• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.62-67
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• 2008

The present study was aimed to elucidate the mechanism of stabilization of tubulin by deuterium oxide ($D_2O$). Rate of decrease of tryptophan fluorescence during aging of tubulin at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 37$^{\circ}C$ was significantly lower in $D_2O$ than in $H_2O$. Circular dichroism spectra of tubulin after incubation at 4$^{\circ}C$, suggested that complete stabilization of the secondary structure in D2O during the first 24 hours of incubation. The number of available cysteine measured by DTNB reaction was decreased to a lesser extent in $D_2O$ than in $H_2O$. . During the increase in temperature of tubulin, the rate of decrease of fluorescence at 335 nm and change of CD value at 222 nm was lesser in $D_2O$. Differential Scanning calorimetric experiments showed that the $T_m$ values for tubulin unfolding in $D_2O$ were 58.6$^{\circ}C$ and 62.17$^{\circ}C$, and in $H_2O$. those values were 55.4$^{\circ}C$ and 59.35$^{\circ}C$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.223-232
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• 1988

Fifty-two wether lambs weighing 30 kg were randomly assigned to 5 treatment groups; 1) initial slaughter. 2) control-maintenance (CON-MT), 3) control-ad libitum (CON-AL), 4) cimaterol-maintenance (CIM-MT) and 5) cimaterol-ad libitum (CIM-AL). Ad libitum-fed animals had free access of a high-concentrate diet, whereas maintenance animals were restricted in feed intake to maintain the initial weight of 30 kg for 90 days. Cimaterol was administered in the feed at 10 mg/kg. Regardless of feeding level, the administration of CIM improved carcass weight (p < .05), dressing % (p < .01), longissimus muscle area (p < .01), leg conformation and muscling (p < .01), USDA yield and quality grades (p < .01) and protein concentration (p < .01) in carcass as well as in muscle. Cimaterol feeding decreased organ wt (p < .01), baekfat depth (p < .01), intramuscular fat and overall fatness. Cimaterol was effective for muscle accretion even under restricted feeding condition. The greater accretion of muscle was the result of the hypertrophy of both type I and type II muscle fibers but the hypertrophy of type II fiber (110%) was much greater than that of type I fiber (37%). Cimaterol feeding decreased muscle DNA concentrations but the number of nuclei per muscle fiber was not changed, indicating that the lower DNA concentration was due to the dilution effect caused by the hypertrophy of muscle fiber. As evidenced by lower flank streaking, lower marbling and darker muscle, CIM feeding adversely affected meat quality. Meat tenderness was also adversely affected, resulting in significantly (p H .01) tougher meat in CIM-fed animals.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.206-213
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• 2003

Purpose: The clinical implication of p53 mutation in gastric cancer is still unclear, as shown by the discordant results that continue to be reported in the literature. Materials and Methods: To assess p53 gene mutation, tumor p53 overexpression, and serum anti-p53 antibody, we employed a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis, an immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody DO-7, and an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results: Of 169 surgical specimens of gastric cancer, mutation at exon $5\∼8$ of the p53 was identified in 33 ($19.5\%$) and was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis. Overexpression of p53 was found in 62 specimens ($36.7\%$) and had a significant correlation with tumor differentiation. Serum anti-p53 antibody was positive in 18 patients ($10.7\%$). Twenty-three of the mutated tumors ($69.7\%$) and 39 of the non-mutated tumors ($28.7\%$) displayed immunoreactivity. Twelve of the immunopositive tumors ($19.4\%$) and 6 of the immunonegative tumors produced anti-p53 antibody. These differences were statistically significant (P<0.001 and P=0.005, respectively). There was no significant difference in survival according to the mutation of p53. Conclusion: Mutation and overexpression of p53 can be easily detected by immunohistochemistry. However, standardization of the immunohistochemical staining method, as well as guidelines for interpreting the stained result, will produce concordant results and thereby improve clinical application.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.598-604
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• 2009

This work was carried out to study the carcass characteristics, the chemical composition and the fatty acid profile in Longissimus muscle (LM) of bull breeds Nellore, NEL (11), Caracu, CAR (12) and Holstein-Friesian, HFR (12) finished in a feedlot. The bulls were fed twice a day with corn silage, cotton meal, cracked corn, urea, limestone and mineral salt. NEL and CAR bulls had similar (p>0.05) final weight and hot carcass weight. However, NEL and CAR bulls had higher (p<0.05) final weight and hot carcass weight than HFR bulls. Carcass hot dressing, carcass conformation, cushion thickness, Longissimus muscle area and texture were similar (p>0.05) among NEL, CAR and HFR bulls. NEL and HFR bulls had higher (p<0.05) carcass length in comparison to the CAR breed. Nellore breed had higher (p<0.05) leg length in comparison to CAR and HFR breeds. Leg length was similar (p>0.05) between CAR and HFR breeds. Thickness fat, color and marbling score were lower (p<0.05) in NEL breed in comparison to CAR and HFR breeds. LM of NEL bulls had higher (p<0.05) meat moisture content in comparison to CAR and HFR bulls. In contrast, lipid content was lower (p<0.10) in HFR bulls. LM ash and crude protein contents were similar (p>0.05) among breeds. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were higher (p<0.10) in HFR animals. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n-6, n-3 and PUFA/SFA ratio were similar (p>0.05) among the different breeds. N-6/n-3 ratio was higher (p<0.05) in CAR animals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2184-2191
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• 2016

The time-consuming and high-cost preparation of soluble peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC) currently limits their wide uses in monitoring antigen-specific T cells. The single-chain trimer (SCT) of peptide-${\beta}2m$-MHC class I heavy chain was developed as an alternative strategy, but its gene fusion is hindered in many cases owing to the incompatibility between the multiple restriction enzymes and the restriction endonuclease sites of plasmid vectors. In this study, overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning were adopted to overcome this restriction. The SCT gene of the $OVA_{257-264}$ peptide-$(GS_4)_3-{\beta}2m-(GS_4)_4-H-2K^b$ heavy chain was constructed and inserted into plasmid pET28a by overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning, without the requirement of restriction enzymes. The SCT protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, and then purified and refolded. The resulting $H-2K^b/OVA_{257-264}$ complex showed the correct structural conformation and capability to bind with $OVA_{257-264}$-specific T-cell receptor. The overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning ensure the construction of single-chain MHC class I molecules associated with random epitopes, and will facilitate the preparation of soluble pMHC multimers.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1801-1808
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• 2006

The interaction between whey carrier protein $\beta$-lactoglobulin type A and B (BLG-A and -B) and 2,2'-bipyridin n-hexyl dithiocarbamato Pd(II) nitrate (BPHDC-Pd(II)), a new heavy metal complex designed for anticancer property, was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometry and circular dichroism (CD) techniques. A strong fluorescence quenching reaction of BPHDC-Pd(II) to BLG-A and -B was observed. Hence, BPHDC-Pd(II) complex can be bound to both BLG-A and -B, and quench the fluorescence spectra of the proteins. The quenching constant was determined using the modified Stern-Volmer equation. The binding parameters were evaluated by fluorescence quenching method. The results of binding study provided evidences presence of two and three sets of binding sites on the BLG-B and -A, respectively, for BPHDC-Pd(II) complex. Using fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometry, the ability of BLG-A and -B to form an intermediate upon interaction with BPHDC-Pd(II) complex was assessed. CD studies displayed that under influence of different concentrations of BPHDC-Pd(II) complex, the regular secondary structure of BLG-B had no significant changes, whereas for BLG-A a transition from $\alpha$-helix to $\beta$-structure was appeared. The results for both of BLG-A and -B displayed that BPHDC-Pd(II) complex can induce a conformational transition from the native form to an intermediate state with a slightly opened conformation, which is detectable with chemometry analyses.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.286-291
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• 2016

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the prototypical ${\gamma}$-herpesvirus and an obligate human pathogen that infects mainly epithelial cells and B cells, which can result in malignancies. EBV infects these target cells by fusing with the viral and cellular lipid bilayer membranes using multiple viral factors and host receptor(s) thus exhibiting a unique complexity in its entry machinery. To enter epithelial cells, EBV requires minimally the conserved core fusion machinery comprised of the glycoproteins gH/gL acting as the receptor-binding complex and gB as the fusogen. EBV can enter B cells using gp42, which binds tightly to gH/gL and interacts with host HLA class II, activating fusion. Previously, we published the individual crystal structures of EBV entry factors, such as gH/gL and gp42, the EBV/host receptor complex, gp42/HLA-DR1, and the fusion protein EBV gB in a postfusion conformation, which allowed us to identify structural determinants and regions critical for receptor-binding and membrane fusion. Recently, we reported different low resolution models of the EBV B cell entry triggering complex (gHgL/gp42/HLA class II) in "open" and "closed" states based on negative-stain single particle electron microscopy, which provide further mechanistic insights. This review summarizes the current knowledge of these key players in EBV entry and how their structures impact receptor-binding and the triggering of gB-mediated fusion.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.91-98
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• 2010

Purpose: Silent mating-type information regulation 2 homologue 1 (SIRT1) is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase. SIRT1 plays an important role in the regulation of cell death/survival and stress response in mammals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the SIRT1 gene is involved in the development or progression of gastric cancers. Materials and Methods: SIRT1 and p53 genes in 86 gastric cancers were examined for genetic alterations by PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism sequencing, as well as SIRT1 protein expression in 170 gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry. Results: In the genetic analysis, we found SIRT1 and p53 mutations in two and 12 cases, respectively. Two missense mutations, c.599 C>T (T200I) and c.1258 G>A (E420K), were detected in the SIRT1 gene coding region. The SIRT1 and p53 mutation were found in mutually exclusive gastric cancers. The immunohistochemistry revealed that SIRT1 overexpression was found in 95 (55.9%) of 170 gastric cancers. Altered SIRT1 expression was not statistically associated with clinicopathological parameters, including tumor differentiation, location, lymph node metastasis, or p53 expression. Two cases with an SIRT1 mutation showed increased SIRT1 expression. Conclusions: These results suggest that genetic alterations and overexpression of the SIRT1 gene may contribute to gastric cancer development.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 1997

Bothl $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-containing methanol dehydrogenases (MDH) were purified to homogeneity with yields of 48% and 42%, respectively, from Methylabacillus methanolovorus sp. strain SK5. Most of the biochemical and structural properties were similar to each other. However, some differences were found: (1) although the overall shape of the absorption spectrum of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was very similar to that of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH, the absorption intensity originating from the cofactor in Sr$^{2+}$. MDH was higher than that in $Ca^{2+}$-MDH. Small blue shift of the maximum was also observed. These are probably due to a difference in redox state of the cofactors in $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH; (2) Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was more heat-stable than $Ca^{2+}$-MDH above 56$^{\circ}C$; (3) the V$_{max}$ values for the methanol-dependent activities of Sr$^{2+}$- and $Ca^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of 3 mM KCN were 2.038 and 808 nmol/mg protein/min, respectively. In addition, the $K_{m}$ values of Sr$^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ MDH for methanol were 12 and 21 $\mu$M, respectively; (4) the endogenous activity of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH was more sensitive than that of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of cyanide; (5) Diethyl pyrocarbonate treatment increased the enzyme activities of $Ca^{2+}$- and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH 4.2- and 1.4-folds, respectively. These results indicate that Sr$^{2+}$ stabilizes the structural conformation and enhances the activity of MDH more than $Ca^{2+}$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1439-1447
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary incorporation of tanninrich woody species on meat oxidative stability, carcass traits and meat quality in goats. Methods: Two tannin-rich species were tested using a three-treatments feeding trial, where treatments consisted of: Larrea divaricata and Acacia aroma both at 12.5% in dry matter basis of the diet and a control diet (alfalfa hay). All feeding diets were iso-protein and iso-energy. Carcass conformation, carcass compactness, carcass fatness and subcutaneous fat deposition were evaluated. Intake, liveweigh, Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles of goats were analyzed in order to evaluate quality parameters such as pH value, instrumental color evaluation, water holding capacity, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, meat oxidative stability and fatty acid profiles in meat. Results: Feed intake, liveweight gain, carcass, and meat traits did not differ among treatments. Changes in meat lipid profile among treatments were observed for oleic and elaidic acid contents. Meat total phenolic content and antioxidant activity did not differ among treatments; although, meat oxidative status after storage at room temperature, as well as under refrigerated and frozen conditions were different between control and both supplemented groups. Conclusion: The inclusion of Acacia aroma and Larrea divaricata leaves in goat diet enhanced meat oxidative stability. Modulation of the ruminal biohydrogenation of fatty acids produced by condensed tannins of these plant species need to be further investigated.