• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

Objective: FKBP prolyl isomerase 5 (FKBP5) has been shown to play an important role in metabolically active tissues such as skeletal muscle. However, the expression of FKBP5 in Muscovy duck tissues and its association with body weight are still unclear. Methods: In this study, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of FKBP5 in different tissues of Muscovy duck at different growth stages. Further, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the exon region of FKBP5 and were combined analyzed with the body weight of 334 Muscovy ducks. Results: FKBP5 was highly expressed in various tissues of Muscovy duck at days 17, 19, 21, 24, and 27 of embryonic development. In addition, the expression of FKBP5 in the tissues of female adult Muscovy ducks was higher than that of male Muscovy ducks. Besides, an association analysis indicated that 3 SNPs were related to body weight trait. At the g.4819252 A>G, the body weight of AG genotype was significantly higher than that of the AA and the GG genotype. At the g.4821390 G>A, the genotype GA was extremely significantly related to body weight. At the g.4830622 T>G, the body weight of TT was significantly higher than GG and TG. Conclusion: These findings indicate the possible effects of expression levels in various tissues and the SNPs of FKBP5 on Muscovy duck body weight trait. FKBP5 could be used as molecular marker for muscle development trait using early marker-assisted selection of Muscovy ducks.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.19.1-19.15
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• 2022

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is an important food and feed crop which rich in mineral sources. The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene family plays important roles in plant development and identification of putative gene families, their structure, and potential functions is a primary step for not only understanding the genetic mechanisms behind various biological process but also for genetic improvement. A variety of computational tools, including MAFFT, HMMER, hidden Markov models, Pfam, SMART, MEGA, ProtTest, BLASTn, and BRAD, among others, were used. We identified 34 MsWOX genes based on a systematic analysis of the alfalfa plant genome spread in eight chromosomes. This is an expansion of the gene family which we attribute to observed chromosomal duplications. Sequence alignment analysis revealed 61 conserved proteins containing a homeodomain. Phylogenetic study sung reveal five evolutionary clades with 15 motif distributions. Gene structure analysis reveals various exon, intron, and untranslated structures which are consistent in genes from similar clades. Functional analysis prediction of promoter regions reveals various transcription binding sites containing key growth, development, and stress-responsive transcription factor families such as MYB, ERF, AP2, and NAC which are spread across the genes. Most of the genes are predicted to be in the nucleus. Also, there are duplication events in some genes which explain the expansion of the family. The present research provides a clue on the potential roles of MsWOX family genes that will be useful for further understanding their functional roles in alfalfa plants.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.30.1-30.9
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• 2022

Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a not common inherited neurological disorder with heterogeneous clinical expressions. ALDH18A1 (located on 10q24.1) gene-related spastic paraplegias (SPG9A and SPG9B) are rare metabolic disorders caused by dominant and recessive mutations that have been found recently. Autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia is a common and clinical type of familial spastic paraplegia linked to the SPG11 locus (locates on 15q21.1). There are different symptoms of spastic paraplegia, such as muscle atrophy, moderate mental retardation, short stature, balance problem, and lower limb weakness. Our first proband involves a 45 years old man and our second proband involves a 20 years old woman both are affected by spastic paraplegia disease. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the patients, their parents, and their siblings using a filter-based methodology and quantified and used for molecular analysis and sequencing. Sequencing libraries were generated using Agilent SureSelect Human All ExonV7 kit, and the qualified libraries are fed into NovaSeq 6000 Illumina sequencers. Sanger sequencing was performed by an ABI prism 3730 sequencer. Here, for the first time, we report two cases, the first one which contains likely pathogenic NM_002860: c.475C>T: p.R159X mutation of the ALDH18A1 and the second one has likely pathogenic NM_001160227.2: c.5454dupA: p.Glu1819Argfs Ter11 mutation of the SPG11 gene and also was identified by the whole-exome sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Our aim with this study was to confirm that these two novel variants are direct causes of spastic paraplegia.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.791-803
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• 2022

Genome/gene-editing (GE) techniques, characterized by a low technological barrier, high efficiency, and broad application among organisms, are now being employed not only in medical science but also in agriculture/veterinary science. Different engineered CRISPR/Cas9s have been identified to expand the application of this technology. In pig production, GE is a precise new breeding technology (NBT), and promising outcomes in improving economic traits, such as growth, lean or healthy meat production, animal welfare, and disease resistance, have already been documented and reviewed. These promising achievements in porcine gene editing, including the Myostatin gene knockout (KO) in indigenous breeds to improve lean meat production, the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene knock-in to enhance piglet thermogenesis and survival under cold stress, the generation of GGTA1 and CMP-N-glycolylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) gene double KO (dKO) pigs to produce healthy red meat, and the KO or deletion of exon 7 of the CD163 gene to confer resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection, are described in the present article. Other related approaches for such purposes are also discussed. The current trend of global regulations or legislation for GE organisms is that they are exempted from classification as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if no exogenes are integrated into the genome, according to product-based and not process-based methods. Moreover, an updated case study in the EU showed that current GMO legislation is not fit for purpose in term of NBTs, which contribute to the objectives of the EU's Green Deal and biodiversity strategies and even meet the United Nations' sustainable development goals for a more resilient and sustainable agri-food system. The GE pigs generated via NBT will be exempted from classification as GMOs, and their global valorization and commercialization can be foreseen.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.105-116
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• 1995

To investigate genomic changes in c-myc gene by a chemical carcinogen, human lymphoblast NC-37 cells were exposed to benzo(a)pyrene(BP) and dimethylbenzanthracene(DMBA), and the c-myc gene expression was evaluated by Northern and Southern blot hybridization techniques. The results are as follows: When the genomic DNA of NC-37 cells exposed to several concentrations(1.25, 2.5 and 5ug/ml) of BP concentration. However, the c-myc gene was most significantly enhanced with 2.5ug/ml of BP. The expressions of c-myc gene in NC-37 cells was stimulated by BP and DMBA. Addition of TPA reduced the gene expression BP-treated cells, whereas it enhanced the gene expression in DMBA-treated cells. The expression of c-H-ras gene was slightly increased by treatment with BP and DMBA alone and in combination with TPA, however the magnitude of increase was not significantly different between each other. The expressions of c-myc c-H-ras genes in Burkitt's lymphoma cells were greater than those in NC-37 cells. When the DNA extracted from NC-37 cells exposed to various concentrations of BP were amplified by polymerase chain reaction using a primer set containing c-myc exon I, the amplified products were of the same size in all groups. To evaluate the BP toxicity in E.coli to which human c-myc gene-cloned pBR322 vector was inserted, Southern blot hybridization was conducted on c-myc genes digested with EcoRI/HindIII and Smal/Xbal restriction enzymes, and observing that in 2 ug/ml BP-treated cells a 3.5kb fragment was generated in addition to 1.3kb fragment which can be observed in normal cells. Direct nucleotide sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction products showed a mutation of G$\longrightarrow$A transition at the Smal recognition site.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.283-288
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• 2023

Severe chronic neutropenia is classified as severe congenital, cyclic, autoimmune, or idiopathic. However, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the diagnosis of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) and chronic idiopathic neutropenia, and this uncertainty affects further evaluations and treatments. A 20-year-old man presented with fever and knee abrasions after a bicycle accident. On admission, his initial absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was 30/µL. He had no medical history of persistent severe neutropenia with periodic oscillation of ANC. Although his fever resolved after appropriate antibiotic therapy, ANC remained at 80/µL. Bone marrow (BM) aspiration and biopsy were performed, and a BM smear showed myeloid maturation arrest. Moreover, genetic mutation test results showed a heterozygous missense variant in exon 4 of the neutrophil elastase ELANE: c597+1G>C (pV190-F199del). The patient was diagnosed with SCN. After discharge, we routinely checked his ANC level and monitored any signs of infection with minimum use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), considering its potential risk of leukemic transformation. Considering that SCN can be fatal, timely diagnosis and appropriate management with G-CSF are essential. We report the case of a patient with SCN caused by ELANE mutation who had atypical clinical manifestations. For a more accurate diagnosis and treatment of severe chronic neutropenia, further studies are needed to elucidate the various clinical features of ELANE.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.289-289
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• 2022

Waterlogging tolerance of corn is one of the important factor for cultivate in paddy soil condition to increase cultivation area and self-sufficiency of corn in Korea. In order to develop elite waterlogging tolerance corn, the new corn lines bred by crossing wild corn, Teosinte, and cultivated corn inbred lines. Five accessions among the 2 species, Zea mays sub spp. mexicana and Zea mays spp. parviglumis, of 81 Teosinte were selected through the waterlogging treatment. The waterlogging treatments were implemented for 7 days at the seedling(V3) stage. The inbred lines were developed by crossing 5 teosinte accessions and cultivated corn lines and they were estimated waterlogging tolerance. It was screened and analyzed the metabolites extracted from roots of 19KT-32(KS141 × teosinte) that was treated waterlogging. We selected 8 of 180 metabolites like as γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA), putrescine, citrulline, Gly, and Ala that expression was remarkably changed over 2.5-times, 7 metabolites increased and 1 metabolite decreased in waterlogging, respectively. Glutamate decarboxylase(GAD) catalyzing GABA accumulation gene have 10 haplotypes, and exon1 was highly conserved, but identified to 135 SNPs after the first intron. Among the 135 SNPs, the number of transversion mutations (52) surpassed the number of transition mutations (38). Most of metabolites were related to abiotic stress in plant that it regulated to pH, osmotic pressure K⁺/Ca⁺⁺ and ATPase activity. We are analyzing the association using these results for increase breeding efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.259-259
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• 2022

Soil salinity is a major factor that reduces crop yields. The amount of soil affected by salinity is about 83 million hectares (FAO 2000), which is increasing due to the effects of climate change. In soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], nutritional properties such as protein, starch, and sucrose content together with biomass and yield tends to reduce due to excessive salt. As a result of QTL mapping using the 169 F_2:3 population from the KA-1285 (salt-tolerant) × Daepung (salt-sensitive) in a previous study, two major QTLs (Gm03_39796778 and Gm03_40600088) related to salt tolerance were found on chromosome 3. In this study, the CDS region of the Gmsalt3 gene was analyzed using the ABI 3730x1 DNA Analyzer (Macrogen, Korea). The sequence of Gmsalt3 gene in KA-1285 was compared with Williams 82.a4.vl and PI483463 (Glycine soja). Two transversions were found at exon6 in KA-1285 and PI483463. Currently, whole genome sequencing and variation analysis using the Illumine Novaseq 6000 machine (Illumina, USA) are in progress. The results of this study can provide useful molecular markers for the selection of salt-tolerant soybeans and can be used as basic data for future salt-tolerant gene research.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.99-108
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• 2023

Background: Efficient gene editing technology is needed for successful knock-in. Homologous recombination (HR) is a major double-strand break repair pathway that can be utilized for accurately inserting foreign genes into the genome. HR occurs during the S/G2 phase, and the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway is inextricably linked to HR to maintain HR fidelity. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of inhibiting MMR-related genes using CdCl₂, an MMR-related gene inhibitor, on HR efficiency in HC11 cells. Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of MMR-related genes (Msh2, Msh3, Msh6, Mlh1, Pms2), the HR-related gene Rad51, and the NHEJ-related gene DNA Ligase IV were assessed in HC11 cells treated with 10 μM of CdCl₂ for 48 hours. In addition, HC11 cells were transfected with a CRISPR/sgRNA expression vector and a knock-in vector targeting Exon3 of the mouse-beta casein locus, and treated with 10 μM cadmium for 48 hours. The knock-in efficiency was monitored through PCR. Results: The treatment of HC11 cells with a high-dose of CdCl₂ decreased the mRNA expression of the HR-related gene Rad51 in HC11 cells. In addition, the inhibition of MMR-related genes through CdCl₂ treatment did not lead to an increase in knock-in efficiency. Conclusions: The inhibition of MMR-related gene expression through high-dose CdCl₂ treatment reduces the expression of the HR-related gene Rad51, which is active during recombination. Therefore, it was determined that CdCl₂ is an inappropriate compound for improving HR efficiency.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2024

Purpose: Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is one of the most common autosomal dominant diseases caused by heterozygous mutation in the NF1 gene. Mutation detection is complex owing to the large size of the NF1 gene, the presence of a high number of partial pseudogenes, and the great variety of mutations. We aimed to study the mutation spectrum of NF1 gene in Korean patients with NF1. Materials and Methods: We have analyzed total 69 unrelated patients who were clinically diagnosed with NF1. PCR and sequencing of the NF1 gene was performed in all unrelated index patients. Additionally, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) test of the NF1 and SPRED1 gene analysis (sequencing and MLPA test) were performed in patients with negative results from NF1 gene sequencing analysis. Results: Fifty-five different variants were identified in 60 individuals, including six novel variants. The mutations included 36 single base substitutions (15 missense and 21 nonsense), eight splicing mutations, 13 small insertion or deletions, and three gross deletions. Most pathogenic variants were unique. The mutations were evenly distributed across exon one through 58 of NF1, and no mutational hot spots were found. When fulfilling the National Institutes of Health criterion for the clinical diagnosis of NF1, the detection rate was 84.1%. Cafe-au-lait macules were observed in all patients with NF1 mutations. There is no clear relationship between specific mutations and clinical features. Conclusion: This study revealed a wide spectrum and genetic basis of patients with NF1 in Korea. Our results aim to contribute genetic management and counseling.