• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.395-401
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Potassium (K) is one of the macronutrients which are essential for plant growth and development. Its deficiency in paddy soils is becoming one of the limiting factors for increasing rice yield in Asia. METHODS AND RESULTS: To investigate physiological symptoms under K-starvation (NP) compared with complete media (NPK) condition, we measured shoot/root length, weight, nutrients, and patterns of protein expression. The shoot growth was significantly reduced, but root growth was not affected by K-starvation. However, biomasses were decreased in both shoot and root. Uptake of K was reduced up to 85%, while total concentrations of P, Ca, Mg, Na were increased in root and shoot. To better understand the starved K mechanism of rice, comparative proteome analysis for proteins isolated from rice leaves was conducted using 2-DGE. Five spots of differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. Analysis of these K-starvation response proteins suggested that they were involved in metabolism and defense. CONCLUSION(s): Physiological and 2-DGE based proteomics approach used in our study results in observation of morphology or nutrients change and identification of K-starvation responsive proteins in rice root. These results have important roles in maintaining nutrient homeostasis and would also be useful for further characterization of protein function in plant K nutrition.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2010

For development of anti-obesity nutraceuticals from mushrooms, new anti-obesity lipase inhibitor from Phellinus linteus was purified by systematic solvent extraction, TLC and HPLC and characterized. Methanol extract from P. linteus most effectively inhibited(72.5%) porcine pancreatic lipase and ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest inhibitory activity in the systematic solvent extraction. A lipase inhibitor from the ethyl acetate fraction was purified through following steps including 3 times silica gel chromatography and preparative HPLC. The purified lipase inhibitor was a yellowish geen powder and its $IC_{50}$ value was 175 ng. Its molecular weight by MALDI-TOF-MS was 523.06 Da and showed maximal absorption spectrum at 225.1 nm.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2012

Proteomic analysis was performed in order to identify proteomic changes by salt stress between the Japonica cv. Donganbyeo (WT) and two salt-tolerant (ST) mutant lines by using the SDS-PAGE and 2-DE. Two salt tolerant rice mutant lines, ST-87 and ST-301, were selected by in vitro mutagenesis with gamma-ray. Three-week-old seedlings were treated with 171 mM NaCl for 7 days. In the SDS-PAGE, three proteins with molecular weights of 27, 46 and 58 kDa were highly increased under salt treatment. Total proteins from shoots of both WT and ST-lines were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. In 2-DE, 201, 226, 217 and 213 protein spots were detected in the untreated-or treated-WT and untreated- or treated-ST-87, respectively. Of theses, 17 and 10 protein spots were up- and down-regulated under salt stress in the WT, respectively. While, 16 and 8 protein spots were up- and down-regulated under salt stress in the ST-87, respectively, compared with the untreated plants. High intensity or de novo synthesized proteins were analyzed by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain texture is an important determinant of milling properties and end product use. Two linked genes, puroindoline a (PINA) and puroindoline b (PINB), control most of the genetic variation in wheat grain texture. Wheat seed proteins were examined to identify PINA and PINB gene using two pre-harvest sprouting wheat cultivars; Jinpum (resistant) and Keumgang (susceptible).Wheat seed proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis with IEF gels over pH ranges: pH 3-10. A total of 73 spots were digested with trypsin resulting peptide fragmentation were analyzed by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Mass spectra were automatically processed and searched through NCBInr, SWISS-PORT and MSDB database with mono isotopic masses and complete gene sequence were found by UniProt database. Puroindoline a and puroindoline b that is responsible for grain texture related with baking performance and roughness. Two spots were found Pin b (16.7 kDa) and Pin a (16.3 kDa) in Jinpum compare to seven spots were identified Pin a (16.1 kDa, 16.3 kDa) and Pin b (16.7 kDa, 9.5 kDa and 14.4 kDa) in Keumgang. Some selected spots were identified puroindoline like grain softness protein (16.9 kDa, 17 kDa and 18.1 kDa) in Keumgang. Moreover, to gain a better inferring the identification of puroindoline related proteins using proteomics, we accomplished a complete gene sequence of PINA and PINB gene in pre-harvesting sprouting wheat seeds between resistant (Jinpum) and susceptible (Keumgang).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.753-759
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• 2023

The genus Paenibacillus contains a variety of biologically active compounds that have potential applications in a range of fields, including medicine, agriculture, and livestock, playing an important role in the health and economy of society. Our study focused on the bacterium SS4^T (KCTC 43402^T = GDMCC 1.3498^T), which was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. This strain was analyzed using antiSMASH, BAGEL4, and PRISM to predict the secondary metabolites. Lassopeptide clusters were found using all three analysis methods, with the possibility of secretion. Additionally, PRISM found three biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) and predicted the structure of the product. Genome analysis indicated that glucoamylase is present in SS4^T. 16S rRNA sequence analysis showed that strain SS4^T most closely resembled Paenibacillus marchantiophytorum DSM 29850^T (98.22%), Paenibacillus nebraskensis JJ-59^T (98.19%), and Paenibacillus aceris KCTC 13870^T (98.08%). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences and Type Strain Genome Server (TYGS) analysis revealed that SS4^T belongs to the genus Paenibacillus based on the results of the phylogenetic analysis. As a result of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) results, SS4^T was determined to belong to the genus Paenibacillus. Comparing P. marchantiophytorum DSM 29850^T with average nucleotide identity (ANI 78.97%) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH 23%) revealed values that were all less than the threshold for bacterial species differentiation. The results of this study suggest that strain SS4^T can be classified as a Paenibacillus andongensis species and is a novel member of the genus Paenibacillus.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.452-462
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• 2023

Opportunistic infections due to Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii species complexes continue to rise unabated among HIV/AIDS patients, despite improved antifungal therapies. Here, we collected a total of 20 environmental and 25 presumptive clinical cryptococcal isolates from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 175 patients enrolled in an ongoing clinical trial Ambition 1 Project (Botswana-Harvard Partnership). Identity confirmation of the isolates was done using MALDI-TOF MS and PCR. We describe the diversity of the isolates by PCR fingerprinting and sequencing (Oxford Nanopore Technology) of the intergenic spacer region. Mating types of the isolates were determined by amplification of the MAT locus. We report an unusual prevalence of 42.1% of C. neoformans × C. deneoformans hybrids Serotype AD (n = 16), followed by 39.5% of C. neoformans Serotype A (n = 15), 5.3% of C. deneoformans, Serotype D (n = 2), 7.9% of C. gattii (n = 3), and 5.3% of C. tetragattii (n = 2) in 38 representative isolates that have been characterized. Mating type-specific PCR performed on 38 representative environmental and clinical isolates revealed that 16 (42.1%) were MATa/MAT𝛼 hybrids, 17 (44.7%) were MAT𝛼, and five (13.2%) possessed MATa mating type. We used conventional and NGS platforms to demonstrate a potential link between environmental and clinical isolates and lay a foundation to further describe mating patterns/history in Botswana.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1259-1268
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated antimicrobial peptide from the acidified muscle extract of Mytilus coruscus, which mostly inhabits China, Japan, and Korea, to develop a natural product-derived antibiotics substitution in terms of its abuse and restriction. Antimicrobial peptide was purified by $C_{18}$ reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and was detected as having a molecular mass of 6,701 Da by MALDI-TOF/MS. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified peak was obtained from edman degradation, and 20 identified residues shown 100% identity with the N-terminus region of sperm-specific protein and protamine-like PL-II/PL-IV precursor of Mytilus californianus. We also identified 60 open-reading frame (ORF) encoding amino acids with 183 bp of purified peptide based on the obtained amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence of ORF showed 100% and the nucleotide sequence revealed 97.2% identity with the protamine-like PL-II/PL-IV precursor of Mytilus californianus. Synthesized antimicrobial peptide showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus cereus (minimal effective concentration [MEC], $20.8{\mu}g/ml$), Bacillus subtilis (MEC, $0.2{\mu}g/ml$), Streptococcus mutans (MEC, $0.2{\mu}g/ml$), gram-negative bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MEC, $5.7{\mu}g/ml$), Escherichia coli (MEC, $2.6{\mu}g/ml$) and fungi, Candida albicans (MEC, $56.3{\mu}g/ml$). In addition, synthesized peptide showed stable activities under heat and salt conditions against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but was inhibited by salt against only C. albicans. With these results, isolated peptide from M. coruscus could be an alternative agent to antibiotics for defending against pathogenic microorganisms, and helpful information to understand the innate immune system of marine invertebrates.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.522-527
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• 2008

Low molecular peptides were isolated from Asterias amurensis via SDS-PAGE. The peptides were separated via consecutive gel filtration as five fractions (F1-F5) according to molecular weights, based on the results of MALDI-TOF MS analysis. The molecular weight of the most active peptide was estimated as 15,000 daltons. The peptide showed cytotoxicity on normal human fibroblast cells at levels as low as 20% when 1.0 mg/mL of the samples was added. The peptide also exhibited higher levels of nitric oxide production from macrophages than the lipopolysaccaharides. It was determined that prostaglendin $E_2$ production was significantly inhibited, up to 127.8% as compared to the control. The low molecular peptide inhibited hyaluronidase activity as 535.7 ${\mu}g/mL$ of $IC_{50}$. It can be concluded that the relatively low molecular weight peptide, fucoidan, from A. amurensis has excellent cosmetic and immunomodulatory activities, which can be considered as a possible resource of new cosmetic agents for skin immunomodulation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1276-1289
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• 2017

This study isolated and purified the antimicrobial peptide McSSP-31 from an acidified hemocyte extract of a Mytilus coruscus. The antimicrobial peptide was purified by using a $C_{18}$ reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The peptide was determined to be 3330.549 Da by matrix assisted-laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrophotometer (MALDI-TOF/MS). The N-terminus of a 14 amino-acid sequence was identified as P-S-P-T-R-R-S-T-S-R-S-K-S-R by Edman degradation method. The acquired sequence showed a 93% similarity with the sperm-specific protein Phi-1, which is from M. californianus. The identified open-reading frame (ORF) of peptide was 306 bp encoding 101 amino acids, which was analyzed by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), cloning and sequencing analysis. We compared the full sequence with other known proteins that reveal the sperm-specific protein Phi-1 (93.5%) of M. californianus. Synthesized antimicrobial peptide (McSSP-31) showed antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria including B. subtilis, S. mutans, S. aureus and gram-negative bacteria including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa and fungi, C. albicans. Also, synthesized peptide showed strong antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant strains, including S. aureus. The cytotoxicity of the peptide was determined by using the HUVEC human cell line. The peptide did not exhibit any significant cytotoxic effects on the normal human cell line, and it had very low hemolytic activity with flounder hemoglobin. The results demonstrated that peptide purified from the hemocyte of a M. coruscus exhibits antibacterial activity against various bacteria and has the potential to be an alternative antibiotic agent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1301-1315
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• 2018

We purified an antimicrobial peptide from the acidified hemocyte extract of Mytilus coruscus by $C_{18}$ reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The peptide was 4041.866 Da based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrophotometer (MALDI-TOF/MS) and the 25 amino acids of the N-terminus sequence were identified. Comparison of this sequence of the purified peptide with the N-terminus sequences of other antimicrobial peptides revealed 100% identity with the mytilin B precursor of Mytilus coruscus. We also identified a 312 bp open-reading frame (ORF) encoding 103 amino acids based on the obtained amino acid residues. The nucleotide sequence of this ORF and the amino acid sequence also revealed 100% identity with the mytilin B precursor of Mytilus coruscus. We synthesized two antimicrobial peptides with an alanine residue in the C-terminus, and designated them mytilin B1 and B2. These two antimicrobial peptides showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus cereus and Streptococcus parauberis (minimal effective concentration, MECs $41.6-89.7{\mu}g/ml$), gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Providencia stuartii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio ichthyoenteri (MECs $7.4-39.5{\mu}g/ml$), and the fungus Candida albicans (MECs $26.0-31.8{\mu}g/ml$). This antimicrobial activity was stable under heat and salt conditions. Furthermore, the peptides did not exhibit significant hemolytic activity or cytotoxic effects. These results suggest that mytilin B could be applied as alternative antibiotic agent, and they add to the understanding of the innate immunity of hard-shelled mussels.