• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1288-1294
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• 2009

We have used mutational analysis to identity four genes, MXAN3553, MXAN3554, MXAN3555, and MXAN3556, constituting an operon that is essential for normal fruiting body development in Myxococcus xanthus. Deletion of MXAN3553, which encoded a hypothetical protein, resulted in delayed fruiting body development. MXAN3554 was predicted to encode a metallopeptidase, and its deletion caused fruiting body formation to fail. Inactivation of MXAN3555, which encoded a putative NtrC-type response regulator, resulted in delayed aggregation and a severe reduction in sporulation. Fruiting bodies also failed to develop with the deletion of MXAN3556, another gene encoding a hypothetical protein.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.617-623
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• 2006

The mortality and morbidity rate of hemodialysis patients (HD) remain high. Among many factors, protein and calorie malnutrition has been shown to be a major risk factor for increased mortality in the HD patients population. Malnutrition can be caused by insufficient amino acid intake, nutrient losses in dialysate, oxidant stress and muscle catabolism. In this study, we evaluated the association of markers of nutritional status and essential amino acids intake in HD patients. We investigated nutritional status of 41 HD patients (mean age: $64.2\;{\pm}\;11.5\;y$, men: 24, women: 27) by measuring anthropometric, biochemical parameters and food intakes by using 24 hr recall methods. Subject's total energy intake and total protein intake were $1,648.0\;{\pm}\;397.31\;kcal/day,\;79.2\;{\pm}\;27.2\;g/day$:, respectively. The animal protein intake was $42.7\;{\pm}\;22.1\;g/day$, essential amino acids intake was $23.4\;{\pm}\;9.92\;g/day$, and the ratio of essential amino acids to total protein intake was $29.6\;{\pm}\;5.42%$. There were significantly positive correlation between muscle mass and lean body mass with serum creatinine level (r=0.435, p<0.01; r=0.435, p<0,01). There were also significant positive correlation in muscle mass and lean body mass with pre hemodialysis blood urea nitrogen (preHD BUN) (r=0.329, p<0.05; r=0.329, p<0.05). There were no significant correlation in total energy intake and total protein intake per kg ideal body weight (IBW) to muscle mass and lean body mass. However, there were significantly positive correlation between the ratio of essential amino acids and muscle mass and lean body mass (r=0.368, p<0.05; r=0.405, p<0.01). And serum hematocrit concentration was positively correlated with the ratio of essential amino acids (r=0.032, p<0.05). The results of this study indicate that strong associations exist in essential amino acid intakes with malnutrition than total protein intakes in HD patient. In conclusion, specialized nutrition education should be necessary to efficiently improve the quality of protein intakes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.15-18
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• 1993

To evaluate an effect of dietary protein on the intoxication of methanethiol in rats, the methanethiol was intraperitoneally injected to the rats fed a low or high protein diet and then the liver weight per body weight and seurm levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were determined to investigate the differences in liver damage between the animal groups fed low protein diet and that fed high protein diet. On the other hand, the hepatic glutathione content and its conjugating enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity were determined to clarify the cause of difference in liver function between the two groups. The increasing rate of liver weigh/body wt., serum levels of ALT to its control group were higher in methanethiol-treated rats fed low protein diet than those fed high protein diet. The hepatic content of glutathione and GST activity were higher in rats fed high protein diet than those fed low protein diet and the decreasing rate of hepatic glu-tathione content to its control group was higher in rats fed low protein diet than those fed high protein diet. Furthermore, the hepatic GST activity in methanethiol-treated rats was higher in rats fed high protein diet than those fed low protein diet. In case of control group, the GST activity was also higher in rats fed high protein diet than those fed low protein diet.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.184-191
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• 2004

A 25-week feeding trial of two dietary protein (47 and $52\%$) and three dietary lipid level (7, 12 and $17\%$) factorial design with three replications were conducted to determine effects of dietary protein and lipid levels on growth, feed utilization and body composition of adult starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), average initial weight 332 g, during the winter season. Survival of fish was not affected by either dietary protein or dietary lipid level. Weight gain, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio improved with dietary protein and lipid levels except for those of fish fed the $52\%$ protein diet with $17\%$ lipid. The best growth and feed utilization were observed in the $52\%$ protein diet with $12\%$ lipid, but were not significantly different from those of fish fed the $52\%$ protein diet with $17\%$ lipid or the $47\%$ protein diets with $17\%$ lipid levels. Hepatosomatic and visceral somatic indexes were significantly influenced by dietary protein level, but not by dietary lipid level. None of moisture, crude protein, crude lipid, or glycogen contents of dorsal muscle or liver in starry flounder except for crude lipid in dorsal muscle was significantly influenced by either dietary protein or dietary lipid level. Plasma cholesterol concentration was significantly influenced by both dietary protein and dietary lipid levels. The results of this study suggest that the diets containing $47\%$ protein with $17\%$ lipid or $52\%$ protein with $12-17\%$ lipid are optimal for growth and feed utilization of adult starry flounder under these experimental conditions.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.855-863
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• 1999

This study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary protein level throughout gestation and lactation on milk composition and on postnatal growth in infants, using rats as an animal model. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were provided with either high(25% ISP(Isolated Soy Protein)diet) or low protein diet(10% ISP diet) throughout gestation and lactation. Milk samples were taken for analysis from the lactating rats at days of 7, 14, 21, of lactation. Dams and some pups were killed after 4 weeks from parturtion (Experiment 1). Pups from dams of each diet groups were randomly selected and reared with 25% or 10% ISP diet for 4 more weeks (Experiment 2). In experiment 1, maternal protein intake and body weight gain throughout gestation and lactation was higher in 25% ISP group. Serum protein, Ca, Fe, Zn, K concentrations were significantly higher in 25% ISP group. There was no difference in birth weight between two groups, however the mean body weight at 4 weeks postpartum were significantly higher in 25% ISP group. Serum profiles of pups at weaning were similar to that of dams. Milk compositions were changed during lactation processes and were affected by dietary protein level. Lactose and Ca, Cu, Fe concentrations in milk were higher in 25% ISP group, whereas, lipid, triglyceride were higher in 10% ISP group. In experiment 2, food intake was higher in milk were higher in 25% ISP group but was unaffected by pup's dietary protein level after weaning. The weights of liver and kidney were affected by maternal protein intake. The weight of intestine was affected by pup's dietary protein level after weaning. The weight of femur and scapula were affected by maternal protein intake. There were no differences between four groups in serum profiles. Therefore, as mentioned above, it seemed that the effect of maternal protein malnutrition to fetus was able to be overcome to some extent by high protein diet intake after weaning. In conclusion, 1) Dietary protein level throughout gestation and lactation affected both nutritional status of dams and pups and milk composition: 25% ISP groups supported better nutritional status than 10% ISP group 2) It seemed that effect of dietary protein level after weaning on pups was able to be overcome the influence of maternal diet in fetus to some extent.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1516-1521
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different energy intake on physical and chemical composition in body fractions, growth performance and meat characteristics of finishing barrows and gilts. A total of twenty six crossbred (Landrace$\times$Yorkshire) consisting of 16 barrows and 13 gilts were used in this study. The animals were allocated by sex to two treatments to form a $2\times2$ factorial arrangement. The respective factors were sex (barrow and gilt) and dietary energy intake (1.8 and 3.0 times energy for maintenance). Pigs were kept in individual pens and had ad libitum access to feed and water from the start of the experiment at $52.4{\pm}1.9kg$ until they reached $109.9{\pm}4.4kg$ live weight. The growth performance, physical composition and meat characteristics of finishing pigs were not greatly affected by the sex. However, higher fat tissue weight in the carcass was observed in barrows compared with gilts (p<0.05). Higher proportions of water and protein (p<0.05), and lower lipid proportion (p<0.01) in the empty body and carcass were observed in gilts compared with barrows, while protein proportion in lean tissue was not affected by the sex. In fat tissue, only protein proportion was higher in gilts compared with barrows (p<0.05). Although, growth performance, physical and chemical compositions in body fractions were greatly affected, final body or carcass weight was partly affected by the energy intake In addition, loin characteristics such as shear force and loin eye area were partly influenced by energy intake levels. Therefore, the present results showed that growth performance and meat characteristics were not influenced but chemical body composition was greatly influenced by the sex. Growth performance, physical and chemical compositions in body fractions were greatly affected, whereas meat characteristics were partly affected by the energy intake levels.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.239-243
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• 2008

A $3{\times}2$ factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the proper dietary protein and lipid levels for the growth of sub-adult flounder Paralichthys olivaceus reared during the summer season. Six experimental diets were formulated to contain three levels of protein (45%, 50% and 55%) and two levels of lipid (9% and 14%). Duplicate groups of fish (initial body weight of 298 g) were hand-fed to apparent satiation during the summer season ($21.8{\pm}1.7^{\circ}C$) for 60 days. Survival of each group was over 83% and there was not significant difference among all groups. Weight gain of fish fed the 45% protein diet with 14% lipid was not significantly different from that of fish fed the 50% and 55% protein diets with 9% and 14% lipids, but weight gain of fish fed the 45% protein diet with 9% lipid was significantly lower than that of fish fed the 55% protein diets with 14% lipid. Feed efficiency tended to increase with increasing dietary lipid level at each protein levels, although no significant differences were observed at 50% and 55% protein levels. Protein efficiency ratio, daily feed intake, condition factor and hepatosomatic index were not significantly affected by dietary protein and lipid levels. Crude lipid content of the liver tended to increase with increasing dietary lipid level at the same protein levels, but the opposite appearance was found for moisture content. The contents of moisture, crude protein and crude lipid of the dorsal muscle were not significantly affected by dietary protein and lipid levels. Based on data obtained form this study, inclusion of dietary protein at level of 45% appears sufficient to support optimal growth, and an increase of dietary lipid level from 9% to 14% has beneficial effects on feed utilization of sub-adult flounder during the summer season.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2009

Among signal transduction systems by protein phosphorylation Akt/PKB protein kinase which is one of serine/threonine kinases, is known to regulate the survival and death of the cell and glucose metabolism. Thus, Akt/PKB protein kinase has been used as one of the target proteins to find anti-cancer agents from natural products. In this study, human Akt/PKB protein kinase was expressed in Escherichia coli expression system for the mass production. Human Akt/PKB protein kinase expressed in E. coli formed inclusion body under the general condition. However, most of the expressed protein was solubilized under the culture temperature at $27^{\circ}C$ and 0.01-0.09 mM of IPTG for induction of the protein expression. The expressed protein was purified using $Ni^{2+}$-NTA agarose column and confirmed by using anti-Akt antibody. Subsequently, the purified human Akt/PKB protein kinase was activated by in vitro phosphorylation using cellular extract containing kinases. The activated protein was confirmed to phosphorylate the specific fluorescent peptide specially designed as the artificial substrate for Akt/PKB protein kinase.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.74-84
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• 1989

Buffer soluble storage proteins of ginseng seed have been localized by electron microscopy using post-embedding immunocytochemical gold labelling technique. Major components of the storage proteins were revealed to be storage protein-1($SP_{1}$, MW 160,000) and storage protein-2($SP_{2}$, MW 70,000). Both of the storage proteins are glycoproteins. Anti-$SP_{1}$ and anti-$SP_{2}$ from rabbit, against $SP_1$ and $SP_2$, respectively, reacted on sections of ginseng endosperm tissue embedded in Spurr's epoxy resin. The rabbit antibodies were visualized indirectly by reaction with protein A labelled with colloidal gold. Both storage proteins were found to be accumulated together in the same protein bodies, but their relative contents are not equal.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.435-437
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• 2019

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and is endemic in many Latin American countries. Diagnosis is based on serologic testing and the WHO recommends two or more serological tests for confirmation. Acidic ribosomal P protein of T. cruzi showed strong reactivity against positive sera of patients, and we cloned the protein after fragmenting it to enhance its antigenicity and solubility. Twelve positive sera of Chagas disease patients were reacted with the fragmented ribosomal P protein using western blot. Detection rate and density for each fragment were determined. Fragments F1R1, F1R2, and F2R1 showed 100% rate of detection, and average density scoring of 2.00, 1.67, and 2.42 from a maximum of 3.0, respectively. Therefore, the F2R1 fragment of the ribosomal P protein of T. cruzi could be a promising antigen to use in the diagnosis of Chagas disease in endemic regions with high specificity and sensitivity.