• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.912-918
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• 2003

Mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK), which is a novel kinesin with a central motor domain, is believed to playa role in mitotic segregation of chromosome during the M phase of the cell cycle. In the present study, it is shown that a rabbit polyclonal antibody has been produced using the N-terminal region (187 aa) of human MCAK expressed in E. coli as the antigen. To express the N-terminal region in E. coli, the MCAK cDNA fragment encoding N-terminal 187 aa was obtained by PCR and was then inserted into the pET 3d expression vector. Molecular mass of the N-terminal region overexpressed in the presence of IPTG was 23.2 kDa on SDS-PAGE, and the protein was insoluble and mainly localized in the inclusion body that could be easily purified from the other cellular proteins. The N-terminal region was purified by electro-elution from the gel after the inclusion body was resolved on the SDS-PAGE. The antiserum obtained after tertiary immunization with the purified protein specifically recognized HsMCAK when subjected to Western blot analysis, and showed a fluctuation of the protein level during the cell cycle of human Jurkat T cells. Synchronization of the cell-cycle progression required for recovery of cells at a specific stage of the cell cycle was performed by either hydroxyurea or nocadazole, and subsequent release from each blocking at 2, 4, and 7 h. Northern and Western analyses revealed that both mRNA and protein of HsMCAK reached a maximum level in the S phase and declined to a basal level in the G1 phase. These results indicate that a polyclonal antibody raised against the N-terminal region (187 aa) of HsMCAK, overexpressed in E. coli, specifically detects HsMCAK (81 kDa), and it can analyze the differential expression of HsMCAK protein during the cell cycle.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.175-185
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• 1996

The mitogen-activated protein(MAP) kinase signal transduction pathway represents an important mechanism by which mitogen, such as serum and PMA, regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Target substrates of the MAP kinase are located within several compartments containing plasma membranes and nucleus. We now report that serum addition induces proliferation of the P388 murine leukemia cell, but PMA does not, while both serum and PMA treatment cause translocation of the MAP kinase, mainly p42$^{mapk}$ isoform, from cytosol into the nucleus, which was monitored by immunoblot analysis using polyclonal anti-ERK1 antibodies. We investigated whether the MAP kinase was capable of phosphorylating c-Jun protein and GST-fusion proteins, the P562$^{kk}$N-terminal peptides (1-77 or 1-123 domain) of the T cell tyrosine kinase, using the partially purified MAP kinase by SP-sephadex C-50, phenyl superose and Mono Q column chromatography. We found that the partially purified MAP kinase was able to phosphorylate c-Jun protein and the GST-fusion protein expressed using E.coli DH5$\alpha$ which is transformed with pGEX-3Xb plasmid vector carrying of p562$^{kk}$N-terminal peptide-encoding DNA. These results imply that tyrosine kinase receptor/Ras/Raf/MAP kinase pathway is a major mechanism for mitogen-induced cell proliferation in P388 murine leukemia cell and that the various MAP kinase isoforms may have their own target substrates located in distinct subcellular compartments.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.64-69
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• 2011

A peroxidase (PD-cP; 0.47 mg/100 g leaves) was purified from autumn leaves of Phytolacca dioica L. and characterized. PD-cP was obtained by acid precipitation followed by gel-filtration and cation exchange chromatography. Amino acid composition and N-terminal sequence of PD-cP up to residue 15 were similar to that of Spinacia oleracea (N-terminal pairwise comparison showing four amino acid differences). PD-cP showed a molecular mass of approx. 36 kDa by SDS-PAGE, pH and temperature optima at 3.0 and $50.0^{\circ}C$, respectively and seasonal variation. The Michaelis-Menten constant ($K_M$) for $H_2O_2$ was 5.27 mM, and the velocity maximum ($V_{max}$) $1.31\;nmol\;min^{-1}$, while the enzyme turnover was $0.148\;s^{-1}$. Finally, the presence of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ enhanced the PD-cP activity, with $Mg^{2+}$ 1.4-fold more effective than $Ca^{2+}$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1039-1042
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• 2009

RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain phosphatase 1 containing ubiquitin like domain (UBLCP1) has been identified as a regulatory molecule of RNA polymerase II. UBLCP1 consists of ubiquitin like domain (UBL) and phosphatase domain homologous with UDP and CTD phosphatase. UBLCP1 was cloned into the E.coli expression vectors, pET32a and pGEX 4T-1 with TEV protease cleavage site and purified using both affinity and gel-filtration chromatography. Domains of UBLCP1 protein were successfully purified as 7 mg/500 mL (UBLCP1, 36.78 KDa), 32 mg/500 mL (UBL, 9 KDa) and 8 mg/500 mL (phosphatase domain, 25 KDa) yielded in LB medium, respectively. Isotope-labeled samples including triple-labeled ($^2H/^{15}N/^{13}C$) UBLCP1 were also prepared for hetero-nuclear NMR experiments. $^{15}N-^{1}H$ 2D-HSQC spectra of UBLCP1 suggest that both UBL and phosphatase domain are properly folded and structurally independent each other. These data will promise us further structural investigation of UBLCP1 by NMR spectroscopy and/or X-ray crystallography.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.540-547
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• 2011

High consumption of fruits and vegetables has been suggested to provide some protection to smokers who are exposed to an increased risk of numerous cancers and other degenerative diseases. Carrot is the most important source of dietary ${\beta}$-carotene. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether carrot juice supplementation to smokers can protect against lymphocyte DNA damage and to compare the effect of supplementationof capsules containing purified ${\beta}$-carotene or a placebo (simple lactose). The study was conducted in a randomized and placebo-controlled design. After a depletion period of 14 days, 48 smokers were supplemented with either carrot juice (n = 18), purified ${\beta}$-carotene (n = 16) or placebo (n = 14). Each group was supplemented for 8 weeks with approximately 20.49 mg of ${\beta}$-carotene/day and 1.2 mg of vitamin C/day, as carrot juice (300 ml/day) or purified ${\beta}$-carotene (20.49 mg of ${\beta}$-carotene, 1 capsule/day). Lymphocyte DNA damage was determined using the COMET assay under alkaline conditions and damage was quantified by measuring tail moment (TM), tail length (TL), and% DNA in the tail. Lymphocyte DNA damage was significantly decreased in the carrot juice group in all three measurements. The group that received purified ${\beta}$-carotene also showed a significant decrease in lymphocyte DNA damage in all three measurements. However, no significant changes in DNA damage was observed for the placebo group except TM (P = 0.016). Erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme was not significantly changed after supplementation. Similarly plasma lipid profiles were not different after carrot juice, ${\beta}$-carotene and placebo supplementation. These results suggest that while the placebo group failed to show any protective effect, carrot juice containing beta-carotene or purified ${\beta}$-carotene itself had great antioxidative potential in preventing damage to lymphocyte DNA in smokers.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.579-584
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• 1996

The molecular weight of the purified nucleoside oxidase estimated by gel filtration column chromatography was 480,000 and the enzyme protein was composed of four nonidentical subunits (81,000, 69,000, 32,000 and 16,000). On the basis of the visible absorption spectra and the enzymatic determination of the purified enzyme, the enzyme was supposed as a hemoprotein and also a flavoprotein containing 3 moles of FAD per I mole of enzyme. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was pH 5.1. Addition of metal salts such as 1 mM SnCl$_{2}$ and PbCl$_{2}$ into an enzyme reaction solution inhibited the enzyme activity by 94 and 90%, respectively. The enzyme activity was also lost significantly by hemoenzyme inhibitors such as NaCN and NaN$_{3}$ and flavoenzyme inhibitor, acriflavine and quinacrine. The maximal nucleoside oxidase activity was observed at pH 7.0 and 55$\circ$C. The nucleoside oxidase was relatively stable in the range of pH 5.5-9.0 and below 55$\circ$C.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2000

A cDNA encoding the luciferase of firefly Luciola lateralis was cloned downstream from the polyhedrin gene promoter of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus and expressed in B. mori cells (BmN-4). The coding soquence for luciferase was inserted into pBmKSK2 rectors) which was reconstructed from the polyhedrin-based transfer vector pBmKSKl by modifying cloning sites. Recombinant virus, BmK2-LUCDF, containing the luciferase gene was selected and purified in BmN-4 cells. The emission of luminescence by luciferase was only detected in BmK2-LUCDF-infected cell extracts. This result indicates that the cloned new luciferase gene of firefly L. lateralis can be expressed efficiently in baculovirus expression system and used as a useful reporter gene.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2002

Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase (Fabl) of bacteria is hem as an important target for new antibacterial drugs and plays a determinant role in completing cycles of elongation in type-H fatty acid synthase system. In this study, a fabI gene from Staphylococcus aureus 6538p cloned in pET-l4b vector and FabI protein was over-produced in Escherichaia coli BL2l (DE3). $NH_2$-terminal His-tagged FabI protein was purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) metalaffinity chromatography Purified 6xHis-tagged FabI showed a catalytic activity on tram - 2 - octenoyl - N -acethlcysteamine by utilizing NADPH as a cofactor. For the discovery of new FabI inhibitors from chemical libraries, a target-oriented screening system using a 96-well plate was developed. About 10,000 chemical libraries from Korea Chemical Bank wore tested in this screening system, and 26 chemicals (0.25%) among them showed an inhibitory activity against FabI enzyme. This result showed that a new screening system can be used for the discovery of new FabI inhibitors.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.558-563
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• 2000

Effect of inhibitors on Vibrio parahaemolyticus cell growth and its urease activity was studied. The growth of the bacterium and the enzyme activity were inhibited by the addition of 0.02% p-hydroxymercuric benzoate, $HgCl_2$and $AgNO_3$. However, same concentration of boric acid, thallium acetate and $Pb(NO_3)_2$ did not affect the cell growth but inhibited urease activity by 25%, 29%, and 38%, respectively. Acetohydroxamic acid was the most potent inhibitor on cell growth by inhibiting 40% but did not affect urease activity. To investigate the effect of inhibitors on urease activity, urease was purified and confirmed on SDS-PAGE. The purified urease was inhibited 100% by the addition of 1 mM acetohydroxamic acid and $AgNO_3$but no inhibition was occurred by the addition of the same concentration of thallium acetate. and the addition of 0.01 mM of $HgCl_2$ and acetohydroxamic acid inhibited the purified urease activity by 39% and 24%, respectively. On 0.1 millimolar basic, acetohydroxamic acid and $HgCl_2$inhibited 4 times more active in urease inhibition than p-hydroxymercuric benzoate whereas no inhibition was occurred either thallium acetate or $Pb(NO_3)_2$.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.218-225
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• 1999

A protease without tryptic and chymotryptic activities was purified from the hepatopancreas of shrimp, Penaeus orientalis, using Q-Sepharose ionic exchange, benzamidine Sepharose-6B affinity, Mono-Q, and gel chromatography. Molecular weight (M.W.) of the protease was estimated to be 27kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS­PAGE). The amino acid composition of the protease was different from that of protease from P. japonicus or trypsin from P. orientalis. The protease was completely inhibited by benzamidine, $N\alpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine$ chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and was not affected by leupeptin, pepstatin, N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), iodoacetate, and ethylenediamine tetra acetate (EDTA). The enzyme did not have any activity against Na-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) or N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester (BTEE) which are specific substrates of trypsin and chymotrypsin, respectively. However, the protease showed hydrolytic activity for a carboxyl terminal of Tyr, Trp, Phe, Glu, and Cys.