• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Biology Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.1-15
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• 2004

Higher plants can be valuable genetic assay systems for monitoring environmental pollutants and evaluating their biological toxicity. Two assays are considered ideal for in situ monitoring and testing of soil, airborne and aqueous mutagenic agents; the Tradescantia stamen hair assay for somatic cell mutations and the Tradescantia micronucleus assay for chromosome aberrations. Both assays can be used for in vivo and in vitro testing of mutagens. Since higher plant systems are now recognized as excellent indicators and have unique advantages over in situ monitoring and screening, higher plant systems could be accepted by regulatory authorities as an alternative first-tier assay system for the detection of possible genetic damages resulting from the pollutants or chemicals used and produced by industrial sectors. It has been concluded that potential mutagen and carcinogen such as the heavy metals among indoor air particulates, volatile compounds in the working places, soil, and water pollutants contribute to the overall health risk. This contribution can be considerable under certain circumstances. It is therefore important to identify the level of genotoxic activity in the environment and to relate it to the biomarkers of a health risk in humans. The results from the higher plant bioassays could make a significant contribution to assessing the risks of pollutants and protecting the public firom agents that can cause mutation anuor cancer. The plant bioassays, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to handle, are recommended for the scientists who are interested in monitoring pollutants and evaluating their environmental toxicity to living organisms.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.527-535
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• 2021

Legumes have been important components of the human diet. They contain not only protein, starch, and dietary fiber, but also various phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The importance of phenolic compounds to human health is well known due to their antioxidant activities. In this study, three legumes (adzuki beans, common beans, and black soybeans) frequently cultivated in Korea were evaluated for their total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonate)), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant potential) assays. In addition, correlations between agricultural traits and antioxidant activities of these three legumes were analyzed. Antioxidant activities assessed by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays and TPC showed wide variations among legumes types and accessions. Among the three legumes, adzuki beans showed higher TPC and antioxidant activity than the other two legumes. In correlation analysis, seed size showed negative correlations with antioxidant activities and TPC. In principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, each of the three legumes was clearly separate. Results of this study can be used as basic information for developing functional materials for each legume. They can also help us understand the overall antioxidant activity of the three legumes.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.412-417
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• 2023

There is increasing interest in the rapid and highly sensitive monitoring of cell viability in biological and toxicological research. Conventional methods depend on optical assays using Water Soluble Tetrazolium-8 (WST-8) or 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, which requires a large volume of samples and special instruments, necessitating shipment of clinical samples to laboratories. This paper reports on the development of a rapid and sensitive electrochemical (EC) sensor using screen printed electrode (SPE) and surface modification using 4'-mercapto-N-phenylquinone diamine (4'-NPQD), as double electron mediators, for monitoring cell viability via the measurement of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). We used the sensor to observe the viability of MCF-7 and doxorubicin (Dox)-treated cells. The oxidation current of NADH was measured via chronoamperometry (CA), and the EC results showed a good linear relationship when compared with NADH quantification using WST-8 assay. The analysis time was only 10 s and limit of detection (LOD) of NADH was 1.78 µM. Our EC method has the potential to replace conventional WST assays for cell viability and cytotoxicity experiments.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.764-768
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• 2009

The tandem ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM) domain located at the N-terminus of Receptor Associated Protein 80 (RAP80) plays a crucial role in ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage response. RAP80 translocates to sites of IR-induced DNA damage through interaction of its UIM domain with ubiquitinated H2A and Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains. The exact mechanism, however, through which RAP80 associates with Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains is not clear. Here, we show by in vitro GST-pull down assays that modifying the linker region between the tandem ubiquitin binding domains of RAP80 changes the binding affinity for Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains and affects translocation to sites of DNA breaks. Based on these findings, we suggest that the length of the linker region between the tandem ubiquitin binding domains of RAP80 may be a key factor in the binding of RAP80 with Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains as well as in the translocation of RAP80 to DNA break sites.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2004

Four Erwinia carotovora strains isolated from potatoes showing blackleg symptoms and rotted Chinese cabbage were analysed by biochemical tests and sequence analysis of 16S rDNA and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (IGS) regions, and the data were compared to related E. carotovora strains. Based on the results of the biochemical tests and sequence analysis, 2 of the 4 strains were identified as E. carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc), whereas the rest strains were distinct from Ecc. The last two strains, HCC3 and JEJU, were biochemically similar to E, carotovora subsp. atroseptica (Eca). However, the results of sequence analysis and Eca-specific PCR assays showed that the strains were distinct from Eca. On the basis of 16S rDNA sequence analysis, HCC3 and JEJU strains were placed in E. carotovora subsp. odorifera and E. carotovora subsp. wasabiae, respectively. The results of sequence analysis and specific PCR assay for Eca indicated that Asian Eca strains were distinct from European Eca strains, although they were phenotycally homogeneous.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.389-398
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• 2014

Siah acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that binds proteins destined for degradation. Extensive homology between siah and Drosophila Siah homologue (sina) suggests their important physiological roles during embryonic development. However, detailed functional studies of Siah in vertebrate development have not been carried out. Here we report that Siah2 specifically augments nodal related gene expression in marginal blastomeres at late blastula through early gastrula stages of zebrafish embryos. Siah2 dependent Nodal signaling augmentation is confirmed by cell-based reporter gene assays using 293T cells and 3TP-luciferase reporter plasmid. We also established a molecular hierarchy of Siah as a upstream regulator of FoxH1/Fast1 transcriptional factor in Nodal signaling. Elevated expression of nodal related genes by overexpression of Siah2 was enough to override the inhibitory effects of atv and lft2 on the Nodal signaling. In particular, E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of Siah2 is critical to limit the duration and/or magnitude of Nodal signaling. Additionally, since the embryos injected with Siah morpholinos mimicked the atv overexpression phenotype at least in part, our data support a model in which Siah is involved in mesendoderm patterning via modulating Nodal signaling.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.399-405
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• 2014

Autophagy targets cytoplasmic cargo to a lytic compartment for degradation. Autophagy-related (Atg) proteins, including the transmembrane protein Atg9, are involved in different steps of autophagy in yeast and mammalian cells. Functional classification of core Atg proteins in plants has not been clearly confirmed, partly because of the limited availability of reliable assays for monitoring autophagic flux. By using proUBQ10-GFP-ATG8a as an autophagic marker, we showed that autophagic flux is reduced but not completely compromised in Arabidopsis thaliana atg9 mutants. In contrast, we confirmed full inhibition of auto-phagic flux in atg7 and that the difference in autophagy was consistent with the differences in mutant phenotypes such as hypersensitivity to nutrient stress and selective autophagy. Autophagic flux is also reduced by an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol kinase. Our data indicated that atg9 is phenotypically distinct from atg7 and atg2 in Arabidopsis, and we proposed that ATG9 and phosphatidylinositol kinase activity contribute to efficient autophagy in Arabidopsis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.134-141
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• 2021

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) have a Janus face, regulating both cell apoptosis and survival. The present study focused on understanding the function of JNK in tumor development and the chemoresistance underlying JNK-mediated cancer cell survival. We identified an inhibitor of JNK1, an important regulator of cancer cell survival. Kinase assay data showed that JNK1-dependent c-Jun phosphorylation was inhibited by indirubin derivatives. In particular, indirubin-3-monoxime (I3M) directly inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun in vitro, with a half inhibition dose (IC₅₀) of 10 nM. I3M had a significant inhibitory effect on JNK1 activity. Furthermore, we carried out assays to determine the viability, migration, and proliferation of breast cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that cell growth, scratched wound healing, and colony forming abilities were inhibited by the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and I3M. The combination of SP600125 and I3M significantly decreased cancer cell proliferation, compared with either SP600125 or I3M alone. Our studies may provide further support for JNK1-targeting cancer therapy using the indirubin derivative I3M in breast cancer.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.546-556
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• 2019

Protein phosphatase 4 (PP4) is a crucial protein complex that plays an important role in DNA damage response (DDR), including DNA repair, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Despite the significance of PP4, the mechanism by which PP4 is regulated remains to be elucidated. Here, we identified a novel PP4 inhibitor, protein phosphatase 4 inhibitory protein (PP4IP) and elucidated its cellular functions. PP4IP-knockout cells were generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and the phosphorylation status of PP4 substrates (H2AX, KAP1, and RPA2) was analyzed. Then we investigated that how PP4IP affects the cellular functions of PP4 by immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair assays. PP4IP interacts with PP4 complex, which is affected by DNA damage and cell cycle progression and decreases the dephosphorylational activity of PP4. Both overexpression and depletion of PP4IP impairs DSB repairs and sensitizes cells to genotoxic stress, suggesting timely inhibition of PP4 to be indispensable for cells in responding to DNA damage. Our results identify a novel inhibitor of PP4 that inhibits PP4-mediated cellular functions and establish the physiological importance of this regulation. In addition, PP4IP might be developed as potential therapeutic reagents for targeting tumors particularly with high level of PP4C expression.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.370-378
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• 2000

Incubation of purified laminin1-nidogen1 complexes with $[{\gamma}-^{32}P]-ATP$ in the presence of the catalytic subunit of the protein kinase A (cAMP-dependent protein kinase) resulted in the phosphorylation of the alpha chain of laminin-1 and of the nidogen-1 molecule. Aminoacid electrophoresis indicated that phosphate was incorporated on serine residues. The phosphorylation effect of laminin-1 on the process of self assembly was studied by turbidometry. In these experiments, the phosphorylated laminin-1 showed a reduced maximal aggregation capacity in comparison to the non-phosphorylated molecule. Examination of the laminin-1 network under the electron microscope showed that the phosphorylated sample formed mainly linear extended oligomers, in contrast to controls that formed large and dense multimeric aggregates. Heparin binding on phosphorylated laminin-1 in comparison to controls was also tested using solid-phase binding assays. The results indicated an enhanced heparin binding to the phosphorylated protein. The results of this study indicate that laminin1-nidogen1 is a substrate for protein kinase A in vitro. This phosphorylation had an obvious influence on the lamininl-nidogen1 network formation and the heparin binding capacity of this molecule. However, further studies are needed to investigate whether or not this phenomenon could play a role in the formation of the structure of basement membranes in vivo.