• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.525-530
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• 2015

Ceramide is the most abundant lipid in the epidermis and plays a critical role in maintaining epidermal barrier function. Overall ceramide content in keratinocyte increases in parallel with differentiation, which is initiated by supplementation of calcium and/or vitamin C. However, the role of metabolic enzymes responsible for ceramide generation in response to vitamin C is still unclear. Here, we investigated whether vitamin C alters epidermal ceramide content by regulating the expression and/or activity of its metabolic enzymes. When human keratinocytes were grown in 1.2 mM calcium with vitamin C ($50{\mu}g/ml$) for 11 days, bulk ceramide content significantly increased in conjunction with terminal differentiation of keratinocytes as compared to vehicle controls (1.2 mM calcium alone). Synthesis of the ceramide fractions was enhanced by increased de novo ceramide synthesis pathway via serine palmitoyltransferase and ceramide synthase activations. Moreover, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) hydrolysis pathway by action of S1P phosphatase was also stimulated by vitamin C supplementation, contributing, in part, to enhanced ceramide production. However, activity of sphingomyelinase, a hydrolase enzyme that converts sphingomyelin to ceramide, remained unaltered. Taken together, we demonstrate that vitamin C stimulates ceramide production in keratinocytes by modulating ceramide metabolicrelated enzymes, and as a result, could improve overall epidermal barrier function.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2017

Protozoan viruses may influence the function and pathogenicity of the protozoa. Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protozoan that could contain a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, T. vaginalis virus (TVV). However, there are few reports on the properties of the virus. To further determine variations in protein expression of T. vaginalis, we detected 2 strains of T. vaginalis; the virus-infected ($V^+$) and uninfected ($V^-$) isolates to examine differentially expressed proteins upon TVV infection. Using a stable isotope N-terminal labeling strategy (iTRAQ) on soluble fractions to analyze proteomes, we identified 293 proteins, of which 50 were altered in $V^+$ compared with $V^-$ isolates. The results showed that the expression of 29 proteins was increased, and 21 proteins decreased in $V^+$ isolates. These differentially expressed proteins can be classified into 4 categories: ribosomal proteins, metabolic enzymes, heat shock proteins, and putative uncharacterized proteins. Quantitative PCR was used to detect 4 metabolic processes proteins: glycogen phosphorylase, malate dehydrogenase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, which were differentially expressed in $V^+$ and $V^-$ isolates. Our findings suggest that mRNA levels of these genes were consistent with protein expression levels. This study was the first which analyzed protein expression variations upon TVV infection. These observations will provide a basis for future studies concerning the possible roles of these proteins in host-parasite interactions.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.603-606
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• 2005

Ralstonia eutropha NCIMB 11599 and ATCC 17699 were grown, and their productions of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] compared. In flask cultures of R. eutropha NCIMB 11599, cell concentration, P(3HB-co-4HB) concentration and polymer content decreased considerably with increases in the ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ concentration, and the 4HB fraction was also very low (maximum 1.74 mol%). In fed-batch cultures of R. eutropha NCIMB 11599, glucose and ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ were fed as the carbon sources, under a phosphate limitation strategy. When glucose was fed as the sole carbon source, with its concentration controlled using an on-line glucose analyzer, 86% of the P(3HB) homopolymer was obtained from 201g/L of cells. In a two-stage fed-batch culture, where the cell concentration was increased to 104g/L, with glucose fed in the first step and constant feeding of ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$, at 6g/h, in the second, final cell concentration at 67h was 106g/L, with a polymer content of 82%, while the 4HB fraction was only 0.7mol%. When the same feeding strategy was applied to the fedbatch culture of R. eutropha ATCC 17699, where the cell concentration was increased to 42 g/L, by feeding fructose in the first step and ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ (1.5g/h) in the second, the final cell concentration, polymer content and 4HB fraction at 74h were 51g/L, 35% and 32 mol%, respectively. In summary, R. eutropha ATCC 17699 was better than R. eutropha NCIMB 11599 in terms of P(3HB-co-4HB) production with various 4HB fractions.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.501-510
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• 1992

Lipid prooxidants in sardine skin was characterized. Prooxidants in the sardine skin extract with 0.05M phosphate buffer was purified by successive chromatography on Sephadex G-200, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and CM-Sephadex A-50. Prooxidants of sardine skin exist mainly in the intermediate molecular weight fractions. Observations of the thermounstability and optimum pH(pH 7.0) suggest that the major prooxidants are enzymes and hemoproteins. They can oxidize well both free and esterified linoleic acid and form conjugated hydroperoxides. From these results, the major prooxidants in sardine skin are assumed to be lipoxygenase-like enzymes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.570-575
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• 1993

Antioxidative characteristics of melanoidin related products(MRPs) fractionated from fermented soybean sauce were studied during the oxidation process of model systems. MRPs were prepared from soybean sauce fermented for 6 months after inoculation Aspergillus oryzae by the fractionation through the Sephadex G-10 column and the freeze drying of collected fractions. MRPs inhibited the formation of peroxides during the oxidation of linoleic acids mixture in ethanolic phosphate buffer solution at $50^{\circ}C$ with the increasing tendency by their concentration in reaction systems. MRPs had hydrogen doner properties during the reaction with ${\alpha},\;{\alpha}'-diphenyl-{\beta}-picrylhydrazyl$ and also MRPs inhibited the iron and lipoxygenase catalytic oxidation. MRPs were found to be fairly stable with no loss of antioxidative effect after storage at $50^{\circ}C$ for 15days.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.826-831
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• 2003

ADP-ribose pyrophosphatase (ADPRase) hydrolyzes ADP-ribose (ADPR) into AMP and ribose-5'-phosphate. It is classified into two groups, $Mg^{2+}$-dependent and $Mg^{2+}$-independent ADPRase, depending on its $Mg^{2+}$requirement. Here, we purified $Mg^{2+}$-dependent ADPRase from rabbit liver and examined what factors affect $Mg^{2+}$ requirement. The purified enzyme showed a single band with the molecular weight of 34 kDa on SDS-PAGE both in the presence and absence of 2-mercaptoethanol. The molecular weight of the native enzyme calculated by gel filtration was 68 kDa, indicating that ADPRase is a dimer made up of two identical subunits. $Mg^{2+}$-dependent ADPRase with the highest ADPR affinity had a $K_m$ of 160$\pm$10 $\mu$M and a pH optimum of around pH 9.5. Treatment of the purified ADPRase with heated cytosol fractions at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 3 h caused some changes in the chemical properties of the enzyme, including an increase in molecular weight, a decrease in solubility, and a loss of $Mg^{2+}$-dependency. The molecular weight of the cytosol-treated ADPRase measured by gel filtration was over 420 kDa, suggesting, for the first time, that ADPRase could be polymerized by undefined cytoplasmic factors, and that polymerization is accompanied by changes in the solubility and metal ion dependency of the enzyme.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.123-136
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• 2010

In order to remediate heavy metal contaminated Nong island, Maehyang-ri shooting range soils through the batch reactor scale washing were evaluated. The experiment texture soil of N3 in the Nong island at north side incline was (g)mS containing 12.9% gravel, 47.0% sand, 35.1% silt and 5.0% clay. And the N3 soil area was contaminated with Cd($22.5\pm1.9$ ppm), Cu($35.5\pm4.0$ ppm), Pb($1,279.0\pm5.1$ ppm) and Zn($403.4\pm9.8$ ppm). The EDTA(ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid, $C_{10}H_{16}N_2O_8$) in the N3 soil was observed as most effective extractants among the 5 extractants(citric acid, EDTA, phosphoric acid, potassium phosphate and oxalic acid) tested. And chemical partitioning of heavy metals after washing N3 soil with EDTA was evaluated. Removal efficiency of residual fractions was higher than that of non-residual fractions. To choose EDTA extractant which is the most effective in soil washing technology using batch reactor process cleaning Pb and Zn contaminated sits; Pb and Zn removal rates were investigated 92.4%, 94.0% removal(1,000 mM, soil:solution=5, $20^{\circ}C$, 24 hour shaking, pH=2, 200 RPM), respectively. The results of the batch test showed that the removal efficiency curve was logarithmic in soil was removal. Thus, EDTA washing process can be applied to remediate the Pb and Zn contaminated soil used in this study.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.117-124
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• 1979

The present work was carried out to study the fate of applied phosphorus labelled with $^{32}P$ and its availability to plants in soils subjected to different management practices. The results can be summarized as follows (Table 3): 1. The applied phosphorus was transformed into different phosphorus compounds in the soils depending upon the management practices and soil characteristics. 2. In the flooded paddy soil (pH 5.8) added P after one week of incubation was transformed into various fractions, the order of abundance being: Al-P> Ca-P$${\sim_\sim}$$Fe-P> Org.-P. After two weeks the order changed to: Fe-P> Al-P> Ca-P> Org.-P. The amounts of the Fe-P and Al-P fractions were found to increase from the second week of incubation whereas a decrease in Ca-P was noticed with the organic-P remaining constant. The amount of available P decreased from the first to the third week of incubation, but increased thereafter. 3. In the volcanic ash soil a major proportion of the applied phosphorus was found in the Fe-P fraction during the whole experimental period. The interconversions of the $^{32}P$ among the different phosphate fractions was not as evident as in the case of flooded rice soil. The recovery of applied P was low and remained constant throughout the incubation period. 4. In the upland soils relatively more of the applied phosphorus was found in the Ca-P fraction as compared with those of the other soils. As in the flooded paddy soil $^{32}P$ in the Ca-P fraction decreased with increasing incubation time, whereas in the Fe-P fraction it increased with time. The recovery of added phosphate as available P followed different patterns for the cultivated and the uncultivated soils. In the cultivated soils lit was relatively high and remained nearly constant during the whole incubation period. In the uncultivated soil on the other hand, it was high at the earlier time of incubation, but decreased with incubation time.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate changes in inorganic phosphorus fractions in phosphorus accumulated plastic film house soils under cropping condition. Pot experiment was conducted with surface soils taken from plastic film house fields cultivated for 3, 8 and 16 years. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied at the rates of 0 (P0), $100kg\;ha^{-1}$ (recommended application rate. P1) and $200kg\;ha^{-1}$ (P2) as fused phosphate. Crops were grown sequentially in the order of corn-Chinese cabbage-Chinese cabbage-corn for 3 years. The content of easily soluble-P fraction was decreased with cropping. There were significantly positive relationship not only between the contents of easily soluble-P and the amounts of soil available P ($r=0.839^{**}{\sim}0.952^{**}$ for Bray-1 P, $r=0.895^{**}{\sim}0.967^{**}$ for Lancaster P, and $r=0.491^{**}{\sim}0.821^{**}$ for Olsen P), but also between the amounts of P absorbed by plants and the amounts of easily soluble P decreased ($r=0.644^{**}{\sim}0.822^{**}$). The decrease of easily soluble-P during cropping period could be described by a first-order reaction. The number of cropping times needed to decrease the content of easily soluble-P to an index level of $0.2mg\;kg^{-1}$, which is commonly reported as the desired concentration for soil P, was predicted in the range of 26~33 cropping times by using the equations. Regardless of P fertilization, the proportion of Al-P to total P was little varied during cropping period, but the proportion of Fe-P to total P increased with cropping. Although the content of Ca-P was high before cropping, the proportion of Ca-P to total P was increased with cropping. The proportion of reductant soluble-P to total P was little varied for P fertilizer treatment but was increased for no P fertilizer treatment. The residual-P was decreased during cropping period due to the absorption by crops and the conversion to other inorganic P fractions.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.219-234
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• 1974

A series of experiments was conducted to study the behavior of the phosphorus added to the soils having the high phorphorus fixing capacity derived from volcanic ash in Cheju Island. Soil samples were taken from different depths of 0-10, 10-30, and 30-50cm in six citrus orchards where heavy application of phosphate fertilizer has been practised. Various forms of phosphorus were determined and phosphorus adsorption experiments were performed. The results obtained can be summarized as follows: 1. The content of inorganic phosphorus fractions determined by the method of Chang and Jackson was: water soluble P