• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 1992

Theileria sergenti were isolated from infected erythrocytes by hypotonic Iysis, and soluble meroBoite antigens were purified by sonication and differential centrifugation. The preparation contained 29, 34, 35 and 105 kD immuno-dominant polypeptides. The soluble antigens (0.5 mg/ml) were prepared and fortified with Freund's adjuvant. Five month old naive Korean calves were subcutaneously inoculated with the preparation and a booster dose was administered 4 weeks later Nine weeks after the booster dose, vaccinates and controls were challenged with a homologous stabilate (5.6×106 RBC/dose, 40% Parasitemia). All animals were monitored for hematocrit, total erythrocyte count, parasitemia and for the specific antibody by Western immuno- blot (WB) and indirect immuno-auorescent antibody(IFA) test. By 18 weeks after vaccination (6 weeks after the challenge), vaccinated cattle had an average IFA titer of 1 : 10,240 compared with 1 : 1,280 of the controls. The vaccinates showed ne91igib1e change in hematocrit and total RBC count whereas control animals showed significant (P<0.05) hematological chanties and associated anemia. After vaccination and challenge, the antibody responses demonstrated that vaccination had induced significant production of antibody to the 29 and 35 kD polypeptides. The latter polypeptide was much more strongly recognized by the vaccinated animals, and thus it may be a potential candidate for the vaccine.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.482-493
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• 2005

Biomass is originally photosynthesized from inorgainic compounds such as $CO_2$, minerals, water and solar energy. Recent studies have shown that anaerobic bacteria have the ability to convert recalcitrant biomass such as cellullosic or chitinoic materials to useful compounds. The biomass containing agricultural waste, unutilized wood and other garbage is expected to utilize as feed, food and fuel by microbial degradation and other metabolic functions. In this study we isolated several anaerobic, cellulolytic and chitinolytic bacteria from rumen fluid, compost and soil to study their related enzymes and genes. The anaerobic and cellulolytic bacteria, Clostridium thermocellum, Clostridium stercorarium, and Clostridium josui, were isolated from compost and the chitinolytic Clostridium paraputrificum from beach soil and Ruminococcus albus was isolated from cow rumen. After isolation, novel cellulase and xylanase genes from these anaerobes were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The properties of the cloned enzymes showed that some of them were the components of the enzyme (cellulase) complex, i.e., cellulosome, which is known to form complexes by binding cohesin domains on the cellulase integrating protein (Cip: or core protein) and dockerin domains on the enzymes. Several dockerin and cohesin polypeptides were independently produced by E. coli and their binding properties were specified with BIAcore by measuring surface plasmon resonance. Three pairs of cohesin-dockerin with differing binding specificities were selected. Two of their genes encoding their respective cohesin polypeptides were combined to one gene and expressed in E. coli as a chimeric core protein, on which two dockerin-dehydrogenase chimeras, the dockerin-formaldehyde dehydrogenase and the dockerin-NADH dehydrogenase are planning to bind for catalyzing $CO_2$ reduction to formic acid by feeding NADH. This reaction may represent a novel strategy for the reduction of the green house gases. Enzymes from the anaerobes were also expressed in tobacco and rice plants. The activity of a xylanase from C. stercorarium was detected in leaves, stems, and rice grain under the control of CaMV35S promoter. The digestibility of transgenic rice leaves in goat rumen was slightly accelerated. C. paraputrificum was found to solubilize shrimp shells and chitin to generate hydrogen gas. Hydrogen productivity (1.7 mol $H_2/mol$ glucos) of the organism was improved up to 1.8 times by additional expression of the own hydrogenase gene in C. paraputrficum using a modified vector of Clostridiu, perfringens. The hydrygen producing microflora from soil, garbage and dried pelletted garbage, known as refuse derived fuel(RDF), were also found to be effective in converting biomass waste to hydrogen gas.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 1986

Aqueous solutions of 2,4-D, BA or $GA_3(10^{-6},\;10^{-5},\;and\;10^{-4}M,\;respectively)$ were sprayed onto soybean (Glycine max) plants in the flowering stage, and proteins of immature (33days after flowering) and mature (77days after flowering) seeds were analyzed by electrophoresis to elucidate the effects of the growth reguators on protein synthesis or protein accumulation in the seeds. Accumulations of some proteins were altered by 2,4-D or BA at certain concentrations, but no proteins were affected by $GA_3$. The ${\alpha}\;and\;{\alpha}'$ subunits of 7S and acidic subunit of 11S disappeared in mature seeds after treatments at the flowering stage with 2,4-D or BA. The presence of ${\alpha}\;and\;{\alpha}'$ subunits of 7S and acidic subunit of 11S in immature seeds indicated that the absence of the above polypeptides in mature seeds did not result from inhibitions in syntheses of the polypeptides by the growth regulators. Disappearance of the above proteins in mature seeds seemed to be concerned with the action of specific proteolytic enzyme (s) (metalloendopeptidase?), and 2,4-D and BA might promote gene expression or activation of the enzyme.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.417-426
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• 1997

Rice bran protein hydrolysates were prepared and some of their physicochemical properties were investigated to utilize rice bran as starting material for functional food ingredient. Rice bran proteins (RBP) were prepared from defatted rice bran by alkaline extraction and isoelectric precipitation. The enzyme for hydrolysis of RBP was selected through measuring relative activity by pH-drop method and comparing the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of hydrolysates. The enzymatic hydrolysates prepared by $Esperase^{\circledR}$ treatment were partitioned into two fractions by ultrafiltration(UF) with a 10 kDa molecular weight cut-off membrane. Each fraction was applied to a cholic acid-conjugated ${\omega}-aminohexyl$ Sepharose 4B column and the bile acid-binding components were obtained by eluting with deoxycholate. Gel permeation chromatography on a Sephadex G-50 column revealed that molecular weight of the bile acid-binding fraction of UF permeate was distributed in ranges of $2\;kDa{\sim}10\;kDa$ and $0.2\;kDa{\sim}0.6\;kDa$. Three peaks (R-1, R-2 and R-3) were obtained by prep-HPLC of bile acid-binding fraction of UF retentate and analyzed for total and free amino acid composition. The results showed that proline content of the bile-acid binding polypeptides and peptides was four times as much as that of rice bran protein and that the peak corresponding to higher average hydrophobicity had a higher free amino acid content. Average hydrophobicity slightly increased with enzymatic hydrolysis.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 1985

Electrophoretic studies of protein extracts from carrot calluses suspension-cultured on the media containing kinetin, BA, IAA, NAA or $GA_3$ at the levels of $10^{-6},\;10^{-5},\;10^{-4}M$, respectively, were performed to identify polypeptides and proteins regulated by auxin, cytokinin or GA. Fifteen bands of polypeptide(s) were observed in the callus cultured in the control medium devoid of growth regulators, and their molecular weights were $18._4,\;20._2,\;20._0,\;34._9,\;35._7,\;37._4,\;40._3,\;42._2,\;44._1,\;44._4,\;49._3,\;55._0,\;56._6,\;58._1,\;and\;59._9\;KD$, respectively. The synthesis of polypeptide appeared to be promoted in two bands by kinetin, in six bands by BA, in one band by IAA, in two bands by NAA, and in four bands by $GA_3$, while inhibited in five bands by kinetin, in three bands by BA, in four bands by IAA, in three bands by NAA and in three bands by $GA_3$. The polypeptides of $40._3\;KD\;42._2\;KD$ seemed to be regulated by cytokinins, and those of $44._1\;KD,37._4\;KD,\;and\;56._6\;KD$ by auxins. The proteins of three bands with relative mobilities of 0.56, 0.84, and 0.92, respectively, increased in the calluses cultured on the media containing kinetin, IAA, $GA_3$, NAA or BA, compared to the control, but it was difficult to identify the proteins specific for each growth regulator.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1999

We examined the expression patterns of heat shock proteins in primary cultured hepatocytes from flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) exposed to heat shock. The expression of hsp90, hsp70, hsp40, hsp30, and hsp27 was induced and major polypeptides were hsp70, hsp30 and hsp27. Northern blot analysis showed that expression of hsp70 was inhibited by transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D, suggesting that expression of hsp70 gene is regulated at the transcriptional level. Prolonged exposure of cells to an elevated incubation temperature $(30^{\circ}C)$ induced the transient synthesis of hsp90, hsp70, hsp40, and hsp30 whereas maintenance of cells at a slightly higher incubation temperature $(32^{\circ}C)$ induced the continuous syntheses of these hsps. When cells were incubated at a higher temperatures $(35^{\circ}C\;or\;37^{\circ}C)$, the synthesis of hsps was almost similar to that of hsps in cells exposed to 32't except for the induction of hsp27 synthesis. These results that temperature and incubation time for optimum expression of each hsp during prolonged heat shock are different.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.259-261
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• 2003

The nsdD gene has been predicted to encode a GATA type transcription factor with the type IVb zinc finger DNA binding domain functions in activating sexual development of A. nidulans. In several allelic mutants of nsdD producing truncated NsdD polypeptides lacking the C-terminal zinc finger, the transcription level of nsdD gene was greatly increased. Also in an over-expressed mutant, the transcription under its own promoter was reduced. These results suggest that the expression of nsdD is negatively autoregulated. When the nsdD gene was over-expressed, cleistothecia were formed in excess amounts even in the presence of 0.6 M KC1 that inhibited sexual development of the wild type. Northern blot analysis revealed that the expression of nsdD was repressed by 0.6 M KC1. These results strongly suggest that the inhibition of sexual development by salts was carried out via the nsdD involved regulatory network.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2003

We studied the effect of cadmium on chlorophylls and rubisco activation in Canavalia ensiformis L. leaves. Chlorophyll levels were reduced by 5.0 ${\mu}$M Cd. Rubisco activity at 5.0 ${\mu}$M Cd was significantly smaller than that at no treatment. Rubisco Content showed patterns of change similar to rubisco activity. These data suggest that rubisco activity was associated with an amount of rubisco protein, and that the activation and induction of rubisco is inhibited by Cd. The degree of intensity of 50 and 14.5 kD polypeptides identified as the large and small subunit of rubisco by SDS-PAGE analysis at 5.0 ${\mu}$M Cd was significantly lower than that at control, indicating Cd had a e f-fect on both subunits. Under the assumption that effects of Cd on rubisco may be r elated to rubisco activase, in addition to, its activity and content we re determined . The rubisco activase activity at 5.0 ${\mu}$M Cd was more decreased than the control. A similar change pattern was also observed in content of rubisco activase. Remarkable differences in the intensitiy of both the 45 kD and 41 kD band were found between at control and Cd-treatment. These results suggest that the change in the levels of rubisco activase leads to a subsequent alter action of rubisco levels.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.55-58
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• 2002

The reaction center Dl protein of photosystem II is the target of photodamage by excess illumination. The Dl protein is damaged by reactive oxygen species generated by photochemical reactions and then degraded by specific proteolytic enzymes. We found that the Dl protein also cross-links with the surrounding polypeptides, such as D2 and CP43 in isolated thylakoids or photosystem II-enriched membranes from spinach under the illumination with strong visible light. The cross-linking was observed in spinach leaf discs as well when they were illuminated at higher temperature (40°C). It was also shown that the cross-linked products are digested efficiently by a protease(s) in the stroma. Thus the cross-linking/digestion processes of the Dl protein seem to comprise a new pathway in the turnover of the photodamaged Dl protein. It should be noted, however, that the cross-linked products of the Dl protein and CP43 induced by endogenous cationic radicals in the donor-side photoinhibition are resistant to proteolytic digestion. Accumulation of these cross-linked products in the thylakoids may lead to the decay of the function of chloroplasts and finally to the death of plant cells. Thus, we suggest that the quality control of photosystem II, especially removal of the cross-linked products of the Dl protein, is crucial for the survival of chloroplasts under the light stress.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.541-551
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• 2009

Amyloidogenesis defines a condition in which a soluble and innocuous protein turns to insoluble protein aggregates known as amyloid fibrils. This protein suprastructure derived via chemically specific molecular self-assembly process has been commonly observed in various neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Prion diseases. Although the major culprit for the cellular degeneration in the diseases remains unsettled, amyloidogenesis is considered to be etiologically involved. Recent recognition of fibrillar polymorphism observed mostly from in vitro amyloidogeneses may indicate that multiple mechanisms for the amyloid fibril formation would be operated. Nucleation-dependent fibrillation is the prevalent model for assessing the self-assembly process. Following thermodynamically unfavorable seed formation, monomeric polypeptides bind to the seeds by exerting structural adjustments to the template, which leads to accelerated amyloid fibril formation. In this review, we propose another in vitro model of amyloidogenesis named double-concerted fibrillation. Here, two consecutive assembly processes of monomers and subsequent oligomeric species are responsible for the amyloid fibril formation of $\alpha$-synuclein, a pathological component of Parkinson's disease, following structural rearrangement within the oligomers which then act as a growing unit for the fibrillation.