• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.379-383
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• 1996

The ultrastructure of the compound starch granules and the protein bodies of Odaebyeo rice of early matured variety were examined by light microscope and electron microscope. The endosperm cell appealed rectangular or octangular shape on the cross section. The thickness of cell wall containing of membraneous materials was about $0.5\;{\mu}m$ in diameter. The starch cell was filled compactly with globular or oval shaped compound starch granules with the size of $20{\sim}25\;{\mu}m$ in diameter. The compound starch granules were consisted of central core starch granule and concentrical $2{\sim}3$ layers of starch granules. The average thickness of the starch granules were about $5\;{\mu}m$. Most protein bodies were found in the aleurone layer The globular protin bodies were scattered near the compound starch granules and $2.5{\sim}3\;{\mu}m$ in diameter. The protein bodies composed of central electron dense materials and peripheral electron loose materials in limiting membrane.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2002

Antibodies raised against the purified p-subunit of $\beta$-conglycinin were used in immunohistochemical studies to monitor the pattern of $\beta$-conglycinin mobilization in the cotyledons during soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed germination. Western blot analysis revealed that the break down of the $\beta$-subunit of $\beta$-conglycinin commenced as early as 2 days after seed imbibition (DAI). Concurrent with the degradation of the $\beta$-subunit of $\beta$-conglycinin, accumulation of 48, 28, and 26 kD proteolytic intermediates was observed from 2 to 6 DAI. Western blot analysis also revealed that the acidic subunit of glycinin was mobilized earlier than the basic subunit. The basic glycinin subunit was subjected to proteolysis within 2 DAI resulting in the appearance of an intermediate product approximately 2 kD smaller than the native basic glycinin subunit. In contrast to the major seed storage proteins, lipoxygenase was subjected to limited proteolysis and was detected even after 8 DAI. The first sign of $\beta$-conglycinin breakdown was observed near the vascular strands and proceeded from the vascular strands towards the epidermis. Protein A-gold localization studies using thin sections of soybean cotyledons and antibodies raised against the $\beta$-subunit of $\beta$-conglycinin revealed intense labeling over protein bodies. A pronounced decrease in the protein A-gold labeling intensity over protein bodies was observed at later stages of seed germination. The protein bodies, which were converted into a large central vacuole by 8 DAI, contained very little 7S protein as evidenced by sparse protein A-gold labeling in the vacuoles.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.122-127
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• 2005

A size exclusion chromatography (SEC) process, in the presence of denaturant in the refolding buffer was developed to refold recombinant human $interferon-\gamma$ ($rhIFN-\gamma$) at a high concentration. The $rhlFN-\gamma$ was overexpressed in E. coli resulting in the formation of inactive inclusion bodies (IBs). The IBs were first solubilized in 8 M urea as the denaturant, and then the refolding process performed by decreasing the urea concentration on the SEC column to suppress protein aggregation. The effects of the urea concentration, protein loading mode and column height during the refolding step were investigated. The combination of the buffer-exchange effect of SEC and a moderate urea concentration in the refolding buffer resulted in an efficient route for producing correctly folded $rhIFN-\gamma$, with protein recovery of $67.1\%$ and specific activity up to $1.2\times10^7\;IU/mg$.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.57-69
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• 1979

The ultrastructural changes of embryo and endosperm cells were observed during the green fruit with embryo about $250{\mu}$ long to germination. 1. In the embryo cells of green fruit with embryo about $250{\mu}$ long, mitochondrial cristae and plastid are undifferentiated and dictyosome are occasionally observed. There are electron-opaque globoids in the vacuole and a lot of spherosomes in the outer layer of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Endosperm is filled with spherosomes and electron-opaque protein bodies surrounded by spherosomes, and due to these, other organelle are not observed. 2. In the embryo cells of seeds with red seed coat, mitochondrial cristae are well developed, electron-opaque globoids increased, and vacuoles are enlarged. In the endosperm, however, spherosomes increased, protein bodies are enlarged, and electron-opaque globoidal crystals are dispersed within them. 3. In the procambium and epicotyl cells of dehiscent seed, Golgi vacuoles and vesicles are well developed, and mitochondrial cristae are also well differentiated. Spherosomes are numerously present and radicle cells, peripheral cells of hypocotyl, and vacuoles of cotyledon are well differentiated. Endosperm is filled with spherosomes containing electron-opaque granules and protein bodies are surrounded by a single membrane. There are acid phosphatase around globoids and spherosomes. 4. At the time of seeding, spherosomes markedly increased in the outer layer of cotyledon and protein bodies are also observed. Cell organelles are differentiated and plastids containing starch are also present. 5. In the outer $2{\sim}3$ layers of cotyledons, radicle cells, and peripheral cells of hypocotyl during post-seeding to germination, spherosomes and plastids with starch increased, and mitochondria and microbodies are also found around the nucleus of embryo cells. With approaching, the germination stage, in the endosperm contacting with embryo, vacuoles are well differentiated but spherosomes decreased. There increased electron-opaque materials within vacuoles. In other endosperm, with the decrease of spherosome, mitochondria increased and electro n-opaque globular bodies are formed and gradually increased. The outer layer of protein bodies are reduced while electron-transparent portions are enlarged and fused together to occupy the outer layer where small particles are formed. 6. In the endosperm of germination stage, spherosomes decreased while protein bodies, are fused together to form 2 or 3 within a cell.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.400-405
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• 2003

A gene (hpkA), encoding a histidine protein kinase homolog, has been identified in the upstream region of the espAB operon in Myxococcus xanthus. It encodes a 333 amino acid (35,952 Da) protein with a histidine protein kinase domain in the region from amino acid 90 to 317. Null mutations in the hpkA gene caused formation of loose irregular fruiting bodies, while wild-type strains developed tight hemispherical fruiting bodies under developmental conditions. Sporulation of the hpkA mutant was delayed by at least 12 h compared to that of the wild-type. It appeared that the hpkA mutation increased the expression of the espAB operon by more than 2-fold compared with the wild-type under developmental conditions. Expression of the hpkA gene was low under vegetative conditions, but was highly induced under developmental conditions.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 1992

This study was carried out to investigate the localization of lipids and lipase activity with lipid staining and cytochemical technique in endosperm cells of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer seed. In endosperm cells of indehiscent seed, protein bodies facing the umbiliform layer are different in electron density during the various degraded processes. Gradually, protein matrix near the cell wall was lysed and electron lucent inclusions appeared on umbiliform layer. The protein body with high electron density and the spherosome with low electron density were observed in endosperm cells. As a result of lipid staining, electron density of spherosome is more intense than those of the protein matrix within the protein body in endosperm cells of indehiscent seed. Free spherical spherosomes within the umbiliform layer have a high electron density. The spherical spherosomes were more electron densed and were uniform in comparison with the cytoplasmic proteinaceous granules in endosperm cells of seed with red seed coat. The major component of spherosome was determined to be lipid. Lipase activity occurs in the spherosome and near the endosperm cell wall facing the umbiliform layer. Cytochemical reaction products of lipase were observed in the spherosome membrane and in the inner regions of spherosome. After protein bodies were digested, lipase activities were observed in free spherosomes and near the cell wall of endosperm cells. Umbiliform layer composing of fibrillized wall and digested materials of the endosperm cell showed a little lipase reaction products.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.102-118
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• 1988

This study was carried out to examine in vitro first whether the storage proteins, which the fat bodies of last larvae from Hyphantria cunea secrete into haemolymph, can be uptaked by the fat body cells of prepupa and then how the uptaked storage proteins can be accumulated in the fat body cells, if uptaken. The fat bodies which had been isolated from last instar larvae were cultured in 1 ml of Grace's insect medium containing $50{\mu}l$ of $^{3}H$-leucine (5.0 mCi/mol, Dupont) at $28{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ for 6 hrs. After the homogenates of the cultured fat bodies were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 10 minutes, the proteins included in the supernatant were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses (non-SDS, 6%). The next treatment of the electrophoresed gel was followed by rinsing. A storage protein band of several bands in the rinsed gel was sliced off. With elution of sliced storage protein bands in Tris-glycine buffer, the purification of radioactive storage proteins from fat bodies was finished. After the purified radioactive storage proteins were added in Grace's insect midis containing fat bodies of the prepupae, they were cultured for the randomly following minutes given as 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 and 30 and for the randomly following hours given as 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The double fixations of the cultured fat bodies in aldehyde and $OsO_4$, were followed by preparation of ultrathin sections from Epon-Araldite blocks through dehydration and embedding. The electron microscope autoradiographic treatment of all prepared sections were performed by the dipping method (Kim et al., 1987). The finally prepared specimens were examined with electron microscope. The fat body cells of the prepupa could be found to uptake the storage preteins of the last instar larvae, which were included in the culture medium, mostly by formation of coated vesicles. The in vitro uptake of the storage proteins actively occurred by 30 minutes after the addition of purified storage proteins in the culture medium. After culture for 7 minutes with the storage proteins, the uptaked radioactive storage proteins labelled a number of lysosomal granules. After culture for 20 minutes with the storage proteins, the radioactive storage proteins were finally incorporated and accumulated in lipid droplets and protein granules. The frequency in the fat body cell of radiolabelled lipid droplets occurs approximately 60%, while the frequency, in which the radiolabelled protein granules occurs in a fat body cell, is approximately 40%.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.197-201
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• 1997

Plant seed oil-bodies or oleosomes ate the repository of the neutral lipid stored in seeds. These organelles in many oilseeds may comprise half of the total cellular volume. Oleosomes are surrounded by a half-unit membrane of phospholipid into which are embedded proteins called oleosins. Oleosins are present at high density on the oil-body surface and after storage proteins comprise the most abundant proteins in oilseeds. Oleosins are specifically targeted and anchored to oil-bodies after co-translation on the ER. It has been shown that the amino-acid sequences responsible for this unique targeting reside primarily in the central hydrophobic tore of the oleosin polypeptide. In addition, a signal-like sequence is found near the junction of the hydrophobic domain and ann N-terminal hydrophilic / amphipathic domain. This "signal" which is uncleaved is also essential for correct targeting. Oil-bodies and their associated oleosins may be recovered by floatation centrifugation of aqueous seed extracts. This simple partitioning step results in a dramatic enrichment for oleosins in the oil-body fraction. In the light of these properties, we reasoned that it would be feasible to create fusion proteins on oil-bodies comprising oleosins and an additional valuable protein of pharmaceutical or industrial interest. It was further postulated that if these proteins were displayed on the outer surface of oil-bodies, it would be possible to release them from the purified oil-bodies using chemical or proteolytic cleavage. This could result in a simple means of recovering high-value protein from seeds at a significant (i.e. commercial) scale. This procedure has been successfully reduced to practice for a wide variety of proteins of therapeutic, industrial and food no. The utillity of the method will be discussed using a blood anticoagulant, hirudin, and industrial enzymes as key examples.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 2001

To avoid the intrinsic problem of aggregation associated with the traditional solution-phase refolding process, we propose a solid-phase refolding method integrated with expanded bed adsorption chromatography. The model protein used was a fusion protein of recombinant human growth hormone and a glutathione S transferase fragment. It was demonstrated that the EBA-mediated refolding technique could simultaneously remove cellular debris and directly renature the fusion protein inclusion bodies in the cell homogenate with much higher yields and less agregation. To demonstrate the applicability of the method, we successfully tested the three representative types of starting materials, i. e., rhGH monomer, washed inclusion bodies, and the E. coli homogenate. This direct and simplified refolding process could also reduce the number of renaturation steps required and allow refolding at a higher concentration, at approximately 2 mg fusion protein per ml of resin. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first approach that has combined the solid-phase refolding method with expanded bed chromatography.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.590-600
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• 2003

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes responsible for degrading connective tissue. MMPs catalyze the breakdown of collagen from the extracellular matrix, leading to wrinkle formation and accelerated skin aging. Furthermore, ultraviolet irradiation causes increased expression of certain MMPs. In the extracellular matrix turnover, MMPs are interacting with endogenous regulators named tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Using peptide substrate assays, it has been demonstrated that TIMP-MMP complexes interact highly specifically with $K_{i}$ values of 10$^{-9}$ -10$^{-16}$ M. Therefore applications for TIMP as inhibitor of collagen degradation are suggested for cosmetic anti-aging products to prevent wrinkle formation and loss of elasticity. To date four TIMP proteins (TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3 and TIMP-4) have been identified which show a high degree in sequence similarity. The production of human TIMP-2, a 194-residue nonglycosylated protein, was performed by fed-batch culture of Escherichia coli. TIMP-2 accumulated in the bacterial cells in an insoluble form as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were solubilized and the protein refolded to yield the native TIMP-2 in the active form. The integrity of the protein was confirmed by mass analysis, Edman sequencing and gel shift experiments with authentic samples. The inhibitory activity of the refolded and purified TIMP-2 was demonstrated with MMP-1 and MMP-2 assays using synthetic fluorogenic peptide substrates.s.