• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.289-294
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• 2003

Gelatinase is a proteolytic enzyme that hydrolyzes gelatin. Gelatinolytic activity was detected from culture broths of Streptomyces griseus IFO13350 and HH1 by paper disc assays on 0.5% agar plates containing 1% gelatin. The concentrated extracellular protein from the S. griseus was analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel, and two proteins, with molecular weights of 30 and 28 kDa, respectively, were identified to have gelatinase activity by gelatin zymography. The protein with a molecular weight of 28 kDa was confirmed to be S. griseus trypsin (SGT). The effects of metal ions and metal chelators on the protease activity of the SGT were studied. Of the metal ions tested, only manganese was found to enhance the protease activity, 2.6 times, however, $Co^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},\;and\;Zn^{2+}$, and metal chelators, such as EDTA and EGTA, inhibited the SGT activity. When the protease activity of the SGT was measured at various pHs, in the presence of 5 mM $MnCl_2$, its highest activity was at pH 11.0, whereas only 60% of the maximum activity was observed between pHs 4.0 and pH 6.0, and almost 80% activity between pHs 7.0 to pH 10.0. The protease activity was measured at various temperatures in the presence of 5 mM $MnCl_2$. The SGT was found to be stable up to $60^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, while only 16% of the enzyme activity remained at $60^{\circ}C$, and at $80^{\circ}C$ almost all the activity was lost. The optimal temperature for the protease activity was $50^{\circ}C$.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.409-414
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• 2008

The cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), a key player in cholesterol metabolism, has been shown to promote the transfer of triglycerides from very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) to high density lipoprotein (HDL) in exchange for cholesterol ester. Here we demonstrate that farnesoid X receptor ${\alpha}$ ($FXR{\alpha}$; NR1H4) down-regulates CETP expression in HepG2 cells. A $FXR{\alpha}$ ligand, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), suppressed basal mRNA levels of the CETP gene in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Using gel shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we found that $FXR{\alpha}$ could bind to the liver X receptor ${\alpha}$ ( $LXR{\alpha}$; NR1H3) binding site (LXRE; DR4RE) located within the CETP 5' promoter region. $FXR{\alpha}$ suppressed $LXR{\alpha}$-induced DR4RE-luciferase activity and this effect was mediated by a binding competition between $FXR{\alpha}$ and $LXR{\alpha}$ for DR4RE. Furthermore, the addition of CDCA together with a $LXR{\alpha}$ ligand, GW3965, to HepG2 cells was shown to substantially decrease mRNA levels of hepatic CETP gene, which is typically induced by GW3965. Together, our data demonstrate that $FXR{\alpha}$ down-regulates CETP gene expression via binding to the DR4RE sequence within the CETP 5' promoter and this $FXR{\alpha}$ binding is essential for $FXR{\alpha}$ inhibition of $LXR{\alpha}$-induced CETP expression.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.183-188
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• 2008

미백제를 선발하기 위해 주로 사용하는 현재의 방법은 in vitro 타이로시네이즈 활성 및 항산화능을 측정하는 것이다. 이 결과에 기초하여 다음 단계인 멜라노사이트에서의 멜라닌 생성량을 측정한다. 세포 내의 멜라닌 생성량 측정 법은 시간, 인력 및 숙련도가 요구된다. 따라서 초기 선발 방법의 신뢰성이 중요하다. 200개 중국시료 중 측정범위 내에서 세포독성이 없는 34개를 대상으로 세포 내 멜라닌량, 타이로시네이즈 활성, 항산화능의 상관관계를 조사하였다. 조사결과 직선의 상판관계를 확인할 수 없었다. 이 결과는 현재 선발방법의 한계 및 새로운 방법이 필요함을 보여주었다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.275-283
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• 2018

Ischemic stroke can result from blockage of blood vessels, forming fibrin clots in the body and causing irreparable brain damage. Remedial thrombolytic agents or anticoagulants have been studied; however, because the FDA-approved tissue plasminogen activator has low efficacy and side effects, it is necessary to develop safer and more effective treatment candidates. This study aimed at assessing the fibrinolytic and anticoagulation features of a novel serine protease extracted and purified from Diopatra sugokai, a polychaeta that inhabits tidal flats. The purified serine protease was obtained through ammonium sulfate precipitation, affinity chromatography, and ion-exchange chromatography. Its molecular size was identified via SDS-PAGE. To characterize its enzymatic activities, the protease activity at various pH and temperatures, and in the presence of various inhibitors, was measured via azocasein assay. Its fibrinolytic activity and anticoagulant effect were assessed by fibrin zymography, fibrin plate assay, and fibrinogenolytic activity assays. The novel 38 kDa serine protease had strong indirect thrombolytic activity rather than direct activity over broad pH (4-10) and temperature ($37^{\circ}C-70^{\circ}C$) ranges. In addition, the novel serine protease exhibited anticoagulant activity by degrading the ${\alpha}$-, ${\beta}$-, and ${\gamma}$-chains of fibrinogen. In addition, it did not produce cytotoxicity in endothelial cells. Therefore, this newly isolated serine protease is worthy of further investigation as a novel alkaline serine protease for thrombolytic therapy against brain ischemia.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권8호
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• pp.425-430
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• 2020

Tumor necrosis factor-inducible gene 6 protein (TSG-6) is a cytokine secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and regulates MSC stemness. We previously reported that TSG-6 changes primary human hepatic stellate cells (pHSCs) into stem-like cells by activating yes-associated protein-1 (YAP-1). However, the molecular mechanism behind the reprogramming action of TSG-6 in pHSCs remains unknown. Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) is a transmembrane protein that has multiple functions depending on the ligand it is binding, and it is involved in various signaling pathways, including the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Given that β-catenin influences stemness and acts downstream of CD44, we hypothesized that TSG-6 interacts with the CD44 receptor and stimulates β-catenin to activate YAP-1 during TSG-6-mediated transdifferentiation of HSCs. Immunoprecipitation assays showed the interaction of TSG-6 with CD44, and immunofluorescence staining analyses revealed the colocalization of TSG-6 and CD44 at the plasma membrane of TSG-6-treated pHSCs. In addition, TSG-6 treatment upregulated the inactive form of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, which is a negative regulator of β-catenin, and promoted nuclear accumulation of active/nonphosphorylated β-catenin, eventually leading to the activation of YAP-1. However, CD44 suppression in pHSCs following CD44 siRNA treatment blocked the activation of β-catenin and YAP-1, which inhibited the transition of TSG-6-treated HSCs into stem-like cells. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that TSG-6 interacts with CD44 and activates β-catenin and YAP-1 during the conversion of TSG-6-treated pHSCs into stem-like cells, suggesting that this novel pathway is an effective therapeutic target for controlling liver disease.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권17호
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• pp.7409-7414
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• 2015

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) developed by Notomi et al. (2000) has made it possible to amplify DNA with high specificity, efficiency and rapidity under isothermal conditions. The ultimate products of LAMP are stem-loop structures with several inverted repeats of the target sequence and cauliflower-like patterns with multiple loops shaped by annealing between every other inverted repeats of the amplified target in the similar strand. Because the amplification process in LAMP is achieved by using four to six distinct primers, it is expected to amplify the target region with high selectivity. However, evaluation of reaction accuracy or quantitative inspection make it necessary to append other procedures to scrutinize the amplified products. Hitherto, various techniques such as turbidity assessment in the reaction vessel, post-reaction agarose gel electrophoresis, use of intercalating fluorescent dyes, real-time turbidimetry, addition of cationic polymers to the reaction mixture, polyacrylamide gel-based microchambers, lateral flow dipsticks, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and nanoparticle-based colorimetric tests have been utilized for this purpose. In this paper, we reviewed the best-known techniques for evaluation of LAMP amplicons and their applications in molecular biology beside their advantages and deficiencies. Regarding the properties of each technique, the development of innovative prompt, cost-effective and precise molecular detection methods for application in the broad field of cancer research may be feasible.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.111-115
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• 2007

원자력 발전소의 중수누출에 따른 삼중수소 농도증가에 의한 방사선 내부피폭과 이에 대한건강영향평가를 실시하였다. 전체 22명 가운데 13명에 대하여 검사를 실시하였으며, 이들의 내부피폭량은 $0{\sim}4.44\;mSv$ 였다. 일반혈액검사 중 백혈구수치의 변화를 이용하여 평가한 결과에서 결정적 영향에 대한 특이사항은 나타나지 않았으며, 생물학적 선량평가 방법을 이용한 체내피폭량은 $0{\sim}37\;mGy$로 확인되었다. 결론적으로 방사선 피폭은 허용한도를 초과하지 않았으며, 결정적 영향인 임상적 증상이 보이지 않았다. 이와 같이 의학적 징후와 선량평가 추정치와의 일치성은 사고시 특히 물리적 생물학적 선량평가가 유용함을 보여 준다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.109-120
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• 2014

The epothilones are a class of microtubule inhibitors that exhibit a strong antitumor activity. UTD2 is a novel epothilone analog generated by genetic manipulation of the polyketide biosynthetic gene cluster. This study investigated the effects of UTD2 on the actin cytoskeleton and its critical regulators, and the signaling pathways which are essential for cell motility, growth and survival in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Results showed that UTD2 inhibited the cellular functions of actin cytoskeleton, such as wound-closure, migration and invasion, as well as adhesion. Our study further demonstrated that UTD2 suppressed Rac1 GTPase activation and reduced the activity of PAK1, which is a downstream effector of Rac1, while the activity of Cdc42 was not affected. Additionally, the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK were significantly inhibited, but the phosphorylation of JNK remained the same after UTD2 treatment. Moreover, UTD2 inhibited the activity and mRNA expression of MMP-2, which plays a key role in cell motility. UTD2 also reduced the phosphorylation of Akt, which is an important signaling kinase regulating the cell survival through Rac1. Furthermore, UTD2 interrupted the synergy between Rac1 and Raf in focus formation assays. Taken together, these results indicated that UTD2 exerted multiple effects on the actin cytoskeleton and signaling pathways associated with Rac1. This study provided novel insights into the molecular mechanism of the antineoplastic and antimetastatic activities of epothilones. Our findings also suggest that the signaling pathways regulated by Rac1 may be evaluated as biomarkers for the response to therapy in clinical trials of epothilones.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.187-194
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• 2015

Thioredoxin (TRX) is a disulfide reductase present ubiquitously in all taxa and plays an important role as a regulator of cellular redox state. Recently, a redox-independent, chaperone function has also been reported for some thioredoxins. We previously identified nodulin-35, the subunit of soybean uricase, as an interacting target of a cytosolic soybean thioredoxin, GmTRX. Here we report the further characterization of the interaction, which turns out to be independent of the disulfide reductase function and results in the co-localization of GmTRX and nodulin-35 in peroxisomes, suggesting a possible function of GmTRX in peroxisomes. In addition, the chaperone function of GmTRX was demonstrated in in vitro molecular chaperone activity assays including the thermal denaturation assay and malate dehydrogenase aggregation assay. Our results demonstrate that the target of GmTRX is not only confined to the nodulin-35, but many other peroxisomal proteins, including catalase (AtCAT), transthyretin-like protein 1 (AtTTL1), and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 4 (AtACX4), also interact with the GmTRX. Together with an increased uricase activity of nodulin-35 and reduced ROS accumulation observed in the presence of GmTRX in our results, especially under heat shock and oxidative stress conditions, it appears that GmTRX represents a novel thioredoxin that is co-localized to the peroxisomes, possibly providing functional integrity to peroxisomal proteins.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.393-400
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• 2007

현재 많은 대학과 기업에서 다양한 방법으로 상용화가 가능한 protein microarray의 개발을 위해 많은 연구를 집중하고 있다. Protein microarray의 제작 및 분석 조건을 최적화하기 위한 연구도 진행되고 있지만 protein microarray로 부터 얻은 분석 결과를 모든 연구자들이 공유하고 통합하기 위한 노력이 절실한 실정이다. 뿐만 아니라, PCR 같은 무한 확장 방법이 존재하지 않는 단백질의 특성을 고려할 때, 좀 더 실용적인 protein microarray를 많이 만들기 위해서는 수많은 단백질들과 결합할 수 있는 특이성이 높고 결합력이 강한 capture molecule들을 개발하는 것이 필수이다. 그러나 이러한 장애에도 불구하고 protein microarray는 아주 적은 시료량으로 high-throughput assay가 가능하다는 장점 때문에 현재의 생명과학의 발전 추세로 볼 때 앞으로 protein microarray가 조만간 실용화될 것이며 이의 시장성은 매우 클 것으로 기대된다. 보다 빠른 실용화를 위해서는 protein microarray의 개발에 필요한 기반 기술의 개발과 동시에 이를 활용하기 위한 contents의 개발도 절실히 요구된다.