• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제18권10호
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• pp.1505-1512
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• 2005

Bile salt deconjugation is the most biologically significant reaction among the bacterial alterations of bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract of human and animal. The responsible enzyme, bile salt hydrolase (BSH), catalyzes the hydrolysis of glycineand/or taurine-conjugated bile salts into amino acid residues and deconjugated bile acids. Herein we review current knowledge on the distribution of BSH activity among various microorganisms with respect to their biochemical and molecular characteristics. The proposed physiological impact of BSH activity on the host animal as well as on the BSH-producing bacterial cells is discussed. BSH activity of the probiotic strains is examined on the basis of BSH hypothesis, which was proposed to explain cholesterol-lowering effects of probiotics. Finally, the potential applications of BSH research are briefly discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.129-134
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• 1992

Segregational instability of a recombinant plasmid, pDML6, encoding extracellular $\beta$-lactamase in Streptomyces lividans PD6 was characterized by growth kinetic analysis. The quantitative determination of the plasmid harbored in the mycelia was evaluated with mycelia fragmented mechanically, and also with colonies regenerated from protoplasts. Conditions for the formation of protoplasts and regeneration of protoplasts were established. The maximal specific growth rates of the host strain and the plasmid-harboring strain in a chemically defined medium without selection pressure were the same. The probability of plasmid loss from the harbouring cells was higher at higher growth rates. Mathematical models for the prediction of cell growth, substrate uptake, and accumulation of the cloned gene product were developed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.759-764
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• 2015

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of the critical components in host innate immune responses to imbalanced and invading microbial pathogens. Although the antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action have been thoroughly investigated for decades, the exact biological properties of AMPs are still elusive. Most AMPs generally exert the antimicrobial effect by targeting the microbial membrane, such as barrel stave, toroidal, and carpet mechanisms. Thus, the mode of action in model membranes and the discrimination of AMPs to discrepant lipid compositions between mammalian cells and microbial pathogens (cell selectivity) have been studied intensively. However, the latest reports suggest that not only AMPs recently isolated but also well-known membrane-disruptive AMPs play a role in intracellular killing, such as apoptosis induction. In this mini-review, we will review some representative AMPs and their antimicrobial mechanisms and provide new insights into the dual mechanism of AMPs.

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한약학회 2003년도 Proceedings of the Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea Vol.1
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• pp.268.2-269
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• 2003

Prostaglandins (PGs) and NO (nitric oxide) are important elements to keep homeostasis and host defense system in human beings. When PGs and NO are overproduced by cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), respectively, they can cause chronic inflammation, tissue damage, and carcinogenesis. On this line, we are interested in finding agents that can inhibit the production of PGs and NO from natural products for devloping anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive agents. (omitted)

• 통합자연과학논문집
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.138-142
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• 2013

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 plays a vital role in the entry of the virus into the host cells. The crucial role of the glycoprotein suggests gp120 as potential drug target for the future antiviral therapies. Identification of the binding mode of small drug like compounds has been an important goal in drug design. In the current study we attempt to propose binding mode of indole derivatives in the binding pocket of gp120. These derivatives are reported to inhibit HIV-1 by acting as attachment inhibitors that bind to gp120 and prevent the gp120-CD4 interaction and thus inhibit the infectivity of HIV-1. To elucidate the molecular basis of the small molecules interactions to inhibit the glycoprotein function we employed the molecular docking simulation approach. This study provides insights to elucidate the binding pattern of indole-based gp120 inhibitors and may help in the rational design of novel HIV-1 inhibitors with improved potency.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정보디스플레이학회 2006년도 6th International Meeting on Information Display
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• pp.426-429
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• 2006

We investigated the electrooptical properties of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped nematic liquid crystal (LC) cell. Experimental results reveal that the doped CNTs influence the elastic constant of LC-CNT dispersion. Using a small amount of CNT dopant, the rise time of the LC cell is nearly invariant; the threshold voltage of the cell increases due to the increase in the elastic constant of LC-CNT dispersion. At a higher CNT concentration, the marked increase in the dielectric anisotropy of LC-CNT dispersion markedly decreases the rise time and threshold voltage of the LC cell. The fall time of this cell decreases with increasing CNT concentration due to the increase in elastic constant and the slight increase in viscosity of LC-CNT dispersion. The rise time and the fall time of the LC cell are decreased simultaneously when the LC host is doped with a moderate amount of CNT dopant.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2005년도 생물공학의 동향(XVII)
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• pp.812-815
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• 2005

The basidomycetes fungus, Agaricus blazei Murill has been well known as the biologically active polysaccharides. They do not attack cancer cells directly, but produce their antitumor effects by activating various immune responses in the host. This present study was designed to investigate the immune activity of polysaccharides extracted from fruiting body, culture broth, and mycelia. In order to examine the optimum conditions of polysaccharide production, medium and C/N ratio were examined in flask culture. The fine polysaccharides were isolated and purified by DEAE cellulose and Sephadex CL-6B, respectively. Each fraction was spplied to recognize NO synthesis and TNF-${\alpha}$ for immune activity test.

• BMB Reports
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.88-91
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• 1996

The anaerobically expressed gene aeg-46.5, which had been identified by the operon fusion technique with a hybrid bacteriophage of ${\lambda}$ and Mu, ${\lambda}$placMu53, was studied for its expression pattern and growth. The expression of aeg-46.5 was studied in the wild-type cell and mutant cells that have mutation (s) in the control gene of anaerobic respiration (fnr) and nitrate response (narL and narP). The ${\beta}$-galactosidase reporter gene showed maximum expression in narL host after two hours of aerobic to anaerobic switch in M9-Glc-nitrate medium. Both 40 mM and 100 mM concentrations of nitrate ion in the medium had little effect on expression level. We propose that aeg-46.5 is subject to multiple regulations of anaerobic activation by Fnr, nitrate activation by NarP and repression mediated by NarL.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.103-110
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• 2014

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), also called matrixins, function in the extracellular environment of cells and degrade both matrix and non-matrix proteins. They are multidomain proteins and their activities are regulated by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). The uncontrolled regulation of MMPs is involved in various pathologic processes, such as tumor invasion, migration, host immune escape, extravasation, angiogenesis, and tumor growth. Especially, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is one of the metastasis-accelerating genes involved in metastasis of various types of human cancers. Here, we review the member of MMP family and discusses their domain structure and function, enzyme activation, the mechanism of inhibition by TIMPs. In particular, we focus the role of MMP-9 in relation to cancer metastasis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.161-167
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• 2018

Chloroplasts are present in organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. These organelles are thought to have originated from photosynthetic cyanobacteria through endosymbiosis. During endosymbiosis, most cyanobacterial genes were transferred to the host nucleus. Therefore, most chloroplast proteins became encoded in the nuclear genome and must return to the chloroplast after translation. The N-terminal cleavable transit peptide (TP) is necessary and sufficient for the import of nucleus-encoded interior chloroplast proteins. Over the past decade, extensive research on the TP has revealed many important characteristic features of TPs. These studies have also shed light on the question of how the many diverse TPs could have evolved to target specific proteins to the chloroplast. In this review, we summarize the characteristic features of TPs. We also highlight recent advances in our understanding of TP evolution and provide future perspectives about this important research area.