• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.270-274
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• 2010

Obesity is caused from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, which may lead to pathologic growth of adipocytes and accumulation of fat in tissue. We examined the inhibitory effects of Eriobotrya japonica leaf and seed extracts on lipid absorption in vitro and fat accumulation during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 to adipocytes. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were stimulated with DMEM media containing 10% FBS, 0.5 mM 3-isobuthyl-1-methyxanthine (IBMX), $5\;{\mu}g/ml$ insulin, and $1\;{\mu}g/ml$ dexamethasone for differentiation to adipocytes. E. japonica leaf extract at concentration of 0.5 or 1 mg/ml inhibited pancreatic lipase activity. The cell viability of 3T3-L1 adipocytes slightly reduced about 3% by treatment of E. Japonica leaf and seed extracts. The leaf and seed extracts of E. japonica effectively inhibited the accumulations of lipid droplet and expression of $C/EBP{\alpha}$ promoting adipogenesis. Thus, this data suggest that E. japonica leaf and seed extracts inhibit fat accumulation through regulation of $C/EBP{\alpha}$, and leaf extract is more effective in lipid absorption and adipogenesis than seed extract.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.332-345
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• 2002

It is a recent observation that about 80 per cent of the body's immune system is localized in the gastrointestinal tract. This explains to a large extent why eating right is important for the modulation the immune response and prevention of disease. In addition it is increasingly recognized that the body has an important digestive system also in the lower gastrointestinal tract where numerous important substances are released by microbial enzymes and absorbed. Among these substances are short chain fatty acids, amino acids, various carbohydrates, poly-amines, growth factors, coagulation factors, and many thousands of antioxidants, not only traditional vitamins but numerous flavonoids, carotenoids and similar plant- and vegetable produced antioxidants. Also consumption of health-promoting bacteria (probiotics) and vegetable fibres (prebiotics) from numerous sources are known to have strong health-promoting influence. It has been calculated that the intestine harbours about 300,000 genes, which is much more than the calculated about 60,000 for the rest of the human body, indicating a till today totally unexpected metabolic activity in this part of the GI tract. There are seemingly several times more active enzymes in the intestine than in the rest of the body, ready to release hundred thousand or more of substances important for our health and well-being. In addition do the microbial cells produce signal molecules similar to cytokines but called bacteriokines and nitric oxide, with provide modulatory effects both on the mucosal cells, the mucosa- associated lymphoid system (MALT) and the rest of the immune system. Identification of various fermentation products, and often referred to as synbiotics, studies of their role in maintaining health and well-being should be a priority issue during the years to come.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2001.12a
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• pp.187-231
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• 2001

It is a recent observation that about 80 per cent of the body's immune system is localized in the gastrointestinal tract. This explains to a large extent why eating right is important for the modulation the immune response and prevention of disease. I addition it is increasingly recognized that the body has an important digestive system also in the lower gastrointestinal tract where numerous important substances are released by microbial enzymes and absorbed. Among these substances are short chain fatty acids, amino acids, various carbohydrates, polyamines, growth factors, coagulation factors, and many thousands of antioxidants, not only traditional vitamins but numerous flavonoids, carotenoids and similar plant- and vegetable produced antioxidants. Also consumption of health-promoting bacteria (probiotics) and vegetable fibres (prebiotics) from numerous sources are known to have strong health-promoting influence. It has been calculated that the intestine harbours about 300 000 genes, which is much more than the calculated about 60000 for the rest of the human body, indicating a till today totally unexpected metabolic activity in this part of the GI tract. There are seemingly several times more active enzymes in the intestine than in the rest of the body, ready to release hundred thousand or more of substances important for our health and well-being. In addition do the microbial cells produce signal molecules similar to cytokines but called bacteriokines and nitric oxide, with provide modulatory effects both on the mucosal cells, the mucosa-associated lymphoid system (MALT) and the rest of the immune system. Identification of various fermentation products, and often referred to as synbiotics, studies of their role in maintaining health and well-being should be a priority issue during the years to come.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.743-749
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• 2005

Estrogen is known to play an important role in maintaining bone mass, since the concentration of serum estrogen decrease after menopause and the estrogen deficiency results in bone loss. Phytoestrogens are plant compounds with estrogen-like biological activity, In this study, to investigate the bioactivities of phytoestrogen, which act on bone metabolism, we examined the effect of selected food-borne phytoestrogens (genistein, daidzein and resveratrol) on osteoblast proliferation and IGF-I production using MC3T3-El cells, a mouse calvaria osteoblast-like cell line. Cells were cultured in a serum free medium for 48 hr in the presence of genistein $(10^{-5}\;M)$, daidzein $(10^{-5}\;M)$ and resveratrol $(10^{-5}\;M)$. The effects of genistein, daidzein and resveratrol on the cell proliferation and growth were evaluated by total cell numbers, MTS assay and cell migration assay. Their effect was compared with the $17\beta-estradiol$. Genistein, daidzein and resveratrol exhibited stimulatory effects on the growth of MC3T3-El cells, and the most pronounced effect was shown with daidzein. In addition, these phytoestrogen increased alkaline phosphatase activity of MC3T3-El cells. These effects were similar to that of $17\beta-estradiol$ effects. Moreover, treatment with genistein, daidzein and resveratrol increased production of insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in conditioned media, indicating that the growth promoting effects of these phytoestrogen were related to the changes in production of IGF-I by MC3T3-El cells. These results show that genistein, daidzein and resveratrol have a stimulatory effect on osteoblast function, and that these findings in a cell model may prove relevant to protecting against the loss of bone mass and the development of osteoporosis in human subjects.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.885-893
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• 2001

This review summarizes some recent research into ways of improving the productivity of ruminal fermentation by increasing protein flow from the rumen and decreasing the breakdown of protein that results from the action of ruminal microorganisms. Proteinases derived from the plant seem to be of importance to the overall process of proteolysis in grazing animals. Thus, altering the expression of proteinases in grasses may be a way of improving their nutritive value for ruminants. Inhibiting rumen microbial activity in ammonia formation remains an important objective: new ways of inhibiting peptide and amino acid breakdown are described. Rumen protozoa cause much of the bacterial protein turnover which occurs in the rumen. The major impact of defaunation on N recycling in the sheep rumen is described. Alternatively, if the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis can be increased by judicious addition of certain individual amino acids, protein flow from ruminal fermentation may be increased. Proline may be a key amino acid for non-cellulolytic bacteria, while phenylalanine is important for cellulolytic species. Inhibiting rumen wall tissue breakdown appears to be an important mechanism by which the antibiotic, flavomycin, improves N retention in ruminants. A role for Fusobacterium necrophorum seems likely, and alternative methods for its regulation are required, since growth-promoting antibiotics will soon be banned in many countries.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2005

There are various crop diseases in green houses that are caused by the cultural environments, especially high temperature and moisture. To solve the forementioned problems, farmers are overusing agricultural chemicals, causing other damages by the chemical residue. In this study, antagonistic bacteria as biological control agents were isolated to produce the environmentally-friendly crops for use in green houses. Eighteen species of antagonistic bacteria were totally isolated from the soil and plants in the Perilla fields, and AK-17 showed the highest activity among the isolates. According to the results of anti-fungal spectrum against several pathogens by AK-17, the antagonism effect of the isolates was remarkable against grey mold rot by Botrytis cinerea, sclerotinia rot by Sclerotnia sclerotiorum, and stem rot by Rhizoctonia solini. To evaluate the biological control effects of the isolates against the major diseases of Perilla, studies were carried out to evaluate the preventive and the curative effects of the diseases throughout the pot experiments. According to the forementioned experiments, the preventive and the curative effects by the isolates against sclerotinia rot were respectively showed as 55% and 92%. For the grey mold rot, those were 40% and 78%, respectively. As to the evaluation of the growth-promoting effect by AK-17, the length and the biomass of the tested plants were increased to 120% and to 164%, respectively. For the leaf numbers and area were respectively increased to 120% and 220%. Furthermore, AK-17 was identified as Burkhoderia sp. according to the results of physiological properties and genetic methods.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.830-842
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• 2021

When perceiving microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) or plant-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), plants alter their root growth and development by displaying a reduction in the root length and the formation of root hairs and lateral roots. The exogenous application of a MAMP peptide, flg22, was shown to affect root growth by suppressing meristem activity. In addition to MAMPs, the DAMP peptide PEP1 suppresses root growth while also promoting root hair formation. However, the question of whether and how these elicitor peptides affect the development of the vascular system in the root has not been explored. The cellular receptors of PEP1, PEPR1 and PEPR2 are highly expressed in the root vascular system, while the receptors of flg22 (FLS2) and elf18 (EFR) are not. Consistent with the expression patterns of PEP1 receptors, we found that exogenously applied PEP1 has a strong impact on the division of stele cells, leading to a reduction of these cells. We also observed the alteration in the number and organization of cells that differentiate into xylem vessels. These PEP1-mediated developmental changes appear to be linked to the blockage of symplastic connections triggered by PEP1. PEP1 dramatically disrupts the symplastic movement of free green fluorescence protein (GFP) from phloem sieve elements to neighboring cells in the root meristem, leading to the deposition of a high level of callose between cells. Taken together, our first survey of PEP1-mediated vascular tissue development provides new insights into the PEP1 function as a regulator of cellular reprogramming in the Arabidopsis root vascular system.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.447-453
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• 2007

With a broad objective for the development of microbial based fertilizers, a total of 373 strains were isolated from rhizoplane and rhizosphere of pepper, tomato, lettuce, pasture, and grass. The efficacy of the isolates to augument overall plant growth was evaluated. After screening for their plant growth promotion and antagonistic properties in vitro efficient strains were further selected. The most efficient strains was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequences and biochemical techniques and was designated as Bacillus subtilis S37-2. The strains facilitated plant growth and inhibited the plant phathogenic fungi such as Fusarium oxysporum (KACC 40037, Rhizoctonia solani (KACC 40140), and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (KACC 40457). Pot based bioassay using lettuce as test plant was conducted by inoculating suspension ($10^5$ to $10^8cells\;mL^{-1}$) of B. subtilis S37-2 to the rhizosphere of lettuce cultivated in soil pots. Compared with non-inoculated pots, marked increase in leaf (42.3%) and root mass (48.7%) was observed in the inoculation group where the 50ml of cell mixture ($8.7{\times}10^8cells\;ml^{-1}$) was applied to the rhizosphere of letuce either once or twice. Antagonistic effects of B. subtilis S37-2 strain on S. sclerotiorum (KACC 40457) were tested. All the tested lettuce plants perished after 9 days in treatment containing only S. sclerotiorum, but only 17% of lettuce was perished in the inoculation plot. B. subtilis grew well in the TSB culture medium. The isolates grew better in yeast extracts than peptone and tryptone as nitrogen source. The growth rate was 2~4 times greater at $37^{\circ}C$ as compared with $30^{\circ}C$ incubation temperature. B. subitlis S37-2 produced $0.1{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$ of IAA (indole 3-acetic acid) in the TSB medium containing L-tryptophan($20mg\;L^{-1}$) in 24 hours.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2011

Oudemansiella mucida, an edible and medicinal mushrooms belonging to Tricholomataceae of Basidiomycota, has been known to produce antifungal substances to inhibit the mycelial growth and spore germination of the plant pathogenic fungi. To produce good amount of antifungal substances from culture media, the optimal culture conditions of O. mucida were investigated. The most favorable conditions for the mycelial growth were $25^{\circ}C$ and pH 5 in potato dextrose agar. The most favorable carbon and nitrogen sources promoting mycelial growth were maltose and calcium nitrate, respectively. The optimum C/N ratio was about 20 : 1 in case that 3% glucose was supplemented to the basal medium as a carbon source. The optimal mycelial growth of O. mucida was found in the Hennerberg medium. The crude extract from submerged culture of potato dextrose broth exhibited inhibition of mycelial growth of Colletotrichum acutatum, Botrytis cinerea and Pyricularia oryzae but, fungicidal activity is not good enough to compared with commercially available fungicides tested. Therefore, the antifungal substances extracted from submerged culture of O. mucida might have a potential to be used for biocontrol agent of fungal diseases of plants.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2007

The cellulase gene of Bacillus licheniformis K11 which has plant growth-promoting activity by auxin and antagonistic ability by siderophore was cloned in pUC18 using PCR employing heterologous primers. The 1.6kb PCR fragment contained the full sequence of the cellulase gene, denoted celW which has been reported to encode a 499 amino acid protein. Similarity search in protein data base revealed that the cellulase from B. licheniformis K11 was more than 97% identical in amino acid sequence to those of various Bacillus spp. The cellulase protein from B. licheniformis K11, overproduced in E. coli DH5${\alpha}$ by the lac promoter on the vector, had apparent molecular weight of 55 kDa upon CMC-SDS-PAGE analysis. The protein not only had enzymatic activity toward carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC), but also was able to degrade insoluble cellulose, such as Avicel and filter paper (Whatman$^{\circledR}$ No. 1). In addition, the cellulase could degrade a fungal cell wall of Phytophthora capsici. Consequently B. licheniformis K11 was able to suppress the peperblight causing P. capsici by its cellulase. Biochemical analysis showed that the enzyme had a maximum activity at 60$^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.0. Also, the enzyme activity was activated by Co$^{2+}$ of Mn$^{2+}$ but inhibited by Fe$^{3+}$ or Hg$^{2+}$. Moreover, enzyme activity was not inhibited by SDS or sodium azide.