• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.538-548
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• 2023

The research has been conducted on the isolation of antimicrobial compounds from plant natural extracts and their potential application in oral health care products. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial mechanism by analyzing the changes in gene expression of Streptococcus mutans, a major oral pathogen, in response to complex compounds extracted from Aralia continentalis and Arctii Semen using organic solvents. Transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) revealed that both natural extracts commonly upregulated or downregulated the expression of various genes associated with different metabolic and physiological activities. Three genes (SMU_1584c, SMU_2133c, SMU_921), particularly SMU_921 (rcrR), known as a transcription activator of two sugar phosphotransferase systems (PTS) involved in sugar transport and biofilm formation, exhibited consistent high expression levels. Additionally, component analysis of the A. continentalis extract was performed to compare its effects on gene expression changes with the A. Semen extract, and two active compounds were identified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the active fraction. The n-hexane fraction (ACEH) from the A. continentalis extract exhibited antibacterial specificity against S. mutans, leading to a significant reduction in the viable cell counts of Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii among the tested multi-species bacterial communities. These findings suggest the broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of the A. continentalis extract and provide essential foundational data for the development of customized antimicrobial materials by elucidating the antibacterial mechanism of the identified active compounds.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.164-169
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• 2023

Vegetables are rich sources of dietary fiber, which exhibit various health benefits. In the Republic of Korea, vegetables are consumed after cooking using different methods. However, they are most commonly eaten raw or blanched. In this study, chamnamul, sesame leaf, Fischer's ragwort, burdock root, and garlic stem from Korea were analyzed according to the Korean Food Code, and changes in dietary fiber content after blanching were compared. Blanching reduced the total dietary fiber (TDF) content in chamnamul (from 3.67±0.03 to 2.61±0.14 g/100 g), burdock root (from 4.95±0.40 to 3.89±0.10 g/100 g), and sesame leaf (from 4.32±0.12 to 3.65±0.17 g/100 g), but increased it in Fischer's ragwort (from 6.09±0.49 to 6.43±0.01 g/100 g) and garlic stem (from 4.52±0.35 to 5.09±0.04 g/100 g). Sucrose, glucose, and fructose were detected in the vegetables; however, sesame leaf did not have sucrose. Fresh burdock root had the highest sucrose content (1.71±0.07 g/100 g) whereas garlic stem had the highest glucose and fructose content (1.65±0.02 and 1.73±0.02 g/100 g, respectively) compared with other vegetables. Upon blanching, the free sugar content of vegetables decreased for all sugars except for sucrose, which increased in Fischer's ragwort (from 0.10±0.01 to 0.14±0.01 g/100 g) and garlic stem (from 0.76±0.00 to 0.83±0.01 g/100 g). These results can provide information on blanching-associated changes in the content of dietary fiber and free sugar in foods prepared using these vegetables.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.106-111
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• 2003

A novel carbohydrolase, which is a DXAMase, containing both dextranase and amylase equivalent activities, was purified from Lipomyces starkeyi KSM22. The purified DXAMase was also found to hydrolyze cellobiose, gentiobiose, trehalose and melezitose, while disproportionation reactions were exhibited with various di- and tri-saccharides, such as maltose, isomaltose, gentiobiose, kojibiose, sophorose, panose, maltotriose, and isomaltotriose with various kinds of oligosaccharides produced as acceptor reaction products. Furthermore, the purified DXAMase hydrolyzed raw waxy rice Starch and produced maltodextrin to the extent of 50% as a glucose equivalent.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.131-135
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• 2014

Acanthamoeba cysts are resistant to unfavorable physiological conditions and various disinfectants. Acanthamoeba cysts have 2 walls containing various sugar moieties, and in particular, one third of the inner wall is composed of cellulose. In this study, it has been shown that down-regulation of cellulose synthase by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly inhibits the formation of mature Acanthamoeba castellanii cysts. Calcofluor white staining and transmission electron microscopy revealed that siRNA transfected amoeba failed to form an inner wall during encystation and thus are likely to be more vulnerable. In addition, the expression of xylose isomerase, which is involved in cyst wall formation, was not altered in cellulose synthase down-regulated amoeba, indicating that cellulose synthase is a crucial factor for inner wall formation by Acanthamoeba during encystation.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2008

We established an efficient plant regeneration system for Catharanthus roseus L. (G.) Don through somatic embryogenesis. Embryogenic callus was induced from hypocotyl of seed germinated in vitro. Somatic embryogenesis in Catharanthus has been categorized into three distinct stages: (1) initiation and proliferation of embryo; (2) maturation, and; (3) germination or plantlet conversion. Beside plant growth regulators, various stages of embryogenesis were screened for their response to a wide variety of factors (pH, gelrite, light, sugar alcohols, polyethyleneglycol and amino acids), which affect embryogenesis. All of the tested factors had a small to marked influence on embryogeny and eventual conversion to plantlets. The plantlets were acclimatized successfully in a greenhouse. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a detailed study of various cultural factors which regulate embryogenesis in C. roseus. The results discussed in this paper may be used in mass propagation to produce medicinal raw material, and the embryo precursor cells could be used in genetic modification programmes that aim to improve the alkaloid yield as well.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.320-327
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• 2013

The quality characteristics of Omija (Schizandra chinesis Baillon) extracts under various extraction temperatures and times were examined. The pH level of the extracts ranged from 3.35-3.47. The sugar and solid content of the samples significantly increased with increasing extraction temperatures and times (p<0.01). In contrast, the lightness of the extracts decreased with increasing extraction temperatures and times (p<0.001). In a palatability test, extracts boiled at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes scored high in terms of color, flavor, turbidity, sourness, and overall acceptability. Hydroxy radical scavenging activity and polyphenol content of the extracts significantly increased with increasing extraction temperatures and times (p<0.01). Furthermore, direct correlations between hydroxy radical scavenging activity and polyphenol content (or flavonoid content) were established through simple regression (r>0.9) for different extraction temperatures and times. From these results, extracts boiled at $80^{\circ}C$ for 120 minutes is the best to product omija beverage considering functionality and sensory evaluation as well.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1401-1407
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• 2008

The roles of conserved amino acid residues (Va1329-Ala330-Asn331-Glu332), constituting an extra sugar-binding space (ESBS) of Thermus maltogenic amylase (ThMA), were investigated by combinatorial saturation mutagenesis. Various ThMA mutants were firstly screened on the basis of starch hydrolyzing activity and their enzymatic properties were characterized in detail. Most of the ThMA variants showed remarkable decreases in their hydrolyzing activity, but their specificity against various substrates could be altered by mutagenesis. Unexpectedly, mutant H-16 (Gly-Leu-Val-Tyr) showed almost identical hydrolyzing and transglycosylation activities to wild type, whereas K-33 (Ser-Gly-Asp-Glu) showed an extremely low transglycosylation activity. Interestingly, K-33 produced glucose, maltose, and acarviosine from acarbose, whereas ThMA hydrolyzed acarbose to only glucose and acarviosine-glucose. These results propose that the substrate specificity, hydrolysis pattern, and transglycosylation activity of ThMA can be modulated by combinatorial mutations near the ESBS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1245-1253
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• 2014

One-step sulfuric acid saccharification of the red alga Pterocladiella capillacea was optimized, and various detoxification methods (neutralization, overliming, and electrodialysis) of the acid hydrolysate were evaluated for fermentation with the thermotolerant yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. A proximate composition analysis indicated that P. capillacea was rich in carbohydrates. A significant galactose recovery of $81.1{\pm}5%$ was also achieved under the conditions of a 12% (w/v) biomass load, 5% (v/v) sulfuric acid, $121^{\circ}C$, and hydrolysis for 30 min. Among the various detoxification methods, electrodialysis was identified as the most suitable for fermentable sugar recovery and organic acid removal (100% reduction of formic and levulinic acids), even though it failed to reduce the amount of the inhibitor 5-HMF. As a result, K. marxianus fermentation with the electrodialyzed acid hydrolysate of P. capillacea resulted in the best ethanol levels and fermentation efficiency.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.356-363
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to utilize rice bran, the main waste product of paddy processing, in xanthan gum production by Xanthomonas campestris fermentation. Deffated rice bran was enzymatically hydrolyzed using cellulase, gluco-amylase, alpha-amylase and xylanase at various pHs and temperatures within 0-12 h. The highest sugar content reached at $35^{\circ}C$, pH 5.5 in 6 h with 41.66%. The enzymatic hydrolysate was used as the carbon source for xanthan gum production by X. campestris NRRL B-1459 and X. campestris pv. campestris. The highest productivities obtained were 21.87 and 17.10 g/L, respectively. Viscosity measurement for the obtained xanthan gums and commercial gum was carried out in gum solutions at various pHs and temperatures. The highest viscosity was reached with 1% gum solutions at $20^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.5 for all gums with viscosity values of 470, 131 and 138 mPa sec, respectively. This work has provided relevant scientific information about the use of rice bran, an abundant agroindustrial residue, to produce xanthan gum.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.483-487
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• 1992

Among a few number of UV-resistant isolated form various environmental sources (10), we made a comparative physio-chemoanalytical study on one of spherical bacteria isolated from air dust, presumably Deinococcus sp. (CM strain 29) with an UV resistant bacterium, Deinococcus radiophilus ATCC 27603 as the reference strain. Our isolate of UV resistant coccus, Deinococcus sp. CM 29 and D. radiophilus ATCC 27603 showed more than 75% matching coefficient in metabolic activity of various substrates. The most predominant cellular fatty acid of both strains was palmitoleic acid (C 16 :1, cis 9), but the detail fatty acid profiles were slightly dissimilar to each other. Cell-bound arange pigment seemed to be an identical chemicals on spectrophotometric analysis. L-ornithine was detected as cell-wall amino acid in both strains. Galactose was detected as cell-wall sugar in D. radiophilus ATCC 27603, whereas glucose in Deinococcus sp. CM 29. G-C molar ratio of both strains was comparable, 63-65%.