• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2001

This study was designed to investigate the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on DNA stability in human spermatozoa. To verify human spermatozoa were incubated with xanthine-xanthine oxidase (X 100$\mu$M-XO 50 mlU ~ 400 mIU), $H_2O_2$ (125 $\mu$M ~ 1 mM), sodium nitroprusside (SNP 0.1 $\mu$M ~ 100 $\mu$M) or lymphocyte. Otherwise, spermatozoa were incubated under low $O_2$ (5%) condition. Damage of sperm DNA was analyzed by single cell electrophoresis (Comet assay) and flow cytometry after acridine orange staining. In the presence of ROS, there was increase in DNA damage. The rate of DNA single strand breakage (9.0$\pm$1.0% ~ 46.0$\pm$4.6%) and DNA fragmentation (7.51$\pm$1.0% ~ 29.5$\pm$4.6%) were similar regardless of the kinds of ROS and exposure time. DNA damage in the lower $O_2$ condition (5%) was lower than ambient $O_2$ condition (20%). Taken together, it suggested that sperm DNA might be damaged by ROS. In the presence of ROS, increase in DNA damage and chromatin instability was obvious in spite of short exposure. Although present study reconfirmed that sperm incubation in the low concentration of ROS have the benefit m the induction of capacitation and Ah, the increase in DNA damage by ROS and possible genetic problem should be considered before the human trials.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1225-1228
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• 2006

Cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) complexed with cAMP binds to DNA and induces sharp DNA bending around ${\sim}90$ degree. Previous publication (5), however, reported that mutant CRP:cGMP complex showed high migration rate relative to mutant CRP:cAMP complex on native polyacrylamide gel. To confirm DNA structural change in the presence of CRP and cyclic nucleotide, molar cyclization factor $(j_M)$ [13] was measured with 6 constructed DNA fragments. Nonlinear regression analysis of $j_M$ data indicated that mutant CRP did not induce DNA bending in the presence of cGMP but bent DNA in the presence of cAMP without any helical twist change in DNA.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.262-267
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• 1999

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) species complex sampled from the east coast of Korean was studied using a partial sequence of COIII gene (336 bp). Samples obtained from three localities on the east coast of Korea revealed four haplotypes with two clearly differentiated mitochondrial clades (termed clades B and E), separated by 4.2% of minimum sequence divergence. This pattern indicates no difference between east and south coasts of Korea. According to population genetic theory on evolutionary characteristics of mtDNA, we concluded that mtDNA introgression from M. edulis to M. gallprovincialis might be a source for mtDNA polymorphism found in mussels on the east coast of Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.315-323
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• 1992

The effects of several parameters on PCR amplification in using RAPD were studied. The results of this study suggest that approximately 15 ng of genomic DNA in $20\;{\mu}l$ of reaction mixture results in discrete and reproducible PCR products. In addition, the results indicate that concentration or amounts of reaction components studied are highly inter-dependent in their effects, and RNA can interfere severely with PCR amplification. Suitable concentrations or amounts of reaction components were found to be 30 ng of 10-mer primer, $200\;{\mu}M$ of dNTP, 0.001% gelatin 1.5 mM $MgCl_2$, 10 mM Tris-Cl (pH 8.8), 50 mM KCl, 0.1% Triton X-100, 2 units of Taq DNA polymerase, and 15 ng of RNase-treated genomic DNA in $25\;{\mu}l$ of reaction mixture.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.400-409
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• 1998

Formation of adduct was studied in benzo(a)pyrene(BP)- and doxorubicin(Dx)-treated human NC-37 cells and isolated nuclei. Major adducts formed were determined by fluorescence absorption spectrophotometery and DNA-lin-ked protein assay. When isolated nuclei were exposed to carcinogens BP and DMBA, and anticancer drugs m-AMSA, ellipticine and Dx, varying degrees of adduct formation occured between DNA-protein complex and these drugs. When the mixture was centrifuged 1.7 M sucrose solution, binding BP and DMBA appeared to be similar between the sediment and the supernatant. When the sediment was centrifuged again with 0.35% polymin-P, the amount of BP bound was 2-fold greater in the protein(1077$\pm$55cpm) than in DNA fraction (470$\pm$20cpm), whereas that of DMBA was 1.6-fold greater in the DNA than in protein fraction. In the case of m-AMSA, ellipticine and Dx, the amount of binding was slightly greater in supernatant than in sediment in centrifugation with 1.7 M sucrose, and more than 3 times greater in the DNA- than in protein- fraction in centrifugation with 0.35% polymin P. DNA fractions which associated with a subset of nonhistone chromosomal protein were isolated from NC-37 cells exposed to $^{3}$H-BP and $^{14}$C-Dx. They were separated into two distince components DNA-S and DNA-P by centrifugation with 2M Nacl chromatin extraction. The results indicated that the amount of $^{3}$H-BP bound was 6.0-fold greater in DNA-P as compared with DNA-S, while that of $^{14}$C-Dx binding appreaed to be 6.2-fold greater in DNA-S than in DNA-P fraction. When $^{3}$H-BP binding wasdetermined in the presence of cold Dx, the amount of binding was reduced only in the DNA-P fraction, indicating that the interaction between DNA and protein is decreased. Gene expression by these drugs, BP treated cells were increased to compare with nomal cells but reduced by treatment with BP-Dx. These results suggest that the protein moiety which tightly bound to DNA-P fraction may play an important role in the regulation of gene expression.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.503-507
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• 1998

This study was initiated to evaluate genetic relationship among various domestic and exotic pepper accessions using random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) markers. The results suggested that the optimum conditions for PCR with random primers in Capsicum spp. could be obtained with 3mM of $MgCl_2$, 1.5U of Taq. DNA polymerase, 10ng of template DNA, $200{\mu}M$ of dNTPs, 200nM of random primer, and $42^{\circ}C$ of annealing temperature. Sixteen random primers showing high band intensity and reproducibility were selected from 80 random primers. Primers having 70% GC content were more effective in DNA amplification than primers having 60% GC content. The total 93 DNA bands including 71 polymorphic bands and 22 monomorphic bands were obtained with selected 16 random primers for 31 pepper cultivars and lines. About 4.4 polymorphic bands per primer were produced. Similarity coefficients were calculated by using 71 polymorphic bands and dendrogram based on the similarity coefficient showed clear classification of 31 peppers into three Capsicum species of Capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense and Capsicum chacoense.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1022-1030
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• 2004

The gene encoding Aquifex pyrophilus (Apy) DNA polymerase was cloned and sequenced. The Apy DNA polymerase gene consists of 1,725 bp coding for a protein with 574 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Apy DNA. polymerase showed a high sequence homology to Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I-like DNA polymerases. It was deduced by amino acid sequence alignment that Apy DNA polymerase, like the Klenow fragment, has only the two domains, the $3'{\rightarrow}5'$ exonuclease domain and the $5'{\rightarrow}3'$ polymerase domain, containing the characteristic motifs. The Apy DNA polymerase gene was expressed under the control of T7lac promoter on the expression vector pET-22b(+) in E. coli. The expressed enzyme was purified by heat treatment, and Cibacron blue 3GA and $UNO^{TM}$ Q column chromatographies. The optimum pH of the purified enzyme was 7.5, and the optimal concentrations of KCl and $Mg^{2+}$ were 20 mM and 3 mM, respectively. Apy DNA polymerase contained a double strand-dependent $3'{\rightarrow}5'$ proofreading exonuclease activity, but lacked any detectable $5'{\rightarrow}3'$ exonuclease activity, which is consistent with its amino acid sequence. The somewhat lower thermostability of Apy DNA polymerase than the growth temperature of A. pyrophilus was analyzed by the comparison of amino acid composition and pressure effect.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 2003

While the DNA-protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex, comprised of DNA-PKcs and Ku80, is primary involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, it is also believed to participate in additional cellular processes. Here, treatment of embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from either wild-type (Wt) or DNA-PKcs-null (DNA-$PKcs^{-/-}$) mice with various stress inducing agents revealed that adriamycin was markedly more cytotoxic for $Ku80^{-/-}MEFs$ and led to their long-term accumulation in the $G_2$/M phase. This differential response was not due to differences in DNA repair, since adrimycin-triggered DNA damage was repaired with comparable efficiency in both Wt and $Ku80^{-/-}MEFs$, but was associated with differences in the expression of important cell cycle regulatory genes. Our results support the notion that Ku80-mediated cytoprotection and $G_2$/M-progression are not only dependent on the cell's DNA repair but also may reflect Ku80's influence on additional cellular processes such as gene expression.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.96-102
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• 2002

The S-phase checkpoint mechanisms response to DNA damage or inhibition of DNA replication for maintenance of genetic stability in eukaryotic cells. These roles include cell cycle control arrest at S-phase and Iranscriptional induction of repair genes. To characterize the defects of dpbll mutant for both these responses, we examined the over-expression effect of DPBll gene, the sensitivity to HU, MMS, and the transcriptional pattern by DNA damage agent for RNRS mRNA. RNRS transcript is induced in response to a wide variety of agents that either damage D7A directly through chemical modification or induce stress by blocking DNA synthesis. As results, dpbll-1 cells are sensitive to DNA damage agents and the level of RNR3 mRNA is reduced approximately 40% than wild type cells. Moreover, we found the same results in dpb2-1 cells. Therefore, we propose that DPB2 and DPBll act as a sensor of replication that coordinates the transcriptional and cell cycle responses to replication blocks.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.183-186
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• 2010

To identify Korean red-backed voles (Myodes regulus) from Korea by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing, we obtained mtDNA control region sequences of 17 red-backed voles from Korea and northeast China, and these sequences were compared with the corresponding haplotypes of Myodes obtained from GenBank. We identified five red-backed voles from Mt. Changbai and Harbin as M. rufocanus and another three redbacked voles from Harbin as M. rutilus, respectively. Moreover, nine red-backed voles from Korea, showing the average nucleotide distance of 0.66% among nine haplotypes, were different from other species of Myodes, and the average distance between nine haplotypes of red-backed voles from Korea and seven haplotypes of M. rufocanus was 6.41%, whereas the average distance between nine haplotypes of red-backed voles from Korea and five haplotypes of M. rutilus was 14.8%. We identified the red-backed voles from Korea as M. regulus, and found that M. regulus is distinct in its mtDNA control region sequences as well, although we propose further analyses with additional specimens from East Asia using nuclear and mtDNA markers to confirm the distinctness of M. regulus.