• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.31-37
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• 2010

Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) hydrolyze the ${\beta}$-1,4-linkages in chitin, the second most abundant polymer of N-acetyl-${\beta}$-D-glucosamine which is a structural component of protective biological matrices such as fungal cell walls and insect exoskeletons. The glycosyl hydrolases 18 family including chitinases is an ancient gene family widely expressed in archea, prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Since earthworms live in the soil with a lot of microbial activities and fungi are supposed to be a major component of the diet of earthworm, it has been reported that there would be appropriate immune system to protect themselves from microorganisms attacks. In this study, the novel chitinase, EaChi, from the midgut of earthworm, Eisenia andrei, were identified and characterized. To obtain full-length cDNA sequence of chitinase, RT-PCR and RACE-PCR analyses were carried out by using the previously identified EST sequence amongst cDNA library established from the midgut of E. andrei. EaChi, a partial chitinase gene, was composed of 927 nucleotides encoding 309 amino acids. By the multiple sequence alignments of amino acids with other different species, it was revealed that EaCHI is a member of glycosyl hydrolases 18 family, which has two highly conserved domains, substrate binding and catalytic domain.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1992

To elucidate alteration of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) activity of peripheral lymphocytes and helper/inducer and suppressor/cytototxic T cells in patients with thyroid tumors, the author examined PNP activity, and $CD4^+\;and\;CD8^+$ cells of peripheral blood in 20 cases of simple goiter, 9 cases of thyroid adenoma and 20 cases of thyroid cancer as well as 11 cases of adult healthy subjects as control. Diagnoses were established on the basis of commonly accepted clinical and biochemical criteria in simple goiter and were confirmed histopathologically in thyroid adenoma and cancer. All blood was obtained from veins of the patients and control subjects in Pusan National University Hospital during the period of January to August, 1991. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1) The PNP activity was significantly decreased or tended to be decreased in thyroid adenomas and cancers as compared with control subjects and simple goiters. 2) The percentage of CD8 cells was significantly decreased or tended to be decreased in thyroid cancers as compared with simple goiters, thyroid adenomas and control subjects. 3) The CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly increased or tended to be increased in thyroid cancer as compared with simple goiters, thyroid adenomas and control subjects. On the basis of the results, it can be suggested that the immunodysfunction in thyroid cancer may be due to decreased suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, and the estimation of PNP activity of peripheral lymphocyte is a helpful test in detecting the immune status in thyroid tumors.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2017

Variant surface antigens (VSAs) encoded by pir families are considered to be the key proteins used by many Plasmodium spp. to escape the host immune system by antigenic variation. This attribute of VSAs is a critical issue in the development of a novel vaccine. In this regard, a population genetic study of vir genes from Plasmodium vivax was performed in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Eighty-five venous blood samples and 4 of the vir genes, namely vir 27, vir 21, vir 12, and vir 4, were selected for study. The number of segregating sites (S), number of haplotypes (H), haplotype diversity (Hd), DNA diversity (${\pi}$ and ${\Theta}_w$), and Tajima's D test value were conducted. Phylogenetic trees of each gene were constructed. The vir 21 (S=143, H=22, Hd=0.827) was the most genetically diverse gene, and the vir 4 (S=6, H=4, Hd=0.556) was the opposite one. Tajima's D values for vir 27 (1.08530, P>0.1), vir 12 (2.89007, P<0.01), and vir 21 (0.40782, P>0.1) were positive, and that of vir 4 (-1.32162, P>0.1) was negative. All phylogenetic trees showed 2 clades with no particular branching according to the geographical differences and cluster. This study is the first survey on the vir genes in ROK, providing information on the genetic level. The sample sequences from vir 4 showed a clear difference to the Sal-1 reference gene sequence, whereas they were very similar to those from Indian isolates.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2014

A cecropin-A gene was isolated from the immunized larvae of the Japanese oak silkworm, Antheraea yamamai and designed Ay-CecA. The complete Ay-CecA cDNA consists of 419 nucleotides with 195 bp open reading frame encoding a 64 amino acid precursor that contains a putative 22-residue signal peptide, a 4-residue propetide and a 37-residue mature peptide with a theoretical mass of 4046.81. The deduced amino acid sequence of the peptide evidenced a significant degree of identity (62 ~ 78% identity) with other lepidopteran cecropins. Like many insect cecropin, Ay-CecA also harbored a glycine residue for C-terminal amidation at the C-end, which suggests potential amidation. To understand this peptide better, we successfully expressed bioactive recombinant Ay-CecA in Escherichia coli that are highly sensitive to the mature peptide. For this, we fused mature Ay-CecA gene with insoluble protein ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) gene to avoid the cell death during induction. The fusion KSI-CecA protein was expressed as inclusion body. The expressed fusion protein was purified by Ni-NTA immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), and cleaved by cyanogen bromide (CNBr) to release recombinant Ay-CecA. The purified recombinant Ay-CecA showed considerably antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, E. cori ML 35, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results proved that this peptide with a potent antibacterial activity may play a role in the immune response of Japanese oak silkworm.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2013

Methoxychlor (MXC) was developed to be a replacement for the banned pesticide DDT. HPTE [2,2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane], which is an in vivo metabolite of MXC, has strong oestrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. MXC and HPTE are thought to produce potentially adverse effects by acting through oestrogen and androgen receptors. Of the two, HPTE binds to sex-steroid receptors with greater affinity, and it inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells by inhibiting cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme activity and cholesterol utilisation. In a previous study, MXC was shown to induce Leydig cell apoptosis by decreasing testosterone concentrations. I focused on the effects of MXC on male mice that resulted from interactions with sex-steroid hormone receptors. Sex-steroid hormones affect other organs including the kidney and liver. Accordingly, I hypothesised that MXC can act through sex-steroid receptors to produce adverse effects on the testis, kidney and liver, and I designed our experiments to confirm the different effects of MXC exposure on the male reproductive system, kidney and liver. In these experiments, I used pre-pubescent ICR mice; the puberty period in ICR mice is from postnatal day (PND) 45 to PND60. I treated the experimental group with 0, 100, 200, 400 mg MXC/kg b.w. delivered by an intra-peritoneal injection with sesame oil used as vehicle for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed under anaesthesia. The testes and accessory reproductive organs were collected, weighed and prepared for histological investigation. I performed a chemiluminescence immune assay to observe the serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH. Blood biochemical determination was also performed to check for other effects. There were no significant differences in our histological observations or relative organ weights. Serum testosterone levels were decreased in a dose-dependent manner; a greater dose resulted in the production of less testosterone. Compared to the control group, testosterone concentrations differed in the 200 and 400 mg/kg dosage groups. In conclusion, I observed markedly negative effects of MXC exposure on testosterone concentrations in pre-pubescent male mice. From our biochemical determinations, I observed some changes that indicate renal and hepatic failure. Together, these data suggest that MXC produces adverse effects on the reproductive system, kidney and liver.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2014

The effect of cordycepin purified from Cordyceps militaris on macrophage activation was investigated in peritoneal macrophages isolated from C57BL6 mice. Lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse peritoneal cells showed that cordycepin treatment increased the expression of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), leading to early inflammation-mediated reactions, the activation of immunological responses, and T lymphocyte activation. T lymphocytes, activated by a greater production of IL-6, resulted in antibody-generating immune reactions, suggesting that cordycepin was effective at inducing immunological responses. Consistent with the increase in the inflammation-mediating factors including nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), the toxic response of macrophages was activated and effectively induced inflammation. These findings demonstrate that cordycepin is involved in reducing cell injury provoked by inflammatory reactions. Therefore, these results suggest that cordycepin treatment of mouse peritoneal cells induces inflammation-mediated immunological responses and immunostimulation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.378-383
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• 2016

The glasswort is an edible halophyte demonstrating various physiological effects including anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, the effects of glasswort extracts on inflammatory events and interactions of THP-1 monocytes with intestinal epithelial cells were investigated. Five solvent fractions, including the ethylether fraction (Fr.E), were prepared from a 70% methanol extract of glasswort. THP-1 monocytes underwent differentiation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment and were then activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression. None of the glasswort fractions tested alone induced COX-2 in differentiated THP-1 cells. Fr.E, however, enhanced LPS-induced COX-2 expression in differentiated THP-1 cells. Culture media of THP-1 cells treated with each fraction stimulated the growth of normal intestinal INT-407 cells more prominently than that of HT-29 colon cancer cells. COX-2 expression in HT-29 cells was inhibited when the cells were exposed to the THP-1 culture medium treated with Fr.E. Thus, glasswort could modulate the interaction between immune cells and intestinal cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.90-96
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and ultraviolet (UV)-protective effect of Pleurotus eryngii extract (PEE) in activated RAW 264.7 cells and UV-induced mouse skin damage. The results showed that PEE strongly inhibited the production of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide, interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$, and IL-6 at high concentrations in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, PEE treatment suppressed erythema, melanin index, and epidermal thickness to a greater degree than ascorbic acid (AA) treatment in UV-irradiated mice. Finally, PEE treatment inhibited the infiltration of mast cell to a similar degree of AA treatment. Therefore, these results indicate that PEE could improve inflammation and skin damage in immune cells and UV-irradiated mice. This study may provide positive insights into PEE as a functional food and cosmetic ingredient for treatment of inflammation and skin damage.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.7
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• 2013

Inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by immune cell infiltration and cytokine secretion. In particular, mast cells and their cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Korean medicine, BaekJeol-Tang (BT) was designed by traditional Korean medicine theory. We already reported therapeutic effect of BT in rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we report the specific underlying mechanism of BT in activated human mast cells, HMC-1 cells. In addition, we report for the first time that BT significantly inhibited the production and mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines including thymic stromal lymphopoietin, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ in activated HMC-1 cells. BT also decreased the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$, and caspapase-1. Taken together, these results indicate that BT has potential as a regulator of inflammatory reactions for the treatment of arthritis such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.707-717
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• 2018

Leukocytes are reportedly the first line of the innate immune defense and essential for the control of common bacterial infections. Therefore, in this work, the antibacterial activity of crocodile leukocyte extract against Propionibacterium acnes was evaluated, and we also characterized the related activity of skin infection. The leukocyte extract showed the minimum inhibitory concentration to be $100{\mu}g/ml$ to P. acnes. SEM imaging demonstrated that the leukocyte extract adversely affected P. acnes cell permeability in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the crocodile leukocyte extract could significantly reduce proinflammatory markers and decrease inflammatory signs in infected mouse ears. The crude leukocyte extract was further purified using FPLC and RP-HPLC. The resulting fraction F5 was indicated as the anti-acne peptide-containing fraction. The molecular mass of the peptide contained in F5 was calculated to be 4,790.5 Da. N-Terminal sequencing revealed the amino acid sequence as GPEPVPAIYQ, which displays similarities to immunoglobulin A and leucine-rich repeat neuronal protein. This is the first reported amino acid sequence of a crocodile leukocyte extract that possesses anti-acne activity. To attempt to use it in a prototype cosmetic, an anti-acne gel containing crude crocodile leukocyte extract was formulated, resulting in seven gel formulations (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, and G7). The formulations G5, G6, and G7 exhibited 2-fold higher anti-acne activity than G1-G4. Investigation of accelerating stability studies of anti-acne gel formulations G5, G6, and G7 demonstrated that a low storage temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) is suitable for maintaining the physical properties and biological activity of the anti-acne gel products.