• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2006

The optimum cultural conditions for production of Monascus natural pigment by Monascus purpureus MK2 were investigated in submerged culture. This strain was showed the maximum production of monascus natural pigment in the optimal medium of 3.0% wheat flour, 0.15% $NaNO_3$, 0.2% $K_{2}HPO_4$ and 0.05% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_{2}O$, at pH 7.0. The maximum production of this pigment was achieved at $30^{\circ}C$ for 7 day cultivation under 130 rpm shaking. At optimal condition, Monascus purpureus MK2 produced 29.10, 36.84 and 48.92 units of yellow, orange and red pigment, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2009

Fucoidan is a uniquely-structured sulfated fucose-rich polysaccharide derived from brown algae. Recently, the abalone glycosidase-digested fucoidan extract (fucoidan extract) derived from seaweed Cladosiphon novae-caledoniae Kylin (Mozuku) draws much attention because of its clinical anti-cancer effect in Japan. Here, we report the cancer cells-specific apoptosis inducing effects of the fucoidan extract. The fucoidan extract suppressed the growth of various anchorage-dependent and -independent cancer cells. The fucoidan extract contained low molecular weight components, which induced apoptosis of human leukemic HL 60 cells but not of human lymphocytes. It was shown that the fucoidan extract lead caspase 3/7 activation and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in HL 60 cells. Another function of the fucoidan extract was also observed. It has been known that sugar chain expression on the surface of cancer cell membrane changes dependent on their malignancy. The analysis on sugar chain expression profiling using FITC-labeled lectins revealed that the expression of concanavalin A (Con A) binding sugar chain was enhanced by the treatment of human lung adenocarcinoma A549, human uterine carcinoma HeLa and human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells with the fucoidan extract. Con A-induced apoptosis of cancer cells was stimulated in a dose-and time-dependent manner by the treatment with the fucoidan extract but not of human normal fibroblast TIG-1 cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.273-277
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• 2004

$\alpha$-L-Arabinofuranosidase ($\alpha$-L-AFase, EC 3.2.1.55) was isolated from hyperthermophilic microorganism, Thermotoga maritima. The open reading frame (ORF) of $\alpha$-L-AFase gene is 1,455 bp long and encodes 484 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 55,265 Da. The ORF of $\alpha$-L-AFase gene was introduced into the E. coli expression vector, $_p/RSET-B, and overexpressed in E. coli BL21. The purified recombinant $\alpha$-L-AFase showed the highest activity at 10$0^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.5. The purified enzyme appeared to have no metal cofactor requirement. The Km and specific activity values of the recombinant enzyme were 0.99 mM and 1,200 U/mg on p-nitrophenyl-$\alpha$-L-arabinofuranoside. It released only L-arabinose from sugar beet arabinan, sugar beet debranched arabinan and oat spelts arabinoxylan but had no activity onarabinogalactan and gum arabic. This result suggests that L-arabinose could be produced from natural polysaccharides using this enzyme. Mutant enzymes which Glu26, Glu172 and Glu281 residues were replaced to alanine, aspartic acid or glutamine caused Kcat to decrease by a factor of between 10$^3$ and 10$^4$. Glu172 and Glu281 residues of $\alpha$-L-AFase are seemed to be the acid/base and nucleophile in catalytic reaction, respectively, and Glu26 is supposed to playa key role in substrate binding.ng.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.303-310
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• 2015

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, overwinters in some protected areas in Korea. Using a sex pheromone trap, the adults were monitored since the occurrence of the overwintering populations. In Andong, P. xylostella exhibited four adult peaks in a year. Biological characters, such as cold tolerance, insecticide susceptibility, and developmental rate, were analyzed and showed a significant variation among different local overwintering populations. Population genetic variation was assessed with molecular markers, in which the initial high genetic variation among the overwintering populations decreased with the progress of seasons. These results suggests that there may be a significant migration of P. xylostella to decrease the genetic variation among the different local populations that are different in biological characters.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.727-733
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• 2015

Although Sophorae Flos (SF) has been reported to exert an anti-cancer activity, molecular targets and mechanisms associated with anti-cancer activity of SF have been unclear. Because cyclin D1 has been regarded as an important regulator in the cell proliferation, we focused cyclin D1 and investigated the effect of SF on the cyclin D1 regulation in light of elucidating the molecular mechanism for SF’s anti-cancer activity. The treatment of SF decreased cellular accumulation of cyclin D1 protein. However, SF did not change the level of cyclin D1 mRNA. Inhibition of proteasomal degradation by MG132 attenuated SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation and the half-life of cyclin D1 was decreased in the cells treated with SF. In addition, a point mutation of threonine-286 to alanine attenuated SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation. Inhibition of ERK1/2 by a selective inhibitor, PD98059 suppressed cyclin D1 downregulation by SF. From these results, we suggest that SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation may result from proteasomal degradation through its threonine-286 phosphorylation via ERK1/2. SF-induced proteasomal degradation of cyclin D1 might inhibit proliferation in human colorectal cancer cells. The current study provides information on molecular events for an anti-cancer activity of SF

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.131-147
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• 2005

This study was carried out to clarify the distribution of vascular plants and their usefulness in Irwolsan of Gyeongbuk $(1218.5m,\;36^{\circ}\;45'\;00'\~36^{\circ}\;50'\;10'\;N,129^{\circ}\;02'\;50'\~129^{\circ}\;09'\;00'E)$. The vascular plants collected 16 times (from May, 2002, to May, 2003) were consisted of total 740 taxa; 105 families, 381 genera, 618 species, 6 subspecies, 104 varieties and 12 forms. Among them, edible, medicinal, industrial, ornamental and unknown of usefulness plants were 315 taxa, 428 taxa, 100 taxa, 84 taxa, 201 taxa, respectively. Korean endemic plants of this area were 22 taxa, and Law-protected plants by Ministry of Environment were 6 taxa. The naturalized plants were 27 taxa, therefore naturalized ratio was $3.6\%$, and Urban index $9.7\%$.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2012

Indole compound is a bacterial metabolite synthesized and released by an entomopathogenic bacterium, Xenorhabdus nematophila K1. The antibiotic activity was evaluated against plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora blight and anthracnose of red pepper. Indole significantly suppressed mycelial growth of Phytophthora blight and anthracnose pathogens. Under natural sunlight conditions, indole maintained the antifungal activity for at least sixty days. The activity was not affected under the condition of soil-water. When the indole suspension was applied to surface soil before transplanting of red pepper seedlings and was then regularly sprayed to the foliage of the plants with ten days interval, it resulted in significant reduction of the disease occurrences (Phytophthora blight, anthracnose, soft rot, and black mold) by about 30%. These results suggest that indole can be used to control Phytophthora blight and anthracnose of red pepper.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.80-82
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• 2019

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae strain WSPS007 was isolated from infected twigs (Malus pumila) in 2013 in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk Province, Republic of Korea. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of WSPS007 with a chromosome size of 6,238,498 bp (59.04% G+C content). The genome comprises 5,379 CDS, 16 rRNA genes, and 65 tRNA genes. The P. syringae pv. syringae strain WSPS007 genome possesses an ice-nucleating activation (INA) gene and an antifreeze operon that may be related to frost damage by this pathogen. Thus, the genome sequence determined in this study will be useful in understanding the relationship between the outbreak of bacterial shoot blight disease and frost damage in northern Gyeongbuk Province.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.660-666
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• 2023

This study aimed to examine the effect of external pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) attachment and water temperature on the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of the olive flounder (mean body weight 2281.7 g). The OCRs of fish were measured under conditions of three different water temperature conditions (15, 20, and 25℃) and two different tagging methods [non-tagging, control; bio-logger external attachment with a miniature PSAT (dummy mrPAT), BEA] using a closed flow-through respirometer. The OCRs of fish linearly increased with the increase in water temperature in both the control and BEA (P<0.001); however, the OCRs of BEA were approximately 1.8-1.9 times lower than those of the control at each water temperature (P<0.001). The Q₁₀ values of the control and BEA were the highest in the water temperature range of 15 to 20℃, but sensitivity to water temperature changes was higher in BEA than in the control. The metabolic energy loss rate (MEL) of fish increased with increasing water temperature regardless of external tagging, but the MEL of the control was higher than that of BEA (P<0.001). These results demonstrate that OCR, thermal sensitivity, and energy expenditure are all affected in adult olive flounder with external PSAT attachment.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2008

The effects of harman and norharman on dopamine content and L-DOPA-induced cytotoxicity were investigated in PC12 cells. Harman and norharman decreased the intracellular dopamine content for 24 h. The $IC_{50}$ values of harman and norharman were 20.4 ${\mu}M$ and 95.8 ${\mu}M$, respectively. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity and TH mRNA levels were also decreased by 20 ${\mu}M$ harman and 100 ${\mu}M$ norharman. Under the same conditions, the intracellular cyclic AMP levels were decreased by harman and norharman. In addition, harman and norharman at concentrations higher than 80 ${\mu}M$ and 150 ${\mu}M$ caused cytotoxicity at 24 h in PC12 cells. Non-cytotoxic ranges of 10-30 ${\mu}M$ harman and 50-150 ${\mu}M$ norharman inhibited L-DOPA (20-50 ${\mu}M$)-induced increases of dopamine content at 24 h. Harman at 20-150 ${\mu}M$ and norharman at 100-300 ${\mu}M$ also enhanced LDOPA (20-100 ${\mu}M$)-induced cytotoxicity at 24 h. These results suggest that harman and norharman decrease dopamine content by reducing TH activity and aggravate L-DOPA-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells.