• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.201-211
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• 2010

We present a highly effective T-DNA inserted gene screening method as part of a reverse genetics model system using the Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. spp. pekinensis). Three-step two-dimensional (2D) matrix strategies are potentially accurate and useful for the identification of specific T-DNA inserted mutants from a large population. To construct our Chinese cabbage model, we utilized a forward genetics screening approach for the abnormal phenotypes that were obtained from transgenic plants of Brassica rapa generated with Agrobacteria tumefaciens containing the pRCV2 vector. From one transgenic plant with an abnormal phenotype, we observed that the st1 gene (which is related to senescence-associated process proteins) contained a T-DNA fragment, and that its expression level was decreased. This T-DNA insert was then used as a control to construct an effective screening pool. As a result, the optimum template concentration was found to be 0.1-1 ng in our PCR strategy. For other conditions, positive changes to the Gibbs free energy prevented the formation of oligo dimers and hairpin loop structures, and autosegment extension gave better results for long fragment amplification. Using this effective reverse genetics screening method, only 23 PCR reactions were necessary to select a target gene from a pool of 100 individual DNAs. Finally, we also confirmed that the sequence we obtained from the above method was identical to the flanking sequence isolated by rescue cloning.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.283-288
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• 2014

Among all serious diseases globally, diabetes (type 1 and type 2) still poses a major challenge to the world population. Several target proteins have been identified, and the etiology causing diabetes has been reasonably well studied. But, there is still a gap in deciding on the choice of a drug, especially when the target is mutated. Mutations in the KCNJ11 gene, encoding the kir6.2 channel, are reported to be associated with congenital hyperinsulinism, having a major impact in causing type 1 diabetes, and due to the lack of its 3D structure, an attempt has been made to predict the structure of kir6.2, applying fold recognition methods. The current work is intended to investigate the affinity of four phytochemicals namely, curcumin (Curcuma longa), genistein (Genista tinctoria), piperine (Piper nigrum), and pterostilbene (Vitis vinifera) in a normal as well as in a mutant kir6.2 model by adopting a molecular docking methodology. The phytochemicals were docked in both wild and mutated kir6.2 models in two rounds: blind docking followed by ATP-binding pocket-specific docking. From the binding pockets, the common interacting amino acid residues participating strongly within the binding pocket were identified and compared. From the study, we conclude that these phytochemicals have strong affinity in both the normal and mutant kir6.2 model. This work would be helpful for further study of the phytochemicals above for the treatment of type 1 diabetes by targeting the kir6.2 channel.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.83-92
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• 2013

Genetic studies on facial morphology targeting healthy populations are fundamental in understanding the specific genetic influences involved; yet, most studies to date, if not all, have been focused on congenital diseases accompanied by facial anomalies. To study the specific genetic cues determining facial morphology, we estimated familial correlations and heritabilities of 14 facial measurements and 3 latent factors inferred from a factor analysis in a subset of the Korean population. The study included a total of 229 individuals from 38 families. We evaluated a total of 14 facial measurements using 2D digital photographs. We performed factor analysis to infer common latent variables. The heritabilities of 13 facial measurements were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and ranged from 0.25 to 0.61. Of these, the heritability of intercanthal width in the orbital region was found to be the highest ($h^2$ = 0.61, SE = 0.14). Three factors (lower face portion, orbital region, and vertical length) were obtained through factor analysis, where the heritability values ranged from 0.45 to 0.55. The heritability values for each factor were higher than the mean heritability value of individual original measurements. We have confirmed the genetic influence on facial anthropometric traits and suggest a potential way to categorize and analyze the facial portions into different groups.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.20.1-20.13
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• 2022

Recent studies have focused on the early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) using tumor materials by liquid biopsy. The mechanisms of microRNAs (miRNAs) to impact OC and signaling pathways are still unknown. This study aims to reliably perform functional analysis of previously validated circulating miRNAs' target genes by using pathfindR. Also, overall survival and pathological stage analyses were evaluated with miRNAs' target genes which are common in the The Cancer Genome Atlas and GTEx datasets. Our previous studies have validated three downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR-885-5p, hsa-miR-1909-5p, and hsa-let7d-3p) having a diagnostic value in OC patients' sera, with high-throughput techniques. The predicted target genes of these miRNAs were retrieved from the miRDB database (v6.0). Active-subnetwork-oriented Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted by pathfindR using the target genes. Enrichment of KEGG pathways assessed by the analysis of pathfindR indicated that 24 pathways were related to the target genes. Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, spliceosome and Notch signaling pathway were the top three pathways with the lowest p-values (p < 0.001). Ninety-three common genes were found to be differentially expressed (p < 0.05) in the datasets. No significant genes were found to be significant in the analysis of overall survival analyses, but 24 genes were found to be significant with pathological stages analysis (p < 0.05). The findings of our study provide in-silico evidence that validated circulating miRNAs' target genes and enriched pathways are related to OC and have potential roles in theranostics applications. Further experimental investigations are required to validate our results which will ultimately provide a new perspective for translational applications in OC management.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.403-414
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• 2020

Gradient concentrations of Tithonia diversifolia green leaves and phosphate rocks were used to investigate their contributions as a fertilizer to the yield and quality improvement of a rainfed rice cultivar. Six treatments were compared: (1) T0, no fertilization (control); (2) T1, 1.28 g of phosphate rocks; (3) T2, 250 g of organic matter; (4) T3, 500 g of organic matter; (5) T4, 250 g of organic matter + 1.28 g of phosphate rocks; (6) T5, 500 g of organic matter + 1.28 g of phosphate rocks. The results showed that the germination percentage recorded 15 days after sowing varied from 58 - 76% between T0 and T5. The number of panicles ranged between 2 (T0) to 6.3 (T5). Moreover, the recorded length of the panicles ranged between 7.5 (T1) to 15.8 cm (T2), and the number of grains per panicle ranged between 25.5 (T1) to 273.5 (T3). The plant height was significantly increased in the T5 (79.27 cm) group compared to the T1 (33.63 cm) and control treatment (T0) (40.08 cm) groups. Although the plant height in the T2, T3, and T4 groups was slightly lower than the T5 group, the difference was not statistically significant. The average of the grain number per plant was high in the T3 (273.6 grains) group compared to the T1 and T0 (25.5 and 32.8 grains) groups, respectively. These results suggest that the combination of T. diversifolia leaves and phosphate rocks as a natural fertilizer would be beneficial when integrated into soil fertility management strategies and would contribute to improving crop yield and quality.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.251-257
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• 2011

벼의 염기서열 분석이 완료됨에 따라 유전자의 세포내 기능을 밝히기 위한 기능유전체 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있다. 이를 위해 효율적으로 아그로박테리움을 이용해 원하는 유전자를 식물체 내로 형질전환을 하기 위한 노력은 지금도 계속 진행되고 있다. 본 실험에서는 캘러스를 유기한 후 아그로박테리움을 이용해 접종하는 기존의 방법과 달리, 성숙 종자를 소독한 후 2,4-D가 포함된 액체배지에 24시간 침종하여 배 부분이 발아하기 시작하는 종자를 이용해 바로 아그로박테리움을 접종하여 체세포변이의 발생을 최소화하고 유전자를 포함하고 있는 아그로박테리움이 식물 조직내로 침투할 수 있는 효율을 증가시키며, 그 후 캘러스를 유기하여 재분화 시킴으로써 형질전환 식물체를 얻는 방법을 새롭게 수립하였다. 배양과정 중 공동배양 배지에 아그로박테리움 성장억제물질인 silver nitrate와 항산화 물질인 DTT를 첨가하여 공동 배양 기간을 7일 이상으로 늘림으로써 벼 형질전환효율을 증가시킬 수 있었고, PCR 분석을 통해 원하는 목표 유전자가 형질전환체에 안정적으로 도입이 되는 것도 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 이 방법은 형질전환 효율이 낮은 일품벼와 같은 품종에도 적용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다. 이러한 결과를 종합해 볼 때, 본 실험을 통해 얻어진 새로운 공동배양 방법은 우수한 농업적 형질을 가진 벼 육종 소재 및 품종 개발시 효율적으로 이용할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.135-138
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• 2011

초산인 35세 산모가 고령 임신과 모체혈액선별검사 고위험군을 주소로 양수천자를 실시한 결과 8번 염색체의 단완에 위성체가 붙어 있는 것이 발견되었다. 부모 염색체 검사 결과 모두 정상으로 확인되어 태아에게서 관찰된 8ps현상은 de novo로 판단된다. FISH 검사로 좀 더 자세히 분석한 결과, 8번 염색체와 22번 염색체 사이에 미세한 전좌가 관찰되었다. 태아의 염색체 8번과 22번 사이의 de novo 전좌를 갖고 있었지만 절단 부위가 DNA의 단순 반복 부위이므로 표현형에 영향을 미칠 가능성은 높지 않을 것으로 추측되었고, 임신 기간 동안 초음파상 이상 소견은 관찰되지 않았다. 유전 상담을 통해 8번 염색체 단완의 미세 결실 가능성이 설명되었고, 부모의 결정에 따라 추가실험 없이 임신은 유지되었다. 그리고 38주에 정상 표현형의 남아가 분만되었다. 본 증례는 산전 진단에서 세포유전학적 검사로 8번 염색체 단완의 위성체만이 발견되었으나, 추가의 분자세포유전학적 진단으로 8번과 22번 염색체 단완 사이의 미세한 전좌를 확인하였다. 이처럼보다 정확하고 자세한 분자세포 유전학적 분석들이 산전 진단에서는 필요함을 시사한 사례였다.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.343-351
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• 2016

Although the chemical, physical, and nutritional properties of bovine milk have been extensively studied, only a few studies have attempted to characterize milk-synthesizing genes using RNA-seq data. RNA-seq data was collected from 21 Holstein samples, along with group information about milk production ability; milk yield; and protein, fat, and solid contents. Meta-analysis was employed in order to generally characterize genes related to milk production. In addition, we attempted to investigate the relationship between milk related traits, parity, and lactation period. We observed that milk fat is highly correlated with lactation period; this result indicates that this effect should be considered in the model in order to accurately detect milk production related genes. By employing our developed model, 271 genes were significantly (false discovery rate [FDR] adjusted p-value<0.1) detected as milk production related differentially expressed genes. Of these genes, five (albumin, nitric oxide synthase 3, RNA-binding region (RNP1, RRM) containing 3, secreted and transmembrane 1, and serine palmitoyltransferase, small subunit B) were technically validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in order to check the accuracy of RNA-seq analysis. Finally, 83 gene ontology biological processes including several blood vessel and mammary gland development related terms, were significantly detected using DAVID gene-set enrichment analysis. From these results, we observed that detected milk production related genes are highly enriched in the circulation system process and mammary gland related biological functions. In addition, we observed that detected genes including caveolin 1, mammary serum amyloid A3.2, lingual antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin 4 (CATHL4), cathelicidin 6 (CATHL6) have been reported in other species as milk production related gene. For this reason, we concluded that our detected 271 genes would be strong candidates for determining milk production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.668-680
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• 2020

Bacillus velezensis is an important plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with immense potential in agriculture development. In the present study, Bacillus velezensis Lle-9 was isolated from the bulbs of Lilium leucanthum. The isolated strain showed antifungal activities against plant pathogens like Botryosphaeria dothidea, Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium fujikuroi. The highest percentage of growth inhibition i.e., 68.56±2.35% was observed against Fusarium oxysporum followed by 63.12 ± 2.83%, 61.67 ± 3.39% and 55.82 ± 2.76% against Botrytis cinerea, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Fusarium fujikuroi, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction revealed a number of bioactive compounds and several were identified as antimicrobial agents such as diketopiperazines, cyclo-peptides, linear peptides, latrunculin A, 5α-hydroxy-6-ketocholesterol, (R)-S-lactoylglutathione, triamterene, rubiadin, moxifloxacin, 9-hydroxy-5Z,7E,11Z,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid, D-erythro-C18-Sphingosine, citrinin, and 2-arachidonoyllysophosphatidylcholine. The presence of these antimicrobial compounds in the bacterial culture might have contributed to the antifungal activities of the isolated B. velezensis Lle-9. The strain showed plant growth-promoting traits such as production of organic acids, ACC deaminase, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization. IAA production was accelerated with application of exogenous tryptophan concentrations in the medium. Further, the lily plants upon inoculation with Lle-9 exhibited improved vegetative growth, more flowering shoots and longer roots than control plants under greenhouse condition. The isolated B. velezensis strain Lle-9 possessed broad-spectrum antifungal activities and multiple plant growth-promoting traits and thus may play an important role in promoting sustainable agriculture. This strain could be developed and applied in field experiments in order to promote plant growth and control disease pathogens.

• 농약과학회지
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2001

신규 제초제 작용점의 발굴은 유전체학과 조합화학 등 새로운 기술이 등장하여 그 가능성이 높아지고 있다. 대략 $10^{30}$에서 $10^{50}$여 개의 화학물질의 합성이 가능하고 50,000여 개의 식물 유전자 지도가 완성되어 이들의 조합으로 새로운 제초제의 작용점 발굴 가능성이 높아지게 될 것이다. 즉, 고등식물이 가지고 있는 50,000여 개의 유전자 가운데 0.1%, 1.0% 또는 10%가 신규 작용점이 된다면 50, 500, 5000개의 신규 작용점을 발견할 수 있는 것이다. 신규 제초제의 개발을 위해서는 target enzyme의 선택과 결정, 저해제의 설계, 작용점까지 도달하는 과정, 대사적인 운명 등 여러가지 요인들이 검토되어야 한다. 이러한 과정에서 가장 중요한 것은 확실한 작용점의 선택에 있다. 또한 다양한 생화학적 정보를 통하여 작용점/효소의 저해로부터 고사에 이르는 과정을 이해함은 물론 보다 강력한 저해제의 합성과 살초과정을 이해할 수 있어야 할 것이다. 그 동안에는 이미 알려진 작용점을 대상으로 신규 화합물을 합성하거나 유도체를 개발하는 것이 대부분이었지만 최근에는 antisense 기법 등을 활용하여 새로운 치사관련 작용점을 찾아내는데 잠재력과 가능성을 확대시켜주고 있다. 새로운 치사관련 작용점을 발굴한 후에는 대상효소의 화학적, 생화학적 기능과 단백질의 구조를 분석하여 강력한 저해제를 설계하는데 활용하게 될 것이다. 치사관련 돌연변이체와 antisense 기법을 활용하고, 식물 생리학적 반응을 기초로 하여 리드화합물을 탐색하는 것은 새로운 접근방식이며 농약 화학적 특성을 갖는 효소 저해제들의 합성은 크게 6가지로 할 수 있다. 공통특이시얀 기질 유사체 합성, affinity labels, 자살기질체, 반응중간산물, 그리고 extraneous site inhibitors 등을 들 수 있다. 이와 같은 방법으로 후보화합물이 선발된다 하여도 실제식물에 처리하여 흡수, 이행, 대사 등에 관한 시험이 반드시 이루어져야 새로운 제초제를 탄생시킬 수 있다. 또한 약물의 전달과정과 무독화작용을 통하여 pro-herbicide에 대한 연구를 진행하게 될 것이며, 마지막으로 잡초와 작물간의 선택성이 고려되어야 효소 측이적 접근방식에 의한 신규 선택성 제초제의 개발이 성공할 수 있는 것이다.