• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9327-9333
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• 2014

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway mutations are associated with cancer and phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) gene mutations have been observed in 25-45% of breast cancer samples. Insulin growth factor binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) can show different effects on apoptosis, cell motility and survival in breast cancer. We here aimed to determine the association between PIK3CA gene mutations and IGFBP-5 expressions for the first time in breast cancer patients. Frozen tumor samples from 101 Turkish breast cancer patients were analyzed with high resolution melting (HRM) for PIK3CA mutations (exon 9 and exon 20) and 37 HRM positive tumor samples were analyzed by DNA sequencing, mutations being found in 31. PIK3CA exon 9 mutations (Q546R, E542Q, E545K, E542K and E545D) were found in 10 tumor samples, exon 20 mutations (H1047L, H1047R, T1025T and G1049R) in 21, where only 1 tumor sample had two exon 20 mutations (T1025T and H1047R). Moreover, we detected one sample with both exon 9 (E542Q) and exon 20 (H1047R) mutations. 35% of the tumor samples with high IGFBP-5 mRNA expression and 29.4% of the tumor samples with low IGFBP-5 mRNA expression had PIK3CA mutations (p=0.9924). This is the first study of PIK3CA mutation screening results in Turkish breast cancer population using HRM analysis. This approach appears to be a very effective and reliable screening method for the PIK3CA exon 9 and 20 mutation detection. Further analysis with a greater number of samples is needed to clarify association between PIK3CA gene mutations and IGFBP-5 mRNA expression, and also clinical outcome in breast cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.247-254
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• 2014

To investigate the acquisition of quinolone resistance, we examined mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of type II topoisomerase genes in ciprofloxacin (CIP)-resistant clinical isolates and in vitro mutants of Streptococcus parauberis. The CIP-resistant clinical isolates had one base change responsible for a Ser-79${\rightarrow}$Thr in the QRDR of parC. However, the CIP-resistant in vitro mutants had an altered QRDR of parC (Ser-79${\rightarrow}$Ile) that differed from that of the isolates. None of the CIP-resistant S. parauberis clinical isolates or in vitro mutants exhibited amino acid changes in gyrA or gyrB. However, even though involvement in the increased resistance was not clear, an Arg-449${\rightarrow}$Ser mutation outside of the QRDR of parE was detected in CIP-resistant mutant 2P1. These results suggest that the topoisomerase IV gene, parC (and possibly parE, as well), is the primary ciprofloxacin target in S. parauberis. Additionally we established a high-resolution melting (HRM) assay capable of detecting the dominant mutation in four type II topoisomerase genes conferring ciprofloxacin resistance. These rapid and reliable assays may provide a convenient method of surveillance for genetic mutations conferring antibiotic resistance.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.385-400
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• 2018

Marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) is useful for selecting offspring with a highly recovered genetic background for a recurrent parent at early generation unlike rice and other field crops. Molecular marker sets applicable to practical MABC are scarce in vegetable crops including tomatoes. In this study, we used the National Center for Biotechnology Information- short read archive (NCBI-SRA) database that provided the whole genome sequences of 234 tomato accessions and selected 27,680 tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (tag-SNPs) that can identify haplotypes in the tomato genome. From this SNP dataset, a total of 143 tag-SNPs that have a high polymorphism information content (PIC) value (> 0.3) and are physically evenly distributed on each chromosome were selected as a MABC marker set. This marker set was tested for its polymorphism in each pairwise cross combination constructed with 124 of the 234 tomato accessions, and a relatively high number of SNP markers polymorphic for the cross combination was observed. The reliability of the MABC SNP set was assessed by converting 18 SNPs into Luna probe-based high-resolution melting (HRM) markers and genotyping nine tomato accessions. The results show that the SNP information and HRM marker genotype matched in 98.6% of the experiment data points, indicating that our sequence analysis pipeline for SNP mining worked successfully. The tag-SNP set for the MABC developed in this study can be useful for not only a practical backcrossing program but also for cultivar identification and F1 seed purity test in tomatoes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1539-1546
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• 2016

Specific patterns of the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome are related to mutations in the BRCA1 gene. One hundred unrelated breast cancer patients were interviewed to obtain clinical symptoms and signs, pedigree and familial history of HBOC syndrome related cancer. Subsequently, data were calculated using the Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm (BOADICEA) risk prediction model. Patients with high score of BOADICEA were offered genetic testing. Eleven patients with high score of BOADICEA, 2 patients with low score of BOADICEA, 2 patient's family members and 15 controls underwent BRCA1 genetic testing. Mutation screening using PCR-HRM was carried out in 22 exons (41 amplicons) of BRCA1 gene. Sanger sequencing was subjected in all samples with aberrant graph. This study identified 10 variants in the BRCA1 gene, consisting of 6 missense mutations (c.1480C>A, c.2612C>T, c.2566T>C, c.3113A>G, c.3548 A>G, c.4837 A>G), 3 synonymous mutations (c.2082 C>T, c.2311 T>C and c.4308T>C) and one intronic mutation (c.134+35 G>T). All variants tend to be polymorphisms and unclassified variants. However, no known pathogenic mutations were found.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.524-529
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• 2019

Medicinal plants resources are becoming important assets since their usages have been expanded to the development of functional foods for human health, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. However, their phylogenetic origins and names are different from each country and quite often they are mixed each other resulting in the confusion for consumers. Particularly when they are very similar based on their morphological characteristics and distributed, it is extremely difficult to differentiate their origins even by specialists. Therefore, identification of each plant species is important for standardizing herbal medicine. Thistle is a medicinal and perennial plant. Obtaining information about the genetic diversity of plant populations is highly important for conservation and germplasm utilization. Although thistle is an important medicinal plant species registered in South Korea, no molecular markers are currently available to distinguish from other similar species from different countries. In this study, we developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from chloroplast genomic sequences to identify distinct Korean-specific thistle species via high resolution melting (HRM) curve analyses. We performed molecular authentication of four different kinds of thistle species from different regions using DNA sequences in the trnL-F and matK chloroplast intergenic region. The SNP markers developed in this study are useful for rapidly identifying specific thistle species from different country.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.397-406
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• 2010

Field screening method has been commonly used for purity test of $F_1$ hybrid seeds in melon and oriental melon. However, as this method takes a lot of time and cost, molecular marker-based purity test is necessary. To develop molecular markers for purity test, thirty pairs of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) primers were obtained from melon EST sequences, and 10 polymorphic markers showing HRM (high resolution melting) polymorphisms between parents of two melon cultivars and one oriental melon cultivar were selected. Blind tests were performed to validate usefulness of the selected markers for purity test. Blind test results showed that HRM genotypes were matched with the expected identity of individual sample, $F_1$ hybrid, male or female parents. Three HRM-based SNP markers were converted to CAPS markers for general use which is favor to breeders. We expect that SNP markers developed in this study will be useful for purity test of $F_1$ hybrid seeds in melon and oriental melon.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.28-39
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• 2017

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can affect epigenetic mechanisms and obesity development. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)-widely used to make flames-are one of the important POPs. Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as POPs, may affect global DNA methylation in long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1), increasing the risk of obesity later in life. Therefore, pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to elucidate whether BDE-47 and BDE-209 transferred through placenta and breast milk cause epigenetic changes in LINE-1 and increase genetic susceptibility to obesity as obesogen during the developmental periods. Global DNA methylation in LINE-1 and gene expression related to obesity were measured in dams and offspring, using a methylation-sensitive high resolution melting analysis (MS-HRM) and direct bisulfite sequencing and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), respectively. The results of MS-HRM showed global DNA hypomethylation patterns in LINE-1 of exposed offspring (2 of total 4) at PND 4, but bisulfite sequencing showed no difference in both the exposed and non-exposed groups. Gene expression in dams related to ${\beta}$-oxidation pathway and those related to adipokines showed different patterns between the two groups. On the contrary, gene expressions of offspring showed a similar pattern. Gene expressions related to ${\beta}$-oxidation pathway and obesity were significantly increased when compared with 'at birth', but not $PPAR-{\alpha}$. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the possibility that co-exposure to BDE-47 and BDE-209-via the placenta and breast milk-may affect epigenetic changes and modulate gene expression levels related to obesity.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2015

Medicinal plants resources are becoming important assets since their usages have been expanded to the development of functional foods for human health, more attractive cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, their phylogenetic origins and names are different from each country and quite often they are mixed each other resulting in the confusion for consumers. In particular, when they are very similar based on their morphological characteristics and distributed as dried roots, it is extremely difficult to differentiate their origins even by specialists. Recently, "DNA barcodes" have been extensively applied to identify their origin of medicinal plant species. In this review, we tried to overview the current research achievements for the development of suitable "DNA barcodes" regarding to the differentiation of medicinal plant species. Furthermore, more advanced techniques including amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR, multiplex single base extension (MSBE), high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analyses are also discussed for their practical applications in the authentification of particular medicinal plant species.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.730-736
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• 2015

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes one of the most destructive viral diseases that threatens global tomato production. Sw-5b was reported as the resistance gene effective against TSWV. The objective of this research was to develop a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker to distinguish tomato cultivars resistant to TSWV from susceptible cultivars for marker-assisted breeding. First, we determined genotypes for TSWV resistance in 32 commercial tomato cultivars using the previously reported Sw-5b gene-based marker. Then, DNA sequences of Sw-5b alleles in tomato cultivars showing resistant or susceptible genotypes were analyzed; a single SNP was found to distinguish tomato cultivars resistant to TSWV from susceptible cultivars. Based on the confirmed SNP, a SNP primer pair was designed. Using this new SNP sequence and high-resolution melting analysis, the same 32 tomato cultivars were screened. The results were perfectly correlated with those from screening with the Sw-5b gene-based marker. These results indicate that the SNP maker developed in this study will be useful for better tracking of resistance to TSWV in tomato breeding.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.603-608
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• 2016

Background: The investigation of mutation patterns in oncogenes potentially can make available a reliable mechanism for management and treatment decisions for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This study concerns the rate of KRAS and BRAF genes mutations in Iranian metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, as well as associations of genotypes with clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,000 mCRC specimens collected from 2008 to 2012 that referred to the Mehr Hospital and Partolab center, Tehran, Iran enrolled in this cross sectional study. Using HRM, Dxs Therascreen and Pyrosequencing methods, we analyzed the mutational status of KRAS and BRAF genes in these. Results: KRAS mutations were present in 33.6% cases (n=336). Of KRAS mutation positive cases, 85.1% were in codon 12 and 14.9% were in codon 13. The most frequent mutation at KRAS codon 12 was Gly12Asp; BRAF mutations were not found in any mCRC patients (n=242). In addition, we observed a strong correlation of KRAS mutations with some clinicopathological characteristics. Conclusions: KRAS mutations are frequent in mCRCs while presence of BRAF mutations in these patients is rare. Moreover, associations of KRAS genotypes with non-mucinous adenocarcinoma and depth of invasion (pT3) were remarkable.