• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.496-507
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• 2018

Immunization has been performed for centuries and is generally accepted as a sustainable method of controlling bacteria, viruses, and mediated and infectious diseases. Despite many studies having been performed on animal subjects to demonstrate the importance of toxin immunity, the use of toxoid vaccines in humans and animals has been limited for a long time. Recently, the development of the toxoid antigen delivery system has been facilitated using novel nano-medicinal technology. The micro/nano-carrier has been used to improve vaccination coverage as well as reduce vaccine costs. A micro/nano-carrier is a micro/nano-sized material that delivers immune cargo, including recombinant or peptide toxoid antigens. These toxoid antigens are either encapsulated in the interior or displayed on the surface of micro/nano-carriers as a way to protect them from the cellular machinery. In particular, the combination of toxoid antigens and micro/nano-carriers can induce phagocytosis through the specific interactions between GCs and macrophages; thus, the toxoid antigens can be delivered easily into the macrophages. This paper reviews recent achievements of micro/nano-carriers in the field of vaccine delivery systems such as microbial ghost cells (GCs, Bacterial ghost cells and Yeast ghost cells), gene-manipulated outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and biocompatible, polymer-based nanoparticles (NPs, NP-Carrier and NP-Cage). Finally, this review shows various aspects in terms of the hosts' immune responses.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 1996

In recent years, phytoremediation, the use of plants to detoxify hydrocarbons, has been a promising new area of research, particularly in situ cleanup of large volumes of slightly contaminated soils. There is increasing need for a mathematical model that can be used as a predictive tool prior to actual field implementation of such a relatively new technique. Although a number of models exist for solute-plant interaction in the vegetated zone of soil, most of them have focused on ionic nutrients and some metals. In this study, we developed a mathematical model for simulation of bioremediation of hydrocarbons in soil, associated with plant root systems. The proposed model includes root interactions with soil-water and hydrocarbons in time and space, as well as advective and dispersive transport in unsaturated soil. The developed model considers gas phase diffusion and liquid-gas mass exchanges. For simulation of temporal and spatial changes in root behavior on soil-water and with hydrocarbons, time-specific distribution of root quantity through soil was incorporated into the simulation model. Hydrocarbon absorption and subsequent uptake into roots with water were simulated with empirical equations. In addition, microbial activity in the rhizosphere, a zone of unique interaction between roots and soil microorganisms, was modeled using a biofilm theory. This mathematical model for understanding and predicting fate and transport of compound in plant-aided remediation will assist effective application of plant-aided remediation to field contamination.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2018

Long-term variation of zooplankton community and species composition was studied from 2003 to 2014 in a deep reservoir, Lake Soyang, in monsoon climate region, Korea. In addition, we examined the correlation with environmental factors. Annual precipitation of watershed showed a large variation in the $705{\sim}1,779mm\;yr^{-1}$ and more than 70% of it was being concentrated from June to September. The water quality of Lake Soyang was shown a clearly seasonal variations and particularly turbid water flowing into the lake during rainy season was the most important environmental factors. Zooplankton community in Lake Soyang showed a significant difference before and after 2006. Zooplankton biomass has shown a large increase and also showed a change in the zooplankton community structure since 2006. The of zooplankton showed positive correlation with temperature and BOD, Chl. a, TP concentration. These results are considered that nutrient and organic matter contained in the turbid water influences the increase in zooplankton biomass and species composition. However, water quality was limited to account for the increase in biomass of zooplankton. For example, increase of small zooplankton density (rotifer; Keratella cochlearis, Polyarthra vulgaris) in spring which is dominated by diatoms (large size; Melosira, Synedra etc.) is considered as a bottom-up effect by the microbial loop. And increased density of crustaceans in autumn was considered a top-down effects by the relationship between predator and prey of microzooplankton and mesozooplankton. In other words the inflow of allochthonous organic matter during rainy season also affected to zooplankton food web in Lake Soyang. In conclusion, biomass, diversity and long-term variations of zooplankton in Lake Soyang were determined by physico-chemical factors but also it is considered that biological interactions is important.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.401-410
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• 2007

In Korea the study of marine heterotrophic protists started in the late 1980s, and since the early 1990s many studies have been conducted in various marine environments. In this article, studies on the distribution and abundance of protists and the biotic interactions(bacteria-protists, phytoplankton-protists) conducted in Korean coastal waters are reviewed, and a field study is reported and discussed. The field study in Masan Bay was carried out from February 2004 to November 2005 at seven selected stations representative of the bay. During the study, the mean abundance of heterotrophic bacteria and the mean concentration of chlorophyll-a were $2.1{\times}10^6\;cells\;mL^{-1}$ and $9.8{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, respectively. Heterotrophic protists consisted of heterotrophic dinoflagellates, heterotrophic nanoflagellates(excluding dinoflagellates) and ciliates, and their abundances were means of $7.9{\times}10^4\;cells\;L^{-1}$, $1.2[\times}10^3\;cells\;mL^{-1}$, and $4.0{\times}10^4\;cells\;L^{-1}$, respectively. Generally, the chlorophyll-a concentra+CZ14tions and the abundances of heterotrophic bacteria and protists were higher in the inner zone of the bay, where there are high concentrations of organic matters, than in the middle and outer zones. Using the grazing rates of heterotrophic nanoflagellates on bacteria previously reported in this area, it can be calculated that about 69% of bacterial producton was removed by HNF grazing activity. About 24% of initial chlorophyll-a concentration was removed by microzooplankton grazing activity. In conclusion, this study suggests that in Masan Bay heterotrophic protists control the growth of bacteria and phytoplankton, and heterotrophic protists represent an important link of bacterial & microalgal biomass to higher trophic levels.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.371-377
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• 2007

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of microbial polyesters that can be produced by fermentation from renewable resources. PHAs can be used as completely biodegradable plastics or elastomers. In this paper, novel applications of PHAs in biosensor are described. A general platform technology was developed by using the substrate binding domain (SBD) of PHA depolymerase as a fusion partner to immobilize proteins of interest on PHA surface. It could be shown that the proteins fused to the SBD of PHA depolymerase could be specifically immobilized onto PHA film, PHA microbead, and microcontact printed PHA surface. We review the results obtained for monitoring the specific interaction between the SBO and PHA by using enhanced green fluorescent protein, red fluorescent protein, single chain antibody against hepatitis B virus preS2 surface protein and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus surface antigen as model proteins. Thus, this system can be efficiently used for studying protein-protein and possibly protein-biomolecule interactions for various biotechnological applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1782-1789
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• 2012

We have developed a novel type of polymer nanogel loaded with anticancer drug based on bio-derived poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) (${\gamma}$-PGA). ${\gamma}$-PGA is a highly anionic polymer that is synthesized naturally by microbial species, most prominently in various bacilli, and has been shown to have excellent biocompatibility. Thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA was synthesized by covalent coupling between the carboxyl groups of ${\gamma}$-PGA and the primary amine group of cysteamine. Doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated using the following steps: (1) an ionic nanocomplex was formed between thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA as the negative charge component, and Dox as the positive charge component; (2) addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) induced hydrogen-bond interactions between thiol groups of thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA and hydroxyl groups of PEG, resulting in the nanocomplex; and (3) disulfide crosslinked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated by ultrasonication. The average size and surface charge of Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels in aqueous solution were $136.3{\pm}37.6$ nm and $-32.5{\pm}5.3$ mV, respectively. The loading amount of Dox was approximately 38.7 ${\mu}g$ per mg of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogel. The Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels showed controlled drug release behavior in the presence of reducing agents, glutathione (GSH) (1-10 mM). Through fluorescence microscopy and FACS, the cellular uptake of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels into breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was analyzed. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated using the MTT assay and was determined to be dependent on both the concentration and treatment time of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels. The bio-derived ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels are expected to be a well-designed delivery carrier for controlled drug delivery applications.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1409-1414
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• 2013

Lymph node (LN) is the sites where mature lymphocytes become stimulated to respond to invading pathogens in the body. Lymphocytes screen the surfaces of pathogen-carrying antigen-presenting cells for cognate antigens, while moving along stromal structural back bone. Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC) is stromal cell forming the 3 dimensional structure networks of the T cell rich zones in LN, and provide a guidance path for immigrating T lymphocytes. In these cooperative environments, the cell to cell bidirectional interactions between FRC and T cells in LN are therefore essential to the normal functioning of these tissues. Not only do FRCs physically construct LN architecture but they are essential for regulating T cell biology within these domains. FRC interact closely with T lymphocytes, is providing scaffolds, secreting soluble factors including cytokine in which FRCs influence T cell immune response. More recently, FRC have been found to induce peripheral T cell tolerance and regulate the extent to which newly activated T cells proliferate within LN. Thus, FRC-T cell crosstalk has important consequences for regulating immune cell function within LN. In addition, FRC have profound effects on innate immune response by secreting anti-microbial peptides and complement, etc in the inflammatory milieu. In summary, we propose a model in which FRC engage in a bidirectional touch to increase the T cell biological efficiency between FRC and T cells. This collaborative feedback loop may help to maintain tissue function during inflammation response.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2015

In order to explore an effect of interaction of Streptococcus gordonii, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis that are bacteria relevant to periodontal disease on its growth, the bacteria were incubated in trypticase soy hemin menadione broth at $37^{\circ}C$ $CO_2$ incubator for 7 days through anaerobic jar by single and co-culture with heat treated dead bacteria under anaerobic gas pack. In order to confirm growth level, absorbance was measured and for confirming colony structure and form, it was observed with scanning electron microscope. In order to confirm an effect on pathogenicity of P. gingivalis, real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was implemented for expression analysis for rgpA gene that produces HRgpA which is gingipain. As a result, the following conclusion was obtained. Colony formation of S. gordonii and P. gingivalis was increased by other dead bacteria and in case of F. nucleatum, its colony formation was showed an aspect of being increased by dead bacterium of P. gingivalis but decreased by dead bacterium of S. gordonii. Therefore, it is considered that the strains being used for this study would affect interactively through bacterial cell itself as well as their interaction factor at the time of colony formation.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.63-86
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• 2024

This study analyzed the distribution, diversity, and density variation of algal clusters in a freshwater reservoir from an oceanic island and a traditional inland water system to gain insights on future marine freshwater resource management. In the Paldang water system (Han River), despite the upstream Paldang Dam and the downstream Jamsil underwater reservoir being in the same meteorological zone, their algae density patterns varied inversely. The distinct algal cluster structure (diversity/dominance) of Paldang was altered in the downstream reservoir, suggesting that physical devices aid algae management in traditional water systems. In contrast, 24 out of 35 genera (63.2%) identified in the Jeolgol Reservoir (Baeknyeong Island) were unique, lacking regulatory mechanisms, and existing in a complex ecotone. The desmid Chlorophyceae Cosmarium, adapted to higher photosynthetic stress and low temperatures, dominated in January (38.04%) and August (86.45%) during the periods of extreme photosynthetic stress. Jeolgol's annual algal cluster structure (H' 2.097; D 0.259; S' 35) demonstrated higher stability than Paldang (H' 1.125; D 0.448; S' 13) and the Jamsil underwater reservoir (H' 1.078; D 0.469; S' 12), maintaining an H' above 1.5 even during midwinters. No evidence of TN/TP inflow from surrounding soils was observed, even during torrential rainfalls, with phosphorus being the limiting factor for algal growth. TOC, BOD, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity peaked during Cosmarium bloom. Future climate change is expected to cause fluctuations in algal clusters and related water quality factors. The complex transitional nature of the Jeolgol Reservoir, its algal diversity, and the interspecies interactions contribute to the high stability of its algal community.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.477-487
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• 2014

Of the many pathogenic Candida species, Candida albicans is the main fungal pathogen of humans. The oral environmental factors considered in the Candida albicans colony forming unit test contain both host and microbial factors associated with candidiasis. In particular, Candida biofilms can develop on surfaces of prosthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of oral Candida species between the type of prosthesis and the situation of oral environment in patient with prosthetic appliance. The patients were 30 elderly subjects with different types of prosthesis, 7 who wore denture, 12 who wore implant and 15 who wore removable orthodontic appliance. We used Candida albicans colony forming unit test using saliva to exam the distribution of Candida albicans related with 5 oral environmental factors, gender, smoking or nonsmoking, alcohol/nonalcohol consumption, the type of prosthetic appliance and its treatment duration as well as tooth brushing frequency per day. In conclusion, for the patient's gender, site in the oral cavity and the type of prosthetic appliance and its treatment duration was associated with an increase in the distribution of Candida albicans in saliva. The distribution of Candida albicans within the oral cavity performs to be modulated to varying extents by oral environmental factors and, further investigations are required to elucidate these complex interactions.