• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.320-325
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• 1998

To elucidate of role(s) of tTA as a repressor in the tTA-mediated gene repression system, we introduced mutations into the acidic domain of VP16 and examined the effects of such various mutations. In the transient repression experiment, a region containing 34 amino acids of the activation domain of VP16 (412-456) which interacts with TFIIB was found to be necessary and sufficient for the tTA-mediated repression of gene expression. However, in the experiment to investigate the fact that tTA-regulated repression is related to the activation function of VP16, we found that the repression abilities of tTA derivatives did not correlate exactly with their activation abilities. Therefore, we conclude that increased mass of VP16 in tTA might be also important for efficient repression in addition to functional domain of VP16.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2003

Among a number of antigens characterized in M leprae, an etiological agent of Leprosy, the 18 kDa antigen, is unique to M leprae. We have previously determined a sequence specific element in the 18 kDa gene of M leprae, which confers transcriptional repression. In this report, we have examined if the element could be applied to genes other than the 18 kDa gene of M leprae. To identify the roles of the regulatory sequence in heterologous promoter, we have constructed pB3 vector series, which contains BCG hsp65 promoter and the M leprae 18 kDa transcription repression responsive element in tandem using LacZ gene as a reporter gene. Cloning of hsp65 promoters of M bovis BCG or M smegmatis in front of LacZ gene resulted in normal $\beta$­galactosidase activity as expected. However, when the sequence element was placed between the promoter and the LacZ gene, $\beta$-galactosidase activity was reduced 10-fold less. Also we have examined with pB3(-) vector, that harbors the transcription repression responsive element in a reversed orientation, the $\beta$-galactosidase activity was found to be similar to pB3(+) vector. Thus, these results further confirm that M leprae 18 kDa transcription repression responsive element could regulate BCG hsp65 heterologous promoter and that the element could act as an operator for the transcription of mycobacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 1998

The xylA gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus encoding the major ${\beta}$-xylosidase was previously cloned and sequenced. In the present study we examined the regulation of the cloned xylA gene expression in Bauillus subtilis MW15 carrying the xylA::aprA fusion plasmids. The induction of the fused xylA gene expression remained uninfluenced by any of the carbon sources tested but the gene expression was repressed about 2-3 fold in the presence of glucose. Two CRE-like sequences (CRE-1: nucleotides ＋ 124 to ＋136 and CRE-2: ＋247 to ＋259) were recognized within the reading frame region of the xylA gene. The deletion experiments showed that the CRE-2 sequence had a role in catabolite repression (CR) as a true CRE of the xylA gene, but the CRE-1 had no effect on CR of the xylA gene expression. Surprisingly, the deletion of the CRE- 1 sequence reduced about 2~3 fold of the expression of the xylA fused gene. The repression ratios of the xylA gene expression were estimated to be about 0.4 from the assay of subtilisin activity, and about 0.3 at the level of transcription by determining the amounts of xylA transcripts in B. subtilis. While, the level of CR of the xylA gene was assessed to be about l0-fold in previous work when the relative amounts of the xylA transcripts were measured in B. stearothermophilus.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2001

The regulation of actin gene expression during the differentiation of Naegleria gruberi was examined. Actin mRNA concentration was maximal in amoebae and decreased rapidly after the initiation of differentiation. At 20 min after initiation, the concentration of actin mRNA decreased to 55% of the maximal value. The actin mRNA concentration decreased to the minimum at 80 min (15% of the maximum), and then began to increase slightly at the end of differentiation. This decrease of actin mRNA concentration was regulated by the repression of actin gene transcription based on nuclear run-on transcription experiments. The rates of transcription of actin gene in nuclei prepared at 40 and 80 min after the initiation of differentiation were 50 and 28% of that of nuclei prepared at the beginning of differentiation, respectively. The addition of cycloheximide at the initiation of differentiation inhibited both the rapid decrease in the concentration of actin mRNA and the repression of actin gene transcription. These results suggest that the rapid decrease in the concentration of actin mRNA during the differentiation of N. gruberi is accomplished by the repression of actin gene transcription and this transcriptional regulation requires continuous protein synthesis during the differentiation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.72-77
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• 2001

Expression of f3 ~agarase Gene and Catabolite Repression in Escherichia coli by the Promoter of Alginate Lyase Gene Isolated from Marine Pseudomonas sp. Jin, Cheal~Ho, J~Hyeon Park, Jeong-Hyun Han, YoonM Hyeok Chae, Jong~Hee Lee, Jung-Kee Lee!, and In-800 Kong*. Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology, Pukyong National UniversitYt Pusan 608-737, Korea, llnBioNet Co. 1690-3 Taejon 306-230, Korea - Promoter is a key factor for expression of the recombinant protein. There are many promoters for overexpression of protein in various organisms. The aly promoter of Pseudomonas sp. W7 isolated from marine environment was known to be a constitutive expression promoter of the alginate lyase gene, and it's promoter activity is repressed by glucose in Escherichia coli. To investigate the catabolite repression of the aly promoter ~md association between the promoter mutants, f3 agarase gene, which was also cloned from Pseudomonas sp. W7 was connected to the aly promoter with the sequence the coding 46 N-terminal amino acids ofthe alginate lyase gene. The constructed plasmid was introduced into E. coli and the agarase activity was measured. Fourty six amino acids of the alginate lyase gene was serially deleted using peR to the direction of 5' upstream region and subcloned. The agarase was overexpressed by the aly promoter and the production of agarase was repressed by the addition of glucose into culture media. Fourty six amino acids of alginate lyase did not affect the production of agarase at all. The deletion of a putative stem-loop structure in the aly promoter induced the decrease of f3 -agarase productivity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.877-880
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• 2000

Cycloinulooligosaccharide fructanotransferase (CFTase) converts inulin into cyclooligosaccharides consisting of six to eight molecules $\beta$-($2\rightarrow1$)-linked cyclic D-fructofuranose through intramolecular transfructosylation. We have examined the regulation of CFTase synthesis in Bacillus macerans and Bacillus subtilis. Synthesis of the CFTase was induced by inulin and it was subject to carbon catabolite repression (CCR) by glucose in both microorganisms. The DNA sequence upstream of the promoter of the CFTase gene was not involved in the inulin induction and glucose repression of the CFTase gene expression in B. subtilis. This suggests that the DNA element(s) responsible for the inuline induction and glucose repression is located downstream of the promoter region. Unexpectedly, the CCR of the expression of CFTase gene was observed not to be dependent on CcpA protein in B. subtilis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2019

Animals need to be able to alter their developmental and behavioral programs in response to changing environmental conditions. This developmental and behavioral plasticity is mainly mediated by changes in gene expression. The knowledge of the mechanisms by which environmental signals are transduced and integrated to modulate changes in sensory gene expression is limited. Exposure to ascaroside pheromone has been reported to alter the expression of a subset of putative G protein-coupled chemosensory receptor genes in the ASI chemosensory neurons of C. elegans (Kim et al., 2009; Nolan et al., 2002; Peckol et al., 1999). Here we show that ascaroside pheromone reversibly represses expression of the str-3 chemoreceptor gene in the ASI neurons. Repression of str-3 expression can be initiated only at the L1 stage, but expression is restored upon removal of ascarosides at any developmental stage. Pheromone receptors including SRBC-64/66 and SRG-36/37 are required for str-3 repression. Moreover, pheromone-mediated str-3 repression is mediated by FLP-18 neuropeptide signaling via the NPR-1 neuropeptide receptor. These results suggest that environmental signals regulate chemosensory gene expression together with internal neuropeptide signals which, in turn, modulate behavior.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.131-137
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• 2001

Previous work has identified that only the catabolite responsive element A (creA; previously called cre-2) out of two potential cre sequences (cre-1: nucleotide +160 to +173 and cre-2: +173 to +186), recognized within the coding region of the xylanaseA gene (xynA) of Bacillus stearothermophilus No.236, was actually, was actually involved in the carbon catabolite repression(CCR) of xynA expression in B. subtilis. However, the level of CCR of xynA expression in the original B.stearothermophilus No.236 strain (70-fold repression). Therefore, to search for an additional cre element in the promoter region, the upstream region of the xynA gene was subcloned by chromosome walking, and as a result, another potential cre element (nucleotide -124∼-137; designated creB) was recognized in this region. The cre-like sequence revealed a high homology to the cre consensus sequence. The xylanase activity of B. subtilis MW15 bearing pWPBR14 (containing creA and creB) cultured in a medium containing xylose as the sole carbon source was about 7.7 times higher than that observed for the same culture containing glucose. B. subtilis MW15 bearing pWPBR23 (containing only creA) produced an activity about 2.4 times higher. This pattern of CCR was confirmed using derivatives of xynA::aprA fusion plasmids. Furthermore, a measurement of the amounts of the xynA transcript showed a similar pattern as that for the production of xylanase. In addition, the synthesis of xylanase in B. subtilis QB7115 [a catabolite control protein A (ccpA) mutant strain] carrying pWPBR14 was almost completely relieved from glucose repression. Together, these results lead to a conclusion that the CCR of the expression of the xynA gene is mediated by CcpA binding at creA and creB sites in B. subtilis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.115-122
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• 1980

We have demonstrated that both L-histidine as an amino acid factor and dextrin as a carbon source were required for the glucose repression. 1% glucose was sufficient to the glucose repression of aerial mycelium formation in Streptomyces lavendulae and Streptomyces aureofacience. the synthesized medium, KK, which is lack of all orgnic nutrients except dextrin was able to induce glucose repression, but the addition of 0.003% or more L-histidiner recovers the capacity of glucose repression. 0.02% or more histidine was reuqired for glucose repression of aerial mycelium formation in the absence of dextrin. Treatments of $5{\mu}M$ ormore ethidium bromide (EtBr0 gave rise to bald mutants at high frequency in Streptomyces aureofaciens, and it is probable that the gene(s) for the function of aerial mycelium formation is linked to plasmed DNA in this species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 1998

Syntheses of the B. stearothermophilus xylanolytic enzymes such as xylanases, ${\beta}$-xylosidases, ${\alpha}$-arabinofurano-sidases, and esterases, were observed to be regulated by the carbon source present in the culture media. Xylan induced synthesis of ${\beta}$-xylosidase at the highest level while xylose gave about 30% of the ${\beta}$-xylosidase activity induced by xylan. The lowest syntheses of the xylanolytic enzymes above mentioned were detected in the basal medium containing glucose as a sole carbon source. When a mixture of xylan and glucose was used as a carbon source, we could observe glucose repression of xylanase (about 70-fold) and ${\beta}$-xylosidase (about 40-fold) syntheses. Whereas, the level of the glucose repression of the expression of the xylA gene encoding the major ${\beta}$-xylosidase of B. stearothermophilus was assessed to be about l0-fold when the relative amounts of the xylA transcript were determined. From the sequence of the xylA gene, we could find two CRE-like sequences (CRE-l: nucleotides ＋124 to ＋136 and CRE-2:＋247 to ＋259) within the reading frame of the xylA gene, either or both of which were suspected to be involved in catabolite repression of the xylA gene.