and toxin extraction from the cell lysates were investigated, including sonication, bead beating, freeze/thaw, lyophilization and lysing with TritonX-100 surfactant. It was found that lyophilization, followed by extraction with 75% methanol, was the most effective for extracting toxins from Microcystis aeruginosa cells. Another important step prior to the analysis is removing impurities and concentrating the target analyte. For these purposes, a C18 Sep-Pak solid phase extraction cartridge was used, with the percentage of the eluent methanol also evaluated. As a result, methanol percentages higher than 75% appeared to be the best eluting solvent in terms of microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) recovery efficiency for the further chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses.

• 공업화학
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.518-524
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• 2013

본 연구에서는 유전체 배리어 방전 플라즈마를 이용한 상수원의 이취미 및 독성물질 분해에 대하여 조사하였다. 이취미 물질로 지오스민(geosmin)과 2-methyl isoborneol (2-MIB)을 사용하였고, 독성물질로는 microcystin-LR (MC-LR), microcystin-RR (MC-RR), microcystin-YR (MC-YR), 그리고 anatoxin-a를 사용하였다. 플라즈마 반응기의 유입기체에 따른 분해 효율(반응시간 150 s 기준)은 지오스민의 경우 산소(100%) > 건조공기(96%) > 질소(5%) 순이었으며, 2-MIB의 경우에도 산소(100%) > 건조공기(94%) > 질소(2%) 순이었다. 이 결과는 이취미 물질이 주로 플라즈마 방전에 의해 생성된 산화성 성분, 특히 수명이 긴 오존에 의해 분해된다는 것을 나타낸다. 산소를 사용했을 때 지오스민과 2-MIB는 150 s 이내, microcystin류는 10 s 이내, anatoxin-a는 30 s 이내에 모두 분해되었다. 실제 호소수를 사용한 경우 증류수에서보다 이취미 및 독성물질의 분해효율보다 높게 나타났다.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.441-456
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• 2022

Shiga toxins (Stxs) are major virulence factors from the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a subset of Stx-producing Escherichia coli. Stxs are multi-functional, ribosome-inactivating proteins that underpin the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and central nervous system (CNS) damage. Currently, therapeutic options for the treatment of diseases caused by Stxs are limited and unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning toxin-induced inflammation remain unclear. Numerous works have demonstrated that the various host ribotoxic stress-induced targets including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, its downstream substrate Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2, and apoptotic signaling via ER-stress sensors are activated in many different susceptible cell types following the regular retrograde transportation of the Stxs, eventually leading to disturbing intercellular communication. Therapeutic options targeting host cellular pathways induced by Stxs may represent a promising strategy for intervention in Stx-mediated acute renal dysfunction, retinal damage, and CNS damage. This review aims at fostering an in-depth understanding of EHEC Stxs-mediated pathogenesis through the toxin-host interactions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.800-804
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• 2007

Cyanobacterial toxins, microcystins are very potent hepatotoxins and their occurrence has been reported all over the world. They could threaten human health when toxic Microcystis occurs in water supply reservoirs. In this study, the effects of several environmental factors on production and degradation of toxins produced by cyanobacteria in Lake Soyang have been studied. A new rapid quantification method of microcystins using fluorescence for a detection signal and a lateral-flow-type immunochromatography as a separation system was used. Culture age, temperature, light intensity, pH, N-nutrient concentration, P-nutrient concentration, iron and zinc concentration were the most importantly examined factors. The toxin content was the highest on 17-18 days and at temperatures between 20℃ and 25℃, and at pH between 8.4 and 8.8.

• 한국환경과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경과학회 2003년도 International Symposium on Clean Environment
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• pp.99-102
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• 2003

The different methods such as HPLC, indirect- and direct-ELISA were employed for the analysis of microtoxins and the results of each method were compared in terms of the detection limit and accurary. Three toxins, microcystin-RR, -LR and -YR were clearly separated by HPLC using 0.05 M methanol and phosphate buffer used as a solvent system. The calibration curves for the toxins were linear in the range of 5 ng to 50 ng. The standard curves for the immunoassay of microcystin obtained by direct and indirect ELISA are compared. The linear responses of inhibitions of binding by microcystin in the direct and indirect competitive ELISA were in the range of 10 ng to 1000 ng and 50 pg to 160 pg, respectively. Distribution of microtoxins at 11 sites in the Nakdong river and several lakes in Korea was also studied. The most dominant microcystin variant in the test sites was found to be microcystin-RR.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.559-573
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• 2023

Shiga toxin (Stxs)-producing enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 are major causative agents of severe bloody diarrhea (known as hemorrhagic colitis) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) associated with extraintestinal complications such as acute renal failure and neurologic impairment in infected patients under 9 years of age. Extreme nephrotoxicity of Stxs in HUS patients is associated with severe outcomes, highlighting the need to develop technologies to detect low levels of the toxin in environmental or food samples. Currently, the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or immunoassay is the most broadly used assay to detect the toxin. However, these assays are laborious, time-consuming, and costly. More recently, numerous studies have described novel, highly sensitive, and portable methods for detecting Stxs from EHEC. To contextualize newly emerging Stxs detection methods, we briefly explain the basic principles of these methods, including lateral flow assays, optical detection, and electrical detection. We subsequently describe existing and newly emerging rapid detection technologies to identify and measure Stxs.

• 한국환경과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경과학회 2016년도 정기학술대회 발표논문집
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• pp.183-183
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• 2016