• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.3779-3782
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• 2011

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.289-294
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• 2011

We investigated the cold shock sensitivity of DEAD-box RNA helicase gene deleted strains of in Bacillus subtilis CU1065. To understand cold shock effects, cells were cultivated at $37^{\circ}C$ to log phase ($O.D_{600}$=0.5-0.6) and then temperature was shifted to $15^{\circ}C$. Cold shock slow down the growth rate of wild type and deleted strains of DEAD-box RNA helicase gene (ydbR, yfmL, yqfR, deaD). The growth rate of ydbR deleted strain is 5 times severely reduced compared to that of wild type strain (CU1065). But the growth rate of other three (yfmL, yqfR, deaD) deleted strains is nearly equal to the growth rate of wild type. Compared to $37^{\circ}C$, the amount of ydbR and yqfR mRNA transcripts are increased at the growth temperature of $15^{\circ}C$. On the other hands the mRNA transcripts of yfmL and deaD are not changed at both conditions of $37^{\circ}C$ and $15^{\circ}C$. Upon cold shock treatment ydbR mRNA transcript is clearly increased. After treatment of rifampicin (bacteria transcription inhibitor) the amount of ydbR mRNA was measured. Temperature shift from $37^{\circ}C$ to $15^{\circ}C$ and rifampicin treatment showed slowly decay of ydbR mRNA. But at $37^{\circ}C$ and rifampicin treatment ydbR mRNA is rapidly reduced. These results showed that cold shock induction of ydbR mRNA resulted from the stability of ydbR mRNA and not from the transcription induction of ydbR. In relation to these results, we found the cold box element of csp (cold shock protein gene) in 5' untranslated region of ydbR gene. Cold shock induction of ydbR is caused by the stability of ydbR mRNA like the stability of csp mRNA.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.125-135
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• 2022

Continuously renewing the proteome, translation is exquisitely controlled by a number of dedicated factors that interact with the ribosome. The RNA helicase DDX3 belonging to the DEAD box family has emerged as one of the critical regulators of translation, the failure of which is frequently observed in a wide range of proliferative, degenerative, and infectious diseases in humans. DDX3 unwinds double-stranded RNA molecules with coupled ATP hydrolysis and thereby remodels complex RNA structures present in various protein-coding and noncoding RNAs. By interacting with specific features on messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), DDX3 facilitates translation, while repressing it under certain conditions. We review recent findings underlying these properties of DDX3 in diverse modes of translation, such as cap-dependent and cap-independent translation initiation, usage of upstream open reading frames, and stress-induced ribonucleoprotein granule formation. We further discuss how disease-associated DDX3 variants alter the translation landscape in the cell.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.660-664
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• 2005

We have previously isolated specific RNA aptamers with high affinity against the helicase domain of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). The RNA aptamers competitively and efficiently inhibited the helicase activity, partially impeding HCV replicon replication in human hepatocarcinoma cells. In this study, the RNA aptamers were tested for binding to the HCV NS3 proteins in eukaryotic cells, using a yeast three-hybrid system. The aptamers were then recognized by the HCV NS3 proteins when expressed in the cells, while the antisense sequences of the aptamers were not. These results suggest that the in vitro selected RNA aptamers can also specifically bind to the target proteins in vivo. Consequently, they could be potentially utilized as anti-HCV lead compounds.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.454-459
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• 2013

The Potexvirus Alternanthera mosaic virus (AltMV) has multifunctional triple gene block (TGB) proteins, among which our studies have focused on the properties of the TGB1 protein. The TGB1 of AltMV has functions including RNA binding, RNA silencing suppression, and cell-to-cell movement, and is known to form homologous interactions. The helicase domains of AltMV TGB1 were separately mutated to identify which regions are involved in homologous TGB1 interactions. The yeast two hybrid system and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) in planta were utilized to examine homologous interactions of the mutants. Helicase motif I of AltMV TGB1 was found to be critical to maintain homologous interactions. Mutations in the remaining helicase motifs did not inhibit TGB1 homologous interactions. In the absence of homologous interaction of TGB1, subcellular localization of helicase domain I mutants showed distinctively different patterns from that of WT TGB1. These results provide important information to study viral movement and replication of AltMV.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2006

Escherichia coli protein Rho is required for the factor-dependent transcription termination by an RNA polymerase and is essential for the viability of the cell. It is a homohexameric protein that recognizes and binds preferably to C-rich sites in the transcribed RNA. Once bound to RNA, it utilizes RNA-dependent ATPase activity and subsequently ATPase-dependent helicase activity to unwind RNA-DNA hybrids and release RNA from a transcribing elongation complex. Studies over the past few decades have highlighted Rho as a molecule and have revealed much of its mechanistic properties. The recently solved crystal structure could explain many of its physiological functions in terms of its structure. Despite all these efforts, many of the fundamental questions pertaining to Rho recognition sites, differential ATPase activity in response to different RNAs, translocation of Rho along the nascent transcript, interactions with elongation complex and finally unwinding and release of RNA remain obscure. In the present review we have attempted to summarize 'the knowns' and 'the unknowns' of the Rho protein revealed by the recent developments in this field. An attempt has also been made to understand the physiology of Rho in the light of its phylogeny.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.357-364
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• 2014

Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, is a disease whose mechanisms are now beginning to be uncovered by high-throughput studies of somatic mutations, mRNA expression patterns, and epigenetic profiles of patient tumors. One emerging theme from studies that sequenced the tumor genomes of large cohorts of medulloblastoma patients is frequent mutation of RNA binding proteins. Proteins which bind multiple RNA targets can act as master regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level to co-ordinate cellular processes and alter the phenotype of the cell. Identification of the target genes of RNA binding proteins may highlight essential pathways of medulloblastomagenesis that cannot be detected by study of transcriptomics alone. Furthermore, a subset of RNA binding proteins are attractive drug targets. For example, compounds that are under development as anti-viral targets due to their ability to inhibit RNA helicases could also be tested in novel approaches to medulloblastoma therapy by targeting key RNA binding proteins. In this review, we discuss a number of RNA binding proteins, including Musashi1 (MSI1), DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box helicase 3 X-linked (DDX3X), DDX31, and cell division cycle and apoptosis regulator 1 (CCAR1), which play potentially critical roles in the growth and/or maintenance of medulloblastoma.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.583-595
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• 2015

DEAD/DExH-box RNA helicases catalyze the folding and remodeling of RNA molecules in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, as well as in many viruses. They are characterized by the presence of the helicase domain with conserved motifs that are essential for ATP binding and hydrolysis, RNA interaction, and unwinding activities. Large families of DEAD/DExH-box proteins have been described in different organisms, and their role in all molecular processes involving RNA, from transcriptional regulation to mRNA decay, have been described. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge about DEAD/DExH-box proteins in selected protozoan and nematode parasites of medical importance worldwide, such as Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp., Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Brugia malayi. We discuss the functional characterization of several proteins in an attempt to understand better the molecular mechanisms involving RNA in these pathogens. The current data also highlight that DEAD/DExH-box RNA helicases might represent feasible drug targets due to their vital role in parasite growth and development.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 1996

The RAD3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for excision repair and is essential for cell viability. RAD3 encoded protein possesses a single stranded DNA-dependent ATPase and DNA-RNA helicase activies. To examine the extent of conservation of structure and function of RAD3 during eukaryotic evolution, we have cloned the RAD3 homolog, HRD3, from the distantly related yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we report the partial cloning and characterization of HRD3 gene (Homologous of RAD3 gene) which was isolated by PCR amplification using conserved domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD3 gene. Chromosomal DNA isolated from S. pombe had similar restriction patterns to those from S. cerevisiae, as determined by Southern blot analysis. The 2. 8 kb transcript of mRNA was identified by Northern hybridization. The level of transcript did not increase upon UV-irradiation, suggesting that the HRD3 gene in S. pombe is not UV-inducible.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1994.10a
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• pp.246.1-246
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• 1994

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