• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.228-234
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• 1991

- A synthetic gene coding for human interleukin-2 (IL-2) was constructed from the oligonucleotides synthesized by an automatic DNA synthesizer. The nucleotide sequence of the synthetic gene was chosen considering the preferred codons of E. coEi by not changing the amino acid sequence of IL-2 polypeptide. The synthetic gene was expressed in E. coli by placing the gene under the control of the $\lambda$ PL promoter. IL-2 was produced in the E. coli cytoplasm in the form of inclusion bodies. The recombinant IL-2 showed growth promoting activity on the IL-2 dependent cell line.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.608-617
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• 2020

The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a key virulence determinant in the infection process of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). Pathogen constructs a type III apparatus to translocate effector proteins into host cells, which have various roles in pathogenesis. 4-Hydroxybenozic acid and vanillic acid were identified from root extract of Sedum middendorffianum to have inhibitory effect on promoter activity of hrpA gene encoding the structural protein of the T3SS apparatus. The phenolic acids at 2.5 mM significantly suppressed the expression of hopP1, hrpA, and hrpL in the hrp/hrc gene cluster without growth retardation of Pst DC3000. Auto-agglutination of Pst DC3000 cells, which is induced by T3SS, was impaired by the treatment of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid. Additionally, 2.5 mM of each two phenolic acids attenuated disease symptoms including chlorosis surrounding bacterial specks on tomato leaves. Our results suggest that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid are potential anti-virulence agents suppressing T3SS of Pst DC3000 for the control of bacterial diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2005

In this study, we chronicle the establishment of a novel transformation system for the unicellular marine green alga, Dunaliella salina. We introduced the CaMV35S promoter-GUS construct into D. salina with a PDS1000/He micro-particle bombardment system. Forty eight h after transformation, via histochemical staining, we observed the transient expression of GUS in D. salina cells which had been bombarded under rupture-disc pressures of 450 psi and 900 psi. We observed no GUS activity in either the negative or the blank controls. Our findings indicated that the micro-particle bombardment method constituted a feasible approach to the genetic transformation of D. salina. We also conducted tests of the cells' sensitivity to seven antibiotics and one herbicide, and our results suggested that 20 ${\mu}g$/ ml of Basta could inhibit cell growth completely. The bar gene, which encodes for phosphinothricin acetyltransferase and confers herbicide tolerance, was introduced into the cells via the above established method. The results of PCR and PCR-Southern blot analyses indicated that the gene was successfully integrated into the genome of the transformants.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.301-308
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• 2011

This study tested the relative and combined efficacy of ShPx2 and ShPAL transgenes by comparing Nicotiana tabacum hybrids with enhanced levels of $_L$-phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity and cationic peroxidase (Prx) activity with transgenic parental lines that overexpress either transgene. The PAL/Prx hybrids expressed both transgenes driven by the 35S CaMV promoter, and leaf PAL and Prx enzyme activities were similar to those of the relevant transgenic parent and seven- to tenfold higher than nontransgenic controls. Lignin levels in the PAL/Prx hybrids were higher than the PAL parent and nontransgenic controls, but not significantly higher than the Prx parent. All transgenic plants showed increased resistance to the necrotrophs Phytophthora parasitica pv. nicotianae and Cercospora nicotianae compared to nontransgenic controls, with a preponderance of smaller lesion categories produced in Prx-expressing lines. However, the PAL/Prx hybrids showed no significant increase in resistance to either pathogen relative to the Prx parental line. These data indicate that, in tobacco, the PAL and Prx transgenes do not act additively in disease resistance. Stacking with Prx did not prevent a visible growth inhibition from PAL overexpression. Practical use of ShPAL will likely require more sophisticated developmental control, and we conclude that ShPx2 is a preferred candidate for development as a resistance transgene.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.903-908
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• 2001

The gene aeg-46.5, which is expressed under anaerobic condition, has putative triple -10 regions and four transcription start sites. The mRNA transcription level and its start point change depending on the aerobic/anaerobic growth condition. RNA polymerase and its regulatory proteins must choose which of three -10 region to use. The putative triple 10 region was mutated to make only one of them function with consensus -10 region sequence (TATAAT) and the other two as non-functional region. The results show that the second and third -10 regions are used for the aerobic/anaerobic expression. The third -10 region is responsible for the high aerobic to anaerobic switch ratio. This suggests that only the last two of the putative triple -10 region have functions on aeg-46.5 gene expression switch control. The phenotype of the mutated promoter was tested in the wild type cell and narL - cell. The results indicate that the control by NarL is independent from the selection of -10 region. The expression patterns on multi-copy plasmids and on single-copy chromosome were compared. These results show that the aerobic/anaerobic switch control of aeg-46.5 is through the choice of -10 region. The mechanism of choosing different -10 region remains to be seen.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.976-983
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• 2003

Seven Escherichia coli cells defective with aerobic growth were isolated by the insertion of ${\lambda}placMu53$, a hybrid bacteriophage of ${\lambda}$ and Mu, which created a transcriptional fusion to lacZY. These insertion mutant cells were tested on an XG ($5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-{\beta}-D-galactopyranoside$) medium for anaerobic expression of lacZ by fusion to a promoter. The chromosomal DNA from these strains were digested by EcoRI, and the EcoRI fragments that contained the fused gene and lacZ sequence were identified by Southern hybridization, using lacZ containing plasmid as a probe. The EcoRI fragment from each strain was cloned and sequenced. The sequence data were compared with the GenBank database. The mutated gene of three strains, CYT4, CYT5, and OS11, was found to be identical, and it was nrdAB that encoded ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase. The gene nrdAB was at min 50.5 on the Escherichia coli linkage map and 2,348,084 on the physical map, and is involved in hemAe-related reduction-oxidation reaction. OS6 and OS14 mutant strains had insertion at min 8.3 and the mutated gene was hemB. The hemB encodes 5-aminolevulinate dehydratase or porphobilinogen synthase. The OS3 mutant had insertion in cydB at min 16.6. The cydAB encodes cytochrome d oxidase. In the case of OS1, the fusion was made with sucA, the E1 component of ${\alpha}-ketoglutarate$ dehydrogenase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.194-203
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• 2009

$HpaG_{Xooc}$, from rice pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, is a member of the harpin group of proteins, eliciting hypersensitive cell death in non-host plants, inducing disease and insect resistance in plants, and enhancing plant growth. To express and secret the $HpaG_{Xooc}$ protein in Bacillus subtilis, we constructed a recombinant expression vector pM43HF with stronger promoter P43 and signal peptide element nprB. The SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis demonstrated the expression of the protein $HpaG_{Xooc}$ in B. subtilis. The ELISA analysis determined the optimum condition for $HpaG_{Xooc}$ expression in B. subtilis WBHF. The biological function analysis indicated that the protein $HpaG_{Xooc}$ from B. subtilis WBHF elicits hypersensitive response(HR) and enhances the growth of tobacco. The results of RT-PCR analysis revealed that $HpaG_{Xooc}$ induces expression of the pathogenesis-related genes PR-1a and PR-1b in plant defense response.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.607-615
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• 2003

Many organisms are known to survive in icy environments. These include both over wintering terrestrial insects and plants as well the marine fish inhabiting high latitudes. The adaptation of these organisms is both a fascinating and important topic in biology. Marine teleosts in particular, can encounter ice-laden seawater that is approximately $1^{\circ}C$ colder than the colligative freezing point of their body fluids. These animals produce a unique group of proteins, the antifreeze proteins (AFPs) or antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) that absorb the ice nuclei and prevent ice crystal growth. Presently, there are at least four different AFP types and one AFGP type that are isolated from a wide variety of fish. Despite their functional similarity, there is no apparent common protein homology or ice-binding motifs among these proteins, except that the surface-surface complementarity between the protein and ice are important for binding. The remarkable diversity of these proteins and their odd phylogenetic distribution would suggest that these proteins might have evolved recently in response to sea level glaciations just 1-2 million years ago in the northern hemisphere and 10-30 million years ago around Antarctica. Winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, has been used as a popular model to study the regulation of AFP gene expression. It has a built-in annual cycle of AFP expression controlled negatively by the growth hormone. The signal transduction pathways, transcription factors and promoter elements involved in this process have been studied in our laboratory and these studies will be presented.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.401-404
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• 2010

Tho1 is a RNA-binding protein that assembles co-transcriptionally onto the nascent mRNA and is thought to be involved in mRNP biogenesis and mature mRNA export to cytoplasm in budding yeast. In fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a homologue of THO1 (spTho1) was identified based on sequence alignment. A deletion mutant in a diploid strain was constructed by replacing one of spTho1-coding region with an ura4+ gene using one-step gene disruption method. Tetrad analysis showed that the spTho1 was not essential for growth. The spTho1 mutant did not show any defects of bulk mRNA export. However, over-expression of spTho1 from strong nmt1 promoter caused the growth defects and accumulation of poly(A)$^+$ RNA in the nucleus. These results suggest that spTho1 is involved in mRNA export from the nucleus to cytoplasm though it is not essential.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2009

Estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$ ($ER{\alpha}$) mediates the mitogenic effects of estrogen. $ER{\alpha}$ signaling regulates the normal growth and differentiation of mammary tissue, but uncontrolled $ER{\alpha}$ activation increases the risk to breast cancer. Estrogen binding induces ligand-dependent $ER{\alpha}$ activation, thereby facilitating $ER{\alpha}$ dimerization, promoter binding and coactivator recruitment. $ER{\alpha}$ can also be activated in a ligand-independent manner by many signaling pathways, including protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. However, in several $ER{\alpha}$-positive breast cancer cells, PKA inhibits estrogen-dependent cell growth. FoxH1 represses the transcriptional activities of estrogen receptors and androgen receptors (AR). Interestingly, FoxH1 has been found to inhibit the PKA-induced and ligand-induced activation of AR. In the present study, we examined the effects of PKA activation on the ability of FoxH1 to represses $ER{\alpha}$ transcriptional activity. We found that PKA increases the protein stability of FoxH1, and that FoxH1 inhibits PKA-induced and estradiol-induced activation of an estrogen response element (ERE). Furthermore, in MCF7 cells, FoxH1 knockdown increased the PKA-induced and estradiol-induced activation of the ERE. These results suggest that PKA can negatively regulate $ER{\alpha}$, at least in part, through FoxH1.