• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.743-747
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• 1999

The component polymer was modified to enable the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the immiscibile polystyrene(PS)/polymethacrylate(PMA) blends. The mole percentages of hydroxystyrene of the poly(styrene-co-4-hydroxystyrene) copolymer(modified polystyrene, MPS) were controlled to 7%, 10% and 18%, respectively. MPS was used with PMA to study the variation of the miscibility in blends. PMA which had such different length of side chain as methyl, butyl, hexyl and ethylhexyl, respectively, was selected to study the effect of side chain length on the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. As the hydroxyl content of MPS increased, the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding increased. The length of side chain of PMA had enormous effect on the miscibility of blend as confirmed from the result of cloud point measurement. As the length of side chain increased, the formation and the strength of intermolecular hydrogen bonding decreased severely due to the steric effect and the increased chain mobility.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.524-531
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• 2002

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is characterized by widespread platelet thrombi in arterioles and capillaries. Unusually large or multimeric von Willebrand factor, as well as one or ore platelet-agglutinating factors, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of TTP. But, the actual mechanisms of platelet agglutination have not been satisfactorily explained. Recent studies suggested the 37-kDa platelet-agglutinating protein (PAP) p37 to be partially responsible for the formation of platelet thrombi in patients with TTP. We studied mobility in SDS-PAGE, the sequence of N-terminal amino acid residues, DNA and antigenic characteristics of PAP p37, which might be related to the pathogenesis of TTP. PAP p37 was purified from the plasma of a 31-year-old male Korean patient with acute TTP. The findings are as follows: (1) We compared PAP p37 with thrombin through the use of SDS-PAGE, either with or without $\beta$-mercaptoethanol. PAP p37 did not appear to be cleaved between the A- and B-chains of prethrombin 2. However, thrombin did cleave between those of prethrombin 2, but linked with disulfide bridge. (2) N-terminal 21 amino acid sequence of PAP p37 was T-F-G-S-G-E-A-D-X-G-L-R-P-L-F-E-K-K-S-L-E. It appeared to be identical to that of 285-305 amino acid residues of human prothrombin (prethrombin 2). (3) No prothrombin gene DNA mutation was revealed. (4). The antigenicity of PAP p37 was similar to thrombin, which was a result of the competitive binding against the anti-thrombin antibody. With these results, we conclude that PAP p37 has similar characteristics to prethrombin2.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.77-82
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• 2004

Quantifying rates of microbial processes under subsurface conditions is difficult, and is most commonly approximated by laboratory studies using aquifer materials. In this study a single-well, 'push-pull' test method is adapted for the in situ determination of denitrification rates in groundwater aquifers. The rates of stepwise reduction of nitrate to nitrite, nitrous oxide, and molecular nitrogen were determined by performing a series of push-pull tests at an experimental well field of Korea University. A single Transport Test, one Biostimulation Test, and four Activity Tests were conducted for this study. Transport tests are conducted to evaluate the mobility of solutes used in subsequent tests. These included bromide (a conservative tracer), fumarate (a carbon and/or source), and nitrate (an electron acceptor). At this site, extraction phase breakthrough curves for all solutes were similar, indicating apparent conservative transport of the solutes prior to biostimulation. Biostimulation tests were conducted to stimulate the activity of indigenous heterotrophic denitrifyinc microorganisms. Biostimulation was detected by the simultaneous production of carbon dioxide and nitrite after each injection. Activity tests were conducted to quantify rates of nitrate, nitrite, and nitrous oxide reduction. Estimated zero-order degradation rates decreased in the order nitrate '||'&'||'gt; nitrite '||'&'||'gt; nitrous oxide. The series of push-pull tests developed and field tested in this study should prove useful for conducting rapid, low-cost feasibi1ity assessments for in situ denitrification in nitrate-contaminated aquifers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2011

Enzymatic catalysis has been pursued extensively in a wide range of important chemical processes for their unparalleled selectivity and mild reaction conditions. However, enzymes are usually costly and easy to inactivate in their free forms. Immobilization is the key to optimizing the in-service performance of an enzyme in industrial processes, particularly in the field of non-aqueous phase catalysis. Since the immobilization process for enzymes will inevitably result in some loss of activity, improving the activity retention of the immobilized enzyme is critical. To some extent, the performance of an immobilized enzyme is mainly governed by the supports used for immobilization, thus it is important to fully understand the properties of supporting materials and immobilization processes. In recent years, there has been growing concern in using polymeric materials as supports for their good mechanical and easily adjustable properties. Furthermore, a great many work has been done in order to improve the activity retention and stabilities of immobilized enzymes. Some introduce a spacer arm onto the support surface to improve the enzyme mobility. The support surface is also modified towards biocompatibility to reduce non-biospecific interactions between the enzyme and support. Besides, natural materials can be used directly as supporting materials owning to their inert and biocompatible properties. This review is focused on recent advances in using polymeric materials as hosts for lipase immobilization by two different methods, surface attachment and encapsulation. Polymeric materials of different forms, such as particles, membranes and nanofibers, are discussed in detail. The prospective applications of immobilized enzymes, especially the enzyme-immobilized membrane bioreactors (EMBR) are also discussed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2000

Three kinds of serine protease inhibitors, members of the Bowman-Birk trypsin inhibitor, were purified from Dolichos lablab seeds and named Dolichos protease inhibitor 1, 2 and 3 (DI-1, DI-2 and DI-3), respectively. Each inhibitor showed a single band with gel mobility at around 15.9, 12.1 and 14.6 kDa on 20% SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. To characterize inhibitory specificity, the inhibition constant (Ki) for these inhibitors was measured against several known serine proteases. All three Dolichos protease inhibitors (DI-1, DI-2 and DI-3) inhibited the activity of trypsin and plasmin, but had no effect on thrombin and kallikrein (either for human plasma kallikrein or for porcine pancreas kallikrein). DI-1 inhibited chymotrypsin most effectively (Ki = $3.6{\times}10^{-9}\;M$), while DI-2 displayed inhibitory activity for porcine pancreatic elastase (Ki = $6.2{\times}10^{-8}\;M$). Pre-treatment of the 33 mg/kg of DI-mixture (active fractions from $C_{18}$ open column chromatography that included DI-1, DI-2 and DI-3) inhibited the induction of pseudomonal elastase-induced septic hypotension and prevented an increase in bradykinin generation in pseudomonal elastase-treated guinea pig plasma. Also, the increase of kallikrein activity, by injection of pseudomonal elastase, was inhibited by the pretreatment of the DI-mixture in a guinea pig. Since the DI-mixture had no inhibitory effect on kallikrein activity when Z-Phe-Arg-MCA was used as a substrate in vitro, its inhibitory activity in the pseudomonal elastase-induced septic hypotension model might not be due to a direct inhibition of plasma kallikrein in the activation cascade of the Hageman factor and prekallikrein system. These results suggest that the Dolichos DI-mixture might be used as an inhibitor in pathogenic bacterial protease-induced septic shock.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.476-492
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• 1990

Sodium arsenite (As) aqueous solution containing 4 ppm wss given to male rats for 15 days as drinking water. Electrophoretic pattern of liver cytosol from As-fed rats appeared to be significantly different from that of the control rats. Although the normal protein content of the cytosol fraction of As-fed rat liver was decreased, 8 stress proteins were increased. In liver cytosol fractions of As-treated rat, one kind of arsenic-binding substance (AsBS) was observed. Molecular weight of AsBS was identified to be 500 D and composition of amino acid was glycine, glutamic acid and cysteine. Glutathione (GSH) appeared to bind to arsenic and GSH-As complex showed the same mobility as AsBS on gel filtration chromatography. GSH conjugated As prevented As from inhibiting respiration, conformational change and swelling-contration of mitochondria. According to the above results. it is concluded that in vfuo treated arsenic stimulated synthesis of stress protein, and arsenic-binding substance might be glutathione and have a protective role against arsenic toxicity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.431-437
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• 1997

Since the role of CD40 on the interleukin-4(IL-4) -induced B cell activation has been strongly implicated in the agumentation of IgE production and response, we have investigated the intracelluar signaling pathways utilized by IL-4 and CD40 for type II IgE receptor (CD23) expression. IL-4 and anti-CD40 antibody treatment of human B cells, independently caused a rapid induction of CD23 gene activation within 2 h. There was a noticeable synergism between the action of the two agents inducing CD23 expression: the addition of anti-CD40 to the IL-4-treated culture significantly agumented the IL-4-induced CD23 on both mRNA and surface protein levels, and the inclusion of IL-4 in the anti-CD40-treated cells caused a further increase of CD23 expression far above the maximal level induced by anti-CD40. Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors effectively suppressed the both IL-4- and anti -CD40-induced CD23 expression. whereas protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors had no effects. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) have shown that IL-4 and anti-CD40 induce the activation of NF-IL-4 and $NF-_{K}B$, respectively, binding to the CD23 promoter, both in a PKC-independent and PTK-dependent manner. These data suggest that the synergistic activation of CD23 gene expression by IL-4 and anti-CD40 is mediated by co-operative action of distinct nuclear factors. each of which is rapidly activated via PKC-independent and PTK-dependent process.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.549-556
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• 2015

Consumption of herbal tea [flower buds of Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.) Merr. et Perry (Myrtaceae)] is associated with health beneficial effects against multiple diseases including diabetes, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease. Emerging evidences have reported that High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is considered as a key "late" proinflammatory factor by its unique secretion pattern in aforementioned diseases. Dimethyl cardamonin (2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone, DMC) is a major ingredient of C. operculatus flower buds. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of DMC and its underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages. DMC notably suppressed the mRNA expressions of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and HMGB1, and also markedly decreased their productions in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Intriguingly, DMC could notably reduce LPS-stimulated HMGB1 secretion and its nucleo-cytoplasmic translocation. Furthermore, DMC dose-dependently inhibited the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), and protein kinase C alpha (PKC${\alpha}$). All these data demonstrated that DMC had anti-inflammatory effects through reducing both early (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6) and late (HMGB1) cytokines expressions via interfering with the PI3K-PDK1-PKC${\alpha}$ signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.622-627
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• 2012

The processes to determine the composition, dynamics, and activity of infection mechanisms by the rhizosphere microflora have attracted the interest of scientists from multiple disciplines although considerable progress of the infection pathways and plant-pathogen interactions by soil borne fungal pathogens have been made. Soilborne pathogens are confined within a three-dimensional matrix of mineral soil particles, pores, organic matter in various stages of decomposition and a biological component. Among the physical and chemical properties of soils soil texture and matric water potential may be the two most important factors that determine spread exudates by soil borne fungal pathogens, based on the size of the soil pores. Pathogenic invasion of plant roots involves complex molecular mechanisms which occur in the diffuse interface between the root and the soil created by root exudates. The initial infection by soilborne pathogens can be caused by enzymes which breakdown cell wall layers to penetrate the plant cell wall for the fungus. However, the fate and mobility of the exudates are less well understood. Therefore, it needs to develop methods to control disease caused by enzymes produced by the soilborne pathogens by verifying many other possible pathways and mechanisms of infection processes occurring in soils.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.749-755
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• 2005

The ccpA gene encoding catabolite control protein A (CcpA) of Leuconostoc mesenteroides SYl, a strain isolated from kimchi, was cloned, sequenced, analyzed for transcript, and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The ccpA ORF (open reading frame) is 1,011 bp in size, which can encode a protein of 336 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 36,739 Da. The transcription start site was mapped at a position 49 nucleotides upstream of the start codon, and promoter sequences were also identified. The putative cre site overlapped with the -35 promoter sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of the CcpA contained the helix-turn-helix motif found in many DNA-binding regulatory proteins. CcpA from 1. mesenteroides SY1 had $54.6\%$ identity with CcpA from Lactobacillus casei. The Northern blot experiment showed that ccpA was transcribed as a single 1.1 kb transcript, and transcription was repressed when grown on media containing glucose. CcpA was overproduced in E. coli BL21(DE3) cells using the pET expression vector, and purified to an apparent homogeneity. Gel Mobility Shift Assay with purified CcpA and a DNA fragment containing the ere sequence of the $\alpha$-galactosidase gene (aga) from L. mesenteroides SY1 revealed that CcpA bound specifically to the cre site of aga.