• Mycobiology
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.14-21
• /
• 2006

Crude protein (CP) content of mechanically ground rice straw into small particles by an electric grinder and reducing value (RV) and soluble protein (SP) in the culture filtrate were lower than that of the chopped straw into $5{\sim}6\;cm$ lengths when both ground and chopped straws were fermented with Aspergillus ochraceus, A. terreus or Trichoderma koningii, at steady conditions. The reduction rate of RV, SP and CP was 22.2, 2.4, 7.3%; 9.1, 4.9, 8.5% or 0.0, 0.0, 3.6% for the three fungi, respectively. Chemical pretreatment of straw by soaking in $NH_{4}OH$ for a day caused significant increase in CP of the fermented straw than the other alkali and acidic pretreatments. Gamma irradiation pretreatment of dry and wet straw with water, specially at higher doses, 100, 200 or 500 kGy, caused significant increase in RV and SP as CP in the fermented straw by any of these fungi. Chemical-physical combination pretreatment of rice straw reduced the applied dose of gamma irradiation required for increasing fermentable ability of fungi from 500 kGy to 10 kGy with approximately the same results. Significant increases in RV and SP of fermented straw generally occurred as the dose of gamma irradiation for pretreated straw, which combined with $NH_{4}OH$, gradually rose. Whereas, the increase percentage in CP of fermented straw that was pretreated by $NH_{4}OH-10\;kGy$ was 12.4%, 15.4% or 8.6% for A. ochraceus, A. terreus or T. koningii, respectively.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.201-206
• /
• 2005

Microalgae are widely used for mass culture of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in aquaculture. Since the nutritional value of the rotifer is closely related to its food, the nutritional value of its food should be known in detail. Chlorella ellipsoidea and Nannochloris oculata are re­presentative food organisms for rotifers that are easily cultured. Therefore, the nutritional values of these micro algae were examined for ultrasmall, small, and large rotifers and Artemia nauplii. Chlorella ellipsoidea contained seven times more total fatty acids than N. oculata. The three types of rotifer fed N. oculata contained more amino acids than those fed C. ellipsoidea. However, the total fatty acids of the rotifers fed each microalga species differed according to the type of rotifer. Newly hatched Artemia nauplii contained more protein and had a higher dry weight than those fed microalgae for 6 h. As with the rotifers, the Artemia nauplii fed N. oculata contained more protein and amino acids than those fed C. ellipsoidea, while the reverse was true for the total fatty acid content. Our results suggest that N. oculata is a good supply of protein, while C. ellipsoidea is a good source of lipids as food organisms for rotifers and Artemia nauplii in aquaculture.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
• /
• v.54 no.8
• /
• pp.378-383
• /
• 2005

We report the development of miniature fluorescence detection systems that employ miniature prism, mirrors and low coat CCD camera to detect the fluorescence emitted from 40 fluorescently-labeled protein patterns without scanner. This kind of miniature fluorescence detection system can be used in point of care. We introduce two systems, one uses prism+mirror block and the other uses prism and two mirrors. A large NA microscope eyepiece and low cost CCD camera are used. We fabricated protein chip containing multi-pattern BSA labeled with Cy5, using MEMS technology and modified the surface chemically to clean and to immobilize proteins. The measurements show that the combination of prism and mirrors can homogenize elliptical excitation light over the sample with higher optical efficiency, and increase the separation between excitation and fluorescence light at the CCD to give higher signal intensity and higher signal to noise ratio. The measurements also show that protein concentrations ranging from 10 ng/ml to 1000 ng/ml can be assayed with very small error. We believe that the proposed fluorescence detection system can be refined to build a commercially valuable hand-held or miniature detection device.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.3 s.83
• /
• pp.345-349
• /
• 2007

We wished to create a set of small molecular weight PDZ domain ligands that may be used in functional studies on the proteins AF6, PSD-95 and Shank. As a starting point, the Shank3 PDZ domain was cloned, purified, and characterized the structure of Shank3 PDZ domain by 1D $^1H-NMR$. The chemical shift dispersion of the proton signals indicates that the purified Shank3 PDZ protein is very pure and globally well folded. Currently, we are working on improving the yield of the protein production for complete NMR structural analysis of the Shank3 PDZ domain.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.219-224
• /
• 1997

The pancreas is an important organ in the maintenance of zine homeostasis. The pancreatic tissue used in this study was obtained from rats fed varying levels of dietary Ca nd phytate followed by intraperitoneal {TEX}${65}^Zn${/TEX} injection. THe objective of this study was to determine the molecular size and distribution of compounds that may represent zinc-binding complexes in pancreatic tissue homogenates. The supernatant of the homogenized pancreatic tissue was separated using a Sephadex G-75 column with Tris buffer at pH 8.1. All subfractions were assayed for zinc, protein and {TEX}${65}^Zn${/TEX} activity. The elution of subfractions from pancreatic tissue homogenates showed a prominent peak corresponding to the high molecular weight protein standard (>66kd). A sall molecular weigth protein (<6.5kd), that was absorbed at 280nm, was also present: prominently in low Ca group, however not much as in high Ca group. These small compounds may combine weakly with zinc in pancreatic tissue an serve as zinc-binding ligands in pancreatic/biliary fluid. In the duodenum, these ligands dissociate zinc into an ionic form which becomes vulnerable to phytate complexation.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.9-14
• /
• 2022

Objectives Sleep is fundamental to maintaining homeostatic control and has behavioral and psychological effects on humans. To better understand the function and pathophysiology of sleep, specific gene expressions in reference to sleep deprivation have been studied. In this study, we investigated the gene expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells after sleep deprivation to better understand the functional consequence of sleep. Methods In eight healthy men, 24 h sleep deprivation was induced. Blood was sampled at 14:00, before and after sleep deprivation. mRNA was isolated and analyzed via microarrays. cDNAs before and after sleep deprivation were coupled to Cy3 or Cy5, respectively, and normalized cDNAs were selected with a ratio greater than two as a significant gene. Results are expressed as mean. Results Among 41174 transcripts, 38852 genes were selected as reliable, and only a small minority (< 1%) of the genes were up-or down-regulated. Total six and eleven genes were selected as significant upregulated and downregulated genes, respectively. Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type O was most upregulated (6.9-fold), and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5-like protein showed the most substantial inhibition (0.06-fold). Conclusions This study showed significant associations between sleep deprivation and the immune system. Acute sleep deprivation affects pathways in proinflammatory cytokines as well as metabolic pathways of glutamate and purine, neurotransmitters related to sleep and wake cycle.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.343-351
• /
• 2024

A weight loss technique was used to stabilize whey protein (97%) with a small percentage of cocoa (3%) and bond it to a mild steel surface in hydrochloric acid at temperatures ranging from 303 K to 333 K. Results of analyzing whey inhibitor's effectiveness showed the highest percentage (90%) at a temperature ranging from 30 ℃ to 60 ℃ and an amount of 15 grams, leading to outstanding corrosion resistance properties. The efficiency of the inhibitor increased with increasing concentration but decreased with increasing temperature. To evaluate corrosion areas, samples were subjected to cross-section analysis before and after adding the inhibitor. The contact angle test conducted on steel alloys indicated that the angle decreases with increasing inhibitor concentration. Adhesion of the samples was also examined after adding the inhibitor. Results showed that the best area removal was 11.692%. When examining the inhibitor using FTIR spectroscopy, the whey protein with cocoa showed a great efficiency. Thus, whey inhibitor can be used as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel alloys immersed in acidic conditions.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.160-164
• /
• 2017

Electron crystallography has been used as the one of powerful tool for studying the structure of biological macromolecules at high resolution which is sufficient to provide details of intramolecular and intermolecular interactions at near-atomic level. Previously it commonly uses two-dimensional crystals that are periodic arrangement of biological molecules, however recent studies reported a novel technical approach to electron crystallography of three-dimensional crystals, called micro electron-diffraction (MicroED) which involves placing the irregular and small sized protein crystals in a transmission electron microscope to determine the atomic structure. In here, we review the advances in electron crystallography techniques with several recent studies. Furthermore, we discuss the future direction of this structural approach.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.541-545
• /
• 2000

For the sustained release formulation of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), dissociable rhGH aggregates were microencapsulated within poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) [PLGA] microparticles. rhGH aggregates with 2 - 3 m Particle diameter were first produced by adding a small volume of aqueous rhGH solution into a partially water miscible organic solvent phase(ethyl acetate) containing PLGA. These rhGH aggregates were then microencapsulated within PLGA polymer phase by extracting ethyl acetate into an aqueous phase pre-saturated with ethyl acetate. The resultant microparticles were 2 - 3 m in diameter similar to the size of rhGH aggregates, suggesting that PLGA polymer was coated around the protein aggregates. Release profiles of rhGH from these microparticles were greatly affected by changing the volume of the incubation medium. The release rhGH species consisted of mostly monomeric form with having a correct conformation. This study reveals that sustained rhGH release could be achieved by microencapsulating reversibly dissociable protein aggregates within biodegradable polymers.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.14-18
• /
• 2002

Subpopulations of nucleotides that bind specifically to a variety of proteins have been isolated from a population of random sequence RNA/DNA molecules. Roughly one in $10^{13}$ random sequence RNA/DNA molecules folds in such a way as to create a specific binding site for small ligands. Since the development of in vitro selection procedure, more than 50 nucleic acid ligands (aptamers) have been isolated. These molecules are very useful for the study of molecular recognition between nucleic acid and protein/organic compound. In addition to these basic studies this method gives us a dream to produce new drugs against several diseases. We focused on several aptamers which specifically binds to trypsin-like serine proteases (thrombin, human neutrophil elastase, activated protein C and NS3 protease of human hepatitis C virus) and want to introduce their structural characteristics and some functions.