• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2019

Thrombophilia refers to inherited or acquired hemostatic disorders that result in a predisposition to blood clot formation. When combined with the hypercoagulable state that is characteristic of pregnancy, there is an increased risk of severe and recurrent pregnancy complications. Activated protein C resistance caused by factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation is known to be the most common cause of inherited thrombophilia in Caucasian population. FVL mutation has been related to pregnancy complications associated with hypercoagulation, e.g. miscarriage, intrauterine fetal demise, placental abruption, and intrauterine growth retardation. Although the FVL mutation is easily detected using molecular DNA techniques, patients who are heterozygous for this disorder often remain asymptomatic until they develop a concurrent prothrombotic condition. Because there are potentially serious effects of FVL mutation for pregnancy, and because effective treatment strategies exist, early detection and treatment of this condition might be considered.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2022

Chronic infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) greatly increases the risk for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The outcome of HBV infection is shaped by the complex interplay of the mode of transmission, host genetic factors, viral genotype, adaptive mutations, and environmental factors. The pregenomic RNA transcription of HBV for their replication is regulated by the core promoter activation. Core promoter mutations have been the reason for acute liver failure and are associated with HCC development. We obtained HBV genes from a patient in Myanmar who was infected with HBV and identified gene variations in the core promoter region. For measuring the relative transactivation activity of the core promoter, we prepared the core-promoter reporter construct. Among the gene variations of the core promoter, the mutations of C1731T and G1806A were associated with increase in the transactivation of the HBV core promoter. Through computer analysis for searching for a tentative transcription factor binding site, we showed that the mutations of C1713T and G1806A newly created C/EBPβ and XBP1-responsive elements of the core promoter, respectively. The ectopic expression of C/EBPβ largely increased the HBV core promoter containing the C1713T mutation and that of XBP1 activated the M95 promoter containing the G1806A mutation. Our efforts to treat and prevent HBV infections are hampered by the emergence of drug-resistant mutations and vaccine-escape mutations. Our results provide the biological properties and clinical significance of specific HBV core promoter mutations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.323-333
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• 2000

Objectives : Chronic HBsAg carriers are the principal source of infection for other susceptible people, and are themselves at high risk of developing serious liver diseases. In Korea, it has been estimated that 65-75% of the HBsAg positives remained as persistent carriers. Additionally, familial clustering of MBV infection has frequently been observed among carriers. Some would become progressive, chronic hepatitis patients, and others would not. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between various factors, such as the duration of infection, type of virus, mutation of precore/core region in HBV, major histocompatibility class-I, and developing chronic liver diseases among familial HBV carriers. Methods : Chronic carrier status was identified by repeated serological tests for HBsAg at intervals of six months or more. A familial chronic carrier was defined when the disease was observed in a family member over two generations. Two families were recruited, among which a total of 20 chronic HBsAg carriers(11 carriers in No.1, and 9 in No.2 family) were identified. Data on the general characteristics and liver disease status were collected. Identification of the HBV-DNA was successful only for 13 subjects among the 20 carriers. Analysis of viral DNA in terms of subtype, pre-core and core region mutations was carried out. The type of major histocompatibility class-1 for the 13 subjects was also analysed. Results & Conclusions : Seven of 10 chronic HBV carriers of the 1st generation and one of 10 of the 2nd generation were clinical patients with chronic hepatitis, the others, three of the 1 st and nine of the 2nd generation, were asymptomatic carriers. This data indicates that the duration of HBV carriage is one of the major factors for disease severity. The subtype of HBsAg analysed using MBV-DNA identified in 13 carriers were adr, and the pattern of precore nonsense mutation in HBV-DNA was identical among family members, which meads that the same virus strains were transmitted between the family members. The association between the precore or core mutations in HBV-DNA and the disease severity was not observed. While it was suggested that a specific type of MHC class-I may be related to disease progression.

• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2015.03a
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• pp.70-75
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• 2015

Fasciclin 1 (FAS1) is an extracellular protein whose aggregation in cornea leads to visual impairment. While a number of FAS1 mutants have been studied that exhibit enhanced/decreased aggregation propensity, no structural information has been provided so far that is associated with distinct aggregation potential. In this study, we have investigated the structural and thermodynamic characteristics of the wild-type FAS1 and its two mutants, R555Q and R555W, by using molecular dynamics simulations and three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) theory. We find that the hydrophobic solvent accessible surface area increases due to hydrophobic core repacking in the C-terminus caused by the mutation. We also find that the solvation free energy of the mutants increases due to the enhanced non-native H-bonding. These structural and thermodynamic changes upon mutation contribute to understand the aggregation of these mutants.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.37
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• pp.41.1-41.6
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• 2015

Cleidocranial dysplasia is an autosomal dominant heritable skeletal disorder. The characteristic features of cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) may include hypoplasia of the clavicle, delayed closure of frontanelles, late tooth eruption, and other skeletal disorders. This case report describes clinical and radiographic manifestations at the age of 11 and 29 of a CCD patient, investigates the mutation of core-binding factor A1 (CBFA1) based on gene analysis, and illustrates successful oral reconstruction with fixed prosthesis and dental implant after the extraction of multiple teeth.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.32-32
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• 2003

In the neuron, SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) assembly plays a central role in driving membrane fusion, a required process for neurotransmitter release. In the cytoplasm, vesicular SNARE VAMP2 (vesicle-associated membrane protein 2) engages with two plasma membrane SNAREs syntaxin 1A and SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa) to form the core complex that bridges two membranes. While various factors regulate SNARE assembly, the membrane also plays the regulatory role by trapping VAMP2 in the membrane. The fluorescence and EPR analyses revealed that the insertion of seven C-terminal core-forming residues into the membrane controls complex formation of the entire core region, even though preceding 54 core-forming residues are fully exposed and freely moving. When two interfacial Trp residues in this region were replaced with hydrophilic serine residues, the mutation supported rapid complex formation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3555-3559
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• 2013

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of HBV genetic variation and the R249S mutation of the p53 gene, a marker of AFB1-induced HCC, in Thai patients chronically infected with HBV. Sixty-five patients with and 89 patients without HCC were included. Viral mutations and R249S mutation were characterized by direct sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in serum samples, respectively. The prevalences of T1753C/A/G and A1762T/G1764A mutations in the basal core promotor (BCP) region were significantly higher in the HCC group compared to the non-HCC group. R249S mutation was detected in 6.2% and 3.4% of the HCC and non-HCC groups, respectively, which was not significantly different. By multiple logistic regression analysis, the presence of A1762T/G1764A mutations was independently associated with the risk of HCC in Thai patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.701-704
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• 2007

This report describes the full-length sequences of 2HBV clones from a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient, one with preC mutation (1896A) and the other without preC mutation. The high level of discrepancy in mutation frequency between these 2 strains was observed in the Core (C) region among 4 ORFs. These data support previous results that Korean HBV strains, belonging to genotype C2, are prone to mutations. It is possible that the mutations (BCP and preC mutations) associated with the HBeAg defective production might contribute to the diversity of mutations related to HBV persistence, playing an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis in this patient.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.622-627
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• 2002

Diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR) binds to approximately 30 to 35-bp regions containing an interrupted 9-bp inverted repeat within a 19-bp core sequence. The core sequence is fairly conserved and critical for DtxR binding. The flanking regions that are consisted of 5 to 8 more of nucleotides from the core are also required for DtxR binding. The nucleotides in both flanking regions are A-T rich. To examine whether the A-T nucleotides in both flanking regions from the core have significant roles for DtxR binding, a DNA fragment was constructed based on the diphtheria tox promoter/operator, and DNA fragments with substitution of A and T nucleotides In the flanking regions to G and C were also constructed. To assess the effect of these substitutions on binding of DtxR and repressibility by DtxR, $\beta$-galactosidase activity from lacZ fused to the region was assessed. Gel mobility shift of the region by purified DtxR was also examined. The DNA fragments containing the mutations in the flanking regions still exhibited repression and mobility shift with DtxR. The core segment with the mutation is still, therefore, recognized by DtxR. Nonetheless, the results from the assays indicated that the substitution significantly decreased repression of the operator by DtxR in vivo under high-iron condition and decreased binding of DtxR to the operator. These results suggest that A and T nucleotides fur both flanking regions are preferred for the binding of DtxR.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.676-683
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• 2004

The conformational properties of hydrophobic core variant ubiquitin (Val26 to Ala mutation) in an acidic solution were studied. The intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence emission spectrum, far-UV and near-UV circular dichroic spectra, the fluorescence emission spectrum of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid in the presence of V26A ubiquitin, and urea-induced unfolding measurements indicate this variant ubiquitin to be in the partially folded molten globule conformation in solution at pH 2. The folding kinetics from molten globule to the native state was nearly identical to those from the unfolded state to the native state. This observation suggests that the equilibrium molten globule state of hydrophobic core variant ubiquitin is an on-pathway folding intermediate.