• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.78-82
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• 2018

Detection of pathogenic microorganisms takes several days by conventional methods. It is necessary to assess microorganisms in a timely manner to reduce the risk of spreading infection. For this purpose, bacteriophages are chosen for use as a biosensing tool due to their host specificity, wide abundance, and safety. However, their lytic cycle limits their efficacy as biosensors. Phage proteins involved in binding to bacteria could be a robust alternative in resolving this drawback. Here, a fragment of tail protein J (residues 784 to 1,132) of phage lambda fused with 6X His-tag (6HN-J) at its N-terminus was cloned, overexpressed, purified, and characterized for its binding with microorganisms. The purified protein demonstrated a size of about 38 kDa in sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and bound with anti-His monoclonal antibodies. It bound specifically to Escherichia coli K-12, and not Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in dot blotting. Binding of the protein to E. coli K-12 inhibited about 50% of the in vivo adsorption of the phage lambda to host cells at a concentration of $1{\mu}g/ml$ 6HN-J protein and almost 100% at $25{\mu}g/ml$ 6HN-J. The results suggest that a fusion viral protein could be utilized as a biosensing element (e.g., protein chips) for detecting microorganisms in real time.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2018

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens in community-acquired diseases, and it contains several factors that promote its pathogenesis, including pneumolysin (PLY). PLY is a member of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin family, which attacks cholesterol-containing membranes, thereby forming ring-shaped pores. Thus, it is a major key target for vaccines against pneumococcal disease. We cloned the PLY gene from S. pneumoniae D39 and inserted it into the pQE-30 vector. Recombinant PLY (rPLY) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli M15 and purified by $Ni^{2+}$ affinity chromatography. Similarly, a PLY-EGFP fusion gene was produced by inserting the EGFP gene at the 3' end of the PLY gene in the same vector, and the recombinant protein was purified. Sodium dodecyl sulfate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that both recombinant proteins were purified. rPLY exhibited significant hemolytic activity against 1% human red blood cells (RBCs). Complete hemolysis was obtained at 500 ng/ml, and 50% hemolysis was found with a 240 ng/ml concentration. In contrast, rPLY-EGFP did not show hemolytic activity. However, rPLY-EGFP did bind the RBC membrane, indicating that rPLY-EGFP lost hemolytic activity via EGFP fusion, while retaining its membrane-binding ability. These data suggest that PLY's C terminus is important for its hemolytic activity. Therefore, these two recombinant proteins can be extremely useful for investigating the toxin mechanism of PLY and cell damage during pneumonia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1424-1431
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• 2009

Shrimp Jeot-Gal is a popular traditional Korean fermented seafood and has been used for seasoning. We isolated a bacterium showing strong extra-cellular fibrinolysis and chitinase activity from shrimp Jeot-Gal and the strain was designated SC082. SC082 was identified as Bacillus licheniformis by 16S rRNA sequence homology search. B. licheniformis SC082 exhibited optimum temperature, pH, and salt concentration at $37^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0, and 6%, respectively. Substrate specificity of the culture supernatant from B. licheniformis SC082 was detected in fibrin, skim milk, and chitin plate. The fibrinolytic activity was highly maintained up to $50^{\circ}C$ at a pH of 7.0 for 3 hr and was stable up to pH 9.0 at $37^{\circ}C$ for 3 hr. The chitinase activity was remarkably induced by addition of 1.0% colloidal chitin and the pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 5.0 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and zymogram analysis, this strain produced three fibrinolytic isozymes and two chitinase isozymes. The approximate molecular weights of the putative fibrinolytic enzymes were 23.0, 62.0, and 72.0 kDa and those of the chitinases were 62.0 and 55.0 kDa, respectively. The antioxidant activity of SC082 was also measured by using 2,2-diphenyl-l-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The DPPH radical scavenging was slightly increased in a dose-dependent manner.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 1994

The possibility that DNA could move out of the single cells isolated from geranium (Pelargonium zonale hybrids, 'PintoScarlet') callus was determined by the elechophoretic DNA analysis after treatment of low pH, various concentrations of KNO$_3$, 2,4-D, and GA$_3$ followed by the centrifugal force, all of which are hewn to and the physico-chemical properties of the cell wall. The centrifugal force of l,800 xg was need for DNA migration after the above treatment, but 7k300 xg was required without the treatments. In this experiment the optimum concentration (300 mg/L) of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) used as an anion detergent to collect the negatively charged DNA was very critical not to damage the cell wall It can be concluded that the centrifugal force played a key role for the DNA migration through the cell wall, and the treatments of low pH (4.0), 0.5% KNO$_3$, 1.5 mg/L GA$_3$and 1mg/L 2,4-D further increased the DNA migration.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.445-455
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• 1989

The proteins of the ruminant erythrocyte membranes were analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, and their relations to the slow erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) of the ruminants were investigated by treating the erythrocytes with proteinases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin and pronase, and glycosidases such as neuraminidase and galactosidase. Protein content in the erythrocyte membrane was $2.85{\pm}0.28$ in human, $3.60{\pm}0.41$ in Korean cattle, $3.71{\pm}0.36$ in Holstein, $4.13{\pm}0.83$ in Korean native goat and $3.94{\pm}0.56mg/ml$ in sheep, showing higher in ruminant animals than in human(p<0.01). Although the general protein profiles of the ruminant erythrocyte membranes were almost similar to that of human, all the ruminant erythrocyte membranes showed one additional protein band, called band-Q in the previous report on proteins of bovine erythrocyte membrane, which migrated electrophoretically to the mid position between band-2 and band-3 in human erythrocyte membranes. The glycoprotein profiles of ruminant erythrocyte membranes revealed by periodic acid Schiff(PAS) stain showed a marked difference from that of human. The PAS-1(glycophorin) and PAS-2(sialoglycogrotein) present in human erythrocyte membranes were almost absent from the ruminant animals. Instead, a strong PAS-positive band near the origin of the electrophorograms, which was named as PAS-B in the previous report on proteins of bovine erythrocyte membranes, was shown in the ruminant animals except sheep. In addition, the erythrocyte membranes of Korean native goat and sheep showed a moderate PAS-negative band near the tracking dye of the electrophorograms, which was named as PAS-G in this study. In the erythrocyte treated with the enzymes, the migration of each protein fracture of erythrocyte membranes in response to each enzyme was diverse according to different species or breed of ruminant animals. Among others, band-Q present in ruminants was slightly or moderately decreased by trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and pronase- treatments of the erythrocytes, but not only in sheep. It was particularly noticeable that PAS-B, a fraction of glycoprotein, present in ruminants except sheep, was better digested by proteinases than by glycosidases, showing remarkable increase(p<0.01) of the ESR in accord with complete digestion(disappearance) of the PAS-B band by pronase, trypsin or chymotrypsin treatment of erythrocytes. In sheep, there was almost no any response to the various enzymes in general protein and glycoprotein profiles of the erythrocyte membranes except PAS-G, which was markedly decreased by pronase treatment of the erythrocytes. Nevertheless, the ESRs were accelerated in erythrocytes treated with pronase, trypsin, chymotrypsin and neuraminidase. Erythrocyte osmotic fragility was increased in erythrocytes treated with only pronase among five enzymes in all the human and ruminant animals used in this study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.121-121
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• 2004

The groundwater in the Pocheon area occurs from both a fractured bedrock aquifer in igneous and metamorphic rocks and an alluvial aquifer with a thickness of <50 m, and forms a major source of domestic and agricultural water supply. In this study, we performed a hydrogeochemical study in order to identify the control of geochemical processes on groundwater quality. For this study, groundwater level and physicochemical parameters (EC, Eh, pH, alkalinity) were monitored once a month from a total of 150 groundwater wells between June 2003 to August 2004. A total of 153 water samples (13 surface water, 66 alluvial groundwater, 74 bedrock groundwater) were also collected and analyzed in February 2004. Groundwater chemistry in the study area is very complex, depending on a number of major factors such as geology, degree of chemical weathering, and quality of recharge water. Hydrochemical reactions such as the leaching of surficial and near-solace soil salts, dissolution of calcite, cation exchange, and weathering of silicate minerals are proposed to explain the chemistry of natural groundwater. Alluvial groundwaters locally have very high TDS concentrations, which are characterized by their chloride(nitrate)-sulfate-bicabonate facies and low Na/Cl ratio. Their grondwater levels are highly fluctuated according to rainfall event. We suggest that high nitrate content and salinity in such alluvial groundwaters originates from the local recharge of sewage effluents and/or fertilizers. Likewise, high concentrations of nitrate were also locally observed in some bedrock groundwaters, suggesting their effect of anthropogenic contamination. This is possibly due to the bypass flow taking place through macropores. Tile degree of the weathering of silicate minerals seems to be a major control of the distribution of major cations (sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium) in bedrock groundwaters, which show a general increase with increasing depth of wells. Thermodynamic interpretation of groundwater chemistry shows that the groundwater in the study area is in chemical equilibrium with kaolinite and Na-montmorillonite, which indicates that weathering of plagioclase to those minerals is a major control of hydrochemistry of bedrock groundwater. The interpretation of the molar ratios among major ions, as well as the mass balance calculation, also indicates the role of both dissolution/precipitation of calcite and Ca-Na cationic exchange as bedrock groundwaters evolves progressively.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.27-32
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• 2009

This study evaluates tripolyphosphate's ability to treat AMD (Acid Mine Drainage). Based on the batch test results for reaction between tripolyphosphate and AMD obtained from Munkyung coal mine, $4.7{\times}10^{-3}$ mole is the optimum dosage of tripolyphosphate for AMD treatment. $Ca^{2+}$ concentration is decreased from $16.4mg/{\ell}$ to $5.6mg/{\ell}$, in other words, the removal rate of $Ca^{2+}$ is 65.9%. $Fe^{3+}$ concentration is decreased from $3.7mg/{\ell}$ to $0.02mg/{\ell}$, that is, the removal rate of $Fe^{3+}$ is 99.5%. $SO{_4}^{2-}$ concentration ranges from $526.8mg/{\ell}$ to $566.5mg/{\ell}$, which shows no obvious decrease. After dosing up tripolyphosphate, $Na^+$ concentration in AMD ranges from $549.8mg/{\ell}$ to $599.3mg/{\ell}$ and orthophosphate concentration in AMD ranges from $6.82mg/{\ell}$ to $7.60mg/{\ell}$. It was found that the precipitate in the order of amount is Apatite${\gg}{\beta}$-tricalcium phosphate > $Fe(OH)_3$ from SEM, XRF, XRD analyses. Consequently, the treatment by tripolyphosphate is effective in pH buffering and in the removal of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.534-541
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation (${\gamma}$-irradiation) at doses of 15, 30 and 45 kGy on chemical composition, anti-nutritional factors, ruminal dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) degradibility, in vitro CP digestibility and to monitor the fate of true proteins of full-fat soybean (SB) in the rumen. Nylon bags of untreated or ${\gamma}$-irradiated SB were suspended in the rumens of three ruminally-fistulated bulls for up to 48 h and resulting data were fitted to a nonlinear degradation model to calculate degradation parameters of DM and CP. Proteins of untreated and treated SB bag residues were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Digestibility of rumen undegraded CP was estimated using the three-step in vitro procedure. The chemical composition of raw and irradiated soybeans was similar. Results showed that phytic acid in ${\gamma}$-irradiated SB at dose of 30 kGy was eliminated completely. The trypsin inhibitor activity of 15, 30 and 45 kGy ${\gamma}$-irradiated SB was decreased (p<0.01) by 18.4, 55.5 and 63.5%, respectively. From in sacco results, ${\gamma}$-irradiation decreased (p<0.05) the washout fractions of DM and CP at doses of 30 and 45 kGy, but increased (p<0.05) the potentially degradable fractions. Gamma irradiation at doses of 15, 30 and 45 kGy decreased (p<0.05) effective degradability of CP at a rumen outflow rate of 0.05 $h^{-1}$ by 4.4, 14.4 and 26.5%, respectively. On the contrary, digestibility of ruminally undegraded CP of irradiated SB at doses of 30 and 45 kGy was improved (p<0.05) by 12 and 28%, respectively. Electrophoretic analysis of untreated soybean proteins incubated in the rumen revealed that ${\beta}$-conglycinin subunits had disappeared at 2 h of incubation time, whereas the subunits of glycinin were more resistant to degradation until 16 h of incubation. From the SDS-PAGE patterns, acidic subunits of 15, 30 and 45 kGy ${\gamma}$-irradiated SB disappeared after 8, 8 and 16 h of incubation, respectively, while the basic subunits of glycinin were not degraded completely until 24, 48 and 48 h of incubation, respectively. It was concluded that ${\gamma}$-irradiated soybean proteins at doses higher than 15 kGy could be effectively protected from ruminal degradation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.736-742
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• 2017

Objective: Experiments were conducted to clone the sequence of Wild Argali short palate, lung and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1) cDNA, and to lay the foundation for further study the biological function of Wild Argali SPLUNC1. Methods: The complete sequence of Wild Argali SPLUNC1 cDNA was generated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The entire coding sequence was inserted into the pPIC9K vector and expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) GS115. The recombinant SPLUNC1 protein was detected by Western blot and purified by $Ni^{2+}$ chelate affinity chromatography. The test of effect of the protein on Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (MO) was performed with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The Wild Argali SPLUNC1 cDNA was 1,076 bp with an open reading frame of 768 bp, which encoded a 26.49 kDa protein composed of 255 amino acids. Its amino acid sequence shared 98.4%, 96.9%, 94.5%, 90.2%, 80.8%, 78.4%, 78.3%, 72.5%, 72.3%, 68.8% identity with those of SPLUNC1 cDNA from Ovis aries (accession no. NP_001288334.1), Capra hircus (accession no. XP_005688516.1), Pantholops hodgsonii (accession no. XP_005979709.1), Bos taurus (accession no. NP_776851.1), Felis catus (accession no. XP_006929910.1), Homo sapiens (accession no. NP_001230122.1), Sus scrofa (accession no. NP_001005727.1), Chinchilla lanigera (accession no. NP_001269294.1), Mus musculus (accession no. NP_035256.2), and Rattus norvegicus (accession no. NP_742028.1), respectively. The recombinant protein corresponded to the expected molecular mass of 25.47 kDa as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and it was detected in the supernatant of P. pastoris, and it could be purified. The results from the test of inhibition effect of argali recombinant SPLUNC1 protein on MO showed that the product could inhibit MO very well (p<0.01). Conclusion: The amino acid sequence of Wild Argali SPLUNC1 was different from other organisms. The recombinant SPLUNC1 protein has good biological activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.126-133
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• 2016

A gene from Actinomyces sp. Korean native goat (KNG) 40 that encodes an endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase, EG1, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) $DH5{\alpha}$. Recombinant plasmid DNA from a positive clone with a 3.2 kb insert hydrolyzing carboxyl methyl-cellulose (CMC) was designated as pDS3. The entire nucleotide sequence was determined, and an open-reading frame (ORF) was deduced. The ORF encodes a polypeptide of 684 amino acids. The recombinant EG1 produced in E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ harboring pDS3 was purified in one step using affinity chromatography on crystalline cellulose and characterized. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis/zymogram analysis of the purified enzyme revealed two protein bands of 57.1 and 54.1 kDa. The amino terminal sequences of these two bands matched those of the deduced ones, starting from residue 166 and 208, respectively. Putative signal sequences, a Shine.Dalgarno-type ribosomal binding site, and promoter sequences related to the consensus sequences were deduced. EG1 has a typical tripartite structure of cellulase, a catalytic domain, a serine-rich linker region, and a cellulose-binding domain. The optimal temperature for the activity of the purified enzyme was $55^{\circ}C$, but it retained over 90% of maximum activity in a broad temperature range ($40^{\circ}C$ to $60^{\circ}C$). The optimal pH for the enzyme activity was 6.0. Kinetic parameters, $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ of rEG1 were 0.39% CMC and 143 U/mg, respectively.