• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.419-424
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• 2021

Cold-induced norepinephrine activates β3-adrenergic receptors (β3-AR) to stimulate the kinase cascade and cAMP-response element-binding protein, leading to the induction of thermogenic gene expression including uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1). Here, we showed that stimulation of the β3-AR by its agonists isoproterenol and CL316,243 in adipocytes increased the expression of Ucp1 and Heme Oxygenase 1 (Hmox1), the principal Nrf2 target gene, suggesting the functional interaction of Nrf2 with β3-AR signaling. The activation of Nrf2 by tert-butylhydroquinone and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by glucose oxidase induced both Ucp1 and Hmox1 expression. The increased expression of Ucp1 and Hmox1 was significantly reduced in the presence of a Nrf2 chemical inhibitor or in Nrf2-deleted (knockout) adipocytes. Furthermore, Nrf2 directly activated the Ucp1 promoter, and this required DNA regions located at -3.7 and -2.0 kb of the transcription start site. The CL316,243-induced Ucp1 expression in adipocytes and oxygen consumption in obese mice were partly compromised in the absence of Nrf2 expression. These data provide additional insight into the role of Nrf2 in β3-AR-mediated Ucp1 expression and energy expenditure, further highlighting the utility of Nrf2-mediated thermogenic stimulation as a therapeutic approach to diet-induced obesity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.288-299
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• 2015

Lactobacillus brevis BK11 obtained from Baikkimchi was selected to study the effects of culture medium, initial pH, atmosphere composition, incubation temperature and time, and prebiotics on growth and production of antimicrobial substances. Growth and antimicrobial substances production of L. brevis BK11 were significantly higher in MRS broth than in BHI or M17 broth. The production of cell mass, lactic acid, and bacteriocin by BK11 strain was at maximum in MRS broth adjusted to pH 6.0. Aerobic and microaerobic conditions were favored cell growth and antimicrobial substances production than anaerobic condition. Biomass and lactic acid production and antimicrobial substances activity of BK 11 were significantly better at 30 and $37^{\circ}C$ than at $25^{\circ}C$. Growth of the strain BK11 entered the stationary growth stage at 24 h after inoculation, and decreased after 36 h. Antimicrobial activities of cell-free culture supernatant and bacteriocin solution were highest when cultured in MRS broth with an initial pH 6.0 for 24-30 h at $37^{\circ}C$. In addition, the highest cell number and lactic acid and bacteriocin production were recorded in the presence of 1 and 2% (w/v) fructooligosaccharide (FOS), however, inulin and raffinose did not affect biological and physicochemical characteristics and antimicrobial activities of L. brevis BK11 cultures. According to these results, production of antimicrobial substances by L. brevis KB11 was closely associated with cell density. Under optimal conditions for antimicrobial substances production, L. brevis BK11 effectively inhibited the growth of Helicobacter pylori ATCC 43504.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 1990

Complementary DNA (cDNA) coding for human cytoplasmic superoxide dismutase (SOD1) (superoxide: superoxide oxidoreductase E.C.1.15.1.1) was isolated from human liver cDNA library of $\lambda$gt11 by in situ plaque hybridization. The insery cDNA gas the 5' untranslational region (UTR) and 3'UTR of SOD1 gene. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method was used fro subcloning of SOD1 structural gene. Using synthetic sense strand primer (24mer) containing a start codon and antisense strand primer (24mer), SOD1 structural gene was selectively amplified. Amplified DNA was directly cloned into the HincII site of pUC19 plasmid. Insery cDNA was subcloned into M13 mp19 and sequenced by dideowy chain termination method with Sequenase. The nucleotide sequence of insert cDNA had an open reading frame (ORF) coding for 153 amino acid residues. The structural gene of cytoplasmic SOD was placed under the control of bacteriophage $\lambda P_{L}$ regulatory sequences, generating a highly efficient expression plasmid. The production of human SOD1 in E. coli cells was about 7% of total cellular proteins and recombinant human SOD1 possessed its own enzymatic acitivity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.195-200
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• 2005

Comamonas sp. strain DJ-12 is a bacterial isolate capable of degrading of 4-chlorobiphenyl (4CB) as a carbon and energy source. The degradation pathway was characterized as being conducted by consecutive reactions of the meta-degradation of 4CB, hydrolytic dechlorination of 4-chlorobenzoate (4CBA), hydroxylation of 4-hydroxybenzoate, and meta-degradation of protocatechuate to product TCA metabolites. The 6.8 kb fragment from the chromosomal DNA of Comamonas sp. strain DJ-12 included the genes encoding for the meta-degradation of PCA; the genes of protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase alpha and beta subunits (pmcA and pmcB), 4-carboxy-2-hydroxymuconate-6-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (pmcC), 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylate hydrolase (pmcD), 4-oxalomesaconate (OMA) hydratase(pmcE), 4-oxalocitramalate (OCM) aldolase (pmcF), and transporter gene (pmcT). They were organized in the order of pmcT-pmcE-pmcF-pmcD-pmcA-pmcB-pmcC. The amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of pmcABCDEFT genes from Comamonas sp. strain DJ-12 exhibited 94 to $98\%$ homologies with those of Comamonas testosteroni BR6020 and Pseudomonas ochraceae NGJ1, but only 52 to $74\%$ with homologies Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6, Sphingomonas sp. LB126, and Arthrobacter keyseri 12B.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2006

Using PCR amplification, we cloned a cellulase gene (ce/H) from the Bacillus subtilis AH18 which has plant growth-promoting activity and antagonistic ability against pepper blight caused by Phytophthora capsici. The 1.6 kb PCR fragment contained the full sequence of the cellulase gene and the 1,582 bp gene deduced a 508 amino acid sequence. Similarity search in protein database revealed that the cellulase of B. subtilis AH18 was more than 98% homologous in the amino acid sequence to those of several major Bacillus spp. The ce/H was expressed in E. coli under an IPTG inducible lac promoter on the vector, had apparent molecular weight of about 55 kDa upon CMC-SDS-PAGE analysis. Partially purified cellulase had not only cellulolytic activity toward carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) but also insoluble cellulose, such as Avicel and filter paper (Whatman No. 1). In addition, the cellulase could degrade a fungal cell wall of Phytophthora capsici. The optimum pH and temperature of the ce/H coded cellulase were determined to be pH 5.0 and $50^{\circ}C$. The enzyme activity was activated by $AgNO_3$ or $CoCl_2$. However its activity was Inhibited by $HgC1_2$. The enzyme activity was activated by hydroxy urea or sodium azide and inhibited by CDTA or EDTA. The results indicate that the cellulase gene, ce/H is an antifungal mechanism of B. subtilis AH18 against phytophthora blight disease in red-pepper.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1651-1658
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• 2020

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Uganda in 1947, serious outbreaks have occurred globally in Yap Island, French Polynesia and Brazil. Even though the number of infections and spread of ZIKV have risen sharply, the pathogenesis and replication mechanisms of ZIKV have not been well studied. ZIKV, a recently highlighted Flavivirus, is a mosquito-borne emerging virus causing microcephaly and the Guillain-Barre syndrome in fetuses and adults, respectively. ZIKV polyprotein consists of three structural proteins named C, prM and E and seven nonstructural proteins named NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5 in an 11-kb single-stranded positive sense RNA genome. The function of individual ZIKV genes on the host innate immune response has barely been studied. In this study, we investigated the modulations of the NF-κB promoter activity induced by the MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway. According to our results, two nonstructural proteins, NS2A and NS4A, dramatically suppressed the NF-κB promoter activity by inhibiting signaling factors involved in the MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway. Interestingly, NS2A suppressed all components of MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway, but NS4A inhibited most signaling molecules, except IKKε and IRF3-5D. In addition, both NS2A and NS4A downregulated MDA5-induced NF-κB promoter activity in a dosedependent manner. Taken together, our results suggest that NS2A and NS4A signifcantly antagonize MDA5/RIG-I-mediated NF-κB production, and these proteins seem to be controlled by different mechanisms. This study could help understand the mechanisms of how ZIKV controls innate immune responses and may also assist in the development of ZIKV-specific therapeutics.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.158-167
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• 2007

In this study, we have cloned a novel cDNA encoding for a papain-family cysteine protease from the Uni-ZAP XR cDNA library of the polychaete, Periserrula leucophryna. This gene was expressed in Escherichia coli using the T7 promoter system, and the protease was characterized after partial purification. First, the partial DNA fragment (498 bp) was amplified from the total RNA via RT-PCR using degenerated primers derived from the conserved region of cysteine protease. The full-length cDNA of cysteine protease (PLCP) was prepared via the screening of the Uni-ZAP XR cDNA library using the $^{32}P-labeled$ partial DNA fragment. As a result, the PLCP gene was determined to consist of a 2591 bp nucleotide sequence (CDS: 173-1024 bp) which encodes for a 283-amino acid polypeptide, which is itself composed of an 59-residue signal sequence, a 6-residue propeptide, a 218-residue mature protein, and a long 3'-noncoding region encompassing 1564 bp. The predicted molecular weights of the preproprotein and the mature protein were calculated as 31.8 kDa and 25 kDa, respectively. The results of sequence analysis and alignment revealed a significant degree of sequence similarity with other eukaryotic cysteine proteases, including the conserved catalytic triad of the $Cys^{90},\;His^{226},\;and\;Asn^{250}$ residues which characterize the C1 family of papain-like cysteine protease. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the novel gene were deposited into the GenBank database under the accession numbers, AY390282 and AAR27011, respectively. The results of Northern blot analysis revealed the 2.5 kb size of the transcript and ubiquitous expression throughout the entirety of the body, head, gut, and skin, which suggested that the PLCP may be grouped within the cathepsin F-like proteases. The region encoding for the mature form of the protease was then subcloned into the pT7-7 expression vector following PCR amplification using the designed primers, including the initiation and termination codons. The recombinant cysteine proteases were generated in a range of 6.3 % to 12.5 % of the total cell proteins in the E. coli BL21(DE3) strain for 8 transformants. The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis indicated that a cysteine protease of approximately 25 kDa (mature form) was generated. The optimal pH and temperature of the enzyme were determined to be approximately 9.5 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively, thereby indicating that the cysteine protease is a member of the alkaline protease group. The evaluation of substrate specificity indicated that the purified protease was more active towards Arg-X or Lys-X and did not efficiently cleave the substrates with non-polar amino acids at the P1 site. The PLCP evidenced fibrinolytic activity on the plasminogen-free fibrin plate test.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.243-247
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• 1994

최근 의약적으로 유용한 단백질을 대량 생산키 위한 실현 가능한 방법이 유전자변환 가축의 이용과 관련되어 발전되어 왔다. 이러한 유전자 변환동물은 이종의 단백질을 유즙속으로 분비시키는 생체반응기로서 이용되고 있다. 이러한 전략적 목적을 위해 현재 유전자 변환동물의 생산을 위한 이용에 있어 여러 가지 방법들이 보고되고 있다. 그러나 ES 세포의 사용이 이러한 방법들 사이에서 가장 실질적인 것으로 추정되고 있다. 본 실험에서는 유전자 구축을 위해 사람 황체 호르몬(human luteinizing hormone; hLH)의 전사를 유도하기 위해 각각 2.2 및 0.5 kb의 토끼 $\beta$-casein pronoter 단편을 이용하여 생쥐의 유선에 hLH를 발현시키도록 조절하고 발현이 thynidine kinase(TK) pronoter에 의해 좌우되는 neo 유전자를 selectable marker로서 plasnid속에 삽입하였다. 그 결과 생긴 구축 유전자는 각각 pCas 2.2와 pCas 0.5로 명명하였다. 구축된 유전자로 2$\times$107의 TT-2 ES세포를 170V, 550$\mu$F로 100$\mu$g의 선상 plasmid에 의해 electroporation 시켰다. 감염된 colony들은 250$\mu$g/$m\ell$ G418을 함유하는 ESM 배양액에서 선별 7일 이후에 회수하여 성공적으로 감염된 ES세포는 PCR 및 Southern blot에 의해 확인되었고 그들 중 나머지는 trypsin 처리 후 각각 미세조작과 공배양 기술을 사용하여 ICR 생쥐의 8세포기 수정란 속에 도입하였다. 결국 24시간 동안 37$^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$에서 배양된 배반포를 chimera의 생산을 위해 위임신 유기된 G418 선발처리 이후 400 및 275개의 ES 세포 colony가 생존하였으며, 3개의 ES 세포으 colony 의 genome 속에 임의적으로 plamid가 삽입된 것을 Southern blot에 의해 확인되었다. 총 13 chimera 생쥐가 3 colony로부터 생산되었으나 germ-line chimera는 현재 조사중이다. chimera 생산빈도는 공배양 기술보다 주입방법에서 현저히 높았다.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2005

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a well-known inducer of apoptotic cell death in many tumor cells. 1RAIL is expressed in human placenta, and cytotrophoblast cells express 1RAIL receptors. However, the role of TRAIL in human placentas and cytotrophoblast cells is not. well understood. In this study a trophoblast cell line, JEG-3, was used as a model system to examine the effect of TRAIL. on key intracellular signaling pathways involved in the control of trophoblastic cell apoptosis and survival JEG-3 cells expressed receptors for 1RAIL, death receptor (DR) 4, DR5, decoy receptor (OcR) 1 and DeR2. Recombinant human TRAIL (rhTRAIL) did not have a cytotoxic effect determined by MIT assay and did not induce apoptotic cell death determined by poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage assay. rhTRAIL induced a rapid and transient nuclear translocation of nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B(NF-{\kappa}B)$ determined by immunoblotting using nuclear protein extracts. rhTRAIL rapidly activated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2 as determined by immnoblotting for phospho-ERK1/2. However, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) and Akt (protein kinase B) were not activated by rhTRAIL. The ability of 1RAIL to induce $NF-{\kappa}B$ and ERK1/2 suggests that interaction between TRAIL and its receptors may play an important role in trophoblast cell function during pregnancy.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.353-362
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• 2007

A total of 1,354 samples was collected from bovine and porcine carcass from January 2005 to December 2006 in a slaughter house. Twenty five strains(1.8%) of Listeria monocytogenes were isolated from 1,354 samples using selective media. Ten(1.4%) L monocytogenes were isolated from the 677 of bovine carcasses, and 15(2.2%) were isolated from the 677 of porcine carcasses. Among 15 L mono-cytogenes from porcine, 11 siolates were serovars 1/2c, followed by 1/2b (3 strains, 20.0%) and 1/2a(1 strain) Out of 10 bovine samples, positive cases in 1/2a were 9 strains (90.0%), 1/2b were 1 strains(10.0%). PCR primers were selected to amplify a 520-base pair(bp) DNA fragment from the listeolysin O gene (hlyA) of L mono-cytogenes. A 520-bp product was detected in PCR with DNA from L monocytogenes, but not from the other Listeria species tested. A total of 25 L monocytogenes strains were analysed by PFGE after digestion with Apa I. PFGE analysis of genomic DNA showed the $14{\sim}18$ fragments ranging in size from 30 to 550 kb, resulting in 14 patterns.