• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.457-462
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• 1997

Antibacterial activity was induced in the haemolymph of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura by the artificial injection of E, coli Ek132. Antibacterial peptides were purified from the immunized haemolymph by heat treatment, ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and reverse phase FPLC, and their physicochemical characteristics were investigated. These purified antibacterial peptides designated as spodopsin la and Ib were named after Spodoptera litura. Spodopsin la and Ib had the apparent molecular masses of 3, 823 Da and 3, 886 Da, respectively, and about 20% of the sequences had basic amino acids, such as lysine and arginine but no cysteine. Also, spodopsin l was confirmed to be a new member of cecropin family having a similar amino acid sequence to cecropin of lepidopteran insects, such as Bombyx mori and Hyalophora cecropia. The purified spodopsin was active against gram-positive as well as gram-negative bacteria.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.351-353
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• 1998

A 245 bp segment of E. coli chromosomal replication origin, oriC, contains 11 repeats of the GATC sequence in which adenine is methylated by Dam methylase. Newly replicated oriC is hemimethylated. The parental strand of the newly replicated oriC is methylated, but the nascent strand is not yet methylated until methylated by Dam methylase. The hemimethylated oriC plays an important role in the regulation of chromosomal replication. Activity in the seqA mutant was identified to bind preferentially to hemimethylated DNA, but not to fully-methylated DNA. This activity may participate in the sequestration of initiation of chromosomal replication.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.195-200
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• 2000

In this article I discuss the main results of our research in space biology from the simple early investigations with human Iymphocytes in the early eighties until the projects in tissue engineering of the next decade on the international space station ISS. The discovery that T Iymphocyte activation is nearly totally depressed in vitro in 0g conditions showed that mammalian single cells are sensitive to the gravitational environment. Such finding had important implications in basic research, medicine and biotechnology. Low gravity can be used as a tool to investigate complicated and still obscure biological process from a new perspective not available to earth-bound laboratories. Low gravity may also favor certain bioprocesses involving the growth of tissues and thus lead to commercial and medical applications. However, shortage of crew time and of other resources, lack of sophisticated instrumentation, safety constraints pose serious limits to biological endeavors in space laboratories.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.615-624
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• 2020

An effective sampling method is necessary to monitor potato tuber moths (Phthorimaea operculella) because they are the biggest concern in potato-cultivating areas. In this study, a sequential sampling method was developed based on the results of field surveys of potato tuber moths in South Korea. Potato tuber moths were collected in fields cultivating potatoes at six sites, and their spatial distribution was investigated using the Taylor power law. The optimal sampling size and cumulative number of potato tuber moths in traps to stop sampling were determined based on the spatial distribution pattern and mean density of the collected potato tuber moths. Finally, the developed sampling method was applied to propose a control action, and its sampling efficiency was compared with that of the traditional sampling method using a binomial distribution. The potato tuber moths tended to aggregate; the optimal number was approximately 5 - 16 traps for sampling, and the number varied with the mean density of potato tuber moths according to the sampling sites. In addition, one, two, and three sites might require the following actions: Continued sampling, control, and no control, respectively. Sampling with the binomial distribution showed the minimum sample size was 12 when considering the economic threshold level. Here, we propose an effective sampling method that can be applied for future monitoring and field surveys of potato tuber moths in South Korea.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.207-217
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• 2021

An increase in seawater temperature owing to global warming is expected to substantially limit the growth of marine algae, including Pyropia yezoensis, a commercially valuable red alga. To improve our knowledge of the genes involved in the acquisition of heat tolerance in P. yezoensis, transcriptomes sequences were obtained from both the wild-type SG104 P. yezoensis and heat-tolerant mutant Gy500. We selected 1,251 differentially expressed genes that were up- or downregulated in response to the heat stress condition and in the heat-tolerant mutant Gy500, based on fragment per million reads expression values. Among them, PyHRG1 was downregulated under heat stress in SG104 and expressed at a low level in Gy500. PyHRG1 encodes a secretory protein of 26.5 kDa. PyHRG1 shows no significant sequence homology with any known genes deposited in public databases to date. However, PyHRG1 homologs were found in other red algae, including other Pyropia species. When PyHRG1 was introduced into the single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, transformed cells overexpressing PyHRG1 showed severely retarded growth. These results demonstrate that PyHRG1 encodes a novel red algae-specific protein and plays a role in heat tolerance in algae. The transcriptome sequences obtained in this study, which include PyHRG1, will facilitate future studies to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in heat tolerance in red algae.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.250-257
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• 2016

Abiotic stresses such as drought and low temperature critically restrict plant growth, reproduction, and productivity. Higher plants have developed various defense strategies against these unfavorable conditions. CaPUB1 (Capsicum annuum Putative U-box protein 1) is a hot pepper U-box E3 Ub ligase. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that constitutively expressed CaPUB1 exhibited drought-sensitive phenotypes, suggesting that it functions as a negative regulator of the drought stress response. In this study, CaPUB1 was over-expressed in rice (Oryza sativa L.), and the phenotypic properties of transgenic rice plants were examined in terms of their drought and cold stress tolerance. Ubi:CaPUB1 T3 transgenic rice plants displayed phenotypes hypersensitive to dehydration, suggesting that its role in the negative regulation of drought stress response is conserved in dicot Arabidopsis and monocot rice plants. In contrast, Ubi:CaPUB1 progeny exhibited phenotypes markedly tolerant to prolonged low temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) treatment, compared to those of wild-type plants, as determined by survival rates, electrolyte leakage, and total chlorophyll content. Cold stress-induced marker genes, including DREB1A, DREB1B, DREB1C, and Cytochrome P450, were more up-regulated by cold treatment in Ubi:CaPUB1 plants than in wild-type plants. These results suggest that CaPUB1 serves as both a negative regulator of the drought stress response and a positive regulator of the cold stress response in transgenic rice plants. This raises the possibility that CaPUB1 participates in the cross-talk between drought and low-temperature signaling pathways.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.592-600
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• 2021

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly population and is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons. PD has been predominantly attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction. The structural alteration of α-synuclein triggers toxic oligomer formation in the neurons, which greatly contributes to PD. In this article, we discuss the role of several familial PD-related proteins, such as α-synuclein, DJ-1, LRRK2, PINK1, and parkin in mitophagy, which entails a selective degradation of mitochondria via autophagy. Defective changes in mitochondrial dynamics and their biochemical and functional interaction induce the formation of toxic α-synuclein-containing protein aggregates in PD. In addition, these gene products play an essential role in ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS)-mediated proteolysis as well as mitophagy. Interestingly, a few deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) additionally modulate these two pathways negatively or positively. Based on these findings, we summarize the close relationship between several DUBs and the precise modulation of mitophagy. For example, the USP8, USP10, and USP15, among many DUBs are reported to specifically regulate the K48- or K63-linked de-ubiquitination reactions of several target proteins associated with the mitophagic process, in turn upregulating the mitophagy and protecting neuronal cells from α-synuclein-derived toxicity. In contrast, USP30 inhibits mitophagy by opposing parkin-mediated ubiquitination of target proteins. Furthermore, the association between these changes and PD pathogenesis will be discussed. Taken together, although the functional roles of several PD-related genes have yet to be fully understood, they are substantially associated with mitochondrial quality control as well as UPS. Therefore, a better understanding of their relationship provides valuable therapeutic clues for appropriate management strategies.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2022

Interest in effluent treatment is currently increasing and the use of polymetric coagulants is considered as a pretreatment of physical filtration prior to effluent discharge to increase solids recovery. A jar test evaluated effluent treatment efficiency of polymeric coagulants for semi-recirculating aquaculture systems. The particle coagulation efficiency and distribution were evaluated at different polymer dosages in freshwater and seawater effluents. The polymer was added at 0.005-0.08 mL/g of total suspended solids (TSS) in the effluents. TSS in the supernatant after coagulation decreased with increasing polymer dose in the freshwater, while showing no corresponding changes with dose in the seawater. However, in all treatments for both effluents, the removal efficiency was above 90%, regardless of the dose in the tested range. Both the De Brouckere Mean Diameter (DBMD) and volumetric median diameter (VMD) were all above 100 ㎛ in the freshwater effluent. In the seawater effluent, the particle size appeared to be larger than that in freshwater, ranging from 400-1,000 ㎛ for both DBMD and VMD. Considering that the typical pore size of physical filtration in aquaculture is between 60 and 200 ㎛, the use of polymers is expected to improve the practicality of physical filtration for efficient treatment.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.389-394
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• 1997

We examined the effect of modulation of PKA isozymes on the growth of human ovarian cancer cells. Three ovarian cancer cell lines, 2774, SK-OV-3, and OVCAR-3, were examined in this study. The treatment of 5 uM 8-CI-cAMP, which has been known to down-regulate RI (or type 1 PKA) and up-regulate RII (or type II PKA), markedly inhibited the growth of all cell lines (50-80% at day 6). To test whether alteration in PKA regulatory subunits level can change the growth characteristics of ovarian cancer cells, we introduced RIIB- expression construct and Rla antisense-expression construct into 2774 cells. The overexpression of RIIB down-regulated Rla protein, and the antisense-expression of Rla up-regulated RIIB protein, showing that the intracellular levels of RI and RII are reciprocally regulated. In both cases, cell growth was reduced by 30% at day 2. These results indicate that the growth of ovarian cancer cells is controlled by the signals from PKA isozymes, and the modulation of PKA isozymes can be employed for the human ovarian cancer therapy.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 1999

A blue biliprotein, insecticyanin (INS), has been purified from the last instar larval hemolymph of Agrius convolvuli by ultracentrifugation, Sephadex G-100 gel permeation chromatography, and preparative electrophoresis. The molecular mass of INS was estimated to be 26 kDa and the N-terminal sequence of INS revealed high similarity to that of Manduca sexta. Results of Western blotting and autoradiography indicated that INS is synthesized by the epidermis and released into the hemolymph. In contrast to the INS reported in other insects, Agrius convolvuli INS contained a small amount of lipid, predominately consisting of triacylglycerol. Subcellular localization of INS was determined using protein-A gold particles linked to secondary antibodies (anti-rabbit Ig). INS was heavily accumulated in the cytoplasmic inclusion body (CIB). CIBs showed a variety of shapes from rod to globule and generally surrounded the nucleus. They were mostly located near the basement membrane and especially abundant in the intersegmental membrane.