• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9.1-9.5
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• 2019

In previous studies, we demonstrated that some sites in the first intron likely regulate gene expression. In the present work, we sought to further confirm the functional relevance of first intron sites by estimating the quantity of rare alleles in the first intron. A basic hypothesis posited herein is that genomic regions carrying more functionally important sites will have a higher proportion of rare alleles. We estimated the proportions of rare single nucleotide polymorphisms with a minor allele frequency < 0.01 located in several histone marks in the first introns of various genes, and compared them with those in other introns and those in 2-kb upstream regions. As expected, rare alleles were found to be significantly enriched in most of the regulatory sites located in the first introns. Meanwhile, transcription factor binding sites were significantly more enriched in the 2-kb upstream regions (i.e., the regions of putative promoters of genes) than in the first introns. These results strongly support our proposal that the first intron sites of genes may have important regulatory functions in gene expression independent of promoters.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2007

After a serial study on the therapeutic efficacy of the powdery silkworm for diabetics was positively resulted in, many powdery silkworm products were on the market in Korea. Up to now, however, no causal method is available to discriminate the strain of silkworms that is a major ingredient for manufacturing powdery silkworm, even though the quality of the powdery silkworm differs greatly by source and origin of strains. We previously were successful in identifying 25 silkworm strains kept in Korea using nine intronic sequences. In this study, we tested the utility of the nine intronic sequences to distinguish the most widely reared silkworm strains originated from Korea and China. Two intron regions, PTTH Intron3 and PTTH Intron3, showed a substantial sequence divergence (mean sequence divergence of 3.13% in PTTH Intron3 and 4.99% in PTTH Intron3). These two intronic sequences provided no identical sequences among the seven strains tested. Thus, these sequences each along can be used to discriminate the seven strains tested in this study. Furthermore, other intron regions, except for VDP Intron4 allowed us to discriminate $2{\sim}4$ strains by strain-specific unique insertion/deletion or substitution.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.526-534
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• 2010

Genomes of clusters of related eukaryotes are now being sequenced at an increasing rate. In this paper, we developed an accurate, low-cost method for annotation of gene prediction and exon-intron structure. The gene prediction was adapted for delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate-synthetase (p5cs) gene from China wild-type of the halophytic Leymus chinensis (Trin.), naturally adapted to highly-alkali soils. Due to complex adaptive mechanisms in halophytes, more attentions are being paid on the regulatory elements of stress adaptation in halophytes. P5CS encodes delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate-synthetase, a key regulatory enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of proline, that has direct correlation with proline accumulation in vivo and positive relationship with stress tolerance. Using analysis of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and PCR, and direct sequencing, 1076 base pairs (bp) of cDNA in length and 2396 bp of genomic DNA in length were obtained from direct sequencing results. Through gene prediction and exon-intron structure verification, the full-length of cDNA sequence was divided into eight parts, with seven parts of intron insertion. The average lengths of determinated coding regions and non-coding regions were 154.17 bp and 188.57 bp, respectively. Nearly all splice sites displayed GT as the donor sites at the 5' end of intron region, and 71.43% displayed AG as the acceptor sites at the 3' end of intron region. We conclude that this method is a cost-effective way for obtaining an experimentally verified genome annotation.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 1992

To understand the properties of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter and the effect of the deleted maize alcohol dehydrogenase I-S (Adhl-S) intron 1 on the expression of the CaMV $35S{\beta}-glucuronidase$ (GUS) gene in potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Superior), we constructed a chimeric gene and transferred it into potato with Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated method. The pLS201, a gene transfer vector of 17.7 kilobase pairs, was composed of the CaMV 35S promoter, the 249 base pairs of deleted maize Adhl-S intron 1, the GUS reporter gene, and the kanamycin resistance gene as a selectable marker for transformation. The GUS activity was examined by histochemical and spectrophotometric assay in transformed potato plants. The GUS activity was found primarily around the vascular tissue cells in stem and root. In the spectorophotometric assay, the level of GUS activity of transgenic potato transformed with CaMV 35S/249 bp of intron 1 fragment-GUS (pLS201) was compared with that of potato transformed with CaMV 35S-GUS (pBI121). The quantitative spectrophotometric assay showed that the level of GUS activity in potato transformed with pLS201 was higher in leaf, stem and root by 30-, 34- and 42-fold, respectively than those in potato transformed with pBI121. This results indicate that the inclusion of the deleted maize Adhl-S intron 1 resulted in increament of the GUS gene expression in transgenic potato.potato.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.160-164
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• 1995

The splicing activity of T4 phage td intron RNA has been examined with various Mg$^{2+}$ ions such as MGCl$_{2}$, MgS $O_{4}$ and magnesium acetate using various splicing conditions such as different incubation time and temperature. The maximum splicing of td intron RNA occurred at the concentration of 5 mM MgCl$_{2}$. Raising the Mg$^{2+}$ concentration up to 15 mM appeared to promote P2 delection mutant to overcome the loss of some splicing activity. In both wild type and mutant, a complete hydrolysis of RNA occurred at 30 mM MgCI$_{2}$ MgS $O_{4}$ and magnesium acetate exhibited the rate and pattern of RNA splicing identical to MGCI$_{2}$. The optimal splicing conditions involve the incubation of RNA with 5 mM MgCI$_{2}$ at 58 .deg.C for 15 min. The results suggest that Mg$^{2+}$ may play a key role in the catalytic mechanism of td intron RNA.n RNA.

• ALGAE
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2003

Except for a group I intron in trnL-uaa occuring in eubacteria and plastids, group I introns are rarely documented in plastid genomes. Here, we report that a green alga, Caulerpa sertularioides, contains three group IA3 introns in the 16S gene (cpSSU), CS-cpSSU.i1, CS-cpSSU.i2 and CS-cpSSU.i3. Each intron has an open reading frame with LAGLIDADG motifs. CS-cpSSU.i1orf and CS-cpSSU.i3orf occur at Loop 6 in the intron secondary structure and CScpSSU. i2orf at Loop 8. CS-cpSSU.i1orf and CS-cpSSU.i2orf contain both LAGLI-DADG motifs but CS-cpSSU.i3orf has only one. CS-cpSSU.i1 and CS-cpSSU.i2 share the insetion sites and the ORFs at Loop 6 and 8 with CpSSU·1 and CpSSU·2 introns of Chlamydomonas pallidostigmatica (Chlorophyceae). In contrast, CS-cpSSU.i3, containing 28 copies of GAAATAT at Loop 6, is a novel intron found only in Caulerpa sertularioides. Possible scenarios of the evolution of the three introns and their possible use in systematic research are discussed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1093-1100
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• 2013

Background: p53 gene variants i.e. 16 bp duplication in intron 3, Arg72Pro in exon 4 and G>A in intron 6 have been reported to modulate susceptibility to various malignancies. Therefore, the present study evaluated the role of these p53 polymorphisms in oral cancer susceptibility in a population from Gujarat, West India. Method: Genotype frequencies at the three p53 loci in 110 controls and 79 oral cancer cases were determined by the PCR-RFLP method. Results: Heterozygous individuals at exon 4 showed protection from developing oral cancer. Homozygous wild and heterozygous individuals at intron 3 and those heterozygous at exon 4 in combination appeared to be at lowered risk. Furthermore, carriers of the 16 bp duplication allele at intron 3, proline allele at exon 4 and G allele at intron 6 were protected from oral cancer development. Conclusion: p53 polymorphisms, especially Arg72Pro in exon 4 could significantly modify the risk of oral cancer development in Gujarat, West Indian population.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 1999

Effects of subsh-ate RNA configuration on the tians-splicing reactcon by group I intron ribozyme of Tetralzynzena thern\ulcornerophila were analyzed with substrate RNAs which have been generated to have very stable structures with stem-loop. RNAinapping strategy was perfo~med in vivo as well as in virro to search the mosl accessible siles to the ~irms-splicing ribozymes in the substrate RNAs. Sequences present in the loop of the target RNAs have shown to be well recognized by and reacted with group I inlron ribozymes while sequences present in the stein do not. Thesc results were confirmed with the experiments of trans-cleavage and rmnssplicing reactmn with ihe specific ribozyines recognizing those sequences. Moreover, sequence analysis of the trans-splicing products have shown that irons-splicing reaction can proceed with high fidelity. In conclusion, the secondary structure of substrate RNAs is one of the most important factors to detemine the ribozyme activity.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.87-91
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• 1997

Effects of divalent cations such as $Mg^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Zn^2$ on splicing activity of phage T4 thymidylate synthase intron RNA have been investigated. At the concentration of 0.5 mM, $Mn^{2+}$ in the absence of $Mg^{2+}$, a very small amount of pre-RNA was cleaved into ligation products (El-E2) but no circular or linear intron was produced. As the concentration of $Mn^{2+}$ was increased from 1 to 5 mM the pre-RNA was completely hydrolyzed. In the presence of 5 mM $Mg^{2+}$, both the linear intron and circular intron were produced but no El-E2 ligation product was produced. At both 3 and 5 mM $Mn^{2+}$ the RNA was hydrolyzed completely as observed with no $Mg^2+$ being present. In the case of $Zn^{2+}$, even at 0.5 mM concentration, the pre-RNA was completely hydrolyzed. This observation suggested that $Zn^{2+}$ facilitates RNA hydrolysis more rapidly than $Mn^{2+}$ does. at 5mM $Ca^{2+}$, the RNA was not hydrolyzed and remained intact as a primary transcript.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.208-213
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• 1993

The structural and functional roles of IGS element of T4 td intron in thymidylate synthase activity in vivo were investigated Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to crete mutations of IGS element of T4 td intron, When a U-G pari was changed to a U-C pari in the 5' splice site of P1 stem of td intron, the activity of thymidylate synthase was completely abolished whereas the wild type retained the normal activity of enzyme. When U at 12 position within IGS element was changed to C, the activity of thymidylate synthase was approximately 32% of that of the wild type. Comparison of enzyme activities suggests that IGS element within P1 structure is an essential requirement for splicing of td gene in vivo.