• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.119-125
• /
• 2008

A 3-month-old American Cocker spaniel was presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Chungbuk National University, for examination of urinary tract after dissection of vaginal mass at local clinic before 10 days. Clinical examination of the affected bitch revealed a normal sized vulva in a normal anatomical position with a grossly enlarged clitoris, which contained an os clitoris. On examinations of the genital gland, there were testis, epididymis, ductus deferens and uterus. The histology of both gonads was primarily testis. Seminiferous tubules were divided into many parts by fibrous connective tissue. A small number of spermatogonia was present, but large numbers of Leydig's cells were existed. A normal female karyotype (78, XX) was detected in metaphase spreads obtained from cultured peripheral lymphocytes. Y chromosome specific sequences were not detected in genomic DNA by PCR. After 27 months, the os clitoris was larger than 3-month-old dog and os bone was more calcified than young age. Combining the results of cytogenetic, molecular genetic and histological examinations, the dog was diagnosed as a female hermaphrodite with Sry-negative XX sex reversal.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.126-130
• /
• 1998

A noninsecticidal strain, Bacillus thuringiensis NTB-88, isolated from Korean soil, had a typical bipyramidal parasporal inclusion and its serotype is identical to B. thuringiensis subspmorrisoni (H8a8b). To elucidate differences between insecticidal and noninsecticidal strains, we compared strain NTB-88 to other toxic B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni strains (HD-12 and PG-14). Restriction endonucleases digested plasmid DNA patterns showed that strain NTB-88 was different from lepidopteran-toxic strain, HD-12, but it was similar to dipteran-toxic strain, PG-14. The gene type of strain NTB-88 was different from those of other insecticidal strains, Furthermore, the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of crystal protein of strain NTB-88 had no relation to those of the previously known $\delta$-endotoxins in other toxic strains as well as HD-12 and PG-14 strains. Therefore, the noninsecticidal crystal protein in strain NTB-88 is novel and its property is different from insecticidal ones.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 2009

The full-length cDNA encoding Perilla frutescens limonene synthase (PFLS) (603 amino acids, GenBank accession no. D49368) was cloned. To elucidate the role of PFLS in gene regulation, we transiently transformed full-length PFLS into tobacco plants. PFLS mRNA was first detected in the intact leaves of the plants at 6 h, and the LS transcript level increased after 12 h in leaves treated with oxidative stress-related chemicals. The transient overexpression of PFLS resulted in increased transcription of NbPR1 and NbSIP in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Thus, our result confirmed that the infiltration of PFLS gene act as a transcriptional regulator of NbPR1 or NbSIP genes in the tobacco.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.229-233
• /
• 2010

Amyloid precursor protein binding protein-1 (APP-BP1) binds to the carboxyl terminus of amyloid precursor protein and serves as a bipartite activation enzyme for the ubiquitin-like protein, NEDD8. Previously, it has been reported that APP-BP1 rescues the cell cycle S-M checkpoint defect in Ts41 hamster cells, that this rescue is dependent on the interaction of APP-BP1 with hUba3. The exogenous expression of APP-BP1 in neurons has been reported to cause DNA synthesis and apoptosis via a signaling pathway that is dependent on APP-BP1 binding to APP. These results suggest that APP-BP1 overexpression contributes to neurodegeneration. In the present study, we explored whether APP-BP1 expression was altered in the brains of Tg2576 mice, which is an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. APP-BP1 was found to be up-regulated in the hippocampus and cortex of 12 month-old Tg2576 mice compared to age-matched wild-type mice. In addition, APP-BP1 knockdown by siRNA treatment reduced cullin-1 neddylation in fetal neural stem cells, suggesting that APP-BP1 plays a role in cell cycle progression in the cells. Collectively, these results suggest that increased expression of APP-BP1, which has a role in cell cycle progression in neuronal cells, contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.17-29
• /
• 2008

Phylogenetic relationships were examined for 17 taxa of Lycoris by RAPD analysis. The length of the amplified DNA fragments ranged from 300 bp to 1,700 bp. 57 scorable RAPD markers were observed from PCR reactions with five random oligoprimers. The analysis by UPGMA sepatated the examined taxa of Lycoris into were clusters. First group was comprised of ten taxa of L. chinensis var. sinuolata, L. sanguinea var. koreana, L. uydoensis, L. flavescens, L. radiata var. pumila, L. radiata, L. squamigera, L. chejuensis, L. aurea and L. guangxiensis, second group of L. haywardii, L. sprengeri, L. rosea, L. straminea and L. houdyshii, third group of outgroup of Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis and Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum. From the viewpoint of cytological characters such as polyploidy and karyotype, the RAPD analysis was very useful to show the relationship among the intraspecific taxa of Lycoris.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.133-141
• /
• 2005

Most of the endogenous retroviral genes integrated into the primate genome after the split of New World monkeys in the Oligocene era, approximately 33 million years ago. Because they can change the structure of adjacent genes and move between and within chromosomes they may play important roles in evolutionas well as in many kinds of disease and the creation of genetic polymorphism. Comparative analysis of HERVs (human endogenous retroviruses) and their LTR (long terminal repeat) elements in the primate genomes will help us to understand the possible impact of HERV elements in the evolution and phylogeny of primates. For example, HERV-K LTR and SINE-R elements have been identified that have been subject to recent change in the course of primate evolution. They are specific elements to the human genome and could be related to biological function. The HERV-M element is related to the superfamily of HERV-K and is integrated into the periphilin gene as the truncated form, 5'LTR-gag-pol-3'LTR. PCR and RT-PCR approaches indicated that the insertion of various retrotransposable elements in a common ancestor genome may make different transcript variants in different primate species. Examination of the HERV-W elementrevealed that env fragments were detected on human chromosomes 1, 3-7, 12, 14, 17, 20, and X, whilst the pol fragments were detected on human chromosomes 2-8, 10-15, 20, 21, X, and Y. Bioinformatic blast search showed that almost full-length of the HERV-W family was identified on human chromosomes 1-8, 11-15, 17, 18, 21, and X. Expression analysis of HERV-W genes (gag, pol, and env) in human tissues by RT-PCR indicated that gag and pol were expressed in specific tissues, whilst env was constituitively expressed in all tissues examined. DNA sequence based phylogenetic analysis indicated that the gag, pol and env genes have evolved independently during primate evolution. It will thus be of considerable interest to expand the current HERV gene information of various primates and disease tissues.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.59-63
• /
• 2011

Obesity provokes many serious human diseases, including various cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Body mass index (BMI) is a highly heritable trait that is broadly used to diagnose obesity. To identify genetic loci associated with obesity in Asians, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a population of Korean adults (n=6,742, age 40~60 years) and detected six BMI risk loci (TNR, FAM124B, RGS12, NFE2L3, MC4R and FTO) having p< $1{\times}10^{-5}$. However, in the replication study, only melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R) (rs9946888, p=$4.58{\times}10^{-7}$) was replicated with marginal significance (p<0.05) in the second cohort (n=5,102, age 40~60 years). This study indicates that each locus associated with BMI has very weak genetic effect.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.191-196
• /
• 2002

The water extract from the root bark of Cortex Mori (CM, Morus alba L.: Sangbaikpi), a mulberry tree, has been known in Chinese traditional medicine to have antiphlogistic, diuretic, and expectorant properties. In this study, the cytotoxicity of CM against tumor cells and its mechanism was examined . CM exhibited cytotoxic activity on K-562, B38O human leukemia cells and B16 mouse melanoma cells at concentrations of > 1 mg/ml. A DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, and nuclear condensation assay showed that those cells exposed to CM underwent apoptosis. The water extract of Scutellarie Radix (SR) was used as a negative control and showed no cytotoxicity in those cells. The flow cytometric profiles of the CM-treated cells were also indicative of apoptosis. However, they did not appear to exert the G1 arrest, which is observed in other tubulin inhibitor agents such as vincristine, taxol. The protein-binding test using Biacore and a microtubule assembly-disassembly assay provided evidence showing that CM bound to the tubulins resulting in 3 markets inhibition of the assembly, but not the disassembly of microtubules. The possible nonspecific effect of the CM extract could be excluded due to the results using SR, which did not affect the assembly process. Overall, the water extract of CM induces apoptosis of tumor cells by inhibiting microtubule assembly.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.38 no.12
• /
• pp.1054-1063
• /
• 2015

Mitochondria play a crucial role in eukaryotic cells; the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which serves as an energy source for numerous critical cellular activities. However, the ETC also generates deleterious reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a natural byproduct of oxidative phosphorylation. ROS are considered the major cause of aging because they damage proteins, lipids, and DNA by oxidation. We analyzed the chronological life span, growth phenotype, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and intracellular ATP and mitochondrial superoxide levels of 33 single ETC component-deleted strains during the chronological aging process. Among the ETC mutant strains, 14 ($sdh1{\Delta}$, $sdh2{\Delta}$, $sdh4{\Delta}$, $cor1{\Delta}$, $cyt1{\Delta}$, $qcr7{\Delta}$, $qcr8{\Delta}$, $rip1{\Delta}$, $cox6{\Delta}$, $cox7{\Delta}$, $cox9{\Delta}$, $atp4{\Delta}$, $atp7{\Delta}$, and $atp17{\Delta}$) showed a significantly shorter life span. The deleted genes encode important elements of the ETC components succinate dehydrogenase (complex II) and cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV), and some of the deletions lead to structural instability of the membrane-$F_1F_0$-ATP synthase due to mutations in the stator stalk (complex V). These short-lived strains generated higher superoxide levels and produced lower ATP levels without alteration of MMP. In summary, ETC mutations decreased the life span of yeast due to impaired mitochondrial efficiency.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.10
• /
• pp.1412-1422
• /
• 2012

The aim of this work was to establish the optimal conditions for production of carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) by a newly isolated marine bacterium using response surface methodology (RSM). A microorganism producing CMCase, isolated from seawater, was identified as Cellulophaga lytica based 16S rDNA sequencing and the neighborjoining method. The optimal conditions of rice bran, ammonium chloride, and initial pH of the medium for cell growth were 100.0 g/l, 5.00 g/l, and 7.0, respectively, whereas those for production of CMCase were 79.9 g/l, 8.52 g/l, and 6.1. The optimal concentrations of $K_2HPO_4$, NaCl, $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, and $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ for cell growth were 6.25, 0.62, 0.28, and 0.42 g/l, respectively, whereas those for production of CMCase were 3.72, 0.54, 0.70, and 0.34 g/l. The optimal temperature for cell growth and the CMCase production by C. lytica LBH-14 were $35^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximal production of CMCase under optimized condition for 3 days was 110.8 U/ml, which was 5.3 times higher than that before optimization. In this study, rice bran and ammonium chloride were developed as carbon and nitrogen sources for the production of CMCase by C. lytica LBH-14. The time for production of CMCase by a newly isolated marine bacterium with submerged fermentations reduced to 3 days, which resulted in enhanced productivity of CMCase and a decrease in its production cost.