• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2006

Ability of iron acquisition of pathogenic microorganisms functions as a virulence factor. Candida albicans, a fungal pathogen that requires iron for growth, is susceptible to growth retardation by high-affinity iron binding proteins such as transferrin. Recently, we reported that C. albicans could utilize the heme as a part of heme-containing proteins dissociated by heme oxygenase, CaHMX1. In search of another pathway that C. albicans can use to bypass the growth regulation produced by iron limitation, this present study examined utilization of non-candidal siderophores such as Desferal and rhodotorulic acid (RA) for acquisition of inorganic iron by the fungus. C. albicans secreting no siderophores was cultured in iron-free (pretreated with apotransferrin for 24 h) (culture medium). Once growth of the yeast reached stasis from iron starvation, a siderophore was added to the culture media. Results showed that cultures containing apotransferrin within a dialysis membrane recovered growth to the level of untreated controls, whereas C. albicans yeast cells in direct contact with soluble iron-free (apo) transferrin recovered growth only partially. When static growth from iron limitation was reached, the addition of siderophore-apotransferrin complex to culture medium also permitted the yeast to recover growth from apotransferrin growth regulation. All the data show that C. albicans can utilize the non-candidal siderophores for iron acquisition under transferrin regulation as can pathogenic bacteria.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.291-297
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• 1998

Cop protein has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli using a T7 RNA polymerase system. Purification to apparent homogeneity was achieved by the sequential chromatography on ion exchange, affinity chromatography, and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography system. The molecular weight of the purified Cop was estimated as 6.1 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). But the molecular mass of the native state Cop was shown to be 19 kDa by an analytical high performance size exclusion chromatography, suggesting a trimer-like structure in 50 mM Tris-HCI buffer (pH 7.5) containing 100 mM NaCl. Cop protein Was calculated to contain $39.1% {\alpha}-helix, 16.8% {\beta}-sheet$, 17.4% turn, and 26.8% random structure. The DNA binding property of Cop protein expressed in E. coli Was preserved during the expression and purification process. The isoelectric point of Cop was determined to be 9.0. The results of amino acid composition analysis and N-terminal amino acid sequencing of Cop showed that it has the same amino acid composition and N-terminal amino acid sequence as those deduced from its DNA sequence analysis, except for the partial removal of N-terminal methionine residue by methionyl-aminopeptidase in E. coli.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2009

Lactoferrin was first identified 60 years ago as a "red protein" in bovine milk. Lactoferrin, one of the transferrin family proteins, is an iron-binding glycoprotein found in milk and various mucosal secretions; it is also released from activated neutrophils. Human lactoferrin has a molecular weight of 82.4 kDa and is composed of 702 or 692 amino acid residues. Bovine lactoferrin has a molecular weight of 83.1 kDa and is composed of 689 amino acid residues. Both lactoferrin and transferrin have the ability to bind two $Fe^{3+}$ ions, together with two ${CO_3}^{2-}$ ions with extremely high affinity; these proteins also have the ability to release this iron at low pH levels. The polypeptide chain in lactoferrin is folded into two globular lobes, representing the N-terminal and C-terminal halves. Both lobes have similar folding and 40% sequence identity. This protein is capable of multiple functions as described in various review papers, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and cell growth-promoting activities. Lactoferrin also exhibits immunomodulating effects and plays an active role in the regulation of myelopoiesis and the inhibition of bacterial translocation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.403-409
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• 1991

This experiment was carried out to develop a sensitive, rapid, solid-phase microtitre plate assay of progesterone using the monoclonal antibody to this hormone. Monoclonal antibody to progesterone was much higher titre and binding affinity about 10 times than conventional polyclonal antibody to progesterone. Dot-blot analysis of monoclonal antibody revealed a single precipitation band when reacted with anti-mouse IgM and anti-mouse K. A competitive reaction was used with a reaction time of 2 hours. The standard dose-response curve was linear through 1,000pg/well. This ELISA system approach is applicable to evaluation for the rapid assessment of luteal function and reproductive status in both clinical and research in a wide variety of species.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.221-228
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• 2014

Glucosamine is commonly taken by the elderly without prescription as a nutritional supplement to attenuate the progression or symptoms of osteoarthritis. Previous studies demonstrated that glucosamine shows anti-inflammatory effects in tissues such as blood vessels and the heart. However, there have been few reports about the effects of glucosamine on oral inflammatory diseases. Therefore, in this study, the effects of glucosamine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses were investigated using human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPDLFs). HPDLFs were incubated in the presence and absence of glucosamine (10 mM) for 24 h, followed by treatment with E. coli LPS (100 ng/ml) or vehicle. Quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA results showed that LPS exposure significantly increased the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA and protein, while the effect was significantly suppressed by glucosamine treatment. Glucosamine did not attenuate, but slightly increased, the LPS-induced activation of mitogen activated kinases (ERK, p38, JNK). However, it suppressed the LPS-induced increase in the DNA binding affinity and transcriptional activity of NF-${\kappa}B$. These results suggest that glucosamine exerts anti-inflammatory effects on HPDLFs exposed to LPS via inhibition of NF-${\kappa}B$ activity, necessitating further studies using animal periodontitis models.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.103-110
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• 2001

$\alpha$-Fetoprotein(AFP) is a good marker for the detection of several diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma, gonadal germ cell tumor, gastric tumor, and Down's syndrome. In this study, we developed ELISA, using synthetic peptides corresponding to the epitopes of AFP. Five kinds of peptides were synthesized from AFP to produce antibodies in rats that recognize AFP in human plasma as well as amniotic fluid and do not cross-react with serum albumin. All five kinds of antibodies showed good reactivities with their peptide-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugates. Anti-synthetic peptide 1 (R-N-E-Y-G-I-A-S-I-L, 4-13) antibody, in particular, reacted well with AEP as well as synthetic peptide 1-KLH but not with human serum albumin. The binding affinity(Kd) was 2.7$\times$10$^{-9}$M for peptide 1 and 6.8$\times$10$^{-8}$M for AEP. The range for measurement of AFP was 10~1,000 ng/ml. The within-assay and between-assay coefficients of variance(CV) were 4.83% and 10.97%, respectively. In a sample of 31 sera and 33 amniotic fluids, there was a good correlation between AFP values determined in this assay and those in a commercial kit. These results indicate that the antibodies against synthetic peptides corresponding to the epitopes of AFP are highly specific to APP and synthetic peptide-based ELISA would be useful for the measurement of human AFP.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.9
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• pp.455-456
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• 2016

Mutations of APC and KRAS are frequently observed in human colorectal cancers (CRCs) and the Wnt/β-catenin and Ras pathways are consequently activated in a significant proportion of CRC patients. Mutations in these two genes are also known to synergistically induce progression of CRCs. Through a series of studies, we have demonstrated that inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway negatively regulates Ras stability, therefore, Ras abundance is increased together with β-catenin in both mice and human CRCs harboring adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutations. In a recent study, we identified KY1220, a small molecule that simultaneously degrades β-catenin and Ras by inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and obtained its derivative KYA1797K, which has improved activity and solubility. We found that KYA1797K binds the RGS domain of axin and enhances the binding affinity of β-catenin or Ras with the β-catenin destruction complex components, leading to simultaneous destabilization of β-catenin and Ras via GSK3β activation. By using both in vitro and in vivo studies, we showed that KYA1797K suppressed the growth of CRCs harboring APC and KRAS mutations through destabilization of β-catenin and Ras. Therefore, our findings indicate that the simultaneous destabilization of β-catenin and Ras via targeting axin may serve as an effective strategy for inhibition of CRCs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.600-603
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• 2007

The effect of a water-miscible ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate $([BMIM][BF_4])$, on the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed oxidation of 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol) with hydrogen peroxide $(H_2O_2)$ was investigated. HRP maintains its high activity in the aqueous mixtures containing various concentrations of the ionic liquid and even in 90% (v/v) ionic liquid. In order to minimize the effect of solution viscosity on the kinetic constants of HRP catalysis, the enzymatic reactions in the subsequent kinetic study were performed in water-ionic liquid mixtures containing 25% (v/v) ionic liquid at maximum. As the concentration of $[BMIM][BF_4]$ increased for the oxidation of guaiacol by HRP, the $K_m$ value increased with a slight decrease in the $K_{cat}$ value: The $K_m$ value increased from 2.8 mM in 100% (v/v) water to 22.5mM in 25% (v/v) ionic liquid, indicating that ionic liquid significantly weakens the binding affinity of guaiacol to HRP.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.547-554
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• 1997

Galectin-3 is known as an animal ${\beta}$-galactoside-binding lectin charicterized with S-type carbohydrate recognition domain. It plays a role in growth, adherence and movement of cells. It is, also, related to the cell transformation and metastasis of tumor cells. In this study, we have expressed and purified recombinant human galectin-3 (rHgalectin-3) using E coli system and asialofetuin affinity chromatography for the future development of monoclonal antibody to Hgalectin-3, which is suggested as the tumor marker for the gastric and thyroid gland cancers. Expressed protein was confirmed as the Hgalectin-3 by immunoblot with cross-reactive murine monoclonal antibody. Lectin activity and specificity of purified protein were, also, confirmed by the competitive inhibition with galectin-3 specific carbohydrate, lactose. Like physiological galectin-3, lectin activity of the molecule was not changed in nonreduced condition. Dimer formation, furthermore, was observed at high concentration of the protein even in the reduced condition, which is well known in physiological galectin-3. These results showed purified rHgalectin-3 has the same activity and molecular nature compared to the physiological galectin-3.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2014

The human cytochrome P450 2J2 catalyzes an epoxygenase reaction to oxidize various fatty acids including arachidonic acid. In this study, three recombinant enzyme constructs of P450 2J2 were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and their P450 proteins were successfully purified using a $Ni^{2+}$-NTA affinity column. Deletion of 34 amino acid residues in N-terminus of P450 2J2 enzyme (2J2-D) produced the soluble enzyme located in the cytosolic fraction. The enzymatic analysis of this truncated protein indicated the typical spectral characteristics and functional properties of P450 2J2 enzyme. P450 2J2-D enzymes from soluble fraction catalyzed the oxidation reaction of terfenadine to the hydroxylated product. However, P450 2J2-D enzymes from membrane fraction did not support the P450 oxidation reaction although it displayed the characteristic CO-binding spectrum of P450. Our finding of these features in the N-terminal modified P450 2J2 enzyme could help understand the biological functions and the metabolic roles of P450 2J2 enzyme and make the crystallographic analysis of the P450 2J2 structure feasible for future studies.