• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.330-337
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• 2018

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including naphthalene, are widely distributed in nature. Naphthalene has been regarded as a model PAH compound for investigating the mechanisms of bacterial PAH biodegradation. Pseudomonas sp. AS1 isolated from an arseniccontaminated site is capable of growing on various aromatic compounds such as naphthalene, salicylate, and catechol, but not on gentisate. The genome of strain AS1 consists of a 6,126,864 bp circular chromosome and the 81,841 bp circular plasmid pAS1. Pseudomonas sp. AS1 has multiple dioxygenases and related enzymes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds, which might contribute to the metabolic versatility of this isolate. The pAS1 plasmid exhibits extremely high similarity in size and sequences to the well-known naphthalene-degrading plasmid pDTG1 in Pseudomonas putida strain NCIB 9816-4. Two gene clusters involved in the naphthalene degradation pathway were identified on pAS1. The expression of several nah genes on the plasmid was upregulated by more than 2-fold when naphthalene was used as a sole carbon source. Strains have been isolated at different times and places with different characteristics, but similar genes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds have been identified on their plasmids, which suggests that the transmissibility of the plasmids might play an important role in the adaptation of the microorganisms to mineralize the compounds.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.101-107
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• 2011

Aging in females is associated with a reduced metabolic function, increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive dysfunction, as a result of loss in gonadal function. The change can alter the states of phosphorylation on the proteins, which cause dramatic changes in the cellular location or activity of the proteins. In this study, the differential phosphorylation of the proteins responsible for the functions related to cognition was studied using the ovariectomized adult rats. Phosphoproteomic analysis using the cerebral and hippocampal tissues could identify 51 differentially phosphorylated proteins including 12 proteins for energy metabolism, 8 cytoskeletal proteins, 6 signaling proteins, and other functional proteins in the ovariectomized rats. Further, anti-oxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase and peroxiredoxin-2, which are known to be inactivated by phosphorylation, were found to be differentially phosphorylated in the cerebellum and hippocampus of the ovariectomized rats, respectively. Many of the deactivated proteins by differential phosphorylation identified in this study were overlapped to those of Alzheimer's disease cases. These results will provide information for neurodegenerative learning and memory impairments in women as brought about by menopause.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권7호
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• pp.1242-1251
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• 2016

The ethanol production of Trichoderma reesei was improved by genome shuffling in our previous work. Using RNA-Seq, the transcriptomes of T. reesei wild-type CICC40360 and recombinant strain HJ48 were compared under fermentation conditions. Based on this analysis, we defined a set of T. reesei genes involved in ethanol production. Further expression analysis identified a series of glycolysis enzymes, which are upregulated in the recombinant strain HJ48 under fermentation conditions. The differentially expressed genes were further validated by qPCR. The present study will be helpful for future studies on ethanol fermentation as well as the roles of the involved genes. This research reveals several major differences in metabolic pathways between recombinant strain HJ48 and wild-type CICC40360, which relates to the higher ethanol production on the former, and their further research could promote the development of techniques for increasing ethanol production.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.265-272
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• 1998

The effects of mixtures of diazinon(DA;5mg/kg), toxaphene(TOX;40mg/kg) and/or endrin(END; 5mg/kg) on the hepatic mixed-function oxygenase(MFO) system were stuided in ICR mice(18~22g) by oral intubation daily for 7 days. In general, TOX and TOX-containing mixtures were found to induced the metabolism of aminopyrine(22~60%), aniline(42~85%), phenacetin(145~194%) and benzo [a]pyrene(158~210%), and pentobaribtal biotransformation in the 9,000g liver supernatants and to increased the hepatic cytochrome p-450 contents(47~89%). Results of these may be, at least in part, associated with the MFO system. TOX pretreatment increased the aliesterase activity in the serum and liver homogenates and supernatants by 23~145%. The toxicity of TOX and TOX-containing mixtures would be lower than that of diazinon because of TOX-induced increase in the metabolism of diazinon(DA) or diazioxon(DO) and capability of TOX to stimulate the metabolism of diazinon and diazioxon and provide a pool of non-critical enzymes. These results suggest that this information might be helpful in the evaluation of the potential hazard due to occupational and/or environmental exposures to pesticides and their mixtures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.87-89
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• 2013

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) constitute a multigene family of multifunctional phase II metabolic enzymes. GSTT1, an important member of this group has a wide range of substrates including carcinogens. Total homozygous deletion or null genotype resulting in total lack of enzyme activity exists in populations for this enzyme. Since the null genotype may contribute to lower detoxification of carcinogens, this genotype is expected to increase cancer risk. The frequency of the GSTT1 null genotype is known to vary significantly among populations. However, little is known about its distribution in the hilly Kumaun region of northern India. Therefore, in this study, we determined the prevalence of the GSTT1 null polymorphism in the Kumaun popilation by conducting duplex PCR in 365 voluntary healthy individuals. The GSTT1 null genotype was detected in 18.4% of the individuals. Since GSTs play significant role in xenobiotic metabolism, the present data on GSTT1 genotype distribution should contribute in understanding genetic association with cancer risk in this understudied population.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.17-24
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• 2013

Animals show a sexual dimorphism in metabolic responses. We investigated to verify whether the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$ ($PPAR{\alpha}$) agonist fenofibrate regulates obesity and skeletal muscle lipid metabolism with sexual dimorphism and to determine the changes in skeletal muscle expression of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target genes. After both sexes of C57BL/6J mice received a high fat diet with or without fenofibrate for 7 weeks, we examined the effects of fenofibrate on not only body weight, adipose tissue mass, and skeletal muscle lipid accumulation, but also the mRNA expression of $PPAR{\alpha}$-related genes in skeletal muscle. Male mice given a fenofibrate-supplemented high fat diet showed decreased body weight gain and adipose tissue mass compared with mice fed a high fat diet alone, whereas fenofibrate did not reduce them in high fat diet-fed female mice. Lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle was inhibited by fenofibrate in male mice, but not in female mice. Gene expression analysis revealed that fenofibrate increased the mRNA levels of $PPAR{\alpha}$ target enzymes only in male mice. Therefore, our results suggest that sex-dependence differences in obesity and intramuscular lipid levels under fenofibrate treatment could be due in part to the differences in skeletal muscle $PPAR{\alpha}$ activation between male and female mice.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.375-383
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• 2013

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the metabolic site of some medicinal herbs in the liver associated with CYP (Cytochrome P450). Methods : Cytochrome P450 is the major enzymes involved in drug metabolism and bioactivation. CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, the major CYP isoforms in humans, catalyse the major proportion of drugs available on the market. Scintillation proximity assay (SPA) is often used in studies to identify compounds that inhibit CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. 28 herbal extracts and radioisotopes were attached competitively to SPA beads, and followed by measuring the remaining radioisotopes in the medium. Erythromycin and dexamethasone, inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, were used as controls respectively. Results : Most of the 28 herbal extracts showed dose-dependent affinity to the CYP3A4 while some of the herbs showed affinity to the CYP2D6. Conclusions : These results suggest that most of the 28 herbal extracts are metabolized safely in the liver, combined with CYP3A4 and CYP2D6.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.215-226
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• 2002

Acute or repeated physical exercise affects a large number of physiological parameters including hemodynamics, respiration, pH, temperature, gastrointestinal function and biotransformation, which determine the pharmacokinetics of drugs and chemicals. The rate and the amount of a chemical reaching the active site are altered by physical exercise, which results in significant changes in pharmacolosical/toxicological activity of the chemical. This aspect of physical exercise has vast implication in therapeutics and in safety evaluation, particularly for chemicals that have a low margin of safety. However there appears to be a wide inter- and intraindividual variation in the effects of physical exercise depend-ing on the duration, intensity and type of exercise, and also on the properties of each chemical. It is suggested that more studies need to be done to determine which factor(s) plays a major role in the disposition of chemicals in human/animals performing physical exercise. Certain chemicals induce severe toxicity due to metabolic conversion to reactive intermediate metabolites. it is suggested that repeated exercise may enhance the free radical scavenging system by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes. This area of research remain to be explored to elucidate the interaction of exercise and chemical on the antioxidant system.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.83-89
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• 1977

Changes in the alcohol-soluble free amino acids during germination of a spring grain, Wanju and two winter grains, Sedohadaka and Nonsankwa No.1-6 which are differing in their degree of spring (winter) habits, were investigated by thin layer chromatography. The results obtained are as follows. 1. Throughout the germination period, 25 ninhydrin positive components; 22 amino acids including two amides and 3 unknown spots were detected. It is interesting to note that identification of histidine was confined to Wanju and Sedohadaka but Nonsankwa No.1-6, which has the lower degree of spring habit. 2. Except the quiescent seeds, the major components were generally composed of the acidic and neutral amino acids together with glutamine and asparagine. 3. Proline was contained in higher quantity except from the stage of quiescent seeds, but the outstanding difference among the varieties was not recognized. Whether this component is related to the mechanism of spring habit in barley or not is a problem to be studied more. 4. In all the varieties, most of the changes in amino acid levels during germination were usually in the same direction and of the same pattern under the temperature controlled not to be varnalized. In view of the results above, the changes in the amino acid levels seem to be more affected by the changes of growing circumstances and the subsequent metabolic activities of certain enzymes than by the characteristics of varieties themselves.

• 한국식물생명공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식물생명공학회 2005년도 추계학술대회 및 한일 식물생명공학 심포지엄
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• pp.351-355
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• 2005

In the storage roots of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. cv. Kokei 14), 10 to 20% of starch is essentially unbranched linear amylose and the other major component is branched amylopectin. Amylose is produced by the enzyme GBSSI (granule bound starch synthase I), whereas amylopectin is produced by a concerted action of soluble starch synthase and starch branching enzymes (SBEI and SBEII). We constructed double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) interference vectors of GBSSI and IbSBEII and introduced them into sweetpotato genome via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation. The endogenous GBSSI expression was inhibited by dsRNA of GBSSI in 73 % of transgenic plants giving rise to the storage tubers containing amylopectin but not amylose. On the other hand, all sweetpotato plants transformed with dsRNA of IbSBEII contained a larger amount of amylose than the non-transgenic control (up to 25% compared to 10% in the controls). The RNA interference (RNAi) is effectively inhibited the gene expression in thestarch metabolic pathway and modified the characteristics of starch in sweetpotato.