• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2004

This experiment was performed to observe morphological changes in rice leaf tissue caused by a successive UV-B radiation. Effect of UV-B radiation on the structural alteration of tissue was not visually found, however, Photosynthate containing phosphate was sharply reduced in proportion with an increase of UV-B radiation. Fundamental components of cuticle layer were being degraded after 6 h of UV-B radiation compared to the control. UV-B-induced mesophyll cell appeared altered because of water stress, the shape of chloroplast appeared to be considerably shrunk and chloroplast thylakoid membranes were severely destructed. Primary cell wall of UV-B-stressed tissue was entirely scattered or disappeared, and the secondary cell wall due to lignin synthesis and deposition resulted in being thickened, almost 2-times, compared with the control.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.186-192
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• 2021

The roots of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) have a long history of usage as a medicinal drug. Ginsenosides, a group of triterpenioid saponins in ginseng, have been reported to show important pharmacological effects. Many studies have attempted to identify the ginsenoside synthesis pathways of P. ginseng and to increase crop productivity. Recent studies have shown that exogenous gibberellin (GA) treatments promote storage root secondary growth by integration of the modulating cambium stem cell homeostasis with a secondary cell wall-related gene network. However, the dynamic regulation of ginsenoside synthesis-related genes and their contents by external signaling cues has been rarely evaluated. In this study, we confirmed that GA treatment not only enhanced the secondary growth of P. ginseng storage roots, but also significantly enriched the terpenoid biosynthesis process in RNA-seq analysis. Consistently, we also found that the expression of most genes involved in the ginsenoside synthesis pathways, including those encoding methylerythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) and mevalonate (MVA), and the saponin content in both leaves and roots was increased by exogenous GA application. These results can be used in future development of biotechnology for ginseng breeding and enhancement of saponin content.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.610-617
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• 2016

Candidiasis has posed a serious health risk to immunocompromised patients owing to the increase in resistant yeasts, and Candida albicans is the prominent pathogen of fungal infections. Therefore, there is a critical need for the discovery and characterization of novel antifungals to treat infections caused by C. albicans. In the present study, we report on the antifungal activity of the ethanol extract from Salvia miltiorrhiza against C. albicans and the possible mode of action against C. albicans. The increase in the membrane permeability was evidenced by changes in diphenylhexatriene binding and release of both 260-nm-absorbing intracellular materials and protein. In addition, inhibition of cell wall synthesis was demonstrated by the enhanced minimal inhibitory concentration in the presence of sorbitol and reduced (1,3)-β-D-glucan synthase activity. The above evidence supports the notion that S. miltiorrhiza has antifungal activity against C. albicans by the synergistic activity of targeting the cell membrane and cell wall. These findings indicate that S. miltiorrhiza displays effective activity against C. albicans in vitro and merits further investigation to treat C. albicans-associated infections.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 1991

An obligate methanol-oxidizing bacterium, Methylobacillus sp. strain SK1, which grows only on methanol was isolated from soil. The isolate was nonmotile Gram-negtive rod. It does not have internal membrane system. The colonies were small, whitish-yellow, and smooth. The guanine plus cytosine content of the DNA was 48 mol%. Cellular fatty acids consisted predominantly of large amounts of straight-chain saturated $C_{16:0}$ acid and unsaturated $C_{16:1}$ acid. The major ubiquinone was Q-8, and Q-10 was present as minor component. The cell was obligately aerobic and exhibited catalase, but no oxidase, activity. Poly-.betha.-hydroxybutyrate, endospores, or cysts were not observed. the isolate could grow only on methanol in mineral medium. Growth factors were not required. The isolate was unable to use methane, formaldehyde, formate, methylamine, and several other organic compounds tested as a sole source of carbon and energy. Growth was optimal at 35.deg.C and pH 7.5. It could not grow at 42.deg.C. The doubling time was 1.2h at 30.deg.C when grown with 1.0%(v/v) methanol. The growth was not affected by antibiotics inhibiting cell wall synthesis and carbon monoxide but was completely suppressed by those inhibiting protein synthesis. Methanol was found to be assimilated through the ribulose monophosphate pathway. Cytochromes of b-, c-, and o- types were found. Cell-free extracts contained a phenazine methosulfate-linked methanol dehydrogenase activity, which required ammonium ions as an activator. Cells harvested after the late exponential phase seemed to contain blue protein.ein.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.191-210
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• 2021

To compare the antifungal effect of two nanomaterials (NMs), nanoparticles of zinc oxide were synthesized by a chemical route and zinc oxide-based nanobiohybrids were obtained using green synthesis in an extract of garlic (Allium sativum). The techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopies and Scanning (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopies (TEM) were used to determine the characteristics of the nanomaterials synthesized. The results showed that the samples obtained were of nanometric size (< 100 nm). To compare their antifungal capacity, their effect on Cercospora sp. was evaluated. Test results showed that both nanomaterials had an antifungal capacity. The nanobiohybrids (green route) gave an inhibition of fungal growth of ~72.4% while with the ZnO-NPs (chemical route), inhibition was ~87.1%. Microstructural studies using High Resolution Optical Microscopy (HROM) and ultra-structural analysis using TEM carried out on the treated strains demonstrated the effect of the nanofungicides on the vegetative and reproductive structures, as well as on their cell wall. To account for the antifungal effect presented by ZnO-NPs and ZnO nanobiohybrids on the fungi tested, effects reported in the literature related to the action of nanomaterials on biological entities were considered. Specifically, we discuss the electrical interaction of the ZnO-NPs with the cell membrane and the biomolecules (proteins) present in the fungi, taking into account the n-type nature of the ZnO semiconductor and the electrical behavior of the fungal cell membrane and that of the proteins that make up the protein crown.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.60 no.7
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• pp.18.1-18.12
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• 2018

Background: Xanthosine treatment has been previously reported to increase mammary stem cell population and milk production in cattle and goats. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with the increase in stem cell population and milk production remain unclear. Methods: Primiparous Beetal goats were assigned to the study. Five days post-partum, one mammary gland of each goat was infused with xanthosine (TRT) twice daily ($2{\times}$) for 3 days consecutively, and the other gland served as a control (CON). Milk samples from the TRT and CON glands were collected on the 10th day after the last xanthosine infusion and the total RNA was isolated from milk fat globules (MEGs). Total RNA in MFGs was mainly derived from the milk epithelial cells (MECs) as evidenced by expression of milk synthesis genes. Significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) terms using PANTHER and gene networks were generated using STRING db. Results: Preliminary analysis indicated that each individual goat responded to xanthosine treatment differently, with this trend being correlated with specific DEGs within the same animal's mammary gland. Several pathways are impacted by these DEGs, including cell communication, cell proliferation and anti-microbials. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into transcriptomic changes in milk producing epithelial cells in response to xanthosine treatment. Further characterization of DEGs identified in this study is likely to delineate the molecular mechanisms of increased milk production and stem or progenitor cell population by the xanthosine treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1977-1988
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• 2015

β-1,3-glucanosyltransferases play essential roles in cell wall biosynthesis in yeast. Kluyveromyces lactis has six putative β-1,3-glucanosyltransferase genes. KlGAS1-1 and KlGAS1-2 are homologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene GAS1. RT-qPCR indicated the transcription level of KlGAS1-1 was significantly reduced while heterologous protein (thermostable xylanase B) secretion was enhanced during medium optimization. To evaluate if these two events were related, and to improve xylanase B secretion in K. lactis, we constructed KlGAS1-1 and KlGAS1-2 single deletion strains and double deletion strain, respectively. KlGAS1-1 gene deletion resulted in the highest xylanase B activity among the three mutants. Only the double deletion strain showed morphology similar to that of the GAS1 deletion mutant in S. cerevisiae. The two single deletion strains differed in terms of cell wall thickness and xylanase B secretion. Transcription levels of β-1,3-glucanosyltransferase genes and genes related to protein secretion and transport were assayed. The β-1,3-glucanosyltransferase genes displayed transcription complementation in the cell wall synthesis process. KlGAS1-1 and KlGAS1-2 affected transcription levels of secretion- and transport-related genes. Differences in protein secretion ratio among the three deletion strains were associated with changes of transcription levels of secretion- and transport-related genes. Our findings indicate that KlGAS1-1 deletion is an effective tool for enhancing industrial-scale heterologous protein secretion in K. lactis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2022

Metabolism is essential for survival and reproduction, and there is a metabolic pathways entry in the clusters of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs) database, updated in 2020. In this study, the metabolic pathways of 1309 prokaryotes were analyzed using COGs. There were 822 COGs associated with 63 metabolic pathways, and the mean for each taxon was between 200.50 (mollicutes) and 527.07 (cyanobacteria) COGs. The metabolic pathway composition ratio (MPCR) was defined as the number of COGs present in one genome in relation to the total number of COGs constituting each metabolic pathway, and the number of pathways with 100% MPCR ranged from 0 to 26 in each prokaryote. Among 1309 species, the 100% MPCR pathways included murein biosynthesis associated with cell wall synthesis (922 species); glycine cleavage (918); and ribosomal 30S subunit synthesis (903). The metabolic pathways with 0% MPCR were those involving photosystem I (1263 species); archaea/vacuolar-type ATP synthase (1028); and Na⁺-translocation NADH dehydrogenase (976). Depending on the prokaryote, three to 49 metabolic pathways could not be performed at all. The sequence of most highly conserved metabolic pathways was ribosome 30S subunit synthesis (96.1% of 1309 species); murein biosynthesis (86.8%); arginine biosynthesis (80.4%); serine biosynthesis (80.3%); and aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis (82.2%). Protein and cell wall synthesis have been shown to be important metabolic pathways in prokaryotes, and the results of this study of COGs related to such pathways can be utilized in, for example, the development of antibiotics and artificial cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.315-320
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• 1992

The amino acid threonine was produced from glycine and ethanol in a reaction mixture using resting cells of a newly isolated gram-negative methylotrophic bacterium, capable of growth on methanol. The isolate could utilize $C_1$ compounds and a variety of multicarbon substrates as sole carbon and energy source. To obtain cells of isolate with high threonine producing activity, we investigated optimum cultural conditions. Optimal growth was at the initial concentration of 0.5%(v/v) methanol, at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. The growth was not affected by antibiotics inhibiting cell wall synthesis, but was completely suppressed by those inhibiting protein synthesis. The optimum reaction conditions from threonine production by resting cells of this strain were found.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 1996

The aim of the present research program was to identify and develop strains of actinomycetes producing antifungal antibiotics which inhibit cell wall biosynthesis. 860 strains of Actinomycetes were isolated from various soil samples. Three isolates, EMS4, EMP22, and L234 were selected as the strains producing antifungal antibiotics inducing abnormal morphology against Penicillium cyclopium, Cryptococcus laurentii, and Aspergillus flavus, respectively. Taxonomic unit characters of the strains were tested and the data were analyzed numerically using TAXON program. EMS4, EMP22, and L234 were indentified to be a member of Streptomyces lavendulae, Streptomyces willmorei, and Streptomyces aburaviensis, respectively.