• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2006

Streptomycetes are Gram-positive microorganisms producing secondary metabolites through unique physiological differentiation [4]. The microbes show unusual morphological differentiation to form substrate mycelia, aerial mycelia, and arthrospores on solid medium [19]. Substrate mycelium growth is sustaining with sufficient nutrients in the culture medium. The concentration of a specific individual substrate in the culture environment is the most important extracellular factor allowing vegetative mycelia growth, where extracellular hydrolytic enzymes participate in the utilization of waterinsoluble substrates. However, with starvation of nutrients in the culture medium, the vegetative mycelia differentiate to aerial mycelia and spores. It has been considered that shiftdown of essential nutrients for mycelia growth is the most important factor triggering morphological and physiological differentiation in Streptomyces spp. Since proteineous macromolecule compounds are the major cellular components, these are faced to endogenously metabolize following a severe depletion of nitrogen source in culture nutrients (Fig. 1). Various proteases were identified of which production was specifically related with the phase of mycelium growth and also morphological differentiation. The involvement of proteases and protease inhibitor is reviewed as a factor explaining the mycelium differentiation in Streptomyces spp.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1585-1590
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• 2007

Although a number of melanogenesis inhibitors have recently been reported and used as cosmetic additives, none is completely satisfactory, leaving a need for novel skin-depigmenting agents. Thus, to develop a novel skin depigmenting agent from natural sources, the inhibition of melanogenesis by Chinese plants was evaluated. A methanolic extract of Nigella glandulifera Freyn was found to inhibit the melanin synthesis of murine B16F10 melanoma cells by 43.7% and exhibited a low cytotoxicity (8.1%) at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$. Thus, to identify the melanogenesis-inhibiting mechanism, the inhibitory activity towards tyrosinase, the key enzyme of melanogenesis, was further evaluated, and the results showed inhibitory effects on the activity of intracellular tyrosinase yet not on mushroom tyrosinase. Finally, to isolate the compounds with a hypopigmenting capability, activity-guided isolation was performed, and Dioctyl phthalate identified as inhibiting melanogenesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10137-10142
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• 2015

Apoptosis is a general phenomenon of all multicellular organisms and caspases form a group of important proteins central to suicide of cells. Pathologies like cancer, Myocardial infarction, Stroke, Sepsis, Alzheimer's, Psoriasis, Parkinson and Huntington diseases are often associated with change in caspase 3 mediated apoptosis and therefore, caspases may serve as potential inhibitory targets for drug development. In the present study, two series of synthetic acetylated tetrapeptides containing aldehyde and fluromethyl keto groups respectively at the C terminus were proposed. All these compounds were evaluated for binding affinity against caspase 3 structure. In series 1 compound Ac-DEHD-CHO demonstrated appreciable and high binding affinity (Rerank Score: -138.899) against caspase 3. While in series 2 it was Ac-WEVD-FMK which showed higher binding affinity (Rerank Score: -139.317). Further these two compounds met ADMET properties and demonstrated to be non-toxic.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.206-212
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• 1999

The gene orf7(oxi III) was expressed using an E. coli system in anticipation that it would encode dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase which is involved in the biosynthesis of the olivose moiety of chlorothricin produced from Streptomyces antibioticus Tu99. The solubility of the expressed protein increased up to 20% under optimal induction conditions. The expressed protein was purified from the E. coli BL 21(DE3) cell lysate by a 28.5-fold purification in two chromatography steps with a 38% recovery to near homogeneity. The molecular weight and N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein correlated with the predicted mass and sequence deduced from the orf7 gene. The purified protein was a homodimer with a subunit relative molecular weight of 38,000 Dalton. The expressed protein was found to exhibit dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase activity and be highly specific for dTDP-glucose as a substrate. The values of K'm and V'max for dTDP-glucose were 28 $\mu$M and 295 nmol $min^{-1} (mg protein)^{-1}$, respectively. dTTP and dTDP were strong inhibitors of this enzyme.$NAD^+$, the coenzyme for dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase, was tightly bound to the expressed protein.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2015

Medicinal fungi, taken whole or as various forms of extracts, have been used to alleviate, cure or prevent human ailments since pre-historic times. In particular, Asian cultures have incorporated a variety of mushrooms into their medical practices. Chemically pure, bioactive metabolites from fungi have been a mainstay of modern pharmacological research and in addition to antibiotics, include anticancer agents, immunosuppressants, enzyme inhibitors, antagonist and agonists of hormones, and a variety of psychotropic substances. However, to date not many studies have focused on the possible health benefits of odorant volatile organic compounds (i.e., gas phase compounds). An analysis of these compounds for their health related effects will expand the range of compounds available for the treatment of chronic and acute diseases. This review highlights phenolic acids and monoterpenes from Asian medicinal mushrooms (AMMs), which not only produce pleasant odors but also have antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Odorant bioactive volatile phase compounds from medicinal mushrooms remain an essentially untapped source for future medicines, and AMMs remain a promising resource for future pharmacological research.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.191-193
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• 2000

A whole-cell biocatalyst was constructed by immobilizing an enzyme on the surface of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The gene encoding Bacillus macerans cyclodextrin glucanotransferase(CGTase) was fused with the AGA2 gene encoding a small peptide disulfide-linked to the aga1, a cell wall protein of a-agglutinin. The plasmid was introduced S. cerevisiae and expressed in the medium consisting of 10g/L yeast extract, 20g/L peptone, and 20g/L galactose. The activity was detected with the formation of cyclodextrin(CD) from 10g/L soluble starch. Surface display of CGTase was also verified with the halo-test, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence microscopy. The recombinant S. cerevisiae produced ${\alpha}-cyclodextrin$ more efficiently than the free CGTase by simultaneous fermentation and cyclization as yeast consumes glucose and maltose which are inhibitors for CD synthesis.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2004

For the purpose of developing new anti-HIV agents from natural sources, the extracts of Solanum nigrum L. were tested for their inhibitory effects on HIV-1 replication and its essential enzymes as the reverse transcriptase (RT), protease and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase. In the assay of HIV-1-infected human T-cell line, water extracts inhibited the HIV- 1 -induced cytopathic effects with IC (inhibitory concentration) of 100 ug/ml. Moreover water extracts (100ug/ml) of aerial parts showed strong activity of 32.6% on anti-HIV-1 PR using the activity of the enzyme to cleave an oligopeptide. In the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition assay, aqueous extract a inhibited 17.4%, but no glucosidase inhibitory activities. We found out this result, for these samples it is possible that the inhibition of the viral replication in vitro is due to the inhibition at least one of PR and RT. It would be of great interest to identify the compounds which are responsible for this inhibition, since all therapeutically useful agent up to date are PR, RT and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitors.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2009

Phospholipase D (PLD) is an enzyme hydrolyzing phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidic acid (PA) and choline. We investigated the involvement of PLD1 in the uptake of norepinephrine (NE) in PC12 cells, pheochromocytoma cells. NE uptake was specific in PC12 cells because nomifensine, a specific blocker of NE transporter, blocked NE uptake. Inhibition of PLD function in PC12 cells by the treatment of butanol suppressed the NE uptake. In contrast, overexpression of PLD1 in PC12 cells increased NE uptake efficiently. These results suggest that PLD activity is involved in NE uptake. We explored the action mechanism of PLD in NE uptake. PA phosphatase inhibitor, propranolol, blocks the formation of PKC activator diacylglycerol from PA. Propranolol treatment to PC12 cells blocked dramatically the uptake of NE. Specific PKC inhibitors, GF109203X and Ro31-8220, blocked NE uptake. Taken together, we suggest for the first time that PLD1 activity is involved in NE uptake via the activation of PKC.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2004

Aldose reductase (AR), the key enzyme of the polyol pathway, is known to play important roles in the diabetic complications. The inhibitors of AR, therefore, would be potential agents for the prevention of diabetic complications. In order to clarify the structural requirements of flavonoids for aldose reductase inhibitory activity, thirty flavonoids were examined. Among the thirty flavonoids, flavonols such as quercetin (5), reyneutrin (7), quercitrin (9), isoquercitrin (11), and avicularin (14) were found to exhibit much stronger AR inhibition. Lonicerin (10), amentoflavone (27) and sophoraflavanone B (30) were also showed strong inhibitory activity. Especially, quercitrin and reyneutrin exhibited the most inhibitory potency on rat lens (RL) AR. The results suggested that flavonol having the 7-hydroxyl and/or catechol moiety at the B ring exhibit strong activity. In addition, flavonols having 3-O-monosaccharide also showed stronger inhibition than free flavonols at the 3-position. These results suggested that quercitrin and reyneutrin are attributed to be the promising compounds for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.88-92
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• 2018

The present study was undertaken to investigate the isolated compounds from the stem bark of Garcinia atroviridis as potential cholinesterase inhibitors and the ligand-enzyme interactions of selected bioactive compounds in silico. The in vitro cholinesterase results showed that quercetin (3) was the most active AChE inhibitor ($12.65{\pm}1.57{\mu}g/ml$) while garcinexanthone G (6) was the most active BChE inhibitor ($18.86{\pm}2.41{\mu}g/ml$). It is noteworthy to note that compound 6 was a selective inhibitor with the selectivity index of 11.82. Molecular insight from docking interaction further substantiate that orientation of compound 6 in the catalytic site which enhanced its binding affinity as compared to other xanthones. The nature of protein-ligand interactions of compound 6 is mainly hydrogen bonding, and the hydroxyl group of compound 6 at C-10 is vital in BChE inhibition activity. Therefore, compound 6 is a notable lead for further drug design and development of BChE selective inhibitor.