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Silkworms contain a powerful and effective fibroin promoter, which controls the expression of fibroin, a silk protein. The fibroin promoter and well-known characteristics of silkworm, the application of transgenic technique to silkworm will provide an excellent opportunity to mass-produce biomolecules. In this study, the production of recombinant human insulin like growth factor-I (rhIGF-I) in the silkworm system was designed. The method makes use of the microinjection technique and P element vector to transfer foreign genes into the chromosomes. We constructed the expression vector using the fibroin gene promoter and P element vector containing IGF-I gene (pFpIGF-I). We then microinjected this vector into eggs, and through PCR screening, transgenic silkworms were selected. We isolated and purified rhIGF-I from silkworm cocoons, returning a concentration of rhIGF-I of about 1,300 ng/g from transgenic silkworm cocoons. In a comparison of transgenic silkworm rhIGF-I and colostral IGF-I on cell proliferation, colostral IGF-I was better able to increase the proliferation rate of the cell line relative to the transgenic silkworm rhIGF-I, and showed a similar cell proliferation pattern. The anti-cancer effects of transgenic silkworm rhIGF-I were higher than that of colostral IGF-I on HeLa and SNU-C1 cancer cells. These results confirmed the construction of new transgenic silkworm strains producing rhIGF-I.

This study was conducted to investigate growth performance, photosynthesis, water use efficiency (WUE), and stomatal conductance () of container seedlings of Liriodendron tulipifera and Zelkova serrata growing under three different irrigation periods (1 time/1 day, 1 time/2 days and 1 time/3 days) for high seedling quality. The root collar diameter and height of L. tulipifera and Z. serrata seedlings were highest with 1 time/1 day irrigation, whereas they were lowest with 1 time/3 days irrigation. The two species showed low drought tolerance. As irrigation period was shortened, biomass and seedling quality index (SQI) of the two species increased. The ratio of height to root collar diameter (H/D) and the ratio of below to aboveground biomass (T/R) of the two species were lower with 1 time/3 days than at other irrigation periods. L. tulipifera and Z. serrata seedlings showed significantly higher photosynthetic capacity with 1 time/1 day irrigation. As irrigation period was shortened, of two species increased, while their WUE decreased significantly (P

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Gastrodia elata Blume concentrate on quality characteristics of Gastrodia elata Blume jelly. The Gastrodia elata Blume jelly samples were divided into five groups by adding different Gastrodia elata Blume concentrates. The five groups were divided into GBJ-0, GBJ-5, GBJ-10, GBJ-15, and GBJ-20 (Gastrodia elata Blume jelly with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% Gastrodia elata Blume concentrate). The highest contents of crude protein and crude ash, and the brix in the GBJ-20 sample were 0.34 and 0.59%, and 22.28°Brix, respectively. The crude fiber and pH change (4.65-4.76) were not significantly observed in any of the GBJ samples. Turbidity, degree of brownness, and total phenolics increased with an increasing the amount of extract. A significant difference was observed between samples with and without the extracts in terms of hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness, as well as K, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Zn contents. Hardness, gumminess, and chewiness increased in all GBJ samples with an increase the amount of extract added, whereas adhesiveness decreased. The highest tartaric acid content in th e GBJ-0 sample and malic acid in the GBJ-20 jelly sample were 15.58 mg/100 g and 137.45 mg/100 g, respectively. The levels of Ca, K, and Mg increased with an increase in the amount of added extract. The highest score for overall acceptance (4.13) was in the GBJ-10 sample with 10% Gastrodia elata Blume concentrate.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the improvement of allergic dermatitis in chemical allergen-induced mice by Lactobacillus sakei probio 65. L. sakei probio-65 was isolated from kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food. This strain was resistant to gastric acidity, bile, and several antibiotics and possessed antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic microorganisms. To investigate whether the probiotic activity of L. sakei probio 65 was effective for treating allergic dermatitis, the organism was supplied to mice triggered by allergen (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene). Mice that received L. sakei probio 65 showed a more rapid recovery compared to control mice, as assessed by visual evaluation of the severity of allergic dermatitis and levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) E and interleukin (IL)-4. L. sakei probio 65 exhibited good probiotic properties in vitro and in mice and was effective in reducing allergen-induced skin inflammation through the regulation of both elevated IgE and IL-4 in sensitized mice.

In vitro anaerobic incubations of timothy (Phleum pretense L.) forage with bovine rumen fluid were conducted at 39℃ for 0, 3, 6, 9, 24, and 36 h in three trials to examine the biohy- drogenation of linolenic (C18:3) and linoleic acids (C18:2) and their bypass from the rumen. The objectives of the first trial was to study the effect of growth stage (stem elongation, early heading, late heading, and early flowering) and N-fertilization (0 and 120 kg N ha－1) on in vitro biohydrogenation of C18:2 and C18:3. The hydrogenable fraction, the effective disappearance and the bypass of C18:2 and C18:3 were high in timothy harvested at stem elongation, and decr- ease linearly with maturity. The N-fertilization increased the hydrogenable fraction of C18:3, the effective disappearance and the bypass of C18:2 and C18:3. However, the rate of disappearance of C18:2 and C18:3 were not affected by maturity and N-fertilization (P>0.1). In trial 2, the effect of timothy conservation method on in vitro C18:2 and C18:3 biohydrogenation was determined. Silage had the highest effective disappearance of C18:2 and C18:3, and grass hay had lowest one. The amounts of C18:2 and C18:3 biohydrogenated were higher in haylage and silage than in grass hay. Comparative to haylage timothy, the bypass of C18:3 was higher in fresh grass, wilted grass and grass hay. The bypass of C18:2 was higher in fresh grass and silage in comparison to grass hay and haylage. In trial 3, the effects of formic acid and Lactobacillus plantarum inoculum addition to timothy haylage and silage on C18:2 and C18:3 disappearance and bypass were studied. Haylage and silage additives had no effect (P>0.1) on effective disappearance and bypass of C18:2 and C18:3. The addition of formic acid increased the rate of biohydrogenation of C18:3 in haylage and silage, but it decreased the hydrogenable fraction of C18:2 in silage. The results of these three incubation trials show that the hydrogenable fraction and the bypass of C18:2 and C18:3 in timothy decreased with maturity and increased with N-fertilization. Higher amount of C18:2 and C18:3 were biohydrogenated in haylage and silage than in grass hay, and C18:3 ruminal disappearance was higher in fresh grass, wilted grass and grass hay than in haylage.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) rich fraction, collected components between 1 kDa and 30 kDa, was fractionated from bovine colostral whey using an ultrafiltration membrane. IGF-I was confirmed in the collected IGF-I rich fraction by both SDS- PAGE and Western blotting. The concentration of IGF-I in the IGF-I rich fraction was 10 ng/mg protein. One hundred microliters of the reconstituted IGF-I rich fraction was intraperitoneally injected into ICR male mice for 2 weeks at 24 h intervals. The functions of peritoneal macrophages, including phagocytosis, interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production, and nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production, were enhanced significantly by the administration of the IGF-I rich fraction in a dose-dependent manner (p

During lactic acid bacteria (LAB) transit through the gastrointestinal tract, ingested microorganisms were exposed to successive stress factors, including low pH in the human stomach and in bile acid. These stress factors can be used as criteria for the selection of a viable probiotic strain. Four such strains (Lactobacillus helveticus SGU 0011, Lactobacillus pentosus SGU 0010, Streptococcus thermophilus SGU 0021 and Lactobacillus casei SGU 0020) were isolated from raw milk. When the identified LAB were exposed to synthetic gastric juice, whereas L. casei SGU 0020 and S. thermophilus SGU 0021 exhibited a 0% survival rate, L. helveticus SGU 0011 and L. pentosus SGU 0010 exhibited 60% and 95% survival rates. L. casei SGU 0020 and S. thermophilus SGU 0021 could not be examined with regard to their tolerances to artificial bile juice, as they uniformly died upon exposure. However, L. helveticus SGU 0011 and L. pentosus SGU 0010 individually survived at rates of 39% and 93%. Also, all four of these strains were confirmed to be tolerant of ten different antibiotics. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2006. Vol 19, No. 1 : 131-136)

The nutritional requirements forPrevotella sp. 4PCCNB2 isolated from the rumen of a native goat in Korea and those of the ATCC 19189 strain isolated from the bovine rumen were investigated. The two strains grew well with ammonium sulfate as the sole added nitrogen source. However, neither a complex of amino acids nor casein hydrolysate effectively replaced ammonium sulfate. Biotin,p-aminobenzoic acid, and vitamin B12 were essential to culture the ATCC 19189 strain. Unlike the ATCC 19189 strain, however, B12 was only stimulatory for the growth of the 4PCCNB2 strain. The 4PCCNB2 strain grew well in the basal medium without an individual acid such as acetic acid or valeric acid. In contrast, either acetic or valeric acid was absolutely required for the growth of the ATCC 19189 strain.

Bovine PAS-4 is an integral membrane glycoprotein expressed in mammary epithelial cells. Complementary DNA (cDNA) cloning of PAS-4 was performed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with oligonucleotide probes based on it's amino terminal and internal tryptic-peptides. The cloned PAS-4 cDNA was 1,852 nucleotides (nt) long and its open reading frame (ORF) was encoded 1,413 base long. The deduced amino acid sequence indicated that PAS-4 consisted of 471 amino acid residues with molecular weight of 52,796, bearing 8 potential N-glycosylation sites and 9 cysteine residues. Partial bovine CD36 cDNA from liver also was sequenced and the homology of both nucleotide sequence was 94%. Most of the identical amino acid residues were in the luminal/extracellular domains. Contrary to PAS-4, bovine liver CD36 displays 6 potential N-glycosylation sites, which were located, except for those at positions 101 and 171, at same positions as PAS-4 cDNA. Cysteine residues of PAS-4 and CD36 were same at position and in numbers. Northern blot analysis showed that PAS-4 was widely expressed, although its mRNA steady-state levels vary considerably among the analyzed cell types. PAS-4 possessed hydrophobic amino acid segments near the amino- and carboxyl-termini. Two short cytoplasmic tails of the amino- and carboxyl-terminal ends constituted of a 5-7 and 8-11 amino acid residues, respectively.

One of the biological functions of lactoferrin is the modulation of the host defense systems, including cytokine production and immune responses. We have tested the effect of lactoferrin on the productions of tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide in some cells. Lactoferrin itself did not induce either tumor necrosis factor-α production or nitric oxide production, but lipopolysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α production of macrophages and monocytes were inhibited by lactoferrin treatment combined with stimulant. The induction of nitric oxide synthesis in stimulated macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells was not affected by the lactoferrin. J. Cell. Biochem. 76:30–36, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Female athletes are more prone to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury than their male counterparts, presumably because of anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular differences. Of these three, only the neuromuscular component can be modified by preventive exercise. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a neuromuscular protocol on the prevention of ACL injury by performing meta-analysis, and to identify essential factors by subgroup analysis. An extensive literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies, and eventually, only seven randomized controlled trials or prospective cohort studies were included in the analysis. The odds ratios (OR) and the confidence interval (CI) for the overall effects of training and of potentially contributory factors were estimated. The OR and the 95% CI for the overall effect of the preventive training were 0.40 and [0.27, 0.60], respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that an age under 18, soccer rather than handball, pre- and in-season training rather than either pre- or in-season training, and the plyometrics and strengthening components rather than balancing were significant. Meta-analysis showed that pre- and in-season neuromuscular training with an emphasis on plyometrics and strengthening exercises was effective at preventing ACL injury in female athletes, especially in those under 18 years of age. Further study is required to develop a relevant training program protocol of appropriate intensity.

The paddle-wheel-type centrosymmetric dinuclear title complex, [Zn(2)(C(7)H(5)O(2))(4)(C(12)H(10)N(2))(2)], contains four bridging benzoate groups and two terminal trans-1-(2-pyrid-yl)-2-(4-pyrid-yl)ethyl-ene (L) ligands. The inversion center is located between the two Zn(II) atoms. The octa-hedral coordination around the Zn(II) atom, with four O atoms in the equatorial plane, is completed by an N atom of the L mol-ecule [Zn-N = 2.0198 (15) Å] and by the second Zn(II) atom [Zn⋯Zn = 2.971 (8) Å]. The Zn(II) atom is 0.372 Å out of the plane of the four coordinating O atoms.

The gene (bglT) encoding Tca beta-glycosidase (Thermus caldophilus GK24 beta-glycosidase) was overexpressed under the control of the trp promoter on a high-copy-number plasmid, pTRPES, in Escherichia coli W3110. The purified Tca beta-glycosidase enzyme was used in a galactosyl-transfer reaction to synthesize galacto-oligosaccharides from lactose. The optimum temperature and pH for the enzyme to synthesize galacto-oligosaccharides from 30% (w/v) lactose were 80 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. The major product of the reaction was a trisaccharide. The thermostable Tca beta-glycosidase produced galacto-oligosaccharides efficiently during the hydrolysis of lactose.