• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.181-185
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• 2016

Human sparganosis is a zoonotic disease caused by infection with larval forms (procercoid/plerocercoid) of Spirometra spp. The purpose of this study was to identify Spirometra spp. of infected snakes using a multiplex PCR assay and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the spargana of terrestrial snakes obtained from Korea and China. A total of 283 snakes were obtained that included 4 species of Colubridae comprising Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus (n=150), Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum (n=64), Elaphe davidi (n=2), and Elaphe schrenkii (n=7), and 1 species of Viperidae, Agkistrodon saxatilis (n=60). The snakes were collected from the provinces of Chungbuk, Chungnam, and Gyeongbuk in Korea (n=161), and from China (n=122). The overall infection rate with spargana was 83% (235/283). The highest was recorded for D. rufozonatum rufozonatum (100%), followed by A. saxatilis (85%) and R. tigrinus tigrinus (80%), with a negative result for E. davidi (0%) and E. schrenkii (0%). The sequence identities between the spargana from snakes (n=50) and Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (KJ599680) or S. decipiens (KJ599679) control specimens were 90.8% and 99.2%, respectively. Pairwise genetic distances between spargana (n=50) and S. decipiens ranged from 0.0080 to 0.0107, while those between spargana and S. erinaceieuropaei ranged from 0.1070 to 0.1096. In this study, all of the 904 spargana analyzed were identified as S. decipiens either by a multiplex PCR assay (n=854) or mitochondrial cox1 sequence analysis (n=50).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.483-489
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• 1998

We carried out the expression and characterization of yeast thioredoxin system including thioredexin 1 (Trx1), Trx2, thioredoxin reductase (TR), and a novel thioredoxin (Trx3), which was reported in the data base of Saccharomyces genome. The Trx1, 2 and TR were expressed as soluble proteins in E. coli and the sizes of purified proteins were equal to the reported their molecular weights. The expressed Trx3 was found in both soluble fraction and precipitate. The size of Trx3 purified from soluble fraction of E. coli crude extracts was estimated as 14 kDa on SDS-PAGE instead of 18 kDa for Trx3 in precipitate. N-terminal amino acid sequence of the small size of purified Trx3 from soluble fraction was analyzed as FQSSYTS which is correspond to the sequence from 20 to 26 for Trx3. Trx3 together with thioredoxin reductase and NADPH was able to reduce the disulfide bridge of insulin and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB). Trx3 stimulated the antioxidant effect of thioredoxin peroxidase 1 (TPx1) which inhibited inactivation of glutamine synthetase (GS) in dithiothreitol (DTT) containing metal catalyzed oxidation system. The stimulation effect of Trx3 was 10% of the effect of either Trx1 or Trx2. In addition, Trx3 could reduce the disulfide of TPx to thiol, so that the TPx had thioredoxin dependant peroxidase activity. In western blotting analysis, antibodies against purified Trx3 did not cross-react with crude extracts of yeast, purified Trx1, and Trx2 proteins. But, in PCR reaction using the cDNA library of yeast as a template, gene encoding of trx3 was amplified.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.287-290
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• 2008

In order to obtain yeast cells producing a bacteriocin, Subpeptin JM4-A or Subpeptin JM4-B, the 48 bp oligonucleotides corresponding to Subpeptin JM4-A and Subpeptin JM4-B genes including codon for start and stop were chemically synthesized and cloned into pAUR123, an yeast expression vector. Transformed yeast cells exhibited growth inhibition of Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudonomas aeruginosa. This result indicates that yeast cells producing Subpeptin JM4-A or Subpeptin JM4-B possess bacteriocidal properties against both Gram positive B. subtilis and Gram negative E. coli and P. aeruginosa cells. The recombinant yeast strains constructed in this study can be applied in the food preservative or. animal foodfeed.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.24 no.1 s.44
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• pp.17-35
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• 1994

Vanadium is an essential trace element but has not been identified with a specific biogical role. To study the direct effects of vanadium on osteoblast, we incubated murin osteoblast-like (MC3T3-El) cells with various corcentration of vanadium oxide & sodium orthovanadate. This study was designed to investigate the effect of vanadium on DNA synthesis, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, cAMP formation responsive to parathormone(PTH) and type I $\alpha$ 2 collagen ribonucleic acid (mRNA) level in murin osteoblast-like (MC3T3-El) cells. The cells were cultured in $\alpha-minimal$ essential medium$(\alpha-MEM)$ supplemented with $10\%$ fetal bovine serum (FBS) and then changed to $0.1\%$ FBS with various concenoation of vanadium oxide & sodium orthovanadate. Quiescent cultured MC3T3-El cells incubated for 24 hours with 2,5,10,15,20 ${\mu}M$ vanadium oxide incorporated $[^3H]Thymidine;$ every concentration showed increases in $[^3H]Thymidine$ incorporations dose dependant manner, the greatest response occurred at $20{\mu}M$. Quiescent cultured MC3T3-E1 cells incubated for 3days with 2,5,10,15,20 ${\mu}M$ vanadium oxide, for 2days with sodium orthovanadate and alkaline phosphatase was assayed with disodium phenyl phosphate as substrate. Vanadium oxide increased the alkaline phosphatase content in MC3T3-El cells at $2{\mu}M\;&\;6{\mu}M$ ; the greatest response occurred at $2{\mu}M$. But decreased at other content sodium orthovanadate increased alkaline phosphatase content in MC3T3-El cells at all concenoation ; the greatest response occurred at $4{\mu}M$. Quiescent cultured MC3T3-El cells incubated for 3days with $5,10{\mu}M$ vanadium oxide , with $5,8{\mu}M$ sodium orthovanadate and cAMP formation was measured by Radioimmunoassay(RIA). Vanadium oxide & sodium orthovanadate showed the tendency of inhibitory effects on cAMP responsiveness to PTH in MC3T3-El cells. Quiescent cultured MC3T3-El cells incubated for 24hours with $10,20{\mu}M$ vanadium oxide, with $5,10{\mu}M$ sodium orthovanadate and Type I $\alpha$ 2 collagen ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression was studied by Nothern blot analysis. Northern blot analysis of vanadium oxide treated cells showed decreasing effects 0& sodium orthovanadate revealed increasing effects in type I $\alpha$ 2 collagen ribonucleic acid (mRNA) level.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.331-336
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• 2000

The antimutagenic activity of the extract of Artemisia capillaris THUNB on the mutagenicity induced by benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] in the presense of S9 mixture was studied using bacterial mutagenic assay system. Samples harvested in summer and autumn were extracted using ethanol and hot water. Among these extracts the water extract of summer sample had the strongest inhibitory effect against the mutagenenicity of B(a)P, The water extract of Artemisia capillaris THUNB was separated again into ethanol soluble and insoluble parts. The ethanol insoluble part(El) of water extract exhibited higher inhibition effects than the ethanol soluble part against the mutagenic activity of B(a)P. El showed dose-dependent activity on the mutagenicity of B(a)P in SOS Chromotest and Ames test. The 50% inbibition concentraction $(IC_{50}$ of El were $200{\mu}g/assay$ $600{\mu}g/plate$ and $800{\mu}b/plate$ in E. coil PQ37 S. typhimurium TA100 and TA98 respectively. El were showed desmutagenic effect but had no effect on the DNA repair system for B(a)P-induced mutagenesis. HPLC analysis showed that the formation of aflatoxin M1 by cytochrome P-450 1A1 known as playing an impotant role on B(a) P-induced mutagenicity was highly inhibited by El. Therefore we encluded that B(a)P-induced mutagencity can be reduced possible due to the interference of el with cytochrome P-450 1A1-dependent bioactivation.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2007

Although Energy demands of modern society increase rapidly, current energy would be exhausted shortly. Therefore development of bio-ethanol production process from cellulose containing materials was extremly demanded. Therefore development of highly functional cellulase is requisite for this purpose. In this study cellobio-hydrolase (CBH1) gene from Trichorderma reesei was used to increase cellulase activity by directed evolution and highly functional cellobio-hydrolase was obtained and characterized.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.168-176
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• 2005

Vibrio vulnificus, one of the marine bacterial pathogens causing septicemia, was detected using molecular methods, namely, PCR and/or Southern hybridization, and real-time PCR. Extracted and purified total DNAs by using commercial kits were used as templates for PCR. Multiplex-PCR was conducted by employing three sets of primers for the genes, hemolysin (vvhA), phosphomannomutase (pmm), and metalloprotease (vvpE), for V vulnificus virulence. The presence of DMSO ($5\%$) and BSA ($0.1\%$) in PCR reaction mixture improved a detection efficiency by higher PCR band intensities. TaqMan real-time PCR was carried out by using gene segment of vvhA as a target. Detection limit of PCR/Southern hybridization without enrichments was to be around $10^2\;cells\;g^{-1}$ of sample. However, those three methods using the enrichment at $35^{\circ}C$ in APW showed high sensitivity ($2\~10\;cells\;g^{-1}$ of sediments). Highly sensitive detection of V vulnificus by real-time PCR was achieved within $5\~6$ hr, whereas the detection by PCR/Southern hybridization required about 36 hr. Thus, it was evident that real-time PCR is the most rapid and efficient method for detecting V vulnificus in tidal flat sediments.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.561-568
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• 2020

We examined the anticancer effects of a novel sirtuin inhibitor, MHY2256, on HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells to investigate its underlying molecular mechanisms. MHY2256 significantly suppressed the activity of sirtuin 1 and expression levels of sirtuin 1/2 and stimulated acetylation of forkhead box O1, which is a target protein of sirtuin 1. Treatment with MHY2256 inhibited the growth of the HCT116 (TP53 wild-type), HT-29 (TP53 mutant), and DLD-1 (TP53 mutant) human colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, MHY2256 induced G0/G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle progression, which was accompanied by the reduction of cyclin D1 and cyclin E and the decrease of cyclin-dependent kinase 2, cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin-dependent kinase 6, phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein, and E2F transcription factor 1. Apoptosis induction was shown by DNA fragmentation and increase in late apoptosis, which were detected using flow cytometric analysis. MHY2256 downregulated expression levels of procaspase-8, -9, and -3 and led to subsequent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. MHY2256-induced apoptosis was involved in the activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 and was prevented by pretreatment with Z-VAD-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor. Furthermore, the autophagic effects of MHY2256 were observed as cytoplasmic vacuolation, green fluorescent protein-light-chain 3 punctate dots, accumulation of acidic vesicular organelles, and upregulated expression level of light-chain 3-II. Taken together, these results suggest that MHY2256 could be a potential novel sirtuin inhibitor for the chemoprevention or treatment of colorectal cancer or both.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.387-393
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• 1992

The fate of inoculum strain of Bradyrhizobium japonicum was studied by using genetically marked strain. RJB6 $str^rnal^rneo^r$. A spontaneous mutant of B. japonicum isolated from nodules was made to have antibiotic resistance against streptomycin and nalidixic acid. In order to make genetically marked strain, neomycine resistant gene(Tn5) was introduced into this spontaneous mutant by conjugation with E. coli containing pSUP2021. The southern hybridization was carried out to confirm the plasmid insertion. Hybridization of chromosome DNA using pSUP2021(Tn5) as a probe showed that Tn5 was located on the 4.9kb fragment of chromosome. Soybean seeds were planted into a soil previously cultivated with soybean and inoculated with different cell densities of marked strain. Fourty days after planting, the inoculation effects on nodule number, nodule fresh weight, plant height and nitrogen content in the plot inoculated with heavy cell suspension was a little better than those in the plot with low inoculation. The recovery percentage of the marked strains was about 12% in the plot inoculated with heavy density cell suspension, while 5% in the plot inoculated with low cell suspension.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.157-161
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• 2002

A lactic acid bacteria with ${\beta}$-gal activity was isolated from Kimchi, a traditional fermented vegetable food in Korea. The isolate was identified as a Lactococcus lactis strain and named L. lactis A2. The gene encoding ${\beta}$-gal of L. lactis A2 was cloned as a 5.8 kb PstI fragment. DNA sequencing identified the complete lacA (galactoside acetyltransferase)-lacZ (${\beta}$-galactosidase) genes together with the 3' part of upstream galT (galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase), and the 5'region of downstream galE (UDP-galactose-4-epimerase) genes. L. lactis A2 had the same gal/lac operon structure as in L. lactis subsp. lactis 7962. Other genes of the Leloir pathway are most likely to be located in the 5'upstream of the 5.8 kb fragment on the A2 chromosome. Sequences downstream of galE were different from those of L. lactis subsp. lactis 7962.