• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.317-322
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• 2002

To improve conventional yeast one-hybrid screening, we have developed an efficient mammalian one-hybrid system that allows rapid isolation of com-plementary DNAs which are able to induce human p14$^{ARF}$. tumor suppressor gene. A 1.5 kb promoter region of p14$^{ARF}$ was fused to EGFP to generate ARF promoter-EGFP reporter vector. This reporter plasmid was stably trans-fected into NIH3T3 cells for generation of reporter cell line. When the reporter cell line was infected with E2F-1 together with excess amounts of empty vector, the cells that received the positive modulator were readily identifiable by green fluorescence using FACS. The GFP-positive cells were cloned directly from the cultured cells and expanded in bulk culture. The genomic DNAs from GFP-positive cells were prepared and the CDNA insert in integrated retroviral genome was recovered by PCR using primers annealing to the retroviral vector sequences flanking the insert-cloning site. This system should be useful for efficient screening of expression CDNA libraries in mammalian cells to identify novel upstream regulators for spe-cific genes by one-hybrid interaction.ion.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.385-389
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• 2008

The effects of high vanillin concentration on fresh-cut apples treated with NatureSealTM were investigated Apples were sliced, treated with 6% NatureSealTM or 6% NatureSealTM + 120 mM vanillin, packaged in polyethylene bags, and stored for 3 weeks at 4C. The L value, soluble solid level and titratable acidity of fresh-cut apples treated with NatureSealTM + 120 mM vanillin during storage were lower than those of fresh-cut apples treated with NatureSealTMonly; the growth of total aerobic bacteria, yeast and molds were also more inhibited in fresh-cut apples treated with NatureSealTM + 120 mM vanillin. These results show that the addition of 120 mM vanillin inhibits the growth of microorganism but 1m detrimental effects on the quality characteristics of fresh-cut apples treated with NatureSealTM.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.631-638
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• 2008

Tandem affinity purification (TAP) method combined with LC-MS/MS is the most accurate and reliable way to study the interaction of proteins or proteomics in a genome-wide scale. For the first time, we used a TAP-tag as a mutagenic tool to disrupt protein interactions at the specific site. Although lots of commonly used mutational tools exist to study functions of a gene, such as deletional mutations and site-directed mutagenesis, each method has its own demerit. To test the usefulness of a TAP-tag as a mutagenic tool, we applied a TAP-tag to RNA polymerase II, which is the key enzyme of gene expression and is controlled by hundreds of transcription factors even to transcribe a gene. Our experiment is based on the hypothesis that there will be interrupted interactions between Pol II and transcription factors owing to the TAP-tag attached at the C-terminus of each subunit of Pol II, and the abnormality caused by interrupted protein interactions can be observed by measuring a cell-cycle of each yeast strain. From ten different TAP-tagged strains, Rpb7- and Rpb12-TAP-tagged strains show severe defects in growth rate and morphology. Without a heterodimer of Rpb4/Rpb7, only the ten subunits Pol II can conduct transcription normally, and there is no previously known function of Rpb7. The observed defect of the Rpb7-TAP-tagged strain shows that Rpb7 forms a complex with other proteins or compounds and the interruption of the interaction can interfere with the normal cell cycle and morphology of the cell and nucleus. This is a novel attempt to use a TAP-tag as a proteomic tool to study protein interactions.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2009

The comparative immunomodulatory effects of ${\beta}$-glucans isolated from mushroom fungi (Coriolus versicol), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and bacteria (Agrobacterium) on the major functions of macrophages were evaluated. As parameters of macrophage functions, we examined tumoricidal activity, phagocytosis, nitric oxide (NO) production, and the induction of inducible NO synthetase (iNOS) in RAW264.7 cells, following treatments with ${\beta}$-glucans from the three different sources. The results indicated that all ${\beta}$-glucan treatments significantly induced tumoricidal activity in the RAW264.7 cells, with a remarkable effect shown by the beta-glucan from Agrobacterium at a concentration of $10{\mu}g/mL$. There was also a significant increase in iNOS-NO system activity in macrophages treated with ${\beta}$-glucans extracted from yeast; however, iNOS-NO system activity was not markedly changed by the treatment of ${\beta}$-glucans from C. versicolor mushroom fungi or Agrobacterium. Furthermore, the ${\beta}$-glucans from C. versicolor had a significant phagocytotic effect at concentrations of 1, 10, and $100{\mu}g/mL$. Taken together, the present data suggest that these ${\beta}$-glucans, isolated from three different sources, have different effects on macrophage function, and therefore, may have different clinical uses in different for various types of diseases.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.152-161
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• 2017

Cheese is an excellent substrate for yeast and mold growth. These organisms can cause cheese spoilage, resulting in significant food wastage and economic losses. In the context of cheese spoilage, the presence and effects of spoilage or pathogenic bacteria are well documented. In contrast, although yeasts and molds are responsible for much dairy food wastage, only a few studies have examined the diversity of spoilage fungi. This article reviews the spoilage yeasts and molds affecting cheeses in various countries. The diversity and number of fungi present were found to depend on the type of cheese. Important fungi growing on cheese include Candida spp., Galactomyces spp., Debaryomyces spp., Yarrowia spp., Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp., Cladosporium spp., Geotrichum spp., Mucor spp., and Trichoderma spp.. In addition, several mold spoilage species, such as Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp., are able to produce mycotoxins, which may also be toxic to humans. There are many ways to eliminate or reduce toxin levels in foods and feeds. However, the best way to avoid mycotoxins in cheese is to prevent mold contamination since there are limitations to mold degradation or detoxifications in cheese. Chemical preservatives, natural products, and modified atmosphere packaging have been used to prevent or delay mold spoilage and improve product shelf life and food safety.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1054-1057
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• 2007

Lipases are industrially useful versatile enzymes that catalyze numerous different reactions including hydrolysis of triglycerides, transesterification, and chiral synthesis of esters under natural conditions. Although lipases from various sources have been widely used in industrial applications, such as in food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and detergent industries, there are still substantial current interests in developing new microbial lipases, specifically those functioning in abnormal conditions. We screened 17 lipase-producing yeast strains, which were prescreened for substrate specificity of lipase from more than 500 yeast strains from the Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection (Peoria, IL, U.S.A.), and selected Yarrowia lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 as a best lipase producer. This report presents new finding and optimal production of a novel extracellular alkaline lipase from Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178. Optimal culture conditions for lipase production by Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 were 72 h incubation time, $27.5^{\circ}C$, pH 9.0. Glycerol and glucose were efficiently used as the most efficient carbon sources, and a combination of yeast extract and peptone was a good nitrogen source for lipase production by Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178. These results suggested that Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 shows good industrial potential as a new alkaline lipase producer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2020

Saccharomyces boulardii is the only probiotic yeast with US Food and Drug Administration approval. It is routinely used to prevent or treat acute diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders, including the antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile infections. The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), specifically H₂O₂ during normal aerobic metabolism, contributes to programmed cell death and represents a risk to the viability of the probiotic microbe. Moreover, a loss of viability reduces the efficacy of the probiotic treatment. Therefore, inhibiting the accumulation of ROS in the oxidant environment could improve the viability of the probiotic yeast and lead to more efficacious treatment. Here, we provide evidence that supplementation with a non-reducing disaccharide, namely trehalose, enhanced the viability of S. boulardii exposed to an oxidative environment by preventing metacaspase YCA1-mediated programmed cell death through inhibition of intracellular ROS production. Our results suggest that supplementation with S. boulardii together with trehalose could increase the viability of the organism, and thus improve its effectiveness as a probiotic and as a treatment for acute diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.791-795
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• 2011

Sea tangle, a kind of brown seaweed, was fermented with Lactobacillus brevis BJ-20. The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in fermented sea tangle (FST) was 5.56% (w/w) and GABA in total free amino acid of FST was 49.5%. The effect of FST on the enzyme activities and mRNA protein expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) involved in alcohol metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. Yeast was cultured in YPD medium supplemented with different concentrations of FST powder [0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0% (w/v)] for 18 h. FST had no cytotoxic effect on the yeast growth. The highest activities and protein expressions of ADH and ALDH from the cell-free extracts of S. cerevisiae were evident with the 0.4% and 0.8% (w/v) FST-supplemented concentrations, respectively. The highest concentrations of GABA as well as minerals (Zn, Ca, and Mg) were found in the cell-free extracts of S. cerevisiae cultured in medium supplemented with 0.4% (w/v) FST. The levels of GABA, Zn, Ca, and Mg in S. cerevisiae were strongly correlated with the enzyme activities of ADH and ALDH in yeast. These results indicate that FST can enhance the enzyme activities and protein expression of ADH and ALDH in S. cerevisiae.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.176-181
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• 2002

Astaxanthin (3,3＇-dihydroxy-${\beta}$, ${\beta}$-carotene-4-4＇-dione), a natural pigment of pink to red color, is widely distributed in nature particularly in the skin layer of salmonoids and the crust of shrimp, lobster, etc. Recently, it was produced from the yeast culture of Phaffia rhodozyma. Because of its high thermal stability and antioxidant functionality, its applications can be extended into food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical ingredient beyond the traditional feed additive. Because of its very high lipophilicity, astaxanthin has been extracted traditionally by strong organic solvents such as chloroform, petroleum ether, acetone, etc. In this study, we developed a surfactant-based solubillization system for astaxanthin, and used it to extract astaxanthin from disrupted yeast cells. Among Tween 20, Triton X-100 and SDS, Tween 20 was identified as the most suitable surfactant in terms of extraction capacity and safety. The ethylene oxide group of Tween 20 was identified as the most significant factor to increase the HLB value that determined the extraction capacity. The effects of micelle formation condition, such as the molar ratio of astaxanthin and Tween 20, pH, and ionic strength were also investigated. pH and ionic strength showed no significant effects. The optimal molar ratio between astaxanthin and Tween 20 was 1 : 12. Antioxidant activity of astaxanthin was higher than ${\beta}$-carotene and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol. Astaxanthin in the crude extract from the yeast cell was more resistant to air and/or light degradation than pure astaxanthin, probably because of the presence of other carotenoids and lipids.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.1 s.144
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• pp.21-27
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• 2006

Yeast based estrogenicity assay is the simplest and useful for the assay and the discovery of novel estrogenic substances in natural specimens, The estrogen receptor(ER) modulation activity of 50% EtOH extracts of 101 traditional medicinal herbs was assessed using a recombinant yeast assay system with both a human estrogen receptor expression plasmid and a receptor plasmid. Among them, 14 species proved to be active. Pureariae Flos (flower of Puerraria thunbergiana BENTH.) had the highest estrogenic relative potency$(7.75{\times}10^{-3})$ $(EC_{50}=9.39\;{\mu}g/ml)$. The $EC_{50}$ value of $17{\beta}-estradiol$ used as the positive control was $0.073\;{\mu}g/ml)$ (Relative Potency=1.00). There results demonstrated that some of the traditional medical herb may be useful in the therapy of estrogen replacement.