• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.287-290
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• 1998

Acarbose effectively inhibited the synthesis of dextran, and the inhibition pattern was a noncompetitive type with a $K_i$ value of 1.35 mM. It also inhibited the disproportionation reaction of dextransucrase with isomaltotriose and decreased the efficiency of the maltose acceptor reaction. Increased concentration of dextransucrase or maltose in reaction digests, however, decreased the degree of inhibition by acarbose.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.608-613
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.17-17
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• 1997

We investigated the relationship between the voltage-operated calcium channel current and the corresponding [Ca$^{2＋}$]i change (Ca$^{2＋}$-transient) in guinea-pig gastric myocyte. Fluorescence microspectroscopy was combined with conventional whole-cell patch clamp technique and fura-2 (80 $\mu$M) was added into the CsCl-rich pipette solution.(omitted)

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.334-339
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• 2022

The digital response is an excellent infection prevention and control measure to minimize person-to-person contact when a respiratory infectious disease is rapidly spreading. However, few studies have explored the reasons for the development and utilization of these technologies. Here, we analyze documents by the Korean government, existing research, and news articles to provide a qualitative review of the digital response, and new concepts explored by Korea during coronavirus disease 2019, to apply them for the next infectious disease outbreak.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.106-109
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• 2002

Archaeal rhodopsins possess retinal molecule as their chromophores, and their light-energy and light-signal conversions are triggered by all-trans to 13-cis isomerization of the retinal chromophore. Relaxation through structural changes of protein then leads to functional processes, proton pump in bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and transducer activation in phoborhodopsin (pR). It is known that sensory rhodopsins can pump protons in the absence of their transducers. Thus, there should be common and specific features in their protein structural changes for function. In this paper, our r ecent studies on pR from Natronobacterium pharaonis (ppR) by means of low-temperature Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy are compared with those of bR. In particular, protein structural changes upon retinal photoisomerization are studied. Comparative investigation of ppR and bR revealed the similar structures of the polyene chain of the chromophore and water-containing hydrogen-bonding network, whereas the structural changes upon photoisomerization were more extended in ppR than in bR. Extended protein structural changes were clearly shown by the assignment of the C=O stretch of Asnl05. FTIR studies of a ppR mutant with the same retinal binding site as in bR revealed that the Schiff base region is important to determine their colors.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.25-28
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• 2002

The chicken pineal gland has been used for studies on the circadian clock, because it retains an intracellular phototransduction pathway regulating the phase of the intrinsic clock oscillator. Previously, we identified chicken clock genes expressed in the gland (cPer2, cPer3, cBmal1, cBmal2, cCry1, cCry2, and cClock), and showed that a cBMALl/2-cCLOCK heteromer acts as a regulator transactivating cPer2 gene through the CACGTG E-box element found in its promoter. Notably, mRNA expression of cPer2 gene is up-regulated by light as well as is driven by the circadian clock, implying that light-dependent clock resetting may involve the up-regulation of cPer2 gene. To explore the mechanism of light-dependent gene expression unidentified in animals, we first focused on pinopsin gene whose mRNA level is also up-regulated by light. A pinopsin promoter was isolated and analyzed by transcriptional assays using cultured chicken pineal cells, resulting in identification of an 18-bp light-responsive element that includes a CACGTG E-box sequence. We also investigated a role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the clock resetting, especially in the E-box-dependent transcriptional regulation, because MAPK is phospholylated (activated) in a circadian manner and is rapidly dephosphorylated by light in the gland. Both pulldown analysis and kinase assay revealed that MAPK directly associates with BMAL1 to phosphorylate it at several Ser/Thr residues. Transcriptional analyses implied that the MAPK-mediated phosphorylation may negatively regulate the BMAL-CLOCK-dependent transactivation through the E-box. These results suggest that the CACGTG E-box serves not only as a clock-controlled element but also as a light-responsive element.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.255-257
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• 2002

In birds, the photoperiodic seasonal breeding involves encephalic photoreception at the initial step of triggering the well-known endocrinal cascade. Especially in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnixjaponica), the reproductive neuroendocrine function responds to a single long day, and hypothalamic regions are known to be important for the reproductive response. However, little is known about where and how the light and time signals are integrated to detect daylength information and transduced to the endocrinal responses. To gain insights into this issue, we are interested in the c-Fos expression in the hypothalamus of the Japanese quail. Meddle and Follett (1997) previously identified two hypothalamic regions where c-Fos-like immunoreactivities were induced in response to a long day by using an antibody to carboxyl terminal region of human c-Fos (Lys$^{347}$ -Leu$^{367}$ ). In the present study, we used a different anti-c-Fos antibody recognizing a region from Lys$^{128}$ to Ala$^{152}$ of human c-Fos, and found in long-day- stimulated quails many c-Fos-like immunoreactive nuclei localizing within two regions, nucleus anterior medialis hypothalami and nucleus periventricularis hypothalami, which are distinct from those identified in the previous study. Then, we focused on the difference in the cross-reactivities of the antibodies used, and determined the whole coding sequence of quail c-Fos to compare the antigenic sequences of the two antibodies with the amino acid sequence of quail c-Fos. We found that the antibody we used would recognize quail c-Fos more specifically than that used in the previous study.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.783-790
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• 2007

Receptor binding plays an important role in determining host specificity of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry $\delta$-endotoxins. Mutations in domains II and III have suggested the participation of certain residues in receptor recognition and insect specificity. In the present study, we expressed the cloned domain II-III fragment of Cry4Ba and examined its binding characteristics to mosquito-larval midgut proteins. The 43-kDa Cry4Ba-domain II-III protein over-expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies was only soluble when carbonate buffer, pH 10.0 was supplemented with 4M urea. After renaturation via stepwise dialysis and subsequent purification, the refolded domain II-III protein, which specifically reacts with anti Cry4Ba-domain III monoclonal antibody, predominantly exists as a $\beta$-sheet structure determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. In vitro binding analysis to both histological midgut tissue sections and brush border membrane proteins prepared from susceptible Aedes aegypti mosquito-larvae revealed that the isolated Cry4Ba-domain II-III protein showed binding functionality comparable to the 65-kDa full-length active toxin. Altogether, the data present the 43-kDa Cry4Ba fragment comprising domains II and III that was produced in isolation was able to retain its receptor-binding characteristics to the target larval midgut proteins.

• Carbon letters
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• v.24
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• pp.103-110
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• 2017

Carbon-based magnetic nanostructures in several instances have resulted in improved physicochemical and catalytic properties when compared to multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and magnetic nanoparticles. In this study, magnetic MWCNTs with a structure of $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$ as peroxidase mimics were fabricated by the one-pot hydrothermal method. The structure, composition and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic properties were investigated with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The peroxidase-like catalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated by colorimetric and electrochemical tests with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and $H_2O_2$ as the substrates. The results show that the synthesis of the nanocomposites was successfully performed. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline structures of the $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanohybrids and MWCNTs. The main peaks of the $Ni_xZn_xFe_2O_4/MWCNT$s crystals were presented. The $Ni_{0.25}Zn_{0.25}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ and $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalysts showed nearly similar physicochemical properties, but the $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst was more appropriate than the $Ni_{0.25}Zn_{0.25}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst in terms of the magnetic properties and catalytic activity. The optimum peroxidase-like activity of the nanocatalysts was obtained at pH 3.0. The $Ni_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}Fe_2O_4/MWCNT$ nanocatalyst exhibited a good peroxidase-like activity. These magnetic nanocatalysts can be suitable candidates for future enzyme-based applications such as the detection of glucose and $H_2O_2$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.203-207
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• 2005

Electrical rhythmicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) muscles is generated by pacemaker cells, known as interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). In the present study, we investigated the effect of external divalent cations on pacemaking activity in cultured ICC from murine small intestine by using whole-cell patch clamp techniques. ICC generated pacemaker currents under a voltage clamp or electrical pacemaker potentials under a current clamp, and showed a mean amplitude of $-500{\pm}50$ pA or $30{\pm}1$ mV and the frequency of $18{\pm}2$ cycles/min. Treatments of the cells with external 0 mM $Ca^{2+}$ stopped pacemaking activity of ICC. In the presence of 2 mM $Ca^{2+}$, 0 mM external $Mg^{2+}$ depolarized the resting membrane potential, and there was no change in the frequency of pacemaking activity. However, 10 mM external $Mg^{2+}$ decreased the frequency of pacemaking activity ($6.75{\pm}1$ cycles/min, n=5). We replaced external 2 mM $Ca^{2+}$ with equimolar $Ba^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Sr^{2+}$, and they all developed inward current in the sequence of $Ba^{2+}$>$Mn^{2+}$>$Sr^{2+}$. Also the frequency of the pacemaking activity was stopped or irregulated. We investigated the effect of 10 mM $Ba^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Sr^{2+}$ on pacemaking activity of ICC in the presence of external 0 mM $Mg^{2+}$, and found that 10 mM $Ba^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+}$ induced large inward current and stopped the pacemaking activity of ICC (n=5). Interestingly, 10 mM $Sr^{2+}$ induced small inward current and potentiated the amplitude of pacemaking activity of ICC (n=5). These results indicate that extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ are requisite for the pacemaking activity of ICC.