• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권8호
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• pp.2577-2583
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• 2011

We have designed a 20-residue hybrid peptide CA(1-8)-MA(1-12) (CAMA) incorporating residues 1-8 of cecropin A (CA) and residues 1-12 of magainin 2 (MA) with high bacterial cell selectivity. CAMA-P2 is an ${\alpha}$-helical antimicrobial peptide designed from a CAMA hybrid peptide and substitution of Gly-Ile-Gly hinge sequence of CAMA to Pro influences the flexibility at central part of CAMA. Based on structure-activity relationships of CAMA peptides, to investigate the effects of the total positive charges on antimicrobial activity of CAMA-P2, the $Ser^{14}{\rightarrow}$Lys analogue (CAMA-syn1) was synthesized. The role of tryptophan at C-terminal ${\alpha}$-helix on its antimicrobial activity as well as synergistic activity was also investigated using $Ser^{14}{\rightarrow}$Lys/$Phe^{18}{\rightarrow}$Trp analogue (CAMA-syn2). Also, we designed CAMA-syn3 by substitution of $Lys^{16}$ located opposite side of substituted $Lys^{14}$ of CAMA-syn1 with Leu residue, resulting in increase of hydrophobicity and amphipathicity of the peptide. All of CAMA-syn analogues showed good antimicrobial activities similar to those of CAMA and CAMA-P2. The CAMA-syn1 and CAMA-syn2 showed low hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against human keratinocyte Haca-T cells while CAMA-syn3 showed hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity at its MIC value. We then investigated their abilities to act synergistically in combination with the antimicrobial flavonoids and synthetic compounds screened in our laboratory. The results showed that all peptides exhibited synergistic effects with dihydrobinetin, while only CAMA-syn2 exhibited synergistic effects with YKAs3001 against both S. aureus and MRSA, suggesting that Trp residue at C-terminus of CAMA-syn2 may facilitate the polar antibiotic flavonoids and synthetic compounds to permeabilize the membrane. This study will be useful for the development of new antibiotic peptides with potent antimicrobial and synergistic activity but without cytotoxicity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.611-618
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• 2020

Background: It is well recognized that gut microbiota is involved in the biotransformation of ginsenosides by converting the polar ginsenosides to nonpolar bioactive ginsenosides. However, the roles of the gut microbiota on the pharmacokinetics of ginsenosides in humans have not yet been fully elucidated. Methods: Red ginseng (RG) or fermented red ginseng was orally administered to 34 healthy Korean volunteers, and the serum concentrations of the ginsenosides were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, the fecal ginsenoside Rd- and compound K (CK)eforming activities were measured. Then, the correlations between the pharmacokinetic profiles of the ginsenosides and the fecal ginsenoside-metabolizing activities were investigated. Results: For the RG group, the area under the serum concentratione-time curve values of ginsenosides Rd, F2, Rg3, and CK were 8.20 ± 11.95 ng·h/mL, 4.54 ± 3.70 ng·h/mL, 36.40 ± 19.68 ng·h/mL, and 40.30 ± 29.83 ng·h/mL, respectively. For the fermented red ginseng group, the the area under curve from zero to infinity (AUC_∞) values of ginsenosides Rd, F2, Rg3, and CK were 187.90 ± 95.87 ng·h/mL, 30.24 ± 41.87 ng·h/mL, 28.68 ± 14.27 ng·h/mL, and 137.01 ± 96.16 ng·h/mL, respectively. The fecal CK-forming activities of the healthy volunteers were generally proportional to their ginsenoside Rd-eforming activities. The area under the serum concentration-time curve value of CK exhibited an obvious positive correlation (r = 0.566, p < 0.01) with the fecal CK-forming activity. Conclusion: The gut microbiota may play an important role in the bioavailability of the nonpolar RG ginsenosides by affecting the biotransformation of the ginsenosides.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.89-102
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• 2016

In this study, we evaluated the model performance with respect to Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Net Heat Flux (NHF) by considering the characteristics of seasonal temperature variation and contributing factors and by analyzing heat budget terms in the Northwestern Pacific and East Asian Marginal Seas ($110^{\circ}E-160^{\circ}E$, $15^{\circ}N-60^{\circ}N$) using the HadGEM2-AO historical run. Annual mean SST of the HadGEM2-AO is about $0.065^{\circ}C$ higher than observations (EN3_v2a) from 1950 to 2000. Since 1960, the model has simulated well the long-term variation of SST and the increasing rate of SST in the model ($0.014^{\circ}C/year$) is comparable with observations ($0.013^{\circ}C/year$). Heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere was simulated slightly higher in the HadGEM2-AO than that in the reanalysis data on the East Asian Marginal Seas and the Kuroshio region. We investigated the causes of temperature variation by calculating the heat budget equation in the two representative regions. In the central part of the Kuroshio axis ($125^{\circ}E-130^{\circ}E$, $25^{\circ}N-30^{\circ}N$: Region A), both heat loss in the upper mixed layer by surface heat flux and vertical heat advection mainly cause the decrease of heat storage in autumn and winter. Release of latent heat flux through the heat convergence brought about by the Kuroshio contributes to the large surface net heat flux. Positive heat storage rate is mainly determined by horizontal heat advection from March to April and surface net heat flux from May to July. In the central part of the subtropical gyre ($155^{\circ}E-160^{\circ}E$, $22^{\circ}N-27^{\circ}N$: Region B), unlike Region A, vertical heat advection predominantly causes the decrease of heat storage in autumn and winter. In spring and summer, surface heat flux contributes to the increase of heat storage in Region B and the period is two times longer than the period for Region A. In this season, shoaling of the mixed layer depth plays an important role in the increase of SST.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2018

Previous studies have indicated a great regional difference in Sea Level Rise (SLR) in the Pacific and it has been suggested that this is linked to climate variability over the past two decades. In this study, we seek to identify the possible linkage between regional sea level and Pacific climate variability from altimetry-based sea level data (1993-2012) and further investigate how the Pacific sea level has changed spatially and temporally over the past 60 years from long-term sea level reconstruction data (1953-2008). Based on the same method as Zhang and Church (2012), the Inter-annual Climate Index (ICI) associated with the El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o-Southern$ Oscillation (ENSO) and the Decadal Climate Index (DCI) associated with Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) are defined and then the multiple variable linear regression is used to analyze quantitatively the impact of inter-annual and decadal climate variability on the regional sea levels in the Pacific. During the altimeter period, the ICI that represents ENSO influence on inter-annual time scales strongly impacts in a striking east-west "see-saw mode" on sea levels across the tropical Pacific. On the other hand, the decadal sea level pattern that is linked to the DCI has a broad meridional structure that is roughly symmetric in the equator with its North Pacific expression being similar to the PDO, which largely contributes to a positive SLR trend in the western Pacific and a negative trend in the eastern Pacific over the two most recent decades. Using long-term sea level reconstruction data, we found that the Pacific sea levels have fluctuated in the past over inter-annual and decadal time scales and that strong regional differences are presented. Of particular interest is that the SLR reveals a decadal shift and presents an opposite trend before and after the mid-1980s; i.e., a declining (rising) trend in the western (eastern) Pacific before the mid-1980s, followed by a rising (declining) trend from the mid-1980s onward in the western (eastern) Pacific. This result indicates that the recent SLR patterns revealed from the altimeters have been persistent at least since the mid-1980s.

• 한국지구과학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.369-379
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• 2002

저온 습윤한 1993년 여름철과 고온 건조한 1994년 여름철과 관련된 동아시아에서 대조적인 여름철 몬순순환의 특성을 상, 하층 대류권의 대기순환 특성과 함께 전구 해수온도 및 적도 대류성 강수장을 분석함으로써 조사하였다. 1993년의 경우, 동아시아, 중앙 북태평양 및 미국 서부지역에서 500hpa 면과 200hpa 면의 음의 지위고도 편차가 나타났지만, 1994년의 경우, 이들 지역들에서 양의 편차를 보였다. 1993년의 아열대 제트류는 평년보다 다소 남쪽에 치우쳐져 한반도 북쪽에 위치하였다. 서태평양 아열대 고기압이 남쪽으로 이동하여 동아시아지역에는 평년보다 많은 여름철 강수와 낮은 여름철 기온이 나타났다. 이는 오오츠크해로부터 동해로 저온 습윤한 기단의 확장에 때문으로 판단된다. 대조적으로 1994년의 아열대 제트류는 평년보다 다소 북쪽에 위치하였고, 서태평양 아열대 고기압의 갑작스런 북상은 동아시아 여름철 강수대의 북상을 동반하였다. 따라서, 아시아 여름철 강수 및 기온 편차는 1993년과 반대 양상을 보였다. 적도 태평양상의 해수온 편차에서는, 1993년은 엘니뇨가, 1994년은 라니냐가 각각 나타났다. 오스트레일리아 고기압과 마스카렝 고기압의 북서 연변을 따른 하층 적도 횡단류와 관련된 서태평양과 인도양에서 이상적인 대류성 강수는 이들 대조적인 동아시아 여름철의 대규모 대기순환에 영향을 준 것으로 판단된다. 또한, 동아시아 여름몬순지역에서 평균된 200 hPa 면의 동서바람편차는 한반도 여름 기온편차와 음의 상관을 보였다.

• 한국광물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국광물학회.한국암석학회 2003년도 공동학술발표회 논문집
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• pp.66-66
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• 2003

King George island, Antarctica, is mostly covered by ice sheet and glaciers, but the land area is focally exposed for several thousand years after deglaciation. For a mineralogical study of chemical weathering in the polar environment, glacial debris was sampled at the well-developed patterned ground which was formed by long periglaclal process. As fresh equivalents, recently exposed tills were sampled at the base of ice cliff of outlet glaciers and at the melting margin of ice cap together with fresh bedrock samples. Fresh tills are mostly composed of quartz, plagioclase, chlorite, and illite, but those derived from hydrothermal alteration zone contain smectite and illite-smectite. In bedrocks, chlorite was the major clay minerals in most samples with minor illite near hydrothermal alteration zone and interstratified chlorite-smectite in some samples. Smectite closely associated with eolian volcanic glass was assigned to alteration in their source region. Blocks with rough surface due to chemical disintegration showed weathering rinds of several millimeter thick. Comparision between inner fresh and outer altered zones did not show notable change in clay mineralogy except dissolution of calcite and some plagioclase. Most significant weathering was observed in the biotite flakes, eolian volcanic glass, sulfides, and carbonates in the debris. Biotite flakes derived from granodiorite were altered to hydrobiotite and vermiculite of yellow brown color. Minor epitactic kaolinite and gibbsite were formed in the cleaved flakes of weathered biotite. Pyrite was replaced by iron oxides. Calcite was congruently dissolved. Volcanic glass of basaltic andesite composition showed alteration rim of several micrometer thick or completely dissolved leaving mesh of plagioclase laths. In the alteration rim, Si, Na, Mg, and Ca were depleted, whereas Al, Ti, and Fe were relatively enriched. Mineralization of lichen and moss debris is of much interest. They are rich of A3 and Si roughly in the ratio of 2:1 to 3:1 typical of allophane. In some case, Fe and Ti are enriched in addition to Al and Si. Transmission electron microscopy of the samples rich of volcanic glass showed abundant amorphous aluminosilicates, which are interpreted as allophane. Chemical weathering in the King George Island is dominated by the leaching of primary phyllosilicates, carbonates, eolian volcanic glass, and minor sulfides. Authigenesls of clay minerals is less active. Absence of a positive evidence of significant authigenic smectite formation suggests that its contribution to the clay mineralogy of marine sediments are doubtful even near the maritime Antarctica undergoing a more rapid and intenser chemical weathering under more humid and milder climate.

• 한국패류학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.87-95
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• 2006

본 연구에서는 남극삿갓조개 (Nacella concinna) 의 장 (intestine)의 중금속 농축에 관하여 알아보고자 카드뮴 노출실험을 실시한 후 중금속에 노출 시 동물체내에서 유도되는 단백질 중의 하나인 metallothionein을 면역조직화학적 방법으로 추적하고 투과전자현미경 (transmission electron microscope) 을 이용하여 세포의 미세구조의 변화를 알아보았다. 더불어 SEM-EDS 장비를 이용한 원소분석을 통해 중금속의 분포를 알아보아 중금속의 축적 및 해독기작에 대한 기초자료를 얻고자 수행되었다. Metallothionein의 분포를 살펴보기 위하여 면역조직화학적 실험이 수행된 바, 중금속이 농축되고있는 삿갓조개의 장상피세포의 첨단부에 metallothionein이 많이 존재하고 있음을 알 수 있었으며, 미세구조 관찰결과 노출시간이 경과함에 따라 핵막의 팽창, whorl 구조의 출현, 핵 내 봉입체를 관찰할 수 있었다. SEM-EDS 관찰결과 카드뮴 노출결과, 황이 급격하게 줄어들었고, 칼슘과 아연이 상대적으로 증가하는 양상을 관찰 할 수 있었다. 이상에서와 같이 Cd 노출의 정도에 따라 비교적 빠른 세포반응을 보이는 남극삿갓조개의 특징은 자연 상태에서 Cd의 노출에 따른 효과적인 생물 지표종으로서 가치가 있는 것으로 사료된다.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.169-181
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to develop geochemical tracers to identify a specific source desert of mineral dust in China using the published data. In addition, we tested the applicability of these tracers to wet-deposits and soil samples collected in Jeju, Korea. Because of similarity in trace elemental compositions of mineral dust from the major arid regions in China, such as Taklimakan, West Ordos (Badain Jaran), East Ordos (Mu Us and Hobq), East Northern China (Horqin), West Northern China (Gurbantunggut), and Chinese Loess Plateau, there has been limited to the use of geochemical data for source identification. Here we propose the four (4) plots using combination of seven (7) geochemical variables as a source indicator to distinguish one from other source regions in China: $\frac{Y}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\frac{Th}{{\Sigma}REE_N}$, $\(\frac{La}{Gd}\)_N$ vs. $\frac{Y}{{\Sigma}REE_N}$, $\frac{Th}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\frac{Y}{Nd_N}$, and $\frac{Th}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\(\frac{Ce}{Ce}\)_N^*$, where $_N$ and $\(\frac{Ce}{Ce}\)_N^*$ stand for values normalized to Post-Archean Average Shale composition and Ce anomaly, respectively. Mineral dusts from aforementioned six major deserts are distinguished one from the others by the combined use of these variables. Jeju rock and soil samples form a separate domain from Chinese mineral dusts in all four plots. In contrast, most of Jeju dust samples were comparable with the West Ordos desert (Badain Jaran) domain, indicative of strong influence of Badain Jaran dust in Jeju in spring season when the mineral dust was collected. A weak positive Ce anomaly in Jeju samples implies minimal local contribution. Our study suggests that the combination of $\frac{Y}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\frac{Th}{{\Sigma}REE_N}$, $\(\frac{La}{Gd}\)_N$ vs. $\frac{Y}{{\Sigma}REE_N}$, $\frac{Th}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\frac{Y}{Nd_N}$, and $\frac{Th}{Tb_N}$ vs. $\(\frac{Ce}{Ce}\)_N^*$ can be used to identify a specific source region of mineral dust in China as well as Jeju mineral particles.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권7호
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• pp.909-914
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• 2023

While searching for the bacteria which are responsible for degradation of pesticide in soybean field soil, a novel bacterial strain, designated 5-5^T, was isolated. The cells of the strain were Gram-staining-positive, aerobic and non-motile rods. Growth occurred at 10-42℃ (optimum, 30℃), pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5), and 0-2% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1%). The predominant fatty acids were C_15:0 anteiso, C_17:0 anteiso, and summed feature 8 (C_18:1 ω7c and/or C_18:1 ω6c). The predominant menaquinone was MK-9 (H₂). Diphosphatidylglycerol, glycolipids, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylglycerol were the major polar lipids. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain 5-5^T is a member of the genus Sinomonas and its closest relative is Sinomonas humi MUSC 117^T, sharing a genetic similarity of 98.4%. The draft genome of strain 5-5^T was 4,727,205 bp long with an N50 contig of 4,464,284 bp. Genomic DNA G+C content of strain 5-5^T was68.0 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between strain 5-5^T and its closest strains S. humi MUSC 117^T and S. susongensis A31^T were 87.0, and 84.3 % respectively. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain 5-5^T and its closest strains S. humi MUSC 117^T and S. susongensis A31^T were 32.5% and 27.9% respectively. Based on the ANI and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization analyses, the 5-5^T strain was considered as novel species belonging to the genus Sinomonas. On the basis of the results from phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, strain 5-5^T represents a novel speciesof the genus Sinomonas, for which the name Sinomonas terrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 5-5^T (=KCTC 49650^T =NBRC 115790^T).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.188-194
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• 2023

Microbacterium elymi KUDC0405^T was isolated from the rhizosphere of Elymus tsukushiensis from the Dokdo Islands. The KUDC0405^T strain was Gram-stain-positive, non-spore forming, non-motile, and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Strain KUDC0405^T was a rod-shaped bacterium with size dimensions of 0.3-0.4 × 0.7-0.8 ㎛. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, KUDC0405^T was most closely related to Microbacterium bovistercoris NEAU-LLE^T (97.8%) and Microbacterium pseudoresistens CC-5209^T (97.6%). The dDDH (digital DNA-DNA hybridization) values between KUDC0405^T and M. bovistercoris NEAU-LLE^T and M. pseudoresistens CC-5209^T were below 17.3% and 17.5%, respectively. The ANI (average nucleotide identity) values among strains KUDC0405^T, M. bovistercoris NEAU-LLE^T, and M. pseudoresistens CC-5209^T were 86.6% and 80.7%, respectively. The AAI (average amino acid identity) values were 64.66% and 64.97%, respectively, between KUDC0405^T and its closest related type strains. The genome contained 3,596 CDCs, three rRNAs, 46 tRNAs, and three non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). The genomic DNA GC content was 70.4%. The polar lipids included diphosphatydilglycerol, glycolipid, phosphatydilglycerol, and unknown phospholipid, and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C_17:0 and iso-C_16:0. Strain KUDC0405^T contained MK-12 as the major menaquinone. Based on genotypic, phylogenetic, and phenotypic properties, strain KUDC0405^T should be considered a novel species within the genus Microbacterium, for which we propose the name M. elymi sp. nov., and the type strain as KUDC0405^T (=KCTC 49411^T, =CGMCC1.18472^T).