• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.159-164
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• 1993

The tissue levels of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) during the estrous cycle and pregnancy were investigated in the pig. Sexually mature female cycling pigs were used. One animal was sacrificed on estrous cycle days 3, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20 and during pregnancy on day 11. 12, B. 14, 18, 19, 20, 48, 50 and 52. Tissues from the hypothalamus, pituitary, uterus, ovary and skeletal muscle were removed. They were homogenized in buffer, and supernatants were used for measurement of protein concentration and ODC activity. The release of $^14$CO$_2$ from radiolabeled ornithine was proportional to the amout of protein added over the range of 0.125~4mg and to the incubation time. ODC appered to have some relationship with the biological functions of the pituitary, ovary and uterus during the reproductive period, especially on day 19 of the estrous cycle, while it showed no such activities in hypothalamus and skeletal muscle of mature pigs. Uterine tissues had significantly more ODC activity than other tissues tested(p < 0.05).

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.189-200
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• 1993

Ornithine decarboxylase is the first and rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines in mammalian cells. During cell growth the enzyme is regulated by rapid changes in the level of its mRNA and protein. To explore the molecular basis of these changes, ODC-specific complementary DNA (cDNA) clones were isolated from a bovine cDNA library. This region of the cDNA contained a portion of the open reading frame, a 3'noncoding region, and a poly-A tail of 456, 348, and 14 nucleotides, respectively. A comparison of the deduced sequence of the carboxyl terminal 151 amino acids of ODC with amino acid sequences in the same region of the enzyme from human, mouse, rat, and hamster showed greater than 88% identity in these proteins. The highly conserved nature of the amino acid sequences may be related to the important role of ODC in cell growth and differentiation.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2003

Ornithine transcarbamylase(OTC) deficiency is the most common of all the urea cycle disorders. In this X-linked disorder, the hemizygote males are more severely affected than heterozygote females. The Heterozygote female may have mild episodic hyperammonemia symptoms in late infancy or childhood(late onset) or no clinical manifestations. Here we report a 6 year-old girl with late onset OTC deficiency who showed recurrent episodic lethargy, mental confusion and ataxia. On mutation analysis using DNA sequencing after PCR amplification of the 10 exons of OTC gene, G to T transversion in codon 221, causing substitution of asparagine for lysine was detected in exon 6.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2009

To understand the molecular mechanism underlying proline accumulation in Brassica napus, cDNAs encoding ${\Delta}^1$-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (BnP5CS), ornithine $\delta$-aminotransferase (BnOAT) and proline dehydrogenase (BnPDH) were isolated and characterized. Southern blot analysis of BnP5CSs in B. napus and its diploid ancestors suggested a gene loss may have occurred during evolution. The expression of BnP5CS1 and BnP5CS2 was induced, while the expression of BnPDH was inhibited under salt stress, ABA treatment and dehydration, prior to proline accumulation. The upregulation of BnOAT expression was only detected during prolonged severe osmotic stress. Our results indicate that stress-induced proline accumulation in B. napus results from the reciprocal action of activated biosynthesis and inhibited proline degradation. Whether the ornithine pathway is activated depends on the severity of stress. During development, proline content was high in reproductive organs and was accompanied by markedly high expression of BnP5CS and BnPDH, suggesting possible roles of proline during flower development.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.408-414
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• 2001

Ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) is an essential enzyme for polyamine synthesis and growth in mammalian cells and plants. We compared the biochemical and immunological properties of rat and Nicotiana glutinosa ODC by cloning and expressing the recombinant proteins. The primary amino acid sequence between rat and N. glutinosa ODC had a 40% homology The molecular weight of the overexpressed rat ODC was 53 kDa, and that of N. glutinosa was 46.5 kDa. Adding 1 mM of putrescine to the enzyme reaction mixture inhibited both rat and N. glutinosa ODC activity to 30%. Agmatine had an inhibitory effect only on N. glutinosa ODC. Cysteine and lysine modifying reagents reduced both ODC activities, verifying the key roles of cysteine and lysine residues in the catalytic mechanism of ODC. ELISA was performed to characterize the immunological difference between the rat and plant ODC. Both the rat and N. glutinosa ODC were recognized by the polyclonal antibody that was raised against purified N. glutinosa ODC, but the rat ODC was 50-fold less sensitive to the antibody binding. These results indicate that even though both ODCs have the same evolutionary origin, there seems to be a structural distinction between the species.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.675-679
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• 2006

The effect of water extract from Thesium chinese Turczaninow (TCTW) on proliferation of human breast cancer cells, nitric oxide production, nitric oxide synthase expression, and ornithine decarboxylase activity was tested. TCTW inhibited the growth of both estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231 and estrogen-dependent MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) production was significantly reduced by TCTW at the concentrations of 1.0 (p<0.05) and 5.0 mg/ml (p<0.005). Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was also suppressed with the treatment of TCTW in Western blot analysis. TCTW inhibited induction of ornithine decarboxylase by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a key enzyme of polyamine biosynthesis, which is enhanced in tumor promotion. Therefore, TCTW is worth further investigation with respect to breast cancer chernoprevention or therapy.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.339-345
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• 2009

Two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with high ornithine-producing capacity were isolated from kimchi. Examination of the biochemical features using an API kit indicated that the strains belonged to the members of Weissella genus. They were gram positive, short rod-type bacteria, and able to grow anaerobically with $CO_2$ production. The isolates grew well on MRS broth at $25\sim37^{\circ}C$ and pH of 6.0~7.0. The optimum temperature and pH for growth are $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.5. The isolates fermented arabinose, ribose, xylose, glucose but not cellobiose, galactose, raffinose, or trehalsoe. The 16S rDNA sequences of isolates showed 99.6% and 99.7% homology with the Weissella koreensis S5623 16S rDNA (access no. AY035891). They were accordingly identified and named as Weissella koreensis OK1-4 and Weissella koreensis OK1-6, and could produce ornithine from MRS broth supplemented with 1% of arginine at a productivity of 27.01 and 31.41 mg/L/h, respectively. This is the first report on the production of ornithine by the genus Weissella isolated from kimchi.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 1999

The effects of agmatine on the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of polyamines, the resultant levels of polyamines, and their effect on the growth of DU145 human prostate tumor cells were investigated. When agmatine was added to the medium, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) activity was substantially reduced, but S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC, EC 4.1.1.50) activity increased markedly. These changes in ODC and SAMDC activities were the result of an induction of ODC-antizyme and a decreased turnover rate of SAMDC in the presence of agmatine. Accordingly, there was a decrease in the intracellular levels of putrescine and spermidine but an increase in the intracellular level of spermine. Cell growth was markedly inhibited by agmatine treatment and this inhibition was not recovered by the addition of putrescine or spermidine. Our results suggest that agmatine alters the intracellular amounts of polyamine in the cells, closely related to the inhibition of cell growth.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 1996

Chemical carcinogenesis is associated with the increase of intracellular polyamine levels, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced mouse epidermal ODC activity are essential to skin tumor promotion by TPA. Therefore, for the discovery of new cancer chemopreventive agents, we have evaluated about 73 kinds of natural products to study inhibitory effects against ODC activity induced by TPA in T24 cell culture system. The total methanol extracts of plants fractionated into three layers (hexane, ethyl acetate and water layer) were tested and the hexane fraction of Angelica gigas $(root\;bark,\;IC_{50}:\;7.4\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and the ethyl acetate fraction of Corydalis ternata $(root,\;IC_{50}:\;7.5\;{\mu}g/ml)$ were the most effective on the inhibition of TPA-induced ODC activity, These active fractions are under investigation with further sequential fractionation using column chromatography.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.448-451
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• 2006

Chemopreventive and cytotoxic effect of genistein against human breast cancer cell lines was investigated. Genistein inhibited cell proliferation in estrogen receptor-positive (MCF-7) and estrogen receptor-negative (MDA-MB-231) human breast carcinoma cell lines. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1-mediated ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity was inhibited by genistein in a concentrationdependent manner. Genistein significantly inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cyclooxy-genase-2 activity and protein expression at the concentrations of 10 (p < 0.05), 25 (p < 0.05) and 50 mM (p < 0.01). In addition, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity was reduced to 53.8 % of the control after 6 h treatment with 50 mM genistein in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These results suggest that genistein could be of therapeutic value in preventing human breast cancer.