• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.145-152
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• 1998

The spinning apparatus and production of secretory silk from silk gland of the black widow spider, Latrodectus mactans were studied with scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The silk glands were located in seven groups on the spinnerets including each pair of major and minor ampullate, 3 pairs of tubuliform, 1 pair of flagelliform, 2 pairs of aggregate, about 50 pairs of pyriform and over 250 pairs of aciniform glands, respect- ively. Each group of silk gland feeds silk into one of the three spinneret pairs. Secretory silk is synthesized from rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) of glandular epithelial cells. The secretory silk is transported from toe rER into the secretory vacuoles which are grown up by fusion with the surrounding small vesicles including the secretory silk. The secretory vacuoles, which show a gradual increase in electron density with the process of maturity, are formed without involvement of the Golgi complex, suggesting that they do not play an important role in the processing of the secretory silk. The secretory silk products are released by the mechanism of apocrine secretion, losing part of their cytoplasm. Moreover, another type of silk precursor, possibly protein, appears as granular material, and is also discharged to the luminal cavity.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 1984

The effects of ionic strength and pH on the binding of cefazolin to bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied by UV difference spectrophotometry. As ionic strength at constant pH and temperature increases, the apparent bining constant decreased but the number of binding sites remained almost constant at 2. The constancy of the number of binding sites with increasing the ionic strength suggests that purely electrostatic forces between BSA and drug do not have great importance in the drug binding, even though there is a decrease in the apparent binding constant. Thus, the effect of ionic strength on the interaction between drug and BSA may be explained by the changes in ionic atmosphere of the aggregated BSA molecules and competitive inhibition by phosphate ions. In addition, the higher apparent binding constant at high ionic strength is explained by conformational changes of BSA from its aggregate forms into subunits. The pH effects on the afinity of interactions indicated that the binding affinity of cefazoline is higher in the neutral region than in the alkaline region. An d at high pH value, the number of binding sites decreased from 2 to 1 because of the conformational change of BSA in the alkaline region.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.7-19
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• 2008

Complexins play a critical role in the control of fast synchronous neurotransmitter release. They operate by binding to trimeric SNARE complexes consisting of the vesicle protein Synaptobrevin and the plasma membrane proteins Syntaxin and SNAP-25, which are key executors of membrane fusion reactions. SNARE complex binding by Complexins is thought to stabilize and clamp the SNARE complex in a highly fusogenic state, thereby providing a pool of readily releasable synaptic vesicles that can be released quickly and synchronously in response to an action potential and the concomitant increase in intra-synaptic $Ca^{2+}$ levels. Genetic elimination of Complexins from mammalian neurons causes a strong reduction in evoked neurotransmitter release, and altered Complexin expression levels with consequent deficits in synaptic transmission were suggested to contribute to the etiology or pathogenesis of schizophrenia, Huntington's disease, depression, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, Wernicke's encephalopathy, and fetal alcohol syndrome. In the present review I provide a summary of available data on the role of altered Complexin expression in brain diseases. On aggregate, the available information indicates that altered Complexin expression levels are unlikely to have a causal role in the etiology of the disorders that they have been implicated in, but that they may contribute to the corresponding symptoms.

• Bulletin of Food Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 1996

최근 6할이상의 주부들이 가공식품 혹은 반가공식품을 이용하고 있으며 그 이유는 이용의 간편성, 조리가 간단하고 합리지향적인 구매행위가 가능한 점으로 꼽을 수 있다. 특히, 일본의 경우 노년인구층의 급증으로 인한 부드러운 식품소재의 이용성이 크게 늘어나고 있는 추세에서, 강하지않고 부드러운 향미 및 질감, 먹기쉬운 간편성등과 영양기능성이 강조된 제품개발이 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 따라서, 가공식품을 개발하려는 목적위에 소비자의 연령층에 대응하고, 보다 고도의 기능특성(영양성, 안전성, 경제성등)을 결합시킨 개념들이 도입되고 있다. 단백질은 가공식품의 물성을 결정하는 성분으로써 우유, 계란, 대두 및 밀가루단백질들을 이용하여 물성개량을 위한 잠정적 식품첨가물로 이용가치가 높다. 주로 구상단백질로 구성이 되어 있는 우유의 유청단백질을 특수한 처리에 의해 가용성 선상응집체(Soluble linear aggregate)로 가공한 유청단백질(Process whey protein)은 원래의 미변성 유청단백질에 비해 증강된 기능특성(표 1)을 지니고 있다. 지난 10년간 유청의 유용성에 대한 인식이 증가된 것은 물론 막기술이나, 이온 교환기술을 이용한 유청가공기술이 점진적으로 발달해왔다. 유청의 원재료는 물론이고 가공적성을 이해함으로써, 산 안전성, 겔화, 막형성, 기포형성, 유화액형성 등의 수많은 식품학적 기능특성들이 제고될 수 있다. 따라서, 식품에 응용될 수 있는 이들 기능특성들을 다듬어, 유청단백질을 특별한 목적용 제품으로 개발할 수 있도록 넓은 범위의 정보를 제공하는 것이 중요하다. 이에 유청단백질의 제조 및 가공을 제고하고, 식품에 광범위하게 응용할 수 있는 유청단백질의 다양한 식품학적 기능특성을 논의하고자 한다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.4171-4175
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• 2011

Bio-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which bio-specifically interact with biotin-(strept)avidin, were investigated in this study. AuNPs were functionalized with a synthetically-provided biotin-linked thiol (BLT), which was synthesized by amidation of the active ester of biotin with 2-mercaptoethylamine. The BLT-attached AuNP was bio-specific for streptavidin, making it potentially useful for biosensor applications. To test the bio-specific interactions, the colors, absorption spectra and TEM images were investigated for proteins such as streptavidin, cytochrome C, myoglobin and hemoglobin. The colors and absorption spectra changed when streptavidin was added to the BLT-attached AuNP solution. However, the color and spectra did not change when the other proteins were added to the same solution. These results show that the AuNPs provided a colloidal solution with excellent stability and highly selective absorption characteristics for streptavidin as a target molecule. Proteins were also screened in order to identify a general strategy for the use of optical biosensing proteins based on AuNPs. In addition, TEM images confirmed that streptavidin led the BLT-attached AuNPs to aggregate or precipitate.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.345-354
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• 2017

Autophagy, a catabolic process necessary for the maintenance of intracellular homeostasis, has recently been the focus of numerous human diseases and conditions, such as aging, cancer, development, immunity, longevity, and neurodegeneration. However, the continued presence of autophagy is essential for cell survival and dysfunctional autophagy is thought to speed up the progression of neurodegeneration. The actual molecular mechanism behind the progression of dysfunctional autophagy is not yet fully understood. Emerging evidence suggests that basal autophagy is necessary for the removal of misfolded, aggregated proteins and damaged cellular organelles through lysosomal mediated degradation. Physiologically, neurodegenerative disorders are related to the accumulation of amyloid ${\beta}$ peptide and ${\alpha}-synuclein$ protein aggregation, as seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, respectively. Even though autophagy could impact several facets of human biology and disease, it generally functions as a clearance for toxic proteins in the brain, which contributes novel insight into the pathophysiological understanding of neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, several studies demonstrate that natural compounds or small molecule autophagy enhancer stimuli are essential in the clearance of amyloid ${\beta}$ and ${\alpha}-synuclein$ deposits. Therefore, this review briefly deliberates on the recent implications of autophagy in neurodegenerative disorder control, and emphasizes the opportunities and potential therapeutic application of applied autophagy.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.32.1-32.13
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• 2019

Calcium hydroxide (CH) is the gold-standard intracanal dressing for teeth subjected to traumatic avulsion. A common complication after the replantation of avulsed teeth is root resorption (RR). The current review was conducted to compare the effect of CH with that of other intracanal medications and filling materials on inflammatory RR and replacement RR (ankylosis) in replanted teeth. The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched through June 2018 using specific keywords related to the title of the present article. The materials that were compared to CH were in 2 categories: 1) mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and endodontic sealers as permanent filling materials for single-visit treatment, and 2) Ledermix, bisphosphonates, acetazolamide, indomethacin, gallium nitrate, and enamel matrix-derived protein (Emdogain) as intracanal medicaments for multiple-visit management of avulsed teeth prior to the final obturation. MTA can be used as a single-visit root filling material; however, there are limited data on its efficacy due to a lack of clinical trials. Ledermix and acetazolamide were comparable to CH in reducing RR. Emdogain seems to be an interesting material, but the data supporting its use as an intracanal medication remain very limited. The conclusions drawn in this study were limited by the insufficiency of clinical trials.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.45-51
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• 2021

High blood cholesterol levels and oxidized cholesterol are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which displays high annual incidence. Although studies on sericulture products, including pupae, silk protein, and blood lymph, as hypocholesterolemic substances have been reported, insufficient research in this field has been focused on silkworm larvae. Six larval extracts (Low temperature distilled water, LW; hot temperature distilled water, HW; and 30-100% ethanol, E30-E100) were prepared, and their effects on cholesterol metabolism were examined. LW most potently reduced the risk of cholesterol-related disorders. Polyphenols were highly represented in LW, corresponding with its increased antioxidant potency. The cholesterol biosynthesis enzyme, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) was strongly inhibited by LW. Hepatocytes over-expressed LDL receptor (LDLR) after LW stimulation, promoting cholesterol elimination from plasma. LW also increased ATP binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) gene expression, upregulating HDL biogenesis. In conclusion, LW exhibited strong antioxidant activity, suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis, improved LDL uptake from plasma, and upregulated HDL biosynthesis. In aggregate, these activities could reduce blood cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular disease.

• Korean Journal of Dental Materials
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2017

TheraCal LC, a new light-cured, resin-modified calcium silicate-filled base/liner material, has been introduced as a pulpotomy agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of hard tissue formation and pulpal response after pulpotomy with TheraCal LC. Twenty-two 9-week-old male rats were anesthetized, cavities were prepared in maxillary first molars and pulps were capped with formocresol (FC), mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), and TheraCal LC. Specimens obtained from rats were scanned using a high-resolution micro CT system. The specimens were prepared and evaluated histologically, and immunofluorescence assay was performed to assess the dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1) expression. On micro CT analysis, the MTA and TheraCal LC groups showed thicker hard tissue formation than the FC group. On hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, MTA and TheraCal LC groups showed dentine bridge formation with vital pulp beneath the materials. On immunofluorescence analysis, DMP-1 was highly expressed in the TheraCal LC group compared to the FC group. TheraCal LC showed similar capacity to form hard tissue as MTA when it was used as a pulpotomy agent. Because of its good manipulation and faster setting time compared to MTA, TheraCal LC could be considered as a good alternative to MTA.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2020

Iron oxide nanoparticles were microencapsulated using fibroin, a protein polymer of silk fiber, for theragnostic applications. The content of iron oxide was determined to be 4.28% by thermogravimetric analysis and 5.11% by magnetometer. A suspension of murine fibroblast 3T3 cells grown in medium supplemented with iron oxide-microcapsules turned clear in response to the magnetic force and the cells aggregated to the magnet direction. Neodymium magnets placed on the top of the culture dish, and attracted cells to the center of the culture surface. The cells collected on the culture surface aggregated to form a rough spheroid of 2 mm in a diameter after 72 h. In the outer layer of the cell aggregate, cells were relatively large and gathered together to form a dense tissue, but the central part was observed to undergo cell death due to the mass transfer restriction. In the outer layer, iron oxide-microcapsules were lined up like chains in the direction of magnetic force. Using microCT, it was demonstrated that the iron oxides inside the cell aggregate were not evenly distributed but biased to the magnetic direction.