• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has infected more than two billion individuals worldwide, of whom 5%-10% have clinically active disease and 90%-95% remain in the latent stage with a reservoir of viable bacteria in the macrophages for extended periods of time. The tubercle bacilli at this stage are usually called dormant, non-viable, and/or non-culturable microorganisms. The patients with latent bacilli will not have clinical pictures and are not infectious. The infections in about 2%-23% of the patients with latent status become reactivated for various reasons such as cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes, and/or aging. Many studies have examined the mechanisms involved in the latent state of Mycobacterium and showed that latency modified the expression of many genes. Therefore, several mechanisms will change in this bacterium. Hence, this study aimed to briefly examine the genes involved in the latent state as well as the changes that are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The study also evaluated the relationship between the functions of these genes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.587-594
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• 2022

A persistent DNA tumor virus infection transforms normal cells into cancer cells by either integrating its genome into host chromosomes or retaining it as an extrachromosomal entity called episome. Viruses have evolved mechanisms for attaching episomes to infected host cell chromatin to efficiently segregate the viral genome during mitosis. It has been reported that viral episome can affect the gene expression of the host chromosomes through interactions between viral episomes and epigenetic regulatory host factors. This mini review summarizes our current knowledge of the tethering sites of viral episomes, such as EBV, KSHV, and HBV, on host chromosomes analyzed by three-dimensional genomic tools.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.257-268
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• 2002

Chronic infection and inflammation have recently been implicated as important etiologic agents of atherosclerosis. Several agents have been suggested as possible candidates including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex vims type 1 (HSV-1), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Helicobacter pylori. We evaluated the relationship between cytornegalovirus infection and atherosclerosis by in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We examined 23 subjects with atherosclerosis and 10 matched control subjects without atherosclerosis. CMV was detected by in situ hybridization in 60.9% (14/23) of aorta and 42.9% (9/21) of coronary arteries in subjects with atherosclerosis. It was also detected by PCR in 65.2% (15/23) of aorta and 52.4% (11/21) of coronary arteries. CMV was detected on areas showing early or advanced atheromatous changes. Cells morphologically identical to smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and Schwann cells were positively reacted with the CMV probe. However. none of the cells to which the probe hybridized contained inclusion bodies, thus strongly suggesting that the arterial wall may be a site of CMV latency. This result Indicates that CMV may potentially play a direct or indirect role in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 1998.07a
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• pp.32-33
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• 1998

생물체에서 유전외적 변형의 하나인 DNA 메틸화는 cis-acting factor의 조성변화를 통하여 세포특이 유전자의 발현과 virus latency, genomic imprinting, mutagenesis등과 같은 생물학적 효과를 나타내는 것으로 알려져 있다.(reviewed by Olle Heby, 1995). 5-azaCR, 5-azaCdR 그리고 6-azaCR의 처리결과는 배아자체의 DNA 메틸화의 유지가 정상발생에 필수적임을 알 수 있으며, 메틸화에 의한 배아발생 조절기작이 존재함을 암시하고 있다. 이러한 과정에서 5-azaCR과 5-azaCdR은 서로다른 경로를 통하여 배아발생에 관여함을 보여주었다. 즉, 5-azaCdR은 주로 DNA에 incorporation되어 작용하는 것으로 여겨지며, 5-azaCR은 DNA 보다는 RNA에 incorporation되어 작용하는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고, 비록 소수의 유전자만이 조사되었지만, 5-azaCdR의 incorporation에 의한 cis-acting factor의 변화는 전사인자인 c-myc proto-oncogene과 fluid 수송에 관여하는 $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase 유전자의 전사를 억제하지 않았다. 반면, 5-azaCR의 RNA로의 incorporation은 전사인자인 c-myc proto-oncogene의 전사를 억제하였으며, 연이어 fluid 수송에 관련되어있는 $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase 유전자의 전사를 억제하였다. 이것은 아마도 RNA로 incorporation된 5-azaCR은 RNA의 post-transcriptional processing에 영향을 주어 trans-acting factor의 조성을 변화, 전사적 repression을 유발한 것으로 사료된다. 생쥐 착상전 초기배아에서 DNA 메틸화는 short-term하게는 cis-acting factor로써 전사적 수준에서 유전자발현 조절하며, 그리고 유전자발현을 통하여 long-term하게는 배아발생에 관여 할 것이라고 사료된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.189-196
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• 2017

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is associated with formation of Kaposi's sarcoma, multicentric Castleman's disease, and primary effusion lymphoma. Replication and transcription activator (RTA) genes are expressed upon reactivation of KSHV, which displays a biphasic life cycle consisting of latent and lytic replication phases. RTA protein expression results in KSHV genome amplification and successive viral lytic gene expression. Transcriptional activity of viral lytic genes is regulated through epigenetic modifications. In Raji cells latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus, various modifications, such as acetylation and methylation, have been identified at specific lysine residues in histone H4 during viral reactivation, supporting the theory that expression of specific lytic genes is controlled by histone modification processes. Data obtained from chromatin immunoprecipitation and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed alterations in the H4K8ac and H4K20me3 levels at lytic gene promoters during reactivation. Our results indicate that H4K20me3 is associated with the maintenance of latency, while H4K8ac contributes to KSHV reactivation in infected TREx BCBL-1 RTA cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.275-280
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• 2017

Herpes simplex virus type 1 ICP27 is a multifunctional protein responsible for viral replication, late gene expression, and reactivation from latency. ICP27 interacts with various cellular proteins, including Daxx. However, the role of interaction between ICP27 and Daxx is largely unknown. Since Daxx is known to repress $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity, there is a possibility that ICP27 may influence the inhibitory effect of Daxx on $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity. In this study, we tested whether ICP27 affects the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity through its interaction with Daxx. Interestingly, ICP27 enhanced the Daxx-mediated repression of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity. In addition, we found that sumoylation of Daxx regulates its interaction with p65. ICP27 binds to Daxx, inhibits Daxx sumoylation, and enhances p65 deacetylation induced by Daxx. Consequently, ICP27 represses the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity, by elevating the inhibitory effect of Daxx on $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity through desumoylation of Daxx.