• 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.22 no.9
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• pp.1224-1230
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• 2012

Cancer chemotherapy drugs command a large share of the market, and the development of new therapeutics with high efficacy and specificity is an active area of study. Recently, the development of cancer therapeutics from natural products targeting angiogenesis has drawn attention due to conventional chemotherapeutics showing serious side effects and resistance in cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the pharmacological efficacy of Gomisin A, an active ingredient of Schizandra chinensis baillon, on tumor growth and metastasis. Administration of Gomisin A at 10 and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ reduced tumor growth in vivo by $80.5{\pm}8.1%$ and $96.2{\pm}2%$, respectively, compared with positive tumor controls. Treatment of Gomisin A in normal and various tumor cell lines did not exert significant toxicity. Mice treated with Gomisin A at a concentration of 10 and 100 ${\mu}g$/head showed a significant reduction in tumor-induced angiogenesis of $151{\pm}16.9%$ and $98.5{\pm}29.5%$, respectively. Furthermore, tumor metastasis analysis revealed that the administration of Gomisin A at a concentration of 10 and 100 ${\mu}g$/head inhibited tumor metastasis by $13.5{\pm}8.56%$ and $58.3{\pm}9.12%$, respectively. In addition, Gomisin A significantly decreased cell adhesion of the B16BL6 cells to the extracellular matrix. These results demonstrate that Gomisin A inhibits tumor growth via suppression of angiogenesis and tumor metastasis inhibition, without cellular toxicity. The pharmacological efficacy of Gomisin A suggests that it may be a potential candidate for the development of cancer drugs.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.73-80
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• 2011

To investigate the characteristics of plant growth and flower quality of gerbera 'Sunny Lemon' by amount of nutrient solution, young seedling plants, 'Sunny Lemon' were transplanted to rock-wool and medium of peat moss and perlite mixed with 1 to 2 and they were acclimatized in greenhouse during about 1 month. Nutrient solution supplied to the plants is sonneveld solution of 1/2 concentration and treatments launched June 24, 2010 when average plant height was $20{\pm}1cm$. Nutrient contents as a standard for starting point of irrigation by time domain reflectometry (TDR) were determined with 60-65%, 70-75%, and 80-85%. Results of growth during vegetative growth, plant height, leaf width and leaf number increased by 10% in rockwool, but they were not significantly different. As for plant growth depending on nutrient content, 80-85% treatment showed the highest values. Leaf number increased by 60%, and leaf width and plant height had a about 40% increase than initial growth. Effectiveness for flower quality, yield and days to flowering were superior when nutrient content of media was higher than in the others. Especially, average days to flowering in 80-85% content was advanced by 7-10 days compared to the day in 60-65% treatment. The total amount of nutrient supply per plant was higher in mixed medium than in rockwool, but change patterns of EC and pH were enhanced in rockwool. Based on our results, we recommended that growth, cut flower, and yield of gerbera 'Sunny Lemon' were more effective when nutrient content of mixed medium was maintained at 80-85%.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.679-687
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• 2019

Litsea populifolia, a plant species of the Lauraceae family, is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of Asia. The phylogenetic relationships and botanical characteristics of L. populifolia have been reported; however, its anti-oxidative and anti-cancer activities remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the anti-oxidative and anti-cancer effects of ethanol extracts of L. populifolia (EELP) together with the molecular mechanism of its anti-cancer activity in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. EELP showed significant anti-oxidative effects with a 50% inhibitory concentration at $11.71{\mu}g/ml$, which was measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. EELP exhibited cytotoxic activity and induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas EELP did not have the cytotoxic effect on the normal human lung cell line IMR90. Treatment with EELP also resulted in a decreased expression of G1/S transition-related molecules-including cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2, CDK6, cyclin D1, and cyclin E-both for the transcription and translation levels. EELP-induced G1 arrest was associated with the phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2), p53, cell division cycle 25 homolog A (CDC25A), and the reduction of CDC25A expression in A549 cells. Collectively, these results suggest that EELP may exert an anti-cancer effect by cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase through both p53-dependent and p53-independent (ATM/CHK2/CDC25A/CDK2) pathways in A549 cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.872-881
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• 2022

In this study, we optimized the composition of the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production medium using response surface methodology on Pantoea agglomerans SRCM 119864 isolated from soil. IAA-producing P. aglomerans SRCM 119864 was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. There are 11 intermediate components known to affect IAA production, hence the effect of each component on IAA production was investigated using a Plackett-Burman design (PBD). Based on the PBD, sucrose, tryptone, and sodium chloride were selected as the main factors that enhanced the IAA production at optimal L-tryptophan concentration. The predicted maximum IAA production (64.34 mg/l) was obtained for a concentration of sucrose of 13.38 g/l, of tryptone of 18.34 g/l, of sodium chloride of 9.71 g/l, and of L-tryptophan of 6.25 g/l using a the hybrid design experimental model. In the experiment, the nutrient broth medium supplemented with 0.1% L-tryptophan as the basal medium produced 45.24 mg/l of IAA, whereas the optimized medium produced 65.40 mg/l of IAA, resulting in a 44.56% increase in efficiency. It was confirmed that the IAA production of the designed optimal composition medium was very similar to the predicted IAA production. The statistical significance and suitability of the experimental model were verified through analysis of variance (ANOVA). Therefore, in this study, we determined the optimal growth medium concentration for the maximum production of IAA, which can contribute to sustainable agriculture and increase crop yield.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.828-834
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• 2023

The cDNA that encodes transmembrane protein 258 (Tmem258) was cloned from Gryllus bimaculatus and named GbTmem258. This protein comprises 80 amino acids, has no N-glycosylation site, and contains five potential phosphorylation sites at two serines, two threonines, and one tyrosine. The predicted molecular mass of GbTmem258 is 9.06 kDa, and its theoretical isoelectric point is 5.5. The tertiary structure of GbTmem258 was predicted using the available secondary structure information, which suggests the presence of alpha helices (52.5%), random coils (22.5%), extended strands (16.25%), and beta turns (8.75%). Homology analysis revealed that GbTmem258 exhibits high similarity at the amino-acid level to Tmem258 found in other species. The effect of starvation and refeeding on GbTmem258 mRNA expression was also examined in this study. It was found that GbTmem258 mRNA expression in the hindgut progressively increased throughout the starvation period, peaking at almost 1.5 times the control level after six days of starvation. However, refeeding for one to two days after the six-day starvation period restored GbTmem258 mRNA expression to the control level. In fat body, GbTmem258 mRNA expression was almost 3-fold higher during starvation compared to the control level. Refeeding for one to two days after the six-day fast resulted in a decline in the expression to about a 2.5-fold increase over the control level. Throughout the starving and refeeding periods, no other tissues showed any discernible alterations in GbTmem258 mRNA expression.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1002-1014
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• 2023

The root of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii (Maxim.) has long been used in traditional medicine to prevent the onset and progression of various diseases and has been reported to exert a wide range of physiological effects, including antioxidant activity. However, research on its effects on hepatocytes remains scarce. This study used the human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line to investigate the antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of C. japonicum root (EECJ) on hepatocytes. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was used to mimic oxidative stress. The results showed that EECJ significantly reverted the decrease in cell viability and suppressed the release of lactate dehydrogenase in HepG2 cells treated with H₂O₂. Moreover, an analysis of changes in cell morphology, flow cytometry, and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) expression showed that EECJ significantly inhibited HepG2 cell autophagy induced by H₂O₂. Furthermore, it attenuated H₂O₂-induced apoptosis and cell cycle disruption by blocking intracellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide production, indicating strong antioxidant activity. EECJ also restored the decreased levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH) and enhanced the expression and activity of superoxide dismutase and GSH peroxidase in H₂O₂-treated HepG2 cells. Although an analysis of the components contained in EECJ and in vivo validation using animal models are needed, these findings indicate that EECJ is a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-induced liver cell damage.

• Sijohaknonchong
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• v.24
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• pp.5-46
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• 2006

Korean verse has flexibly changed its form and contents according to the historical background of the times. This fact arouses reader sympathy because it has reflected ideas, historical aspects and realities of the times. However, korean verse has kept its own characteristics in some ways, allowing it to exist today. It holds its form as 3 verses of three by three or four meter and three letters of the last of three verses. It makes every different version which has specific aspects of each times in the same 'sijo' area. 'Sijo' in Korean poems, is the first form that has been changed from formal to private functionally. As a result of that common verses in the Goryeo to Joseon eras were going with the stream of the times. Verse was the plate for justice so that there was no double meaning, symbols, or technical sentences. It had to show the idea of Myungchundo Jwonginryun. The theme was commonly fitted within certain areas. such as blessings, fidelity, devotion, etc. Around the end of the Joseon era, there was activation of private verses - a form of sijo with no restrictions on the length of the first two verses. Some ideas had been changed because Sarimpa gained power, domestic conflict, and the introduction of practical science. These things had an effect on the form of Sijo. After all, it shows the ideas of collapsing feudalism, resistance of confucian ideas, equality of the sexes, and opposition to the group who rule the government. Thus Sasul Sijo seems to have the tendency of resistance to reality. It was a specialty of realism poetry It explained our life in detail and reflected real life by being an intermediary of realism. This met and represented the demand of a reader's expectations. After 1905, there was new form of sijo that is very different, in form and content, from the previous versions. It was even different in areas of what people accepted. They started to think sijo was not the form of lyrical verse that is once was. It became a 'record of reading'. The form changed to 'hung or huhung' that satirized the times and the ending of a word in the last verse. Although this form could deliver the tension in statement, it was too iu from the original form. Therefore, it didn't last long, and its position got smaller because of the free verse that had western influence and was emerging in the times. In the middle of 1920, there was a movement of Sijo revival. It was lead by Choinamsun. He wrote poems and Sijo which were effected by western ideas in his early works. Although he worked with that, he took the lead in the movement of Sijo revival. He published the collection of Sijo $\ulcorner$Baekpalbunnwoi$\lrcorner$ that has one major theme-patriotic sentiment. He thought an ancient poem was a part of racial characteristics so that he expressed the main theme which represented the times and situations of his era. Modern Sijo is difficult. Sijo has to have modern and Korean verse characteristics at the same time. If it considers a modern aspect too much, it could not be distinguished from sijo and free verse. If it overly leans toward Sijo. it would seem to be too conservative which it then could be said to have no real charm of a poem. In spite of these problems, it is written constantly, because it has its own specialty. It has been focused on some works because they reflect awareness of modern times, the democratic idea, and realism. Overall, the authors of Modern Sijo express various themes by using different forms. The more what we can guess in this work, Sijo will exist permanently because of its flexibility. Furthermore, one special characteristic-flexibility of the korean verse will make it last forever and it will be a genre in Korean poetry.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2017

Bacterial blight in rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) greatly reduces the growth and productivity of this important food crop. Therefore, we sought to increase the resistance of rice to bacterial blight by using a NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) transcription factor, one of the plant-specific transcription factors that is known to be involved in biotic/abiotic stress resistance. By isolating the OsNAC58 gene from rice and analyzing its biological functions related to Xoo resistance, phylogenetic analysis showed that OsNAC58 belongs to group III. To investigate the biological relationship between bacterial leaf blight (BLB) and OsNAC58 in rice, we constructed a vector for overexpression in rice and generated transgenic rice. The expression analysis resulting from use of RT-PCR showed that OsNAC58-overexpressed transgenic rice exhibited higher levels of OsNAC58 expression than wild types. Further, subcellular localization analysis using rice protoplasts showed that the 35S/OsNAC58-SmGFP fusion protein was localized in the nuclei. Thirteen OsNAC58-overexpressed transgenic rice lines, with high expression levels of OsNAC58, showed more resistant to Xoo than did the wild types. Together, these results suggest that the OsNAC58 gene of rice regulates the rice disease resistance mechanism in the nucleus upon invasion of the rice bacterial blight pathogen Xoo.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.63
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• pp.347-376
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• 2020

This study suggests the direction and practice of Christian education through ecological Christian spirituality required in front of the ecological crisis. Environmental destruction and ecosystem problems are recognized as a serious crisis that can threaten human survival. As a result, the development of material civilization, which humanity has taken for granted, has been questioned, and changes in human consciousness and thoughts at the root of the ecological crisis have become inevitable. The crisis of civilization demands a new spirituality, and the spirituality required in front of the ecological crisis must be a life-friendly spirituality. The discourses on the ecological crisis that have emerged since the 1970s provide a fundamental perspective on the ecological crisis. Ecological spirituality such as 'immanence', 'interrelationship', 'community', 'healing and emancipation', and 'sustainability' are concepts that can understand and aggregate the discussions of the various discourses above. Based on this, this paper examines Christian ecological spirituality by dividing it into the areas of God, humans, and body. Through this, the Christian education was proposed as a practical place for self-depreciation for a simple life through the understanding of God, who emptied himself out of the transcendent God who reigns over all things, shared the pain of all things, maintained all things together, and lived in them. There, meditation and hospitality can be a place of practical Christian education where one can enrich one's inner self for a simple life. Christian education was proposed as a place of holistic knowledge through ecological Christian spirituality that emphasizes the spirituality of the body from dichotomous thinking that belittles the body. There, the Holy Communion is important as a place where both holistic education to restore the spirituality of the body and ecological education can be held at the same time. Through this, I hope that Christian education will be a place of education not only for the reason but also for the holistic knowledge of Christ and for learning how to 'together' with the ecosystem and neighbors.