• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to detect expression of genes related to egg production in Taiwan Country chickens by suppression subtractive hybridization. Liver samples of mRNA extraction from two Taiwan Country chicken strains (L2 and B), originated from the same population but with very distinct egg production rates after long-term selection for egg and meat production respectively. Two-way subtraction was performed. The hepatic cDNA from the low egg production chickens (B) was subtracted from the hepatic cDNA from the high egg production strain (L2). The reversed subtraction (L2 from B) was also performed. The resulting differentially expressed gene fragments were cloned and sequenced. We sequenced 288 clones from the forward subtraction and 96 clones from the reverse subtraction. These genes were subjected to further screening to confirm the differential expression between the two genetic breeds of chickens. The apolipoprotein B (apoB) was expressed to a greater extent in the liver of the L2 than in the B line chickens. The 5-aminoimidazole- 4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/IMP cyclohydrolase (PURH) was expressed to a greater extent in the liver of the B than in the L2 strain chickens. We demonstrated that both apoB and PURH were more highly expressed in the liver than that in other tissues (muscle, ovary, and oviduct) in laying Taiwan Country chickens. Taken together, these data suggest that after the selection for egg production, expression of apoB and PURH genes were also changed. Whether the changed expression of these genes is directly related to egg production is not known, but these two genes may be useful markers for egg laying performance in Taiwan Country chickens.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1047-1055
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• 2014

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of endogenous small non-coding RNAs of 20-25 nucleotides in length that function as negative gene regulators. MiRNAs play roles in most biological processes, as well as diverse human diseases including cancer. Recently, many studies investigated the association between SNPs in miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-149 rs229283, miR-499 rs3746444 and colorectal cancer (CRC), which results have been inconclusive. Methodology/Principal Findings: PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI databases were searched with the last search updated on November 5, 2013. For miR-196a2 rs11614913, a significantly decreased risk of CRC development was observed under three genetic models (dominant model: OR = 0.848, 95%CI: 0.735-0.979, P = 0.025; recessive model: OR = 0.838, 95%CI: 0.721-0.974, P = 0.021; homozygous model: OR = 0.754, 95%CI: 0.627-0.907, P = 0.003). In the subgroup analyses, miR-$196a2^*T$ variant was associated with a significantly decreased susceptibility of CRC (allele model: OR = 0.839, 95%CI: 0.749-0.940, P = 0.000; dominant model: OR = 0.770, 95%CI: 0.653-0.980, P = 0.002; recessive model: OR = 0.802, 95%CI: 0.685-0.939, P = 0.006; homozygous model: OR = 0.695, 95%CI: 0.570-0.847, P = 0.000). As for miR-149 rs2292832, the two genetic models (recessive model: OR = 1.199, 95% CI 1.028-1.398, P = 0.021; heterozygous model: OR = 1.226, 95% CI 1.039-1.447, P = 0.013) demonstrated increased susceptibility to CRC. On subgroup analysis, significantly increased susceptibility of CRC was found in the genetic models (recessive model: OR = 1.180, 95% CI 1.008-1.382, P = 0.040; heterozygous model: OR = 1.202, 95% CI 1.013-1.425, P = 0.013) in the Asian group. Conclusions: These findings supported that the miR-196a2 rs11614913 and miR-149 rs2292832 polymorphisms may contribute to susceptibility to CRC.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.879-886
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• 2014

This study was conducted to test in vitro the antagonistic effect of composted liquid manure (CLM) against soil-borne turfgrass pathogenic fungi, Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2 (IIIB) (brown patch), R. solani AG-2-2 (IV) (large patch), and Sclerotinia homoeocarpa (dollar spot) for environmentally friendly turfgrass management. CLMs were collected from 9 livestock excretion treatment facilities around the country including Gunwi (GW), Hapcheon (HC), Hoengseong (HS), Icheon (IC), Iksan (IS), Muan (MA), Nonsan (NS), and Yeoju (YJ). CLMs of IC, GW, and IS showed s ignificant (p < 0.05) mycelium growth inhibition that was 17.8%, 20.4%, and 48.0% against R. solani AG-2-2 (IIIB), R. solani AG-2-2 (IV), and S. homoeocarpa, respectively. A t otal of 110 bacterial isolates were obtained from the CLMs that showed antagonistic effects. Among them, 5, 4, and 10 microbe isolates showed promising antifungal activity against mycelium growth of R. solani AG-2-2 (IIIB), R. solani AG-2-2 (IV), and S. homoeocarpa, respectively. The bacterial isolates ICIIIB60, GWIV70, and ISSH20 effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of three soil-borne turfgrass pathogens. Selected bacterial isolates were identified as Alcaligenes sp., Bacillus licheniformis Ab2, and B. subtilis C7-3 through 16s rDNA gene sequence analysis. Among 5 fungicides, the most compatible fungicide with ICIIIB60, GWIV70, and ISSH20 was tebuconazol, toclofos-methyl and toclofos-methyl, respectively. These findings suggested that CLMs could be effectively used not only as organic liquid fertilizer sources but also as biological control agents for soil-borne turfgrass diseases such as brown patch, large patch, and dollar spot.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.559-565
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• 2008

Members of the TGA family of basic domain/leucine zipper transcription factors regulate defense genes through physical interaction with NON-EXPRESSOR OF PR1 (NPR1). Of the seven TGA family members, TGA4/octopine synthase (ocs)-element-binding factor 4 (OBF4) is the least understood. Here we present evidence for a novel function of OBF4 as a regulator of flowering. We identified CONSTANS (CO), a positive regulator of floral induction, as an OBF4-interacting protein, in a yeast two-hybrid library screen. OBF4 interacts with the B-box region of CO. The abundance of OBF4 mRNA cycles with a 24 h rhythm under both long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) conditions, with significantly higher levels during the night than during the day. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that OBF4 binds to the promoter of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene, a direct target of CO. We also found that, like CO and FT, an OBF4:GUS construct was prominently expressed in the vascular tissues of leaf, indicating that OBF4 can regulate FT expression through the formation of a protein complex with CO. Taken together, our results suggest that OBF4 may act as a link between defense responses and flowering.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.101-110
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• 2015

Purpose: Sclerostin, an inhibitor of Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling, exerts negative effects on bone formation and contributes to periodontitis-induced alveolar bone loss. Recent studies have demonstrated that serum sclerostin levels are increased in diabetic patients and that sclerostin expression in alveolar bone is enhanced in a diabetic periodontitis model. However, the molecular mechanism of how sclerostin expression is enhanced in diabetic patients remains elusive. Therefore, in this study, the effect of hyperglycemia on the expression of sclerostin in osteoblast lineage cells was examined. Methods: C2C12 and MLO-Y4 cells were used in this study. In order to examine the effect of hyperglycemia, the glucose concentration in the culture medium was adjusted to a range of levels between 40 and 100 mM. Gene expression levels were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays. Top-Flash reporter was used to examine the transcriptional activity of the ${\beta}$-catenin/lymphoid enhanced factor/T-cell factor complex. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF{\alpha}$) protein levels were examined with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of reactive oxygen species on sclerostin expression was examined by treating cells with 1 mM $H_2O_2$ or 20 mM N-acetylcysteine. Results: The high glucose treatment increased the mRNA and protein levels of sclerostin. High glucose suppressed Wnt3a-induced Top-Flash reporter activity and the expression levels of osteoblast marker genes. High glucose increased reactive oxygen species production and $TNF{\alpha}$ expression levels. Treatment of cells with $H_2O_2$ also enhanced the expression levels of $TNF{\alpha}$ and sclerostin. In addition, N-acetylcysteine treatment or knockdown of $TNF{\alpha}$ attenuated high glucose-induced sclerostin expression. Conclusions: These results suggest that hyperglycemia increases sclerostin expression via the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species and $TNF{\alpha}$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.884-888
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• 2005

An agar-degrading bacterium was isolated from north-eastern sea of Jeju island and cultured in marine agar 2216 media. Biochemical and morphologicl characteristics and 165 rRNA gene revealed that isolated strain was member of Agarivorans genus, and named Agarivorans sp. JA-1. Agarase was produced as growth-related and expressed regardless of agar presence. Optimal pH was 8 at 50 mM Clycine-NaOH buffer, and activity was maximum at $40^{\circ}C$E Enzymatic activity was maintained over $80\%$ at $60^{\circ}C$t and $70\%$ at $80^{\circ}C$ which is thermotolerant. Hence isolated novel Agarivorans sp. JA-1 strain and its beta-agarase could be used for the production of functional oligosaccharide from agar in solution state.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.66-78
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• 2022

The identification of oleaginous yeast species capable of simultaneously utilizing xylose and glucose as substrates to generate value-added biological products is an area of key economic interest. We have previously demonstrated that the Cutaneotrichosporon dermatis NICC30027 yeast strain is capable of simultaneously assimilating both xylose and glucose, resulting in considerable lipid accumulation. However, as no high-quality genome sequencing data or associated annotations for this strain are available at present, it remains challenging to study the metabolic mechanisms underlying this phenotype. Herein, we report a 39,305,439 bp draft genome assembly for C. dermatis NICC30027 comprised of 37 scaffolds, with 60.15% GC content. Within this genome, we identified 524 tRNAs, 142 sRNAs, 53 miRNAs, 28 snRNAs, and eight rRNA clusters. Moreover, repeat sequences totaling 1,032,129 bp in length were identified (2.63% of the genome), as were 14,238 unigenes that were 1,789.35 bp in length on average (64.82% of the genome). The NCBI non-redundant protein sequences (NR) database was employed to successfully annotate 11,795 of these unigenes, while 3,621 and 11,902 were annotated with the Swiss-Prot and TrEMBL databases, respectively. Unigenes were additionally subjected to pathway enrichment analyses using the Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COG), Clusters of orthologous groups for eukaryotic complete genomes (KOG), and Non-supervised Orthologous Groups (eggNOG) databases. Together, these results provide a foundation for future studies aimed at clarifying the mechanistic basis for the ability of C. dermatis NICC30027 to simultaneously utilize glucose and xylose to synthesize lipids.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.350-358
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• 2023

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infectious disease that occurs in children under 5 years of age. Its main causes are coxsackievirus (CV) and enterovirus (EV). Since there are no efficient therapeutics for HFMD, vaccines are effective in preventing the disease. To develop broad coverage against CV and EV, the development of a bivalent vaccine form is needed. The Mongolian gerbil is an efficient and suitable animal model of EV71 C4a and CVA16 infection used to investigate vaccine efficacy following direct immunization. In this study, Mongolian gerbils were immunized with a bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a and inactivated CVA16 vaccine to test their effectiveness against viral infection. Bivalent vaccine immunization resulted in increased Ag-specific IgG antibody production; specifically, EV71 C4a-specific IgG was increased with medium and high doses and CVA16-specific IgG was increased with all doses of immunization. When gene expression of T cell-biased cytokines was analysed, Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses were found to be highly activated in the high-dose immunization group. Moreover, bivalent vaccine immunization mitigated paralytic signs and increased the survival rate following lethal viral challenges. When the viral RNA content was determined from various organs, all three doses of bivalent vaccine immunization were found to significantly decrease viral amplification. Upon histologic examination, EV71 C4a and CVA16 induced tissue damage to the heart and muscle. However, bivalent vaccine immunization alleviated this in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the bivalent inactivated EV71 C4a/CVA16 vaccine could be a safe and effective candidate HFMD vaccine.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2023

Spiraea prunifolia f. simpliciflora Nakai is a perennial shrub widely used for horticultural and medicinal purposes. We simultaneously obtained the complete plastid genome (plastome) and nuclear ribosomal gene transcription units, 45S nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and 5S nrDNA of S. prunifolia f. simpliciflora, using Illumina short-read data. The plastome is 155,984 bp in length with a canonical quadripartite structure consisting of 84,417 bp of a large single-copy region, 18,887 bp of a short single-copy region, and 26,340 bp of two inverted repeat regions. Overall, a total of 113 genes (79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs, and four rRNAs) were annotated in the plastome. The 45S nrDNA transcription unit is 5,848 bp in length: 1,809 bp, 161 bp, and 3,397 bp for 18S, 5.8S, and 26S, respectively, and 261 bp and 220 bp for internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and ITS 2 regions, respectively. The 5S nrDNA unit is 512 bp, including 121 bp of 5S rRNA and 391 bp of intergenic spacer regions. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the genus Spiraea was monophyletic and sister to the clade of Sibiraea angustata, Petrophytum caespitosum and Kelseya uniflora. Within the genus Spiraea, the sections Calospira and Spiraea were monophyletic, but the sect. Glomerati was nested within the sect. Chamaedryon. In the sect. Glomerati, S. prunifolia f. simpliciflora formed a subclade with S. media, and the subclade was sister to S. thunbergii and S. mongolica. The close relationship between S. prunifolia f. simpliciflora and S. media was also supported by the nrDNA phylogeny, indicating that the plastome and nrDNA sequences assembled in this study belong to the genus Spiraea. The newly reported complete plastome and nrDNA transcription unit sequences of S. prunifolia f. simpliciflora provide useful information for further phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of the genus Spiraea, as well as the family Rosaceae.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2016

The tight junction, one of Intercellular junctions, performs a variety of biological functions by bonding adjacent cells, including the barrier function to control the movement of the electrolyte and water. Recent studies have revealed that unusual expression of tight junction-related genes have been shown to be related in cancer development and progression. Recently, there are many reports that control of tight junction proteins expression is closely related to the skin moisture. In this study, we are focusing on the regulating mechanism of tight junction-associated genes by the steviol and its derivatives. Steviol, used as a sweetner, is known to chemical compound isolated from stevia plant. The MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt) assay was carried out in HaCaT cells (human keratinocyte cell line) in order to determine the cytotoxicity. As a result, while steviol showing cytotoxicity from $250{\mu}M$, steviol derivatives are not cytotoxic more than $250{\mu}M$ concentration. We have observed a change in the tight junction protein via quantitative real-time PCR. Claudin 8 among tight junction proteins is only significantly reduced up to 30% in the presence of steviol. In addition, cell migration was inhibited by steviol, not by stevioside and rebaudioside. Finally, we could observe that steviol, not stevioside and rebaudioside, is able to increase the skin barrier permeability through the transepithelial electric resistance (TEER) measurements. These results suggest that the steviol and its derivatives are specifically acts on the tight junction related gene expression, but steviol derivatives are more suitable as a cosmetic material.