• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.10-10
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• 1998

IMPs are important to cells in functions such as transport, energy transduction and signalling. Three dimensional molecular structures of such proteins at atomic level are needed to understand such processes. Prediction of such structures (and functions) is necessary especially because there are only a small number of membrane protein structures determined in atomic resolution.(omitted)

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2008

Flavone (2-phenyl chromone) is a well-known plant flavonoid, but its bioactivity has been little explored. Treatment of Caenorhabditis elegans or C. brissage with flavones induced embryonic and larval lethality that was pronounced in early larval stages. This anti-nematodal effect was also observed in the pinewood nematode, B. xylophilus. $LD_{50}$ values were approximately $100{\mu}M$ for both B. xylophilus and C. elegans. Our results indicate that flavone is an active nematicidal compound that should be further investigated with the aim of developing a potent drug against B. xylophilus.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.375-381
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• 2010

In this study, the cDNA library of Chang-liver cells was immunoscreened using common ADAMs antibody to obtain ADAM related genes. We found one positive clone that was confirmed as a new gene by Blast, which is an uncharacterized helical and coil protein and processes protease activity, and named protease-related protein 1 (ARP1). The submitted GenBank accession number is AY078070. Molecular characterizations of ARP1 were analyzed with appropriate bioinformatics software. To analyse its expression and function, ARP1 was subcloned into glutathione S-transferase fusion plasmid pGEX-2T and expressed by E. coli system. The in vitro expression product of ARP1 was recognized by common ADAMs antibody with western blot. Interestingly, ARP1 cleaves gelatine at pH9.5, which suggests it is an alkaline protease. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR result indicates that ARP1 mRNA is strongly transcribed in the liver and the treated Chang-liver cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.444-447
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• 2007

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a powerful technique in molecular biology and is widely used in various fields. By amplifying DNA fragments, PCR has facilitated gene cloning procedures, as well as molecular genotyping. However, the extraction of DNA from samples often acts as a limiting step of these reactions. In particular, the extraction of PCR-compatible genomic DNA from higher plants requires complicated processes and tedious work because plant cells have rigid cell walls and contain various endogenous PCR inhibitors, including polyphenolic compounds. We recently developed a novel solution, referred to as AnyDirect, which can amplify target DNA fragments directly from whole blood without the need for DNA extraction. Here, we developed a simple lysis system that could produce an appropriate template for direct PCR with AnyDirect PCR buffer, making possible the direct amplification of DNA fragments from plant leaves. Thus, our experimental procedure provides a simple, convenient, non-hazardous, inexpensive, and rapid process for the amplification of DNA from plant tissue.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 1999

As the biodegradation of wood constituents has been understood as a multi-basidiomycetes and enzymatic processes, this review will focus on the roles of low molecular compounds and radicals working in harmony with fungal enzymes. Wood rotting basidiomycete fungi penetrate wood, and lead to more easily metabolize carbohydrates of the wood complex. The white-rot fungi, having versatile enzymes, are able to attack directly the "lignin barrier". They also use a multi-enzyme system including so-called "feedback" type enzymes allowing for simultaneous degradation of lignin and carbohydrates. The multi-enzymes including laccase support the proposed route by explaining how the high molecular weight enzymes can function in the wood complex. These enzymes may function separately or cooperate each other. In addition, veratryl alcohol oxidase, cellobiose dehydrogenase, arylalcohol dehydrogenase, and particularly low molecular mediators and radicals have an important role in wood biodegradation. However, the possibility of other mechanism as well as other enzymes, as operating as feedback systems in the process of wood degradation, could not be excluded.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.142-147
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• 2009

Small-molecule inhibitors of protein kinases have contributed immensely to our understanding of biological signaling path-ways and have been exploited therapeutically for the treatment of cancers and other disease states. The pyridinyl imidazole compounds SB 203580 and SB 202190 were identified as ATP competitive antagonists of the p38 stress-activated protein kinases and have been widely used to elucidate p38-dependent cellular processes. Here, we identify SB 203580 and SB 202190 as potent inhibitors of stress-induced CREB phosphorylation on Serine 111 (Ser-111) in intact cells. Unexpectedly, we found that the inhibitory activity of SB 203580 and SB 202190 on CREB phosphorylation was independent of p38, but instead correlated with inhibition of casein kinase 1 (CK1) in vitro. The inhibition of CK1-mediated CREB phosphorylation by concentrations of pyridinyl imidazoles commonly employed to suppress p38, suggests that in some cases conclusions of p38-dependence derived solely from the use of these inhibitors may be invalid.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.637-643
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• 2014

Wound healing is a complex multi-step process that requires spatial and temporal orchestration of cellular and non-cellular components. Hypoxia is one of the prominent microenvironmental factors in tissue injury and wound healing. Hypoxic responses, mainly mediated by a master transcription factor of oxygen homeostasis, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), have been shown to be critically involved in virtually all processes of wound healing and remodeling. Yet, mechanisms underlying hypoxic regulation of wound healing are still poorly understood. Better understanding of how the wound healing process is regulated by the hypoxic microenvironment and HIF-1 signaling pathway will provide insight into the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for impaired wound healing conditions such as diabetic wound and fibrosis. In this review, we will discuss recent studies illuminating the roles of HIF-1 in physiologic and pathologic wound repair and further, the therapeutic potentials of HIF-1 stabilization or inhibition.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.926-932
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• 2006

A series of bench-scale membrane filtration experiments were performed to systematically investigate the removal mechanisms of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylene, xylene), trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The molecular weight of these organic compounds ranged from 78 to 166 dalton. The rejection of organic compounds by RO/NF membranes varied significantly from 59.6 to 99.2% depending on solute and membrane types. Specifically, experimental results demonstrated that the removal efficiency of RO/NF membranes increased as solute molecular characteristics such as W/L (molecular width/length) ${\times}$ $M_W$ (molecular weight) and octanol-water partition coefficient increased. This observation suggested that the rejection of small organic compounds by RO/NF membranes was determined by the combined effect of physical (molecular size and shape) and chemical (hydrophobicity) properties.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.33.1-33.1
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• 2013

Galaxies undergo various processes in the cluster environment, which could affect their evolution. In particular, ram pressure due to intracluster medium (ICM) can effectively remove HI gas, which is a relatively diffuse form of interstellar medium (ISM). On the other hand, molecular gas is not expected to get easily stripped as atomic gas since it is denser and sitting well within the stellar disk in a deeper potential well. However, cluster galaxies are found to be redder and more passive in star formation activity compared to their field counterpart. This implies that molecular gas may also get affected somehow in dense environments. In this work, we investigate molecular gas properties of a sample of galaxies undergoing HI stripping due to the ICM. We present the 12/13 CO (2-1) data of four spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster at different ram pressure stripping stages, obtained using the Sub Millimeter Array (SMA). CO morphology of the sample appears to be highly asymmetric and disturbed. Using the ratio of different lines, we probe the molecular gas temperature in different regions. We find higher gas temperature than the range normally found among field galaxies. We discuss how these distinct molecular gas properties may affect star formation and hence the evolution of the cluster galaxy population.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.9
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• pp.804-812
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• 2020

In cells, proteins form macromolecular complexes to execute their own unique roles in biological processes. Conventional structural biology methods adopt a bottom-up approach starting from defined sets of proteins to investigate the structures and interactions of protein complexes. However, this approach does not reflect the diverse and complex landscape of endogenous molecular architectures. Here, we introduce a top-down approach called Electron Microscopy screening for endogenous Protein ArchitectureS (EMPAS) to investigate the diverse and complex landscape of endogenous macromolecular architectures in an unbiased manner. By applying EMPAS, we discovered a spiral architecture and identified it as AdhE. Furthermore, we performed screening to examine endogenous molecular architectures of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), mouse brains, cyanobacteria and plant leaves, revealing their diverse repertoires of molecular architectures. This study suggests that EMPAS may serve as a tool to investigate the molecular architectures of endogenous macromolecular proteins.