• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2001

Erm proteins, MLS (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B) resistance factor proteins, show high degree of amino acid sequence homology and comprise of a group of structurally homologous N-methyltransferases. On the basis of the recently determined structures of ErmC` and ErmAM, ErmSF was divided into two domains, N-terminal end catalytic domain and C-terminal end substrate binding domain and attempted to overexpress catalytic domain in E. coli using various pET expression systems. Three DNA fragments were used to express the catalytic domain: DNA fragment 1 encoding Met 1 through Glu 186, DNA fragment 2 encoding Arg 60 to Glu 186 and DNA fragment 3 encoding Arg 60 through Arg 240. Among the pET expression vectors used, pET 19b successfully expressed the DNA fragment 3 and pET23b succeeded in expression of DNA fragment 1 and 2. But the overexpressed catalytic domains existed as inclusion body, a insoluble aggregate. To assist the soluble expression of ErmSF catalytic domains, Coexpression of chaperone GroESL or Thioredoxin and lowering the incubation temperature to $22^{\circ}C$ were attempted, as did in the soluble expression of the whole ErmSF protein. Both strategies did not seem to be helpful. Solubilization with guanidine-HCl and renaturation with gradual removal of denaturant and partial digestion of overexpressed whole ErmSF protein (expressed to the level of 126 mg/ι culture as a soluble protein) with proteinase K, nonspecific proteinase are under way.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.679-682
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• 2008

A lactic acid bacterium producing an antimicrobial substance against Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from raw milk and identified as Lactobacillus amylovorus ME-1. In addition to E. coli O157 :H7, the antimicrobial substance also inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyrogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. The antimicrobial substance was stable at pH 2-12 and $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min and insensitive to proteinase K, protease, amylase, and catalase. Purification of the antimicrobial substance was conducted through methanol and acetonitrile/ethylacetate extraction, ultrafiltration with a 500 Da cutoff, thin layer chromatography (TLC) with silicagel 60, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a $C_{18}$ reverse phase column. The ${\lambda}_{max}$ of the purified antimicrobial substance was determined as 192 nm by ultra violet (UV) scanning, while the molecular weight was estimated as 453 Da based on the mass spectrum. Accordingly, the current results suggest that the antimicrobial substance from the L. amylovorus ME-1 was not a bacteriocin, but rather a new non-proteinaceous substance distinct from acidophilin, acidolin, diacetyl, and reuterin.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.244-251
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• 2016

Understanding the developmental mechanisms of humoral immunity against intranasal antigens is essential for the development of therapeutic approaches against air-borne pathogens as well as allergen-induced pulmonary inflammation. Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells expressing CXCR5 are required for humoral immunity by providing IL-21 and ICOS costimulation to activated B cells. However, the regulation of Tfh cell responses against intranasal antigens remains unclear. Here, we found that the generation of Tfh cells and germinal center B cells in the bronchial lymph node against intranasal proteinase antigens was independent of $TGF-{\beta}$. In contrast, administration of STAT3 inhibitor STA-21 suppressed the generation of Tfh cells and germinal center B cells. Compared with wild-type OT-II T cells, STAT3-deficient OT-II T cells transferred into recipients lacking T cells not only showed significantly reduced frequency Tfh cells, but also induced diminished IgG as well as IgE specific for the intranasal antigens. Cotransfer study of wild-type OT-II and STAT3-deficient OT-II T cells revealed that the latter failed to differentiate into Tfh cells. These findings demonstrate that T cell-intrinsic STAT3 is required for the generation of Tfh cells to intranasal antigens and that targeting STAT3 might be an effective approach to ameliorate antibody-mediated pathology in the lung.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2005

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic progressive disease, characterized by irreversible airflow limitation, with a partially reversible component. The pathological abnormalities of COPD are associated with lung inflammation, imbalances of proteinase and antiproteinase, and oxidative stress, which are induced by noxious particles and gases in susceptible individuals. The physiological changes of COPD are mucus hypersecretion, ciliary dysfunction, airflow limitation, pulmonary hyperinflation, gas exchange abnormalities, pulmonary hypertension, cor pulmonale and systemic effects. The airflow limitation principally results from an increase in the resistance of the small conducting airways and a decrease in pulmonary elastic recoil due to emphysematous lung destruction. This article provides a general overview of the pathophysiology of COPD.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.184-191
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• 2004

To investigate bacteria with algalytic activities against Anabaena cylindrica when water blooming occurs and to study enzyme profiles associated with alga-lytic activity, various bacterial strains were isolated from surface waters and sediments in eutrophic lakes or reservoirs in Korea. Among 178 isolates, only nine isolates exhibited lytic abilities against A cylindrica on the agar plates, and then the isolate AK-13 was selected as the strongest in lysing the cyanobacterium A. cytindrica. The strain AK-13 was characterized and identified as Sinorhizobium sp. based on fatty acid methyl ether profiles and 16S rDNA sequence. According to the results of the enzyme assays, in the strain An-13 of Sinorhizobium sp., alginase, amylase, proteinase (caseinase and gelatinase), carboxymethyl-cellulase (CMCase), laminarinase, and lipase was produced, namely CMCase, laminarinase and protease were highly active. None of glycosidase was produced. Therefore, enzyme systems of Sinorhizobium sp. AK-13 were very complex to degrade cell walls of A. cylindrica. The peptidoglycans of A. cylindrica mat be hydrolyzed and metabolized to a range of easily utilizable monosaccharides or other low molecular weight organic substances by Sinorhizobium sp. AK-13.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.42.1-42.10
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• 2016

The objectives of this study were to identify the histamine-forming bacteria and bacteriocin- producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from Myeolchi-jeot according to sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the bacteriocin on the growth and histamine accumulation of histamine-forming bacteria, and to assess the physico-chemical properties of the bacteriocin. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, histamine-forming bacteria were identified as Bacillus licheniformis MCH01, Serratia marcescens MCH02, Staphylococcus xylosus MCH03, Aeromonas hydrophila MCH04, and Morganella morganii MCH05. The five LAB strains identified as Pediococcus acidilactici MCL11, Leuconostoc mesenteroides MCL12, Enterococcus faecium MCL13, Lactobacillus sakei MCL14, and Lactobacillus acidophilus MCL15 were found to produce an antibacterial compound with inhibitory activity against the tested histamine-producing bacteria. The inhibitory activity of these bacteriocins obtained from the five LAB remained stable after incubation at pH 4.0-8.0 and heating for 10 min at $80^{\circ}C$; however, the bacteriocin activity was destroyed after treatment with papain, pepsin, proteinase K, ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin, or trypsin. Meanwhile, these bacteriocins produced by the tested LAB strains also exhibited histamine-degradation ability. Therefore, these antimicrobial substances may play a role in inhibiting histamine formation in the fermented fish products and preventing seafood-related food-borne disease caused by bacterially generated histamine.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.26 no.4 s.87
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• pp.583-588
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• 1998

A fibrinolytic enzyme has been isolated from the edible honey mushroom, Armillariella mellea and purified. The apparent molecular mass of purified enzyme was estimated to be 19800Da by SDS polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis and 19900Da by gel filtration, indicating that it was a monomer. The enzyme was optimal at pH 7, suggesting that the purified enzyme was a neutral proteinase. It shows the maximum fibrinolytic activity at $55^{\circ}C$, is completely inactivated above $65^{\circ}C$, and still indicates 40% of activity at $37^{\circ}C$. The fibrinolytic activity has been decreased by the addition of EDTA. Fifteen amino acid sequence was determined by protein sequencing techniques.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.88.3-89
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• 2003

Acanthoic acid (AA) is a pimaradiene diterpene isolated from the Korean medicinal plant, Acanthopanax koreanum (Araliaceae), which has been traditionally used as a tonic and sedative as well as in the treatment of rheumatism and diabetes in korea. Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) agonist trypsin plays a role in inflammation, and human leukemic mast cells (HMC-l) express PAR-2. In the present study, the effect of acanthoic acid on production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and tryptase in trypsin-stimulated HMC-1 was examined. (omitted)

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.448-453
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• 2000

In yeast the key gluconeogenic enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), is selectively targeted from the cytosol to the lysosome (vacuole) for degradation when glucose starved cells are replenished with glucose. The pathway for glucose induced FBPase degradation is unknown. To identify the receptor-mediated degradation pathway of FBPase, we investigated the presence of the FBPase receptor on the vacuolar membrane by cell fractionation experiments and binding assay using vid mutant (vacuolar import and degradation), which is defective in the glucose-induced degradation of FBPase. FBPase sedimented in the pellets from vid24-1 mutant after centrifugation at $15,000{\times}g$ for 15 min, suggesting that FBPase is associated with subcellular structures. Cell fractionation experiments revealed that FBPase is preferentially associated with the vacuole, but not with other organelles in vid24-1. FBPase enriched fractions that cofractionated with the vacuole were sensitive to proteinase K digestion, indicating that FBPase is peripherally associated with the vacuole. We developed an assay for the binding of FBPase to the vacuole. The assay revealed that FBPase bound to the vacuole with a Kd of $2.3{\times}10^6M$. The binding was saturable and specific. These results suggest that a receptor for FBPase degradation exists on the vacuolar membrane. It implies the existence of the receptor-mediated degradation pathway of FBPase by the lysosome.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.858-862
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• 2008

Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is a zinc-dependent proteinase found in cholesterol-rich lipid rafts on the plasma membrane. MT1-MMP hydrolyzes extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, activates pro-matrix metalloproteinase-2 (proMMP-2) and plays an important role in ECM remodeling, cancer cell migration and metastasis. The role of caveolin-1, an integral protein of caveolae, in the activation of MT1-MMP remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the expression of caveolin-1 attenuates the activation of proMMP-2, reduces proteolytic cleavage of ECM and inhibits cell migration. We utilized the cytoplasmic tail domain deletion (${\Delta}CT$) or the E240A mutant of MT1-MMP. Co-expression of caveolin-1 with the wild-type or the ${\Delta}CT$ MT1-MMP decreased the proMMP-2 activation and inhibited collagen degradation and cell migration. Caveolin-1 had no effect on the catalytically inert E240A MT1-MMP. Our findings suggest that caveolin-1 is essential in the down-regulation of MT1-MMP activity by promoting internalization from the cell surface.