The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are key signal transduction molecules, which respond to various external stimuli. The MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) are known to be negative regulators of ...MAPKs in eukaryotes. We screened an Arabidopsis cDNA library using horseradish peroxidase-conjugated calmodulin (CaM), and isolated AtMKP1 as a CaM-binding protein. Recently, tobacco NtMKP1 and rice OsMKP1, two orthologs of Arabidopsis AtMKP1, were reported to bind CaM via a single putative CaM binding domain (CaMBD). However, little is known about the regulation of phosphatase activity of plant MKP1s by CaM binding. In this study, we identified two Ca2+-dependent CaMBDs within AtMKP1. Specific binding of CaM to two different CaMBDs was verified using a gel mobility shift assay, a competition assay with a Ca2+/CaM-dependent enzyme, and a split-ubiquitin assay. The peptides for two CaMBDs, CaMBDI and CaMBDII, bound CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner, and the binding affinity of CaMBDII was found to be higher than that of CaMBDI. CaM overlay assays using mutated CaMBDs showed that four amino acids, Trp453 and Leu456 in CaMBDI and Trp678 and Ile684 in CaMBDII, play a pivotal role in CaM binding. Moreover, the phosphatase activity of AtMKP1 was increased by CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Our results suggest that two important signaling pathways, Ca2+ signaling and the MAPK signaling cascade, are connected in plants via the regulation of AtMKP1 activity. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show that the biochemical activity of MKP1 in plants is regulated by CaM.
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties, digestive stability, storage stability, and intestinal absorption of formulated natural vitamins (FNV) by mixing ...fat‐soluble vitamins extracted from agricultural products with their synthetic vitamin (SYNV) counterparts using a 6 to 4 ratio (w:w, dry weight). The FNV A, D, E, and K were evenly dispersed without crystal growth in the dispersion specifications for the functional tablet foods. The FNV A, D, E, and K had 89, 73, 65, and 36% of the digestive recovery, respectively, which was comparable to that of the SYNV. FNV D, E, and K were retained over 77%, but rapidly decreased to 15% after 6 months during accelerated storage at 25 30 and 35℃. The comparable radical scavenging capacity was found between the FNV and the SYNV. Results from the current study suggest that fat‐soluble vitamins extracted from agricultural products could be reasonable complementary use for natural vitamin supplements.
Fat‐soluble vitamins are necessary for regulating various cell metabolism including anti‐oxidation, cell signaling, and modulation of the immune system. Consumers prefer vitamin supplements containing natural additives to synthetic additives with regard to efficacy and safety. However, the natural substance has drawbacks on actual biological use due to low stability during processing and storage and cost‐wise. This study evaluated the type of naturally formulated vitamin dispersion, bio‐accessibility, intestinal absorption, and radical scavenging capacity.
Cd activates the mitogen-activated protein kinases, MPK3 and MPK6, in
Arabidopsis, with the Cd sensing pathway using build-up of ROS to trigger activation of the MPKs.
Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential ...toxic heavy metal that influences normal growth and development of plants. However, the molecular mechanisms by which plants recognize and respond to Cd remain poorly understood. We show that, in
Arabidopsis, Cd activates the mitogen-activated protein kinases, MPK3 and MPK6, in a dose-dependent manner. Following treatment with Cd, these two MAPKs exhibited much higher activity in the roots than in the leaves, and pre-treatment with the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, glutathione, effectively inhibited their activation. These results suggest that the Cd sensing signaling pathway uses a build-up of ROS to trigger activation of
Arabidopsis MPK3 and MPK6.
We report the characteristics of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (GdBCO) coated conductors (CCs) on LaMnO 3 (LMO)-buffered IBAD MgO template, produced by the Reactive Co-Evaporation Deposition & Reaction (RCE-DR) ...process. The transport and magnetic critical current density ( J c ) values of GdBCO CC samples were 3.7 and 2.92 MA/cm 2 at 77 K in self-field for B // c , respectively. Analyses by transmission electron microscopy revealed that a large amount of elongated round Gd 2 O 3 particles with 70-150 nm size and a small amount of the Cu-O phase were trapped in the GdBCO matrix, and a thick layer of the Cu-O phase was also found on the top surface of the GdBCO film, suggesting that the GdBCO film must be grown by the peritectic recombination reaction between Gd 2 O 3 and a liquid phase. While both the GdBCO film and some Gd 2 O 3 particles grown on the LMO-buffer layer were biaxially textured, the Gd 2 O 3 particles fully trapped in the GdBCO matrix were randomly oriented. The GdBCO film by RCE-DR possessed slightly degraded value of exponent α ~ 0.84 in the power-law relationship J c ~ H - a and rather large anisotropy in field-orientation dependence of J c , J c (θ), and thus refinement of Gd 2 O 3 particles may be required for stronger flux pinning.
The in-field pinning properties of GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (GdBCO) coated conductors (CCs) could be remarkably improved through the post-annealing process in a low oxygen pressure (PO 2 ). At the annealing ...temperature of 800°C in a low PO 2 of 300 mtorr, the T c,zero value of as-prepared GdBCO CCs by SuNAM Co. via reactive co-evaporation deposition and reaction (RCE-DR) was increased from 89.9 to 93.7 K after 5 min annealing, whereas it was degraded after annealing longer than 10 min. The angular dependence of critical current density J c at 77 K in 1 and 3 T and at 65 K in 3 T revealed that GdBCO CCs post-annealed for 5 min exhibited greatly improved pinning properties along the c-axis of the GdBCO film, which is attributable to piled-up stacking faults along the c-axis of the GdBCO matrix.
First reemerged malaria case was reported in 1993 after two decades absent in South Korea. Thereafter, Plasmodium vivax spreads out near demilitarized zone (DMZ). This study investigated the ...prevalence of P. vivax after the malaria transmission season in Gimpo-si where adjacent to DMZ of South Korea. An indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was performed to evaluate anti-malaria antibodies in blood samples.
Microscopic examinations were performed to identify the presence of malaria parasites. Antibodies against P. vivax were detected using IFAT, and blood samples from antibody-positive cases were tested using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that detects malaria parasites.
A total of 5,797 blood samples were collected from residents in Gimpo-si. The positivity rate by IFAT was 2.16% (n = 125). Yangchon-myeon (3.28%) had the highest positivity rate of the seven administrative districts tested. Positivity rates increased with age (P < 0.05). Sixteen of the IFAT positive samples (12.80%, n = 125) were positive for malaria DNA according to PCR. Blood samples with an antibody titer over 1:256 had high positivity rates in the PCR analysis (P < 0.05).
These results indicate that antibody titers obtained using IFAT may provide useful information about the prevalence of P. vivax in low endemic areas and could be used to detect asymptomatic patients. Finding asymptomatic patients is important in eliminating vivax malaria in South Korea.
Receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 （RIP3 or RIPK3） is an essential part of the cellular machinery that executes ＂programmed＂ or ＂regulated＂ necrosis. Here we show that programmed necrosis is ...activated in response to many chemotherapeutic agents and contributes to chemotherapy-induced cell death. However, we show that RIP3 expres- sion is often silenced in cancer cells due to genomic methylation near its transcriptional start site, thus RIP3-depen- dent activation of MLKL and downstream programmed necrosis during chemotherapeutic death is largely repressed. Nevertheless, treatment with hypomethylating agents restores RIP3 expression, and thereby promotes sensitivity to chemotherapeutics in a RIP3-dependent manner. RIP3 expression is reduced in tumors compared to normal tissue in 85% of breast cancer patients, suggesting that RIP3 deficiency is positively selected during tumor growth/develop- ment. Since hypomethylating agents are reasonably well-tolerated in patients, we propose that RIP3-deficient cancer patients may benefit from receiving hypomethylating agents to induce RIP3 expression prior to treatment with con- ventional chemotherapeutics.
Adimchae
is a kimchi that contains more than 10% seafood. The lipid lowering and antiatherogenic effects of
adimchae
containing abalone or short arm octopus were compared with traditional Korean ...cabbage kimchi. Treated seafood was added to kimchi at 10%. ApoE KO mice (
n
=18) were fed an athrogenic diet supplemented with 10% freeze-dried cabbage kimchi (control), short arm octopus added kimchi (SK), or abalone added kimchi (AK) for 8 weeks. Plasma and hepatic triglyceride concentrations of SK group mice decreased significantly (
p
<0.05), compared with control and AK group mice. Protein expression of hepatic fatty acid synthase (FAS) of SK group mice was significantly (
p
<0.05) suppressed, compared with control group mice. Reduction of the fatty streak lesion size in the aortic sinus of SK mice was also significant (
p
<0.05), compared with control group mice. Extra antiatherogenic effects of SK were due to decreased plasma lipid concentrations via suppression of the FAS activity.
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