• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.686-693
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• 2007

Purpose : Mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active metabolite of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), is a potent inhibitor of inosine-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), a new immunosuppressive drug used. It was reported that MPA protected neurons after excitotoxic injury, induced apoptosis in microglial cells. However, the effects of MPA on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury has not been yet evaluated. Therefore, we examined whether MPA could be neuroprotective in perinatal HI brain injury using Rice-Vannucci model (in vivo) and in rat brain cortical cell culture induced by hypoxia (in vitro). Methods : Cortical cells were cultured using a 18-day-pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and incubated in 1% $O_2$ incubator for hypoxia. MPA ($10{\mu}g/mL$) before or after a HI insult was treated. Seven-day-old SD rat pups were subjected to left carotid occlusion followed by 2 hours of hypoxic exposure (8% $O_2$). MPA (10 mg/kg) before or after a HI insult were administrated intraperitoneally. Apoptosis was measured using western blot and real-time PCR for Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3. Results : H&E stain revealed increased brain volume in the MPA-treated group in vivo animal model of neonatal HI brain injury. Western blot and real-time PCR showed the expression of caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 were decreased in the MPA-treated group In in vitro and in vivo model of perinatal HI brain injury, Conclusion : These results may suggest that the administration of MPA before HI insult could significantly protect against perinatal HI brain injury via anti-apoptotic mechanisms, which offers the possibility of MPA application for the treatment of neonatal HI encephalopathy.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.305-312
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• 2007

It is crucial to develop a miniaturized cultivation method for large and rapid screening of high-yielding mutants of monacolin-K, a powerful anti-hypercholesterolemic secondary metabolite biosynthesized by the fungal cells of Monascus ruber. In order to investigate as many strains as possible in a short time, a miniaturized fermentation method especially suitable for the cultivation of the filamentous Monascus mutants was developed using $50m{\ell}$ culture-tube ($7m{\ell}$ of working volume) instead of the traditional $250m{\ell}$ flask ($50m{\ell}$ of working volume). Generally, in filamentous fungal cell fermentations, morphologies in growth and production cultures should be maintained as thick filamentous and compact-pelleted (usually less than 1 mm in diameter) forms, respectively, for enhanced production of secondary metabolites in final production cultures. In this study, we intended to induce the respective optimal morphologies in the miniaturized culture system for the purpose of rapid screening of overproducers. Miniaturized growth culture system was successfully developed due to the mass production of spores in the statistically optimized solid medium. When large amounts of spores were inoculated into the growth cultures, and brown rice flour (20 g/L) was also supplemented to the growth medium, dense filamentous morphologies were successfully induced in the growth cultures performed with the 50 ml culture tubes. It was implied that the amounts of spores inoculated into the growth tube-cultures and the growth medium components should be the key factors for the induction of the filamentous forms in the growth fermentations. Furthermore, in order to statistically optimize production medium, multiple experiments based on Plackett-Burman design and response surface method (RSM) were carried out, resulting in more than 2 fold enhanced production of monacolin-K in the final production cultures with the optimized production medium. Notably, under the production culture conditions with the statistically optimized medium, optimal pellet sizes below 1 mm in diameter were reproducibly induced, in contrast to the thick and viscous filamentous morphologies observed in the previous production cultures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1476-1485
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• 2004

Of solvent-extracts prepared from the 90 kinds of Korean traditional tea and rice gruel plants, cold-water extract from peels of Citrus unshiu (CUI-0) showed the most potent intestinal immune system modulating activity through Peyer’s patch whereas other extracts did not have the activity except for cold-water extracts of Laminaria japonica, Polygonatum japonicum, Poncirus trifoliata, and hot-water extracts of Gardenia jasminoides, Lycium chinense having intermediate activity. CUI-0 was further fractionated into MeOH-soluble fraction (CUI-1), MeOH insoluble and EtOH-soluble fraction (CUI-2), and crude polysaccharide fraction (CUI-3). Among these fractions, CUI-3 showed the most potent stimulating activity for the proliferation of bone marrow cells mediated by Peyer’s patch cells, and contained arabinose, galacturonic acid, galactose, glucose, glucuronic acid and rhamnose (molar ratio; 1.00:0.53:0.45:0.28:0.28:0.19) as the major sugars, and a small quantity of protein (9.4%). In treatments of CUI-3 with pronase and periodate (NaIO₄), the intestinal immune system modulating activity of CUI-3 was significantly reduced, and the activity of CUI-3 was affected by periodate oxidation particularly. The potently active carbohydrate-rich fraction, CUI-3IIb-3-2 was further purified by anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose FF, Sepharose CL-6B and Sephacryl S-200. CUI-3IIb-3-2 was eluted as a single peak on HPLC and its molecular weight was estimated to be 18,000 Da. CUI-3IIb-3-2 was consisted mainly of arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid (molar ratio;1.00:0.54:0.28:1.45:0.63) in addition to a small amount of proteins (3.2%). In addition, CUI-3IIb-3-2 showed the activity only through Peyer’s patch cells, but this fraction did not directly stimulate proliferation of bone marrow cells. It may be concluded that intestinal immune system modulating activity of peels from C. unshiu is caused by pectic polysaccharides having a polygalacturonan moiety with neutral sugars such as arabinose and galactose.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.8
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• pp.101-111
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• 1967

Daily doses of phenylmercuric acetate arranged in $30{\gamma}\;(group\;I)$, 3{\gamma}\;(group\;II)$ and $0.3{\gamma}\;(group\;III)$ were administered respectively to rabbits for 90 days. The chief histopathological changes in the organs and the analytical data on mercury residues in the excretion and liver were as follows. 1. Kidney: In group I, severe degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were occurred in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and severe cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were observed in the proximal straight tubules. There were many hyaline casts in the collecting tubules. In group II, moderate degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and moderate cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were encountered in the proximal straight tubules. A little numbers of hyaline casts were located in the lumen of collecting tubules. In group III, slight degree of cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted and straight tubules. 2. Liver: In group I, cloudy swelling, fatty changes and coagulative necrosis were observed in the central zone of hepatic lobules. Dissociation of hepatic cell cords was encountered. Hyperplsia of hepatic cells were remarkable in group II. No Pathological changes were observed in group III. 3. Spleen: Deposition of hemosiderin pigment was prominant in group I and small amount of the pigment was observed in group II. There were no pathological changes in group III. 4. Adrenal, colon and heart: No pathological changes were detected in all 3 groups. 5. In an average about 76.5% of mercury was excreted from group I, 85.4% from group II and 79.8% from group III. 6. Mercury content in the liver was 0.0348 g in group I, 0.00378 g and 0.00066 g in group II and group III respectively. 7. In general, as to increased mercury doses the concentration of mercury accumulation in the liver became higher, how·ever, the accumulation quantity against a total amount of mercury doses showed an adverse trend. In other word, the quantity of mercury accumulation was not increased proportionately by higher dose of mercury.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.195-207
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• 2000

Organic and inorganic characteristics including bacterial cell number, enzyme activity, nutrients, and heavy metals have been monitored in twelve acrylic experimental tanks for two weeks to estimate and compare self-purification capacities in two Korean wet-land environments, tidal flat and rice field, which are possibly different with the environments in other countries because of their own climatic conditions. FW tanks, filled with rice field soils and fresh water, consist of FW1&2 (with paddy), FW3&4 (without paddy), and FW5&6 (newly reclaimed, without paddy). SW tanks, filled with tidal flat sediments and salt water, are SW1&2 (with anoxic silty mud), SW3&4 (anoxic mud), and SW5&6 (suboxic mud). Contaminated solution, which is formulated with the salts of Cu, Cd, As, Cr, Pb, Hg, and glucose+glutamic acid, was spiked into the supernatent waters in the tanks. Nitrate concentrations in supernatent waters as well as bacterial cell numbers and enzyme activities of soils in the FW tanks (except FW5&6) are clearly higher than those in the SW tanks. Phosphate concentrations in the SW1 tank increase highly with time compared to those in the other SW tanks. Removal rates of Cu, Cd, and As in supematent waters of the FW5&6 tanks are most slow in the FW tanks, while the rates in SW1&2 are most fast in the SW tanks. The rate for Pb in the SW1&2 tanks is most fast in the SW tanks, and the rate for Hg in the FW5&6 tanks is most slow in the FW tanks. Cr concentrations decrease generally with time in the FW tanks. In the SW tanks, however, the Cr concentrations decrease rapidly at first, then increase, and then remain nearly constant. These results imply that labile organic materials are depleted in the FW5&6 tanks compared to the FW1&2 and FW3&4 tanks. Removal of Cu, Cd, As from the supernatent waters as well as slow removal rates of the elements (including Hg) are likely due to the combining of the elements with organic ligands on the suspended particles and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Fast removal rates of the metal ions (Cu, Cd, As) and rapid increase of phosphate concentrations in the SW1&2 tanks are possibly due to the relatively porous anoxic sediments in the SW1&2 tanks compared to those in the SW3&4 tanks, efficient supply of phosphate and hydrogen sulfide ions in pore wates to the upper water body, complexing of the metal ions with the sulfide ions, and subsequent removal to the bottom sediments. Organic materials on the particles and sulfide ions from the pore waters are the major factors constraining the behaviors of organic/inorganic elements in the supernatent waters of the experimental tanks. This study needs more consideration on more diverse organic and inorganic elements and experimental conditions such as tidal action, temperature variation, activities of benthic animals, etc.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.450-456
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• 2016

Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) has become a serious problem in Korean lawn grass, which is extremely hard to treat and develops mostly from the roots of lawn grass to wither it away. Rhizoctonia leaf blight (large patch) is caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG2-2 (IV). To develop zoysia japonica with strong disease tolerance against this pathogenic bacterium, ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ was cloned from zoysia japonica, which is one of the PR-Proteins known to play a critical role in plant defense reaction. ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ is known to be generated within the cells when plant tissues have a hypersensitive reaction due to virus or bacterium infection and secreted outside the cells to play mainly the function of resistance against pathogenic bacteria in the space between the cells. This study utilized the commonly preserved part in the sequence of corn, wheat, barley, and rice which had been researched for their disease tolerance among the ${\beta}-1,3-glucanase$ monocotyledonous plants. Based on the part, degenerate PCR was performed to find out the sequence and full-length cDNA was cloned. E.coli over-expression was conducted in this study to mass purify target protein and implement in vitro activation measurement and antibacterial test. In addition, to interpret the functions of ZjGlu1 gene, each gene-incorporating plant transformation vectors were produced to make lawn grass transformant. Based on ZjGlu1 protein, antibacterial activity test was conducted on 9 strains. As a result, R. cerealis, F. culmorum, R.solani AG-1 (1B), and T. atroviride were found to have antibacterial activity. The gene-specific expression amount in each organ showed no huge difference in the organs based upon the transformant and against 18s gene expression amount.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 1977

In order to investigate histopathologically the nature of varietal resistance and infection process of the rice bast fungus, Pyricularia oryzae. this experiment was undertaken by using the resistant cultivar Tongil and susceptible cultivars Norin No.6 and Jinheung in 1973 to 1974. 1) It was found that appressorium of the fungus forms not only at 4 hours after incubation under the favorable conditions but also peak of appressorial formation is at 48 hours treatment. Physical stimulus known to be a definite factor for appressorial formation. The optimum temperature range for appressorial infection was at $24^{\circ}C$ to $28^{\circ}C$, and pH was between 4.8 to 8.0 with 6.8 as the optimum. 2) Although percent of appressorial formation on the leaves of resistant Tongil and susceptiible Norin No.6 were only slightly different, there was a remarkable difference between resistant and susceptible cultivars with regard to percent of hyphal infection and index for hyphal extension. Index of hyphal extension was 1.6-2.7 in Tonyil. while in susceptible cultivar was 3.4-6.6. The rate of discoloration of infected cells, a indication of hypersensitivity, was greater in the resistant than in susceptible cultvar. 3) Therefore, it could be concluded that resistance of Tongil cultivar may be attributable to a higher degree of mechanical barriers as well as a higher level of antifungal substance accumulation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2006

The characteristics of mash qualities of takju prepared by addition of chestnut peel powder(5%, 10%, 20% and 30% per steamed rice) were investigated during fermentation. That is, in all fermentation periods, changes of pit total acid, organic acids, solids, amino nitrogen, total sugar and reducing sugar, microorganisms, alcohol and color were determined and analyzed. There was significant differences in characteristics of mash qualities by addition of chestnut peel powder. In general, contents of total acid, organic acids, amino nitrogen, total sugar, reducing sugar and ethanol of takju added with chestnut peel powder were lower than those of steamed rice only, whereas solid contents was higher. But ethanol content of takju added with 5% of chestnut peel powder after 8 days of fermentation was 9.6% which was similar to that of takju prepared by addition of steamed lice only. Also, microbial populations such as total viable cells, yeast and lactic acid bacteria of the treatments were increased to about $10^8CFU/mL$ after 2 days of fermentation and then decreased gradually. In the beginning stage of fermentation color differences value of the treatments were $1.99{\sim}10.27$, and the differentials reduced gradually during fermentation.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.142-154
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• 2010

The protein-bound innerpolysaccharides (IPS) produced by suspended mycelial cultures of Inonotus obliquus have promising potentials as an effective antidiabetic as well as an immunostimulating agents. To enhance IPS production, intensive strain improvement process should be carried out using large amount of UV-mutated protoplasts. During the whole strain-screening process, the stage of solid growth-culture was found to be the most time-requiring step, thus preventing rapid screening of high-yielding producers. In order to reduce the cell growth period in the solid growth-stage, therefore, solid growth-medium was optimized using the statistical methods such as (i) Plackett-Burman and fractional factorial designs (FFD) for selecting positive medium components, and (ii) steepest ascent (SAM) and response surface (RSM) methods for determining optimum concentrations of the selected components. By adopting the medium composition recommended by the SAM experiment, significantly higher growth rate was obtained in the solid growth-cultures, as represented by about 41% larger diameter of the cell growth circle and higher mycelial density. Sequential optimization process performed using the RSM experiments finally recommended the medium composition as follows: glucose 25.61g/L, brown rice 12.53 g/L, soytone peptone 12.53 g/L, $MgSO_4$ 5.53 g/L, and agar 20 g/L. It should be noted that this composition was almost similar to the medium combinations determined by the SAM experiment, demonstrating that the SAM was very helpful in finding out the final optimum concentrations. Through the use of this optimized medium, the period for the solid growth-culture could be successfully reduced to about 8 days from the previous 15~20 days, thus enabling large and mass screening of high producers in a relatively short period.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.865-872
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• 2014

In this study, ethanol and hot water extracts of lees from Korean traditional wine (J-B, J-S, J-Y, J-H, and J-W) were prepared, and their effects on blood coagulation, platelet aggregation, and hemolysis of human red blood cells (hRBCs) were investigated to develop functional food ingredients from lees. The pH and brix of the lees ranged from 3.90 to 4.29 and 5.0 to $27.0^{\circ}$, respectively, and there was a huge difference in the water and ethanol content among the lees. The nuruk and additives used affected the color and physicochemical properties of lees. The J-W takju made from only rice and traditional nuruk, which has $13^{\circ}$ brix and 1.8% of alcohol, has potential as functional food ingredient. With regard to the extraction yields of lees, higher yields were obtained from J-H, which contains different medicinal plants, in ethanol, followed by J-W, J-B, J-S, and J-Y. Higher extraction yields of lees were obtained from J-S in hot water, followed by J-B, J-W, J-H, and J-Y, respectively. The ethanol extract of J-H and the hot water extract of J-Y had the highest contents of total polyphenol and total flavonoids among the lees extracts. The 10 lees extracts did not show hemolysis activity against hRBCs up to 5 mg/ml. In an anticoagulation activity assay, the ethanol extracts of three yakju lees (J-B, J-S, and J-Y) and the hot water extract of J-W inhibited thrombin activity, whereas the hot water extract of J-B, J-S, and J-H inhibited blood coagulation factors. In an antiplatelet aggregation activity assay, only the J-W takju lees showed significant inhibition activity. Our results suggest that lees from traditional wine had high potential as a novel antithrombosis agent.