• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.265-272
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• 2009

Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) began to be utilized as a vehicle for ex vivo gene therapy based on their plasticity. Effective and safe transfection of therapeutic genes is a critical step for genetic modification of MSCs. Therefore, optimization of in vitro gene delivery into MSCs is essential to provide genetically modified stem cells. In this study, various cationic liposomes, O,O'-dimyristyl-N-lysyl aspartate (DMKD), DMKD/cholesterol, O,O'-dimyristyl-N-lysyl glutamate (DMKE), DMKE/cholesterol, and N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium propane methyl sulfate (DOTAP)/cholesterol, were mixed with plasmid DNA encoding luciferase (pAAV-CMV-Luc) at varied ratios, and then used for transfection to MSCs under varied conditions. The MSCs were also transfected by electroporation under varied conditions, such as voltage, pulse length, and pulse interval. According to the experimental results, electroporation-mediated transfection was more efficient than cationic liposome-mediated transfection. The best MSC transfection was induced by electroporation 3 times pulses for 2 ms at 200 V with 10 seconds of a pulse interval.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2008

The expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is regulated by various spliced first exons (exon 1a-1i), sharing differentially common exon 2 in diverse human tissues. The highly complex structure and regulation of human nNOS gene gave limitations of information for the precise mechanism of nNOS regulation. In the present study, we report that the repeats of polymorphic dinucleotides $(GT)^nA(TG)^n$ repeats located in just upstream to the exon 1f in human nNOS gene play suppressive role in transcription, as shown in the characteristics of Z-DNA motif in other genes. In neuronal and trophoblast cells transfected transiently with luciferase construct without dinucleotide repeats at the 5'-flanking region of exon 1f in nNOS gene, the luciferase activity was increased markedly. However, the presence of the dinucleotide repeats dramatically suppressed the luciferase activity to the basal level, and which was dependent on the length of $(GT)^n$ and $(TG)^n$ repeats. More importantly, we found the polymorphisms in the length of dinucleotide repeats in human. Furthermore, we show for the first time here that there is a significant association of the lengths of polymorphic dinucleotide $(GT)^n$ and $(TG)^n$ repeats with the risk of schizophrenia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1863-1869
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• 2014

The amplification of telomerase component (TERC) gene could play an important role in generation and treatment of haematological malignancies. This present study was aimed to investigate copy number amplification status of TERC gene in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients who were being treated with imatinib mesylate (IM). Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of CML-IM Resistant (n=63), CML-IM Respond (n=63) and healthy individuals (n=30). TERC gene copy number predicted (CNP) and copy number calculated (CNC) were determined based on $Taqman^{(R)}$ Copy Number Assay. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was performed to confirm the normal signal pattern in C4 (calibrator) for TERC gene. Nine of CML patients showed TERC gene amplification (CNP=3), others had 2 CNP. A total of 17 CML patients expressed CNC>2.31 and the rest had 2.31>CNC>1.5. TERC gene CNP value in healthy individuals was 2 and their CNC value showed in range 1.59-2.31. The average CNC TERC gene copy number was 2.07, 1.99 and 1.94 in CML-IM Resistant patients, CML-IM Respond and healthy groups, respectively. No significant difference of TERC gene amplification observed between CML-IM Resistant and CML-IM Respond patients. Low levels of TERC gene amplification might not have a huge impact in haematological disorders especially in terms of resistance towards IM treatment.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.73-74
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• 2004

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.179-185
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• 2007

Background: Adenovirus (Ad) vectors have been widely used for many gene therapy applications because of their high transduction ability and broad tropism. However, their utility for cancer gene therapy is limited by their poor transduction into cancer cells lacking the primary receptor, coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR). Methods: To achieve CAR-independent gene transfer via Ad, we pretreated Ad with 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP) and analyzed their transduction efficiency into cancer cells in vitro and in vivo comparing with the virus alone. Results: Treatment of DOTAP significantly increased adenoviral gene transfer in tumor cells in vitro. Moreover, DOTAP at an optimum dose $(10{\mu}g/ml)$ enhanced IL-12 transgene expression by fivefold in tumor, and twofold in serum after intratumoral injection of adenovirus expressing IL-12N220L (Ad/IL-12N220L). In addition, cotreatment of DOTAP decreased tumor growth rate in the Ad/IL-12N220L-transduced tumor model, finally leading to enhanced survival rate. Conclusion: Our results strongly suggest that DOTAP could be of great utility for improving adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.199-210
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• 2012

It can be hypothesized that dietary fatty acids can modulate immune responses in fish by inducing apoptosis of immune cells since dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) increase apoptosis by oxygen radicals generated by peroxidation. Thus we examined the effects of deferent dietary lipid sources such as squid liver oil (FO), linseed oil (LO) and soybean oil (SO) on oxidation (Cytochrome C oxidase; COS), apoptosis (TNF-${\alpha}$ Scinderin like) and immune (IL-$1{\beta}$ and NKEF) gene expression in the main immune organ (head kidney) in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) by Q-PCR analysis after feeding diets containing each oil (5%) for 15 weeks. Linseed oil and soybean oil were chosen to compare n-3 or n-6 enriched vegetable oils, respectively. Consequently, COS, TNF-${\alpha}$ and Scinderin like gene expression was increased in SO group, indicating the induction of oxidation and apoptosis. Meanwhile, no significant difference was found in immune gene expression. In conclusion vegetable oils containing n-3 PUFA like linseed oil seems to be more suitable lipid source than soybean oil for replacement of fish oil in flounder since n-6 PUFA in SO leads to activation of apoptosis pathways within the cellular damage in head kidney.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.689-693
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Cytochrome P450 (CYP2A6) gene as a candidate gene for the traits related with meat fatty acid composition traits in pigs. Porcine CYP2A6 polymorphisms were detected and PCR-RFLP was performed for genotyping of Korean native pig (n=14), Landrace (n=3), Duroc (n=3), Berkshire (n=3), Yorkshire (n=8) and F2 population composed of 202 individuals from an intercross between Korean Native pig and Yorkshire. PCR primer set amplified a 612 bp fragment of CYP2A6 and digestion of the PCR products was performed with the restriction enzymes SchI. The CYP2A6 SchI polymorphism was only found in the KNP breed. The genotype frequencies of TT, TC and CC genotypes were 0.36, 0.56 and 0.08 in the KNP respectively and the other pig breeds were fixed with CC genotype (Duroc, Landrace, Berkshire and Yorkshire). Statistical association between genotypes and fatty acid composition traits were tested in the Korean native pig and Yorkshire crossed F2 pigs. The CYP2A6 SchI polymorphism was associated with only fatty acid composition C20:3n3 level (cis11,14,17-Eicosatrienoic acid, p=0.0252). The 'T' allele was associated with lower C20:3n3 level. Further study is required to validate the genotypic association and biological consequence of the CYP2A6 gene polymorphism in pigs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2003

Transgenic tobacco plants were selected by using the transformation of putrescine N-methyltransferase(PMT) gene, the key enzyme in diverting polyamine metabolism towards the biosynthesis of nicotine. PMT was fused in reverse orientation to the CaMV 35S promoter of the plant expression vector pBTEX(pPAB3) to produce tobacco plants of low nicotine content. To compare nicotine content, only pBTEX vector and PMT gene which was fused in forward orientation to the CaMV 35S promoter(pPAB2) were also transformed to the leaf tobacco plants(Nicotiana tabacum cv. NC82 and N. tabacum cv. Br2l). The presence of sense- and antisense-PMT gene, and pBTEX vector in the transgenic plant was confirmed by genomic PCR.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.290-297
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• 2018

We aimed to understand the molecular changes in host cells that accompany infection by the seasonal influenza A H1N1 virus because the initial response rapidly changes owing to the fact that the virus has a robust initial propagation phase. Human epithelial alveolar A549 cells were infected and total RNA was extracted at 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 24 h, and 48 h post infection (h.p.i.). The differentially expressed host genes were clustered into two distinct sets of genes as the infection progressed over time. The patterns of expression were significantly different at the early stages of infection. One of the responses showed roles similar to those associated with the enrichment gene sets to known 'gp120 pathway in HIV.' This gene set contains genes known to play roles in preventing the progress of apoptosis, which infected cells undergo as a response to viral infection. The other gene set showed enrichment of 'Drug Metabolism Enzymes (DMEs).' The identification of two distinct gene sets indicates that the virus regulates the cell's mechanisms to create a favorable environment for its stable replication and protection of gene metabolites within 8 h.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.371-376
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• 2016

Grapevine Algerian latent virus (GALV) is a member of the genus Tombusvirus in the Tombusviridae and infects not only woody perennial grapevine plant but also herbaceous Nicotiana benthamiana plant. In this study, we developed GALV-based gene expression and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vectors in N. benthamiana. The GALV coat protein deletion vector, pGMG, was applied to express the reporter gene, green fluorescence protein (GFP), but the expression of GFP was not detected due to the necrotic cell death on the infiltrated leaves. The p19 silencing suppressor of GALV was engineered to inactivate its expression and GFP was successfully expressed with unrelated silencing suppressor, HC-Pro, from soybean mosaic virus. The pGMG vector was used to knock down magnesium chelatase (ChlH) gene in N. benthamaina and the silencing phenotype was clearly observed on systemic leaves. Altogether, the GALV-derived vector is expected to be an attractive tool for useful gene expression and VIGS vectors in grapevine as well as N. benthamiana.