• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2011

Thirty Streptomyces sp. and 200 Bacillus sp. isolated from Korean soils and traditional foods were screened for their abilities to inhibit ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and produce 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ). This screening identified a Bacillus sp. bacterium that strongly inhibited ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and produced high levels of DNJ from Chungkookjang, a Korean traditional food. The bacterium was characterized in terms of its biochemical and molecular biological properties such as sugar utilization, cellular quinone composition, cell wall fatty acid composition, and 16S rDNA sequence. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the morphology of the bacterium. These analyses identified the bacterium as B. subtilis, a bacterium with Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status. The selected strain was named B. subtilis MORI.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.601-609
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• 2021

Erythrobacter species are extensively studied marine bacteria that produce various carotenoids. Due to their photoheterotrophic ability, it has been suggested that they play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. It is essential to identify the genome sequence and the genes of the species to predict their role in the marine ecosystem. In this study, we report the complete genome sequence of the marine bacterium Erythrobacter sp. 3-20A1M. The genome size was 3.1 Mbp and its GC content was 64.8%. In total, 2998 genetic features were annotated, of which 2882 were annotated as functional coding genes. Using the genetic information of Erythrobacter sp. 3-20A1M, we performed pan-genome analysis with other Erythrobacter species. This revealed highly conserved secondary metabolite biosynthesis-related COG functions across Erythrobacter species. Through subsequent secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene cluster prediction and KEGG analysis, the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway was proven conserved in all Erythrobacter species, except for the spheroidene and spirilloxanthin pathways, which are only found in photosynthetic Erythrobacter species. The presence of virulence genes, especially the plant-algae cell wall degrading genes, revealed that Erythrobacter sp. 3-20A1M is a potential marine plant-algae scavenger.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.945-950
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• 2014

Purpose: To explore the value of systemic inflammatory markers as independent prognostic factors and the extent these markers improve prognostic classification for patients with inoperable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC) receiving palliative chemotherapy. Methods: We studied the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory factors such as circulating white blood cell count and its components as well as that combined to form inflammation-based prognostic scores (Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Prognostic Index (PI) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI)) in 384 patients with inoperable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (GC) receiving first-line chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the impact of inflammatory markers on overall survival (OS). Results: Univariate analysis revealed that an elevated white blood cell, neutrophil and/or platelet count, a decreased lymphocyte count, a low serum albumin concentration, and high CRP concentration, as well as elevated NLR/PLR, GPS, PI, PNI were significant predictors of shorter OS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only elevated neutrophil count (HR 3.696, p=0.003) and higher GPS (HR 1.621, p=0.01) were independent predictors of poor OS. Conclusion: This study demonstrated elevated pretreatment neutrophil count and high GPS to be independent predictors of shorter OS in inoperable advanced or metastatic GC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy. Upon validation of these data in independent studies, stratification of patients using these markers in future clinical trials is recommended.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.513-520
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• 2006

Spray-dried (SD) and freeze-dried (FD) takju powders were stored at 5, 15 and $25^{\circ}C$, and various quality characteristics such as moisture, amino nitrogen, color value, total viable cell count, total sugar, reducing sugar organic acid, and flavor compounds were measured for 50 days at 10-day intervals. After 50 days of storage, the moisture content was increased from an initial 6.64% to 7.24-7.38% in the SD powder, and from an initial 4.86 to 5.43-5.61% in the FD powder. pH, total acid content and total viable cell counts were slightly increased. Organic acid content was decreased in the SD powder from an initial 3,949.9 mg% to 805.9-922.3 mg%, and in the FD powder from an initial 5,171.5 mg% to 3,646.0-4,110.2 mg%. Amino nitrogen content was increased in the SD powder from an initial 1.2% to 1.9-2.2% and in the FD powder from an initial 1.9% to 2.2-2.5%. Total sugar and reducing sugar contents were increased in the SD powder from an initial 17.2% and 4.0% to 25.9-27.3% and 5.8-6.9%, and in the FD powder from an initial 19.1% and 5.2% to 29.2-30.2% and 8.3-8.8%, respectively. With increasing storage time, L and b values in the SD powder increased slowly, while L value in the FD powder tended to decrease and b value tended to increase. About 20 major volatile flavor components were identified in the SD and FD powders by GC-MS and all such component levels were decreased with increasing storage time.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.176-186
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• 2016

For several decades, lactic acid bacterium (Lactobacillus graminis: LAB) has been generally recognized as safe. To develop the pan-environmental bio-control agent, algicidal activity of the live LAB cell and its culture filtrate (CF) was examined against Microcystis aeruginosa. LAB cells perfectly lysed M. aeruginosa within 3 days, while the CF had a less effect than the live cells, approximately 78% inhibition of algal growth during a same culture period. The concentration of microcystin in alone culture of M. aeruginosa was $7.1{\mu}gL^{-1}$, but gradually increased and leach $158.5{\mu}gL^{-1}$ on 10 days. However, LAB cells clearly decreased the microcystin by $10.3{\mu}gL^{-1}$ in the same period, approximately 93.5%. CF of LAB showed a strong algicidal activity over 75% between pH 2-7, 91.3% by the treatment of proteinase K, 87.8% by below 3 kDa in particle size, and 75.3% by heat treatment, respectively. Of five solvents, fractions of CF passed through solvents diethyl ether and ethyl acetate showed an obvious algicidal activity in the algal-lawn test. Among 5 fractions purified by silica-gel TLC plate, two spots showed a most strong removal activity on M. aeruginosa. Another analysis of GC indicate that CF contained six representative fatty acids. Even though most of these substance have been known as an anti-algal substance against M. aeruginosa, oleic acid is the most effective. These results suggested that the culture filtrate or specific substances, like a fatty acids, in comparison with live L. graminis can be a successful and eco-friendly agent to control Microcystis bloom.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.229-235
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• 2024

Background: Plant health is directly related to the change in native microbial diversity and changes in soil health have been implicated as one of the main cause of root rot. However, scarce information is present regarding allelopathic relationship of Panax notoginseng root exudates and pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum in a continuous cropping system. Methods: We analyzed P. notoginseng root exudate in the planting soil for three successive years to determine phenolic acid concentration using GC-MS and HPLC followed by effect on the microbial community assembly. Antioxidant enzymes were checked in the roots to confirm possible resistance in P. notoginseng. Results: Total 29 allelochemicals in the planting soil extract was found with highest concentration (10.54 %) of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. The HPLC showing a year-by-year decrease in p-hydroxybenzoic acid content in soil of different planting years, and an increase in population of F. oxysporum. Moreover, community analysis displayed negative correlation with 2.22 mmol. L^-1 of p-hydroxybenzoic acid correspond to an 18.1 % population of F. oxysporum. Furthermore, in vitro plate assay indicates that medium dose of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (2.5-5 mmol. L^-1) can stimulate the growth of F. oxysporum colonies and the production of macroconidia, as well as cell wall-degrading enzymes. We found that 2-3 mmol. L^-1 of p-hydroxybenzoic acid significantly increased the population of F. oxysporum. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggested that p-hydroxybenzoic acid have negative effect on the root system and modified the rhizosphere microbiome so that the host plant became more susceptible to root rot disease.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.879-887
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• 2020

Objective: Numerous studies have indicated that the apoptosis and proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs) are closely related to the normal growth and development of follicles and ovaries. Previous evidence has suggested that miR-126-3p might get involved in the apoptosis and proliferation of GCs, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 2 (PIK3R2) gene has been predicted as one target of miR-126-3p. However, the molecular regulation of miR-126-3p on PIK3R2 and the effects of PIK3R2 on porcine GCs apoptosis and proliferation remain virtually unexplored. Methods: In this study, using porcine GCs as a cellular model, luciferase report assay, mutation and deletion were applied to verify the targeting relationship between miR-126-3p and PIK3R2. Annexin-V/PI staining and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay were applied to explore the effect of PIK3R2 on GCs apoptosis and proliferation, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western Blot were applied to explore the regulation of miR-126-3p on PIK3R2 expression. Results: We found that miR-126-3p targeted at PIK3R2 and inhibited its mRNA and protein expression. Knockdown of PIK3R2 significantly inhibited the apoptosis and promoted the proliferation of porcine GCs, and significantly down-regulated the mRNA expression of several key genes of PI3K pathway such as insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), insulin receptor (INSR), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), and serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1). Conclusion: MiR-126-3p might target and inhibit the mRNA and protein expressions of PIK3R2, thereby inhibiting GC apoptosis and promoting GC proliferation by down-regulating several key genes of the PI3K pathway, IGF1R, INSR, PDK1, and AKT1. These findings would provide great insight into further exploring the molecular regulation of miR-126-3p and PIK3R2 on the functions of GCs during the folliculogenesis in female mammals.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.353-366
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• 1992

This study was devised to purify the compound from tuna that have cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines and to observe its immunopotentiating activities. The cytotoxic compound was partially purified 277 fold, from petroleum ehter extract (crude extract) of tuna by silicic acid column chromatography (fraction D) and thin layer chromatography (Spot I). Cytotoxic activity was monitored using human colon cancer cell, HCT-48. The active compound (Spot I) was composed of seven materials which are fatty acids of four kinds ($C_{14:0},\;C_{16:0},\;C_{17:1},\;and\;C_{18:0}$) and unknown three fat materials. The active compound has cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines, that is, murine leukemic lymphocytes (L1210, P388) and human rectal (HRT-18) and colon cancer cells (HCT-48, HT-29). The patterns of size distribution of HCT-48 cells in the medium containing tuna extract were shifted to direction of the small size region. Also, the microscopic shape of HCT-48 cells were shrinked and distracted. The number of plaque forming cell and immunoglobin fraction of serum protein obtained from tuna-treated mice were increased, but natural killer cell activity was not affected.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.367-373
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• 2014

In this study, the reducing agent hydrazine and precipitator NaOH were used with $NiCl_2$ as a starting material in order to compound Ni-based material with spherical nano characteristics; resulting material was used as an anode for SOFC. Synthetic temperature, pH, and solvent amounts were experimentally optimized and the synthesis conditions were confirmed. Also, a 0 ~ 0.15 mole ratio of metal(Co, Fe) was alloyed in order to increase the catalyst activation performance of Ni and finally, spherical nano $Ni_{(1-x)}-M_{(x=0{\sim}0.15)}$(M = Co, Fe) alloy materials were compounded. In order to evaluate the catalyst activation for hydrocarbon fuel, fuel gas(10%/$CH_4$+10%/Air) was added and the responding gas was analyzed with GC(Gas Chromatography). Catalyst activation improvement was confirmed from the 3% hydrogen selectivity and 2.4% methane conversion rate in $Ni_{0.95}-Co_{0.05}$ alloy; those values were 4.4% and 19%, respectively, in $Ni_{0.95}-Fe_{0.05}$ alloy.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.168-172
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• 2002

Antioxidative activities of solvent fractions obtained from Korean Rhus vernicifera, being used in food industry and as a traditional medicine, were examined by the methods of DPPH scavenging activity, inhibitory effect on autooxidation of linoleic acid, nitrite scavenging activity and the inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase activity. Ethyl acetate fraction showed potent antioxidative activities. Three compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction by rotatory locular counter current chromatography (RLCCC), Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and HPLC. The isolated compounds were 1,2,3-trihydroxybezene, methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid determined by GC/MS and, $^1H$ and $^{13}C$ NMR. Among the isolated compounds, methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate showed the strongest antioxidative activity than artificial antioxidants, BHA and BHT in various methods. However, these isolated compounds did not show cytotoxicity effects on the human cancer cell lines. Therefore, we may suggest that methyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate can be used as a food additive possessing the potent antioxidative activity.