• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.188-193
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• 2004

Xanthobacter flavus strain UE15 was isolated in wastewater obtained from the Ulsan industrial complex, Korea. This strain functions as a 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) degrader, via a mechanism of hydrolytic dechlorination, under aerobic conditions. The UE15 strain was also capable of dechlorinating other chloroaliphatics such as 2-chloroacetic acid and 2-chloropropionic acid. The dhlA gene encoding 1,2-DCA dechlorinase was cloned from the genomic DNA of the UE15 strain, and its nucleotide sequence was determined to consist of 933 base pairs. The deduced amino acid sequence of the DhlA dechlorinase exhibited 100％ homology with the corresponding enzyme from X. autotrophicus GJ10, but only 27 to 29％ homology with the corresponding enzymes from Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Pseudomonas pavonaceae, and Mycobacterium sp. strain GP1, which all dechlorinate haloalkane compounds. The UE15 strain has an ORF1 (1,356 bp) downstream from the dhlA gene. The OFR1 shows 99％ amino acid sequence homology with the transposase reported from X. autotrophicus GJ10. The transposase gene was not found in the vicinity of the dhlA in the GJ10 strain, but rather beside the dhlB gene coding for haloacid dechlorinase. The dhlA and dhlB genes were confirmed to be located at separate chromosomal loci in the Xanthobacter flavus UE15 strain as well as in X. autotrophicus GJ10. The dhlA and transposase the UE15 strain were found to be parenthesized by a pair of insertion sequences, 181247, which were also found on both sides of the transposase gene in the GJ10 strain. This unique structure of the dhlA gene organization in X. flavus strain UE15 suggested that the dechlorinase gene, dhlA, is transferred with the help of the transposase gene.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.193-204
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• 2008

Dehydrocostus lactone (DHL) and Mokko lactone (ML) were isolated from Saussureae Radix, and their effects on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and hepatoprotection in the liver cell line HepG2 were investigated. DHL induced HO-1 expression and HO activity in a dose-dependent manner, whereas ML lacking one double bond property at 11 and 13 carbons on its own chemical structure had no apparent effects. DHL also induced Nrf2 nuclear translocation and enhanced antioxidant response element (ARE) activation which mediated HO-1 gene transcription. Pretreatment with DHL protected HepG2 cells against oxidative damages caused by H2O2. Interestingly, the hepatoprotective effects of DHL appeared to be associated with HO enzymatic activation, HO-1 expression and Nrf2 activation, because blockage of HO activity by a HO inhibitor and inhibition of HO-1 and Nrf2 cellular synthesis by small interfering RNA abolished heptoprotection afforded by DHL. Taken together, this investigation provides evidence supporting that Saussureae Radix is hepatoprotective against oxidative stress that causes abnormal liver damages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.6-9
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• 2000

Salmonella typhimurium is a causative agent of the common worldwide disease, salmonellosis. To identify putative invasion genes involved in Samonella infections, a S. typhimurium cosmid library was constructed in noninvasive E. coli DJl. The invasion efficiencies of the cosmid library for cultured HEp-2 and HeLa cells were estimated by tissue-culture invasion assay. 2 out of 1,000 transductants, DHl(pSI623) and DHl(pSI511) were able to invade the cells. Compared to E. coli by DHl(pSI511) increased 25- and 33 fold, respectively. The invasion efficiencies of HeLa cells by DHl(pSI623) increased 31- and 35 fold, respectively. This illustrates that the cosmid clones, DHl(pSI623) and DHl(pSI511) could harbor the invasion determinants derived from genomic DNA of S. typhimurium 82/6915, conferring the invasive characters for the cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.287-292
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• 1998

The phenomena of local scour due to a current from a seadike closure gap which is protected by rock, then on to an erodible bed, have been studied. Based on the data of hydraulic model test, the scour characteristics have been investigated for the variation of maximum scour depth with time until reaching equilibrium stage and the shape of ultimate scour hole. A brief evaluation of DHL formula for the relationship between maximum scouring depth and time and a dimensionless form leading to time-scale introduced. On the basis of DHL formula, modified DHL formula denoted DHL-RDC formula is extend to the range of estimation of scour depth compared to DHL formula verified by model test.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.270-274
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• 2000

Pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium can invade the intestinal epithelium and cause a wide range of diseases including gastroenteritis and bacteremia in human and animals. To identify the genes involved in the infection, the invasion determinant was obtained from S. typhimurium 82/6915 and was subcloned into pGEM-7Z. A subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary epithelial cells and contained a 4.4 kb fragment of S. typhimurium genomic region. Compared with the host strain E. coli DHl, the subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded cultured HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary cells at least 75- and 68-fold higher, respectively. The invasion rate of E. coli DHl for the cells significantly increased by harbouring the genomic region derived from pathogenic S. typhimurium 82/6915.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.267-274
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• 2019

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one of the families of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PAMPs stimulate TLRs to initiate specific immunoactivity. The activation of TLRs signaling leads to the expression of pro-inflammatory gene products such as cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). To evaluate the therapeutic potential of dehydrocostus lactone (DHL), which is a natural sesquiterpene lactone derived from various medicinal plants, iNOS expression induced by LPS (TLR4 agonist), MALP-2 (TLR2 and TLR6 agonist), or Poly[I:C] (TLR3 agonist) were examined. DHL suppressed the iNOS expression induced by LPS, MALP-2, or Poly[I:C]. DHL also inhibited nitrite production induced by LPS, MALP-2, or Poly[I:C]. These results suggest that DHL can modulate TLRs signaling pathways resulting in anti-inflammatory effect.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2 s.112
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• pp.137-145
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• 2005

Traditional screening techniques have missed up to 99% of microbial resources existing in the nature. Strategies of direct cloning of environmental DNAs comprising tine genetic blueprints of entire microbial metagenomes provide vastly more genetic information than is contained in the culturable. Therefore, one way to screening the useful gene in a variety of environments is the construction of metagenomic DNA library. In this study, the water samples were collected from Daecheong Reservoir in the mid Korea, and analyzed by T-RFLP to examine the diversity of the microbial communities. The crude DNAs were extracted by SDS-based freezing-thawing method and then further purified using an $UltraClean^{TM}kit$ (MoBio, USA). The metagenomic libraries were constructed with the DNAs partially digested with EcoRI, BamHI, and SacII in Escherichia coli DH10B using the pBACe3.6 vector. About 14.0 Mb of metagenomic libraries were obtained with average inserts 13 ${\sim}$ 15 kb in size. The genes responsible for degradation of 1, 2-dichloroethane (1, 2-DCE) via hydrolytic dehalogenation were identified from the metagenomic libraries by colony hybridization. The 1, 2-dichloroethane dehalogenase gene (dhlA) was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The activity of the 1, 2-DCE dehalogenase was highly expressed to the substrate. These results indicated that the dhlA gene identified from the metagenomes derived from Deacheong Reservoir might be useful to develop a potent strain for degradation of 1, 2-DCE.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.270-270
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• 2002

Pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium can invade the intestinal epithelium and cause a wide range of diseases including gastroenteritis and bacteremia in human and animals. To identify the genes involved in the infection, the invasion determinant was obtained from S. typhimurium 82/6915 and was subcloned into pGEM-7Z. A subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary epithelial cells and contained a 4.4 kb fragment of S. typhimurium genomic region. Compared with the host strain E. coli DHl, the subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded cultured HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary cells at least 75- and 68-fold higher, respectively. The invasion rate of E. coli DHl for the cells significantly increased by harbouring the genomic region derived from pathogenic S. typhimurium 82/6915.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1390-1400
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• 2015

Quorum sensing is a process of cell-to-cell communication in which bacteria produce autoinducers as signaling molecules to sense cell density and coordinate gene expression. In the present study, a LuxI-type synthase, AnoI, and a LuxR-type regulator, AnoR, were identified in Acinetobacter nosocomialis, an important nosocomial pathogen, by sequence analysis of the bacterial genome. We found that N-(3-hydroxy-dodecanoyl)- _L -homoserine lactone (OH-dDHL) is a quorum-sensing signal in A. nosocomialis. The anoI gene deletion was responsible for the impairment in the production of OH-dDHL. The expression of anoI was almost abolished in the anoR mutant. These results indicate that AnoI is essential for the production of OH-dDHL in A. nosocomialis, and its expression is positively regulated by AnoR. Moreover, the anoR mutant exhibited deficiency in biofilm formation. In particular, motility of the anoR mutant was consistently and significantly abolished compared with that of the wild type. The deficiency in the biofilm formation and motility of the anoR mutant was significantly restored by a functional anoR, indicating that AnoR plays important roles in the biofilm formation and motility. Furthermore, the present study showed that virstatin exerts its effects on the reduction of biofilm formation and motility by inhibiting the expression of anoR. Consequently, the combined results suggest that AnoIR is a quorum-sensing system that plays important roles in the biofilm formation and motility of A. nosocomialis, and virstatin is an inhibitor of the expression of anoR.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: In 2013, the Singapore government reviewed and expanded the Senior Mobility Fund (SMF) to provide subsidy for assistive devices, including hearing aids (HA). While SMF has improved accessibility to HA, its impact on HA acquisition has not been determined. The study aims to elucidate the influence of SMF on HA acquisition and the relationship between financial funding and compliance to HA use. Subjects and Methods: Retrospective review of 643 patients seen between January 2017 to January 2018 at the earnose and throat specialist outpatient clinic, who were referred for a hearing aid evaluation. Of the 643 patients, 109 patients with baseline hearing handicap (HH) scores recorded, and no formal diagnosis of cognitive impairment were included. The patients were grouped according to SMF eligibility and clinical data were obtained. Results: The odds ratio for acquiring HA was significantly higher with SMF, regardless of HH scores. When looking at actual degree of hearing loss (DHL), HA uptake was significantly higher in the least severe of DHL categories. There is no relationship between SMF and compliance to HA use. However, HH score is positively correlated with data log in regression analyses. Conclusions: SMF appears to influence HA acquisition. Especially in financially funded patients with low self-perceived HH, the benefits of HA may be underappreciated given the few hours of HA use. Further studies are warranted to investigate the impact of financial funding on outcomes of HA users to help policy planners and clinicians be prudent in the utilization of SMF.