• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2005

In the present study, we tried to investigate whether protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12-Myristate 13-Acetate (PMA), and PKC inhibitors, $G\"{o}-6976$, Ro-31-8220 and rottlerin significantly affect basal mucin relesed from cultured airway goblet cells. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells were metabolically radiolabeled with $^3H$-glucosamine for 24 hr and chased for 30 min in the presence of each agent to assess the effects on $^3H$-mucin release. The results were as follows: (1) PMA increased mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, during 30 min of treatment period; (2) However, $G\"{o}-6976$, Ro-31-8220 and rottlerin did not significantly affect mucin release, during 30 min of treatment period. This finding suggests, at least in part, that PKC might playa minor role in the signaling pathways involved in basal - physiological or constitutive - mucin release from airway goblet cells, although further studies are needed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.246-250
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• 2005

In this study, we tried to investigate whether diclofenac, acetaminophen, nimesulide, acetylsalicylic acid and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) significantly affect mucin release from cultured airway goblet cells. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells were metabolically radiolabeled with $^3H$-glucosamine for 24 hr and chased for 30 min or 24 hr in the presence of each agent to assess the effects on $^3H$-mucin release. The results were as follows: (1) TNF-alpha significantly increased mucin release from cultured HTSE cells during 24 hr of treatment period; (2) However, diclofenac, acetaminophen, nimesulide and acetylsalicylic acid did not affect mucin release, during 30 min of treatment period. Basically, this finding suggests that non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might not function as a mucoregulator in various inflammatory respiratory diseases showing mucus hypersecretion, although further studies are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.238-244
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• 2004

Objective : This study is intended to investigate whether the two oriental medical prescriptions, CheongGeumGangHwa-tang(CGGH) and GwaRuJiSil-tang(GRJS), significantly affect mucin release from cultured hamster tracheal surface epithelial(HTSE) cells. Materials and Methods : Confluent HTSE cells were metabolically radio labeled with 3H-glucosamine for 24 hrs and chased for 30 min in the presence of CGGH or GRJS to assess the effect of each agent on 3H-mucin release. Possible cytotoxicities of each agent were assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) release. Also, the effects of CGGH and GRJS on contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle were investigated. Results : (1) CGGH and GRJS significantly increased mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, without cytotoxicity : (2) CGGH and GRJS did not affect contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle. Conclusions : These results suggest that the effects of CGGH and GRJS should be further investigated, and that it would be gainful to invesigate, from among oriental medical prescriptions, what novel agents have these mild expectorant effects on mucin secretion from airway goblet cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.568-574
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• 1998

Two types of chitosanases produced from Aspergillus fumigatus KH-94 were purified by ion exchange and gel permeation chromatography. Molecular weights of the enzymes are 22.5 kDa (chitosanase I) and 108 kDa (chitosanase II). pI, optimum pH, and temperature of chitosanase I are 7.3, 5.5, and 70-$80^{\circ}C$, respectively, and those of chitosanase II are 4.8, 4.5~5.5, and 50~$60^{\circ}C$, respectively. Activities of both chitosanases were increased by $Mn^{2+}$ but inhibited by $Cu^{2+}$ and $Hg^{2+}$ . Chitosanase I has endo-splitting activity that hydrolyzes chitopentaose, chitohexaose, and chitosan to chitobiose, chitotriose, and chitotetraose, whereas chitosanase II has exo-splitting activity that hydrolyzes chitobiose and chitosan to glucosamine. Chitosanase II was found to have transglycosylation activity also in the reaction of 2% more chitooligosaccharides as a substrate and at the initial reaction. The higher degree of deacetylation, the stronger activities of chitosanase Iand II toward chitosans. Both chitosanases could hydrolyze chitosan and glycol chitosan but not chitin, cellulose, and carboxymethyl cellulose. To produce higher degree of polymerization of chitooligosaccharides, chitosanase I was used and yielded 80% of recovery.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.358-365
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• 2003

A bacterial strain capable of producing a novel bioflocculant was isolated from a biofilm sample and identified as Bacillus megaterium G31. The highest biopolymer yield was achieved when the organism was cultivated in a medium containing acetate as the sole carbon source and ($NH_4)_2HPO_4$as the nitrogen source. In kaolin suspension, the flocculating activity was highest at 170 mg I$^{-1}$ and decreased at the higher bioflocculant concentrations. The crude bioflocculant produced by the organism was purified by ethanol precipitation and gel permeation chromatography. The FTIR spectrum of the purified bioflocculant revealed that the bioflocculant might be a heterogeneous polysaccharide composed of hexosamines and neutral sugars. The analysis of sugar components of the bioflocculant using high performance anion-exchange chromatography showed that the sugar constituents of the bioflocculant were glucosamine, fucose, galactosamine, galactose, glucose, mannose in approximate molar ratio of 4 : 1 : 6 : 3 : 8 : 19. Its flocculating activity was stimulated by various cations. The bioflocculant was thermo-stable and retained 64% of its original activity after heating at $100^{\circ}C$ for 50 min.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.1092-1096
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• 2020

YjiC, a glycosyltransferase from Bacillus licheniformis, is a well-known versatile enzyme for glycosylation of diverse substrates. Although a number of O-glycosylated products have been produced using YjiC, no report has been updated for nucleophilic N-, S-, and C- glycosylation. Here, we report the additional functional capacity of YjiC for nucleophilic N- and S- glycosylation using a broad substrate spectrum including UDP-α-D-glucose, UDP-N-acetyl glucosamine, UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine, UDP-α-D-glucuronic acid, TDP-α-L-rhamnose, TDP-α-D-viosamine, and GDP-α-L-fucose as donor and various amine and thiol groups containing natural products as acceptor substrates. The results revealed YjiC as a promiscuous enzyme for conjugating diverse sugars at amine and thiol functional groups of small molecules applicable for generating glycofunctionalized chemical diversity libraries. The glycosylated products were analyzed using HPLC and LC/MS and compared with previous reports.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2005

Chitosan, which is a biopolymer, composed of glucosamine units linked by $\beta$-1, 4 glycoside bonds, is rich in shells of crustacean such as crabs and shrimps. Consumption of chitosan has been rapidly increased as a functional food. We examined effects of chitosan on the damages caused by lead (Pb) exposure in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 8 groups (n = 64), then fed diets containing 3% cellulose (control) or 3% chitosan, each with 4 different lead doses (0 mg/d, 20 mg/d, 50 mg/d, and 100 mg/d) for 4 wks. Lead doses were given 3 times per week by oral administration. Blood lead levels in rats increased depending on the administered doses of lead. Rats fed chitosan diets showed lower blood lead concentration than did their respective controls. Effect of chitosan on the blood lead was more beneficial in rats exposed to lower lead (20 mg/d) than in rats exposed to higher lead (50 mg/d and 100 mg/d). Histological changes in erythrocytes and liver were also examined. Chitosan tended to reduce numbers of basophilic stippling erythrocytes and improve the histological liver changes in rats given various lead doses. The preventive effects of chitosan on liver damages were stronger in rats with higher lead than those with lower lead. These results indicate that chitosan has beneficial effects on both blood toxicological responses and histological damages of erythrocytes and liver induced by the administration of various lead doses.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.329-333
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• 2004

In this study, we investigated whether TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, CTMA (carboxymethyl trimethylammonium) and LPD (Lup-20[29]-ene-3beta,28-diol) affect mucin release from airway goblet cells and compared the activities of these agents with the inhibitory action of PLL and the stimulatory action of ATP on mucin release. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells were metabolically radiolabeled with $^3H-glucosamine$ for 24 h and chased for 30 min in the presence of varying concentrations of each agent to assess the effects on $^3H-mucin$ release. The results were as follows: TNF-alpha, CTMA and LPD increased mucin release at the highest concentration, but IL-1beta did not. We conclude that CTMA and LPD can stimulate mucin release by directly acting on airway mucin-secreting cells, and suggest that these agents should be further investigated for the possible use as mild expectorants during the treatment of chronic airway diseases.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2005

Objectives : In the present study, the authors intended to investigate whether two oriental medical prescriptions named chwiyeon-tang and chihyosan-gamibang significantly affect much release from cultured hamster tracheal surface epithelial HTSE cells. Methods : Confluent HTSE cells were metabolically radiolabeled with 3H-glucosamine for 24 hrs and chased for 30 min in the presence of chwiyeon-tang or chihyosan-gamibang to assess the effect of each agent on 3H-mucin release. Possible cytotoxicities of each agent were assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase LDH release. Also, the effect of chwiyeon-tang and chihyosan-gamibang on contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle were investigated. Results : (1) Chwiyeon-tang significantly inhibited mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, with significant cytotoxicity ; (2) Chihyosan-gamibang significantly stimulated mucin release from cultured HTSE cells, with minute cytotoxicity ; (3) Chwiyeon-tang and Chihyosan-gamibang did not affect contractility of isolated tracheal smooth muscle. Conclusions : We suggest that the effects of Chwiyeon-tang and Chihyosan-gamibang with their components should be further investigated and it is of great value to find, from oriental medical prescriptions, noel agents which might regulate mucin secretion from airway goblet cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.218-223
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• 2001

In the present study, we intended to investigate whether polycationic peptides including poly-L-lysine (PLL) and poly-L-arginine (PLA) specifically inhibit the mucin release and do not affect significantly the release of the other releasable glycoproteins with less molecular weight than mucin's from cultured airway goblet cells. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells were metabolically radiolabeled with 3H-glucosamine for 24 hr and chased for 30 min in the presence of varying concentrations of either poly-L-arginine (PLA) or poly-L-lysine (PLL) to assess the effects on 3H-mucin release and on the total elution profile of the treated culture medium. The results were as follows : (1) PLL 78,000, PLL 9,600 and PLA 8,900 inhibited mucin release in a dose-dependent manner; (2) These polycationic peptides did not inhibit the release of the other releasable glycoproteins with less molecular weights than mucin's. We conclude that these polycationic peptides 'specifically'inhibit mucin release from airway goblet cells. This finding suggests that these polycationic peptides might be used as a specific airway mucin-regulating agent.