• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.92-98
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• 2005

DNA microarray analysis of gene expression in toxicogenomics typically requires relatively large amounts of total RNA. This limits the use of DNA microarray when the sample available is small. To confront this limitation, different methods of linear RNA amplification that generate antisense RNA (aRNA) have been optimized for microarray use. The target preparation strategy using amplified RNA in DNA microarray protocol can be divided into direct-incorporation labeling which resulted in cDNA targets (Cy-dye labeled cDNA from aRNA) and indirect-labeling which resulted in cRNA targets (i.e. Cy-dye labeled aRNA), respectively. However, despite the common use of amplified targets (cDNA or cRNA) from aRNAs, no systemic assessment for the use of amplified targets and bias in terms of hybridization performance has been reported. In this investigation, we have compared the hybridization performance of cRNA targets with cDNA targets from aRNA on a 10 K cDNA microarrays. Under optimized hybridization conditions, we found that 43% of outliers from cDNA technique and 86% from the outlier genes were reproducibly detected by both targets hybridization onto cDNA microarray. This suggests that the cRNA labeling method may have a reduced capacity for detecting the differential gene expression when compared to the cDNA target preparation. However, further validation of this discordant result should be pursued to determine which techniques possesses better accuracy in identifying truly differential genes.

• Bioinformatics and Biosystems
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.17-23
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• 2007

Short interfering RNA(siRNA)는 특별한 gene의 발현을 막는데 사용될 수 있고 그 gene의 기능과 치료의 적용에 많은 가능성을 가지고 있지만, 효과적인 siRNA를 디자인하는 방법은 아직까지 명확하지 않다. 효과적인 siRNA는 서열적인 경향을 가지고 있는데 낮은 G/C content, Sense strand의 3' 끝에 적은 안정성과 1번 위치에는 G/C, 19번 위치에는 A/U의 존재 여부를 들 수 있다. 이러한 특성 말고도 최근에는 mRNA의 2차구조가 RNAi 작용에 중요한 역할을 하게 되는데 복잡한 구조(hairpin, multi loop)를 가지고 수소결합을 많이 하여 안정한 상태에 있는 부분은 siRNA의 기능을 크게 줄어들게 한다. 또한, siRNA가 특정한 mRNA에 작동하도록 BLAST 검색을 하여 부작용의 가능성을 배제한다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.135-136
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• 2016

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have been developed to intentionally repress a specific gene expression by directing RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), mimicking the endogenous gene silencer, microRNAs (miRNAs). Although siRNA is designed to be perfectly complementary to an intended target mRNA, it also suppresses hundreds of off-targets by the way that miRNAs recognize targets. Until now, there is no efficient way to avoid such off-target repression, although the mode of miRNA-like interaction has been proposed. Rationally based on the model called "transitional nucleation" which pre-requires base-pairs from position 2 to the pivot (position 6) with targets, we developed a simple chemical modification which completely eliminates miRNA-like off-target repression (0%), achieved by substituting a nucleotide in pivot with abasic spacers (dSpacer or C3 spacer), which potentially destabilize the transitional nucleation. Furthermore, by alleviating steric hindrance in the complex with Argonaute (Ago), abasic pivot substitution also preserves near-perfect on-target activity (∼80-100%). Abasic pivot substitution offers a general means of harnessing target specificity of siRNAs to experimental and clinical applications where misleading and deleterious phenotypes from off-target repression must be considered.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.657-662
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• 2006

Identification of accessible sites in targeted RNAs is a major limitation to the effectiveness of antisense oligonucleotides. A class of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, known as the “10-23” DNA enzyme or DNAzyme, which is a small catalytic DNA, has been shown to efficiently cleave target RNA at purine-pyrimidine junctions in vitro. We have designed a strategy to identify accessible cleavage sites in the target RNA, which is hepatitis C virus nonstructural gene 3 (HCV NS3) RNA that encodes viral helicase and protease, from a pool of random DNAzyme library. A pool of DNAzymes of 58 nucleotides-length that possess randomized annealing arms, catalytic core sequence, and fixed 5'/3'-end flanking sequences was designed and screened for their ability to cleave the target RNA. The screening procedure, which includes binding of DNAzyme pool to the target RNA under inactive condition, selection and amplification of active DNAzymes, incubation of the selected DNAzymes with the target RNA, and target site identification on sequencing gels, identified 16 potential cleavage sites in the target RNA. Corresponding DNAzymes were constructed for the selected target sites and were tested for RNA-cleavage in terms of kinetics and accessibility. These selected DNAzymes were effective in cleaving the target RNA in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$. This strategy can be applicable to identify accessible sites in any target RNA for antisense oligonucleotides-based gene inactivation methods.

• BMB Reports
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• 제36권6호
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• pp.538-544
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• 2003

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major causative agent of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The development of alternative antiviral therapies is warranted because current treatments for the HCV infection affect only a limited number of patients and lead to significant toxicities. The HCV genome is exclusively present in the RNA form; therefore, ribozyme strategies to target certain HCV sequences have been proposed as anti-HCV treatments. In this study, we determined which regions of the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV are accessible to ribozymes by employing an RNA mapping strategy that is based on a trans-splicing ribozyme library. We then discovered that the loop regions of the domain IIIb of HCV IRES appeared to be particularly accessible. Moreover, to verify if the target sites that were predicted to be accessible are truly the most accessible, we assessed the ribozyme activities by comparing not only the trans-splicing activities in vitro but also the trans-cleavage activities in cells of several ribozymes that targeted different sites. The ribozyme that could target the most accessible site identified by mapping studies was then the most active with high fidelity in cells as well as in vitro. These results demonstrate that the RNA mapping strategy represents an effective method to determine the accessible regions of target RNAs and have important implications for the development of various antiviral therapies which are based on RNA such as ribozyme, antisense, or siRNA.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.84-86
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• 2008

The Tetrahymena group I intron has been shown to employ a trans-splicing reaction and has been modified to specifically target and replace human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) RNA with a suicide gene transcript, resulting in the induction of selective cytotoxicity in cancer cells that express the target RNA, in animal models as well as in cell cultures. In this study, we evaluated the target RNA specificity of trans-splicing phenomena by the group I intron in mice that were intraperitoneally inoculated with hTERT-expressing human cancer cells to validate the anti-cancer therapeutic applicability of the group I intron. To this end, an adenoviral vector that encoded for the hTERT-targeting group I intron was constructed and systemically injected into the animal. 5'-end RACE-PCR and sequencing analyses of the trans-spliced cDNA clones revealed that all of the analyzed products in the tumor tissue of the virus-infected mice resulted from reactions that were generated only with the targeted hTERT RNA. This study implies the in vivo target specificity of the trans-splicing group I intron and hence suggests that RNA replacement via a trans-splicing reaction by the group I intron is a potent anti-cancer genetic approach.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.1134-1139
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• 2002

Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter는 분류학적으로 동일한 rRNA superfamily Ⅵ로 식중독 이외에도 위궤양, 위암, 유산 및 신경 장애를 유발한다. Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter를 오염된 식품 등에서 선택적으로 검출하기 위해 PCR, multiplex-PCR, RFLP(restriction fragment length polymorphism)의 기법을 이용하였다. Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter의 16S rRNA를 target으로 하는 CHA primer를 사용하여 동일한 PCR product의 검출할 수 있었다. C. jejuni와 C.coli를 A. butzleri와 H. pylori로부터 선택적으로 검출하기 위해 fla A gene을 target으로 하는 pg3, p50을 사용하였으며, A. butzleri는 23S rRNA를 target으로 하는 Arco2, Butz를 이용했다. 또한 H. pyloyi는 isocitrate dehydrogenase gene을 target으로 하는 icd1, icd2를 사용하였고, C. jejuni는 ceuE gene을 target으로 하는 JEJ1, JEJ2를 이용하여 효과적으로 분리검출이 이루어졌다. 또한 제한효소 Dde I 을 사용하여 PCR-RFLP를 통해 C. jejuni, C. coli를 A. butzleri, H. pylori로부터 분리할 수가 있었다. 따라서 이러한 primer를 이용하여 C. jejuni, C. coli, A. butzleri, H. pylori가 함께 오염되었을 때 각각 균주의 선택적인 검출이 가능할 것이다.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.210-218
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• 2021

Recently, pest-resistant living modified (LM) crops developed using RNA interference (RNAi) technology have been imported into South Korea. However, the potential adverse effects of unintentionally released RNAi-based LM crops on non-target species have not yet been reported. Coccinella septempunctata, which feeds on aphids, is an important natural enemy insect which can be exposed to the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) produced by RNAi-based LM plants. To assess the risk of ingestion of Snf7 dsRNA by C. septempunctata, we first identified the species through morphological analysis of collected insects. A method for species identification at the gene level was developed using a specific C. septempunctata 12S rRNA. Furthermore, an experimental model was devised to assess the risk of Snf7 dsRNA ingestion in C. septempunctata. Snf7 dsRNA was mass-purified using an effective dsRNA synthesis method and its presence in C. septempunctata was confirmed after treatment with purified Snf7 dsRNA. Finally, the survival rate, development time, and dry weight of Snf7 dsRNA-treated C. septempunctata were compared with those of GFP and vATPase A dsRNA control treatments, and no risk was found. This study illustrates an effective Snf7 dsRNA synthesis method, as well as a high-concentration domestic insect risk assessment method which uses dsRNA to assess the risk of unintentional released of LM organisms against non-target species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권10호
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• pp.1634-1639
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• 2006

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-encoded nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) possesses RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, which is considered essential for viral proliferation. Thus, HCV NS5B is a good therapeutic target protein for the development of anti-HCV agents. In this study, we isolated two different kinds of nuclease-resistant RNA aptamers with 2'-fluoro pyrimidines against the HCV NS5B from a combinatorial RNA library with 40 nucleotide random sequences, using SELEX technology. The isolated RNA aptamers were observed to specifically and avidly bind the HCV NS5B with an apparent $K_d$ of 5 nM and 18 nM, respectively, in contrast with the original RNA library that hardly bound the target protein. Moreover, these aptamers could partially inhibit RNA synthesis of the HCV subgenomic replicon when transfected into Huh-7 hepatoma cell lines. These results suggest that the RNA aptamers selected in vitro could be useful not only as therapeutic agents of HCV infection but also as a powerful tool for the study of the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase mechanism.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.361-364
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• 2004

Internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known to be essential for HCV replication and most conserved among HCV variants. Hence, IRES RNA is a good therapeutic target for RNA-based inhibitors, such as ribozymes. We previously proposed a new anti-HCV modulation strategy based on trans-splicing ribozymes, which can selectively replace HCV transcripts with a new RNA that exerts anti-HCV activity. To explore this procedure, sites which are accessible to ribozymes in HCV IRES were previously determined by employing an RNA mapping method in vitro. In this study, we evaluate the intracellular accessibility of the ribozymes by comparing the trans-splicing activ­ities in cells of several ribozymes targeting different sites of the HCV IRES RNA. We assessed the intra­cellular activities of the ribozymes by monitoring their target-specific induction degree of both reporter gene activity and cytotoxin expression. The ribozyme capable of targeting the most accessible site iden­tified by the mapping studies then harbored the most active trans-splicing activity in cells. These results suggest that the target sites predicted to be accessible are truly the most accessible in the cells, and thus, could be applied to the development of various RNA-based anti-HCV therapies.