• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2014

Protocatechuic acid is an active phenolic acid compound from Momordica charantia. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of protocatechuic acid against oxidative stress under cellular system using C6 glial cell. The oxidative stress was induced by hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and amyloid beta 25-35 ($A{\beta}_{25-35}$), and they caused the decrease of cell viability and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the treatment of protocatechuic acid significantly elevated the decreased cell viability and inhibited the overproduction of ROS by $H_2O_2$. In addition, protocatechuic acid significantly recovered the cellular damage induced by $A{\beta}_{25-35}$. In particular, protocatechuic acid at the concentration $10{\mu}g/mL$ decreased the elevated ROS level to normal level. These results indicate that protocatechuic acid may have neuroprotective effect through attenuating oxidative stress.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 1991

Inserting the $cI_{857}$ structural gene in the downstream of the tac promoter for the overproduction of $cI_{857}$ repressor protein was studied. DNA fragment containing $cI_{857}$ ; repressor gene was amplified by using plasmid pUC12, and partially digested with HphI. Only the $cI_{857}$ structural gene isolated was inserted in the downstream of the tac promoter. Plasmid pDR540- $cI_{857}$ having the tuc promoter-$cI_{857}$ structural gene insert could be isolated by the immunity of cells resistant at $30^{\circ}C$ and cell lysis at $42^{\circ}C$ to $\lambda$ phage $cI_{90}$. The amount of $cI_{857}$ repressor as 17% of total cellular protein were produced by using general E. coli as well as $lacI^q$ JM103 having this plasmid.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2011

The activation of microglia induces the overproduction of inflammatory mediators that are responsible for the neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The large amounts of prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) produced by inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) is one of the main inflammatory mediators that can contribute to neurodegeneration. The inhibition of COX-2 thus may provide therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. From the activity-guided purification of EtOAc soluble fraction of Siegesbeckia glabrescens, four compounds were isolated as inhibitors of $PGE_2$ production in LPS-activated microglia. Their structures were determined as 3, 4'-dimethylquercetin (1), 3, 7-dimethylquercetin (2), 3-methylquercetin (3) and 3, 7, 4'-trimethylquercetin (4) by the mass and NMR spectral data analysis. The compounds 1-4 showed dose-dependent inhibition of $PGE_2$ production in LPS-activated microglia with their $IC_{50}$ values of 7.1, 4.9, 4.4, $12.4\;{\mu}M$ respectively. They reduced the expression of protein and mRNA of COX-2 through the inhibition of I-${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ degradation and NF-$\kappa}B$ activity that were correlated with the inactivation of p38 and ERK. Therefore the active compounds from Siegesbeckia glabrescens may have therapeutic effects on neuro-inflammatory diseases through the inhibition of overproduction of $PGE_2$ and suppression of COX-2 overexpression.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1220-1225
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• 2004

The overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is known to be responsible for vasodilation and hypotension observed in septic shock and inflammation. Inhibitors of iNOS, thus, may be useful candidates for the treatment of inflammatory diseases accompanied by overproduction of NO. In the course of screening oriental anti-inflammatory herbs for the inhibitory activity of NO synthesis, a crude methanolic extract of Curcuma zedoaria exhibited significant activity. The activity-guided fractionation and repetitive chromatographic procedures with the EtOAc soluble fraction allowed us to isolate three active compounds. They were identified as 1,7-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one (1), procurcumenol (2) and epiprocurcumenol (3) by spectral data analyses. Their concentrations for the 50% inhibition of NO production $(IC_{50})$ in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages were 8, 75, 77 ${\mu}M$, respectively. Compound 1 showed the most potent inhibitory activity for NO production in LPS-activated macrophages, while the epimeric isomers, compound 2 and 3 showed weak and similar potency. Inhibition of NO synthesis by compound 1 was very weak when activated macrophages were treated with 1 after iNOS induction. In the immunoblot analysis, compound 1 suppressed the expression of iNOS in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, 1,7-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one from Curcuma zedoaria inhibited NO production in LPS-activated macrophages through suppression of iNOS expression. These results imply that the traditional use of C. zedoaria rhizome as anti-inflammatory drug may be explained at least in part, by inhibition of NO production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1692-1700
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• 2017

Ralstonia solanacearum causes bacterial wilt in a wide variety of host plant species and produces a melanin-like blackish-brown pigment in stationary phase when grown in minimal medium supplemented with tyrosine. To study melanin production regulation in R. solanacearum, five mutants exhibiting overproduction of melanin-like pigments were selected from a transposon (Tn) insertion mutant library of R. solanacearum SL341. Most of the mutants, except one (SL341T), were not complemented by the original gene or overproduced melanins. SL341T showed Tn insertion in a gene containing a conserved domain of eukaryotic transcription factor. The gene was annotated as a hypothetical protein, given its weak similarity to any known proteins. Upon complementation with its original gene, the mutant strains reverted to their wild-type phenotype. SL341T produced 3-folds more melanin at 72 h post-incubation compared with wild-type SL341 when grown in minimal medium supplemented with tyrosine. The chemical analysis of SL341T cultural filtrate revealed the accumulation of a higher amount of homogentisate, a major precursor of pyomelanin, and a lower amount of dihydroxyphenylalanine, an intermediate of eumelanin, compared with SL341. The expression study showed a relatively higher expression of hppD (encoding hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase) and lower expression of hmgA (encoding homogentisate dioxygenase) and nagL (encoding maleylacetoacetate isomerase) in SL341T than in SL341. SL341 showed a significantly higher expression of tyrosinase gene compared with SL341T at 48 h post-incubation. These results indicated that R. solanacearum produced both pyomelanin and eumelanin, and the novel hypothetical protein is involved in the negative regulation of melanin production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.833-839
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• 2021

Bacillus subtilis CH3-5 isolated from cheonggukjang secretes a 28 kDa protease with a strong fibrinolytic activity. Its gene, aprE3-5, was cloned and expressed in a heterologous host (Jeong et al., 2007). In this study, the promoter of aprE3-5 was replaced with other stronger promoters (P_cry3A, P₁₀, P_SG1, P_srfA) of Bacillus spp. using PCR. The constructed chimeric genes were cloned into pHY300PLK vector, and then introduced into B. subtilis WB600. The P10 promoter conferred the highest fibrinolytic activity, i.e., 1.7-fold higher than that conferred by the original promoter. Overproduction of the 28 kDa protease was confirmed using SDS-PAGE and fibrin zymography. RT-qPCR analysis showed that aprE3-5 expression was 2.0-fold higher with the P10 promoter than with the original promoter. Change of the initiation codon from GTG to ATG further increased the fibrinolytic activity. The highest aprE3-5 expression was observed when two copies of the P₁₀ promoter were placed in tandem upstream of the ATG initiation codon. The construct with P10 promoter and ATG and the construct with two copies of P10 promoter in tandem and ATG exhibited 117% and 148% higher fibrinolytic activity, respectively, than that exhibited by the construct containing P10 promoter and GTG. These results confirmed that significant overproduction of a fibrinolytic enzyme can be achieved by suitable promoter modification, and this approach may have applications in the industrial production of AprE3-5 and related fibrinolytic enzymes.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 1996

Since biosynthesis of lignin peroxidase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium was known to be sensitive to shear, it is interesting to understand the effects of the shear sensitivity for the overproduction of lignin peroxidase. In stirred-tank fermentor, the shear-sensitivity in lignin peroxidase biosynthesis was quantified by using Kolmogorov length scale. It was found that agitation at 80$\mu$m Kolmogorov length scale is advantageous for the production of lignin peroxidase from P. chrysosporium. To overcome the shear sensitivity in lignin peroxidase biosynthesis caused by the agitation,P. chrysosporium was immobilized on various solid carriers. The nylon-immobilized P. chrysosporium was chosen in the present study as a way to overcome the shear sensitivity at the ranges of above 50$\mu$m Kolmogorov length scale. The adhesion force between immobilized cell and carrier can be predicted by thermodynamic approach and used as a criteria to select an adequate carrier materials for immobilization.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.711-714
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• 2001

The production of the recombinant Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein (PvMSP) has been investigated in the recombinant E.coli system. Experimental optimization of the culture conditions, such as the effect of initial pH, and operating temperature has been tried on the growth of recombinant E.coli and on the overproduction of the target foreign protein.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2001

Escherichia coli has been used as an expression work horse for foreign genes. This article summarized recent development in genetic engineering techniques for overproduction of medical proteins and industrial enzymes. Special emphasis was placed upon research activities concerning folding and refolding of inclusion bodies at genetic and fermentation levels. Plasmid and mRNA stabilization, development of strong inducible promoters, modification of translational elements and reduction of rpoteolytic degradation were carried out to elevate an expression level of a target protein. Optimization of culture conditions, improvement of denaturation and renaturation steps and coexpression of molecular chaperones or foldase were accomplished to produce active proteins in soluble form. Fusion protein systems with selective separation and surface display technology were also performed in an effort to make the E. coli expression system more effective and versatile.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.583-587
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• 1991

A threonine overproducer, E. coli TF427, which is resistant to threonine analogue, a-amino-(3-hydroxyvaleric acid (AHV), and requires both methionine and isoleucine was developed by the mutations of E, coli W3110 using N-methyl-Nf-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) and UV. The E. coli TF427 produced 46.5 gll of threonine in a 5-L jar fermentor after 44 hr cultivation. The aspartokinase I of TF427 was not inhibited by threonine, and its synthesis was not repressed by threonine plus isoleucine.