• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2001

Cancer chemoprevention refer to the use of natural or synthetic substances to prevent the initiational and promtional events that occur during the process of carcinogenesis. The effect of Prunella Herba Vulgaris L. Aqua-acupuncture Solution (PVAS) and Prunella Herba Vulgaris L. Water-extracted Solution (PVWS) on the induction of phase II detoxification enzyme (quinone reductase, Glutathione S-transferase) and inhibition of phase I enzyme (cytochrome P4501A1) and benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adduct formation was examined. PVAS is potent inducers of quinone reductase activity. Glutathione levels were increased with PVAS, in cultured murine hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cells. In addition glutathione S-transferase levels were increased with PVAS. However, there was 45.2% inhibition in the activity of cytochrome P4501A1 enzyme with the treatment of PVAS, $5{\times}$. At concentration of $1{\times}$ and $3{\times}$ of PVAS, the binding of $[^3H]B[a]P$ metabolites to DNA of NCTC-clone 1469 cell was inhibited by 25.3%, 45.0%, respectively. These results suggest that PVAS has chemopreventive potential by inducing quinone reductase and glutathione S-transferase activities, increasing GSH levels, inhibiting the activity of cytochrome P4501A1 and benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adduct formation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2005

Purpose : We compared the therapeutic efficacy of lamivudine and alpha-interferon in children with chronic hepatitis B two years after the initiation of treatment, so that we could verify the safety and long term efficacy of lamivudine in children. Methods : We prospectively studied 44 children(32 male and 12 female; age, 1-18 years, mean, 9 years) treated for chronic hepatitis B from September 1996 to June 2004 in Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea. Twenty three children were treated with interferon, and 21 with lamivudine. Treatment efficacy was defined as the normalization of ALT and hepatitis B virus(HBV) DNA levels, loss of HBsAg and HBeAg seroconversion at two years after the initiation of treatment. Results : Among the 23 children treated with interferon, the ALT level normalized in 10 children(43 %) and HBV DNA was undetectable in 12 children(52%). HBsAg was undetectable in one child (4 %) and HBeAg seroconversion occurred in nine children(39%) two years after the initiation of treatment. In comparison, among the 21 children treated with lamivudine, ALT normalized in 20 children (95%), HBV DNA in 19(90%), HBsAg in 5(24%), and HBeAg seroconversion occurred in 13(62%). Above all, in the lamivudine treated group under the age of seven, HBeAg and HBsAg seroconversion occurred in six(75%) and five(63%) out of the eight children respectively, which showed superior HBsAg seroconversion rate if treated in preschool aged children. Conclusion : We believe that the therapeutic efficacy of lamivudine in children with chronic hepatitis B could be better than interferon with fewer side effects, especially in preschool aged children.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.259-264
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• 2009

Genetic polymorphisms of encoding antigen B2 gene (AgB2) in Echinococcus granulosus were studied using PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing among 20 Egyptian isolates. Five isolates from different host origins (humans, camels, pigs, and sheep) were collected and used. All examined isolates of each host group gave very similar patterns of PCR-RFLP after restriction enzyme digestion with Alul, with the gene size of approximately 140 bp and 240 bp for sheep and human isolates, and approximately 150 bp and 250 bp for pig and camel isolates. No digestion pattern was obtained after incubation of all studied isolates with EcoRI. These results reveal high intra-group homogeneity. DNA sequence analysis highlighted that human infecting strain showed 100% identity with respect to sheep infecting isolate, 96% and 99% with pig and camel infecting isolates, respectively.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.561-571
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• 1999

Diagnosis of mycobacterial infection is dependent upon the isolation and identification of causative agents. The procedures involved are time consuming and technically demanding. To improve the laborious identification process mycobacterial systematics supported by gene analysis is feasible, being particularly useful for slowly growing or uncultivable mycobacteria. To complement genetic analysis for the differentiation and identification of mycobacterial species, an alternative marker gene, rpoB encoding the ${\beta}$ subunit of RNA polymerase, was investigated. rpoB DNAs (342 bp) were amplified from 52 reference strains of mycobacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (ATCC 27294) and clinical isolates by the PCR. The nucleotide sequences were directly determined (306 bp) and aligned using the multiple alignment algorithm in the MegAlign package (DNASTAR) and MEGA program. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with a neighborhood joining method. Comparative sequence analysis of rpoB DNA provided the basis for species differentiation. By being grouped into species-specific clusters with low sequence divergence among strains belonging to same species, all the clinical isolates could be easily identified. Furthermore RFLP analysis enabled rapid identification of clinical isolates.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 1990

Two macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) antibiotic resistance genes, one expressed inducibly and the other expressed constitutively were recognized from a single Staphylococcus aureus DH1 strain. The inducible MLS resistance gene was isolated and cloned from the R-plasmid pDE1(7.4kb) and the constitutive gene was from chromosomal DNA. Base sequence of the inducible MLS resistance gene (1.2kb) was determined and found as same that of pE194. The restriction map of the cloned constitutive MLS resistance gene was compared with that of the inducible gene. Two genes have same restriction map except leader region. In the constitutive gene there is no leader region which is doing major role in inducible expression.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.128-140
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• 1999

To evaluate the antitumor activity, antimetastatic and immunomodulatory effects of samryongbakchulsankamibang(SBSK) studies were done experimentally, In cytotoxicity against P388, A549. SK-OV-3, B16-F10 and SK-MEL-2. concentration inhibiting cell growth up to below 40% of control was recognized at $10^{-3}g/ml$ of SBSK. In Inhibitory effect on activity of DNA topoisomerase I. the $IC_{50}$ was shown $200-400{\mu}g/ml$ of SBSK. The T/C was 154% in SBSK-treated group in S-180 bearing ICR mice, The concentration inhibiting adhesion of A549 and B16-F10 to complex extracellular matrix up to below 30% of control was recognized at $5{\times}10^{-4}$, $1{\times}10^{-3}\;g/ml$ of SBSK. In pumonary colonization assay with B16-BL/6, a number of colonies in the lungs were decreased significantly in SBSK-treated group as compared with control group, In hematological changes in B16-BL/6 injected C57BL/6, numbers of WBC and platelet were not changed significantly in SBSK-treated groups, In CAM and in vitro neovascularization assay, angiogenesis was inhibited significantly in SBSK-treated group as compared with control group. From above results it was concluded that SBSK could be usefully applied for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.303-316
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• 2009

Genetic variation among the base isolates and monosporidial strains derived from these isolates of Tilletia indica- the causal agent of Karnal bunt (KB) in wheat, was analyzed by morphological, growth behaviors and RAPD-ISSR based molecular polymorphism. Genetic make up of fungal cultures vary among each other. The magnitude of variation in KBPN group is less (narrow genetic base) when compared to the other groups KB3, KB9 and JK (broad genetic base) reflecting that variability is a genetically governed process. The generation of new variation with different growth characteristics is not a generalized feature and is totally dependant on the original genetic make-up of the base isolate generating new monosporidial strains. Thus, it can be concluded that monosporidial strains derived from mono-teliosporic isolate, consists of genetically heterogeneous population. The morphological and genetic variability further suggests that the variation in T. indica strains is predominantly derived through the genetic rearrangements through para sexual means.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1986.12a
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• pp.516.2-516
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• 1986

DNA subfragments, sopA, sopB, and sopC supporting stable maintenance of an oriC plasmid, were derived from mini-F plasmid DNA (EcoRI restriction fragment, f5) after digestion with restriction endonucleases, and cloned in vector plasmid pBR322. The recombinant plasmid obtained were introduced into E. coli KY7231 and E. coli CSR603, and proteins specified by the mini-F fragments were analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two proteins encoded by the F fragments were detected, having molecular weights of 41,000 and 37.000. The sopA protein (41K) encoded by a plasmid pXX288 was observed in the cytoplasm, whereas the sopB protein (37K) encoded by a plasmid pXX157 was in the membrane fraction. There was no novel protein band detected in the cell with a plasmid pXX300, which contained sopC fragment. Gene products of a plasmid pXX167, which is comprised of sopA, sopB, and sopC, were not detectable. Fluorography after one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis of the lysates showed that these two proteins were overproduced in the cells which were allowed to incorporate radioactive amino acid after plasmid amplification by chloramphenicol treatment. The isoelectric points of the sopA and sepB proteins were 6.6 and 7.0, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.287-293
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• 2001

A fast and easy PCR-SSCP method was developed and assessed for the early detection of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium leprae in skin biopsy samples from Korean leprosy patients. The 190 bp of the rpoB gene, in which mutation is known to cause resistance to rifampin, was amplified by PCR and then analyzed by SSCP and DNA sequencing, All PCR products showing mobility shift on PCR-SSCP contained mutations, demonstrating that this method can be used for an early diagnositic method to detect a putative rifampin-resistant M. leprae strain. DNA sequence analysis revealed that 19 of 34 patient samples contained M. leprae strains with missense mutations in the rpoB gene: five were the same mutations previously reported to cause rifampin resistance and eight were the new type of mutatios that likely cause rifampin resistance. These newly identified dmutations, whose all five cytosine bases of four amino acids were substitued with thymine, were found at different sites from those reported in Mycobacterium tuberculosis or M. leprae. Therefore, they may provide additional clues to understand the molecular biological basis on the rifampin resistance of M. leprae.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 1999

We previously found three transcription factor-binding motifs in the rat p53 promoter. They are two recognition motifs of NF1-like protein (NF1-like element 1: -296 ~ -312, NF1-like element 2: -195 ~ -219) and a bHLH protein binding element (-142 ~ -146). In this study, we investigated the DNA-protein complex formation of the three elements with nuclear extracts from both normal and regenerating liver to find the element involved in the induced transcription of p53. The level of each DNA-protein complex on NF1-like and bHLH motifs was not changed. Instead, a new element located at -264 ~ -284 was detected in the DNase I footprinting assay with regenerating nuclear extract. This element has partial homology to the AP1 consensus motif. However, the competition studies with diverse oligonucleotides suggest that the binding protein is not AP1. An in vitro transcription assay shows that this element is important for the transcriptional activation of the rat p53 promoter. Therefore, for the induced transcription of the rat p53 promoter, the-264 ~ -284 region is required in addition to two NF1-like and one bHLH motif.