• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1629-1636
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• 2009

Pine trees (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zacc.) have been used as a traditional health-promoting medicinal food in Korea. This research was performed to determine the antioxidative and antibacterial activities, tyrosinase, nitric oxide synthesis, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and xanthine oxidase inhibition effects of the pine bud ethanol extract (PBE). Antioxidative activities of PBE were measured by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase-like activity (SODA). DPPH radical scavenging and SOD-like activities of PBE were remarkably increased in a dose-dependent manner, and were about 88.9% and 47.9% at 1 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml, respectively. The xanthine oxidase and angiotensin converting enzyme activities were inhibited about 71.9% and 60.8% at 1 mg/ml and $100{\mu}g/ml$ of PBE, respectively. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities of PBE were slightly increased in a dose-dependent manner. The PBE showed strong antimicrobial activities on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Vibrio paraheamolyticus. Stimulation of the macrophages RAW264.7 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in increased production of nitric oxide (NO) in the medium. However, NO synthesis was reduced up to 54% by addition of PBE at $200{\mu}g/ml$. These results revealed that pine buds have a strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity, and exhibit angiotensin converting enzyme and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. This suggests that pine buds have the greatest property as a source for natural health products.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.381-387
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• 2010

To find offspring of Jeju Black cattle (JBC) produced by embryo transfer (ET) and artificial insemination (AI), a molecular genetic study was carried out in candidate cattle populations collected from cattle farms in Jeju Island, Korea. The genetic marker set was composed of 11 ISAG microsatellite (MS) markers, 11 SAES MS markers selected by our preliminary analysis for population diversity of JBC and two major coat color related genes: MC1R and ASIP. The results showed a combined non-exclusion probability for first parent (NE-P1) that was higher than that recommended by ISAG (above 0.9995), and a combined non-exclusion probability for sib identity of $5.3{\times}10^{-10}$. Parentage analysis showed that the cases identified the candidate's father only (77.0%), mother only (54.0%), and both parents (40.5%) in the candidate offspring population. The ET and AI calves were identified as 14.7% in the in vitro fertilized eggs provided and 32.4% in total population, respectively. However, the result from ISAG marker analysis showed 3 identical allele-combinations in 7 calves, and that from ISAG/SAES MS marker combination also showed 1 identical allele-combination in 2 calves. Data from MS and coat-color gene analyses provided information for complete identification of all animals tested. Because the present JBC population was mostly bred using small nuclear founders through bioengineering techniques such as AI and ET, the genetic diversity levels obtained from MS analysis in the JBC population were relatively lower than those of other cattle populations, including Hanwoo. The results suggested that the more efficient marker combinations, including coat color related genotypes, should be studied and used for constructing a system for identification and molecular breeding of JBC as well.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1104-1111
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• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Sikhe made by medicinal herb on the functional level of liver. Water extract I (12.9% W/W) and II (25.8% W/W) were obtained from medicinal materials: Caragana Sinica, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Atractylodes rhizoma alba, Atractylodes rhizoma alba, Crataegus pinnatifida, Paeonia lactiflora Pasll., Hordeum vulgare Linne, Oryza sativa Linne, ginger, peer and jujube. Experimental groups were divided into the control diet group (C), high fat diet group (HF), high fat diet treated with 5% extract I group (HFE I ) and high fat diet treated with 5% extract II group (HFE II). In sensory evaluation, overall quality scores associated with color, aroma, flavor and taste were significantly higher in water extract II than in water extract 1. After investigating functional and lipid levels of livers in rats, we found that the administration of water extract I or water extract II to the high fat diet group (HF) did not affect the gain of body weight but mildly reduced GOT or GPT activity in the high diet group. Moreover, administration of these medicinal herbal extracts significantly decreased the levels of total lipid, triglyceride and total cholesterol in the high fat diet group (HF). However, administration of these medicinal herbal extracts did not affect the level of phospholipid. In conclusion, as Sikhe made by medicinal herb slightly decreased the activity of GOT or GPT and amount of lipid in liver, prevention against high fat diet is thought to be important for liver protection.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.336-344
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• 2010

To assess population structure and genetic diversity among the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), we investigated mtDNA COI gene sequences of 7 populations. Samples were obtained from Sokcho, Wolsung, Geojedo, Yeosu, Geomundo and Westsouth in 2008 and 2009 (n=28). The sequence analysis of 28 individual samples showed 8 haplotypes, ranging in sequence divergence by pairwise comparisons from 0.2 to 2.2% (1 bp-11 bp). The Gal haplotype was found in Wolsung, Geojedo, Yeosu, Geomundo and Westsouth, and was regarded as the main haplotype of Korean Pacific cod. Ga2, Ga3, Ga6 and Ga7 haplotypes were found only in Sokcho. In the PHYLIP analysis, 8 haplotypes formed two independent groups: cladeA consisted of Ga2, Ga3, Ga6 and Ga7 haplotypes, whereas cladeB contained Gal, Ga4, Ga5 and Ga8 haplotypes. The genetic relationship between the two groups was weakly supported by bootstrap analysis(<50%). In pairwise comparisons between 6 populations other than that from Sokcho, a very high per generation migration ratio ($N_m$=infinite) and a very low level of geographic distance ($F_{sr}=-0.0123-(-0.0423)$) were observed. The estimates of genetic distance between Sokcho and the other localities were all statistically significant (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001), indicating a limited mtDNA-based gene flow between Sokcho and other regions. The finding of the lowest genetic diversity in the Sokcho population (nucleotide diversity=0.00589) may be a result of relatively small population size and interrupted gene flow to other localities. Consequently, the overall considerable migration of Pacific cod population in Korea caused a genetically homogeneous structure to form, although a distinct population was found in this study.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.274-283
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• 2014

Oxidative stress causes tissue damage and facilitates the progression of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular heart diseases, and obesity. Lipid accumulation and obesity-related complications have been observed in the presence of extensive oxidative stress. As part of an ongoing study to develop therapeutic supplements, Sargassum sp. were tested for their ability to scavenge free radicals and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as to suppress lipid accumulation. Three species, S. hemiphyllum, S. thunbergii, and Sargassum horneri, were shown to scavenge free radicals in a di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium (DPPH) assay. In addition, Sargassum sp. was shown to scavenge intracellular ROS and to decrease nitric oxide (NO) production in $H_2O_2$ and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages, respectively. Taken together, the results suggest that Sargassum sp. possess huge potential to relieve oxidative stress and related complications, as well as lipid-induced oxidation. They indicate that S. hemiphyllum, S. thunbergii, and S. horneri are potent functional supplements that can produce beneficial health effects through antioxidant and antiobesity activities, with S. hemiphyllum being the most potent among the Sargassum sp. tested. A potential mechanism for the effect of Sargassum sp. on the suppression of lipid accumulation in differentiating 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocytes through deactivation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ (PPAR ${\gamma}$) is presented.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.252-259
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• 2014

The leaves of Peatasites japonicus are a traditional oriental medicine with diverse biological activities. A simple and specific analytical method for the quantitative determination of bakkenolide B constituents from methanolic extract of the leaves of P. japonicus was developed. Bakkenolide B was isolated from the leaves of P. japonicus, and its structure was elucidated based on 1D, 2D NMR, and GC-MS spectral data. A liquid chromatographic method was developed to evaluate the quality of P. japonicus through determination of major active compound, bakkenolide B. The wavelengths at 254 and 215 nm were chosen to determine bakkenolide B. The recovery of the method was in the range of 98.6 to 103.1%, and bakkenolide B showed good linearity ($r^2$=0.999) within test ranges. The developed method was applied to the determination of bakkenolide B in the plant part and seasonal changes. The results showed that the content of bakkenolide B in the leaf was higher than in the petiole and rhizome. In this study, a simple, rapid, and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method was used to determine the percentage and composition of bakkenolide B in P. japonicus procured from different Petasites species plants in South Korea. The method can be employed in routine quantitative analysis and quality control of different products in the market.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.297-303
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• 2014

The effects of Eisenia bicyclis extracts on osteoblast differentiation and osteoclast formation were investigated. The proliferation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells was tested in an MTT assay. Treatment with E. bicyclis ethanol extract increased cell proliferation by approximately 128% at a concentration of 10 ${\mu}g/ml$. The ALP activities in the MC3T3-E1 cells was 179% higher when the E. bicyclis ethanol extract was processed at a concentration of 50 ${\mu}g/ml$. The proliferation of RAW 264.7 osteoclastic cells decreased significantly in response to treatment with the E. bicyclis extracts. Moreover, the proliferation of the RAW 264.7 osteoclastic cells treated with E. bicyclis hot water extract decreased by nearly 80%. In addition, the E. bicyclis extract reduced the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive (TRAP+) multinucleated cells from osteoclastic RAW 264.7 cells. These results indicate that E. bicyclis extracts have an anabolic effect on bone through the promotion of osteoclast differentiation and suggest that the extracts could be used in the treatment of common metabolic bone diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.820-826
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• 2014

The localization to specific subcellular sites and the regulation of cell surface receptors and channels are crucial for proper functioning. Postsynaptic density-95/Disks large/Zonula occludens-1 (PDZ)-domain is involved in recognition of and interaction between various proteins, by which the localization and the regulation are mediated. Multi-PDZ domain protein 1 (MUPP1) contains 13 PDZ domains. MUPP1 serves a scaffolding function for structure proteins and signaling proteins, but the mechanism how MUPP1 is stabilized and signalized has not yet been elucidated. We used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify proteins that interact with PDZ domains of MUPP1. We found an interaction between MUPP1 and Parkin. Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Loss-of-function mutations of Parkin gene are known to cause an autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism. Parkin bound to the $12^{th}$ PDZ domain, but not to other PDZ domains of MUPP1. The C-terminal end of Parkin has a type II PDZ-association motif, which was essential for the interaction with MUPP1 in the yeast two-hybrid assay. When co-expressed in HEK-293T cells, Parkin co-localized with MUPP1. When co-expressed with ubiquitin in HEK-293T cells, MUPP1 has been strongly ubiquitinated by Parkin. These findings collectively suggest that MUPP1 is a novel substrate of Parkin and its function or stability could be modulated by Parkin-mediated ubiquitination.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.698-702
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• 2013

It is known that black sticky rice with giant embryo (BSRGB, Milyang 263) and giant embryo rice (GER) contains higher levels of GABA than rice. Therefore, feeding BSRGB, GER, or rice freely to C57BL/6 mice with two-hour alcohol intake for 16 days was investigated. For two-hour alcohol intake, a repeated measure ANOVA (three treatment groups repeated across 16 days; 8 two-day blocks) yielded a significant group by block interaction (df=16, F=3.109, p=0.004). The independent t-test showed that significant suppression of two-hour alcohol intake was observed when subjects were administered with BSRGB, compared with the rice alone across all the two-day blocks (p<0.05). The paired t-test revealed that a significant suppression of two-hour alcohol intake was observed starting 4 to 16 days after freely feeding with BSRGB compared to before feeding. However, there is no significant difference in the two-hour alcohol intake observed between the before and after administration of rice. A repeated measure ANOVA revealed no significant group by block interaction for 22-hour water intake and body weight. However, a repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant grouping by block interaction for food intake. These results indicate a change of two-hour alcohol intake is presumably caused by GABA, which is found in higher levels in BSRGB than in rice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.542-553
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• 2013

The aim of this work was to establish the optimal conditions for the production of cellobiase by a marine bacterium, Cellulophaga lytica LBH-14, using response-surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions of rice bran, ammonium chloride, and the initial pH of the medium for cell growth were 100.0 g/l, 5.00 g/l, and 7.0, respectively, whereas those for the production of cellobiase were 91.1 g/l, 9.02 g/l, and 6.6, respectively. The optimal concentrations of $K_2HPO_4$, NaCl, $MgSO_4{\cdot}_{7H2}O$, and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ for cell growth were 6.25, 0.62, 0.28, and 0.42 g/l, respectively, whereas those for the production of cellobiase were 4.46, 0.36, 0.27, and 0.73 g/l, respectively. The optimal temperatures for cell growth and for the production of cellobiase by C. lytica LBH-14 were 35 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximal production of cellobiase in a 100 L bioreactor under optimized conditions in this study was 92.3 U/ml, which was 5.4 times higher than that before optimization. In this study, rice bran and ammonium chloride were developed as carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of cellobiase by C. lytica LBH-14. The time for the production of cellobiase by the marine bacterium with submerged fermentations was reduced from 7 to 3 days, which resulted in enhanced productivity of cellobiase and a decrease in its production cost. This study found that the optimal conditions for the production of cellobiase were different from those of CMCase by C. lytica LBH-14.