• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제19권10호
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• pp.1307-1314
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• 2010

This study was conducted to isolate and characterize a novel feather-degrading bacterium producing keratinase activity. A strain K9 was isolated from soil at poultry farm and identified as Xanthomonas sp. K9 by phenotypic characters and 16S rRNA gene analysis. The cultural conditions for the keratinase production were 0.3% fructose, 0.1% gelatin, 0.04% $K_2HPO_4$, 0.06% $KH_2PO_4$, 0.05% NaCl and 0.01% $FeSO_4$ with an initial pH 8.0 at $30^{\circ}C$ and 200 rpm. In an optimized medium containing 0.1% chicken feather, production yield of keratinase was approximately 8-fold higher than the yield in basal medium. The strain K9 effectively degraded chicken feather meal (67%) and duck feather (54%), whereas human nail and human hair showed relatively low degradation rates (13-22%). Total free amino acid concentration in the cell-free supernatant was about 25.799 mg/l. Feather hydrolysate produced by the strain K9 stimulated growth of red pepper, indicating Xanthomonas sp. K9 could be not only used to increase the nutritional value of chicken feather but also a potential candidate for the development of natural fertilizer applicable to crop plant soil.

• 보존과학연구
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• 통권31호
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• pp.89-102
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• 2010

This study evaluated the activity of biocidal compounds isolated from natural products and confirmed applicable possibility as conservative agents for orgainic cultural heritages damaged by biological degradation. we used methanol extracts of 11 Korean trees and 17 medicinal plants as natural resources. Among these extracts, Phellodendron amurense was investigated on antifungal activity against Coniophora puteana, Lentinus lepideus, Tyromyces palustris and Aspergillus niger. Asarum sieboldii was investigated on insecticidal activity against adult of Lasioderma serricorne. First, the extract of Phellodendron amurense was partitioned into hexane, dichloromethan and ethylacetate fraction. Among them, the ethylacetate fraction had the most significant antifungal activity. In addition, Asarum sieboldii essential oil showed an effective antifungal and insecticidal activity. As a result, the extract of Phellodendron amurense and Asarum sieboldii essential oil could be useful for conservation of organic cultural heritage against biological deterioration by wood rot fungi and Lasioderma serricorne.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.61-66
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• 1998

A microorganism which degrades phenol and co-metabolizes trichloroethylene (TCE) was isolated from Yangsan stream after enrichment in a medium containing phenol as the sole carbon source. The isolate EL-43P was identified as the genus Rhodococcus by its morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics. Phenol-induced cells of Rhodococcus sp. EL-43P degraded TCE. Toluene and nutrient broth could not replace the phenol requirement. The optimal conditions of initial pH and temperature of media for growth were 7.0~9.0 and $30~50^{\circ}C$, respectively. Rhodococcus sp. EL-43P could grow with phenol up to 1,000 ppm. Growth was inhibited by phenol at a concentration above 1,500 ppm. It was observed that Rhodococcus sp. EL-43P was able to degrade 90% of phenol (1,000 ppm) after 40 h in a culture. Phenol-induced cells of Rhodococcus sp. EL-43P degraded 95% of $5{\mu}M$ TCE in 6 h. Rhodococcus sp. EL-43P hardly degraded TCE above $100{\mu}M$.

• BMB Reports
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• 제45권5호
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• pp.299-304
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• 2012

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a major proteolytic system for nonlysosomal degradation of cellular proteins. Here, we investigated the response of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells under proteotoxic stress. Proteasome inhibitors induced expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and also induced apoptosis of ES cells. Importantly, more apoptotic cells were observed in ES cells compared with other somatic cells. To understand this phenomenon, we further investigated the expression of HSP70 and pluripotent cell markers. HSP70 expression was more significantly increased in somatic cells than in ES cells, and expression levels of pluripotent cell markers such as Oct4 and Nanog were decreased in ES cells. These results suggest that higher sensitivity of ES cells to proteotoxic stress may be related with lower capacity of HSP70 expression and decreased pluripotent cell marker expression, which is essential for the survival of ES cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.221-225
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• 2005

A Staphylococcus sp. EY-3 with the capability of decolorizing Congo Red was isolated from soil at an effluent treatment plant of a textile and dyeing industry. This strain was able to almost completely decolorize a high concentration of Congo Red in 48 h under aerobic conditions. Optimal color removal (more than 96%) was achieved at 30- 40oC, and no noticeable effects of different pH values (5.5- 8.0) on decolorization were observed. This strain also exhibited a remarkable decolorization capability against azo dyes under aerobic conditions, even at a high concentration (dyes 1 g/l) of dye. The metabolic product of Congo Red degradation by this strain was identified by gas chromatography with mass selective detection (GC/MSD) to be an amine derivative benzidine.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.363-369
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• 1996

As basic study to evaluate the treatability of oil-contaminated environment with bacteria, isolation and characterization of crude oil-degrading bacterium were carried out. A bacterial strain SH-14 capable of degrading crude oil was isolated from contaminated soils by enrichment culture technique and identified as Acinetobacter sp. by morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics, and so named Acinetobacter sp. SH-14. The optimal medium composition and cultural conditions for the growth and emulsification of crude oil by Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 used were crude oil of 2.0%, $KNO_3$ of 0.2%, $K_2HPO_4$ of 0.05%, and $MgSO_4\;{\cdot}\;7H_2O$ of 1.0%, along with initial pH 7.0 at $30^{\circ}C$. Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 showed to be resistant to chloramphenicol and utilized various hydrocarbons such as dodecane, hexadecane, isooctane, cyclo-hexane etc., as a sole carbon source. Acinetobacter sp. SH-14 harbored a single plasmid. By agarose gel electrophoresis and curing experiment it was found that the genes for crude oil components degradation were encoded on the plasmid.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.57-66
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• 2010

Programmed cell death systems are important for an active type of cell deaths. Among them, a type of programmed cell death, autophagy is activated in cancer cells in response to multiple stresses and has been demonstrated to promote tumor cell survival and drug resistance. Thus, in the area of cancer, over the time frame form around the 1940s to date, of the 155 small molecules, 73% are other than "synthetic", with 47% actually being either "natural products" or "directly derived therefrom". Autophagy has multiple physiological functions in multicellular organisms, including protein degradation and organelle turnover. Genes and proteins that constitute the basic machinery of the autophagic process were first identified in the yeast system and some of their mammalian orthologues have been characterized as well. Numerous oncogenes, including Akt1, Bcl-2, NF1, PDPK1, class I PI3K, PTEN, and Ras and oncosuppressors, inculuding Bec-1, Bif-1, DAPK-1, p53 and UVRAG suppress or promote the autophagy pathway. Regulation of autophagy in tumors is governed by similar principles of the normal cells, only in a much more complicated manner, given the frequently observed abnormal PI3K activation in cancer and the multitude of interactions between the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and other cell signaling cascades, often also deregulated in tumor cells. Autophagy induction by some anticancer agents underlines the potential utility of its induction as a new cancer treatment modality of development for natural medicines.

• 한국식품조리과학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.107-113
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• 2003

In a previous study, a dietary supplement was developed in our lab using natural herbal extracts against digest enzyme activity in GI tract for weight control. This natural herbal extracts could regulate absorption of glucose and lipid by the inhibition of digest enzyme activity. In this study, we screened the natural herbs that inhibit glucoamylase activity and developed an water extract of cinnamon. The cinnamon extract delayed and decreased the increment of carbohydrate degradation through the inhibition of glucoamylase activity in vitro. Fifty volunteers were subjected to the intake of the herbal extracts by taking twice a day for 60 days. As a result, the treated subjects lost 3 kg of body weight and 3.5 kg of body fat mass after the treatment. Furthermore, the body mass index and waist size were significantly decreased during the experimental period. Above results suggested that the administration of the dietary additives composed of cinnamon and natural herbal extract improves the obesity by the decrement of body weight and body fat mass.

• Plant Resources
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.226-232
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• 2000

The availability of enokitake cultural waste for Lentinus edodes cultivation was investigated, although hardwood sawdust has traditionally been used as a substrate for this fungus. Firstly, physiochemical characteristics of cultural waste were analysed. Secondly, mycelial growth characteristics and fruiting yields of L. edodes on waste treated in some methods were determined. Physiochemical characteristics of enokitake cultural waste showed that the millwaste complex was a little degraded by enokitake fungus and suggested the probability that most component lost by enokitake could be rice bran. Mycelia of L. edodes grew and fruited well on waste supplemented by fresh rice bran and Quercus sawdust although didn't on waste only. Mycelial growths of these fungi on waste were accelerated when supplemented by rice bran to the percent of 40(w/w) but decreased or suppressed at above ratios(30, 40%, w/w). Supplementations of oak sawdust at above 40%(w/w) of the waste and rice bran at 20%(w/w) of the sawdust allowed such a good mycelial growth as to be selected as a pertinent mixing ratio for fruiting medium. A fruiting yield on enokitake cultural waste supplemented by oak sawdust (at 40% of the waste, w/w) and rice bran (at 20% of the sawdust, w/w) was not inferior to that on oak sawdust supplemented by rice bran only (at 20% of the sawdust, w/w). These results indicated strongly the potentiality of enokitake cultural waste as raw materials for shiitake cultivating substrates.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권7호
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• pp.444-457
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• 2021

Although the mechanism of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) initiation through BCR/ABL oncogene has been well characterized, CML cell differentiation into erythroid lineage cells remains poorly understood. Using CRISPR-Cas9 screening, we identify Chromobox 8 (CBX8) as a negative regulator of K562 cell differentiation into erythrocytes. CBX8 is degraded via proteasomal pathway during K562 cell differentiation, which activates the expression of erythroid differentiation-related genes that are repressed by CBX8 in the complex of PRC1. During the differentiation process, the serine/threonine-protein kinase PIM1 phosphorylates serine 196 on CBX8, which contributes to CBX8 reduction. When CD235A expression levels are analyzed, the result reveals that the knockdown of PIM1 inhibits K562 cell differentiation. We also identify TRIM28 as another interaction partner of CBX8 by proteomic analysis. Intriguingly, TRIM28 maintains protein stability of CBX8 and TRIM28 loss significantly induces proteasomal degradation of CBX8, resulting in an acceleration of erythroid differentiation. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of the CBX8-TRIM28 axis during CML cell differentiation, suggesting that CBX8 and TRIM28 are promising novel targets for CML research.