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This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Rhynchosia molubilis saponin on carbon tetrachloride ()-induced hepatotoxicity. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered the Rhynchosia molubilis saponin at 100 mg/kg every day for two weeks, then (3.3 ml/kg) was injected into rats. 12 hours later, they were anesthesized with ether and dissected. Rhynchosia molubilis saponin-administered group showed 59.92% and 62.28% of inhibitory effects on aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities compared to -treated group (p-treated (RSC) group in liver homogenate and mitochondria were significantly inhibited to 61.83%, 81.11 %, respectively, compared to -treated group (p-treated group (p-treated group (p were dearly eliminated by the administration of Rhynchosia molubilis saponin. These results suggest that Rhynchosia molubilis saponin could have the protective effects against hepatotoxicity.

The gene for a L-aspartate (ADC) from Enterococcus faecalis was cloned and sequenced. The gene comprised an open reading frame of 1,611 base pairs, which encodes a protein of 58,960 Da consisting of 536 amino acid residues. The gene was subcloned into an expression plasmid for overexpression of the ADC. The recombinant ADC was produced using E. coli as the host and purified to homogeneity. Our result showed that the ADC may be obtained from bacteria known nucleotide sequence. Thus, we suggest that high value L-alanine might be produced by low value aspartate.

The aim of this study was to increase production of leucocin A, a kind of bacteriocin, in a transformed variety of S. cerevisiae. We investigated optical density, total secreted protein, protease activity, and antibacterial activity for the transformed S. cerevisiae in different carbon sources. The production of leucocin A growth-associated, and antibacterial activity, according to carbon source, was in the order of sucrose, glucose, glycerol, and fructose. Antibacterial activity was higher in the presence of sucrose than glucose. This is the first report regarding the effect of carbon sources on the production of leucocin A in transformed S. cerevisiae, as far as we ascertain. Our results could prove useful in the industrial production of natural preservatives.

In this study, the effect of Epimedii Herba (EH) on the antioxidative enzymatic activity was investigated. EH (100mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered into rats for 2 weeks. On the last day, carbon tetrachloride dissolved in olive oil was injected before 12 hours. EH-pread-ministered and (EC) group showed higher inhibitory effect in aminotransferase (AST, ALT) activity compared to group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Catalase in EC group were increased compared to those of CT group. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was significantly higher than those of CT group compared to EC group. These results suggest that EH has a hepatoprotective effect through scavenging the free radicals induced by .

To figure out conserved genes in 66 microbial species and measuring the degree of conservation, analyses based on COG (Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins) algorithm were applied. Sixty-six microbial genomes, including three eukaryotes, hold 63 conserved orthologs in common. The majority of the conserved genes was related to translation, meaning the importance of protein in living creatures. Ribosomal protein S12 (COG0048) and L14 (COG0093) were more conserved genes than others from the distance value analysis. Phylogenetically related microbes grouped in genome analysis by average and standard deviation of 63 conserved genes. The 63 conserved genes, found in this research, would be useful in basic research and applied ones such as antibiotic development.

The effect of pipe materials on biofilm communities were investigated by CLPP (community level physiology profile) using Biolog GN plates. Heterotrophic bacterial concentrations were and there was no differences between galvanized iron and carbon steel. Average optical density of Biolog plate was similar between two pipe materials. However, CLPP was different according to the type of pipe materials and exposed times to tap water, and CLPP was independent of bacterial concentration. This represents the differences of bacterial communities with pipes and water contact times.