• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.355-362
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• 2010

The sterile alpha motif (SAM) is a putative protein interaction domain involved in a wide variety of biological processes. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel gene, SAMD4B, which encodes a putative protein of 694 amino acids with a SAM domain. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that SAMD4B is widely expressed in human embryonic and adult tissues. Transcriptional activity assays show SAMD4B suppresses transcriptional activity of L8G5-luciferase. Over-expression of SAMD4B in mammalian cells inhibited the transcriptional activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1), p53 and p21, and the inhibitory effects can be relieved by siRNA. Deletion analysis indicates that the SAM domain is the main region for transcriptional suppression. The results suggest that SAMD4B is a widely expressed gene involved in AP-1-, p53- and p21-mediated transcriptional signaling activity.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.425-430
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• 2008

Hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) is a by-product of metabolism of amino acids including sulfur and alcoholic fermentation, it is generally thought of in terms of a poisonous gas. Though $H_2S$ can have a negative impact on the perceived quality of fermented drinks due to an undesirable aroma, it plays prominent roles as a neuromodulator in the mammalian brain as well as a smooth muscle relaxant. Nowadays studies on the proteins which produce $H_2S$ are carried out in various fields such as structure, function, and metabolism. Here we propose to develop a simple and rapid $H_2S$ forming assay method, which will lead to speed up preparing the $H_2S$ forming proteins for identification by MALDI-TOF MS analysis. We detected three kinds of proteins which produce $H_2S$ in the crude extract of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Those proteins were cystathionie $\beta$-synthase, O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase, and cystathionine $\gamma$-lyase.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2016

Background: Rhizobacteria play an important role in plant defense and could be promising sources of biocontrol agents. This study aimed to screen antagonistic bacteria and develop a biocontrol system for root rot complex of Panax notoginseng. Methods: Pure-culture methods were used to isolate bacteria from the rhizosphere soil of notoginseng plants. The identification of isolates was based on the analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences. Results: A total of 279 bacteria were obtained from rhizosphere soils of healthy and root-rot notoginseng plants, and uncultivated soil. Among all the isolates, 88 showed antagonistic activity to at least one of three phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Phoma herbarum mainly causing root rot disease of P. notoginseng. Based on the 16S rRNA sequencing, the antagonistic bacteria were characterized into four clusters, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetesi. The genus Bacillus was the most frequently isolated, and Bacillus siamensis (Hs02), Bacillus atrophaeus (Hs09) showed strong antagonistic activity to the three pathogens. The distribution pattern differed in soil types, genera Achromobacter, Acidovorax, Brevibacterium, Brevundimonas, Flavimonas, and Streptomyces were only found in rhizosphere of healthy plants, while Delftia, Leclercia, Brevibacillus, Microbacterium, Pantoea, Rhizobium, and Stenotrophomonas only exist in soil of diseased plant, and Acinetobacter only exist in uncultivated soil. Conclusion: The results suggest that diverse bacteria exist in the P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil, with differences in community in the same field, and antagonistic isolates may be good potential biological control agent for the notoginseng root-rot diseases caused by F. oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Panax herbarum.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.598-602
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• 2004

The Tongcheng pig breed is a famous Chinese indigenous breed. The Ministry of Agriculture of China has filed it as 1 of 19 national key conservation breeds selected from more than 100 Chinese indigenous pig breeds in 2000. In order to improve the reproductive performance, it has been intensively selected to increase the litter size for about 10 years. The population randomly sampled from conservation nucleus of eight families in the Tongcheng pigs was genotyped for identification of their estrogen receptor locus polymorphisms with the PCR-RFLPs method. Only AB heterozygotes and BB homozygotes were detected, and $X^2$ test demonstrated that the locus was in disequilibrium at a significant level (p<0.05). In the present paper, the litter sizes in different parities were regarded as different traits. Holistic status of other unspecific and unidentified genes was estimated by using the statistical methods. Coefficients of kurtosis and skewness showed that the litter size still presented segregating characteristic in the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th parities. Analysis of homogeneity of variance between families confirmed the results for the 5th, 7th and 8th parities. The heritability of litter size for the 1st to 10th parities was estimated with paternal half-sib model and individual estimated breeding values (EBVs) were evaluated by a single trait animal model as well. We found that the averages of EBVs for litter size in each parity did not differ significantly between genotypes, despite the significant difference for original phenotype records in the 3rd, 4th and 5th parities (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The results may be explained by the deduction that the polymorphisms of ESR locus are no longer the important genetic base of litter size variation when the frequency of allele B accumulated in the experience of selection procedure, and further conferring that there exist special genes associated with litter size in the recent Tongcheng pigs population can be made.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2010

In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel C2H2 zinc finger protein, ZNF552, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. ZNF552 is composed of three exons and two introns and maps to chromosome 19q13.43. The cDNA of ZNF552 is 2.3 kb, encoding 407 amino acids with an amino-terminal KRAB domain and seven carboxyl-terminal C2H2 zinc finger motifs in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Northern blotting analysis indicated that a 2.3 kb transcript specific for ZNF552 was expressed in liver, lung, spleen, testis and kidney, especially with a higher level in the lung and testis in human adult tissues. Reporter gene assays showed that ZNF552 was a transcriptional repressor, and overexpression of ZNF552 in the COS-7 cells inhibited the transcriptional activities of AP-1 and SRE, which could be relieved through RNAi analysis. Deletion studies showed that the KRAB domain of ZNF552 may be involved in this inhibition.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1345-1354
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• 2024

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify candidate genes that play important roles in skeletal muscle development in ducks. Methods: In this study, we investigated the transcriptional sequencing of embryonic pectoral muscles from two specialized lines: Liancheng white ducks (female) and Cherry valley ducks (male) hybrid Line A (LCA) and Line C (LCC) ducks. In addition, prediction of target genes for the differentially expressed mRNAs was conducted and the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes signaling pathways were further analyzed. Finally, a protein-to-protein interaction network was analyzed by using the target genes to gain insights into their potential functional association. Results: A total of 1,428 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 762 being up-regulated genes and 666 being down-regulated genes in pectoral muscle of LCA and LCC ducks identified by RNA-seq (p<0.05). Meanwhile, 23 GO terms in the down-regulated genes and 75 GO terms in up-regulated genes were significantly enriched (p<0.05). Furthermore, the top 5 most enriched pathways were ECM-receptor interaction, fatty acid degradation, pyruvate degradation, PPAR signaling pathway, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Finally, the candidate genes including integrin b3 (Itgb3), pyruvate kinase M1/2 (Pkm), insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1), glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi), GABA type A receptor-associated protein-like 1 (Gabarapl1), and thyroid hormone receptor beta (Thrb) showed the most expression difference, and then were selected to verification by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The result of qRT-PCR was consistent with that of transcriptome sequencing. Conclusion: This study provided information of molecular mechanisms underlying the developmental differences in skeletal muscles between specialized duck lines.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.2066-2080
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• 2024

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A)-circHECA molecule in secondary hair follicles (SHFs) of cashmere goats, and generate its potential regulatory network, as well as explore the potential relationship between transcriptional pattern of m⁶A-circHECA and promoter methylation of its host gene (HECA). Methods: The validation of circHECA m⁶A sites was performed using methylation immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP) along with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technique. The nucleus and cytoplasm localizations of m⁶A-circHECA were performed using SHF stem cells of cashmere goats with RT-qPCR analysis. Based on in-silico analysis, the regulatory networks of m⁶A-circHECA were generated with related signal pathway enrichment. The methylation level of promoter region of m⁶A-circHECA host gene (HECA) was assessed by the bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP-PCR) technique. Results: The m⁶A-circHECA was confirmed to contain four m⁶A modification sites including m⁶A-213, m⁶A-297, m⁶A-780, and m⁶A-927, and it was detected mainly in cytoplasm of the SHF stem cells of cashmere goats. The integrated regulatory network analysis showed directly or indirectly complex regulatory relationships between m⁶A-circHECA of cashmere goats and its potential target molecules: miRNAs, mRNAs, and proteins. The regulatory network and pathway enrichment indicated that m⁶A-circHECA might play multiple roles in the SHF physiology process of cashmere goats through directly or indirectly interacting or regulating its potential target molecules. A higher methylation level of promoter region of HECA gene in SHFs of cashmere goats might cause the lower expression of m⁶A-circHECA. Conclusion: The m⁶A-circHECA might play multiple roles in SHF physiology process of cashmere goats through miRNA mediated pathways along with directly or indirectly interaction with its target proteins. The promoter methylation of m⁶A-circHECA host gene (HECA) most likely was implicated in its expression inhibition in SHFs of cashmere goats.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.18 no.1 s.38
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• pp.1-10
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• 1979

An inclusion forming virus isolated from a fan webworm, Hyphantria cunea, in 1975 was identified as a nuclear polyhedrosis virus. With the virus isolated in Korea, it was considered that the virus would be one of the valuable microorganism in microbial control. In this connection, 1) the shape and size of the virus for identification, 2) susceptibility of the various instar larvae to the virus, 3) the effects of storage condition on the pathogenicity and the cross infection of the virus to the larvae of Bombyx mori were examined. The results are summarized as follows; 1. The polyhedron was tetrahedron or hexahedron of $2\mu$ in size and the rod-shaped virus particles consisting of $2\~14$ rods in a bundle were $330m{\mu}\times35m{\mu}$ in size. 2. The hexagonal nuclear polyhedra were found only in the nucleus of the midgut cells but were variable in size. 3. The $LD_{50}$ values for the various instar larvae of H. cunea were $8.377\times10^4\;PIBs/ml$ for the second, $4.974\times10^5\;PIBs/ml$ for the fifth instar larvae. The $LT_{50}values$ for $10^6\;PIBs/ml$ were 9.6 days for the second, 11.5 days for the third, 12.0 days for the fourth and 17 days for the fifth instar larvae. 4. The susceptibility of H. cunea to the nuclear polyhedrosis virus was greater in the first generation than in the second generation. 5. The effect of the storage conditions on the pathogenicity of the nuclear polyhedra was less in refrigerator $(5^{\circ}C)$ and in freezing $(-80^{\circ}C)$ than in room temperature $(18.5^{\circ}C)$, especially as air-dried polyhedra than as suspension. The pathogenicity of the polyhedra seemed to decrease by sunlight during storage as cadavers, since rather greater decrease in pathogenicity was found in sunny condition than in shady condition. 6. The effective spray concentration was $6.4\times10^7\;PIBs/ml$ in the field and its $LT_50$ values for the third and the fifth instar larvae were 4.8 days and 14.2 days, respectively. 7. No cross infections were found in the nuclear polyhedrosis virus between H. cunea and B. mori. larvae.