• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.66-71
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• 2016

PikD is a widely known pathway-specific regulator for controlling pikromycin production in Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC 15439, which is a representative of the large ATP-binding regulator of the LuxR family (LAL) in Streptomyces sp. RapH and FkbN also belong to the LAL family of transcriptional regulators, which show greatest homology with the ATP-binding motif and helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif of PikD. Overexpression of pikD and heterologous expression of rapH and fkbN led to enhanced production of pikromycin by approximately 1.8-, 1.6-, and 1.6-fold in S. venezuelae, respectively. Cross-complementation of rapH and fkbN in the pikD deletion mutant (ΔpikD) restored pikromycin and derived macrolactone production. Overall, these results show that heterologous expression of rapH and fkbN leads to the overproduction of pikromycin and its congeners from the pikromycin biosynthetic pathway in S. venezuelae, and they have the same functionality as the pathwayspecific transcriptional activator for the pikromycin biosynthetic pathway in the ΔpikD strain. These results also show extensive "cross-communication" between pathway-specific regulators of streptomycetes and suggest revision of the current paradigm for pathwayspecific versus global regulation of secondary metabolism in Streptomyces species.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.416-424
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• 2014

Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze the predominant microorganisms in the industry treating MWFs(Metal working fluids). Methods: The bacteria and fungi were collected by agar plate impaction and bulk MWFs in storage tank at 54 sites in 9 shops in South Korea. The dominant bacteria and fungi isolated from agar media were identified by fatty acid analysis and morphological analysis, respectively. Results: Totally 111 dominant bacteria were identified in the process, outdoor, and bulk MWFs. The predominant bacterial genus was Micrococcus and Bacillus in the process and outdoor, Pseudomonas in bulk MWF. Among the identified 119 strains of fungi, Cladosporium and Penicillium genus were dominated. The ratios of bacteria designated biosafety level 2 and 1 were 30% and 21%, respectively. Conclusions: This study has investigated the dominant microorganisms in soluble MWF using industry. And it was useful that the qualitative evaluation method along with quantitative analysis for better understanding of the biological factors in the work environment.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2017

Background: Plants over-expressing Arabidopsis ABF3 (abscisic acid-responsive element-binding factor 3) have enhanced tolerance to various environmental stresses, especially drought. Using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, we compared the rhizosphere-associated structures of microbial communities for transgenic potato containing this gene and conventional "Jopoong" plants. Results: During a 2-year field experiment, fungal richness, evenness, and diversity varied by year, increasing in 2010 when a moderate water deficit occurred. By contrast, the bacterial richness decreased in 2010 while evenness and diversity were similar in both years. No significant difference was observed in any indices for either sampling time or plant line. Although the composition of the microbial communities (defined as T-RF profiles) changed according to year and sampling time, differences were not significant between the transgenic and control plants. Conclusions: The results in this study suggest that the insertion of ABF3 into potato has no detectable (by current T-RFLP technique) effects on rhizosphere communities, and that any possible influences, if any, can be masked by seasonal or yearly variations.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.343-349
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• 2017

tWith the development of the third-generation gene scissors, CRISPR-Cas9, concerns are being raised about ethical and social repercussions of the new gene-editing technology. In this situation, this article explores the legislation and interpretation of the positive laws in South Korea. The BioAct does not specify and regulate 'gene editing' itself. However, assuming that genetic editing is used in the process of research and treatment, we can look to the specific details of the regulations for research on humans as well as gene therapy research in order to see how genetic editing is regulated under the BioAct. BioAct differentiates the regulation between (born) humans and embryos etc. and the regulation differ entirely in the manner and scope. Moreover, due to the fact that gene therapy products are regarded as drugs, they fall under different regulations. The Korean Pharmacopoeia Act put stringent sanctions on clinical trials for gene therapy products and the official Notification "Approval and Examination Regulations for Biological Products, etc." by Food and Drug Safety Administration may be applied to gene editing for gene therapy purposes.

• ALGAE
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.217-225
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• 2014

Land-based seaweed (Gracilaria) cultivation systems may provide products with high quality and biosafety for human consumption, as well as for other high value applications. However, a limitation for this land based system is high management costs. The objective of this study was to determine if the management costs for Gracilaria cultivation can be reduced without a decrease in productivity by using $CO_2$ injection along with a high stocking density and high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and commercially available fertilizers. When Gracilaria tikvahiae was cultivated at a high stocking density and high PAR, coupled with $CO_2$ enhancement, the productivity was significantly higher than that at a lower stocking density, low light without $CO_2$ injection. We also found that G. tikvahiae grown in a medium of commercially available fertilizer (Jack's Special, JS) showed a similar growth rate and productivity to that grown in von Stosch's enriched (VSE) seawater, while the cost for JS media is only 2% of the cost for VSE. These results suggest that $CO_2$ injection and commercial fertilizer may be a potential way to provide sustainability in land-based Gracilaria cultivation systems.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1778-1783
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• 2006

Event-specific PCR detection methods are the primary trend in genetically modified (GM) plant detection owing to their high specificity based on the flanking sequence of the exogenous integrant. Therefore, this study describes a real-time PCR system for event-specific GM canola GT73, consisting of a set of primers, TaqMan probe, and single target standard plasmid. For the specific detection of GT73 canola, the 3'-integration junction sequence between the host plant DNA and the integrated specific border was targeted. To validate the proposed method, test samples of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10% GT73 canola were quantified. The method was also assayed with 15 different plants, and no amplification signal was observed in a real-time PCR assay with any of the species tested, other than GT73 canola.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1890-1893
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• 2007

A bacterium, Burkholderia sp. JBA3, which can mineralize the pesticide parathion, was isolated from an agricultural soil. The strain JBA3 hydrolyzed parathion to p-nitrophenol, which was further utilized as the carbon and energy sources. The parathion hydrolase was encoded by a gene on a plasmid that strain JBA3 harbored, and it was cloned into pUC19 as a 3.7-kbp Sau3AI fragment. The ORF2 (ophB) in the cloned fragment encoded the parathion hydrolase composed of 526 amino acids, which was expressed in E. coli DH10B. The ophB gene showed no significant sequence similarity to most of other reported parathion hydrolase genes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2011

The prevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii was surveyed using a latex agglutination test (LAT) in native Korean cattle. A blood sample was collected from female 105 cattle in the Daejeon area of Korea. All cattle were asymptomatic and had not received any prophylactic treatment for T. gondii. Blood samples were collected via the caudal vein. The cattle ranged in age from 2~6 years (mean 3.7 years). LAT detected antibody to T. gondii in four of 105 (3.8%) cattle. However, the hazard analysis and critical control point protocol has been applied to cattle farms and beef traceability has been strengthen.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.837-850
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• 2013

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a major pathogen of cattle, is a well-characterized pestivirus which has been used as a good model virus for HCV. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays a key role in the RNA replication process, thus it has been targeted for antivirus drugs. We employed two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D-QSAR) and molecular field analysis (MFA) to identify the molecular substructure requirements, and the particular characteristics resulted in increased inhibitory activity for the known series of compounds to act as effective BVDV inhibitors. The 2D-QSAR study provided the rationale concept for changes in the structure to have more potent analogs focused on the class of arylazoenamines, benzimidazoles, and acridine derivatives with an optimal subset of descriptors, which have significantly contributed to overall anti-BVDV activity. MFA represented the molecular patterns responsible for the actions of antiviral compound at their receptors. We conclude that the polarity and the polarizability of a molecule play a main role in the inhibitory activity of BVDV inhibitors in the QSAR modeling.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 2014

Ambient air pollution (AAP) and particulate matters (PM) have been closely associated with adverse health effects such as respiratory disease and cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have examined the adverse health effects associated with short- and long-term exposure to AAP and outdoor PM on respiratory disease. However, the effect of PM size ($PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$) on cardiovascular disease has not been well studied. Thus, it remains unclear how the size of the inhalable particles (coarse, fine, or ultrafine) affects mortality and morbidity. Airborne PM concentrations are commonly used for ambient air quality management worldwide, owing to the known effects on cardiorespiratory health. In this article, we assess the relationship between cardiovascular diseases and PM, with a particular focus on PM size. We discuss the association of $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$, nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$), and elemental carbon with mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and altered blood pressure, based on epidemiological studies. In addition, we provide evidence that the adverse health effects of AAP and PM are more pronounced among the elderly, children, and people with preexisting cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Finally, we critically summarize the literature pertaining to cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and stroke, and introduce potential studies to better understand the health significance of AAP and PM on cardiovascular disease.