• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.370-381
• /
• 2017

Protein dephosphorylation is important for cellular regulation, which is catalyzed by protein phosphatases. Among protein phosphatases, carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) phosphatases are recently emerging and new functional roles of them have been revealed. There are 7 CTD phosphatases in human genome, which are composed of CTD phosphatase 1 (CTDP1), CTD small phosphatase 1 (CTDSP1), CTD small phosphatase 2 (CTDSP2), CTD small phosphatase-like (CTDSPL), CTD small phosphatase-like 2 (CTDSPL2), CTD nuclear envelope phosphatase (CTDNEP1), and ubiquitin-like domain containing CTD phosphatase 1 (UBLCP1). CTDP1 dephosphorylates the second phosphor-serine of CTD of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), while CTDSP1, STDSP2, and CTDSPL dephosphorylate the fifth phosphor-serine of CTD of RNAPII. In addition, CTDSP1 dephosphorylates new substrates such as mothers against decapentaplegic homologs (SMADs), cell division cycle-associated protein 3 (CDCA3), Twist1, tumor-suppressor protein promyelocytic leukemia (PML), and c-Myc. CTDP1 is related to RNA polymerase II complex recycling, mitosis regulation and cancer cell growth. CTDSP1, CTDSP2 and CTDSPL are related to transcription factor recruitment, tumor suppressor function and stem cell differentiation. CTDNEP1 dephosphorylates LIPIN1 and is related to neural tube formation and nuclear envelope formation. CTDSPL2 is related to hematopoietic stem cell differentiation. UBLCP1 dephosphorylates 26S proteasome and is related to nuclear proteasome regulation. In conclusion, noble roles of CTD phosphatases are emerging through recent researches and this review is intended to summarize emerging roles of CTD phosphatases.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.314-328
• /
• 1996

This study investigated the literature about science process skills' evaluation to analyse transition of evaluation objectives before and after a Scholastic Ability Test for College Entrance. In the literature survey the researcher established a 3 dimensional science assessment framework with X axis as science concept, Y axis as science process skills and Z axis as problem context. In order to analysis and compare each items the researcher selected 210 items from the 1st to the 7th trials and 138 items from the 1st to 4th Scholastic Ability Test for College Entrance and sampled 2873 science achievement test items from 10 high schools. In accordance with this taxonomy the researcher analysed and compared science process skills item forms. The following results were drawn : The items were evenly distributed in all the four areas(Earth Science, Biology, Physics and Chemistry) of the science concept domain, but they were heavily concentrated on data analysis and drawing a conclusion in science process domain. In the domain of problem context school context was the majority. In spite of distribution like this the ratio on science process skills measurement items and science achievement test items was increased after the Scholastic Ability Test for College Entrance was given. Also the ratio on item expression type was increased. Item form was almost 5 options selection type in the national level test. Although there were 4 options selection type, 5 options selection type, short answer type, essay type in school level test, rising from 33.1% to 65.5% on 5 options selection type is exhibited. This study showed that the school level item form was better various than the nation level. This point like this is the evidence for the improvement toward the science process skills test and influenced by Scholastic Ability Test for College Entrance. The ratio on the item which joined with the 3 axes had a mean of 99.3% in nation level test and mean 44.9% in school achievement test level. But the ratio in the school achievement test level increased after the Scholastic Ability Test for College Entrance was given. In view of this study we must furthermore study the item types which can evaluate valjdately science process skill's five stage each and evaluation method by the high school students' problem solving patterns and features in scientific inquiry on all science process skills elements.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.152-156
• /
• 1996

Fine (~0.09 $\mu$m) $\beta$-SiC Powders with 3.3wt% of large (~0.44$\mu$m) $\alpha$-SiC of $\beta$-SiC particles (seeds) added were hotpressed at 175$0^{\circ}C$ using $Y_2O_3$, $Al_2O_3$ and CaO as sintering aids and then annealed at 185$0^{\circ}C$ for 4 h to enhance grain growth. The resultant microstructure and polytypes were analyzed by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM).Growth of $\beta$-SiC with high density of microtwins and formation of ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ composite grains consisting of $\alpha$-SiC domain sandwiched between $\beta$-SiC domains were found in both specimens. When large $\alpha$-SiC (mostly 6H) seeds were added, the $\beta$-SiC transformend preferentially to the 6H polytype. In contrast, when large $\beta$-SiC (3C) seeds were added, the fine $\beta$-SiC transformed preferentially to the 4H polytype. Such results suggested that the polytype formation in SiC was influenced by crystalline form of seeds added as well as the chemistry of sintering aids. The ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ interface played and important role in the formation of elongated grains as evidenced by presence of ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ composite grains with high aspect ratio.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.1165-1171
• /
• 2010

The lyotropic mesomorphism of lamellar liquid crystalline phase was examined by observing the swelling behavior of Distearoylphosphatidylcholine(DSPC) in glycerin and panthenol without water. The lyotropic mesomorphism was examined by using DSC, XRDs and Cryo-SEM. Increase of two polar solvents under non-hydrous condition showed distinctive differences in the lyotropic mesomorphism from forming different anisotropic structures with DSPC. Glycerin did not affect to the crystalline region of lamellar phase, whereas typical swelling mesomorphism was shown in the noncrystalline region. In contrast, panthenol showed some effect on the crystalline region, but common swelling mesomorphism was found in the non-crystalline region. In this case, the isopropyl and propyl groups in panthenol were the main factor to affect to the lipophilic domain in the crystalline region of lamellar phase. Also, it was found that the formation of well-arranged lamellar structure only by introducing glycerin and panthenol as a solvent without water, was possible. These results were confirmed by examination of the swelling mesomorphism of liquid crystal membrane triggered by introducing the two polar solvents.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.241-248
• /
• 2015

Tuak is a traditional alcoholic beverage, one of the most widely known in the North Sumateran region of Indonesia. It is produced by a spontaneous fermentation process through the application of one or more several kinds of wood bark or root, called raru (Xylocorpus wood bark or a variety of forest mangosteen), into the sap water of sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) for 2−3 days. In this research, yeast that are potentially useful for ethanol production was isolated from Tuak and identified. Based on analysis of D1/D2 domain sequence of LSU (large subunit) rRNA genes, those isolated yeast strains, HT4, HT5, and HT10 were identified as Candida tropicalis. Fermentation test of these C. tropicalis isolates displayed an ability to produce 6.55% (v/v) and 4.58% ethanol at 30℃ and 42℃, respectively. These results indicated C. tropicalis isolates more rapidly utilize glucose and obtain higher levels of the production of ethanol at the higher temperature of 42℃ than S. cerevisiae, a common yeast used for bioethanol fermentation.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.44-50
• /
• 2007

This study investigated the effect of ultrasound irradiation on the blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The blends of PLA/PBAT(50/50) (PBAT50) were prepared in a melt mixer with an ultrasonic device attached. Thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties, morphology, and biodegradability of the sonicated blends were analysed. The viscosity of the sonicated blends was increased by the ultrasound irradiation owing to the strong interaction. The morphology of the sonicated blends was significantly dependent on the duration o the ultrasound irradiation. For PBAT50, the phase size reduction was maximized when the blends were ultrasonically irradiated for 30 sec. At longer duration of ultrasound irradiation, the PBAT phase underwent flocculation. Measurement of the tensile properties showed an increased breakage tensile stress and an enhanced Young's modulus when the blends were properly irradiated. This improvement was ascribed to better adhesion between the PLA matrix and the PBAT domain and to better dispersion of the PBAT phase. However, the tensile properties were maximized after excessive energy irradiation, which was ascribed to an emulsifying effect leading to coalescence of the PBAT phase. Impact strength was increased to reach a peak with the ultrasound irradiation, and was higher than the untreated sample for all sonicated samples due to the difference of failure mechanism between the tensile test and the impact test.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.475-481
• /
• 2016

PICK1, a PDZ domain-containing protein, is known to increase the reuptake activities of dopamine transporters by increasing their expressions on the cell surface. Here, we report a direct and functional interaction between PICK1 and dopamine $D_3$ receptors ($D_3R$), which act as autoreceptors to negatively regulate dopaminergic neurons. PICK1 colocalized with both dopamine $D_2$ receptor ($D_2R$) and $D_3R$ in clusters but exerted different functional influences on them. The cell surface expression, agonist affinity, endocytosis, and signaling of $D_2R$ were unaffected by the coexpression of PICK1. On the other hand, the surface expression and tolerance of $D_3R$ were inhibited by the coexpression of PICK1. These findings show that PICK1 exerts multiple effects on $D_3R$ functions.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.166-171
• /
• 2009

Hsp70s assist in the process of protein folding through nucleotide-controlled cycles of substrate binding and release by alternating from an ATP-bound state in which the affinity for substrate is low to an ADP-bound state in which the affinity for substrate is high. It has been long recognized that the two-domain structure of Hsp70 is critical for these regulated interactions. Therefore, it is important to obtain information about conformational changes in the relative positions of Hsp70 domains caused by nucleotide binding. In this study, analytical ultracentrifugation and dynamic light scattering were used to evaluate the effect of ADP and ATP binding on the conformation of the human stress-induced Hsp70.1 protein. The results of these experiments showed that ATP had a larger effect on the conformation of Hsp70 than ADP. In agreement with previous biochemical experiments, our results suggest that conformational changes caused by nucleotide binding are a consequence of the movement in position of both nucleotide- and substrate-binding domains.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.108-114
• /
• 2014

In the companion paper (Lee et al., 2012), it was showed that CMAQ simulation using a lateral boundary conditions (LBCs) derived from RAQMS-CMAQ linkage, compared to the CMAQ results with the default CMAQ LBCs, improved ozone simulations in the conterminous US domain. In the present paper, the study is extended to investigate the influence of LBCs on PM2.5 simulation. MM5-SMOKE-CMAQ modeling system was used for meteorological field generation, emissions preparation and air quality simulations, respectively. Realtime Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS) model assimilated with satellite observations were used to generate the CMAQ-ready LBCs. CMAQ PM2.5 simulations with RAQMS LBCs and predefined LBCs were compared with U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) measurements. Mean PM2.5 lateral boundary conditions taken from RAQMS outputs showed strong variations both in the horizontal grid and vertical layers in the northern and western boundaries and affected the results of CMAQ PM2.5 predictions. CMAQ with RAQMS LBCs could improve CMAQ PM2.5 predictions resulting in the improvement of index of agreement from 0.38 to 0.63.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2015

For understanding molecular mechanisms of photochemical reactions, in particular reactions of proteins with biological functions, it is important to elucidate both the initial reactions from the photoexcited states and the series of subsequent chemical reactions, e.g., conformation, intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions), and inter-protein interactions (oligomer formation, dissociation reactions). Although time-resolved detection of such dynamics is essential, these dynamics have been very difficult to track by traditional spectroscopic techniques. Here, relatively new approaches for probing the dynamics of protein photochemical reactions using time-resolved transient grating (TG) are reviewed. By using this method, a variety of spectrally silent dynamics can be detected and such data provide a valuable description about the reaction scheme. Herein, a blue light sensor protein TePixD is the exemplar. The initial photochemistry for TePixD occurs around the chromophore and is detected readily by light absorption, but subsequent reactions are spectrally silent. The TG experiments revealed conformational changes and changes in inter-protein interactions, which are essential for TePixD function. The TG experiments also showed the importance of fluctuations of the intermediates as the driving force of the reaction. This technique is complementary to optical absorption detection methods. The TG signal contains a variety of unique information, which is difficult to obtain by other methods. The advantages and methods for signal analyses are described in detail in this review.