• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 1995

Polyclonal antibodies against human DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (HPP II) were generated from chicken egg yolk after immunization with RNA polymerase II as an antigen. The antibodies from egg yolk (IgY) were purified and characterized. IgY showed a specificity against DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II, and was a polyclonal antibody against 12 subunits of polymerase II. An amount of 0.35 mg of IgY was obtained freman HPP II-Sepharose affinity column using 10 eggs from a chicken immunized against RNA polymerase II as an antigen. These antibodies can be used for isolating the genes for RNA polymerase II components, and for in vitro transcription assays using HP-RNA polymerase II.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1728-1735
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• 2014

Scrub typhus, caused by infection with Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a mite-borne zoonotic disease endemic to the Asian-Pacific region. In Korea, the incidence of this disease has increased with climate changes, and over 10,000 cases of infection were reported in 2013. Although this infection is treatable with antibiotics such as doxycycline and azithromycin, an effective prophylactic vaccine against O. tsutsugamushi would be more desirable for preventing scrub typhus in endemic areas. In this study, we investigated the 56-kDa type-specific antigen (TSA56), which is a major outer membrane protein of O. tsutsugamushi, as a vaccine candidate. Intranasal immunization of recombinant TSA56 (rec56) induced a higher level of TSA56-specific IgG than that induced by intramuscular immunization of tsa56-expressing DNA (p56). Both types of immunization induced a cell-mediated immune response to TSA56, as demonstrated by the splenic cell proliferation assay. Mice immunized with p56, followed by rec56 plus heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit from E. coli, had a stronger protection from a homologous challenge with the O. tsutsugamushi Boryong strain than with other combinations. Our preliminary results suggest that an effective human vaccine for scrub typhus can include either recombinant TSA56 protein or tsa56-expressing DNA, and provide the basis for further studies to optimize vaccine performance using additional antigens or different adjuvants.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2003

The CMV promoter driven luciferase reporter gene coding plasmid (pcDNA-luc) was constructed and used as a model for DNA immunization study. Expression of the recombinant luciferase protein was confirmed in vitro in RTG-2 cell line before using in vivo study in olive flounder. In dose response study, the maximum expression of the luciferase gene was found in the group injected with 10-15μg of plasmid DNA. The kinetic study showed that the luciferase gene expression was reached at the maximum level at one day after injection and slightly decreased after then but significantly high level of expression was sustained until the conducted experiment of 7 days. In the study of tissue distribution of gene expression, it was found that luciferase gene was expressed at the significant level in immune organs such as gill and spleen, located far from the injected site, suggesting the systemic distribution of the intramuscularly injected DNA in olive flounder.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.118-120
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• 2002

Genetic materials including DNA plasmid are effective delivery vehicle to express interesting gene efficiently and safely not to generate replication competent virus. Moreover, it has advantages to design a better vector and to simplify manufacturing and storage condition. To understand a possible pathogenic mechanism by a flavivirus, West Nile virus (WNV), WNV genome sequence was aligned to other pathogenic viral genome. Interestingly, WNV capsid (Cp) amino acid sequence has some homology to HIV-l Vpr protein. These proteins induce apoptosis in human cell lines as well as in vivo and cell cycle arrest. Therefore, DNA plasmid carrying apoptosis-inducing and cell cycle arresting viral proteins including a HIV-1 Vpr and a WNV Cp protein can be useful for anti-cancer therapeutic applications. This WNV Cp protein is an early expressed protein which can be a reasonable target antigen (Ag) for vaccine design. Immunization of a DNA construct encoding WNV Cp protein induces a strong Ag-specific humoral and Th1-type immune responses in animal. Therefore, DNA plasmid encoding apoptotic viral proteins can be useful tool for therapeutic and prophylactic applications.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2006

We have previously reported the minimum criteria that can be applied to evaluate efficacy and safety of a DNA vaccine with use of Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA vaccine (SPDNA). The SPDNA was formulated by inserting the DNA sequences that are codons specific for the carbohydrate epitope in the capsule of S. penumoniae by phage display peptide library. Administration of the SPDNA into mice induced both humoral and cell-mediated immunities. The induction was protective even in the absence of CD4+ T lymphocyte in mice. Profiles of cytokine and isotyping of antibody displayed tendency of the Th1. In continuation of these studies, we examined if the efficacy of the SPNDA was provoked by the peptide recognized by codons specific for the capsule. Results showed that the peptide vaccine formulae (SPP) induced protective antibody in mice as did the SPDNA. Involvement of the cell-mediated immunity was also determined. Possible side effects of autoimmune diseases such as myositis and C3a production and tumor-formation were undetectable in mice given 7 times of SPDNA vaccination during entire of 92 days. Even after the frequent immunization, immunogenicity of the SPDNA was observed as determined for antibody production, suggesting that there was no immunotolerance provoked. All together, these examining factors would be applied to measurement of a DNA vaccine safety regarding the immunopathological aspect.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.607-612
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• 2011

Several investigators have shown that CpG-DNA has outstanding effects as a Th1-responsive adjuvant and that its potent adjuvant effects are enhanced by encapsulation with a liposome of proper composition. In this study, we showed that encapsulation with phosphatidyl-${\beta}$-oleoyl-${\gamma}$-palmitoyl ethanolamine (DOPE): cholesterol hemisuccinate (CHEMS) complex enhances the immunostimulatory activity of CpG DNA and the binding of CpG-DNA to TLR9. We also examined involvement of myeloid differentiation protein (MyD88) and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in liposome-encapsulated CpG-DNA-induced IL-8 promoter activation. In this manuscript, the natural phosphodiester bond CpG-DNA encapsulated by DOPE : CHEMS complex is designated as Lipoplex(O). Importantly, we successfully screened B cell epitopes of envelope protein (E protein) of hepatitis C virus (HCV-E) and attachment glycoprotein G of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV-G) by immunization with complexes of several peptides and Lipoplex(O) without carriers. Therefore, Lipoplex(O) is potentially applicable as a universal adjuvant for peptide-based epitope screening and antibody production.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.70-75
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• 2004

The CMV promoter driven lacZ reporter gene (pcDNA-lacZ) was constructed and used for DNA immunization study. The expression of the lacZ gene was confirmed in vitro using RTG-2 cell line before using for in vivo study in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). In the dose response study, the maximum expression of the lacZ gene was found in the group injected with 5 ${\mu} g$ of the plasmid DNA. Kinetic study showed a significantly increased expression of $\beta-galactosidase$ gene at 7 days after injection. Effects of DNA vaccine on specific and nonspecific immune responses such as antibody and NO production were studied and the significant effect was found in olive flounder injected with 10 and 15 ${\mu} g$ DNA (sub optimal dose for lacZ gene expression). Two pro inflammatory cytokine genes, $IL-l\beta$ and $TNF-\alpha$, were also found to be up regulated in the muscle injected with the plasmid, suggesting an induction of local inflammatory response.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.543-547
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• 2002

DNA vaccines use eukaryote expression vectors to produce immunizing proteins in the vaccinated host and it represents a novel approach to vaccine and immuno-therapeutic development. We constructed a 2.9 kb compact plasmid vector (pVAC) which contains CMV promoter, polycloning site, BGH poly A terminator, ampicillin resistance gene and PBR322 origin. Enriched unmathlyated CpG motifs have introduced into pVAC-ISS1 and pVAC-ISS2 which are derived from pVAC for enhancing Thl responses. These plasmid DNAs rapidly induced interleukin 6 secretion in vivo. It is expected that these vectors will contribute to the DNA inoculation against infectious disease and various cancers without adjuvant.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.1326-1334
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• 2008

The prime-boost vaccination with DNA vaccine and recombinant viral vector has emerged as an effective prophylactic strategy to control infectious diseases. Here, we compared the protective immunities induced by multiple alternating immunizations with DNA vaccine (pCIgB) and replication-incompetent adenovirus (Ad-gB) expressing glycoprotein gB of pseudorabies virus (PrV). The platform of pCIgB-prime and Ad-gB-boost induced the most effective immune responses and provided protection against virulent PrV infection. However, priming with pCIgB prior to vaccinating animals by the DNA vaccine-prime and Ad-boost protocol provided neither effective immune responses nor protection against PrV. Similarly, boosting with Ad-gB following immunization with DNA vaccine-prime and Ad-boost showed no significant responses. Moreover, whereas the administration of Ad-gB for primary immunization induced Th2-type-biased immunity, priming with pCIgB induced Th1-type-biased immunity, as judged by the production of PrV-specific IgG isotypes and cytokine IFN-$\gamma$. These results indicate that the order and injection frequency of vaccine vehicles used for heterologous prime-boost vaccination affect the magnitude and nature of the immunity. Therefore, our demonstration implies that the prime-boost protocol should be carefully considered and selected to induce the desired immune responses.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.337-341
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• 1999

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive strand RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family and the major cause of post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis. Vaccine development for HCV is essential but has been slowed by poor understanding of the type of immunity that naturally terminates HCV infection. The DNA-based immunization technique offers the potential advantage of including cellular immune responses against conserved internal proteins of a virus, as well as the generation of antibodies to viral surface proteins. Here, we demonstrate that cell lines expressing the HCV core and/or NS3 proteins can induce a specific CTL response in mice, and these results suggest a possibility that the HCV core and NS3 DNA can be used to induce CTL activity against the antigen in mice and can be further developed as a therapeutic and preventive DNA vaccine.