• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.771-777
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• 2008

Calmodulin (CaM) proteins, members of the EF-hand family of $Ca^{2+}$-binding proteins, represent important relays in plant calcium signals. Here, OsCam1-1 was isolated by PCR amplification from the rice genome. The gene contains an ORF of 450 base pairs with a single intron at the same position found in other plant Cam genes. A promoter region with a TATA box at position-26 was predicted and fused to a gus reporter gene, and this construct was used to produce transgenic rice by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. GUS activity was observed in all organs examined and throughout tissues in cross-sections, but activity was strongest in the vascular bundles of leaves and the vascular cylinders of roots. To examine the properties of OsCaM1-1, the encoding cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli. The electrophoretic mobility shift when incubated with $Ca^{2+}$ indicates that recombinant OsCaM1-1 is a functional $Ca^{2+}$-binding protein. In addition, OsCaM1-1 bound the CaMKII target peptide confirming its likely functionality as a calmodulin.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.636-644
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• 2014

This experiment examined the effects of preharvest Ca-chitosan spraying and short-term post-harvest treatment with high $pCO_2$ on the shelf-life of 'Seolhyang' strawberry fruit. Fruit firmness decreased when harvested late in the season and was little affected by Ca-chitosan spray treatments. Short-term treatment with high $pCO_2$ after harvest, however, significantly increased fruit firmness regardless of preharvest treatment. The combined treatment of Ca-chitosan spray and high $pCO_2$ led to an additional increase in shelf-life through delay of skin disorder, fruit decay incidence and firmness loss during simulated marketing. The residual effects of both treatments, however, were reduced when fruit were harvested late in the season. Fruit firmness was more affected by high $pCO_2$ treatment whereas decay and visual quality were affected by preharvest spraying with Ca-chitosan. Although more research is required to determine the optimum concentration of calcium and chitosan, and the optimal spray interval, our results show that the combined treatment of preharvest Ca-chitosan spray and postharvest high $pCO_2$ is effective in improving strawberry fruit shelf-life by increasing firmness and delaying decay.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.52-57
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• 2005

Previous studies showed that shell meal fertilizer from the oyster farming industry could be a potential inorganic soil amendment to increase Chinese cabbage productivity and to restore the soil nutrient balance in upland soil (Lee et al., 2004). Herein, shell meal fertilizer was applied at rates of 0, 4, 8, 12, and $16Mg\;ha^{-1}$ to upland soil (Pyeontaeg series, Fine silty, Typic Endoaquepts) for Chinese cabbage cultivation. We found available phosphate increased significantly with shell meal fertilizer application, due to high content of phosphate ($1.5g\;P_2O_5\;kg^{-1}$) in the applied shell meal fertilizer. In addition, high pH of shell meal fertilizer contributed to increase available phosphate content by neutralization of acidic soil. Total and residual P contents increased significantly with increasing shell meal fertilizer application, but we could not find any tendency in organic and inorganic P fraction. Of extractable P fraction, water-soluble phosphorus (W-P) and calcium-bound P (Ca-P) contents increased significantly with increasing application level. By contrast, aluminum and iron-bound P (Al-P and Fe-P) decreased slightly with shell meal application. The present experiment indicated that shell meal fertilizer had a positive benefit on increasing available phosphate content in arable soil. And so the increased available phosphate by shell meal fertilizer may decrease phosphate application level and then reduce phosphorus loss in arable soil.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1451-1457
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• 2010

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important mediator of cell-cell signaling in neuronal systems. The serotonin transporter (SERT) on the plasma membrane controls the extracellular 5-HT level by reuptake of released 5-HT from the synaptic cleft, but the underlying regulation mechanism is unclear. Here, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify the specific binding protein(s) that interacts with the carboxyl (C)-terminal region of SERT and found a specific interaction with protein kinase C-$\varepsilon$ (PKC-$\varepsilon$), a PKC isotype that is characterized as a calcium-independent and phorbol ester/diacylglycerol-sensitive serine/threonine kinase. PKC-$\varepsilon$ bound to the tail region of SERT but not to other members of the $Na^+/Cl^-$ dependent SLC6 gene family in the yeast two-hybrid assay. The C-terminal region of PKC-$\varepsilon$ is essential for interaction with SERT. In addition, these proteins showed specific interactions in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay. PKC-$\varepsilon$ phosphorylated the peptide of the SERT amino (N)-terminus in vitro. These results suggest that the phosphorylation of SERT by PKC-$\varepsilon$ may regulate SERT activity in plasma membrane.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.740-752
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• 2023

Objective: Dietary phytase increases bioavailability of phytate-bound phosphorus (P) in pig nutrition affecting dietary calcium (Ca) to P ratio, intestinal uptake, and systemic utilization of both minerals, which may contribute to improper bone mineralization. We used phytase to assess long-term effects of two dietary available P (aP) levels using a one-phase feeding system on gene expression related to Ca and P homeostasis along the intestinal tract and in the kidney, short-chain fatty acids in stomach, cecum, and colon, serum, and bone parameters in growing gilts and barrows. Methods: Growing pigs (37.9±6.2 kg) had either free access to a diet without (Con; 75 gilts and 69 barrows) or with phytase (650 phytase units; n = 72/diet) for 56 days. Samples of blood, duodenal, jejunal, ileal, cecal, and colonic mucosa and digesta, kidney, and metacarpal bones were collected from 24 pigs (6 gilts and 6 barrows per diet). Results: Phytase decreased daily feed intake and average daily gain, whereas aP intake increased with phytase versus Con diet (p<0.05). Gilts had higher colonic expression of TRPV5, CDH1, CLDN4, ZO1, and OCLN and renal expression of TRPV5 and SLC34A3 compared to barrows (p<0.05). Phytase increased duodenal expression of TRPV5, TRPV6, CALB1, PMCA1b, CDH1, CLDN4, ZO1, and OCLN compared to Con diet (p<0.05). Furthermore, phytase increased expression of SCL34A2 in cecum and of FGF23 and CLDN4 in colon compared to Con diet (p<0.05). Alongside, phytase decreased gastric propionate, cecal valerate, and colonic caproate versus Con diet (p<0.05). Phytase reduced cortical wall thickness and index of metacarpal bones (p<0.05). Conclusion: Gene expression results suggested an intestinal adaptation to increased dietary aP amount by increasing duodenal trans- and paracellular Ca absorption to balance the systemically available Ca and P levels, whereas no adaption of relevant gene expression in kidney occurred. Greater average daily gain in barrows related to higher feed intake.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1057-1065
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• 2010

Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of feeding a newly-developed rare earth mineral-yeast product, zinc oxide (ZnO) or antibiotics on the performance, nutrient digestibility and serum parameters of weanling pigs. In experiment 1, 150 crossbred barrows (24 d old and 6.28 kg BW) were fed one of five dietary treatments consisting of an unsupplemented basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (33 ppm tiamulin and 100 ppm chlortetracycline), ZnO (1,500 or 2,500 ppm) or 0.1% peptide-bound rare earth mineral-yeast. In experiment 2, 576 crossbred barrows (28 d old and 7.20 kg BW) were fed the same diets as those used in experiment 1 modified only by the addition of 1.0% Celite 545 to all diets as a digestibility marker. However, the negative control was not included. In experiment 1, weight gain was significantly lower (p<0.05) for pigs fed the negative control than for pigs fed diets supplemented with antibiotics, ZnO, or rare earth mineral-yeast. Pig performance did not differ between pigs fed the four supplemented diets. In experiment 2, there were no differences in performance between pigs fed diets supplemented with antibiotic, ZnO or rare earth mineral-yeast. The digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, calcium, phosphorus and energy were significantly (p<0.01) higher on the rare earth mineral-yeast diet than on diets supplemented with ZnO. In addition, pigs fed the diet supplemented with rare earth mineral-yeast had significantly (p<0.05) higher digestibility of histidine, lysine, threonine and valine than pigs fed the ZnO supplemented diets. Digestibility coefficients for pigs fed antibiotics tended to be intermediate to those of pigs fed rare earth mineralyeast or ZnO. In conclusion, the performance of pigs fed rare earth mineral-yeast was basically equal to that of pigs fed antibiotics or ZnO indicating that rare earth mineral-yeast can be successfully used as a growth promoter in diets fed to nursery pigs. The effects of rare earth mineral-yeast appeared to be mediated through improvements in nutrient digestibility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.935-940
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• 2000

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritive value of selected fruits (pods and seeds) and leaves of acacia tree species namely; Acacia nubica (nubica), Acacia tortilis (tortilis) and Acacia brevispica (brevispica), Acacia reficiens (reficiens) and Acacia senegal (senegal). A wide variability in chemical composition, polyphenolics and gas production was recorded. The crude protein (CP) ranged from 131 to 238 g/kg DM. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and lignin (ADL) were higher in senegal and significantly different (p<0.05) from other species. The nitrogen bound to fiber tended to be higher in leaves than the fruits, ranging from 2.6 to 11.3 g/kg NDF and 1.6 to 3.2 g/kg ADF. The leaves of reficiens and senegal had higher concentrations of total extractable phenolics (TEPH), total extractable tannins (TET) and total condensed tannins (TCT), but lower in NDF, ADF and ADL than the fruits of nubica, tortilis and brevispica. Mineral concentrations varied among species; all were relatively poor in phosphorus, moderate in calcium and magnesium, and rich in microelements. A significant (p<0.05) variation in gas production after 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h was recorded between species. Nubica had the highest (p<0.05) rate of gas production (0.0925) while the highest potential gas production was recorded in tortilis. A strong negative correlation between TEPH and TET with gas production after 24, 48, 72 and 96 was established (r=-0.72 to -0.82). Crude protein and TCT correlated negatively but also weakly with gas production characteristics. Organic matter digestibility calculated from gas production after 48 h (OMD48) ranged between 465 g/kg DM in reficiens and 611 g/kg DM in tortilis. The results of this study indicate that acacia species have the potential to be used as feed supplements.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.511-520
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• 2019

This study was investigated to improve the phosphorus release and water quality by transformation of sedimentary P fraction for application of $CaO_2$. For the experiment, 0.5% (w/w) of $CaO_2$ was homogenized in the sediment and incubated with the control for 20 days. The analytical results showed that pH increased with $CaO_2$ and redox potential (ORP) was improved in the sediment of the reactor. The growth rate of chlorophyll-a was lower in the $CaO_2$ reactor and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of overlying water maintained higher than that of the control. Total phosphorus (T-P) concentration in the overlying water increased from the initial concentration to 0.304mg/L in the control at 20 days. The reactor of $CaO_2$ was lowered by 29.3%. Ex-P, Fe-P and Ca-P in sediment P fraction were increased with the $CaO_2$. The formation of bound Fe-P and Ca-P in the sediments seemed to control the release of P by removing the Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) presented in the pore water. From the result, this indicated that the reduction of P release from the sediments seems to be effective in suppressing the eutrophication of P and improving the oxygen condition in the water quality with the application of $CaO_2$.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2023

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for sustained weight reduction, and it can result in substantial improvements in the severity of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and quality of life. However, sleeve gastrectomy, a weight loss surgery that removes two-thirds of the stomach, reduces appetite and nutrient absorption, impairing digestion and the absorption of nutrients like iron, vitamin B₁₂, and protein-bound nutrients. This case study aims to demonstrate that patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy require long-term and periodic monitoring of biochemical data, weight changes, and caloric and protein intake by a professional nutritionist to prevent malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies. In this case study, a 48-year-old woman was diagnosed with morbid obesity, hypertension, sleep apnea syndrome, and chronic gastritis. At initial evaluation, she was 160 cm tall and weighed 89 kg, with a body mass index of 34.8 kg/m². At 1 postoperative year, she consumed 650 kcal and 25 g of protein per day, the percentage of excess weight loss was 141.1%, and body mass index was 21 kg/m². Compared to preoperative levels, calcium and folic acid levels did not decrease after 1 postoperative year, but hemoglobin, ferritin, and vitamin B₁₂ levels decreased. In conclusion, when patients experience rapid weight loss after sleeve gastrectomy, follow-up should be frequent and long. Dietary education should be conducted according to digestive symptoms, and oral nutritional supplements, including vitamins and minerals.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2015

Various pretreatment methods were evaluated to prevent tissue softening of heated onion. Changes in onion tissue firmness during heating were explained by 3-mechanism model consisting of texture hardening at low temperature ($60-80^{\circ}C$) and substrate softening at high temperature. Preheating of onion in a $Ca^{2+}$-containing solution significantly improved its texture after high-temperature heating. The improvement of firmness by preheating at low temperature was related to the formation of strong cross-linking between carboxyl groups and $Ca^{2+}$ by the action of pectin methylesterase in onion. The highest firmness was obtained by pre-heating at $70^{\circ}C$ for 120 min in 0.5% calcium solution. This result was supported by chemical analysis showing that the amount of bound calcium was the highest at $70^{\circ}C$. Further investigation should be carried out to establish the optimal conditions to prevent the softening of various vegetables.