• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.78-83
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• 2002

We report the cytologic features of a case of primary small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder with high grade transitional cell and signet ring cell carcinomatous components. A 64-year-old male presented with gross hematuria for one week. Computed tomography revealed an ill-defined mass in the left lateral wall of the urinary bladder. Urinary cytology showed hypercellularity with predominantly isolated single cells and clustered cells. They have scanty cytoplasm and naked hyperchromatic nuclei with finely granular nuclear chromatin and rare nucleoli. The tumor cells occurred predominantly singe cells, but a few in clusters. Nuclear molding was prominent. No glandular formation or nesting was noted. The second tumor cells had high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, irregular nuclear membrane, and coarse granular chromatin. The background was inflamed and necrotic. The histoiogic findings of transurethral resection were mainly composed of small cell carcinoma, and partly transitional cell and signet ring cell carcinomatous components. Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma have distinctive cytologic features to make a proper diagnosis.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2007

Tau plays a role in numerous neuronal processes, such as vesicle transport, microtubule-plasma membrane interaction and intracellular localization of proteins. SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier) modification (SUMOylation) appears to regulate diverse cellular processes including nuclear transport, signal transduction, apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle control, ubiquitin-dependent degradation, as well as gene transcription. We noticed that putative SUMOylation site is localized at $^{340}K$ of $Tau(^{339}VKSE^{342})$ with the consensus sequence information (${\Phi}KxE$ ; where ${\Phi}$ represents L, I, V or F and x is any amino acid). In this report, we demonstrated that $^{340}K$ of Tau is the SUMOylation site and that a point mutant of Tau S214E (an analog of the phospho $^{214}S$ Tau) promotes its SUMOylation at $^{340}K$ and its nuclear or nuclear vicinity localization, by co-immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy analysis. Further, we demonstrate that the Tau S214E (neither Tau S214A nor Tau K340R) mutant increases its protein stability. However, the SUMOylation at $^{340}K$ of Tau did not influence cell survival, as determined by FACS analysis. Therefore, our results suggested that the phosphorylation of Tau on $^{214}S$ residue promotes its SUMOylation on $^{340}K$ residue and nuclear vicinity localization, and increases its stability, without influencing cell survival.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.599-604
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• 2005

The hyaluronic acid (HA) with excellent biocompatibility has been combined with lactide, the ester dimer of polylactide, with good biodegradability to produce biocompatible materials which can control the period of degradation in a human body. By freeze frying method, HA and lactide were crosslinked with crosslinking agent, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Degree of lactide and EDC reaction was determined by the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both lactyl group and EDC conversion increased as the mole ratio of lactide to HA increased from 5 to 13. The membrane swelled less and became more brittle with the more addition of lactyl group resulting from the higher mole ratio of lactide to HA. Swelling ratio decreased and tensile modulus increased due to the more addition of lactyl group as the EDC concentration increased or reaction temperature decreased. Drug release experiment from various membranes with different degree of crosslinking showed that permeability decreased with increasing degree of crosslinking. The degradation became slower with the more addition of lactyl group. Mechanical property and degradation rate of the synthesized membrane were shown to be controlled through adjusting operation parameters such as mole ratio, temperature, and crosslinking agent concentration.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.180-186
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• 2017

In this work, the effect of low-temperature dehydration of a poly(styrene-co-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA) membrane was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electron magnetic resonancespectroscopy (EMR), and $^1H$- and $^{13}C$ solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These analyses were performed at room temperature for powdered PSSA specimens with and without dehydration and the following key observations were made. First, FT-IR analysis showed that low-temperature dehydration not only transformed the [${SO_3}^-{\cdots}H^+$] ionic pair in the non-hydrated PSSA to an $SO_3H$ group, but also induced the formation of -C=C- double bonds in the dehydrated PSSA. Second, the ${-SO_3}^{\bullet}$ radical was unambiguously identified by EMR spectroscopy. Third, H-abstraction was detected by $^1H$ magic-angle spinning spectroscopy. Finally, an unexpected color shift from white for the non-hydrated PSSA to a yellowish brown for the dehydrated sample was observed. In order to explain these experimental results, it was proposed that the formation of the intermediate hydrogen ($H^{\bullet}$) or hydroxyl radical ($HO^{\bullet}$) species was initiated by the dehydration process. The sespecies attacked the $SO_3H$ group and the tertiary proton at the ${\alpha}-carbon$, resulting in the formation of $-SO^{\bullet}$ radicals and -C=C- double bonds, which correlated with the color shift in the dehydrated PSSA sample. The semechanisms are useful for understanding the simultaneous loss of an aromatic ring and -SO- groups in the PSSA fuel cell membrane.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2010

Dermcidin is a human antibiotic peptide that is secreted by the sweat glands and has no homology to other known antimicrobial peptides. As an initial step toward understanding dermcidin's mode of action at bacterial membranes, we used homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR to determine the conformation of the peptide in 50% trifluoroethanol solution. We found that dermcidin adopts a flexible amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure with a helix-hinge-helix motif, which is a common molecular fold among antimicrobial peptides. Spin-down assays of dermcidin and several related peptides revealed that the affinity with which dermcidin binds to bacterial-mimetic membranes is primarily dependent on its amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure and its length (>30 residues); its negative net charge and acidic pI have little effect on binding. These findings suggest that the mode of action of dermcidin is similar to that of other membrane-targeting antimicrobial peptides, though the details of its antimicrobial action remain to be determined.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.175-179
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• 1996

Viral surface proteins are known to play an essential role in attachment of the virus particle to the host cell membrane. In case of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) several reports have described potential receptors on the target cell side, but no definite receptor protein has been isolated yet. As for the viral side, it has been suggested that the preS region of the envelope protein, especially the preS1 region, is involved in binding of HBV to the host cell. In this study, preS1 region was recombinantly expressed in the form of a maltose binding protein (MBP) fusion protein and used to identify and visualize the expression of putative HBV receptor(s) on the host cell. Using laser scanned confocal microscopy and by FACS analysis, MBP-preS1 proteins were shown to bind to the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 in a receptor-ligand specific manner. The binding kinetic of MBP-preS1 to its cellular receptor was shown to be temperature and time dependent. In cells permeabilized with Triton X-100 and treated with the fusion protein, a specific staining of the nuclear membrane could be observed. To determine the precise location of the receptor binding site within the preS1 region, several short overlapping peptides from this region were synthesized and used in a competition assay. In this way the receptor binding epitope in preS1 was revealed to be amino acid residues 27 to 51, which is in agreement with previous reports. These results confirm the significance of the preS1 region in virus attachment in general, and suggest an internalization pathway mediated by direct attachment of the viral particle to the target cell membrane.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 1991

For the ultrastructural observation on Babesia gibsoni(B gibsoni), the protozoa were challenged experimentally to splectomized dog. To examine the ultrastructure of the B gibsoni in the erythrocyte, the infected erythrocytes were collected at the cephalic or jugular vein of the dog. The results obtained by TEM(transmission electron microscopy) were as follows; 1. The sizes of protozoa in erythrocytes are $0.92{\pm}0.36{\mu}m{\times}0.67{\pm}0.21{\mu}m$, the sizes of nucleus of the protozoa are $0.55{\pm}0.24{\mu}m{\times}0.38{\pm}0.26{\mu}m$, and sizes of rhoptries in plasma of the protozoa are $0.33{\pm}0.05{\mu}m{\times}0.25{\pm}0.07{\mu}m$, respectively. 2. The tropozoite membrane in the erythrocyte was one, and it's nuclear membrane was made up of double. But the protozoa of initial stage in infected erythrocyte had double clear mambranes, and distinguished from plasma membrane of red blood cell. 3. The mitochondrialike structures covered with two membranes were observed in the protozoa. 4. Mitochondria and vesicles of the reticulocyte were observed near protozoa in the erythrocyte. 5. There are rhoptry, coiled structure and single nucleous in the merozoite. 6. The shape of rhoptry was round or ovoid form and in occasionally, the content of rhoptry was lost partially. 7. There was able to observe the dividing process of the protozoa. 8. Maurer's cleft-like structure was observed.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 1989

Expedments were perfonned to examine the role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PK-A) and diacylglycerol-dependent protein kinase (PK-C) during the meiodc resumption and the first mitotic cell cycle of mouse embryogenesis. Mejoric GV oocytes and one-cell embryos derived from in vitro fertilization were cultured in vitro, and morphological changes in response to activators of PK-A and PK-C were examined. Treatments with a membrane-permeable cAMP analog, dbcAMP (0.1 mg/mi), phosphodiesterase inhibitor, IBMX (0.1 mM), biologically active phorbol ester, WA (10 nglmi), or a synthetic diacylglycerol, sn-diC8 inhibited resumption of melosis. Combination of PK-A and PK-C activator brought about furiher inhibition. On the contrary, dbcAMP (0.1 mg/mi), IBMX (0.2 mM), WA (10 nglml), and sn-diC8 (0.5 mM) did not inhibit pronucleus membrane breakdown (PNBD) when added S or G2 phase of cell cycle. However, activators of PK-C inhibited cleavage of one-cefl embryos. This result indicates that the action mechanism of PK-A and PK-C on dissolution of nuclear membrane in primary meiotic arrest oocytes may be different from that of mitotic one-cell embryos.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.281-288
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• 2005

The hyaluronic acid (HA) with excellent biocompatibility can be combined with lactide, the ester dimer of polylactide, with good biodegradability to produce biocompatible materials applicable to drug delivery system. By freeze drying method, HA and lactide were crosslinked with crosslinking agent, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide. Degree of lactide and EDC reaction was determined by the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The degree of lactide and EDC reaction increased and swelling ratio decreased as the mole ratio of lactide to HA or crosslinking agent concentration increased or reaction temperature decreased. The drug release experiment result from membranes having different degree of lactide reaction showed that drug release rate reduced in proportion to the degree of lactide reaction. The drug release experiment result from drugs having different hyrodphobicity showed that the more hydrophobic drug was released more slowly.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2005

The hyaluronic acid (HA) with excellent biocompatibility can be combined with the monomer polylactide with good biodegradability to produce biocompatible materials which can control the period of degradation in a human body. By freeze drying method, HA and the lactic acid, monomer of polylactide, or lactide, the ester dimer of polylactide, were crosslinked with crosslinking agent, l-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide. The analysis of infrared spectroscopy showed that the ester linkage was formed and the analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed that the ester linkage was due to the reaction of lactic acid and HA. The conversion (6∼32%) and degree of crosslinking (4∼19%) increased but the selectivity was almost constant at 62% as the mole ratio of LA to HA increased from 1 to 10 in the crosslinking reaction. The brittleness became more pronounced and the rate of degradation became faster with more addition of lactic acid resulting from the higher ratio of LA to HA, and the swelling ratio was in the range of 500 to 2000%.