• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.101-101
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• 2003

Main strategy for a treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), due to a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, is a pharmaceutical supplement of dopamine derivatives or ceil replacement therapy. Both of these protocols have pros and cons; former exhibiting a dramatic relief but causing a severe side effects on long-term prescription and latter also having a proven effectiveness but having availability and ethical problems Embryonic stem (ES) cells have several characteristics suitable for this purpose. To investigate a possibility of using ES cells as a carrier of therapeutic gene(s), human ES (hES, MB03) cells were transfected with cDNAs coding for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in pcDNA3.1 (+) and the transfectants were selected using neomycin (250 $\mu /ml$). Expression of TH being confirmed, two of the positive clone (MBTH2 & 8) were second transfected with GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GTPCH 1) in pcDNA3.1 (+)-hyg followed by selection with hygromycin-B (150 $\mu /ml$) and RT-PCR confirmation. By immune-cytochemistry, these genetically modified but undifferentiated dual drug-resistant cells were found to express few of the neuronal markers, such as NF200, $\beta$-tubulin, and MAP2 as well as astroglial marker GFAP. This results suggest that over-production of BH4 by ectopically expressed GTPCH I may be involved in the induction of those markers. Transplantation of the cells into striatum of 6-OHDA- denervated PD animal model relieved symptomatic rotational behaviors of the animals. Immunohistochemical analyses showed the presence of human cells within the striatum of the recipients. These results suggest a possibility of using hES cells as a carrier of therapeutic gene(s).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.742-752
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• 2020

Objective: This study investigated the effects of vitamin A (VA) supplementation during late-stage pregnancy on longissimus dorsi muscle tissue development, birth traits, and growth performance of postnatal Korean native calves. Methods: In the preliminary experiment, twenty-six pregnant cattle (initial body weight [BW] = 319 kg (standard deviation [SD] = 30.1; 1st parity) were randomly assigned to the control and treatment groups. The treatment group received VA supplementation at 24,000 IU/d from gestational day 225 until delivery. In the main experiment, twelve pregnant cattle (initial BW = 317 kg [SD = 31.3]; 1st parity) were treated with VA supplementation at 24,000 IU/d (gestational days 150 to 225) and at 78,000 IU/d (gestational day 225 until delivery). Serum VA levels were analyzed in pregnant cattle, and the growth performance, gene expression, and serum VA levels were analyzed in the offspring. Results: Serum VA levels in pregnant cattle decreased the late gestation in both experiments (p<0.001). In the main experiment, pregnant cattle at parturition and offspring at birth in the treatment group had higher serum VA levels than those in the control group (p<0.05). In the treatment groups, an increased birth weight was observed in the main experimental group (p = 0.022), and a tendency (p = 0.088) toward an increased birth weight was observed in the preliminary experimental group. However, no differences were observed in the feed intake, average daily gain, gain-to-feed ratio, or BW of 31-day-old calves. Gene expression was analyzed in longissimus dorsi muscles of 31-day-old calves. VA supplementation in pregnant cattle stimulated postnatal muscle development in offspring by elevating myogenic factor 5 (MYF5), MYF6, and myoblast determination levels (p<0.05). Moreover, preadipocyte-related marker genes such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 and krüppel-like factor 2 were higher in the treatment group than in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: VA supplementation (78,000 IU/d) in late-stage pregnant cattle maintained serum VA levels. In addition, 78,000 IU/d VA supplementation increased the birth weight and expression of genes related to muscle and preadipocyte development in offspring. Overall, 78,000 IU/d VA supplementation in pregnant cattle is beneficial to newborn calves.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.326-335
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• 2015

Citrus is an economically important fruit tree with the largest amount of fruit production in the world. It provides important nutrition such as vitamin C and other health-promoting compounds including its unique flavonoids for human health. However, it is classified into the most difficult crops to develop new cultivars through conventional breeding approaches due to its long juvenility and some unique reproductive biological features such as gamete sterility, nucellar embryony, and high level of heterozygosity. Due to global warming and changes in consumer trends, establishing a systematic and efficient breeding programs is highly required for sustainable production of high quality fruits and diversification of cultivars. Recently, reference genome sequences of sweet orange and clementine mandarin have been released. Based on the reference whole-genome sequences, comparative genomics, reference-guided resequencing, and genotyping-by-sequencing for various citrus cultivars and crosses could be performed for the advance of functional genomics and development of traits-related molecular markers. In addition, a full understanding of gene function and gene co-expression networks can be provided through combined analysis of various transcriptome data. Analytic information on whole-genome and transcriptome will provide massive data on polymorphic molecular markers such as SNP, INDEL, and SSR, suggesting that it is possible to construct integrated maps and high-density genetic maps as well as physical maps. In the near future, integrated maps will be useful for map-based precise cloning of genes that are specific to citrus with major agronomic traits to facilitate rapid and efficient marker-assisted selection.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.372-378
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• 2017

For comparison of the transcription profiles in apple (Malus domestica L.) cultivars differing in flesh color expression, two cDNA libraries were constructed. Differences in gene expression between red flesh apple cultivar, 'Redfield' and white flesh apple cultivar, 'Granny Smith' were investigated by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Expressed sequence tag (EST) of clones from the red flesh apple cultivar and white flesh apple cultivar were selected for nucleotide sequence determination and homology searches. High resolution melting (HRM) technique measures temperature induced strand separation of short PCR amplicons, and is able to detect variation as small as one base difference between red flesh apple cultivars and white flesh apple cultivars. We applied high resolution melting (HRM) analysis to discover single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) based on the predicted SNP information derived from the apple EST database. All 103 pairs of SNPs were discriminated, and the HRM profiles of amplicons were established. Putative SNPs were screened from the apple EST contigs by HRM analysis displayed specific difference between 10 red flesh apple cultivars and 11 white flesh apple cultivars. In this study, we report an efficient method to develop SNP markers from an EST database with HRM analysis in apple. These SNP markers could be useful for apple marker assisted breeding and provide a good reference for relevant research on molecular mechanisms of color variation in apple cultivars.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2008

The aim of this research is to establish the conditions for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation using microspore. The embryo induction from the microspore was examined under several Kanamycin concentration in media, and the induction rate decreased about 4, 8, 10 times when the Kanamycin concentration increased 10, 50, 100 mg/L, respectively. This indicates that the transformation rate would be much lower if the Kanamycin was used for selection marker. In order to apply the GFP gene as a reporter gene for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation, GFP expression from the microspore-mediated embryos was observed using GFP filter under microscope. The GFP expression occurred when the microspore cultured toward the embryo development for 12, 24 and 48 days. The microspore formed a cluster by microspore division from 12 days culture and continuously became a bigger mass. We obtained a total of 8 GFP-expressing embryos suggesting that the transformation of microspore occurred. However, those young embryos were not fully developed. Further study pertinent to culture conditions is required to fulfill the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation using microspore.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2008

Aromatic rice has become popular owing to its aroma. Growing demand for aromatic rice has spurred interest in the development of domestic cultivars that offer similar combinations of grain attributes such as texture, cooking characteristics, aroma, and taste. In this study, the most important agronomic attributes and aroma of 26 cultivars from Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan, and controls from Japan, Thailand, and India were characterized. Also $F_2$ populations derived from the cross between(Jasmine 85 aromatic$\times$Nipponbare non-aromatic) and(Jasmine 85$\times$Basmati 370 aromatic) were obtained. Tasting individual grains, cooking test, 1.7% KOH sensory test, and molecular marker analysis have been applied to distinguish between aromatic and non-aromatic rice. Diversity for some traits of agronomic importance, such as plant height was detected among countries, e.g. Afghan cultivars classified as tall, and Iranian and Uzbek intermediate and short, respectively. Differentiations of panicle, grain, leaf, basal internode, and culm dimension among rice cultivars, indicating the source of rice diversity in Central Asia. According to the results, 6 of 10, 2 of 7, and 0 of 6 of Afghan, Iranian, and Uzbek rice cultivars were scored as aromatic, respectively. Therefore, Afghan cultivars are a good source of aromatic rice germplasm for Central Asia. The expression between aromatic and non-aromatic, and aromatic and aromatic combinations has been evaluated. The observed segregation ratio of these crosses in the $F_2$ populations was tested by $x^2$ analysis against the expected ratio for a single gene. A segregation ratio of 3:1 between non-aromatic and aromatic combination has been detected, while segregation has not been detected between the aromatic and aromatic combinations. Also, parallel results were obtained from the tested aromatic rice cultivars. Thus, our results suggest that a single recessive gene controls aroma in all aromatic rice cultivars.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2007

The arylsulfatase gene (astA, 984 bp ORF) from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora genome was amplified by PCR and subcloned into the pHCE-IA vector, in which the hyper consitutive expression (HCE) promoter from the D-amino acid aminotransferase (D-AAT) gene of Geobacillus toevii was employed. The transformant cell, Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)/pHCE-AST, on LB agar plate containig 4-methylumbelliferyl sulfate, showed an intense fluorescence at 360 nm, indicating that 4-methylumbelliferone was liberated by desulfatate activity. When BL21 (DE3)/pHCE-AST was grown on LB media containing 0.4% glucose or 0.4% glycerol, the arylsulfatase activity was higher at glycerol rather than at glucose. On 2% glycerol medium, the arylsulfatase activity reached 15.0 unit/ml, which was 2.6-fold higher expression level than that with 1% glycerol. The DNA ladder in agarose prepared from agar by this recombinant enzyme revealed similar resolution and migration patterns with a commercial agarose. This results suggests that arylsulfatase overexpressed in E. coli could be applicable to the economic production of electrophoretic-grade agarose.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.355-360
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• 2009

In this study, the arylsulfatase gene (astA, 984 bp ORF) from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora genome was expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae by fusing with Aga2p linked to the membrane anchored protein, Aga1p. The constructed plasmid, pCTAST (7.1 kb), was introduced to S. cerevisiae EBY100 cell, and yeast transformants on YPDG plate showed the hydrolyzing activity for 4-methylumbelliferyl-sulfate and p-nitrophenyl-sulfate. When S. cerevisiae EBY100/pCTAST was grown on YPDG medium, the arylsulfatase activity of cell pellet reached about 1.2 unit/mL, whereas no extracellular arylsulfatase activity was detected. The DNA ladder in agarose prepared from agar by this recombinant arylsulfatase showed similar resolution and migration patterns with a commercial agarose. This results revealed that arylsulfatase expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae could be applicable to the economic production of electrophoretic-grade agarose.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.331-337
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• 2009

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) has been proposed as a therapeutic target for bronchial asthma as it plays crucial roles in the pathogenesis of the disease. We developed an in vitro test system measuring transcriptional downregulatory activities on IL-13 as a primary screening method to select drug candidates from natural products. The promoter region of IL-13 (-2,048 to +1) was cloned into the upstream of a luciferase gene in the plasmid pGL4.14 containing the hygromycin resistance gene as a selection marker, generating pGL4.14-IL-13. The EL-4 thymoma and RBL-2H3 mast cells transiently expressing this plasmid highly produced the luciferase activities by responding to PI (PMA and ionomycin) stimulation up to 8-fold and 13-fold compared with the control, respectively, whereas cyclosporin A, a well-known antiasthmatic agent, significantly downregulated the activities. The BF1 clone of RBL-2H3 cells constitutively expressing pGL4.14-IL-13 was established by selecting surviving cells under a constant lethal dose of hygromycin treatment. The feasibility of this system was evaluated by measuring the downregulatory activities of 354 natural products on the IL-13 promoter using the BF1 clone. An extract from Morus bombycis (named TBRC 156) significantly inhibited PI-induced luciferase activities and IL-13 mRNA expression, but not the protein expression. Fisetin (named TBRC 353) inhibited not only PI-induced luciferase activities and mRNA expression, but also the IL-13 protein secretion, whereas myricetin (named TBRC 354) could not suppress the IL-13 expression at all. Our data indicated that this in vitro test system is able to discriminate the effects on IL-13 expression, and furthermore, that it might be suitable as a simple and time-saving primary screening system to select antiasthmatic agents by measuring transcriptional activities of the IL-13 promoter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.633-643
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• 2017

To examine the pro-apoptotic role of the human ortholog (YPEL5) of the Drosophila Yippee protein, the cell viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strain with deleted MOH1, the yeast ortholog, was compared with that of the wild-type (WT)-MOH1 strain after exposure to different apoptogenic stimulants, including UV irradiation, methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), camptothecin (CPT), heat shock, and hyperosmotic shock. The $moh1{\Delta}$ mutant exhibited enhanced cell viability compared with the WT-MOH1 strain when treated with lethal UV irradiation, 1.8 mM MMS, $100{\mu}M$ CPT, heat shock at $50^{\circ}C$, or 1.2 M KCl. At the same time, the level of Moh1 protein was commonly up-regulated in the WT-MOH1 strain as was that of Ynk1 protein, which is known as a marker for DNA damage. Although the enhanced UV resistance of the $moh1{\Delta}$ mutant largely disappeared following transformation with the yeast MOH1 gene or one of the human YPEL1-YPEL5 genes, the transformant bearing pYES2-YPEL5 was more sensitive to lethal UV irradiation and its UV sensitivity was similar to that of the WT-MOH1 strain. Under these conditions, the UV irradiation-induced apoptotic events, such as FITC-Annexin V stainability, mitochondrial membrane potential (${\Delta}{\psi}m$) loss, and metacaspase activation, occurred to a much lesser extent in the $moh1{\Delta}$ mutant compared with the WT-MOH1 strain and the mutant strain bearing pYES2-MOH1 or pYES2-YPEL5. These results demonstrate the functional conservation between yeast Moh1 and human YPEL5, and their involvement in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis induced by DNA damage.