• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 1998

The N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG), a ubiquitous DNA repair enzyme, removes N-methylpurine and other damaged purines induced in DNA. Tissue-specific mRNA levels of the N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG) were investigated in Balb/c mice of four different growing stages; newborn, 1, 4 and 8-weeks postpartum. MPG expressions in the newborn and the 8-week-old mice were the highest in thymus and testis, respectively. The tested tissues of the newborn mice had consistently higher MPG mRNA level than 8-week-old adults except in testis and thymus. The MPG mRNA level in testis was the lowest in the newborn mice, but it attained the highest in the 8-week-old mice. The levels of MPG mRNA among the different tissues in the newborn and the 8-week-old mice were more than 9.0 and 19.0-fold respectively. These results suggest that the of MPG expression was dependent on the growing stage and had tissue-specificity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.844-848
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• 2002

In more than half of human tumors, the p53 tumor suppressor gene is mutated. Thus, restoration of wild-type p53 activity by repair of mutant RNA could be a potentially promissing approach to cancer treatment. To explore the potential use of RNA repair for cancer therapy, trans-splicing group I ribozymes were developed that could replace mutant p53 RNA with RNA sequence attached to the 3'end of ribozymes. By employing a mapping library of ribozymes, we first determined which regions of the p53 RNA are accessible to ribozymes, and found that the leader sequences upstream of the AUG start codon appeared to be particularly accessible. Next, trans-splicing ribozymes were generated that specifically recognized the sequences around these accessible regions. Subsequently, the ribozymes reacted with and altered the p53 transcripts by transferring a 3'exon tag sequence onto the targeted p53 RNA with high fidelity. Thus, these ribozymes could be utilized to repair mutant p53 in tumors, which would revert the neoplastic phenotype.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 1996

The RAD3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for excision repair and is essential for cell viability. RAD3 encoded protein possesses a single stranded DNA-dependent ATPase and DNA-RNA helicase activies. To examine the extent of conservation of structure and function of RAD3 during eukaryotic evolution, we have cloned the RAD3 homolog, HRD3, from the distantly related yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we report the partial cloning and characterization of HRD3 gene (Homologous of RAD3 gene) which was isolated by PCR amplification using conserved domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD3 gene. Chromosomal DNA isolated from S. pombe had similar restriction patterns to those from S. cerevisiae, as determined by Southern blot analysis. The 2. 8 kb transcript of mRNA was identified by Northern hybridization. The level of transcript did not increase upon UV-irradiation, suggesting that the HRD3 gene in S. pombe is not UV-inducible.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.437-443
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• 2018

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), and to a lesser extent, the error-free pathway known as homology-directed repair (HDR) are cellular mechanisms for recovery from double-strand DNA breaks (DSB) induced by RNA-guided programmable nuclease CRISPR/Cas. Since NHEJ is equivalent to using a duck tape to stick two pieces of metals together, the outcome of this repair mechanism is prone to error. Any out-of-frame mutations or premature stop codons resulting from NHEJ repair mechanism are extremely handy for loss-of-function studies. Substitution of a mutation on the genome with the correct exogenous repair DNA requires coordination via an error-free HDR, for targeted transgenesis. However, several practical limitations exist in harnessing the potential of HDR to replace a faulty mutation for therapeutic purposes in all cell types and more so in somatic cells. In germ cells after the DSB, copying occurs from the homologous chromosome, which increases the chances of incorporation of exogenous DNA with some degree of homology into the genome compared with somatic cells where copying from the identical sister chromatid is always preferred. This review summarizes several strategies that have been implemented to increase the frequency of HDR with a focus on somatic cells. It also highlights the limitations of this technology in gene therapy and suggests specific solutions to circumvent those barriers.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2001

DNA damage response has a central role in the maintenance of genomic integrity while mutations in related genes may result in a range of disorders including neoplasic formations. The uvsZl characterized in this report is a navel uvs mutation in Aspergillus nidulans, resulting in a nucleotide excision repair (NER) phenotype: UV-sensitivity before DNA synthesis (quiescent cells), high UV-induced mutation frequency and probable absence of involvement with mitotic and meiotic recombinations. The mutation is recessive and nan-allelic to the previously characterized uvsA101 mutation, also located on the paba-y interval on chromosome I. uvsZl skewed wild-type sensitivity to MMS, which suggests non-involvement of this mutation with BER. Epitasis tests showed that the uvsZ gene product is probably involved in the same repair pathways as UVSB or UVSH proteins. Although mutations in these proteins result in an NER phenotype, UVSB is related with cell cycle control and UVSH is associated with the post-replicational repair pathway. The epistatic interaction among uvsZl and uvsB413 and uvsH77 mutations indicates that different repair systems may be related with the common steps of DNA damage response in Aspergillus nidulans.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2002

It has long been recognized that exposure to low levels of toxic chemicals could have beneficial effects, such as increased resistance to related chemicals or stimulation of growth or development. The notion of radiation hormesis, that exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation could produce beneficial effects, developed seriously in the late 1950’s, and was, to most radiation scientists, incredible. This was due in pan to the then prevailing ideas of radiobiological mechanisms, in part to the sweeping generalizations made by the leading proponents of the radiation hormesis concept, and in pan to the many failures to confirm reports of beneficial effects. More recent understanding of the mechanisms of radiation damage and repair, and discoveries of induction of gene expression by radiation and other genotoxic agents [the adaptive response] make it seem inevitable that under suitable conditions, irradiation will produce beneficial effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.127-127
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.55.1-55
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• 1996

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.98-116
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• 2022

The small GTPase RhoA has been studied extensively for its role in actin dynamics. In this study, multiple bioinformatics tools were applied cooperatively to the microarray dataset GSE64714 to explore previously unidentified functions of RhoA. Comparative gene expression analysis revealed 545 differentially expressed genes in RhoA-null cells versus controls. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted with three gene set collections: (1) the hallmark, (2) the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and (3) the Gene Ontology Biological Process. GSEA results showed that RhoA is related strongly to diverse pathways: cell cycle/growth, DNA repair, metabolism, keratinization, response to fungus, and vesicular transport. These functions were verified by heatmap analysis, KEGG pathway diagramming, and direct acyclic graphing. The use of multiple gene set collections restricted the leakage of information extracted. However, gene sets from individual collections are heterogenous in gene element composition, number, and the contextual meaning embraced in names. Indeed, there was a limit to deriving functions with high accuracy and reliability simply from gene set names. The comparison of multiple gene set collections showed that although the gene sets had similar names, the gene elements were extremely heterogeneous. Thus, the type of collection chosen and the analytical context influence the interpretation of GSEA results. Nonetheless, the analyses of multiple collections made it possible to derive robust and consistent function identifications. This study confirmed several well-described roles of RhoA and revealed less explored functions, suggesting future research directions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4803-4812
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• 2015

Chronic alcohol and tobacco abuse plays a crucial role in the development of different liver associated disorders. Intake promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species within hepatic cells exposing their DNA to continuous oxidative stress which finally leads to DNA damage. However in response to such damage an entangled protective repair machinery comprising different repair proteins like ATM, ATR, H2AX, MRN complex becomes activated. Under abnormal conditions the excessive reactive oxygen species generation results in genetic predisposition of various genes (as ADH, ALDH, CYP2E1, GSTT1, GSTP1 and GSTM1) involved in xenobiotic metabolic pathways, associated with susceptibility to different liver related diseases such as fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is increasing evidence that the inflammatory process is inherently associated with many different cancer types, including hepatocellular carcinomas. The generated reactive oxygen species can also activate or repress epigenetic elements such as chromatin remodeling, non-coding RNAs (micro-RNAs), DNA (de) methylation and histone modification that affect gene expression, hence leading to various disorders. The present review provides comprehensive knowledge of different molecular mechanisms involved in gene polymorphism and their possible association with alcohol and tobacco consumption. The article also showcases the necessity of identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers for early cancer risk assessment among alcohol and tobacco users.