• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.6-10
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• 2001

We synthesized polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubules by oxidative polymerization of the pyrrole monomer on the pore of a polycarbonate membrane. The electrochemical behavior was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and AC impedance. The redox potential was about -0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode, while the potential was about 0 V for electro-synthesized PPy film. It is considered as the backbone grows according to the pore wall. Therefore, it is possible to be arranged regularly. That leads to improvement in the electron hopping. The AC impedance plot gave a hint of betterment of mass transport. PPy nanotubules have improved in mass transport, or diffusion. That is because the diffusion occurs through a thin pore wall of PPy nanotubules. The kinetic parameter of PPy nanotubules enzyme electrode with glucose solution was evaluated. The formal Michaelis constant and maximum current calculated by computer were about 23.8 mmol $dm^{-3}$ and $440\;{\mu}A$ respectively. Obviously, an affinity for the substrate and current response of the PPy nanotubules enzyme electrode are rather good, comparing with that of PPy film. What is more, the enzyme electrode is sensitive to blood sugar of a diabetic serum despite an obstruction of ascorbic acid, oxygen, some protein and/or hormone.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.451-457
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• 2003

Anion-substituted poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes, carboxymethylated PVA (C-PVA), and sulfonated PVA (S-PVA) were prepared and the effects of these substitutions on the plasma protein adsorption were studied by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. When Cuprophane was used as a negative control, the amount of total proteins bound to samples decreased in the order Cuprophane > PVA > C-PVA > S-PVA, which we attribute to the effects of the surface characteristics of the samples, such as their surface tensions and electrostatic properties, on the adsorption of proteins to the surfaces of the materials. The results revealed that albumin was the most abundant protein in all the samples. The proportion of adsorbed fibrinogen to S-PVA exceeded those of PVA and C-PVA, whereas S-PVA exhibited the lowest IgG adsorption affinity among the samples we studied.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.269-273
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• 2005

Toll-like receptors (TLR) are important components of innate immunity in the defense against pathogens. TLRs recognize pathogen-associated common molecular patterns. TLRs are similar to the receptors involved in defense responses in plants. TLR protein is a type 1 membrane protein, consisting of an extracellular domain containing leucine-rich repeats and a cytoplasmic domain. The cytoplasmic domain delivers ligand recognition signals that result in production of anti-microbial agents. The cytoplasmic domain (amino acid 858-1032) of toll-like receptor 9 has been expressed using methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. The protein expression was confirmed by Western-blot, N-terminal sequencing and MALDl-TOF mass spectrometry. The proteins have been purified by nickel affinity, cation exchange and gel-filtration chromatography.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1928-1934
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• 2006

The rubradirin biosynthetic gene cluster harbors 58 ORFs within a 105.6-kb sequence, which includes all of the genes responsible for the synthesis of rubradirin, as well as the primary genes relevant to regulatory, resistance, and transport functions. This gene cluster also harbors a resistance-mediating ABC transporter, RubT1, which is located at the most upstream position in the cluster. In the present study, RubT1 was expressed heterologously in E. coli, and the resistance affinity of RubT1 was determined by an antibacterial activity test, as well as by HPLC and ESI-MS analyses. Evidence clearly demonstrates that RubTl mediates rubradirin resistance as an ABC transporter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.530-533
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• 2002

This paper describes the development of an enzymatic assay system for the identification of specific inhibitors of sortase, a transpeptidase that cleaves surface proteins of Cram-positive bacteria, from Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538p for antibacterial drug discovery. The coding region of the enzyme was amplified with the exception of the N-terminal membrane anchor sequence, cloned into a vector providing His-Patch-thioredoxin-tag at the N-terminus, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified by metal chelate affinity chromatography. The enzyme activity was determined by quantifying increased fluorescence intensity upon cleavage of synthetic Dabcyl-QALPETGEE-Edans peptide. The results suggest that the developed in vitro assay system call be used in the search for sortase inhibitors In a short period of time.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.450-455
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• 2004

A reducing glucose-carrying polymer, called poly [3-O-(4'-vinylbenzyl)-D-glucose］(PVG), was interacted with HepG2 cells including a type-l glucose transporter (GLUT-1) on the cell membrane. The cooperative interaction between a number of GLUT-1s and a number of reducing 3-O-methyl-D-glucose moieties on the PVG polymer chain was found to be responsible for the increase in the interaction with HepG2 cells. The affinity between the cells and the PVG was studied using RITC-labeled glycopolymers. The specific interaction between the GLUT-1 on HepG2 cells and the PVG polymer carrying reducing glucose moieties was suppressed by the inhibitors, phloretin, phloridzin, and cytochalasin B. Direct observation by confocal laser microscopy with the use of RITC-labeled PVG and pretreatment of HepG2 cells with the inhibitors demonstrated that the cells interacted with the soluble form of the PVG polymer via GLUT-1, while fluorescence labeling of the cell surface was prevented after pretreatment with the inhibitors of GLUT-1.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2006

Ability of iron acquisition of pathogenic microorganisms functions as a virulence factor. Candida albicans, a fungal pathogen that requires iron for growth, is susceptible to growth retardation by high-affinity iron binding proteins such as transferrin. Recently, we reported that C. albicans could utilize the heme as a part of heme-containing proteins dissociated by heme oxygenase, CaHMX1. In search of another pathway that C. albicans can use to bypass the growth regulation produced by iron limitation, this present study examined utilization of non-candidal siderophores such as Desferal and rhodotorulic acid (RA) for acquisition of inorganic iron by the fungus. C. albicans secreting no siderophores was cultured in iron-free (pretreated with apotransferrin for 24 h) (culture medium). Once growth of the yeast reached stasis from iron starvation, a siderophore was added to the culture media. Results showed that cultures containing apotransferrin within a dialysis membrane recovered growth to the level of untreated controls, whereas C. albicans yeast cells in direct contact with soluble iron-free (apo) transferrin recovered growth only partially. When static growth from iron limitation was reached, the addition of siderophore-apotransferrin complex to culture medium also permitted the yeast to recover growth from apotransferrin growth regulation. All the data show that C. albicans can utilize the non-candidal siderophores for iron acquisition under transferrin regulation as can pathogenic bacteria.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2014

The human cytochrome P450 2J2 catalyzes an epoxygenase reaction to oxidize various fatty acids including arachidonic acid. In this study, three recombinant enzyme constructs of P450 2J2 were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and their P450 proteins were successfully purified using a $Ni^{2+}$-NTA affinity column. Deletion of 34 amino acid residues in N-terminus of P450 2J2 enzyme (2J2-D) produced the soluble enzyme located in the cytosolic fraction. The enzymatic analysis of this truncated protein indicated the typical spectral characteristics and functional properties of P450 2J2 enzyme. P450 2J2-D enzymes from soluble fraction catalyzed the oxidation reaction of terfenadine to the hydroxylated product. However, P450 2J2-D enzymes from membrane fraction did not support the P450 oxidation reaction although it displayed the characteristic CO-binding spectrum of P450. Our finding of these features in the N-terminal modified P450 2J2 enzyme could help understand the biological functions and the metabolic roles of P450 2J2 enzyme and make the crystallographic analysis of the P450 2J2 structure feasible for future studies.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2009

Auxin-binding protein 57 ($ABP_{57}$), a soluble auxin-binding protein, acts as a receptor to activate plasma membrane (PM) $H^+-ATPase$. Here, we report the cloning of abp57 and the biochemical characterization of its protein expressed in E. coli. The analysis of internal amino acid sequences of $ABP_{57}$ purified from rice shoots enabled us to search for the corresponding gene in protein DB of NCBI. Further BLAST analysis showed that rice has four abp57-like genes and maize has at least one homolog. Interestingly, Arabidopsis seems to have no homolog. Recombinant $ABP_{57}$ expressed in E. coli caused the activation of PM $H^+-ATPase$ regardless of the existence of IAA. Scatchard analysis showed that the recombinant protein has relatively low affinity to IAA as compared to natural $ABP_{57}$. These results collectively support the notion that the cloned gene is responsible for $ABP_{57}$.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.191-197
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• 2005

An immunochromatographic (IC) strip for the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. in the enriched sample was developed. Affinity purified Salmonella polyclonal antibody was conjugated with 40 nm colloidal gold particles which were prepared by citrate method in our laboratory. The antigen-antibody-gold complex was captured by Salmonella antibody attached to test line of nitrocellulose membrane during the capillary migration of sample. Specificity of the IC strip was calculated to be 100% (12/12) and sensitivity was 97.6% (41/42) in the test with pure cultured bacteria. Salmonella was artificially inoculated into raw pork macerated with enrichment broth. And then it was 10-fold diluted from $5.2{\times}10^{8}CFU/ml$ to 5.2 CFU/ml. The IC strip could detect $5.2{\times}10^{6}CFU/ml$ before enrichment. However, the lowest limit of detection was 5.2 CFU/ml after overnight incubation. The results indicated that the IC assay was a rapid, economical and simple method with high specificity and sensitivity for the detection of Salmonella spp. without using any equipment.