• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.132-136
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• 2002

The rice straw managements are essential for maintaining soil fertility as well as reducing chemical fertilizer application in paddy field. A field experiment was conducted on moderately well draining alluvial paddy soil to investigate the decomposition pattern of rice straw. The mesh bags containing the rice straw harvested in the previous year were placed at soil surface and buried into around 10cm depth and recovered periodically for determining the straw decomposition. Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the fates of N released from $^{15}$ N-labeled rice straw under different levels of N fertilizer application. The overall decomposition patterns of rice straw were similar for the two incorporation depths in transplanted paddy field. The straw incorporated at transplanting date showed weight loss of about 50%, 70% and 90% after 2 months, 5 months, and 2 years, respectively. The decompositions of straw cell wall components showed somewhat different pattern. The decompositions of cellulose and silica were similar to that of dry weight while the decomposition of lignin was slower than that of cellulose and silica. N was released from rice straw 42% and 65 % of the initial N after one month and after five months, respectively. P release was faster than N release. Recoveries of rice straw-$^{15}$ N by rice plants were 10.2, 13.4 and 14.9% in 0, 120 and 240 mg N pot$^{-1}$ , respectively. Soil recoveries of rice straw $^{15}$ N were 17.3, 20.6 and 18.9% in 0, 120 and 240mg N pot$^{-1}$ , respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1077-1086
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• 2016

Glycerol dehydrogenases (GlyDHs) are essential for glycerol metabolism in vivo, catalyzing its reversible reduction to 1,3-dihydroxypropranone (DHA). The gldA gene encoding a putative GlyDH was cloned from Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum DSM 571 (TtGlyDH) and expressed in Escherichia coli. The presence of Mn²⁺ enhanced its enzymatic activity by 79.5%. Three highly conserved residues (Asp¹⁷¹, His²⁵⁴, and His²⁷¹) in TtGlyDH were associated with metal ion binding. Based on an investigation of glycerol oxidation and DHA reduction, TtGlyDH showed maximum activity towards glycerol at 60℃ and pH 8.0 and towards DHA at 60℃ and pH 6.0. DHA reduction was the dominant reaction, with a lower K_m(DHA) of 1.08 ± 0.13 mM and V_max of 0.0053 ± 0.0001 mM/s, compared with glycerol oxidation, with a K_m(glycerol) of 30.29 ± 3.42 mM and V_max of 0.042 ± 0.002 mM/s. TtGlyDH had an apparent activation energy of 312.94 kJ/mol. The recombinant TtGlyDH was thermostable, maintaining 65% of its activity after a 2-h incubation at 60℃. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis analyses demonstrated that TtGlyDH had an atypical dinucleotide binding motif (GGG motif) and a basic residue Arg⁴³, both related to dinucleotide binding.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.120-129
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• 2021

Rotavirus A (RVA) is recognized as a major etiology responsible for the development of acute gastroenteritis in children worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to perform the molecular characterization of RVA. A total of 323 stool specimens collected from hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in 2016-2018 were identified for G- and P-genotypes through RT-PCR analysis. RVA was more prevalent in 2017-2018 (37.8%) than in 2016-2017 (23.2%). The seasonal peak of RVA occurred from March to April. G3P[8] was predominant in 2016-2017 (90.6%) and 2017-2018 (58.6%). Other genotypes including G1P[8], G8P[8], G9P[8], and mixed infections were also identified. G3P[8] strains clustered together in the same lineage with other novel human equine-like G3P[8] strains previously identified in multiple countries and presented a genotype 2 constellation (G3-P[8]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2). Several amino acid differences were observed in the antigenic epitopes of the VP7 and VP8* capsid proteins of the equine-like G3P[8] compared with those of the RVA vaccine strains. The homology modeling of the VP7 and VP8* capsid proteins of the equine-like G3P[8] strains evidently exhibited that these residue differences were present on the surface-exposed area of the capsid structure. The emergence of the equine-like G3P[8] strains in Thailand indicates the rapid spread of strains with human and animal gene segments. Continuous surveillance for RVA is essential to monitor genotypes and genetic diversity, which will provide useful information for selecting rotavirus strains to develop a safe and effective RVA vaccine that is efficacious against multiple genotypes and variants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.287-293
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• 2022

The hydroxylation of methane (CH₄) is crucial to the field of environmental microbiology, owing to the heat capacity of methane, which is much higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO), a member of the bacterial multicomponent monooxygenase (BMM) superfamily, is essential for the hydroxylation of specific substrates, including hydroxylase (MMOH), regulatory component (MMOB), and reductase (MMOR). The diiron active site positioned in the MMOH α-subunit is reduced through the interaction of MMOR in the catalytic cycle. The electron transfer pathway, however, is not yet fully understood due to the absence of complex structures with reductases. A type II methanotroph, Methylosinus sporium 5, successfully expressed sMMO and hydroxylase, which were purified for the study of the mechanisms. Studies on the MMOH-MMOB interaction have demonstrated that Tyr76 and Trp78 induce hydrophobic interactions through π-π stacking. Structural analysis and sequencing of the ferredoxin domain in MMOR (MMOR-Fd) suggested that Tyr93 and Tyr95 could be key residues for electron transfer. Mutational studies of these residues have shown that the concentrations of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and iron ions are changed. The measurements of dissociation constants (K_ds) between hydroxylase and mutated reductases confirmed that the binding affinities were not significantly changed, although the specific enzyme activities were significantly reduced by MMOR-Y93A. This result shows that Tyr93 could be a crucial residue for the electron transfer route at the interface between hydroxylase and reductase.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.63-67
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• 2009

Objectives : Quality control for imported medicinal herbs is duty for regulation, however to the best of our knowledge there has been no report regarding quality control of imported ones. Therefore, this study investigated the data of imported ones for monitoring quality issue. Methods : These data are categorized according to item, the amount of import, country, inspection item, suitability, and incongruity reason based on the 248 results performed by KIOM. Results : China is the number one country for import with the value of 73%. Inspected medicinal herbs were 139 species, among them Poria is ranked as top for requested number and the amount of import. The amount of import is similar between high ranking 20 species and low ranking 119 ones, showing high ranking ones are major. The incongruity ratio was 7.7% from the total number of inspected items, the reason for incongruity was excess of tolerable amount of Cd residue. Conclusions : From the data, it is effective way to focus on high ranking herbs for evaluating imported herbs for quality control. The study of mechanism on Cd accumulation and its decrease is essential for environmental matter. And identification and storage for mixed used and easily decomposable herbs are remained for further study. Our study might be small step for showing guideline for proper quality control.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.713-721
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• 2023

Soil acidification challenges global food security by adversely influences soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Carbonized agricultural residues present a sustainable and ecofriendly way to recycle agricultural waste and mitigate soil acidification. We evaluated the effects of organic amendments on lettuce growth and soil chemical properties in two soils with different pH levels. Carbonized rice husk was produced at 600℃ for 30 min and rice husk was treated at 1% (w·w^-1). Carbonized rice husk increased soil pH, electrical conductivity, total carbon content, and nitrogen content compared with untreated and rice husk treatments. Furthermore, this study found that lettuce growth positively correlated with soil pH, with increasing soil pH up to pH 6.34 resulting in improved lettuce growth parameters. Statistical correlation analysis also supported the relationship between soil pH and lettuce growth parameters. The study findings showed that the use of carbonized rice husk increased the constituent elements of lettuce, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate content. The potassium content of lettuce followed a similar trend; however, was higher in acidic soil than that in non-acidic soil. Therefore, improving the pH of acidic soil is essential to enhance agricultural productivity. It is considered advantageous to use agricultural residues following pyrolysis to improve soil pH and agricultural productivity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1595-1605
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• 2023

Dehydroquinate dehydratase (DHQD) catalyzes the conversion of 3-dehydroquinic acid (DHQ) into 3-dehydroshikimic acid in the mid stage of the shikimate pathway, which is essential for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and folates. Here, we report two the crystal structures of type II DHQD (CgDHQD) derived from Corynebacterium glutamicum, which is a widely used industrial platform organism. We determined the structures for CgDHQD^WT with the citrate at a resolution of 1.80Å and CgDHQD^R19A with DHQ complexed forms at a resolution of 2.00 Å, respectively. The enzyme forms a homododecamer consisting of four trimers with three interfacial active sites. We identified the DHQ-binding site of CgDHQD and observed an unusual binding mode of citrate inhibitor in the site with a half-opened lid loop. A structural comparison of CgDHQD with a homolog derived from Streptomyces coelicolor revealed differences in the terminal regions, lid loop, and active site. Particularly, CgDHQD, including some Corynebacterium species, possesses a distinctive residue P105, which is not conserved in other DHQDs at the position near the 5-hydroxyl group of DHQ. Replacements of P105 with isoleucine and valine, conserved in other DHQDs, caused an approximately 70% decrease in the activity, but replacement of S103 with threonine (CgDHQD^S103T) caused a 10% increase in the activity. Our biochemical studies revealed the importance of key residues and enzyme kinetics for wild type and CgDHQD^S103T, explaining the effect of the variation. This structural and biochemical study provides valuable information for understanding the reaction efficiency that varies due to structural differences caused by the unique sequences of CgDHQD.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 1978

A bark comprises about 10 to 20 percents of a typical log by volume, and is generally considered as an unwanted residue rather than a potential1y valuable resourses, As the world has been confronted with decreasing forest resources, natural resources pressure dictate that a bark should be a raw material instead of a waste. The utilization of the largely wasted bark of genus Pinus, Quercus, and Populus grown in Korea can be enhanced by learning their chemical properties. However, the chemical study of tree bark grown in korea have never been undertaken. In the present paper, the studies on the chemical properties of bark comprise carbohydrates, lignin, and extractives, composition of reducing sugars and five essential elements. The results may be summarized as follows: 1. Bark are much richer in quantity of lignin and extractives than the corresponding wood, and are chiefly consisted of lignin, extractives and carbohydrates orderly. It is the same with ash contents. Alcohol-benzene extractives of populus bark are the highest among three genus. 2. Although glucose constitutes the major sugar in both pine and hardwoods bark, in pinus, arabinose and xylose are the next but in hard woods, the next is xylose. 3. Essential elements, Ca and Kjeldahl-N are higher in the bark than in the wood. Ca content is the highest among others, and N,K followed it. Essential elements are higher in Quercus than in Populus and pinus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.885-891
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• 2018

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) toxin A is known to cause acute gut inflammation in humans and animals by triggering cytoskeletal disorganization in gut epithelial cells. In human colonocytes, toxin A blocks microtubule assembly by directly increasing the enzymatic activity of histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC-6), a tubulin-specific deacetylase, thereby markedly decreasing tubulin acetylation, which is essential for microtubule assembly. Microtubule assembly dysfunction-associated alterations (i.e., toxin A-exposed gut epithelial cells) are believed to trigger barrier dysfunction and gut inflammation downstream. We recently showed that potassium acetate blocked toxin A-induced microtubule disassembly by inhibiting HDAC-6. Herein, we tested whether acetic acid (AA), another small acetyl residue-containing agent, could block toxin A-induced tubulin deacetylation and subsequent microtubule assembly. Our results revealed that AA treatment increased tubulin acetylation and enhanced microtubule assembly in an HT29 human colonocyte cell line. AA also clearly increased tubulin acetylation in murine colonic explants. Interestingly, the AA treatment also alleviated toxin A-induced tubulin deacetylation and microtubule disassembly, and MTT assays revealed that AA reduced toxin A-induced cell toxicity. Collectively, these results suggest that AA can block the ability of toxin A to cause microtubule disassembly-triggered cytoskeletal disorganization by blocking toxin A-mediated deacetylation of tubulin.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.163-171
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• 1993

The collagens from filefish (Novoden modestus) and cod (Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius) skin were isolated and their physicochemical properties were investigated. Glutamic acid, hydroxyproline, valine and phenylalanine in the filefish skin collagen (FSC) were presented at higher levels than those of cod skin collagen (CSC), but the contents of glycine, proline and serine were contrary. The content of essential amino acids of FSC (265 residues/1000 residues) was higher than CSC (229 residues). The solubilities of both collagens were the lowest at pH 7.0, but precipitously increased at acid zone(below pH 5.0). FSC has lower viscosity than CSC. Furthermore, while the viscosities of both collagens were the lowest at pH 7.0, the viscosities of FSC and CSC were the highest at pH 4.0 and pH 2.0, respectively. The denaturation temperature of $FS(25^{\circ}C)$ was higher than $CSD\;(17^{\circ}C)$. The free hydrophobic residue contents of FSC and CSC tended to increase till $60^{\circ}C,\;and\;50^{\circ}C$ respectively, and to decrease thereafter. Hydration capacities of both collagens were the lowest at pH 7.0, and CSC had the superior hydration capacity to FSC. In addition, emulsifying and emulsifying stability of CSC was also superior to FSC.