• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.429-435
• /
• 2018

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite responsible for causing toxoplasmosis. Preventive measures for toxoplasmosis are currently lacking and as such, development of novel vaccines are of urgent need. In this study, we generated 2 virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccines expressing T. gondii rhoptry protein 4 (ROP4) or rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18) using influenza matrix protein (M1) as a core protein. Mice were intranasally immunized with VLPs vaccines and after the last immunization, mice were challenged with ME49 cysts. Protective efficacy was assessed and compared by determining serum antibody responses, body weight changes and the reduction of cyst counts in the brain. ROP18 VLPs-immunized mice induced greater levels of IgG and IgA antibody responses than those immunized with ROP4 VLPs. ROP18 VLPs immunization significantly reduced body weight loss and the number of brain cysts in mice compared to ROP4 VLPs post-challenge. These results indicate that T. gondii ROP18 VLPs elicited better protective efficacy than ROP4 VLPs, providing important insight into vaccine design strategy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 1997.04a
• /
• pp.93-93
• /
• 1997

Analysis of protein is often frustrated by the inability to isolate large amounts of purified protein from a native source. To overcome this problem, fusion protein expression systems such as pGEX system have been widely used. Using pGEX system, the desired protein could be easily obtained in a large amount in E. coli, and then the fusion protein could be used for the study of the function of the given protein. To analyze and purify the GST fusion protein, anti-GST antibody could be used as one of the system of choice. However, the production and characterization of monoclonal anti-GST antibody has not been studied extensively yet. To produce monoclonal anti-GST antibody, GST was purified from E. coli transformed with pGEX-cs, one of the pGEX system and was used as an antigen. The monoclonal antibody was produced by fusion of the immunized spleen cells with SP2-0 myeloma cells. The antibody was characterized by ELISA, western blotting, etc. The monoclonal antibody produced in this study (mAb-GSTA) showed strong and specific immunoreactivity against not only GST but also GST-fusion proteins. Also, mAb-GSTA was successfully used for the immunoaffinity purification of the GST ${\beta}$-Rc.-third intracellular-loop fusion protein. The results of the present study suggest that mAb-GSTA may be used for the identification and purification of GST fusion proteins.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.605-613
• /
• 1997

This study was to investigate interaction between dietary protein and Ca levels in Ca metabolism and renal function in osteporosis rats. Five week-old female rats were fed a low Ca diet for 4 weeks after ovariectomy operation to establish rat models of osteoporosis. The ovariectomized osteoporosis rats were divided into six groups and were fed experimental diets which contained two levels of protein, normal (20%) and high(40%) , and three levels of Ca, low (0.06%), normal (0.47%) and high(0.94%) for 4 weeks , respectively. The ovaricetmized rat model of osteoporosis showed a remarkable decrease in serum Ca concentration, fresh weight and breaking force of femur, Ca and P contents of femur, and apparent absorption and retention of Ca. The supplementations of Ca and P contents of femur, and apparent absorption and retention of Ca. The supplementations of Ca at the dietary levels of normal and high levels significantly enhanced Ca bioavailability shown in the above experimental rat models of osteoporosis, regardless of dietary protein levels ; whereas the rats which were fed the low Ca diet demonstrated rather a decrease in its bioavailability. Irrespectively of the dietary Ca levels, the rats which were fed high protein diet exhibited an increase in kidney weight, urinary Ca, volume and hydroxyproline, and glomerular filtration ratio(GFR). The results show that dietary protein and calcium levels affect the renal function and Ca metabolism independently, while the interaction between protein and calcium have not been shown.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.456-465
• /
• 1992

The 94 KDa glucose-resulsted Protein (SH 94), one of stress Proteins, is a Ca2+-binding protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, the possible effect of Ca2+ on the native conformation of grp 94 was examined. When the purified grp 94 was analyzed by Sel filtration in the presence of either EGTA or CaCl2, it was eluted with apparent molecular weight (MW) of 100 KDa in both cases. When similarly analyzed with microtome or cell Ivsate, however, srp 94 was eluted with apparent IW of 200 KDa in the presence of E6TA, while with apparent MW of 100 KDa in the presence of CaCl2, indicating possible association of grp 94 with one or more other proteins in the absence of CaCl2. Consequently, immunoprecipitation with anti-grp 94 was carried out to determine which proteins specifically interact with grp 94. It is sho%un that srp 94 may interact, in a Ca2+_dependent manner. with other proteins including BiP (grp 78) which is also a stress protein in the ER.

• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 1995

Picosecond time-resolved and static protein fluorescence spectra and absorption spectra of octopus rhodopsin, a photorecepting protein, are measured and compared with those of bacteriorhodopsin, a photon-induced proton pumping protein, to understand the protein conformations and functions of octopus rhodopsin and its deprotonated photocycle intermediate. The bluer and weaker absorption of retinal indicates that octopus rhodopsin is better in thermal noise suppression but less efficient in light harvesting than bacteriorhodopsin. The protein fluorescence of octopus rhodopsin shows the characteristic of Trp only and the uantum efficiency and lifetime variations may result primarily from variations in the coupling strength with the retinal. The stronger intensity by four times and larger red shift by 12 nm of fluorescence suggest that octopus rhodopsin has more open and looser structure compared with bacteriorhodopsin. Fluorescence decay profiles reveal two decay components of 300 ps (60%) and 2 ns (40%). The deprotonation of protonated Schiff's base increases the shorter decay time to 500 ps and enhances the fluorescence intensity by 20%. The fluorescence and its decay time from Trp residues near retinal are influenced more by the deprotonation. The increase of fluorescence intimates that protein structure becomes loosened and relaxed further by the deprotonation of protonated Schiff's base. The driving force of sequential changes initiated by absorption of a photon is too exhausted after the deprotonation to return the intermediate to the ground state of the begun rhodopsin form.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.296-308
• /
• 2019

Although the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) is a promising alternative protein source, the effects of processing conditions on functional properties are unclear. In this study, a protein extract of yellow mealworm larvae (PEYM) was subjected to different heat temperature ($55^{\circ}C$, $75^{\circ}C$, and $95^{\circ}C$) with different time (20, 40, and 60 min) to evaluate the functional properties and protein oxidation. Different heat temperature treatment significantly affected the exposure of surface hydrophobicity of the proteins and protein molecule aggregation, which reached maximum levels at $95^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. Protein oxidation was inversely proportional to the temperature. Both the highest carbonyl value (1.49 nmol/mg protein) and lowest thiol value (22.94 nmol/mg protein) were observed at $95^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. The heating time-temperature interaction affected several functional properties, including solubility, emulsifying potential, and gel strength (GS). Solubility decreased near the isoelectric point (pH 5 to 6). As the temperature and heating time increased, emulsifying properties decreased and GS increased. The oil absorption capacity and foaming properties decreased and the water absorption capacity increased. These results confirmed that PEYM is a suitable source of proteins for processing and applications in the food industry.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.41.1-41.11
• /
• 2023

The Dengue virus M protein is a 75 amino acid polypeptide with two helical transmembranes (TM). The TM domain oligomerizes to form an ion channel, facilitating viral release from the host cells. The M protein has a critical role in the virus entry and life cycle, making it a potent drug target. The oligomerization of the monomeric protein was studied using ab initio modeling and molecular dynamics simulation in an implicit membrane environment. The representative structures obtained showed pentamer as the most stable oligomeric state, resembling an ion channel. Glutamic acid, threonine, serine, tryptophan, alanine, isoleucine form the pore-lining residues of the pentameric channel, conferring an overall negative charge to the channel with approximate length of 51.9 Å. Residue interaction analysis for M protein shows that Ala94, Leu95, Ser112, Glu124, and Phe155 are the central hub residues representing the physicochemical interactions between domains. The virtual screening with 165 different ion channel inhibitors from the ion channel library shows monovalent ion channel blockers, namely lumacaftor, glipizide, gliquidone, glisoxepide, and azelnidipine to be the inhibitors with high docking scores. Understanding the three-dimensional structure of M protein will help design therapeutics and vaccines for Dengue infection.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.64-79
• /
• 2024

The rise in popularity of vegetarian and plant-based diets has led to extensive research into plant-based whipped creams. Whipped cream is an oil-in-water emulsion that creates foam through whipping, stabilizing the foam with proteins and fats. Pea protein is an excellent emulsifier and foaming agent among plant-based proteins, but its application in whipped cream is currently limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the quality characteristics of plant-based whipped cream made with ultrasonicated pea protein. The whipped creams were evaluated based on their quality characteristics. A commercially available dairy whipped cream (CON) was used as a control. Plant-based creams were evaluated using pea protein solution, cocoa butter, and canola oil to produce un-ultrasonicated pea protein whipped cream (PP) and ultrasonicated pea protein whipped cream (UPP) at 360 W for 6 min. UPP significantly reduced whipping time and foam drainage compared with CON and PP, resulting in significantly increased overrun, fat destabilization, and hardness. Optical microscopy showed that UPP had smaller fat globules and bubble size than PP. The fat globules of UPP and CON were mostly below 5 ㎛, whereas those of PP were distributed at 5-20 ㎛. Finally, ultrasonication significantly improved the overrun, foam drainage, fat destabilization, and hardness of UPP, which are significant quality characteristics of whipped creams. Therefore, ultrasonicated plant-based pea protein whipped cream is believed to be a viable alternative to dairy whipped cream.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.341-350
• /
• 1997

We have now constructed a novel recombinant baculovirus producing fusion protein with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) polyhedrin and Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt) cryIA(c) crystal protein. The fusion protein expressed by the recombinant baculovirus in insect cells was characterized. The N-terminal of cryIA(c) gene of Bt subsp. kurstaki HD-73 was introduced under the control of polyhedrin gene promoter of AcNPV, by fusion in the front of intact polyhedrin gene or by insertion into the HindIII site in polyhedrin gene. The recombinant baculoviruses were named as BtrusI or BtrusII, respectively. Although single transcript from the fusion protein gene was apparently observed. BtrusI was produced the two proteins, 92 kDa fusion protein and only polyhedrin. In addition, fusion protein produced by BtrusI did not form polyhedra. Interestingly, however, the cells infected with BtrusII did not show a 33 kDa polyhedrin band as a cells infected with BtrusI. Cells infected with BtrusII were only produced fusion protein, but the polyhedra formed by fusion protein was not observed. To determine the insecticidal toxicity of fusion protein, therefore, Sf9 cells infected with BtrusI were inoculated to Bombyx mori larvae. Sf9 cells infected with BtrusI that expressed the fusion protein caused larval mortality although the insecticidal toxicity was low. In conclusion, our results clearly demonstrated that the fusion protein with polyhedrin and Bt cryIA(c) crystal protein have a insecticida toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 2003

In order to study the optimum daily protein allowance for broiler breeders of 24 to 64 weeks of age on a control-fed basis, an experiment was carried out with 400 hens of Arbor Acres strain. Four levels of protein allowances were used to supply 18 to 24g of protein per day in 2g increments. As the age of hens increased, a same stepwise increase and decrease in daily energy allotment was used in all treatments. Same amount of calcium, phosphorus, methionine and lysine were supplied in all treatments and throughout laying period. Hen-day egg production was highest in hens receiving 20g protein per day(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference among those fed daily protein ranging 18 to 22g, and increasing the daily protein allotment up to 24g resulted in a significant decrease(p<0.05). Average egg weight showed a trend to increase as the daily protein allowance increase(p<0.05), but no significant difference was found among the hens fed daily protein 20 to 24g. Feed and ME conversion was superior in hens receiving 20g daily protein(p<0.05). CP conversion was increased as the daily protein allowance increase(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between hens receiving 18 and 20g daily protein. Feed cost required per egg or per kg egg was lowest in hens fed 20g daily protein. It could be concluded that the optimum daily protein allowance was 20g in all performances.