• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2019

This study aims to evaluate the effects of the root bark of Morus alba (RMA) on the regulation of the Hippo-YAP pathway. Hippo-YAP signaling is a critical regulator in controlling organ size and tissue homeostasis. Hippo, the serine/threonine kinase phosphorylate the LATS. Phosphorylated LATS then phosphorylates and inactivates the YAP and TAZ, which are two closely related transcriptional co-activator. Here we report RMA activates the Hippo signaling, thereby inhibits the YAP/TAZ activity. First, we examine the cytotoxic effects of RMA by MTT assay. RMA was cytotoxic at concentrations higher than $50{\mu}g/ml$ in HEK293A cells. The reporter gene assay was performed to measure the activity of TEAD, a key transcription factor that controls cell growth and proliferation. RMA significantly suppressed the luciferase activity. By phos-taq gel shift assay, and western blotting, we showed that RMA enhanced the phosphorylation of YAP in wild type cells, but not in LATS1/2 knock out cells, which means RMA activates classical Hippo pathway. RMA induced the cytoplasmic sequestration of YAP. RMA also suppressed the mRNA expression of CTGF and CYR61; the two major YAP dependent genes. Taken together, RMA is considered to be a good candidate for proliferative disease such as cancer, by facilitating cell death through activating the Hippo signaling pathway.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.823-831
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• 2015

Evaluation of biological activity and analysis of functional constituents from water and ethanol extracts of four different parts of mulberry (Morus alba L.) tree were carried out to develop functional ingredients and foods using extracts of mulberry tree. The water and ethanol extracts of four different parts of mulberry tree were prepared and their biological activities and functional constituents determined by in vitro assays and HPLC, respectively. In general, ethanol extracts showed stronger biological activities and higher functional constituents than water extracts. Ethanol extracts of mulberry fruit, root bark, and twig showed stronger antioxidant ($IC_{50}=128.4{\mu}g/mL$), ${\alpha}$-glucosidase ($IC_{50}=12.0{\mu}g/mL$), and lipoxygenase ($IC_{50}=36.3{\mu}g/mL$) and tyrosinase ($IC_{50}=410.3{\mu}g/mL$) inhibitory activities, respectively, than those of other parts. Mulberry fruit and leaf showed the highest contents of anthocyanin (cyanidin 3-glucoside: 213.20 mg/100 g) and chlorogenic acid (514.97 mg/100 g), and especially ethanol extract of mulberry leaf contained higher quercetin 3-O-(6-O-malonyl)glucoside (143.25 mg/100 g) and kaempferol 3-O-(6-O-malonyl)glucoside (30.25 mg/100 g) contents without water extract of mulberry leaf. Meanwhile, mulberry twig contained both oxyresveratrol glycoside (48.90 mg/100 g) and its aglycone (21.88 mg/100 g), whereas mulberry root bark contained mostly oxyresveratrol glycoside (724.05 mg/100 g). Additionally, mulberry root bark and leaf contained much higher ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (223.90 mg/100 g) and 1-deoxynojirimycin (86.07 mg/100 g) contents, respectively, than other parts of mulberry tree. These results suggest that high quality processed foods and functional foods using mixtures of mulberry fruits, leaves, twigs, and root barks should be developed for prevention and inhibition of several pathological disorders.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2010

Objective : Sinapis alba L. (SA) is a korean traditional herbal medicine that is usually used to prevent or treat inflammatory diseases, such as respiratory infection and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the effects of SA supplementation in vitro on serum antibody levels, splenocyte and peritoneal macrophage immune responses have not yet been determined. In this study, we examined the effect of SA on the production of Th1/Th2 cytokines. Methods : Splenocytes were isolated from naive C57BL/6 mice. Cells were enriched for CD4+ cell populations by first staining the cells with anti-CD4 (BD PharMingen, Calif, USA). CD4+ T cells were selected on a (CS) column, and the flow-through was collected as CD4+ T cells. Isolated cells were activated by overnight incubation on 24-well plates coated with $1{\mu}g/mL$ anti-CD3, $1{\mu}g/mL$ anti-CD28 and with SA ($100{\mu}g/mL$). Primary macrophages were collected from the peritoneal cavities of mice (8-week-old female C57BL/6). The peritoneal macrophages were washed and plated with RPMI-1640 overnight for the experiments. After 48-hours cultures, samples were centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 10 minutes, and the supernatants were stored at $-80^{\circ}C$. Mouse IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$ and TNF-$\alpha$ were quantified using ELISA kits (BioSource International, Camarillo, Calif, USA) according to the manufacturer's protocols. Results : SA at 100ug/ml decreased the generation of Th1 cytokine (IFN-$\gamma$) by 0.5-fold. However, SA has no effect on Th2 (IL-4) production. Conclusions : These results suggest that SA may play an important role in the control of T-cell-mediated autoimmunity by down-regulation of Th1 cytokine (especially IFN-$\gamma$, TNF-$\alpha$). These data may contribute to the design of new immunomodulating treatments for a group of autoimmune diseases.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1988

Flower buds of the mulberry(Morus alba L., Morus bombycis Koidz.) were cultured under different conditions such as basal media, and various concentrations of plant growth substances. Effects of the culture conditions on growth of the buds and organ regeneration were investigated and the result obtained are as follows: Murashige and Skoog(M.S.) medium was more effective on budding and growth of female(Keomseolppong) and male(Kaeryangppong) flower buds isolated directly from branches, compared to Greshoff & Doy(G.D.) and Wolter & Skog(W.S.) media. The growth of the female buds was promoted at higher concetration of benzyl amino purine(BAP) i.e., 2.0ppm. The female and male buds cultured after cuuting for seven days showed better growth than those without cutting treatment. The females and the males bloomed to form healthy stigmas and anthers, respectively, when cultured on M.S. media containing high Kinetin with low concentration of indole acetic acid(IAA).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.517-524
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• 2011

Eleven polyphenolic compounds, including procatechuic and chlorogenic acids, (+)-dihydroquercetin, rutin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, (+)-dihydrokaempferol, trans-resveratrol, moracin, quercetin and 4-prenylmoracin were isolated and purified from the methanolic extract of defatted mulberry seed residue by a series of column chromatography including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and ODS-A, and their chemical structures were identified by spectral analysis. The antioxidant activities of the eleven isolated polyphenolic compounds were measured spectrophotometrically using DPPH radical. Among the eleven polyphenolic compounds tested, rutin ($IC_{50}=20.2\;{\mu}M$), isoquercitrin ($IC_{50}=22.5\;{\mu}M$), quercitrin ($IC_{50}=24.6\;{\mu}M$), quercetin ($IC_{50}=27.8\;{\mu}M$), (+)-dihydroquercetin ($IC_{50}=28.9\;{\mu}M$), and chlorogenic acid ($IC_{50}=30.6\;{\mu}M$) exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than L-ascorbic acid ($IC_{50}=31.5\;{\mu}M$) and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol ($IC_{50}=52.3\;{\mu}M$), whereas procatechuic acid ($IC_{50}=68.2\;{\mu}M$) showed lower activity. In addition, (+)-dihydrokaempferol ($IC_{50}=33.8\;{\mu}M$), trans-resveratrol ($IC_{50}=36.2\;{\mu}M$), moracin ($IC_{50}=47.6\;{\mu}M$), and 4-prenylmoracin ($IC_{50}=48.2\;{\mu}M$) exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. Furthermore, levels of the eleven polyphenolic compounds from three different types of mulberry seeds were quantified by HPLC, and their contents were as follows: rutin (311~60.0 mg/100 g)> quercitrin (7.2~34.2 mg/100 g)> (+)-dihydroquercetin (13.2~33.1 mg/100 g)> quercetin (15.8~19.5 mg/100 g)> 4-prenylmoracin (10.5~43.3 mg/100 g)> isoquercitrin (5.8~15.4 mg/100 g)> chlorogenic acid (0.0~15.3 mg/100 g)> moracin (4.7~7.2 mg/100 g)> procatechuic acid (0.0~11.6 mg/100 g)> (+)-dihydrokaempferol and trans-resveratrol (<0.1 mg/100 g). The 'Daesungppong' mulberry seeds among the three cultivars had higher flavonoid contents, such as rutin and quercetin derivatives, while the 'Iksuppong' seeds had the highest contents of phenolic acids and moracin derivatives. 'Cheongilppong' had lower amounts of polyphenolic compounds than the other two mulberry seeds. These results indicate that mulberry seeds containing antioxidant polyphenolic compounds may be potentially useful sources of anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-aging agents for functional foods and cosmetics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 2016

Vegetation and soil conditions of four sites in west coastal forests in South Korea, were examined to analyze the relationship between Pinus thunbergii forests structure and soil conditions. The P. thunbergii forests were divided into four clusters; 1) P. thunbergii - Prunus sargentii var. sargentii, 2) P. thunbergii - Robinia pseudoacacia, 3) P. thunbergii - P. densiflora and 4) P. thunbergii - Quercus serrata. The soil of each site was poor in chemical characteristics but good enough for land plants to grow because of its low salt concentration. According to the results by CCA Ordination, certain excessive soil nutrition has influenced on vegetation and specific species distribution. Forty eight species were found in the whole sites of coastal forests and some species appeared in every site. They are P. thunbergii, R. pseudoacacia, Rhus chinensis, Idesia polycarpa and Morus alba. For the tree species importance value, P. thunbergii was followed by R. pseudoacacia, Q. serrata, P. densiflora, Celtis sinensis, M. alba, I. polycarpa and Q. mongolica in order.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.545-555
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• 2015

Oxyresveratrol (trans-2,3',4,5'-tetrahydroxystilbene) has been receiving increasing attention because of its astonishing biological activities, including antihyperlipidemic, neuroprotection, antidiabetic, anticancer, antiinflammation, immunomodulation, antiaging, and antioxidant activities. Oxyresveratrol is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol and a phytoalexin produced in the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of several plants. It was first isolated from the heartwood of Artocarpus lakoocha, and has also been found in various plants, including Smilax china, Morus alba, Varatrum nigrum, Scirpus maritinus, and Maclura pomifera. Oxyresveratrol, an aglycone of mulberroside A, has been produced by microbial biotransformation or enzymatic hydrolysis of a glycosylated stilbene mulberroside A, which is one of the major compounds of the roots of M. alba. Oxyresveratrol shows less cytotoxicity, better antioxidant activity and polarity, and higher cell permeability and bioavailability than resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), a well-known antioxidant, suggesting that oxyresveratrol might be a potential candidate for use in health functional food and medicine. This review focuses on the plant sources, chemical characteristics, analysis, biosynthesis, and biological activities of oxyresveratrol as well as describes the perspectives on further exploration of oxyresveratrol.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.537-542
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• 2001

The concentrations of ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid in some Korean plants and mushrooms were investigated. ${\gamma}$-amino-butyric acid concentrations in Morus alba leaves, Cudrania tricuspidate leaves and fruits were 134.03, 104.13 and 120.99 mg/100g dry matter basis, respectively, ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid concentrations in Pleurotus ostreatus, Flammulina velutipes and Auricularia auricula were 93.44, 72.17 and 66.48 mg/100g dry matter basis. respectivley.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.160-165
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• 1995

Anthocyanin formation in callus cultures using Populus alba ${\times}$ Populus glandulosa was evaluated on basal MS medium supplemented with various levels of growth regulators, sucrose and nitrate concentrations. The highest yield of anthocyanin from cultured cells was produced under 5% sucrose, 1/8 strength of nitrate(12.5% of basic concentration) and combination of 1.0 mg/l IAA with 2 mg/l BAP, respectively. The high anthocyanin producing cell line no. 11 was selected among 15 cell lines, showing over 80% cells contained anthocyanin producing cells. From these cells, the highly productive red protoplast was isolated and the highest protoplast yield, $6.7{\times}10^6$ was obtained in enzyme combination IV which is composed of 2.0% cellulase, 0.5% macerozyme and 0.1% pectolyase.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.356-363
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• 2015

In order to study genetic engineering in trees, the characterization of genes and promoters from trees is necessary. We isolated the promoter region (867 bp) of Pagns-LTP from poplar (P. alba ${\times}$ P. glandulosa) and characterized its activity in transgenic poplar plants using a ${\beta}$-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. High-level expression of the Pagns-LTP transcript was found in poplar roots, while comparatively low-level expression was found in the young leaves. Pagns-LTP mRNA was not detected in other poplar tissues. Additionally, transgenic poplar plants that contained a Pagns-LTP promoter fused to a GUS reporter gene, displayed tissue-specific GUS enzyme activity localized in root tissue. In silico analysis of the Pagns-LTP promoter sequence reveals the presence of several cis-regulatory elements responsive to phytohormones, biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as those regulating tissue-specific expression. These results demonstrate that the Pagns-LTP promoter has tissue-specific expression activity in poplar roots and leaves that may be involved in organ development and plant resistance to various stresses. Therefore, we anticipate that the Pagns-LTP promoter would be a useful tool to genetically optimize woody plants for functional genomics.