• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.297-302
• /
• 2015

Calcium is one of the essential mineral for the humans due to its crucial physiological functions in the body. Calcium deficiency results in many diseases, such as osteoporosis. Therefore, calcium supplements are available as a functional food. However, most calcium supplements in the market have a limitation due to poor absorption and low bioavailability. Thus, calcium-chelated peptides for improving the absorption rate of calcium have been isolated from foods including porcine meat and bone meal (MBM), and mussel using the enzymatic hydrolysis of their protein. The hydrolysates of food were ultra-filtered in order to obtain small peptides less than 3 kDa and the Ca-binding peptides were isolated via the anion exchange chromatography. The binding activity and concentration of Ca-binding pepetides were determined. In particular, the MBM and mussel protein hydrolysates were fractionated by mono Q and Q-Sepharose, respectively. As a result, among the fractions, the fractions of MBM F2 and mussel F3 showed the highest Ca-binding activity. These results suggest that MBM and mussel protein hydrolysates can be used as calcium supplements.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.153-158
• /
• 2012

Geft is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, which can specifically activate Rho family of small GTPase by catalyzing the exchange of bound GDP for GTP. Geft is highly expressed in the excitable tissue as heart and skeletal muscle and plays important roles in many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, and cell fate decision. However, the in vivo role of Geft remains unknown. Here, we generated a Geft conditional knockout mouse by flanking exons 5-17 of Geft with loxP sites. Cre-mediated deletion of the Geft gene in heart using Mef2c-Cre transgenic mice resulted in a dramatic decrease of Geft expression. Geft knockout mice develop normally and exhibit no discernable phenotype, suggesting Geft is dispensable for the development of the second heart field in mouse. The Geft conditional knockout mouse will be a valuable genetic tool for uncovering the in vivo roles of Geft during development and in adult homeostasis.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.225-231
• /
• 2005

Acid-labile subunit (ALS) is a component of the 150-kDa insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) complex, which, by sequestering the majority of IGFs-I and -II and thereby prolonging the half-life of them in plasma, serves as a circulating reservoir of IGFs in mammalian species. A pGEX-2T plasmid and a baculovirus expression constructs harboring a coding sequence for glutathione-S transferase (GST)-porcine ALS (pALS) fusion protein were expressed in BL21(DE3) E. coli and Sf9 insect cells, respectively. The expressed protein was purified by glutathione or Ni-NTN affinity chromatography, followed by cleavage of the fusion protein using Factor Xa. In addition, pALS and hIGFBP-3 were also produced in small amounts in the Xenopus oocyte expression system which does not require any purification procedure. A 65-kDa pALS polypeptide was obtained following the prokaryotic expression and the enzymatic digestion, but biochemical characterization of this polypeptide was precluded because of an extremely low expression efficiency. The baculovirus-as well as Xenopus-expressed pALS exhibited the expected molecular mass of 85 kDa which was reduced into 75 and 65 kDa following deglycosylation of Asn-linked carbohydrates by Endo-F glycosidase, indicating that the expressed pALS was properly glycosylated. Moreover, irrespective of the source of pALS, the recombinant pALS and hIGFBP-3 formed a 130-kDa binary complex which could be immunoprecipitated by anti-hIGFBP-3 antibodies. Collectively, results indicate that an authentic pALS protein can be produced by the current expression systems.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.4147-4151
• /
• 2012

The current study was conducted to explore the inhibitory effects of a small interfering RNA (siRNA) on 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) expression in esophageal cancer 9706 (EC9706) cells and the influence on their biological behavior. After transfection of a synthesized PDK1 siRNA, PDK1 mRNA and protein expression and the phosphorylation level of the downstream Akt protein were assessed using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Proliferation, apoptosis, cell invasion and in vivo tumor formation capacity were also investigated using MTT, flow cytometry, Transwell invasion trials, and nude mouse tumor transplantion, respectively. PDK1 siRNA effectively suppressed PDK1 mRNA and protein expression, and down-regulated the phosphorylation level of the Akt protein in the EC9706 cells (P < 0.05). It also inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, and promoted apoptosis; such effects were particularly obvious at 48 h and 72 h after transfection (P < 0.05). Growth of transplanted tumors was inhibited in nude mice, with decreased PDK1 expression in tumor tissues. PDK1 may be closely correlated with proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of esophageal cancer cells and thus may serve as an effective target for gene therapy.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.115-121
• /
• 2009

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 2 is a potent osteogenic factor. Although both Smad1/5 and mitogenactivated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated by BMP2, the hierarchical relationship between them is unclear. In this study, we examined if BMP2-stimulated MAPK activation is regulated by Smad1/5 or vice versa. When C2C12 cells were treated with BMP2, the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase was evident within 5 min. The knockdown of both Smad1 and Smad5 by small interfering RNA did not affect the activation of these MAPKs. In addition, neither the overexpression of Smad1 nor Smad5 induced ERK activation. When ERK activation was induced by constitutively active MEK1 expression, the protein level and activation of Smad1 increased. Furthermore, the inhibition of constitutively active BMP receptor type IB-induced ERK activation significantly suppressed Smad1 activation. These results indicate that Smad1/5 activation is not necessary for BMP2-induced MAPK activation and also that ERK positively regulates Smad1 activation.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.159-162
• /
• 2007

Soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor(SKTI) protein is a small, monomeric and non-glycosylated protein containing 181 amino acid residues and is responsible for the inferior nutritional quality of unheated or incompletely heated soybean meal. The objective of this research is to confirm SSR marker(Satt228) tightly linked to the Ti locus using several germplasm accessions with TiTi or titi genotypes for MAS in soybean breeding programs. TiTi genotypes('Jinpumkong2', 'Clark', and 'William') had allele1 and titi genotypes(PI196168, C242, W60, and PI157440) had allele2 in Satt228 marker analysis. 'Jinpumkong2', 'Clark', and 'William'(TiTi genotype) had a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein of 21.5 kDa size, and PI196168, C242, W60, and PI157440(titi genotype) did not have the band in protein gel electrophoresis from the mature seed. Cosegregation between the SKTI protein(21.5 kDa size) and allele of Satt228 marker was observed in seven germplasm accessions with different genetic backgrounds. Any recombination between the SKTI protein and allele of the Satt228 marker was not observed. This result indicates that Satt228 marker may effectively utilized to select the plants with the titi genotype.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.10
• /
• pp.1880-1885
• /
• 2007

In this paper, we propose the method that improve the performance of the Mowse. Mowse is the tool of the peptide mass fingerprinting that is used the identification of protein. In Mowse, frequency factor matrix is generated to regular interval for protein and peptide mass and the value of each elements is calculated to frequency of peptide. We propose new method for calculation of exact scoring value maintaining same size of matrix. The proposed method is that decide interval of matrix considering distribution of protein database. That is, interval of matrix is decided to small in many value of protein mass and is decided to large in few value of protein mass. We present the performance result both Mowse scoring method and the proposed scoring method.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.148-156
• /
• 2021

Single-chain antibodies against epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) are potentially promising agents for developing antibody-based cancer treatment strategies. We described in our previous study the successful expression of an anti-EGFRvIII scFv antibody in Escherichia coli. However, we could also observe the formation of insoluble aggregates in the periplasmic space, limiting the production yield of the active product. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms by which growth conditions could affect the expression of the soluble anti-EGFRvIII scFv antibody in small-scale E. coli NiCo21(DE3) cultures, attempting to maximize production. The secreted scFv molecules were purified using Ni-NTA magnetic beads and protein characterization was performed using SDS-PAGE and western blot analyses. We used the ImageJ software for protein quantification and determined the antigen-binding activity of the scFv antibody against the EGFRvIII protein. Our results showed that the highest percentage of soluble scFv expression could be achieved under culture conditions that combined low IPTG concentration (0.1 mM), low growth temperature (18℃), and large culture dish surface area. We found moderate-yield soluble scFv production in the culture medium after lactose-mediated induction, which was also beneficial for downstream protein processing. These findings were confirmed by conducting western blot analysis, indicating that the soluble, approximately 30-kDa scFv molecule was localized in the periplasm and the extracellular space. Moreover, the antigen-binding assay confirmed the scFv affinity against the EGFRvIII antigen. In conclusion, our study reveals that low-speed protein expression is preferable to obtain more soluble anti-EGFRvIII scFv protein in an E. coli expression system.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.42 no.3
• /
• pp.262-269
• /
• 2019

The porcine myeloid antimicrobial peptide (PMAP), one of the cathelicidin family members, contains small cationic peptides with amphipathic properties. We used a putative lysozyme originated from the bacteriophage P22 (P22 lysozyme) as a fusion partner, which was connected to the N-terminus of the PMAP36 peptide, to markedly increase the expression levels of recombinant PMAP36. The PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein with high solubility was produced in Escherichia coli. The final purified yield was approximately 1.8 mg/L. The purified PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative and Grampositive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis). Furthermore, we estimated its hemolytic activity against pig erythrocytes as 6% at the high concentration ($128{\mu}M$) of the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein. Compared with the PMAP36 peptide (12%), our fusion protein exhibited half of the hemolytic activity. Overall, our recombinant PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein sustained the antimicrobial activity with the lower hemolytic activity associated with the synthetic PMAP36 peptide. This study suggests that the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion system could be a crucial addition to the plethora of novel antimicrobials.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.424-439
• /
• 1990

The protein content of seed meal were examined to evaluate genotypes of higher protein content from 164 peanut germplasms. The variations in amino acids content were investigated from nine Korean leading varieties grown at five locations. Amino acids contents of protein fractions were also ana lysed in the present study, too. The results of the study were summarized as fallows. The seed protein of 164 peanut varieties averaged 24.5% ranging from 19.5% to 28.7%, showed 9.2% varietal variation in proteins. Differences were not observed in protein content between plant types, however, protein contents were higher in small-seeded than large seeded varieties. The differences were more greater particulaly in Spanish type varieties. The varieties introduced from Taiwan and Philippine showed higher protein contents, and the cultivars or lines bred in Korea and introduced from Japan were lower in protein contents. protein contents showed non-significantly negative correlations with 100-kernel weight and pod weight per plant, but positive correlations were observed between oil and protein content in all types of peanuts. Significant differences among the varieties and locations were observed for total, essential and non-essential amino acids contents, and aspartic acid. Locational differences for arginine, lysine, methionine, threonine, glutamic acid, glycine and tyrosine, and varietal difference for phenylalanene were revealed as significant. The limiting amino acids from the leading varieties were isoleucine, methionine, threonine, alanine and tyrosine, comparing with FAO recommanding levels of amino acids. Among the protein fractions prolamins was the highest in total amino acids, but essential amino acids was the highest in globulins