• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.117-120
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• 2014

Several studies have reported that the citrus red mites Panonychus citri were an important allergen of citrus-cultivating farmers in Jeju Island. The aim of the present study was to purify and assess properties of a cysteine protease from the mites acting as a potentially pathogenic factor to citrus-cultivating farmers. A cysteine protease was purified using column chromatography of Mono Q anion exchanger and Superdex 200 HR gel filtration. It was estimated to be 46 kDa by gel filtration column chromatography and consisted of 2 polypeptides, at least. Cysteine protease inhibitors, such as trans poxy-succinyl-L-leucyl-amido (4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and iodoacetic acid (IAA) totally inhibited the enzyme activities, whereas serine or metalloprotease inhibitors did not affect the activities. In addition, the purified enzyme degraded human IgG, collagen, and fibronectin, but not egg albumin. From these results, the cysteine protease of the mites might be involved in the pathogenesis such as tissue destruction and penetration instead of nutrient digestion.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.273-279
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• 2013

Protease widely exists in the digestive tract of animals and humans, playing a very important role in protein digestion and absorption. In this study, a high protease-producing strain Planomicrobium sp. L-2 was isolated and identified from the digestive tract of Octopus variabilis. The strain was identified by physiological and biochemical experiments and 16S rDNA sequences analysis. A protease was obtained from the strain Planomicrobium sp. L-2 through ammonium sulfate precipitation, dialysis and enrichment, DEAE-Sephadex A50 anion-exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography. The molecular weight and properties of the protease were characterized, including optimum temperature and pH, thermal stability, protease inhibitions and metal ions. According to our results, the protease from Planomicrobium sp. L-2 strain designated as F1-1 was obtained by three-step separation and purification from crude enzyme. The molecular weight of the protease was 61.4 kDa and its optimum temperature was $40^{\circ}C$. The protease F1-1 showed a broad pH profile for casein hydrolysis between 5.0~11.0. No residual activity was observed after incubation for 40 min at $60^{\circ}C$ and 60 min at $50^{\circ}C$. F1-1 protease was inhibited by $Mn^{2+}$, $Hg^{2+}$, $Pb^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and $Cu^{2+}$ ions, as well as PMSF, indicating that the protease F1-1 was a serine protease. Additionally, research basis provided by this study could be considered for industrial application of octopus intestinal proteases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2003

Antigen retrieval (AR) techniques were widely used to recover the antigenicity from the fixed tissues, which were guided by the philosophy of rendering immunohistochemistry (IHC) applicable to routine formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues for wide application of IHC in research and clinical filed for morphological observation like as anatomy, histology and pathology. Protease antigen recovery (PAR) is an AR technique, which is obtained the antigen retrieve by using enzyme digestion, and commonly used in IHC field. However, during the IHC for the detection of ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) antigen, we noted lymphocyte-like cells-specific staining in the infiltrated cells into various organs like as liver and kidney, which was also shown in the IHC tissues with isotype control. However, those signals were not observed in the tissues conducted with in situ hybridization. Therefore, we analyzed the specificity of the IHC detection results. We found that PAR may induce false-positive result during IHC in lymphocyte-like cells, which were infiltrated mainly around vessels and in interstitial tissues. Through the Phenotyping, we realized that those false-positive cells were B-cell-related cells. These results suggest that PAR, a AR using protease, may induce non-specific false-positive reactions during IHC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1904-1907
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to develop a new fermentation method in order to improve the digestion of soybean protein, and to promote normal fermentation of soybean. A proximate composition, such as moisture, pH, and reducing sugar, of fermented soybeans by the new fermentation was similar to those of controls. Neutral protease activity, the most important factor for fermented soybean products, was the highest, having about 636 Dig at 54 h fermentation. The content of total free amino acid was almost 3-18 times higher than controls. The three-step fermented soybeans can be used as a functional food ingredient for human consumption, with higher protein digestibility.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.661-668
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• 1997

By using several solvents, barley extracts containing the anticomplementary activities in classical pathway were prepared (250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml): methanol (83.1%), ethanol (71.9%), water extract (25.4%), M-1 (250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml), and the soluble part of methanol extract which showed the highest activity (83.4%) and the yield. Anticomplementary activity of methanol extract as well as protease digestion in classical pathway showed 82.4% and 78.4% in the concentration of 250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, respectively. It was found that protein was not involved in anticomplementary activity in the classical pathway and the methanol extract made an impact on classical pathway, but not on alternative pathway. For the immune-stimulating effect, the T cell proliferation effect of the protease digestion displayed little effect irrespective of the dose. In addition, the T cell proliferation effect of methanol extract showed 13-fold higher proliferation effect compared with positive control. It was revealed that the substance containing protein serves as an important factor for the immune proliferation. Therefore, the anticomplementary activity ${\beta}$-glucan in classical pathway and alternative pathway displayed the lowest activity, showing 2.2%, 22.3% respectively. However, the immune-stimulating effect of ${\beta}$-glucan showed the T cell stimulating effect 13 times higher than positive control.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.38-47
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• 1986

Silkworm(Bombix mori) were reared with modified artificial diets which were mixed with, as additives, leaf powders of Erigeron canadensis L., Cassia tora L., Cyperus anuricus Var.Laxus and Vigna Sinensis NEDL. The effects of additives on silkworm characteristisc of tested plants were summarized as follows ; 1. About 2-5% addition on dry weight base of leaf powders of E. canadensis, C. tora, C. anuricus or V.sinensis to the basic artificial diet promoted feeding response and digestion and resulted in good practical silkworm characteristics. The addition of V.sinensis and C.anuricus showed especially good effects. 2. The syneristic effect between different plant species was not recognized based on the feeding response and digestion of silkworm reared with various combinations of 2-4 different plant additives. 3. Electrophoretic zymograms of estrase, protease and phosphatase on haemolymph, intestine and silkgland were significantly different among treatments. In general, 1 or 2 more electrophoretic bands were detected when feeding response and digestion were promoted. 4. Contents of starch, crude fat, crude protein and inorganic base were apparently higher in the tested plants than in mulberry leaves. However, no volatile ingredent which is directly realted with feeding response was identified.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.387-392
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• 2011

To investigate the molecular scavenging capabilities of the larvae of Hermetia illucens, two serine proteases (SPs) were cloned and characterized. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic tree analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences of Hi-SP1 and Hi-SP2 were suggested that Hi-SP1 may be a chymotrypsin- and Hi-SP2 may be a trypsin-like protease. Hi-SP1 and Hi-SP2 3-D homology models revealed that a catalytic triad, three disulfide bonds, and a substrate-binding pocket were highly conserved, as would be expected of a SP. E. coli expressed Hi-SP1 and Hi-SP2 showed chymotrypsin or trypsin activities, respectively. Hi-SP2 mRNAs were consistently expressed during larval development. In contrast, the expression of Hi-SP1 mRNA fluctuated between feeding and molting stages and disappeared at the pupal stages. These expression pattern differences suggest that Hi-SP1 may be a larval specific chymotrypsin-like protease involved with food digestion, while Hi-SP2 may be a trypsin-like protease with diverse functions at different stages.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

Spiders are carnivores that prey upon insects and other small arthropods through digestion of food outside the body. Although spider poison may contain proteolytic enzymes, these are thought to play an insignificant role in actual digestion. The source of active proteolytic enzymes can be either the digestive tract cells of spider, or natural microbial flora in the digestive tract of spider. In this study, digestive tracts from the spider, Nephila clavata, were screened for bacteria that have protease or lipase activity. A total of $10^3-10^5$ CFU was recovered from a spider and more than 90% of them showed protease and lipase activity respectively. Of the microbial isolates, 63.3% showed protease or lipase activity, and 50% of these showed both protease and lipase activity. Some of the isolates were characterized using a battery of chemical, phenotypic and genotypic methods. Eleven Gram negative bacteriaa (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, A. haemolyticus, Alcaligenes faecalis, Cedecea davisae, C. neteri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia marcescens, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Suttonella indologenes) and 11 Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, B. coagulans, B. pasteurii, B. thuringiensis, Cellulomonas flavigena, Corynebacterium martruchotii, Enterococcus durans, E. faecalis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus hominis, S. sciuri) were identified.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2008

Extracellular proteases play an important role in a wide range of host physiological events, such as food digestion, extracellular matrix degradation, coagulation and immunity. Among the large extracellular protease family, serine proteases that contain a "paper clip"-like domain and are therefore referred to as CLIP-domain serine protease (clip-SP), have been found to be involved in unique biological processes, such as immunity and development. Despite the increasing amount of biochemical information available regarding the structure and function of clip-SPs, their in vivo physiological significance is not well known due to a lack of genetic studies. Recently, Drosophila has been shown to be a powerful genetic model system for the dissection of biological functions of the clip-SPs at the organism level. Here, the current knowledge regarding Drosophila clip-SPs has been summarized and future research directions to evaluate the role that clip-SPs play in Drosophila immunity are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.234-240
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• 1990

Attempts have been made to optimize the hydrolysis conditions of the oyster and the mussel by the commercial proteolytic enzymes. Raw materials were digested with seven different commercial enzymes, and their quality parameters measured in terms of degree of hydrolysis and content of free amino nitrogen, nucleic acid-related substances. and free amino acids as well as sensory evaluation of optimization of their hydrolysis conditions. As a result, following enzymes have been disclosed as effective for enzymatic digestion: MKC-HT proteolytic, alcalase 0.6L and thermease for the oyster whereas MKC-acid fungal protease and thermoase for the mussel, respectively.