• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1252-1259
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• 2013

To investigate the effects of a fibrinolytic enzyme, BK-17, on the growth of human cancer cells, we performed various biochemical experiments, including cell proliferation and viability, and investigated subsequent morphological changes and apoptosis induction. BK-17 treatment of AGS human gastric and T24 human bladder carcinoma cells decreased the viability and the proliferation of the cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Microscopic studies indicated that the antiproliferative effects of the BK-17 treatment were associated with morphological changes, such as membrane shrinking, cell rounding up, and the formation of apoptotic bodies, indicating that BK-17 induced apoptosis in the cell lines. Of note, RT-PCR and Western blotting data indicated that the BK-17 treatment induced the down-regulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 members, Bcl-2 and $Bcl-X_L$, and the up-regulation of proapoptotic Bax members, Bax and Bad, in the AGS cells. BK-17-induced apoptosis of AGS cells was involved in the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9. Taken together, these findings suggest that BK-17 is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2020

This research analyzed the relationship between environmental factors and the density of Sycios angulatus in the Miho Stream, Geum River water system in order to secure basic data for the control of the ecosystem-distrubing plant Sycios angulatus. As a result of the soil particle size analysis of Sycios angulatus habitat, it was found that the density of Sycios angulatus decreased as the silty and clay contents increased. Most of the Sycios angulatus habitats had high sandy and silt content, and low clay content of less than 2%. The increased flow rate reduced the density of Sicyos angulatus. This is because when the flow rate is increased, the Sicyos angulatus cannot grow due to the change in soil characteristics. Water quality plays a role in supplying nutrients when Sicyos angulatus are submerged. However, due to the change in soil characteristics during flooding, the density of Sicyos angulatus tended to decrease due to impaired growth. The Sicyos angulatus can be managed through artificial and natural techniques. The appropriate natural control technique is the creation of a natural waterway in the habitats to change the water contents.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.144-151
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• 2002

For elucidating the relationship between the biosynthetic pathways for polyhydroxyslkanoates (PHAs) and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), culture conditions for the production of these two biomaterials by Rhodopseudomonas sp. KCTC 1437 were investigated. Of the carbon substrates tested, acetic acid was the best carbon source for cell growth and PHA biosynthesis. When succinic acid was added as a co-substrate into culture medium, cell growth and PHA production were greatly increased up to 2.5 g/ι and 73% of dry cell weight, respectively. The PHA obtained from the carbon substrates tested was homopolyester of 3-hydroxybutyrate, while valeric acid was only effective for the production of copolyester consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate. Anaerobic light culture condition was better for PHA production and cell growth than anaerobic dark or aerobic dark culture condition. The organism was capable of synthesizing ALA when glycine and succinic acid were added to the culture medium. ALA was produced to ca.400 mg/ι when levulinic acid, soccinic acid, and glycine were repeatedly added with a reductant (sodim thioglycolate). However, the presence of glycine, levulinic acid and sodium glycolate inhibited the cell growth and the conversion of carbon substrates to PHA. From these results it is apparent that the production yields of PHA and ALA could not be increased simultaneously because the optimal conditions for the production of PHA and ALA are opposed to each other.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1993

lntergeneric hybrids formed between Aspergillus niger and Penicillium verruculosum were obtained by nuclear transfer technique. Nuclei isolated from wild type and auxotrophic mutants of donor strains were transferred into the protoplasts of different auxotrophic mutants as recipient strains. Several auxotrophic mutants were isolated from conidiospores of the two strains mutagenized with ultraviolet and N-methyl-N'-nitrosoguanidine. Optimal conditions for formation of intergeneric hybrids were investigated. Frequencies of intergeneric hybrid formation by nuclear transfer were $7{\times}10^{5}~1{\times}10^{5}$. From observations of genetic stability. DNA content. nuclear stain and conidial size. it was suggested that their karyotypes are aneuploid. In addition. the hybrids possess the 1.1~2.3-fold higher cellulase activities than those of parental strains. It was also revealed that some hybrids had different isozyme patterns compared to those of parental strains by CMCase and $\beta$-glucosidase activity assays.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to provide a design and operation technical guideline for meeting the appropriate design criteria to biogas utilization treating organic wastes. In accordance with the government's mid-to long-term policies on bio-gasification and energization of organic wastes, the expansion of the waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities is being remarkably promoted. However, because of the limitation of livestock manure containing low-concentration of volatile solids, there has been increased in combined bio-gasification without installing new anaerobic digestion facilities. The characteristics and common problems of each treatment processes were investigated for on-going 11 bio-gasification facilities. The seasonal precision monitoring of chemicophysics analysis on anaerobic digestor samples was conducted to provide guidelines for design and operation according to the progress of biogas utilization. Consequently, Major problems were investigated such as large deviation of organic materials depending on seasons, proper dehumidification of biogas, pretreatment of hydrogen sulfide, operation of power generation and steam. This study was conducted to optimize biogas utilization of type of organic waste(containing sewage sludge and food waste, animal manure), research the facilities problem through field investigation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.351-356
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• 2016

Bacterial blotch caused by Pseudomonas tolaasii is one of the major diseases of oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. Application of bacteriophages is a very useful tool to decrease the density of pathogens and it has been successful to making disease-free cultivation area, known as phage therapy. Effect of phages on pathogen sterilization is very limited to the specific host strains. Minor variations of the host strains may cause changes in phage sensitivity. The phage-resistant strains of P. tolaasii were isolated and their pathogenic characters were investigated to improve the effectiveness of phage therapy. In the phylogenetic analysis, both phage-resistant strains and the corresponding host strains were identical based on the sequence comparison of 16S rRNA genes. The pathogenic characters, such as hemolytic activity and brown blotch formation, were measured on the phage-resistant strains and no correlation between phage-resistance and pathogenic characters was observed. Nevertheless, pathogenic characters were sometimes changed in the phage-resistant strains depending on the host strains. In order to make the phage therapy successful, the bacteriophages having a wide host range should be isolated.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2018

Tolaasin secreted by Pseudomonas tolaasii is a peptide toxin and causes brown blotch disease on the cultivated mushrooms by collapsing cellular and fruiting body structure. Toxicity of tolaasin was evaluated by measuring hemolytic activity because tolaasin molecules form membrane pores on the red blood cells and destroy cell membrane structure. In the previous studies, we found that tolaasin cytotoxicity was suppressed by $Zn^{2+}$ and $Ni^{2+}$. $Ni^{2+}$ inhibited the tolaasin-induced hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner and its $K_i$ value was 1.8 mM. The hemolytic activity was completely inhibited at the concentration higher than 10 mM. The inhibitory effect of $Zn^{2+}$ on tolaasin-induced hemolysis was increased in alkaline pH, while that of $Ni^{2+}$was not much dependent on pH. When the pH of buffer solution was increased from pH 7 to pH 9, the time for 50% hemolysis ($T_{50}$) was increased greatly by $100{\mu}M$ $Zn^{2+}$; however, it was slightly increased by 1 mM $Ni^{2+}$ at all pH values. When the synergistic effect of $Zn^{2+}$ and $Ni^{2+}$ on tolaasin-induced hemolysis was measured, it was not dependent on the pH of buffer solution. Molecular elucidation of the difference in pH-dependence of these two metal ions may contribute to understand the mechanism of tolaasin pore formation and cytotoxicity.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.490-494
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• 2011

Rice stripe virus (RSV) has been the main viral disease of rice plant in western coastal region of Korea since 2000. The control of the vector insect, small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus), is the most effective management method of the persistently-transmitted viral disease. Thus, ecological study between RSV and the vector insect was needed and investigated in order to make effective control plan, especially about study on the feeding and transmission of the virus by the vector insect. Each larval stage of vector insect differed in vector competence; larvae over 4th stage were shown as higher transmission after feeding on RSV-infected rice plant. These 4th and 5th larvae had higher transmission rates, 69.2% and 67.9% respectively, than 44.8% of the adult stage. The vector competence, however, was changed according to temperature; the highest transmission rate was 93.3% on $30^{\circ}C$ in comparison to 70.6% on $25^{\circ}C$ and 43.8% on $20^{\circ}C$.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 2010

Strain BCNU 2001 was isolated from soil samples collected from Tea-baek Mountain area. The biochemical characteristics and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences of the isolate revealed that the strain belonged to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The supernatants had an antimicrobial effect on various kind of bacteria and fungi. Especially BCNU 2001 was able to greatly inhibit the growth of Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, and Aspergillus niger, and its inhibition zone was measured as 18.5 mm against Micrococcus luteus, 19.0mm against Proteus mirabilis, 17.0mm against Proteus vulgaris, and 13.5 mm against Aspergillus niger, respectively. Hexane and dichloromethane extracts of BCNU 2001 exhibited significant activity against bacteria, and dichloromethane and ethylacetate extracts showed significant activity against fungi. Pseudomonas strain BCNU 2001 was also determined to have antimicrobial peptide against various microorganisms including Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria and fungi. The obtained results may provide preliminary support for the usefulness of Pseudomonas strain BCNU 2001.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.743-754
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• 2000

Model parameters of the WASP5 applied to Saemanguem lake were estimated. The methodology is based on grouping water quality constituents and relevant parameters and successively estimating each group of parameters by a trial-and-error procedure. Chlorophyll-a, nitrogen cycles, phosphorus cycles, BOD and DO were simulated at the complexity level 4. The Saemangeum basin divided into a number of unit sub-watershed. And a water budget model analysis with 22 years from 1975 to 1996 year was examined. In this paper, input data at upstream boundaries of model was made to determine seasonally-averaged flow rate through water budget analysis. Calibration and verification of the model were used seasonal average of water quality measurements in 1997 and 1998 years. Grouping water quality constituents and associated parameters proved to be efficient in estimating a number of model parameters. From the results of model calibration and verification, it was found that quantitative evaluations of nonpoint source for organic matters are essential.