• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2023

In a signal transduction network, from the perception of stress signals to stress-responsive gene ex- pression, binding of various transcription factors to cis-acting elements in stress-responsive promoters coordinate the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses. Among the AP2/ERF transcription factor family genes, group VII ERF genes, such as RAP2.12, RAP2.2, RAP2.3, AtERF73/HRE1, and AtERF71/ HRE2, are known to be involved in the response to hypoxia stress in Arabidopsis. In this study, we dissected the HRE1 promoter to identify hypoxia-responsive region(s). The 1,000 bp upstream promoter region of HRE1 showed increased promoter activity in Arabidopsis protoplasts and transgenic plants under hypoxia conditions. Analysis of the promoter deletion series of HRE1, including 1,000 bp, 800 bp, 600 bp, 400 bp, 200 bp, 100 bp, and 50 bp upstream promoter regions, using firefly luciferase and GUS as reporter genes indicated that the -200 to -100 region of the HRE1 promoter is responsible for the transcriptional activation of HRE1 in response to hypoxia. In addition, we identified two putative hypoxia-responsive cis-acting elements, the ERF-binding site and DOF-binding site, in the -200 to -100 region of the HRE1 promoter, suggesting that the expression of HRE1 might be regulated via the ERF transcription factor(s) and/or DOF transcription factor(s). Collectively, our results suggest that HRE1 contains hypoxia-responsive cis-acting elements in the -200 to -100 region of its promoter.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.215-226
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• 2024

Aralia continentalis is widely distributed in Far East Asian countries such as Korea, China, and Japan. A. continentalis has traditionally been used as an herbal remedy for various conditions, including analgesia, headache, inflammation, lameness, lumbago, rheumatism, and dental diseases in Korea. Previously, epi-continentalic acid, continentalic acid, and kaurenoic acid as major active biological compounds belonging to the diterpenoid class were identified. To synthesize diterpenoid derivatives with enhanced bioavailability, Fusarium fujikuroi was employed to biotransform diterpenoids due to its known antibacterial activity. This yielded two derivatives of kaurenoic acid, namely 16α-hydroxyent-kauran-2-on-19-oic acid and 2β, 16α-dihydroxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid, with their chemical structures elucidated via NMR analysis. These derivatives exhibited increased polarity compared to kaur- enoic acid, as evidenced by their retention time on preparative HPLC using the ODS-A column and structural modifications. Evaluation of their antidiabetic activity targeting PTP1B, a negative regulator of the insulin signaling pathway, revealed inhibitory activities of 30.8% and 27.6%, respectively, at a concentration of 4 ㎍/ml. Additionally, both derivatives demonstrated low cytotoxicity, with an IC50 value 18 times higher than kaurenoic acid. Therefore, the augmented water solubility and reduced toxicity of 16α-hydroxy-ent-kauran-2-on-19-oic acid and 2β, 16α-dihydroxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid, resulting from biotransformation by F. fujikuroi, render them promising candidates for industrial applications.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 2010

The biodiversity of eukaryotic plankton has commonly been used to evaluate the status of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, an accurate and rapid method for species identification is needed to reveal the biodiversity of environmental water samples. To date, molecular methods have provided a great deal of information that has enabled identification of the hidden biodiversity in environmental samples. In this study, we utilized environmental polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and constructed the 18S nuclear ribosomal RNA clone library from environmental water samples in order to develop more efficient methods for species identification. For the molecular analysis, water samples were collected from the Seonakdong River (Gimhae Bridge) and the coast of Namhae，(Namhaedo). Colony PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR (PCR-RFLP) were then adopted to isolate unique clones from the 18S rDNA clone library. Restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern analysis of the Gimhae Bridge sample revealed 44 unique clones from a total of 60 randomly selected clones, while analysis of the Namhae sample revealed 27 unique clones from 150 clones selected at random. A BLAST search and subsequent phylogenetic analysis conducted using the sequences of these clones revealed hidden biodiversity containing a wide range of taxonomic groups (Heterokontophyta (7), Ciliophora (23), Dinophyta (1), Chytridiomycota (1), Rotifera (1) and Arthropoda (11) in the Gimhae Bridge samples Ciliophora (4), Dinophyta (3), Cryptophyta (1), Arthropoda (19) in the Namhae samples). Therefore, the molecular monitoring method developed here can provide additional information regarding the biodiversity and community structure of eukaryotic plankton in environmental samples and helps construct a useful database of biodiversity for aquatic ecosystems.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.191-195
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• 2011

This experiment was attempted to investigate a cause of the scion death in green pepper grafting system. A tobamovirus particle examined in the rootstock of the sample but not in the scion showing necrosis. The virus isolated from the rootstock was identified as Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), pepper tobamovirus pathotype P1.2. (PMMoV-2), by nucleotide sequence analysis and host plant reaction. The virus isolate infected systematically in 6 commercial rootstock varieties using for green pepper grafting seedling production. Green pepper varieties 'Long green mart' and 'Daechan' represented resistance to the virus showing local lesions only on the inoculated leaves and 'Manitda' was systematically infected. In the experiment with grafting 'Long green mart' or 'Daechan' onto the those rootstocks, the upper leaves of the scions first showed vein necrosis and wilt symptoms 7 days after inoculation with PMMoV-2 on the cotyledon of the rootstock, following to the scion stem necrosis and then only the scion death. The virus was detected in the rootstock but not in the scion. However, 'Manitda' of susceptible variety in the grafting system showed mottle symptom on the leaves of the scion but not necrosis on the plant. PMMoV-3 isolate, pepper tobamovirus pathotype P1.2.3, did not cause the scion death in the grafting system. All of the varieties were susceptible to PMMoV-3. These results suggest that the scion death is caused by infecting with pepper tobamovirus pathotype P1.2. in the green pepper grafting system combined with the susceptible rootstock and the resistance scion to the virus pathotype.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.177-187
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• 2012

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) techniques are widely used in diagnosis of vascular disorders such as hemadostenosis and aneurism. Especially, phase contrast (PC) MRA technique, which is a typical non contrast-enhanced MRA technique, provides not only the anatomy of blood vessels but also flow velocity. In this study, we developed the 2- and 3-dimensional PC MRA pulse sequences for a low magnetic field MRI system. Vessel images were acquired using 2D and 3D PC MRA and the velocities of the blood flow were measured in the superior sagittal sinus, straight sinus and the confluence of the two. The 2D PC MRA provided the good quality of vascular images for large vessels but the poor quality for small ones. Although 3D PC MRA gave more improved visualization of small vessels than 2D PC MRA, the image quality was not enough to be used for diagnosis of the small vessels due to the low SNR and field homogeneity of the low field MRI system. The measured blood velocities were $25.46{\pm}0.73cm/sec$, $24.02{\pm}0.34cm/sec$ and $26.15{\pm}1.50cm/sec$ in the superior sagittal sinus, straight sinus and the confluence of the two, respectively, which showed good agreement with the previous experimental values. Thus, the developed PC MRA technique for low field MRI system is expected to provide the useful velocity information to diagnose the large brain vessels.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.7 s.276
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• pp.480-484
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• 2007

Background: Major vascular injuries can jeopardize a patient's life or imperil limb survival. We performed this study to establish an optimal management plan for vascular injuries. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed 26 cases of vascular injury that were treated at Pusan National University Hospital from May, 1999 to September, 2004. The age and sex distribution, the locations and causes of vascular injury, the diagnostic tools, the degree of injuries, clinical manifestations, the treatment modality and complications were reviewed. Result: The mean age was 39.5 years (range: $12{\sim}86$) and the male to female ratio was 22 : 4. The injuries were in 6 descending thoracic aortas, 4 femoral arteries, 4 popliteal veins and so on. The causes of injury were iatrogenic in 8 cases, traffic accident in 7, stab injury in 6 and industrial accident in 5. The most commonly used diagnostic tools were CT and angiography. The degrees of arterial injury were pseudoaneurysm in 10 cases, partial severance in 5, complete severance in 3 and thrombosis in 3. The degrees of venous injury were partial severance in 6 cases, complete severance in 2 and arteriovenous fistula in 2. The clinical manifestations were absence of pulse in 8 cases, coldness in 7, chest pain in 6, swelling in 5, bleeding in 5 and so on. The most frequently used type of revascularization was graft interposition in 11 cases. Two arteriovenous fistulae were repaired by endovascular procedure. There was one case of mortality due to multi-organ failure after hemorrhagic shock, There were three major amputations, and two of them were due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion: A system for the early diagnosis and treatment is essential for improving limb salvage and patient mortality. As a consequence of the widespread application of endovascular procedures, the incidence of iatrogenic injuries has recently increased. Educating physicians is important for the prevention of iatrogenic injury. Easy communication and cooperation for earlier involvement of a vascular surgeon is also an important factor.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.336-342
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• 2013

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used substance in commercial and industrial applications, yet it must be removed from the contaminated soil and groundwater environment due to its toxic and carcinogenic nature. We investigated bacterial community structure, dominant bacterial strain, and removal efficiency in a TCE contaminated groundwater treatment system using immobilized carrier. The microbial diversity was determined by the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA gene library. The major bacterial population of the contaminated groundwater treatment system was belonging to BTEX degradation bacteria. The bacterial community consisted mainly of one genus of Pseudomonas (Pseudomonas putida group). The domination of Pseudomonas putida group may be caused by high concentration of toluene and TCE. Furthermore, we isolated a toluene and TCE degrading bacterium, named Pseudomonas sp. DHC8, from the immobilized carrier in bioreactor which was designed to remove TCE from the contaminated ground water. Based on the results of morphological and physiological characteristics, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain DHC8 was identified as a member of Pseudomonas putida group. When TCE (0.83 mg/L) and toluene (60.61 mg/L) were degraded by this strain, removal efficiencies were 72.3% and 100% for 12.5 h, respectively. Toluene removal rate was 2.89 ${\mu}mol/g$-DCW/h and TCE removal rate was 0.02 ${\mu}mol/g$-DCW/h. These findings will be helpful for maintaining maximum TCE removal efficiency of a reactor for bioremediation of TCE.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2011

This study was carried out to develop a method of removing unnecessary sugars and high-molecular weight soluble components from water extract by using various highly porous polymer resins: these resins are widely used as adsorbents for polyphenolic compounds. Each anthocyanin-rich fraction (ARF) that was eluted from column packed with 4 different resins (SEPABEADS SP207, 700, 850 and Diaion HP 20) was obtained from an aqueous extract of the ripe fruits of Rubus coreanus, which is well-known in Korea as "Bok-bun-ja". Among the above mentioned resins, Diaion HP20 had the highest efficacy and provided maximum yield of the ARF. The ARF eluted from the column packed with HP 20 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in vitro. Bioactive phytochemicals extracted from Rubus coreanus were investigated using the on-line HPLC-$ABTS^{{\cdot}+}$ system, and the resulting 6 peaks were identified as radical-scavenging components. By using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 5 peaks were obtained, and these were identified as cyanidin-3-sambubioside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-xylosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-rutinoside. These results indicate that the use of appropriate porous resin (Diaion HP 20) leads to an increase in the yield of bioactive components and enhancement of their biological properties.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1030-1036
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• 2000

Objective : The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the safety and effect of Linac based Photon Knife Radiosugery System(PKRS) for treatment of cerebral arteriovenous malformation. Patients and Methods : The authors analyzed the clinical method and results of ten patients who were followed up more than two years, among the 18 patients who had radiosurgery on arteriovenous malformation from June, 1992, to Dec. 1997, with Linac based Photon knife radiosurgery system(PKRS) which was developed in our hospital. Results : The average age of the patients was 30.4(with the range of 13-49), and the sex was seven males and three females. For the initial clinical symptoms, there were five patients with headache, three with seizure, one with hemiparesis, and one with vomiting. Before the radiosurgery, computed tomography, MRI, and cerebral angiogram were done. For the location of arteriovenous malformation, it was found on six patients of cerebral hemisphere, two of thalamus, one of brainstem, and one of corpus callosum. Regarding the size of nidus, there were seven patients of smaller than 3cm, and three patients of larger than 3cm. Computed tomography, MRI, and cerebral angiogram were done periodically for sixth months, first year, and second year after the radiosurgery of PKRS for the completeness of obliteration. Six cases showed complete obliteration, and four partial obliterations were observed among ten cases, and interestingly, six cases of complete obliteration were observed among seven cases of small AVM of smaller than 3cm(the rate of complete obliteration : 85.7%). All patients tolerated the treatment and no significant complication were seen. Conclusion : In this study, linac based radiosurgery using PKRS onto arteriovenous malformation showed excellent effects, therefore authors believe that it is an ideal method for small sized or deep seated AVM.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.1358-1363
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• 2009

Purpose:The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriages in children using a multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) assay kit. Methods:We obtained nasopharyngeal swabs from 33 children without any underlying disease from July 25 to July 28, 2008. The children were free from the signs of respiratory tract infections at the time of sampling. DNA was extracted from the swabs and subjected to multiplex RT-PCR using a primer set for the detection of pneumococci ($Seeplex^{(R)}$ PneumoBacter ACE Detection Seegene, Seoul, Korea). The amplified PCR products were separated on 2% agarose gels and stained with either ethidium bromide or screen tape system (Lab901 Scotland, UK). Results:A total of 33 children (male, 15 female, 18) aged between 3.2 and 16.3 (median, 8.2) years were included in this study. The mRT-PCR detected colonized bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Bordetella pertussis) in 30 children (90.9%). Of these, 13 children (39.4%) showed more than 2 bacteria: 12 children were positive for 2 bacteria (S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae) and 1 child was positive for 3 bacteria (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and C. pneumoniae). Conclusion:mRT-PCR was found to be a sensitive tool for the detection of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriages. Clinical significances of the bacteria detected by mRT-PCR will have to be evaluated in the future.