• BMB Reports
• /
• 제48권7호
• /
• pp.373-379
• /
• 2015

Humans have acquired many distinct evolutionary traits after the human-chimpanzee divergence. These phenotypes have resulted from genetic changes that occurred in the human genome and were retained by natural selection. Comparative primate genome analyses reveal that loss-of-function mutations are common in the human genome. Some of these gene inactivation events were revealed to be associated with the emergence of advantageous phenotypes and were therefore positively selected and fixed in modern humans (the "less-ismore" hypothesis). Representative cases of human gene inactivation and their functional implications are presented in this review. Functional studies of additional inactive genes will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying acquisition of various human-specific traits. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(7): 373-379]

• 한국생명과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국생명과학회 2003년도 제39회 학술심포지움
• /
• pp.89-89
• /
• 2003

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제3권2호
• /
• pp.73-76
• /
• 2005

The comparative analysis of the human and primate genomes including the chimpanzee can reveal unique types of information impossible to obtain from comparing the human genome with the genomes of other vertebrates. PrimateDB is an open depository server that provides primate genome information for the comparative genome research. The database also provides an easy access to variable information within/between the primate genomes and supports analyzed information, such as annotation and retroelements and phylogeny. The comparative analyses of more primate genomes are also being included as the long-term objective.

• 한국정밀공학회지
• /
• 제21권5호
• /
• pp.188-202
• /
• 2004

This research was designed to investigate biomechanical aspects of the evolution based on the hypothesis of dynamic cooperative interactions between the locomotion pattern and the body shape in the evolution of human bipedal walking The musculoskeletal model used in the computer simulation consisted of 12 rigid segments and 26 muscles. The nervous system was represented by 18 rhythmic pattern generators. The genetic algorithm was employed based on the natural selection theory to represent the evolutionary mechanism. Evolutionary strategy was assumed to minimize the cost function that is weighted sum of the energy consumption, the muscular fatigue and the load on the skeletal system. The simulation results showed that repeated manipulations of the genetic algorithm resulted in the change of body shape and locomotion pattern from those of chimpanzee to those of human. It was suggested that improving locomotive efficiency and the load on the musculoskeletal system are feasible factors driving the evolution of the human body shape and the bipedal locomotion pattern. The hypothetical evolution method employed in this study can be a new powerful tool for investigation of the evolution process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제12권3호
• /
• pp.508-513
• /
• 2002

Human endogenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to the structural change or genetic variation of human genome connected to various diseases. The HERV-W family has been identified in the cerebrospinal fluids and brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Using a cDNA library derived from a human brain, the HERV-W LTR elements were examined and five new LTR elements were identified. These elements were examined using a YAC clone panel from the Xq21.3 region linked to psychosis that was replicated on the Y chromosome after the separation of the chimpanzee and human lineages. Fourteen elements of the HERV-W LTR were identified in that region. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity ($91.8-99.5\%$) with previously reported HERV-W LTR. A phylogenetic tree obtained from the neighbor-joining method revealed that new HERV-W LTR elements were closely related to the AXt000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from the GenBank database. The data indicates that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements exist on the Xq21.3 region and are also expressed in the human brain. These LTR elements need to be further investigated as potential leads to neuropsychiatric diseases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제19권7호
• /
• pp.953-957
• /
• 2006

The eukaryotic elongation factor 1 A (EEF1A) participates in protein synthesis by forming the eEF1A GTP tRNA complex to deliver aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site of ribosomes. This study described cDNA sequences and partial genomic structure of porcine EEF1A1. The porcine EEF1A1 gene encoded a protein with 462 amino acids, which shared complete homology with human, chimpanzee and dog. The temporal expression pattern showed the diversity of EEF1A1 level in mRNA was relatively minor in prenatal embryo skeletal muscle, however, the expression decreased during aging after birth in skeletal muscle of the Chinese Tongcheng pig. The spatial expression patterns indicated that the gene expressed in skeletal muscle, heart, lung, liver, kidney, fat and spleen. In addition, we assigned the gene to porcine chromosome 1 using a radiation hybrid panel.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국응용약물학회 1998년도 Proceedings of UNESCO-internetwork Cooperative Regional Seminar and Workshop on Bioassay Guided Isolation of Bioactive Substances from Natural Products and Microbial Products
• /
• pp.22-26
• /
• 1998

The medicinal plants have been used as drugs for thousands of years and many of them are used in traditional medicines. How long are these medicinal plants used as drugs\ulcorner Ebers papyrus (BC 1550) is one of the oldest documents which described more than 700 kinds of herbal drugs. Some of herbal medicines described in the papyrus are familiar and ‘Opium’ is a good example. Some of the drugs described in the papyrus are hardly recognized as drugs by the standard of present day. We can trace back the history of medicinal plants from quite different approach. The investigations on group behavior of chimpanzees in Africa by ‘The Primate Institute of Kyoto University’ has revealed that chimpanzees suffered illness take specific plants which are not taken as daily food stuff. The chemical analysis clarified that the plants contain very bitter constituents and suggested that chimpanzees take medicinal plants to cure their illness. It is worth to note that young chimpanzees just learn what elder ones take when they suffer illness, but elders never teach to their children! It is no doubt that the chimpanzee's medicinal plants were found by random, and try and error screening. The medicinal plants found in this study have been used as herbal medicines by the peoples in the region.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제22권3호
• /
• pp.360-363
• /
• 2006

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) contribute to various kinds of genomic instability via rearrangement and retrotransposition events. In the present study the formation of a new human-specific solo-LTR belonging to the HERV-H family (AP001667; chromosome 21q21) was detected by a comparative analysis of human chromosome 21 and chimpanzee chromosome 22. The solo-LTR was formed as a result of an equal homologous recombination excision event. Several evolutionary processes have occurred at this locus during primate evolution, indicating that mammalian-wide interspersed repeat (MIR) and full-length HERV-H elements integrated into hominoid genomes after the divergence of Old World monkeys and hominoids, and that the solo-LTR element was created by recombination excision of the HERV-H only in the human genome.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.32-36
• /
• 2000

Solitary long terminal repeats(LTRs) of human endogenous retrovirus K family(HERV-K) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of closely located genes. It has been suggested that HERV-K LTR-like elements entered the primate genome approximately 33-40 million years ago. WE investigated the presence of HERV-K LTR elements in New World monkeys using PCR amplification. Six LTR elements of HERV-K family were identified from New World monkeys, represented by the squirrel and night monkeys. They showed a high degree of sequence homology(96-99%) with the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that an LTR element (SM-1) from the squirrel monkey and another LTR element (NM-1) from the night monkey are very closely related to the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements with low degree of divergence. This finding suggests that some of LTR elements of HERV-K family have recently been proliferated in New World monkeys. A sequence in chromosome Xq26(AL034407) \ulcorner contains an HERV-K LTR element was shown to be present in the human genome, but is absent in the bonobo, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and gibbon. It has more than 99% homology to other human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. This sequence thus represents and isolated insertion of an evolving class of elements that may have made a particular contribution to human genomic plasticity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제27권5호
• /
• pp.743-748
• /
• 2014

The objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene ($VEGF{\alpha}$) by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. Using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog), we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine $VEGF{\alpha}$ belonged to the same clade of the pig $VEGF{\alpha}$. Analysis for synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous substitution ratios (Ka) revealed that the horse $VEGF{\alpha}$ underwent positive selection. RNA was extracted from blood samples before and after exercise and different tissue samples of three horses. Expression analyses using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed ubiquitous expression of $VEGF{\alpha}$ mRNA in skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, lung, appendix, colon, spinal cord, and heart tissues. Analysis of differential expression of $VEGF{\alpha}$ gene in blood leukocytes after exercise indicated a unimodal pattern. These results will be useful in developing biomarkers that can predict the recovery capacity of racing horses.