• 생물정신의학
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.111-115
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• 2001

An association study with Korean alcoholic patients(n=50) and normal controls(n=53) was performed to find the relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) gene polymorphism and alcoholism using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. When we compared the allele and genotype frequencies of Nla III COMT gene polymorphism in alcoholism and normal controls, there was no significant difference between two groups. Our results do not support an association between the Nla III polymorphism of COMT gene and alcoholism.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.62-67
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• 2014

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether there was a correlation between catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphism, which is believed to play a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods: Fifty-three women with regular menstrual cycles, aged between 18 and 46 years and diagnosed with PMS according to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology criteria were included in this study as the study group, and 53 healthy women having no health problems were selected as the controls. Venous blood was collected from all patients included in the study and kept at $-18^{\circ}C$ prior to analysis. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic features such as age, body mass index, number of pregnancies, parity, and number of children. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of COMT gene polymorphism (p=0.61) between women in the PMS and the control groups. However, a significant difference was found between arthralgia, which is an indicator of PMS, and low-enzyme activity COMT gene (Met/Met) polymorphism (p=0.04). Conclusion: These results suggested that there was no significant relationship between PMS and COMT gene polymorphism. Since we could not find a direct correlation between the COMT gene polymorphism and PMS, further studies including alternative neurotransmitter pathways are needed to find an effective treatment for this disease.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.210-214
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• 1998

An association study with Korean schizophrenic patients(N=84) and normal controls(N=87) was performed to find the relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) gene polymorphism and schizophrenia using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. When we compared the allele and genotype frequencies of Bgl I COMT gene polymorphism in schizophrenics and normal controls, there was no significant difference between two groups. Our results do not support an association between the Bgl I polymorphism of COMT gene and schizophrenia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제19권5호
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• pp.491-494
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• 2009

Within the secondary metabolite class of flavonoids, which consist of more than 10,000 known structures, flavones define one of the largest subgroups. The diverse function of flavones in plants as well as their various roles in the interaction with other organisms offers many potential applications including in human nutrition and pharmacology. We used two genes, flavone synthase (PFNS-l) that converts naringenin into apigenin and flavone 7-O-methyltransferase (POMT-7) that converts apigenin into 7-O-methyl apigenin, to synthesize 7-O-methyl apigenenin from naringenin. The PFNS-l gene was subcloned into the E. coli expression vector pGEX and POMT-7 was subcloned into the pRSF vector. Since both constructs contain different replication origins and selection markers, they were cotransformed into E. coli. Using E. coli transformants harboring both PFNS-l and POMT-7, naringenin could be converted into 7-O-methyl apigenin, genkwanin.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.385-388
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• 2009

Objective : We analyzed the methylation status of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter in World Health Organization (WHO) grade III gliomas in association with other molecular markers to evaluate their prevalence. Methods : The samples of a total of 36 newly WHO grade III glioma patients including 19 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas (AO), 7 anaplastic oligoastrocytomas (AOA), and 10 anaplastic astrocytomas (AA) were analyzed. The methylation status of the MGMT gene promoter was confirmed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The 1p/19q chromosomal deletion status and EGFR amplification were assessed by Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization. MGMT, EGFR, EGFRvlll, and p53 expression were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Results : The MGMT gene promoter was methylated in 32 (88.9%) and unmethylated in 4 (11.2%) Among them, all of the AO and AOA had methylated MGMT gene promoter without exception. Significant associations between MGMT gene promoter hypermethylation and 1p/19q deletion was observed (p=0.003). Other molecular markers failed to show significant associations between MGMT gene promoter statuses. Conclusion : There was extensive epigenetic silencing of MGMT gene in high grade gliomas with oligodendroglial component. Together with frequent 1p/19q co-deletion in oligodendroglial tumors, this may add plausible explanations supporting the relative favorable prognosis in oligodendroglial tumors compared with pure astrocytic tumors.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.131-134
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• 2001

In $\lambda$-Zap II vector system, a cDNA library was constructed for the developing secondary xylem mRNA from hybrid poplar, Populus nigra x maximowiczii. A cDNA clone of 1.5 kb in size, pOMTB1.4 encoding a lignin-bispecific O-methyltransferase was screened by plaque hybridization using a probe of 540 bp cDNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the cDNA library and identified by nucleotide sequencing. Its nucleotide sequence contains one open reading frame of 366 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence in comparison with that of Populus tremuloides showed the differences of 9 amino acids and revealed 85-99% homology among alfalfa, poplar and aspen.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.15-24
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• 2004

The present work was undertaken to investigate the anatomical and chemical characteristics of transgenic poplar down-regulated with antisense OMT gene. Also the distribution of lignin in transgenic poplar trees was investigated at cellular level. No visible abnormal phenotype was observed in the fibers and vessel elements of transgenic poplar. Any marked differences in the staining intensities of Wiesner and Mäule color reaction were not identified in the transgenic poplar. TEM micrographs did not show any staining intensities in the cell walls stained with KMnO₄. Interestingly, the UV spectroscopy of semi-thin sections exhibited a distinct decrease of lignin absorption at 280 nm in the vessel walls, indicating transgenic poplar wood with lower amount of guaiacyl lignin in vessel elements. Chemical composition of antisense OMT poplar was almost identical to that of wild-type poplar. Klason lignin content of transgenic poplar did not show any significant difference from that of the controls. The solid state NMR spectra revealed the transgenic poplar with only slightly more syringyl lignin than the control. The present work showed that antisense OMT gene constructed in the poplar was not enough to reduce the overall content of Klason lignin, and suggested that the expression of transformation was confined to vessel walls.

• BMB Reports
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.41-45
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• 1997

The present study was performed to analyze the molecular mechanism which dictates the transcription regulation of the $O^6$-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously we identified one possible upstream repressing sequence (URS) in MGMT promoter by promoter deletion and competition analysis. In this paper we report another regulatory element (UAS: upstream activating sequence. -213 to -136) which affects the transcription activity of MGMT promoter. Gel mobility shift assay and Southwestern blot analysis using UAS probe showed several specific proteins which were able to bind to this sequence.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.619-622
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• 2006

Biotransformation is a good tool to synthesize regioselective compounds. It could be performed with diverse sources of genes, and microorganisms provide a myriad of gene sources for biotransformation. We were interested in modification of flavonoids, and therefore, we cloned a putative O-methyltransferase from Bacillus cereus, BcOMT-2. It has a 668-bp open reading frame that encodes a 24.6-kDa protein. In order to investigate the modification reaction mediated by BcOMT-2, it was expressed in E. coli as a His-tag fusion protein and purified to homogeneity. Several substrates such as naringenin, luteolin, kaempferol, and quercetin were tested and reaction products were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). BcOMT-2 could transfer a methyl group to substrates that have a 3' functional hydroxyl group, such as luteolin and quercetin. Comparison of the HPLC retention time and UV spectrum of the quercetin reaction product with corresponding authentic 3'-methylated and 4'-methylated compounds showed that the methylation position was at either the 3'-hydroxyl or 4'-hydroxyl group. Thus, BcOMT-2 transfers a methyl group either to the 3'-hydroxyl or 4'-hydroxyl group of flavonoids when both hydroxyl groups are available. Among several flavonoids that contain a 3'- and 4'-hydroxyl group, fisetin was the best substrate for the BcOMT-2.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.87-92
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• 2009

목 적 : 가와사키병은 극동아시아인에서 다른 인종보다 높은 발생빈도를 보이고 여러 유전자 다형성이 보고되고 있다. COMT 는 염색체 22q11에 위치한 유전자로 메틸기접합을 촉진시켜 도파민, 에피네프린, 노르에피네프린 같은 카테콜아민 신경전달 물질을 불활성화 시키는 역할을 한다. COMT 유전자의 다형성은 estradiol 대사와 연관되어 혈압과 심근경색 등 심장질환과의 연관성이 보고되었고, 급성 관상동맥 질환과 관련이 있다고 보고되었다. 이 연구에서는 가와사키병에서 관상동맥 확장과 COMT 유전자 다형성과의 연관성을 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 가와사키병 환자군 101명과 대조군 306명으로부터 혈액 2 mL를 채취하여 DNA를 분리하였으며, PCR 방법으로 COMT 유전자의 rs4680과 rs769224의 Guanine에서 Adenine으로의 단일염기다형성(SNP)을 분석하였다. 환자군 중 관상동맥의 확장을 동반한 37명과 관상동맥 확장이 없는 62명 대상으로 COMT 유전자의 단일염기다형성에 대한 관련성을 확인하였다. 결과 : 가와사키병 환자군과 대조군 사이에 COMT 유전자의 연관성은 보이지 않았다. COMT 유전자의 rs4680에서 가와사키병 환자군 중 관상동맥 확장을 가진 37명은 유전형 G/G (Val158 Val)는 19명(51.4%), G/A(Val158Met)는 13명(35.1%), A/A (Met158Met)는 5명(13.5%)이었고 관상동맥 확장이 없는 62명에서는 G/G (Val158Val)는 34명(54.8%), G/A (Val158Met)는 25명(40.3%), A/A (Met158Met)는 3명(4.8%)으로 통계학적 유의성이 없었으나(codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13), rs769224에서는 관상동맥 확장을 가진 37명은 유전형 G/G는 30명(81.1%), G/A는 6명(16.2%), A/A는 1명(2.7 %)이었고 관상동맥 확장이 없는 62명에서는 G/G는 61명(98.4 %), G/A 1명(1.6%), A/A 0명(0.0%)으로 codominant와 dominant 모델에서 통계학적 유의성이 있었다(codominant P=0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16). 결론 : COMT 유전자의 단일염기다형성은 가와사키병과의 연관성은 보이지 않았고, rs4680 다형성과 관상동맥 확장은 연관성을 보이지 않았으나 rs769224 다형성과 관상동맥 확장은 통계학적으로 의미있게 연관성이 있었다.