• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2005

The sphingosine kinase gene, which is 969-nucleotide long, was identified during the whole genome sequencing of Sphingomonas chungbukensis DJ77. The amino acid sequence showed the identity of $55\%$ with that of Zymomonas mobilis subsp. mobilis ZM4. C2, C3, and C5 domains of eukaryotic sphingosine kinase were found in sphingosine kinase from Sphingomonas chungbukensis DI77. One of these three conserved sites, GGDG, was predicted as a ATP-binding site, and the functions of the others were unknown currently. The phylogenetic tree constructed by ClustalX indicated that the sphingosine kinase of S. chungbukensis DJ77 was near the phylogenetic group COG1597, and did not belong to the group of diacylglycerol kinase of the same strain. The recombinant sphingosine kinase was expressed in Escherichia coli, but it was made in form of inclusion body.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.466-471
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• 1992

To determine the site at which -1 ribosomal frameshifting occurs within the gag-pro overlap of HTL V-I. DNA fragment corresponding to a portion of the gene overlap was cloned into a SP6 vector. The resultant plasmid harbors the hybrid gene consisting of a synthetic gene encoding 5 amino acids derived from chick prelysozyme including the initiator methionine plus 141 nucleotides of gag-pro overlapping region followed by Staphylococcus aurcus protein A gene fragment. In vitro transcription by SP6 RNA polymerase with this DNA template made an abundant amount of single species mRNA. Cell-free translation programmed with the RNA transcribed in vitro yielded a polypeptide of 21 kDal in size. which could be purified into homogeneity by IgG-Sepharose affinity chromatography. In vitro system described in this study must be useful for rapid purification and sequencing of the Gag-Pro transframe protein. allowing to determine the exact frameshift site on mRNA and to identify the tRNA involved in frameshifting event for the expression of pro gene.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.143-152
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• 1992

Metallothionein is an essential and common protein to regulate the intracellular concentration of heavy metals, which exist in most organisms from bacteria to vertebrates. Although the detailed function of metallothianein has not been fully identified until yet, it may be involoved in the cellular protection against the heavy metal toxicity and in the global regulation of several other genes and the expression of metalloproteins. We have cloned the full cDNA clone of metallothionein gene in Channel Catfish by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR) starting from poly(A)-containing mRNAs. All PCR fragments have been subcloned into EcoRV site of pBluescript SK+ and dT-tailed at Smal site of pUC19, then PCR products are recovered by the double digestion of recombinant plasmids wiht EcoRI and HindIII, which are adjacent to EcoRV site in multicloning sites or by rapid PCR screening. The nucleotide sequence analysis of pMT150(one of the PCR clones) showed high homology with several other piscine metallothionein cDNA genes.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.562-567
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• 2001

Aspergillus niger LK harboring the enantioselective epoxide hydrolase (EHase) activity was isolated, and enantioselectivity of EHase was tested for various racemic aromatic epoxides. The gene encoding epoxide hydrolase was cloned from cDNA library generated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of the isolated total mRNA. Sequence analysis showed that the cloned gene encodes 398 amino acids with a deduced molecular mass of 44.5 kDa. Database comparison of the amino acid sequence reveals that it is similar to fungal EHase, whereas the sequence identity with bacterial EHase is very low. Recombinant expression of the cloned EHase in Escherichia coli BL21 yielded an active EHases, which can offer a potential biocatalyst for the production of chiral epoxides.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.576-581
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• 2005

Phytase improves the bioavailability of phytate phosphorus in plant foods to humans and animals, and reduces the phosphorus pollution of animal waste. We have engineered the cell surface of the yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, by anchoring active fungal phytase on its cell wall, in order to apply it as a dietary supplement containing bioconversional functions in animal foods and a whole cell bio-catalyst for the treatment of waste. The phytase gene (phyA) of Aspergillus niger with a signal peptide of rice amylase 1A (Ramy1A) was fused with the gene encoding the C-terminal half (320 amino acid residues from the C-terminus) of yeast ${\alpha}-agglutinin$, a protein which is involved in mating and is covalently anchored to the cell wall. The resulting fusion construct was introduced into S. cerevisiae and expressed under the control of the constitutive glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) promoter. Phytase plate assay revealed that the surface-engineered cell exhibited a catalytically active opaque zone which was restricted to the margin of the colony. Additionally, the phytase activity was detected in the cell fraction, but was not detected in the culture medium when it was grown in liquid. These results indicate that the phytase was successfully anchored to the cell surface of yeast and was displayed as its active form. The amount of recombinant phytase on the surface of yeast cells was estimated to be 16,000 molecules per cell.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.284-290
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• 2016

In this research, recombinant human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) was produced by transgenic rice cells. RAmy3D promoter was used for overcome the limitation of low expression level in transgenic plant cells, and the secretion of target protein was accomplished by signal peptide. However, the RAmy3D promoter system which can be induced only by sugar starvation causes the decrease of cell viability. As a result, cell death promotes the release of protease which degrades the target proteins. The protein stability and productivity can be significantly influenced by proteolysis activity. Therefore, development of new strategies are necessary for the in situ recovery of target proteins from cell culture media. In this study, in situ recovery was performed by various strategies. Direct addition of Protein A resin with nylon bag leads to cell death by increased shear stress and decrease in production of hCTLA4Ig by protease. Medium exchange through modified flask could recover hCTLA4Ig with high cell viability and low protease activity, on the other hand, the productivity was lower than that of control. When in situ recovery was conducted at day 7 after induction in air-lift bioreactor, 1.94-fold of hCTLA4Ig could be recovered compared to control culture without in situ recovery. Consequently, in situ recovery of hCTLA4Ig from transgenic rice cell culture could enhance productivity significantly and prevent degradation of target proteins effectively.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.149-160
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• 2014

Plant breeders have focused on improving plant architecture as an effective means to increase crop yield. Here, we identify the main-effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for plant shape-related traits in rice (Oryza sativa) and find candidate genes by applying whole genome re-sequencing of two parental cultivars using next-generation sequencing. To identify QTLs influencing plant shape, we analyzed six traits: plant height, tiller number, panicle diameter, panicle length, flag leaf length, and flag leaf width. We performed QTL analysis with 178 $F_7$ recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross of japonica rice line 'SNU-SG1' and indica rice line 'Milyang23'. Using 131 molecular markers, including 28 insertion/deletion markers, we identified 11 main- and 16 minor-effect QTLs for the six traits with a threshold LOD value > 2.8. Our sequence analysis identified fifty-four candidate genes for the main-effect QTLs. By further comparison of coding sequences and meta-expression profiles between japonica and indica rice varieties, we finally chose 15 strong candidate genes for the 11 main-effect QTLs. Our study shows that the whole-genome sequence data substantially enhanced the efficiency of polymorphic marker development for QTL fine-mapping and the identification of possible candidate genes. This yields useful genetic resources for breeding high-yielding rice cultivars with improved plant architecture.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.140-148
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• 2014

We identified four basic amino acid residues as nuclear localization signals (NLS) in the C-terminal domain of the prototype foamy viral (PFV) integrase (IN) protein that were essential for viral replication. We constructed seven point mutants in the C-terminal domain by changing the lysine and arginine at residues 305, 308, 313, 315, 318, 324, and 329 to threonine or proline, respectively, to identify residues conferring NLS activity. Our results showed that mutation of these residues had no effect on expression assembly, release of viral particles, or in vitro recombinant IN enzymatic activity. However, mutations at residues 305 (R ${\rightarrow}$ T), 313(R ${\rightarrow}$ T), 315(R ${\rightarrow}$ P), and 329(R ${\rightarrow}$ T) lead to the production of defective viral particles with loss of infectivity, whereas non-defective mutations at residues 308(R ${\rightarrow}$ T), 318(K ${\rightarrow}$ T), and 324(K ${\rightarrow}$ T) did not show any adverse effects on subsequent production or release of viral particles. Sub-cellular fractionation and immunostaining for viral protein PFV-IN and PFV-Gag localization revealed predominant cytoplasmic localization of PFV-IN in defective mutants, whereas cytoplasmic and nuclear localization of PFV-IN was observed in wild type and non-defective mutants. However sub-cellular localization of PFV-Gag resulted in predominant nuclear localization and less presence in the cytoplasm of the wild type and non-defective mutants. But defective mutants showed only nuclear localization of Gag. Therefore, we postulate that four basic arginine residues at 305, 313, 315 and 329 confer the karyoplilic properties of PFV-IN and are essential for successful viral integration and replication.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2013

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of fructose-1,6-bis phosphate aldolase (SMALDO) DNA vaccination against Schistosoma mansoni infection using different routes of injection. The SMALDO has been cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1/V5-His TOPO-TA and was used in injecting Swiss albino mice intramuscularly (IM), subcutaneously (SC), or intraperitoneally (IP) ($50{\mu}g/mouse$). Mice vaccinated with non-recombinant pcDNA3.1 served as controls. Each group was immunized 4 times at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 6. Two weeks after the last booster dose, all mice groups were infected with 80 S. mansoni cercariae via tail immersion. At week 8 post-infection, animals were sacrificed for assessment of parasitological and histopathological parameters. High anti-SMALDO IgG antibody titers were detected in sera of all vaccinated groups (P<0.01) compared to the control group. Both the IP and SC vaccination routes resulted in a significant reduction in worm burden (46.2% and 28.9%, respectively, P<0.01). This was accompanied by a significant reduction in hepatic and intestinal egg counts (41.7% and 40.2%, respectively, P<0.01) in the IP group only. The number of dead eggs was significantly increased in both IP and IM groups (P<0.01). IP vaccination recorded the highest significant reduction in granuloma number and diameter (54.7% and 29.2%, respectively, P<0.01) and significant increase in dead miracidia (P<0.01). In conclusion, changing the injection route of SMALDO DNA vaccination significantly influenced the efficacy of vaccination. SMALDO DNA vaccination via IP route could be a promising protective and antipathology vaccine candidate against S. mansoni infection.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2009

In recent years, several genetically modified (GM) crops have been developed worldwide through the recombinant DNA technology and commercialized by various agricultural biotechnological companies. Commercialization of GM crops will be required the assesment of risks associated with the release of GM crops. In advance of the commercial release of GM crops, developer should submit the several information on GM crops for approval. In this study, we carried out to provide the molecular data for the risk assessment of GM rice containing insect-resistant gene, modified Cry1Ac (CryIAc1). Through the molecular analysis with CryIAc1 induced GM rice, we confirmed the steady integration and expression of transgene, the transgene copy number, the adjacent region sequences of inserted gene into rice genome, and the transgene stability in progenies. For the qualitative PCR detection methods, specific primer pairs were designed on the basis of integration sequences, and construct- and event-specific detection markers were developed for leaf folder-resistant rice, Cr7-1 line. From these results, we demonstrated that the molecular data and the PCR detection methods of leaf folderresistant GM rice could be acceptable to conduct the biosafety and environment risk assessment.