• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.679-686
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• 1998

This study was performed to determine whether the infusion of nucleosides and a nucleotide mixture directly ito intestinal lumen can induce a regenerative effect on impaired intestinal mucosa. The effects of massive small bowel resention and also total parenteral nutrition were induced by surgical creation of Thirty-Vella fistual in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats received saline solution (Control group) or nucleosides and a nucleotide mixture(lower concentration group(Nucl) or higher concentration group (Nuc2) every two days into the fistula. Mucosal protein, DNA , ornithine decarboxylase(ODC) activity, and morphometry were evaluated at 9 or 21 days postoperation in the fistual and also in the residual ileal segment. On the 9th day, mucosal protein, DNA content, and villous surface area in the fistula and also in the residual ileum increased in rats that received nucleosides and a nucleotide mixture of lower concentration (Nuc 1). On the 21 th day, there were no significant differences in intestinal mucosa between the control group and the lower level nucleoside nucleotide mixture-treated group. The fistula villous height of the higher nucleosides and a nucleotide mixture group was higher than in the control rats. Fistula mucosal ODC activities were not significantly different between groups although the mucosal ODC activity of the residual ileal segment was increased on the 9th day. Our data suggests that this animal model is suitable for studying the effect of dietary factors on intestinal mucosal growth and regeneration after villous stropy , differentiating direct effects of diet on the intestine from systemic effects. It is also suggested that external nucleosides and nucleotides have supportive effects on intestinal mucosal regeneration.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2012

We characterized the cytoskeletal beta-actin (${\beta}$-ACT) gene (actb) and its 5'-upstream regulatory region in the Javanese ricefish Oryzias javanicus. The gene and protein structures were deduced from amino acid sequences of the actb gene and conserved in the teleost lineage. The O. javanicus actb gene has common transcription factor binding motifs in its regulatory region found in teleostean orthologues. Following quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, actb gene transcripts were detected in all tissues examined; however, the basal expression levels were different. During early development, O. javanicus actb mRNA levels showed a gradual increase and peaked between late somitogenesis and the heartbeat stage. Microinjection of O. javanicus embryos with the actb gene promoter-driven red fluorescent protein (RFP) gene reporter vector showed a ubiquitous distribution of RFP signals, although most exhibited a mosaic pattern of transgene expression. A small number of microinjected embryos displayed a wide distribution of RFP signals over their entire body, which resembled the expression pattern of endogenous actb. Data from this study provide a basis to develop a transgenic system with ubiquitous expression of foreign genes in O. javanicus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.350-355
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• 2010

Among human antimicrobial peptides (hAMPs), DCD-1L has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity over a wide pH range and in high salt concentrations. It offers a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics. The 458-bp-long dermcidin cDNA was amplified by PCR using a human fetal cDNA library as a template. The 147-bp fragment of the MDCD-1L gene encoding an additional methionine residue was subcloned into the pTYB11 vector. Recombinant MDCD-1L was expressed as an intein fusion protein in E. coli, and then purified by affinity chromatography using chitin beads. A small peptide with a molecular mass of about 5 kDa was detected by tricine gel electrophoresis. The recombinant MDCD-1L peptide was purified from the gel and its amino acid sequence was determined by nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. The initiating amino acid, methionine, remained attached to the N-terminal region of recombinant MDCD-1L. Purified MDCD-1L showed antimicrobial activity against a Micrococcus luteus test strain.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2004

Metallothionein (MT), a small protein molecule which can bind or release metal ions, is involved in the regulation of cellular metal homeostasis. This study was investigated the accumulation of cadmium in blood, tissue (liver, kidney and brain), and the effect of cadmium on several key genes (MT-I, MT-II, ZnT-1) in zinc metabolism in the mouse. Mouses weighing 20∼25 g were randomly assigned to control and cadmium treated group (Cd group). Cd group was intraperitoneally injected with cadmium 2, 4, 8 mg/kg and control group was administerd with saline. Mouses of each group were sacrificed by decapitation 4 hours after the administration of cadmium. Cadmium contents in blood, liver, kidney and brain were increased by a dose-dependent manner. Accumulation of cadmium was mainly occurred in liver and kidney. Induction of MT-I and MT-II protein was increased, but ZnT-1 expression was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by the treatment of 2∼8 mg/kg cadmium. These results suggested that cadmium can be transported to brain and alter the expression of several key genes in zinc homeostasis.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2015

Objectives This paper focused on developing the acupuncture-moxibustion device for head. Disadvantages of the existing devices for head moxibustion are its hume and inconvenience in operating because of the hair. Methods The proposed acupuncture-moxibustion device for GV20(Baihui) is 10mm long as needle body and 6mm long as needle root whose feature are 1~2 turns spiral coil. The spiral coil contains the moxa in order not to drop the moxa while operating Results The direct temperature on the burning moxa were measured by TK-305 infrared thermometer. But the direct temperature on the needle of acupuncture-moxibustion device were not able to measure by TK-305 infrared thermometer. By definition equation, the indirect temperatures on the needle of acupuncture-moxibustion device were able to be calculated. Conclusion A very safe, small and cheap acupuncture-moxibustion device for GV20(Baihui) of head is proposed. It will be useful to generate the heat shock protein and to operate in preventing and curing the Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.404-415
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• 1990

This study is conducted to evalute the effect of ginseng fraction component (ginseng extract solution, GES; ginseng protein, GP; ginseng saponin, GSA; ginseng residue, GR) upon hyperlipidemia and fatty liver induced by high fat administration. In doing so, the serum, liver and epididymal adpoid tissue have been examined for lipid components level and lipoprotein fraction. Feces bile acid and neutral sterol excretion have been also measured. 1'he results obtained from this study are as follows. 1. Serum, liver, epididymal lipid components of GP and GSA group were significantly lower than the controlgroup. 2. During the feeding experiment, VLDL and LDL increase while HDL decrease in all group. However the degree of VLDL and LDL increase and HDL decrease were signficantly small in GP and GSA group compared with control group. 3. In the excretion of bile acid and neutral sterol, all experiment group showed increased excretion in the comparison of control group.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.149-153
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• 2001

The electron transfer reaction is one of the most essential processes of life. Not only does it provide the means of transforming solar and chemical energy into a utilizable form for all living organisms, it also extends into a range of metabolic processes that support the life of a cell. Thus, it is of great interest to understand the physical basis of the rates and reduction potentials of these reactions. To identify the major determinants of reduction potentials in redox proteins, we have chosen the simplest electron transfer protein, rubredoxin, a small (52-54 residue) iron-sulfur protein family, widely distributed in bacteria and archaea. Rubredoxins can be grouped into two classes based on the correlation of their reduction potentials with the identity of residue 44; those with Ala44 (ex: Pyrococcus furiosus) have reduction potentials that are ∼50 mV higher than those with Va144 (ex: Clostridium pasteurianum). Based on the crystal structures of rubredoxins from C. pasteurianum and P. furiosus, we propose the identity of residue 44 alone determines the reduction potential by the orientation of the electric dipole moment of the peptide bond between 43 and 44. Based on 1.5 $\AA$ resolution crystal structures and molecular dynamics simulations of oxidized and reduced rubredoxins from C. pasteurianum, the structural rearrangements upon reduction suggest specific mechanisms by which electron transfer reactions of rubredoxin should be facilitated.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to investigate the specific correlation between physicochemical properties and bioactivity in ecdysteroids found in living organisms. Methods: The examined steroidal compounds were classified into three groups according to their relevance to ecdysone activity. Each compound molecule was completely drawn to automatically calculate its physicochemical parameters and docked against 20-hydroxyecdysone to calculate the total distance. Electronic charge distribution was also observed for each molecule. All procedures were conducted using a computational chemistry program. Results: Ecdysone agonists showed different ranges of parameter values, such as log P, hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), solubility parameter (SP), hydrophilic surface (HPS), hydrogen bond (HB) and Kappa 2, when compared with antagonists and steroids without ecdysone activity. They also showed a similar electronic charge distribution that is significantly different from the electron charge distribution of antagonists and steroids without ecdysone activity. The total distance values of agonists, estimated by docking them with 20-hydroxyecdysone, were relatively small but showed no correlation with binding affinity with receptor ligand. Conclusions: These results suggest that physicochemical properties such as steric and electronic effects, hydrophobicity and hydrogen bonding may operate in combination to determine the binding activity of ecdysteroids to the receptor protein.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2012

The present study aimed to investigate the function of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) in the regulation of Oct4 in mouse embryonic carcinoma P19 cells and mouse J1 embryonic stem (ES) cells. The mRNA level of endogenous TCTP in somatic cells was 2-4 folds higher than that in pluripotent P19 and J1 ES cells. Overexpression of TCTP in mouse pluripotent cells not only reduced the level of Oct4 transcription, but also decreased the pluripotency of stem cells. The N-terminal end of TCTP (amino acids 1-60) played an important role in suppressing the Oct4 promoter. Moreover, overexpression of TCTP in P19 cells suppressed the Oct4 promoter activity in a dose- and a time-dependent manner. In addition, knockdown of TCTP by small interfering RNA increased the expression of Oct4. Our study indicates that TCTP downregulates the Oct4 expression by binding the Sf1 site of Oct4 promoter in mouse pluripotent cells.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2000

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is the causal agent of one of the most important diseases of citrus. Recently, CTV has been detected in Cheju Island by ELISA. The coat protein (CP) gene of CTV isolated form Cheju Island was cloned by RT-PCR and the nucleotide was analyzed in this study. Citrus leaves were collected from trees showing decline symptoms from various region of Cheju Island in the summer of 1998 and 1999. The CP gene open reading frame is composed of 670 nucleotides and encodes a polypeptide of 223 amono acids. Sequence analysis the CP gene revealed that two CTV strains present in Cheju Island. Viruses collected form Sogwipo area and Cheju City area in 1999 ahowed 91-93% nucleotide sequence homology with CTV T36 strain. Viruses collected form Cheju City area in 1999 and Sogwipo City in 1998 showed 94-98% nucleotide sequence homology with CTV SY568 strain. A efficient viral RNA extraction methods was developed by modifying procedure for animal virus RNA purification methods and PCR product was detected form one tenth of RNA purified from as small as 45 mg fresh or frozen tissue.