• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.151-157
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• 2011

Clinical arthritis is typically divided into rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Arthritis-induced muscle weakness is a major problem in aged people, leading to a disturbance of balance during the gait cycle and frequent falls. The purposes of the present study were to confirm fiber type-dependent expression of muscle atrophy markers induced by arthritis and to identify the relationship between clinical signs and expression of muscle atrophy markers. Mice were divided into four experimental groups as follows: (1) negative control (normal), (2) positive control (CFA+acetic acid), (3) RA group (CFA+acetic acid+type II collagen), and (4) aging-induced OA group. DBQA/1J mice (8 weeks of age) were injected with collagen (50 ${\mu}g/kg$), and physiological (body weight) and pathological (arthritis score and paw thickness) parameters were measured once per week. The gastrocnemius muscle from animals in each group was removed, and the expression of muscle atrophy markers (MAFbx and MuRF1) and myosin heavy chain isoforms were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. No significant change in body weight occurred between control groups and collagen-induced RA mice at week 10. However, bovine type II collagen induced a dramatic increase in clinical score or paw thickness at week 10 (p<0.01). Concomitantly, the expression of the muscle atrophy marker MAFbx was upregulated in the RA and OA groups (p<0.01). A dramatic reduction in myosin heavy chain (MHC)-$I{\beta}$ was seen in the gastrocnemius muscles from RA and OA mice, while only a slight decrease in MHC-IIb was seen. These results suggest that muscle atrophy gene expression occurred in a fiber type-specific manner in both RA- and OA-induced mice. The present study suggests evidence regarding why different therapeutic interventions are required between RA and OA.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.431-439
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• 2014

The purposes of this research were to investigate the enrichment of metal-reducing bacteria from KURT groundwater and the identification of the microbial diversity by 16S rRNA as well as to examine microbial Fe(III)/Mn(IV) reduction and to analyze morphological features of interactions between microbes and precipitates and their mineralogical composition. To cultivate metal-reducing bacteria from groundwater sampled at the KURT in S. Korea, different electron donors such as glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate and Fe(III)-citrate as an electron accepter were added into growth media. The enriched culture was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for the diversity of microbial species. The effect of electron donors (i.e., glucose, acetate, lactate, formate, pyruvate) and electron acceptors (i.e., akaganeite, manganese oxide) on microbial iron/manganese reduction and biomineralization were examined using the 1st enriched culture, respectively. SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses were used to determine morphological features, chemical composition of microbes and mineralogical characteristics of the iron and manganese minerals. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, the four species, Fusibacter, Desulfuromonas, Actinobacteria, Pseudomonas sp., from KURT groundwater were identified as anaerobic metal reducers and these microbes precipitated metals outside of cells in common. XRD and EDX analyses showed that Fe(III)-containing mineral, akaganeite (${\beta}$-FeOOH), reduced into Fe(II)/Fe(III)-containing magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) and Mn(IV)-containing manganese oxide (${\lambda}-MnO_2$) into Mn(II)-containing rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$) by the microbes. These results implicate that microbial metabolism and respiratory activities under anaerobic condition result in reduction and biomineralization of iron and manganese minerals. Therefore, the microbes cultivated from groundwater in KURT might play a major role to reduce various metals from highly toxic, mobile to less toxic, immobile.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 1988

This study was conducted to find out the effect of herbicides on soil micro-organism and soil enzyme in loam soil, and on pathogenic microorganism in continuous pepper cropping soil. The result was summarized as follows: When herbicides were treated, the number of soil microorganism generally decreased at the early stage of incubation, and gradually increased at 30 days incubation. The number of fungi was significantly decreased seven times comparison with control plot. The number of actinomycetes was increased at 20 days incubation and that of pytium was increased for all days incubation in Linuron treatment plot. Although the activity of soil enzyme tended to decrease when herbicides were treated, the activities of urease and phosphatase were higher than that of control plot at the early stage of incubation in MO, Linuron and Simetryne treatment plot. In Simetryne treatment plot, the activity of protease was increased at the early stage, and suddenly decreased after 30 days incubation. There was no significant effect of herbicides on the activities of ${\beta}$-glucosidase and polygalacturonase. The activity of cellulase was inhibited at the early stage of incubation, but that of cellulase was higher than that of control plot after 20 days incubation. High significance was showed the correlation coefficient between soil microorganisms except fungi and soil respiration as herbicides were treated, and the total microorganism and soil respiration in Linuron plot. when Dicamba and Simetryne were treated, the correlation coefficient between the total microorganism and the activities of protease and urease were considerably significant.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.1087-1096
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the physiological activity of extracts of fresh mushrooms. The components were extracted by hot water; subsequently, the hot-water extract was subjected to 60% ethanol precipitation to yield high-molecular-weight (HMW) and low-molecular-weight (LMW) fractions. Total polyphenol contents, $\beta$-glucan contents, electron-donating ability (EDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, nitrite-scavenging activity, fibrinolytic activity, nitric oxide (NO) production, and inhibition of NO production of the mushroom extracts were measured using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophages, RAW 264.7 cells. The extracts of Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer and Pleurotus ostreatus (Fr.) Kummer contained the highest levels of $\beta$-glucan (33.5% and 25.57%, respectively). Further, the LMW fractions of the Phellinus linteus contained the highest levels of polyphenols (233.23 mg/g). The EDA of LMW fractions (10 mg/mL) of the Phellinus linteus and Agaricus bisporus were 80.74% and 51.35%, respectively. Further, SOD-like activities of the LMW fractions were high as compared to those of the HMW fractions. Nitrite-scavenging activities of the LMW fractions (pH 1.2; concentration, 10 mg/mL) of the Phellinus linteus and Pleurotus ostreatus (Fr.) Kummer were 75.95% and 41.05%, respectively. The fibrinolytic activity of the LMW fractions of all mushrooms showed no enzyme activity by fibrin plate assay. The fibrinolytic activity of the extracts of Tricholoma matsutake was the greatest inhibitory activity at 60.4%. Further study revealed that the mushroom extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory effects on RAW 264.7 cells. The LMW fraction ($500\;{\mu}g/mL$) of the Phellinus linteus considerably inhibited NO production (100%).

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.194-202
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• 1999

Background : Group B ${\beta}$-hemolytic Streptococcus(GBS) has been the major pathogen of neonatal sepsis in western country. In contrast, GBS has played little role in neonatal sepsis in Korea. But recently, neonatal GBS infections are encountered more frequently. It is important to characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of GBS infection in Korean children. Methods: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of twenty-seven infants and children with GBS infection experienced at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital during 14 year-period from June, 1985 to June, 1999. Fourteen strains isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid were serotyped. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 10 strains were determined by agar dilution method for penicillin, ampicillin, ampicillin with sulbactam, cefarolin, cefuroxime, and cefuiaxone. Results: The numbers of cases with GBS infection increased in 1990s. Among twenty seven cases, twenty-five cases were under three months of age and both of two cases with underlying disease occurred at three years of age. All neonatal infections were late-onset type and meningitis predominated. Serotypes were III(6 strain), Ib(4), Ia(l) and V(2). All of the strain were susceptible to all of the antibiotics tested. Conclusion: GBS infections in infants were increasingly recognized. GBS should be considered as an etiological agent of neonatal sepsis or meningitis in Korea. Maternal screening and prophylactic antibiotic therapy may be considered.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.258-267
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• 2011

Background: Current management strategies attempt to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at an early stage. Transcription profiling is applied in the search for biomarkers for detecting early-stage disease. Even though gene profiling has been reported using several animal models of RA, most studies were performed after the development of active arthritis, and conducted only on the peripheral blood and joint. Therefore, we investigated gene expression during the initial phase of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) before the arthritic features developed in the thymus in addition to the peripheral blood and synovium. Methods: For gene expression analysis using cDNA microarray technology, samples of thymus, blood, and synovium were collected from CIA, rats immunized only with type II collagen (Cll), rats immunized only with adjuvant, and unimmunized rats on days 4 and 9 after the first immunization. Arrays were scanned with an Illumina bead array. Results: Of the 21,910 genes in the array, 1,243 genes were differentially expressed at least 2-fold change in various organs of CIA compared to controls. Among the 1,243 genes, 8 encode T-cell receptors (TCRs), including CD3${\zeta}$, CD3${\delta}$, CD3${\varepsilon}$, CD8${\alpha}$, and CD8${\beta}$ genes, which were down-regulated in CIA. The synovium was the organ in which the genes were differentially expressed between CIA and control group, and no difference were found in the thymus and blood. Further, we determined that the differential expression was affected by adjuvant more than Cll. The differential expression of genes as revealed by real-time RT-PCR, was in agreement with the microarray data. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the genes encoding TCRs including CD3${\zeta}$, CD3${\delta}$, CD3${\varepsilon}$, CD8${\alpha}$, and CD8${\beta}$ genes were down-regulated during the initial phase of CIA in the synovium of CIA. In addition, adjuvant played a greater role in the down-regulation of the CD3 complex compared to CII. Therefore, the down-regulation of TCR gene expression occurred dominantly by adjuvant could be involved in the pathogenesis of the early stage at CIA.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.818-825
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• 2013

We isolated and functionally characterized the ${\alpha}$- and ${\beta}$-subunits (ApCpnA and ApCpnB) of a chaperonin from Aeropyrum pernix K1. The constructed vectors pET3d-ApCpnA and pET21a-ApCpnB were transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3), BL21 (DE3), or CodonPlus (DE3) cells. The expression of ApCpnA (60.7 kDa) and ApCpnB (61.2 kDa) was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis. Recombinant ApCpnA and ApCpnB were purified by heat-shock treatment and anion-exchange chromatography. ApCpnA and ApCpnB were able to hydrolyze not only ATP, but also CTP, GTP, and UTP, albeit with different efficacies. Purified ApCpnA and ApCpnB showed the highest ATPase, CTPase, UTPase, and GTPase activities at $80^{\circ}C$. Furthermore, the addition of ApCpnA and ApCpnB effectively protected citrate synthase (CS) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from thermal aggregation and inactivation at $43^{\circ}C$ and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. In particular, the addition of ATP or CTP to ApCpnA and ApCpnB resulted in the most effective prevention of thermal aggregation and inactivation of CS and ADH. The ATPase activity of the two chaperonin subunits was dependent on the salt concentration. Among the ions we examined, potassium ions were the most effective at enhancing the ATP hydrolysis activity of ApCpnA and ApCpnB.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.814-825
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• 2008

Ascochlorin (ASC) is prenyl-phenol compound that was isolated from the fungus Ascochyta viciae. ASC reduces serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and suppresses hypertension, tumor development, ameliorates type I and II diabetes. Here, to better understand the mechanisms by which ASC regulates physiological or pathological events and induces responses in the pharmacological treatment of inflammation, we performed differential analysis of the proteome of the mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells in response to ASC. In this study, we used a proteomic analysis of LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells treated by ASC, to identify proteins potentially involved in inflammatory processes. The RAW264.7 cell proteomes with and without treatment with ASC were compared using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-D SDS-PAGE), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and bioinformatics. The largest differences in expression were observed for the calreticulin (4-fold decrease), ${\beta}-actin$ (4-fold decrease) and vimentin (1.5-fold decrease). In addition, rabaptin was increased 3-fold in RAW264.7 cells treated with ASC. The expression of some selected proteins was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.12-47
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• 2005

First, mice were dosed with 50mg/kg of streptozotocin(STZ) twice every 24 hours to cause high blood-sugar. Then, after three days, mice were injected with 100mg/kg of STZ again. Two different dosages of Saengjihwangeumja-gami were given to the experiment groups: SA group, 15mg/kg/day, and SB group, 90mg/kg/day, in order to determine the effects of Saengjihwangeumja-gami, which has been known to be good for DM(Diabetes Mellitus). By observing weight and blood-sugar level changes, blood tolerance, the numerical value of BUN(Blood Urea Nitrogen) and creatinine in blood, and through light-electronicmicroscopic and immunohistologic investigations of pancreas and kidneys, the following results were obtained: 1. The experiment groups showed a high suppressive effect of weight-loss. 2. The experiment groups' blood-sugar and blood tolerance showed an effective lowering of blood-sugar levels. 3. The experiment groups did not show any noticeable change in the numerical value of BUN and creatinine in blood compared with that of the control groups. 4. The experiment groups showed a higher Insulin positive reaction of pancreatic islets ${/beta}-cell$ than the control groups. 5. The experiment groups showed a higher immuno-reaction against IGF- II than the control groups. 6. Observation of apoptosis of the pancreatic islets showed that the cells of experiment groups were less injured compared with those of the control groups, and fewer apoptag-positive reaction cells were seen in experiment groups than in the control groups. 7. Uunder electron-microscopy, the insulin-containing granules in pancreatic islets ${/beta}-cells$ had increased more in the experiment groups than in the control groups. 8. Under light microscopy, the injury on the inner & outer membrane of the glomerulus and epithelial cells of capillaries and cells among vessels were fewer in the experiment groups than in the control groups. 9. More apoptag-positive reaction cells in the kidney were seen in the control groups than in the experiment groups. 10. PAS-positive reaction substances had increased more in the substrate among the vessels of a glomerulus belonging to the control group than those of the experiment group. 11. Uunder electron-microscopy, the nucleonic membrane, nucleoplasm and mitochondria of proximal and distal renal tubular were more injured in the control groups than in the experiment groups. In conclusion, strong evidence for the efficacy of Saengjihwangeumja-gami in lowering blood-sugar, and in recovery and generation of pancreatic tissues injured by DM was observed. Results suggest Saengjihwangeumja-gami is an effective treatment for DM. Further study of the principles of blood-sugar dropping effects of Saengjihwangeumja-gami are needed, as well as further study of recovery and regeneration of pancreatic tissues injured by DM.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2004

This study was carried out to examine the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the number of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) on in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine immature oocytes, and on subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) and development (IVD). COCs were collected from antral follicles of porcine ovaries collected from abattoir, and were maturated in modified NCSU-23 (mNCSU-23) with 10% pFF, 0.6 mM cysteine, 50 ${\mu}mM{\beta}-mercaptoethanol$, 1 mM dbcAMP, 10 IU/mL PMSG and 10 IU/mL hCG, which was supplemented with or without 10 ng/mL EGF and into which 50 or 15 COCs per droplet was put. Oocytes matured in vitro, were fertilized in vitro in modified Tris-buffered medium (mTBM) with the final motile sperm concentration of 1${\times}$105 sperm/mL, and subsequently putative embryos were developed in vitro in NCSU- 23. The results are as follows. 1.In the result of IVM, 10 ng/mL EGF supplement duplicated the percentage of C4 group of COCs(41% vs 81%). But the rate of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and of nuclear maturation were not significantly different between control and EGF supplemented, or between the number of COCs per culture droplet, and there was not a significant interaction between the two factors, either. 2. In the result of IVF, there was not significantly different between control and EGF supplemented, or between the number of COCs per culture droplet, or was not a significant interaction between the two factors, in the rate of sperm penetration, in the percentage of oocytes with male pronucleus (MPN), and in the rate of polyspermy. 3. In the result of IVD, there was not significantly different between control and EGF supplemented, or between the number of COCs per culture droplet in the percentage of cleaved oocytes. There was not significantly different between the number of COCs per culture droplet, but between control and EGF supplemented (p<0.01) in the percentage of blastocysts, the number of inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TC) and total cells. There was no significant interaction between the two factors anywhere. These results suggested that 10 ng/mL EGF supplement into mNCSU-23 for IVM was effective in the production of more as well as better blastocysts during IVD through increasing the number of cells in those.