• BMB Reports
• /
• 제43권3호
• /
• pp.164-169
• /
• 2010

CpG-DNA, which contains unmethylated CpG dinucleotides in the context of specific sequences, has remarkable and diverse immunological effects, including induction of proinflammatory cytokine expression and regulation of the Th1/Th2 immune response. Here, we examined the immunostimulatory activities of double-stranded (ds) CpG-DNA in the human B cell line RPMI8226. To investigate whether dsCpG-DNA stimulates immune cells, we constructed a plasmid containing repeated dsCpG-DNA and produced dsCpG-DNA by PCR amplification and EcoR I digestion. PCR-amplified dsCpG-DNA alone did not have immmunostimulatory activity. However, dsCpGDNA encapsulated with lipofectin induced IL-8 promoter activation, HLA-DRA expression, and IL-8 expression in a CG sequence-independent manner. The effects of encapsulated dsCpGDNA were independent of minor endotoxin contamination. These findings suggest the potential use of dsCpG-DNA as a therapy for immune response regulation.

• 식물분류학회지
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 2010

우리나라의 울릉도와 독도에 분포하는 한국특산종인 섬기린초는 해안암석지대를 터전으로 넓게 분포하여 울릉도 생태계의 중요한 부분을 차지하고 있다. 본 연구는 섬기린초에 대한 엽록체 DNA의 trnL/F intergenic spacer 염기서열을 총 32개체에 대하여 조사하였다. 그 결과, 정렬된 염기서열 중 하나의 6-bp indel (-ATTCAC-)에 의하여 두 개의 type (TYPE01: 297bp과 TYPE02: 291bp)을 확인하였다. 확인된 두 개의 엽록체 DNA type은 울릉도와 독도에서 뚜렷한 지리적 분포양상을 보여주었다. TYPE01은 울릉도(15개체)에서만 관찰되었고 TYPE02는 울릉도(12개체)와 독도(5개체)에서 확인되었다. 섬기린초는 하나의 6-bp indel에 의하여 서로 다른 두 개의 엽록체 DNA haplotype이 확인되고 뚜렷한 지리적 분포양상을 보여주기 때문에, 울릉도와 독도에 자생하는 개체군 내에 진화적으로 서로 다른 두 개의 계통이 있음을 추정할 수 있고 울릉도와 독도 간 원거리 분산 기작의 가능성을 지지하였다.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제11권4호
• /
• pp.379-384
• /
• 2001

Long terminal repeats(LTRs) of the human endogenous retrovirus(HERV) heve been found to be coexpresed with genes located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to the genetic variation of human genome connected to various diseases. Recently, HERV-W family was identified in the cerebrospinal fluids and brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Using cHNA library derived from human fetal brain, we performed PCR amplification and identified seven new HERV-W LTR elements. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity(98∼99%) with HERV-W (AF072500). A phylogentic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that seven new HERV-W LTR elements(FB-1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12) were closely related to the AX000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from Gen Bank database. Our data suggest that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements are expressed in human feta brain and may contribute to an understanding of biological function connected to neuropsychiatric diseases.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제51권6호
• /
• pp.296-301
• /
• 2018

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are often observed in various cancer types. Although the correlation between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer malignancy has been demonstrated by several studies, further research is required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying accelerated tumor development and progression due to mitochondrial mutations. We generated an mtDNA-depleted cell line, ${\rho}^0$, via long-term ethidium bromide treatment to define the molecular mechanisms of tumor malignancy induced by mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction in ${\rho}^0$ cells reduced drug-induced cell death and decreased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins including p53. The p53 expression was reduced by activation of nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ that depended on elevated levels of free calcium in $HCT116/{\rho}^0$ cells. Overall, these data provide a novel mechanism for tumor development and drug resistance due to mitochondrial dysfunction.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.243-246
• /
• 2001

Human endoqenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes closely located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to structural changes or genetic variations of human genome connected to various diseases and evolution. Using cDNA library derived from placenta tissue, we performed PCR amplification and identified five new HERV-W LTR elements. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity (98-99%) with HERV-W LTR (AF072500). A phylogenetic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that HERV-W LTR elements could be mainly divided into two groups through evolutionary divergence. Five new HERV-W LTR elements (pla-1, 4, 5, 6, 7) belonged to the group I with AX000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from GenBank database. The data suggest that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements are transcribed in placenta and may contribute to the understanding of biological function such as human placental morphogenesis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제27권6호
• /
• pp.562-569
• /
• 2019

Niacinamide (NIA) is a water-soluble vitamin that is widely used in the treatment of skin diseases. Moreover, NIA displays antioxidant effects and helps repair damaged DNA. Recent studies showed that particulate matter 2.5 ($PM_{2.5}$) induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing disruption of DNA, lipids, and protein, mitochondrial depolarization, and apoptosis of skin keratinocytes. Here, we investigated the protective effects of NIA on $PM_{2.5}$-induced oxidative stress in human HaCaT keratinocytes. We found that NIA could inhibit the ROS generation induced by $PM_{2.5}$, as well block the $PM_{2.5}$-induced oxidation of molecules, such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Furthermore, NIA alleviated $PM_{2.5}$-induced accumulation of cellular $Ca^{2+}$, which caused cell membrane depolarization and apoptosis, and reduced the number of apoptotic cells. Collectively, the findings show that NIA can protect keratinocytes from $PM_{2.5}$-induced oxidative stress and cell damage.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.19-23
• /
• 2014

Here, we studied the genetic diversity of native fowls in Laos by analyzing a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence polymorphism. A 546-bp fragment of the mtDNA D-loop region was sequenced in 129 chickens from the areas of Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse. In total, 29 haplotypes were identified and formed five clades. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of the native fowls in Laos were $0.85536{\pm}0.0172$ and $0.010158{\pm}0.005555$, respectively. Although the Laotian native fowls were distributed across five clades, most of them were clustered in two main clades (A and B), which were originated in China. The other haplotypes were contained in clades D, F, and I, which originated from continental southeast Asia. These results suggest that multiple maternal lineages were involved in the origin of domestic chicken in Laos. Moreover, there appear to be at least two maternal lineages, one from China and the other from the southeast Asian continent.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.145-148
• /
• 2004

As an initial step to define the molecular mechanism of diapause during embryogenesis of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, mRNA transcripts from diapausing eggs and diapause-activated eggs were compared by differential expression using cDNA microarray. Twenty-four individual cDNA clones were identified. Amomg them, ten genes including alcohol dehydrogenase, dead box-l, cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 18 wheeler showed increased expression in the diapause-activated eggs. The rest of fourteen genes showed increased expression in diapausing eggs.

• 미생물학회지
• /
• 제30권3호
• /
• pp.149-153
• /
• 1992

Cloning of the gene encoding extracellular .betha.-lactamase from Streptomyces sp. SMF13 in a plasmid pIJ702 and expression of the gene in Streptomyces invidans were carried out. Optimal conditions for the formation of protoplasts of S.lividans and the regeneration of the protoplasts were evaluated. Streptomyces sp. SMF-13 was selected as a donor strain of .betha.-lactamase gene and totla DNA of the strain was partially digested with Sau3A I. DNA fragments ranged from 4kb to 10 kb were ligated to pIJ702 AT Bgl II site and then the ligated DNAs were transformed to the protoplasts of S, livivans. The transformation efficiency was $2 *10^{3}$ .$\mu$g DNA for the ligated DNA mixture. One colony among a thousand colonies regenerated showed extracellular .betha.-lactamase and the size of the inserted DNA fragment was estimated to be 3.94 kb. The .betha.-lactamase activity in the culture broth of the recombinant strain was maximum at 3 days culture to be 1.0 unit/ml.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• 제38권1호
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2000

A new method was developed for the rapid analysis of diverse bacterial species in the natural environment. Our method is based on PCR-single-strands-conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and selective isolation technique of single-stranded DNA. Variable V3 fragments of 16S rDNA were amplified by PCR with bacterial 16S rDNA primers, where one of the primers was biotinylated at the 5'-end. The biotinylated strands of the PCR products were selectively isolated by using streptavidin paramagnetic particles and a magnetic stand, to prevent SSCP analysis producing heteroduplexes from heterogeneous DNA samples. The selected strands were separated by electrophoresis on a polyacrylamide gel, and detected by silver staining. Analysis of PCR products from 8 bacterial strains demonstrated their characteristic DNA band patterns. In addition, changes in the structure of the bacterial community and species diversity in the microcosm treated with phenol could be monitored. After 3 weeks of incubation, phenol and its intermediate, 2-hydroxy-muconic-semialdehyde, were degraded by indigenous bacteria. These dominating bacterial populations were identified as strong bands on an SSCP gel. Therefore, this study provides useful tools for microbial community analysis of natural habitats.