Jin-Kyu Rhee

Glycol Chitosan-Based Fluorescent Theranostic Nanoagents for Cancer Therapy

Theranostics is an integrated nanosystem that combines therapeutics with diagnostics in attempt to develop new personalized treatments with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety. As a promising therapeutic paradigm with cutting-edge technologies, theranostic agents are able to simultaneously deliver therapeutic drugs and diagnostic imaging agents and also monitor the response to therapy. Polymeric nanosystems have been intensively explored for biomedical applications to diagnose and treat various cancers. In recent years, glycol chitosan-based nanoagents have been developed as dual-purpose materials for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy. They have shown great potential in cancer therapies, such as chemotherapeutics and nucleic acid and photodynamic therapies. In this review, we summarize the recent progress and potential applications of glycol chitosan-based fluorescent theranostic nanoagents for cancer treatments and discuss their possible underlying mechanisms.

Heated apple juice supplemented with onion has greatly improved nutritional quality and browning index.

Although fruit juices are very popular, enzymatic browning occurs easily. Browning of fruit juice deteriorates nutrition value and product quality due to oxidation of polyphenol compounds. Therefore, development of natural food additives that reduce browning will be beneficial for improving quality of fruit juices. Onion has been reported to be a potent natural anti-browning agent. Here, we compared unheated and heated apple juices pre-supplemented with onion with respect to browning and nutritional quality. The unheated apple juice supplemented with onion showed reduced browning as well as increased total soluble solid, total phenol concentration, radical scavenging activities, and ferric reducing and copper chelating activities without any change in flavonoid concentration. On the other hand, heated juice supplemented with onion not only showed improved values for these parameters but also markedly increased flavonoid concentration. Thus, we conclude that application of heating and onion addition together may greatly improve quality of apple juice.

Analysis of Both Hands’ Two Pulse Waveforms using a Clip-type Pulsimeter Equipped with Magnetic Sensing Hall Device

Two concurrent signals of the pulse wave measured from both hands’ radial artery in un-pressurization condition using the prototype model of two clip-type pulsimeters with a permanent magnet and Hall device are investigated. The phase differences of two pulse waves from 22 subjects have some distinct points according to the handedness. Thus, the propagation of the pulse wave calculated from phase difference is both fast and slow to each other. It is confirmed that this phenomenon comes from the difference of blood vessel hardness between right- and left- hand of each subject rather than a quantity of muscle.

Occurrence of viable, red-pigmented haloarchaea in the plumage of captive flamingoes

Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus spp.) whose plumage displays elegant colors, inhabit warm regions close to the ocean throughout the world. The pink or reddish color of their plumage originates from carotenoids ingested from carotenoid-abundant food sources, since flamingoes are unable to synthesize these compounds de novo. In this study, viable red-colored archaeal strains classified as extremely halophilic archaea (i.e., haloarchaea) and belonging to the genera Halococcus and Halogeometricum were isolated from the plumage of flamingoes in captivity. Detailed analysis for haloarchaeal community structure in flamingo feathers based on metagenomic data identified several haloarchaeal genera and unclassified sequences of the class Halobacteria at the genus level. Carotenoid pigment analyses showed that a bacterioruberin precursor carotenoid in haloarchaea was identical to one of the pigments found in flamingo plumage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of viable extremophilic archaea in avian plumage, thus contributing to our understanding of the ecology of haloarchaea. The potential influence of haloarchaea as an environmental factor determining avian plumage coloration should be investigated in further studies.

Substitution at rt269 in Hepatitis B Virus Polymerase Is a Compensatory Mutation Associated with Multi-Drug Resistance

The emergence of compensatory mutations in the polymerase gene of drug resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with treatment failure. We previously identified a multi-drug resistant HBV mutant, which displayed resistance towards lamivudine (LMV), clevudine (CLV), and entecavir (ETV), along with a strong replication capacity. The aim of this study was to identify the previously unknown compensatory mutations, and to determine the clinical relevance of this mutation during antiviral therapy. In vitro mutagenesis, drug susceptibility assay, and molecular modeling studies were performed. The rtL269I substitution conferred 2- to 7-fold higher replication capacity in the wild-type (WT) or YMDD mutation backbone, regardless of drug treatment. The rtL269I substitution alone did not confer resistance to LMV, ETV, adefovir (ADV), or tenofovir (TDF). However, upon combination with YMDD mutation, the replication capacity under LMV or ETV treatment was enhanced by several folds. Molecular modeling studies suggested that the rtL269I substitution affects template binding, which may eventually lead to the enhanced activity of rtI269-HBV polymerase in both WT virus and YMDD mutant. The clinical relevance of the rtL269I substitution was validated by its emergence in association with YMDD mutation in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with sub-optimal response or treatment failure to LMV or CLV. Our study suggests that substitution at rt269 in HBV polymerase is associated with multi-drug resistance, which may serve as a novel compensatory mutation for replication-defective multi-drug resistant HBV.

Vulcanisaeta thermophila sp. nov., a hyperthermophilic and acidophilic crenarchaeon isolated from solfataric soil.

An anaerobic, rod-shaped, hyperthermophilic and acidophilic crenarchaeon, designated strain CBA1501(T), was isolated from solfataric soil of the Mayon volcano in the Republic of the Philippines. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CBA1501(T) is affiliated with the genus Vulcanisaeta in the phylum Crenarchaeota. DNA sequence similarities between the 16S rRNA gene of strain CBA1501(T) and those of Vulcanisaeta distributa IC-017(T) and Vulcanisaeta souniana IC-059(T) were 98.5 and 97.4 %, respectively. Strain CBA1501(T) grew between 75-90 °C, over a pH range of 4.0-6.0 and in the presence of 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl, with optimal growth occurring at 85 °C, pH 5.0, and with 0 % (w/v) NaCl. Fumarate, malate, oxidized glutathione, sulfur and thiosulfate were used as final electron acceptors, but FeCl3, nitrate and sulfate were not. The DNA G+C content of strain CBA1501(T) was 43.1 mol%. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomic analysis, strain CBA1501(T) represents a novel species of the genus Vulcanisaeta in the phylum Crenarchaeota, for which we propose the name Vulcanisaeta thermophila sp. nov. The type strain is CBA1501(T) ( = ATCC BAA-2415(T) = JCM 17228(T)).

Detection Characteristics of a Red Blood Cell Coupled with Micron Magnetic Beads by Using GMR-SV Device

The glass/Ta(5.8 nm)/NiFe(5 nm)/Cu(2.3 nm)/NiFe(3 nm)/IrMn(12 nm)/Ta(5.8 nm) GMR-SV (giantmagnetoresistance-spin valve) multilayer structure films with a magnetoresistance ratio (MR) of 5.0 % and a magnetic sensitivity (MS) of 1.5 %/Oe was deposited by dc magnetron sputtering method. Also, GMR-SV device having a width of 7 μm~8 μm similar to the diameter of RBC (red blood cell) was fabricated by the light lithography process. When RBCs coupled with several magnetic beads with a diameter of 1 μm dropped upon the GMR-SV device having MR = 1.06 % and MS = 0.3 %/Oe, there is observed the variation of about included of a resistance value of ΔR = 0.4 Ω and ΔMR = 0.15 % around a external magnetic field of −0.6 Oe. From these results, the GMR-SV device having the width magnitude of a few micron size can be applied as the biosensor for the analysis of a new magnetic property of hemoglobin inside of RBC combined to magnetic beads.

Draft genome sequence of Halorubrum halophilum B8T, an extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from salt-fermented seafood

The extremely halophilic archaeon, Halorubrum halophilum B8(T) (=JCM 18963(T), CECT 8278(T)) was isolated from salt-fermented seafood. We report here the draft genome of H. halophilum B8(T), containing 3,677,984bp with a G+C content of 65.1%. The genome consists of 19 genes predicted to encode esterases.

Proteomic study reveals photosynthesis as downstream of both MAP kinase and cAMP signaling pathways in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Previously, our data indicated that both cAMP and MAP kinase signaling play important roles in microalgal physiology as well as in lipid or carotenoid biosynthesis. In order to understand downstream genes of these signaling pathways, we employed proteomics approach. Both signal pathways were first altered with specific signaling inhibitors or modulators. Treatment of specific inhibitors changed microalgal size and increased lipid contents. With the microalgal cells after treatments of specific signaling inhibitor or modulators, we performed the proteomics analysis to identify downstream genes responsible for these phenotypes. Interestingly, multiple photosynthesis genes were identified, particularly proteins associated with PSII. Our data suggested that MAP kinase and cAMP signaling affect the photosynthesis, thereby leading to microalgal lipid or carotenoid biosynthesis.

Enhanced Chemical Shift Analysis for Secondary Structure prediction of protein

Predicting secondary structure of protein through assigned backbone chemical shifts has been used widely because of its convenience and flexibility. In spite of its usefulness, chemical shift based analysis has some defects including isotopic shifts and solvent interaction. Here, it is shown that corrected chemical shift analysis for secondary structure of protein. It is included chemical shift correction through consideration of deuterium isotopic effect and calculate chemical shift index using probability-based methods. Enhanced method was applied successfully to one of the proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is suggested that correction of chemical shift analysis could increase accuracy of secondary structure prediction of protein and small molecule in solution.