Effects of ginsenoside Rg2 on the ultraviolet B-induced DNA damage responses in HaCaT cells.

Our previous study demonstrated the increase in the repair of UVB damage by mRg2, a mixture of ginsenosides containing 60% Rg2 in NIH3T3 cells. In the present study, the effects of purified Rg2 on the repair and apoptosis in ultraviolet B (UVB)-exposed HaCaT cells were investigated on gene expression levels. When cells were exposed to UVB and post-incubated in normal medium for 24 h, the cell viability decreased to about 50% of that in nontreated control.

A novel splice site mutation of the arginine vasopressin-neurophysin II gene identified in a kindred with autosomal dominant familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus.

Autosomal dominant familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus is an inherited deficiency of arginine vasopressin (AVP), and this is caused by mutations in the AVP-neurophysin II (AVP-NP II) gene. Most of these mutations have been located in the signal peptide or in the NP II moiety. In the present study, we have analyzed the AVP-NP II gene in a Korean family.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a putative agmatinase from Deinococcus radiodurans.

Agmatine, which results from the decarboxylation of arginine by arginine decarboxylase, is a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of putresine and higher polyamines. The enzyme agmatinase catalyses the hydrolysis of agmatine to putresine and urea. Recent studies indicate that agmatinase plays important roles in mammals.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the RecR protein from Deinococcus radiodurans, a member of the RecFOR DNA-repair pathway.

The RecR protein plays a key role in the RecFOR pathway of recombination, which is necessary for the repair of ssDNA gaps. RecR from Deinococcus radiodurans has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and crystallized at 297 K using polyethylene glycol 1000 as a precipitant. X-ray diffraction data to 2.

X-ray crystallographic studies of HemK from Thermotoga maritima, an N5-glutamine methyltransferase.

The enzyme HemK (or PrmC) is one of the first identified methyltransferases that modify glutamine. It methylates the highly conserved GGQ motif in class I release factors (RF1 and RF2) in Escherichia coli. HemK from Thermotoga maritima was over-expressed and crystallized in the presence of S-adenosylmethionine at 296 K using ammonium sulfate as the precipitant.

Cytotoxic and antimutagenic stilbenes from seeds of Paeonia lactiflora.

Cytotoxic and antimutagenic effects of a novel cis-epsilon-viniferin and five known stilbenes, transresveratrol, trans-epsilon-viniferin, gnetin H, suffruticosols A and B, isolated from the seeds of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Paeoniaceae) were determined against five different cancer cell lines, and mutagenicity of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in Salmonella typhimurium TA100, respectively. Six stilbenes showed cytotoxic activity in a dose-dependent manner, and especially did potent cytotoxic activity against C6 (mouse glioma) cancer cell with IC50 values ranging from 8.