• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2002

A phosphate solubilizing bacterium. strain 60-2G, possessing a strong ability to solubilize insoluble phosphate was isolated from the rhizosphere of grass. On the basis of GC-FAME profile, carbon utilization pattern, and the DNA sequence of a conserved partial 16S rRNA gene, the 60-2G was identified as Enterobacter intermedium. The analysis by HPLC revealed that the strain 60-2G produced mainly gluconic and 2-ketogluconic acids with small amounts of lactic acid in broth culture medium containing hydroxyapatite. During the incubation period of the strain 60-2G in broth culture, pH of the medium decreased upto 3.8 while the soluble phosphate concentration increased. The reversed correlation between pH and soluble phosphate concentration indicated that the solubility of P was due to the produced organic acids. The sequence homology of the deduced amino acids suggested that E. intermedium 60-2G synthesized PQQ which is essential for the oxidation of glucose by glucose dehydrogenase.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.572-577
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• 1998

A soluble protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides protection against a thiol-containing oxidation system but not against an oxidation system without thiol. This 25-kDa protein acts as a peroxidase but requires the NADPH-dependent thioredoxin system or a thiol-containing intermediate, and was thus named thioredoxin peroxidase. The protective role of thioredoxin peroxidase against ionizing radiation, which generates reactive oxygen species harmful tocellular function, was investigated in wild-type and mutant yeast strains in which the tsa gene encoding thioredoxin peroxidase was disrupted by homologous recombination. Upon exposure to ionizing radiation, there was a distinct difference between these two strains in regard to viability and the level of protein carbonyl content, which is the indicative marker of oxidative damage to protein. Activities of other antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glutathione reductase were increased at 200-600 Gy of irradiation in wild-type cells. However, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were not significantly changed by ionizing radiation in thioredoxin peroxidase-deficient mutant cells. These results suggest that thioredoxin peroxidase acts as an antioxidant enzyme in cellular defense against ionizing radiation through the removal of reactive oxygen species as well as in the protection of antioxidant enzymes.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.119-123
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• 2016

Acetylcholine receptors (AChR) including muscarinic and nicotinic AChR are widely expressed and mediate a variety of physiological cellular responses in neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Notably, a functional cholinergic system exists in oral epithelial cells, and nicotinic AChR (nAChR) mediates cholinergic anti-inflammatory responses. However, the pathophysiological roles of AChR in periodontitis are unclear. Here, we show that activation of AChR elicits increased cytosolic $Ca^{2+}([Ca^{2+}]_i)$, transient cytotoxicity, and induction of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) expression. Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization in human gingival fibroblast-1 (hGF-1) cells was measured using the fluorescent $Ca^{2+}$ indicator, fura-2/AM. Cytotoxicity and induction of gene expression were evaluated by measuring the release of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and RT-PCR. Activation of AChR in hGF-1 cells by carbachol (Cch) induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with a high concentration of Cch on hGF-1 cells caused transient cytotoxicity. Notably, treatment of hGF-1 cells with Cch resulted in upregulated RANKL expression. The findings may indicate potential roles of AChR in gingival fibroblast cells in bone remodeling.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.199-202
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• 2014

The bioconversion of cellulosic biomass hydrolyzates consisting mainly of glucose and xylose requires the use of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a heterologous xylose pathway. However, there is concern that a fungal xylose pathway consisting of NADPH-specific xylose reductase (XR) and $NAD^+$-specific xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) may result in a cellular redox imbalance. However, the glycerol biosynthesis and glycerol degradation pathways of S. cerevisiae, termed here as the glycerol cycle, has the potential to balance the cofactor requirements for xylose metabolism, as it produces NADPH by consuming NADH at the expense of one mole of ATP. Therefore, this study tested if the glycerol cycle could improve the xylose metabolism of engineered S. cerevisiae by cofactor balancing, as predicted by an in-silico analysis using elementary flux mode (EFM). When the GPD1 gene, the first step of the glycerol cycle, was overexpressed in the XR/XDH-expressing S. cerevisiae, the glycerol production significantly increased, while the xylitol and ethanol yields became negligible. The reduced xylitol yield suggests that enough $NAD^+$ was supplied for XDH by the glycerol cycle. However, the GPD1 overexpression completely shifted the carbon flux from ethanol to glycerol. Thus, moderate expression of GPD1 may be necessary to achieve improved ethanol production through the cofactor balancing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1305-1310
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• 2021

Shikimate is a key high-demand metabolite for synthesizing valuable antiviral drugs, such as the anti-influenza drug, oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Microbial-based strategies for shikimate production have been developed to overcome the unstable and expensive supply of shikimate derived from traditional plant extraction processes. In this study, a microbial cell factory using Corynebacterium glutamicum was designed to overproduce shikimate in a fed-batch culture system. First, the shikimate kinase gene (aroK) responsible for converting shikimate to the next step was disrupted to facilitate the accumulation of shikimate. Several genes encoding the shikimate bypass route, such as dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB), pyruvate kinase (Pyk1), and quinate/shikimate dehydrogenase (QsuD), were disrupted sequentially. An artificial operon containing several shikimate pathway genes, including aroE, aroB, aroF, and aroG were overexpressed to maximize the glucose uptake and intermediate flux. The rationally designed shikimate-overproducing C. glutamicum strain grown in an optimized medium produced approximately 37.3 g/l of shikimate in 7-L fed-batch fermentation. Overall, rational cell factory design and culture process optimization for the microbial-based production of shikimate will play a key role in complementing traditional plant-derived shikimate production processes.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.264-269
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• 2008

To develop an amylolytic industrial yeast strain producing $\beta$-amylase, the BAMY gene encoding Achlya bisexualis $\beta$-amylase was constitutively expressed under the control of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter (ADC1p) in an industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast transformation was carried out by an integration system containing $\delta$-sequences as the recombination site. The integrative cassette devoid of bacterial DNA sequences was constructed that contains the BAMY gene and $\delta$-sequences. Industrial S. cerevisiae transformed with this integrative cassette secreted 45 kDa $\beta$-amylase into the culture medium. The $\beta$-amylase activity of the transformant was approximately 18.5-times higher than that of A. bisexualis. The multi-integrated BAMY genes in the transform ant were stable after 100 generations of growth in nonselective medium. Hydrolysis of soluble starch and various starches with the enzyme released maltose but not glucose or oligosaccharides.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1189-1196
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• 2013

Adipose tissue development and function play a critical role in the regulation of energy balance, lipid metabolism, and the pathophysiology of metabolic syndromes. Although the effect of zinc ascorbate supplementation in diabetes or glycemic control is known in humans, the underlying mechanism is not well described. Here, we investigated the effect of a zinc-chelated vitamin C (ZnC) compound on the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Treatment with ZnC for 8 d significantly promoted adipogenesis, which was characterized by increased glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and intracellular lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. Meanwhile, ZnC induced a pronounced up-regulation of the expression of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) and the adipocyte-specific gene adipocyte protein 2 (aP2). Analysis of mRNA and protein levels further showed that ZnC increased the sequential expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/$EBP{\alpha}$), the key transcription factors of adipogenesis. These results indicate that ZnC could promote adipogenesis through $PPAR{\gamma}$ and C/$EBP{\alpha}$, which act synergistically for the expression of aP2 and GLUT4, leading to the generation of insulin-responsive adipocytes and can thereby be useful as a novel therapeutic agent for the management of diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.298-306
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a global health problem of significant importance which increases mortality. In place of anti-obesity drugs, natural products are being developed as alternative therapeutic materials. In this study, we investigated the effect of Brassica juncea L. leaf extract (BLE) on fat deposition and lipid profiles in high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFC)-induced obese rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups (n = 8 per group) according to diet: normal diet group (ND), high-fat/high-cholesterol diet group (HFC), HFC with 3% BLE diet group (HFC-A1), and HFC with 5% BLE diet group (HFC-A2). Each group was fed for 6 weeks. Rat body and adipose tissue weights, serum biochemical parameters, and tissue lipid contents were determined. The expression levels of mRNA and proteins involved in lipid and cholesterol metabolism were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. RESULTS: The HFC-A2 group showed significantly lower body weight gain and food efficiency ratio than the HFC group. BLE supplementation caused mesenteric, epididymal, and total adipose tissue weights to decrease. The serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly reduced, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly increased in rats fed BLE. These results were related to lower glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, acetyl-coA carboxylase, and fatty acid synthase mRNA expression, and to higher expression of the cholesterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase and low density lipoprotein-receptor, as well as increased protein levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$. Histological analysis of the liver revealed decreased lipid droplets in HFC rats treated with BLE. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation of HFC with 3% or 5% BLE inhibited body fat accumulation, improved lipid profiles, and modulated lipogenesis- and cholesterol metabolism-related gene and protein expression.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2001

In an effort to develop an efficient expression and secretion system for heterologous proteins in Aspergilius nidulans, the PCR-amplified coding sequence for alkaline pretense (AlpA) of A. oryzae was cloned into a fungal expression vector downstream of A. nidulans aicA (alcohol dehydrogenase) promoter to yield pRAAlp. Transformation of A. nidulans with pRAAlp gave stable transformants harboring various copy numbers (3 to 10) of integrated alpA gene, from among which 6 representatives were selected. On a medium containing 0.8% ammonium sulfate that represses the expression of the host's own pretense, the alcA prumoter-controlled AlpA expression was strongly induced by threonine but repressed by glucose. The level of AlpA secretion was highest (approximately 666 mU/ml) in transformant ALP6 containing the largest copy number integrated alpA. However, the level of AlpA secretion was not necessarily proportional to the copy numbers of the integrated alpA genes. The N-terminal sequence or the secreted mature AlpA was determined to be Gly-Leu-Thr-Thr-Gln-Lys-Ser and its molecular mass to be approximately 34 kDa, indicating that AlpA is properly processed by the removal of 121 N-terminal amino acids.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2009

Glutathione reductase (GR) is an enzyme that recycles a key cellular antioxidant molecule glutathione (GSH) from its oxidized form (GSSG) thus maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. A recombinant plasmid to overexpress a GR of Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (BrGR) in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was constructed using an expression vector pKM260. Expression of the introduced gene was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting and enzyme assays. Purification of the BrGR protein was performed by IMAC method and indicated that the BrGR was a dimmer. The BrGR required NADPH as a cofactor and specific activity was approximately 458 U. The BrGR-expressing E. coli cells showed increased GR activity and tolerance to $H_2O_2$, menadione, and heavy metal ($CdCl_2$, $ZnCl_2$ and $AlCl_2$)-mediated growth inhibition. The ectopic expression of BrGR provoked the co-regulation of a variety of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Consequently, the transformed cells showed decreased hydroperoxide levels when exposed to stressful conditions. A proteomic analysis demonstrated the higher level of induction of proteins involved in glycolysis, detoxification/oxidative stress response, protein folding, transport/binding proteins, cell envelope/porins, and protein translation and modification when exposed to $H_2O_2$ stress. Taken together, these results indicate that the plant GR protein is functional in a cooperative way in the E. coli system to protect cells against oxidative stress.