• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.523-527
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• 1999

A naturally luminescent bacterium, Photobacterium phosphoreum was stored in 2.5% NaCl solution at 2$0^{\circ}C$, 4$^{\circ}C$, -2$0^{\circ}C$ and -7$0^{\circ}C$ for 30 days. In vivo luminescence and concentrations of total and culturable cells were determined by luminometer, spectrophotometer and dilution plate counting, respectively. When stored at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 2$0^{\circ}C$, concentrations of cells were rapidly decreased as a result of cell lysis, leading to adrop in turbidity and cultured counts. The bioluminescence of cells stored at 4$^{\circ}C$ was maintained until 12 days while those of cells starved at other temperatures decreased to background level within 3 days. Following incubation of stored cells in fresh liquid medium, activities of viable cells increased throughout storage period excepting cells stored at 2$0^{\circ}C$. Changes in bioluminescence intensity following addition of 2.5% NaCl solution markedly showed in cells stored at -2$0^{\circ}C$ and -7$0^{\circ}C$ and increased to maximum 8 fold.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 1997

An expression vector was constructed containing the gene encoding diphtheria toxin A (DTA) which was placed after a T7 promoter. Cytoplasmic expression of the DTA gene resulted in the formation of an insoluble inclusion body. The inclusion body was collected after the complete lysis of the cell, and subsequent washing with 0.1% Triton X-100 released 16~30% of DTA protein from the inclusion body along with other contaminating proteins. The released DTA protein was purified by dialysis. The remaining pellet was dissolved in 8 M urea containing 5% ${\beta}-mercaptoethanol$, and the denatured DTA was renatured by the dilution-dialysis method. The total yield was 35%, and about 5 mg DTA was obtained from 1 L culture. The DTA protein has a free sulfhydryl group exposed to the protein surface, and was shown to have a tendency to dimerize through disulfide formation in the absence of ${\beta}-mercaptoethanol$. The utility of the sulfhydryl group was tested for the construction of recombinant toxins.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.642-646
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• 1992

We have isolated conditional lethal mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which are low in (1 ~3)-~-D-glucan synthase activity. These mutants were osmotic sensitive at nonpermissive temperature (37$^{\circ}$C) and showed a decreased level of alkali-insoluble cell wall glucan. The decrease in (1 ~3)-~-D-glucan synthase activity of the mutants appeared to be mainly due to the defect in catalytic component rather than in GTP-binding component.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 1994

A water sample was taken from a black smoker chimney of a deep-sea hydrothermal vent by using an unmanned submersible "Dolphin 3K". The temperature of the hydrothermal fluid from the black smoker was $276^{\circ}C$. After isolation by repeated serial dilutions, An extremely thermophilic bacterial strain was selected. The strain designated as DT1331, was an anaerobic, non-motile, coccoid shaped bacterium with about 0.5 to $1.0\;\mu\textrm{m}$ in diameter. The strain DT1331 could grow up to $93^{\circ}C$, but the optimum temperature of this strain was $80^{\circ}C$. The growth occurred in the pH range of 4.5 to 8.5 and the optimum pH was 6.0. The strain DT1331 required 1% to 5% NaCl for growth and cell lysis was observed below 1% NaCl concentration. The bacterium could grow on polypeptides such as tryptone, peptone, soytone and on proteins such as casein or gelatin. However, no growth was observed on single amino acids, sugar and organic acids. Hydrogen gas was detected slightly during growth. This bacterium obligately required elemental sulfur and hydrogen sulfide gas was produced during growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 1999

The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was described using two sets of primers based on the ceuN gene (JEJ 1 and JEJ 2) which encodes a protein involved in siderophore transport and 16S rRNA gene (pA and pB) for the sensitive and specific detection of enteropathogen Campylobacter jejuni. Six oligonucleotides were utilized in an amplification experiment and PCR products of predicted sizes were generated from whole cells and boiled cell lysates at the same intensity. Two sets of the primer pairs, JEJ and pAB, were specific enough for all C. jejuni strains tested for the direct use of whole cells without DNA extraction or lysis steps. In the PCR using the pAB primer pair, the detection limit, as determined by the ethidium bromide staining of the amplification products on agarose gels, was at the level of $10^1$ bacteria cells or less in both the pure culture and artificially inoculated milk and chicken enrichment samples, whereas the detection limit with the JEJ primer pair was relatively low, i.e. $10^3$ cells or more in the same PCR samples. The PCR method using either a primer JEJ or pAB was both repeatable and specific for the detection of C. jejuni in food. This method is simply completed within 4 h.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.890-894
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• 2001

The isolation of genomic DNA from mammalian cells is usually performed by cell lysis followed by protein digestion, extraction, and finally, ethanol precipitation of the chromosomal DNA. However, in the case of large sample numbers or when only small amounts of starting materials are available, such conventional methods are not efficient and are cumbersome to be applied. Some alternative methods have been described as well as having commercial DNA isolation kits to be available, nevertheless, there is room left for much improvement. In the present study, a novel method is introduced, where it simplifies conventional protocols by omitting some time-consuming steps such as protease incubation or DNA precipitation and its resuspension. Using paramagnetic silica resins, the genomic DNA was purified over a magnetic field, and the bound DNA was eluted with a low-salt buffer. The fidelity and effectiveness of this novel method was determined by using normal and apoptotic cells as a starting material and then compared to other protocols. The high speed and convenience along with its high efficiency in detecting apoptotic chromosomal DNA will prove this method to be an improved alternative in the isolation of genomic DNA from mammalian cells.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2013

In an effort to discover an alternative antibiotic for treating infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6, a marine bacterium that exhibited antibacterial activity against MRSA, was isolated. The culture broth and its ethyl acetate extract exhibited bactericidal activity against MRSA. The extract also exhibited antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria, which were not susceptible to vancomycin. The treatment of MRSA with the extract resulted in abnormal cell lysis. The extract retained >95% of its anti-MRSA activity after heat treatment for 15 min at $121^{\circ}C$. Thus, although most antibiotics are unstable under conditions of thermal stress, Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6 produces a heat-stable anti-MRSA substance. The results of this study strongly suggest that Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6 can be used to develop a novel, heat-stable, broad-spectrum antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA infections.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.12 no.3_4
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• pp.55-59
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• 1997

Furfural, an organic solvent, is widely used as synthetic component material in producing chemical products. However, furfural has been reported that it shows strong toxicities to human being showing intense stimulus to skin, eyes, mucous membrane and nerve system. It is also known to cause anemia, liver cirrhosis, kidney failure and genetic toxicity in the human being working in the exposed area. LD$_{50}$ of furfural for peritoneal injected mouse has been known around 20mg/kg, but the acute toxicity on aquatic organisms such as fish, daphnid or algae are not well known, compared to those on rodents. In this experiment, we studied on the fish toxicity of furfural using Japanese Medaka (Orvzias latipes) and Common Carp (Cvprinus carpio). We also observed histological changes in the fish organs. The LC$_{50}$ were 12. Smg/L in Japanese Medaka and 21.8 mg/L in Common Carp, respectively. When Common Carps were exposed to 120mg/L of furfural concentration for 30 minutes, blood congestion in gills and lysis of secondary lamella were shown. Though the muscle of caudal fin was not completely eroded, its epidermic cells were shown to be necrotic in various parts. Tissue atrophy and cell necrosis were also shown in the liver of Common Carps exposed to furfural. From these results, furfural seems to cause histological damages on liver, an internal organ as well as on external organs such as gills and fins eventhough the fish were exposed for a short-term.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.152-153
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• 2007

This paper describes a resonant driving piezoelectric micro cantilever practicable to ultrasound thrombolysis device for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The proposed piezoelectric cantilever was designed to be a unimorph structure of Si/$SiO_2$/Ti/Pt/PZT/Pt, and fabricated by top-down sequence etching process. The red blood cell (RBC) lysis experiment was carried out to confirm the usability of the proposed cantilever. Total 87.76 % of RBCs were ruptured using the ultrasound generated by up-down actuations of the fabricated cantilever with AC voltage having the frequency of 19.36 Hz and the magnitude of $30V_{p-p}$.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.267-273
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• 1999

In this study we examined the potential for the synergistic augmentation of the antitumor activity of inflammatory mouse peritoneal macrophages by stimulation with protein A combined with $IFN-\gamma$. The moderate augmentative effect induced by preincubation with protein A was demonstrated to be concentration-dependent, whereas IFN-, had a very low activating effect. Following preincubation with both protein A and $IFN-\gamma$, a marked enhancement of macrophage activity was noted. In addition, based on the utilization of neutralizing antibody to TNF-$\alpha$ or the inhibition of NO Production, TNF-$\alpha$ and NO were proven to be involved as mediators during the activation of tumoricidal macrophages by protein A in combination with $IFN-\gamma$. We also demonstrated that supernatants from macrophages treated with protein A plus $IFN-\gamma$ contained both TNF-$\alpha$ and NO at markedly increased levels. Thus, tumor cell lysis in the combined system was mediated via TNF-$\alpha$ or NO. These results demonstrate the synergistic effects on mouse pertioneal macrophage function of protein A in combination with $IFN-\gamma$ and suggest that combinations of such agents may serve as the basis for future in vivo immunotherapy.