• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.127-133
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• 2009

This study was designed to investigate the effects of high concentration of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on the neuronal activity of rat substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. Sprague-Dawley rats aged 14 to 16 days were decapitated under ether anesthesia. After treatment with pronase and thermolysin, the dissociated dopaminergic neurons were transferred into a chamber on an inverted microscope. Spontaneous action potentials and potassium currents were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques under current and voltage-clamp modes respectively. 18 dopaminergic neurons(80%) revealed inhibitory responses to 40 and 100 ${\mu}M$ of EGCG and 4 neurons(20%) did not respond to EGCG. The spike frequency and resting membrane potential of these cells were decreased by EGCG. The amplitude of afterhyperpolarization was increased by EGCG. Whole potassium currents of dopaminergic neurons were increased by EGCG(n=10). These experimental results suggest that high concentration EGCG decreases the neuronal activity of the dopaminergic neurons by altering the resting membrane potential and afterhyperpolarization.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2010

This study was designed to investigate the effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate on the neuronal activity of rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons. Sprague-Dawley rats aged 14 to 16 days were decapitated under ether anesthesia. After treatment with pronase and thermolysin, the dissociated medial vestibular nuclear neurons were transferred into a chamber on an inverted microscope. Spontaneous action potentials and potassium currents were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques under current and voltage-clamp modes respectively. 15 medial vestibular nuclear neurons revealed excitatory responses to 1 and $5\;{\mu}M$ of sphingosine-1-phosphate. The spike frequency and resting membrane potential of these cells were increased by sphingosine-1-phosphate. The amplitude of afterhyperpolarization was decreased by sphingosine-1-phosphate. Whole potassium currents of medial vestibular nuclear neurons were decreased by sphingosine-1-phosphate (n=12). Sphingosine-1-phosphate did not affect the charybdotoxin-treated potassium currents. These experimental results suggest that sphingosine-1-phosphate increases the neuronal activity of the medial vestibular nuclear neurons by altering the resting membrane potential and afterhyperpolarization.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.253-257
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• 2005

In our previous study, Soamsan, a traditional Oriental medicine, was shown to enhance the induction of antigen-specific immune responses, and it was speculated that the enhancing activity might be closely associated with glycoproteins contained within the medicine. To elucidate this speculation, protein samples from each component, used in the preparation of Soamsan, were obtained and their immune stimulating activities were tested with mouse splenocytes. All the samples markedly enhanced the lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion by the mouse splenocytes. In particular, the enhancement was significantly higher with the protein sample treatments than with those of the original crude sample. Furthermore, the pronase E- and $NaIO_4$-mediated inhibition of splenocyte-stimulation activity of the protein samples clearly supported that glycoproteins are the main class of active ingredients responsible for the lymphocyte stimulating activity of the samples. Consequently, our findings suggest that glycoproteins might have a pivotal role in Soamsan-mediated immune modulation, although the in vivo effect of the glycoproteins should be further elucidated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 1998

Streptomyces griseus trypsin (SGT) is an extracellular proteinase produced by S. griseus. The sprT gene, which encodes premature SGT protein, was cloned into the plasmid pWHM3, a Streptomyces-E. coli shuttle vector. When the recombinant plasmid was introduced into Streptomyces lividans TK24, two proteins with molecular weights of 28 kDa and 42 kDa were detected. The 28-kDa protein was a SGT protein while the larger 42-kDa protein is thought to have been a premature form of the SGT protein. The SGT protein was purified to homogeneity via ammonium sulfate fractionation and many column chromatographies, including CM -sepharose chromatography, Mono-S chromatography, and Superose-12 chromatography, from the culture broth of S. lividans TK24 harboring the sprT gene. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, isoelectric points, and stabilities at various conditions of the SGT proteins purified from the Pronase and transformant were almost identical. The amount of the expressed SGT in S. lividans TK 24 was determined to be 5 times more than that of S. griseus based on the enzymatic activity against artificial substrate.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 1991

Bacteriocin-producing microorganisms were screened from raw milk and tested their antimicrobial activities against Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 as target organism, Antimicrobial substances isolated showed broad antimicrobial spectra against Gram positives and negatives. Strain 1112-1 was selected as a test organism due to its highest antimicrobial activity among the isolates. Antimicrobial substance produced by 1112-1 completely suppressed the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum at 230 IUIml and showed 11% growth inhibition of E. coli at 500 IUIrnl level. The antimicrobial substance was found to be proteinaceous material which was inactivated by carboxypeptidase, elastase, alpha amylase, amyloglucosidase, pronase, protease IV, alpha chymotrypsin, ficin, cellulase, phosphatase and lipase. The molecular weight was estimated by SDS-PAGE as 5,900. The isolate 1112-1 was identified as one of the related strains of Lactococcus sp. The strain was different from Lactococcus lactis in the following characteristics: late positive in maltose and sucrose fermentation; positive in mannitol and salicin fermentation; negative in lactose fermentation.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.795-803
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• 2010

A DF01 strain that inhibits tyramine-producing Lactobacillus curvatus KFRI 166 was isolated from Dongchimi, a traditional Korean fermented vegetable, and identified as Lactobacillus brevis by biochemical analysis and reverse transcriptase sequencing of 16S rRNA. The antimicrobial compound produced by L. brevis DF01 was secreted at a maximum level of 640 AU/mL in late exponential phase in MRS broth, and its activity remained constant during stationary phase. The activity of bacteriocin DF01 was totally inactivated by $\alpha$-chymotrypsin, pronase E, proteinase K, trypsin, and $\alpha$-amylase, but not by catalase, which indicates the compound was glycoprotein in nature. The activity was not affected by pH changes ranging from 2 to 12 or heat treatment (60, 80, and $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min), but was reduced after autoclaving. Bacteriocin DF01 had bacteriolytic activity and a molecular weight of approximately 8.2 kDa, as shown by tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis. Therefore, bacteriocin DF01 can be used in the manufacture of fermented meat products due to its inhibition of tyramine-producing L. curvatus and non-inhibition of L. sake, which is used as a starter culture for meat fermentation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.852-860
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• 2012

An Antarctic bacterial isolate displaying extracellular ${\alpha}$-galactosidic activity was named Paenibacillus sp. LX-20 based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Optimal activity for the LX-20 ${\alpha}$-galactosidase occurred at pH 6.0-6.5 and $45^{\circ}C$. The enzyme immobilized on the smart polymer Eudragit L-100 retained 70% of its original activity after incubation for 30 min at $50^{\circ}C$, while the free enzyme retained 58% of activity. The enzyme had relatively high specificity for ${\alpha}$-D-galactosides such as p-nitrophenyl-${\alpha}$-galactopyranoside, melibiose, raffinose and stachyose, and was resistant to some proteases such as trypsin, pancreatin and pronase. Enzyme activity was almost completely inhibited by $Ag^+$, $Hg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, and sodium dodecyl sulfate, but activity was not affected by ${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol or EDTA. LX-20 ${\alpha}$-galactosidase may be potentially useful as an additive for soybean processing in the feed industry.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2009

Total folate content was determined by microbiological assay using Lactobacillus casei spp. rhamnosis (ATCC 7469) with a 96-well microplate technique. Using roasted peanut and red kidney beans as representative legume samples, response surface methodology (RSM) was supplied to optimize the trienzyme procedures for the determination of folate in legumes. After response surface regression (RSREG), the second-order polynomial equation was fitted to the experimental data. Ridge analysis showed that the optimal digestion times were <2 hr for $Pronase^{(R)}$ and $\alpha$-amylase, and <5 hr for conjugase to obtain maximal folate values for legume samples. This study confirms that established digestion times for cereal products (AOAC Method 2004.05) of 3 for protease and 2 hr for $\alpha$-amylase are applicable to legumes. Conjugase treatment can be reduced to 5 from 16 hr and the conjugase level to 5 from 20 mg per sample, providing significant cost saving.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 1993

Protein methylase inhibitor which is a modulator of biological methylation has been purified and characterized from porcine liver soluble fraction by cell fractionation, Sephadex G25 chromatography, reverse phase HPLC, size exclusion HPLC. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The purified inhibitor shows apparent homogeneity, as judged by HPLC. 2) A molecular weight of the purified inhibitor which is composed of 18 amino acid residues is about 1,400 daltons. 3) A single absorption peak of ultraviolet spectrum was observed at 260nm. 4) The inhibitor was not inactivated by heating at $100^{\circ}C$ until 60min. and its activity was not influenced by treatment with digestive enzymes, such as trypsin, pepsin, pronase, chymotrypin, lysozyme, DNase, and RNase. 5) The purified inhibitor inhibited protein rnethylase I, II, III and phospholipid methyltransferase activities. 6) The purified inhibitor inhibited noncompetitively protein methylase II from porcine liver, spleen, and testis. 7) The $K_{i}$ values for protein methylase II from porcine liver, spleen, and testis were 300nM, 250nM, 297nM, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.308-314
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• 1994

Four Taro isolectins (I, II, III, IV) were purified by ammonium sulfate, chromatography on CM-celluose and isoelectric focusing. I and IV lectins proved homogeneous by disk polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis and densitometric patterns. But in the presence of urea, IV lectin further dissociated into two different subunits. These lectinis had different hemagglutinating activities and inhibition in their activities after mixed with pepsin particuclary, but not with carbohydrates, heating pH, urea, guanidine, trypsin, pronase and $Ca^{2+}$.