• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.205-214
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• 2005

From ancient Antarctic glacier ice, we extracted total genomic DNA that was suitable for prokaryotic 16S rDNA gene cloning and sequencing, and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library and end-sequencing. The ice samples were from the Dry Valley region. Age dating by $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ analysis on the volcanic ashes deposited in situ indicated the ice samples are minimum 100,000-300,000 yr (sample DLE) and 8 million years (sample EME) old. Further assay proved the ice survived freeze-thaw cycles or other re-working processes. EME, which was from a small lobe of the basal Taylor glacier, is the oldest known ice on Earth. Microorganisms, preserved frozen in glacier ice and isolated from the rest of the world over a geological time scale, can provide valuable data or insight for the diversity, distribution, survival strategy, and evolutionary relationships to the extant relatives. From the 16S gene cloning study, we detected no PCR amplicons with Archaea-specific primers, however we found many phylotypes belonging to Bacteria divisions, such as Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria $({\alpha},\;{\beta},\;and\;{\gamma})$, Firmicutes, and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroid$. BAC cloning and sequencing revealed protein codings highly identical to phenylacetic acid degradation protein paaA, chromosome segregation ATPases, or cold shock protein B of present day bacteria. Throughput sequencing of the BAC clones is underway. Viable and culturable cells were recovered from the DLE sample, and characterized by their 16S rDNA sequences. Further investigation on the survivorship and functional genes from the past should help unveil the evolution of life on Earth, or elsewhere, if any.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.472-475
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• 1998

A female Green iguana (Iguana iguana) was brought to the small animal clinic in Hannover Veterinary school because of anorexia and convulsion. Two months ago, the owner bought two iguanas, one female and one male and had to take a female to the one of local small animal clinic because she, born in 19931 didn't eat well and showed the tremor of the legs. The veterinarian suspected it to have a calcium deficiency and gave an injection of calcium and vitamin D3. But still during the last two months, the female iguana did only eat some lettuce while the other male ate lettuce, fruits and commercial cat-food ($Whiskas^{\circledR}$, Effem, Verden). It was not possible to evaluate the rations of these different "food-components". They are kept in the terrarium with water container. By palpation of the abdomen, hard thing like stone was palpated in the mid-region. The blood test wasn't carried out because of the difficulties of getting blood and because of her bad condition. It was firmly diagnosed as cystic calculus through radiography. Since the animal is in shock state already, the prognosis after surgery was bad. It was assumed to be too late to expect its surviving with the surgery carried out or without it. Cystotomy was performed in the cranial ventral paramedian incision in order to preserve the large ventral abdominal vein in the linen alba region. After two stay sutures ("holding suture" ) with 5-0 polyglactin 910 ($Vicryl^{\circledR}, Ethicon$) on the bladder, cystotomy was carried out and the stone inside was removed. Then, the bladder was closed in one-layer sutures. The abdomen was closed in simple interrupted suture with same material after the instillation of 10 ml saline solution into the abdominal cavity. The cystic calculus was in a size of $5.8{\times} 5.O{\times} 3.5 cm$. The analysis of the stone was carried out in two ways which are the infrared spectroscopy of the stone and quick analysis by $Merckognost^{\circledR}$(Diagnostica Merck, Merck). In the result of the infrared spectroscopy, the stone wee composed of 10% ammonium urate and 90% dihydrated uric acid. This iguana wasn't able to survive.n't able to survive.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.143-149
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• 2007

Scutellaria baicalensis GEORGI(SB) is used in oriental medicine for the treatment of incipient strokes. Although it has been reported that SB is neuroprotective in a hypoxia model, its mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of SB on the modulation of retinoic acid receptor a (RARa). Rat cerebrocortical cells were grown in neurobasal medium. On DIV12 cells were treated with SB $(20{\mu}g/ml)$ and given a hypoxic shock $(2%\;O_2/5%\;CO_2,\;3hr)$ on DIV14. In situ hybridization using cRNA probe revealed that RARa mRNA punctae are distributed, in addition to nucleus, throughout neuronal dendrites, where SB upregulated its density by 69.8% (p=0.001) and 129.8% (p=0.001) in both normoxia and hypoxia, respectively. At the protein level, SB upregulated RARa in the neuronal soma by 78.8% (p=0.004) and 23.6% (p=0.001) in both normoxia and hypoxia, respectively. These results indicate that SB upregulates RARa in both normoxia and hypoxia, which might contribute to the neuroprotection.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.50-50
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• 2003

We have identified and analysed a putative response regulator two-component gene (CaSKN7) from Candida albicans and its encoding protein (CaSkn7). CaSKN7 has an open reading frame of 1677bp. CaSKN7 encodes a 559 amino acid protein (CaSkn7) with an estimated molecular mass of 61.1 kDa. CaSKN7 is a homologue of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae SKN7 that is the regulator involved in the oxidative stress response. To study the role of CaSKN7, we constructed a CAI4-derived mutant strain carrying a homozygous deletion of the CaSKN7 gene. In the caskn7 disruptant cells, the formation of germ tube require shorter time than that in the congenic wild-type strain but the growth of mycelium delayed in liquid media. In contrast, the caskn7 disruptant cells attenuate the differentiation in solid media and the virulence in mouse model system. Expression level of hypha-specific and virulence genes - HYR1, ECE1, HWP1, and ALS1 - in the caskn7 disruptant cells increased as compared with that in the congenic wild-type strain in 10％ serum YPD. Skn7 in 5. cerevisiae was found to bind the HSE element from the SSA promoter, Also, CaSkn7 contains heat shock factor DNA-binding domain and the promoters of these genes have HSE-like sties. Therefore these results show that CaSKN7 regulate the differentiation and virulence of C. albicans.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.168-172
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• 2002

출아효모는 주변 환경 pH의 커다란 변화 속에서 적응할 수 있는 효과적인 체계를 지니고 있으며 SHC1 유전자는 알칼리 pH 조건에서 세포의 성장에 필요한 유전자 중에 하나임을 확인하였다. SHC1 유전자의 세포내 pH 조절 기작을 보다 구체적으로 알아보기 위하여 이 유전자가 소실된 돌연변이주를 제조하였다. 성장률의 차이가 나타나는 원인을 세포 내부의 pH 완충능력 결여에 의한 것으로 추측하고 pH 감수성 형광물질인 C.SNARE를 사용하여 외부 pH의 변화에 따른 세포 내부의 pH를 측정하였다. 알칼리 pH 완충효과는 소실 돌연변이의 경우는 야생종 대비 70% 수준을 보였다. 또한 pH 조절에 관여하는 효모세포 내부의 $Na^{+}$과 $K^{+}$의 농도를 원자흡광계를 사용하여 조사한 바, $K^{+}$ 이온의 경우에는 돌연변이주에 비하여 야생형 세포내에 더 많이 존재하는 것으로 나타났으나 $Na^{+}$ 이온의 경우는 별다른 차이점을 보이지 않았다. 이러한 결과는 $K^{+}$ 이온의 조절이 효모에서 세포내 pH조절 기작에 중요하며 SHC1 유전자는 이 $K^{+}$ 이온의 세포내 농도 유지에 관여하고 있다는 것을 제시해 주었다.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.24-29
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• 2018

DC23, a triazolothione resorcinol analogue, is known to inhibit heat shock protein 90 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase which are up-regulated in cancer and diabetes, respectively. This study was performed to elucidate the metabolism of DC23 in human liver microsomes (HLMs). HLMs incubated with DC23 in the presence of uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA) and/or ${\beta}$-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) resulted in the formation of four metabolites, M1-M4. M1 was identified as DC23-N-Oxide, on the basis of LC-MS/MS analysis. DC23 was further metabolized to its glucuronide conjugates (M2, M3, and M4). In vitro metabolic stability studies conducted with DC23 in HLMs revealed significant glucuronide conjugation with a $t_{1/2}$ value of 1.3 min. The inhibitory potency of DC23 on five human cytochrome P450s was also investigated in HLMs. In these experiments, DC23 inhibited CYP2C9-mediated tolbutamide hydroxylase activity with an $IC_{50}$ value of $8.7{\mu}M$, which could have implications for drug interactions.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제60권1호
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• pp.25-34
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• 2022

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by infection with E. multilocularis metacestode, represents one of the most fatal helminthic diseases. AE is principally manifested with infiltrative, proliferating hepatic mass, resembling primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Sometimes metastatic lesions are found in nearby or remote tissue. AE diagnosis largely depends on imaging studies, but atypical findings of imaging features frequently require differential diagnosis from other hepatic lesions. Serological tests may provide further evidence, while obtaining reliable AE materials is not easy. In this study, alternative antigens, specific to AE were identified by analyzing E. granulosus protoscolex proteins. An immunoblot analysis of E. granulosus protoscolex showed that a group of low-molecular-weight proteins in the range from 14 kDa to 16 kDa exhibited a sensitive and specific immune response to AE patient sera. Partial purification and proteomic analysis indicated that this protein group contained myosin, tubulin polymerization promoting protein, fatty-acid binding protein, uncharacterized DM9, heat shock protein 90 cochaperone tebp P-23, and antigen S. When the serological applicability of recombinant forms of these proteins was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, DM9 protein (rEgDM9) showed 90.1% sensitivity (73/81 sera tested) and 94.5% specificity (172/181 sera tested), respectively. rEgDM9 showed weak cross-reactions with patient sera from the transitional and chronic stages of cystic echinococcosis (3 to 5 stages). rEgDM9 would serve as a useful alternative antigen for serodiagnosis of both early- and advanced-stage AE cases.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권10호
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• pp.512-517
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• 2022

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is brain damage which is caused by the impact of external mechanical forces. TBI can lead to the temporary or permanent impairment of physical and cognitive abilities, resulting in abnormal behavior. We recently observed that a single session of early exercise in animals with TBI improved their behavioral performance in the absence of other cognitive abnormalities. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of continuous exercise during the early stages of TBI in rats. We found that continuous low-intensity exercise in early-stage improves the locomotion recovery in the TBI of animal models; however, it does not significantly enhance short-term memory capabilities. Moreover, continuous early exercise not only reduces the protein expression of cerebral damage-related markers, such as Glial Fibrillary Acid Protein (GFAP), Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE), S100β, Protein Gene Products 9.5 (PGP9.5), and Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70), but it also decreases the expression of apoptosis-related protein BAX and cleaved caspase 3. Furthermore, exercise training in animals with TBI decreases the microglia activation and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the serum, such as CCL20, IL-13, IL-1α, and IL-1β. These findings thus demonstrate that early exercise therapy for TBI may be an effective strategy in improving physiological function, and that serum protein levels are useful biomarkers for the predicition of the effectiveness of early exercise therapy.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.524-533
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• 2023

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for aging and many diseases, and the disorder of lipid metabolism makes it prominent. This study aims to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on aging, lipid metabolism and stress resistance Methods: Rg1 was administered to Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) cultured in NGM or GNGM. The lifespan, locomotory activity, lipid accumulation, cold and heat stress resistance and related mRNA expression of the worms were examined. Gene knockout mutants were used to clarify the effect on lipid metabolism of Rg1. GFP-binding mutants were used to observe the changes in protein expression Results: We reported that Rg1 reduced lipid accumulation and improved stress resistance in C. elegans. Rg1 significantly reduced the expression of fatty acid synthesis-related genes and lipid metabolism-related genes in C. elegans. However, Rg1 did not affect the fat storage in fat-5/fat-6 double mutant or nhr-49 mutant. Combined with network pharmacology, we clarified the possible pathways and targets of Rg1 in lipid metabolism. In addition, Rg1-treated C. elegans showed a higher expression of anti-oxidative genes and heat shock proteins, which might contribute to stress resistance Conclusion: Rg1 reduced fat accumulation by regulating lipid metabolism via nhr-49 and enhanced stress resistance by its antioxidant effect in C. elegans.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2006

도처에 분포하는 peroxiredoxins (Prxs)은 세포 내 방어신호전달 과정에서 다양한 기능을 하는 것으로 나타났다. Prxs는 크게 typical 2-Cys Prx, atypical 2-Cys Prx와 1-Cys Prx의 세 부류로 분류되는데, 이것들은 cysteine 잔기의 수와 촉매기전에 따라 구분된다. 세 종류의 단백질 중, N-말단에 peroxidatic cysteine 잔기를 포함하는 typical 2-Cys Prx는 $H_2O_2$ 분해과정 동안 과산화물-의존적인 sulfenic acid로의 산화와 thiol-의존적 환원과정이 순환되어 일어난다. Sulfenic acid는 고농도의 $H_2O_2$와 Trx, Trx reductase와 NADPH를 포함하는 촉매 요소의 존재하에 cysteine sulfenic acid로 과산화 될 수 있다 과산화된 2-Cys Prx는 ATP 의존성 효소인 sulfiredoxin의 작용에 의해 천천히 환원된다. 세포가 강력한 산화나 열 충격 스트레스에 노출되면, 2-Cys Prx는 LMW 단백질에서 HMW complex로 구조를 변화시켜 peroxidase에서 chaperone으로 기능의 전환을 일으킨다. 2-Cys Prx의 C-말단 부분 역시 이러한 구조적 전환에 중요한 역할을 한다. 따라서, C-말단이 잘려진 단백질은 과산화가 되지 않고 단백질의 구조와 기능이 조절될 수 없다. 이러한 반응들은 활성 자리인 peroxidatic cysteine 잔기에 의해 일차적으로 유도되며, 그것은 세포에서 '$H_2O_2$ sensor' 로서 작용하다. 2-Cys Prx의 가역적인 구조와 기능 변화는 세포가 외부자극에 적응하는 수단으로 작용하며, 아마도 세포내 방어신호체계를 활성화 시키는 것으로 생각된다. 특히, chloroplast에 존재하는 식물 2-Cys Prx는 촉매반응 동안 주된 구조적인 변화를 나타내는 역동적인 단백질 구조를 가지고 있어서, 산화-환원 의존적으로 super-complex를 형성하고 가역적으로 thylakoid membrane에 부착한다.