• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1182-1188
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• 2016

Membrane-associated guanylate kinase inverted-3 (MAGI-3) is a member of the family of membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs). MAGI-3 modulates the kinase activity of protein kinase B (PKB)/AKT through interactions with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)/MMAC. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common causative agent of acute myocarditis and chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. Activation of AKT and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) is essential for CVB3 replication, but the relation between MAGI-3 signaling and CVB3 replication is not well understood. This study investigated the role of MAGI-3 in CVB3 infection and replication. MAGI-3 was overexpressed in HeLa cells by polyethylenimine (PEI) transfection. To optimize the transfection conditions, different ratios of plasmid DNA to PEI concentrations were used. MAGI-3 and empty plasmid DNA were transfected into the HeLa cells. MAGI-3 overexpression alone was not sufficient to efficiently activate AKT. However, expression of the CVB3 capsid protein VP1 dramatically increased in the HeLa cells overexpressing MAGI-3 24 h after CVB3 infection. In addition, the activities of AKT and ERK were significantly induced in the CVB3-infected MAGI-3 cells overexpressing HeLa. These results demonstrate that MAGI-3 expression upregulates CVB3 replication through AKT and ERK signaling activation. MAGI-3 may be an important target to control CVB3 replication.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2023

A cryptic plasmid (pTH32) was characterized from Tetragenococcus halophilus 32, an isolate from jeotgal, Korean traditional fermented seafood. pTH32 is 3,198 bp in size with G+C content of 35.84%, and contains 4 open reading frames (ORFs). orf1 and orf2 are 456 bp and 273 bp in size, respectively, and their translation products showed 65.16% and 69.35% similarities with RepB family plasmid replication initiators, respectively, suggesting the rolling-circle replication (RCR) mode of pTH32. orf3 and orf4 encodes putative hypothetical protein of 186 and 76 amino acids, respectively. A novel Tetragenococcus-Escherichia coli shuttle vector, pMJ32E (7.3 kb, Em^r), was constructed by ligation of pTH32 with pBluescript II KS(+) and an erythromycin resistance gene (ErmC). pMJ32E successfully replicated in Enterococcus faecalis 29212 and T. halophilus 31 but not in other LAB species. A pepA gene, encoding aminopeptidase A (PepA) from T. halophilus CY54, was successfully expressed in T. halophilus 31 using pMJ32E. The transformant (TF) showed higher PepA activity (49.8 U/mg protein) than T. halophilus 31 cell (control). When T. halophilus 31 TF was subculturd in MRS broth without antibiotic at 48 h intervals, 53.8% of cells retained pMJ32E after 96 h, and only 2.4% of cells retained pMJ32E after 14 days, supporting the RCR mode of pTH32. pMJ32E could be useful for the genetic engineering of Tetragenococcus and Enterococcus species.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.181-187
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• 1990

STA gene coding glucoamylase was introduced into haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae SHY3 and polyploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae 54. We constructed the recombinant plasmid by substituting the promoter region of alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme I gene for that of STA gene to increase the expression of STA gene and found that the activity of glucoamylase was increased in transformants. The plasmid stability was improved remarkably when we got the STA gene into the plasmid which had centromere. The activity of glucoamylase and transformation frequency of it, however, was decreased because of low copy number. Industrial polyploid strain was transformed with the recombinant plasmid having the $2\mu$ origin of replication and STA gene. It produced more alcohol than host when fermented in liquefied starch media. The industrial strain, however, was not transformed with the autonomously replicating plasmid containing centromere.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2007

A marine bacterium was isolated from Mai Po Nature Reserve of Hong Kong and identified as Vibrio cholerae MP-1. It contains a small plasmid designated as pVC of 3.8 kb. Four open reading frames (ORFs) are identified on the plasmid, but none of them shows homology to any known protein. Database search indicated that a 440 bp fragment is 96% identical to a fragment found in a small plasmid of another V. cholerae. Further experiments demonstrated that a 2.3 kb EcoRI fragment containing the complete ORF1, partial ORF4 and their intergenic region could self-replicate. Additional analyses revealed that sequence upstream of ORF1 showed the features characteristic of theta type replicons. Protein encoded by ORF1 has two characteristic motifs existed in most replication initiator proteins (Rep): the leucine zipper (LZ) motif located at the N-terminal region and the alpha helix-turn-alpha helix motif (HTH) located at the C-terminal end. The results suggest that pVC replicates via the theta type mechanism and is likely a novel type of theta replicon.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.118-120
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• 2002

Genetic materials including DNA plasmid are effective delivery vehicle to express interesting gene efficiently and safely not to generate replication competent virus. Moreover, it has advantages to design a better vector and to simplify manufacturing and storage condition. To understand a possible pathogenic mechanism by a flavivirus, West Nile virus (WNV), WNV genome sequence was aligned to other pathogenic viral genome. Interestingly, WNV capsid (Cp) amino acid sequence has some homology to HIV-l Vpr protein. These proteins induce apoptosis in human cell lines as well as in vivo and cell cycle arrest. Therefore, DNA plasmid carrying apoptosis-inducing and cell cycle arresting viral proteins including a HIV-1 Vpr and a WNV Cp protein can be useful for anti-cancer therapeutic applications. This WNV Cp protein is an early expressed protein which can be a reasonable target antigen (Ag) for vaccine design. Immunization of a DNA construct encoding WNV Cp protein induces a strong Ag-specific humoral and Th1-type immune responses in animal. Therefore, DNA plasmid encoding apoptotic viral proteins can be useful tool for therapeutic and prophylactic applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1986.12a
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• pp.529.2-529
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• 1986

pSp-Si (1.6kbp) was originally found in pediococcus halophilus to be a cryptic multicopy-plasmid. Hoping that the plasmid can also replicate in Bacillus subtilis, protoplast transformation of strain 207-25 (recE) was performed using pSP-Sl onto which was added the marker of tmrB8 (on 4.9 kbp EcoRI fragment ) or tmrB+ (on 0.9 kbp xbaI fragment) gene. Though the tmrB8 gene can expres tunicamycin-resistance at the single copy state, and the tmrB+ gene exerts the resistance only at the multicopy state, we could not confirm the replication of pSP-Sl (tmrB8) or pSP-Sl(tmrB+) in B. subtilis. During the experiment, however, we unexpectedly found that the circularized 0.9 kbp xgaI fragment (tmrB+) itself, which had no replication origin, could transform strain 207-25 to tunicamycin-resistant by protoplast transformation. Southern hybridization analyses with tmrB+ and other probes revealed the integration of the fragment at a single copy state into a position other than the homologous tmrB gene. This recE independent integration of another tmrB+ gene into the chromosome may contribute to the tunicamycinresistance in the transformants.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.396-401
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• 2009

The nucleotide sequence contains 2 open reading frames encoding a 45-amino-acid protein homologous to a transcriptional repressor protein CopG, and a 203-amino-acid protein homologous to a replication protein RepB. Putative countertranscribed RNA, a double-strand origin, and a single-strand origin were also identified. A shuttle vector, pUCL2.1, for various lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was constructed on the basis of the pCL2.1 replicon, into which an erythromycin-resistance gene as a marker and Escherichia coli ColE1 replication origin were inserted. pUCL2.1 was introduced into E. coli, Lc. lactis, Lactobacillus (Lb.) plantarum, Lb. paraplantarum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The recombinant LAB maintained traits of transformed plasmid in the absence of selection pressure over 40 generations. Therefore, pUCL2.1 could be used as an E. coli/LAB shuttle vector, which is an essential to engineer recombinant LAB strains that are useful for food fermentations.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.3676-3680
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• 2012

An Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-based plasmid contains the EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) gene and EBV replication origin (oriP) sequence. Since EBNA1 (the only EBV-encoded protein) is combined with oriP, it is replicated simultaneously with chromosomal DNA in human, primate, and canine cells and is faithfully segregated at a stable copy number upon cell division. Consequently, it can be used to stably express gene inserts over a prolonged time in target cells. We have previously shown that the polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer can be surface-modified with L-arginine. Arginine is present at a high frequency in the transactivator of transcription (Tat) sequences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It presents high membrane permeability and permits effective transfer of DNA inside the cells. In this study, we constructed two kinds of recombinant DNA by inserting the luciferase gene and enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) gene as reporter genes into the pCEP4 plasmid vector. We measured dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential after preparing PAMAM-based cationic polymer/EBV-based plasmid complexes. We performed transfection of HEK 293 cell lines with the polyplexes, and monitored luciferase activity and green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression. Our results show that PAMAM-based cationic polymer/EBV plasmid complexes provide enhanced and sustained gene expression.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.162-165
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• 1997

RNA I. a negative controller of ColE1-type plasmid replication, is metabolized by several RNases in Escherichia coli. Two small derivatives of RNA I are accumulated at nonpermissive temperatures in an E. coli strain carrying the rnpA49 mutation, a thermosensitive mutation in the rnpA gene encoding the protein component of RNase P. A primer extension analysis was carried out to compare 5' processing of RNA I in the E. coli rnpA49 cells at both permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. Derivatives of RNA I having different 5' ends were observed in the cells grown at permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. Some of the derivatives may be generated by the cleavage of RNase P.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2001