• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.903-910
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• 2003

Phospholipase D (PLD) plays an important role as a signaling molecule in the activation of neutrophils. In this study, effect of nitric oxide (NO) and cGMP on the activation of PLD in human neutrophils was investigated. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an agent to produce NO spontaneously in cells, alone increased PLD activity and the maximal activation was obtained with 0.5 mM SNP. Dibutyryl-cAMP, an agent to increase an intracellular cAMP concentration inhibited formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP)-stimulated PLD activity but 8-bromo-cGMP (300 $\mu$M), an agent to increase an intracellular cGMP concentration did not affect basal and fMLP-stimulated PLD activity. NO-induced activation of PLD was not blocked by KT 5823, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), suggesting that NO-induced PLD activation is not mediated by cGMP. NO also stimulated p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) in human neutrophils, indicated by increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in Western blotting. NO-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was not inhibited by KT 5823 or n-butanol. RhoA, an regulatory factor of PLD activation was trans-located from cytosolic fraction to plasma membranes by fMLP or phorbol ester, and fMLP-stimulated but not phorbol ester-stimulated translocation of RhoA was inhibited by cGMP. These results suggest that NO stimulates PLD activity through other unidentified facto.(s) than cGMP even though cGMP inhibits the artivation of RhoA.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.502-506
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• 1996

Protein X is one of the subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. The biological role of this protein has not been fully elucidated, mainly because of the difficulty in its dissociation from the tightly bound dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase-protein X subcomplex. We have found that the detachment of protein X from acetyltransferase subunit can be easily accomplished by the cycles of freezing and thawing proces. Several lines of evidence including sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis and acetylation with $[2^{14}C]$ pyruvate confirmed that the purified protein is protein X. The purified intact form of protein X was acetylated by $[2^{14}C]$ pyruvate in the presence of py-ruvate dehydrogenase subunit.The acetylation efficiency of this protein was lower than that of acetyltransferase and was not affected by the presence of acetyltransferase.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.886-889
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• 2001

C-terminus specific immobilization often results in a increased structural stability resistant to various denaturation factors. In order to elucidate the immobilization effect on the c-terminus in molecular level, we made over 200 protein data set from Protein Data Bank(PDB), analyzed c-terminus structure of each protein, and investigated the structural relationship with the stabilizing factors such as hydrogen bond, ion pairs, cation pi, disulfide bond, solvation free energy, surface area, flexibility and so on.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2014

Background: Viruses can cause either meningitis or encephalitis. It is unclear why some people suffer from aseptic meningitis, and others acquire aseptic encephalitis when infected with the same viral pathogens. The aim of this study was to compare demographic and laboratory factors between patients with aseptic meningitis and encephalitis. Methods: The demographic and laboratory differences were analyzed according to age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, C-reactive protein in the blood, white blood cell and protein in the cerebrospinal fluid, and glucose ratio (cerebrospinal fluid/blood). Additionally, we analyzed the nation-wide differencesin age between the patients with aseptic meningitis and those with encephalitis in Korea. Results: The patients with aseptic encephalitis were older, more likely to have hypertension, and had higher levels of C-reactive protein than did the patients with aseptic meningitis. However, the numbers of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid were significantly higher in the patients with meningitis than in the patients with encephalitis. Multivariable analysis revealed that age >49 years, hypertension and a C-reactive protein level >5.81 mg/dL were independent and significant variables in the prediction of aseptic encephalitis. Additionally, the patients with aseptic encephalitis were older than those with aseptic meningitis in the nation-wide Korean database. Conclusions: Older age, hypertension, and higher levels of C-reactive protein are useful factors for the prediction of aseptic encephalitis.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 1989

Alteration of intracellular calcium ion Concentration by adding of either calcium ionophore A23187 or EGTA in culture medium at 24 hr after cell plating resulted in remarkable changes in the progression of differentiation of chick embryo myoblast. When separated myoblast proteins using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, synthesis patterns of several proteins changed upon the addition of either A23187 or EGTA. Treatment of A23187 and calciumactivated neutral protease at 24 hr after initial plating caused an increase in the rate of fusion compared to control culture. However, EGTA inhibited the myoblast fusion to a marked degree. A23187 treated at 24hr also increased the activity of protein kinase C during the fusionprogressed period. It seems that intracellular calcium ion plays an important role in the myoblast differentiation in vitro together with the protein kinase C and calcium-activated neutral protease.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.281-286
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• 1998

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core proteins from two different isolates (HCV-1 and HCV-RH) were expressed in Spotioptera Jrugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. The RH core consisted of two major species of proteins (21 kDa and 19 kDa). On the other hand, the HCV-1 core was approximately 16 kDa in a SDS-PAGE gel. Both core proteins were phosphorylated in vivo on serine residues. Furthermore, the RH core but not HCV-1 core formed dimers, indicating that the protein conformation of the core in these two isolates is dfferent from one another. Immunofluorescence studies showed that the RH core was present in the cytoplasm, whereas the HCV-1 core was localized predominantly to the nucleus in recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells. Since the major difference between the two isolates is the codon 9 of the core protein, a single amino acid substitution appears to play a major role in the protein conformation and these properties may reflect the different biological functions of core proteins in HCV-infected cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.350-354
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• 1998

To understand the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of chondrogenesis, we examined proteins which are phosphorylated by PKC. Stage 23/24 chick embryo wing mesenchymes were micromass-cultured to induce chondrogenesis and cell extracts were phosphorylated in a condition that activates PKC. Several proteins including 63 and 66 kDa proteins were phosphorylated. The 66 kDa protein was phosphorylated only in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and phosphatidylserine CPS), and the phosphorylation was almost completely diminished by bisindolylmaleimide, a PKC inhibitor. In addition, partially purified PKC increased the phosphorylation of the 66 kDa protein. Treatment of cultures with lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) promoted chondrogenesis and phosphorylation of 66 kDa protein, while PMA and thymeleatoxin inhibited both of the two events. Our results suggest that the 66 kDa protein is a putative substrate of PKC, and phosphorylation of the 66 kDa protein, probably by $PKC\alpha$ is required for chondrogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 1990

Effects of the protein fraction of Panax ginseng on chicken embryonic skeletal muscle cells cultured with a decfiient medium were studied. The protein fraction was further fractionated into four groups according to the molecular weight; larger than 10,000 dalton(fraction A), between 5,000 and 10,000 dalton(fraction B), between 1,000 and 5,000 dalton(fraction C), between 500 and 1,000 dalton(fraction D). According to the microscopic observation, all four protein fractions at the concentration of $10{\sim}100{\;}{\mu}g/ml$ showed the tendency to stimulate the growth and differentiation of the muscle cells. The activity of acetylcholinesterase in muscle cells was significantly elevated by the protein fraction A at the concentration of $100{\mu}{\;}g/ml$. Protein fractions B,C and D significantly enhanced the synthesis of RNA in the muscle cells. The synthesis of DNA in muscle cells was significantly enhanced by protein fractions A,B and C.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.171-175
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• 2000

Determined sequences of 384 randomly selected clones in a PCR-based cDNA library of Antheraea yamamai could identify expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of highly expressed gene. One EST (fibroin) appeared 15 times, one EST (40S ribosomal protein S18) twelve times, one EST (ribosomal protein S24a) eleven times, ten times (ribosomal protein S8), nine times (60S ribosomal protein L10A), seven times (60S ribosomal protein S15A, S17, S17 and seroin), six times (ribosomal protein S8), five times (ribosomal protein S24, mariner transposase and P8 protein), four times (serpin 2), three times (heat shock protein 70 and poly A binding protein), and the remaining 6 ESTs twice (amylase, KIAA1006, elongation factor-1, transposon mag, translation initiation factor 4C, QM protein, transposase). Therefore, the 94 EST make it possible to identify 24 redundant clones that are candidates for highly expressed genes in posterior silk gland of this insect. The 24 redundant EST clones were identified in GenBank, but none of them was related to A. yamamai, suggesting that there are many unidentified genes which are highly expressed in the A. yamamai genome.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2007

In a previous study, three larval cuticle protein genes were cloned from the mulberry longicorn beetle, Apriona germari (Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B 136, 803-811, 2003). In the present study, the genomic structures of these three larval cuticle protein genes (AgLCP9.2, AgLCP12.6 and AgLCP12.3) were elucidated. All three cuticle protein genes consist of one intron and two exons. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA suggested that three cuticle protein genes are a single copy gene. In addition, a novel larval cuticle protein gene, AgLCP10.6, was cloned from A. germari in this study. The AgLCP10.6 cDNA contains an ORF of 300 nucleotides that are capable of encoding a 100-amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 10.6 kDa. The amino acid sequence deduced from the AgLCP10.6 cDNA contained a type-specific consensus sequence identifiable in other insect cuticle proteins and is most homologous to Drosophila melanogaster cuticle protein ACP65A (51 % protein sequence identity). Northern blot analysis revealed that AgLCP10.6 showed epidermis-specific expression.