• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.40.1-40.14
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• 2016

Background: Due to the paucity of oceanic resources utilized in the preparation of diets for cultured fish, commercial feed producers have been trying to replace fishmeal (FM) using alternative protein sources such as vegetable protein meals (VMs). One of the main drawbacks of using VMs in fish feed is related to the presence of a variety of anti-nutritional factors, which could trigger an inflammation process in the distal intestine. This reduces the capacity of the enterocytes to absorb nutrients leading to reduced fish growth performances. Methods: We evaluated the mitigating effects of butyrate and taurine used as feed additives on the morphological abnormalities caused by a soybean meal (SBM)-based diet in the distal intestine of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). We used three experimental diets, containing the same low percentage of FM and high percentage of SBM; two diets were supplemented with either 0.2% sodium butyrate or taurine. Histological changes in the intestine of fish were determined by light and transmission electron microscopy. Infiltration of $CD45^+$ leucocytes in the lamina propria and in the submucosa was assessed by immunohistochemistry. We also quantified by One-Step Taqman$^{(R)}$ real-time RT-PCR the messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance of a panel of genes involved in the intestinal mucosa inflammatory response such as $TNF{\alpha}$ (tumor necrosis factor alpha) and interleukins: IL-8, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-10, and IL-6. Results: Fish that received for 2 months the diet with 30% soy protein (16.7% SBM and 12.8% full-fat soy) developed an inflammation in the distal intestine, as confirmed by histological and immunohistochemistry data. The expression of target genes in the intestine was deeply influenced by the type of fish diet. Fish fed with taurine-supplemented diet displayed the lowest number of mRNA copies of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-8, and IL-10 genes in comparison to fish fed with control or butyrate-supplemented diets. Dietary butyrate caused an upregulation of the $TNF{\alpha}$ gene transcription. Among the quantified interleukins, IL-6 was the only one to be not influenced by the diet. Conclusions: Histological and gene expression data suggest that butyrate and taurine could have a role in normalizing the intestinal abnormalities caused by the SBM, but the underling mechanisms of action seem different.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.215-221
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• 2009

Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in vivo can be achieved by co-expression of an orthogonal pair of suppressor tRNA and engineered aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (ARS) that specifically ligates an unnatural amino acid to the suppressor tRNA. As a step to establish this technique, here we generated an Escherichia coli reporter strain DH10B(Tn:lacZam) by integrating amber mutated lacZ gene into the chromosome of E. coli DH10B strain. In vivo expression of E. coli amber suppressor $tRNA^{Gln}$ produced blue colonies in culture plates containing X-Gal as well as dramatically increased $\beta$-galactosidase activity. In addition, expression of an orthogonal pair of Saccharomyces cerevisiae suppressor $tRNA^{Tyr}$ and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase also produced blue colonies as well as moderate increase of $\beta$-galactosidase activity. These data demonstrate that our reporter strain will provide an efficient method to assess amber suppression in both qualitative and quantitative manners.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.252-260
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• 2009

Rice is the most important cereal crop not only in supplying the basic staple food for more than half of the world's population but also as a model plant for functional genomic studies of monocotyledons. Although rice transformation method using A. tumefaciens has already been widely used to generate transgenic plants, the transformation rate is still low in most Korean elite cultivars. We made several modifications of the standard protocol especially in the co-cultivation step to improve the efficiency of the rice transformation. The co-culture medium was modified by the addition of three antioxidant compounds (10.5 mg/L L-cysteine, 1 mM sodium thiosulfate, 1 mM dithiothreitol) and of Agrobacterium growth-inhibiting agent (5 mg/L silver nitrate). Co-cultivation temperature ($23.5^{\circ}C$ for 1 day, $26.5^{\circ}C$ for 6 days) and duration (7 days) were also changed. The plasmid of pMJC-GB-GUS carrying the GUS reporter gene and the bar gene as the selectable marker was used to evaluate the efficiency of the transformation. After co-cultivation, a high level of GUS gene expression was observed in calli treated with the modified method. It is likely that those newly added compounds helped to minimize the damage due to oxidative bursts during plant cell-Agrobacterium interaction and to prevent necrosis of rice cells. And the transformation rate under the modified method was also remarkably increased approximately 8-fold in Heungnambyeo and 2-fold in Ilmibyeo as compared to the corresponding standard method. Furthermore, we could produce the transgenic plants stably from Ilpumbyeo which is a high-quality rice but its transformation rate is extremely low. Transformation and the copy number of transgenes were confirmed by PCR, bar strip and Southern blot analysis. The improved method would attribute reducing the effort and the time required to produce a large number of transgenic rice plants.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.17-17
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• 2023

Chrysanthemum zawadskii (C. zawadskii) is used in traditional East Asian medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including inflammatory disease. However, it has remained unclear whether extracts of C. zawadskii inhibit inflammasome activation in macrophages. The present study assessed the inhibitory effect of an ethanol extract of C. zawadskii (CZE) on the activation of the inflammasome in macrophages and the underlying mechanism. Bone marrow[-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were obtained from wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The release of IL-1β and lactate dehydrogenase in response to nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activators, such as ATP, nigericin and monosodium urate (MSU) crystals, was significantly decreased by CZE in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-primed BMDMs. Western blotting revealed that CZE inhibited ATP-induced caspase-1 cleavage and IL-1β maturation. To investigate whether CZE inhibits the priming step of the NLRP3 inflammasome, we confirmed the role of CZE at the gene level using RT-qPCR. CZE also downregulated the gene expression of NLRP3 and pro-IL-1β as well as NF-κB activation in BMDMs in response to LPS. Apoptosis associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (CARD) oligomerization and speck formation by NLRP3 inflammasome activators were suppressed by CZE. By contrast, CZE did not affect NLR family CARD domain containing protein 4 (NLRC4) or absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome activation in response to Salmonella typhimurium and poly(dA:dT) in LPS-primed BMDMs, respectively. The results revealed that three key components of CZE, namely linarin, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid, decreased IL-1β secretion in response to ATP, nigericin and MSU. These findings suggest that CZE effectively inhibited activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2015

Purpose: This study analyzed a small outbreak of measles at a single hospital located in northern Gyeonggi-do in 2013. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of measles patients at The Catholic University of Korea Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital from August to October, 2013. Results: Fifteen children were confirmed to have measles by RT-PCR and serum IgM test; 1 neonate, 11 infants, and 3 toddlers. None of the patients had received Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccination. All patients showed B3 type in viral genotyping. Nine children (60%) had been exposed to measles during treatment for other diseases in the pediatric ward. Incubation period was between 8 and 15 days. Fever started at a median 10 days after exposure and persisted for a median of 8 days. Rash showed at a median 13 days after exposure. Respiratory complications were observed in 40% of patients. Diarrhea developed in 53% of patients. Conclusion: Although measles has been well-controlled due to the high rate of vaccination coverage, it is possible to have an outbreak at any given time, especially in infants. We must learn from this outbreak, and remain fully aware of the possibility of reemergence and provide proper management, including vaccination or immune globulin administration, to infants exposed to measles. Reevaluation of serum IgG titer of neonates, infants, and pregnant women may be the first step to prevent further outbreaks.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.962-970
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• 2012

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ruminal infusion of garlic oil (GO) on fermentation dynamics, fatty acid (FA) profile, and abundance of bacteria involved in biohydrogenation in the rumen. Six wethers fitted with ruminal fistula were assigned to two groups for cross-over design with a 14-d interval. Each 30-d experimental period consisted of a 27-d adaptation and a 3-d sample collection. Goats were fed a basal diet without (control) or with GO ruminal infusion (0.8 g/d). Ruminal contents collected before (0 h) and at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h after morning feeding were used for fermentation analysis, and 0 h samples were further used for FA determination and DNA extraction. Garlic oil had no influence on dry matter intakes of concentrate and hay. During ruminal fermentation, GO had no effects on total VFA concentration and individual VFA molar proportions, whereas GO increased the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and microbial crude protein (p<0.05). Compared with control, GO group took a longer time for total VFA concentration and propionate molar proportion to reach their respective maxima after morning feeding. The ratio of acetate to propionate in control reduced sharply after morning feeding, whereas it remained relatively stable in GO group. Fatty acid analysis showed that GO reduced saturated FA proportion (p<0.05), while increasing the proportions of C18, t11-18:1 (TVA), c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid (c9,t11-CLA), t10,c12-CLA, and polyunsaturated FA (p<0.05). The values of TVA/(c9,t11-CLA+TVA) and C18:0/(TVA+C18:0) were reduced by GO (p<0.05). Real-time PCR showed that GO tended to reduce Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus abundance (p = 0.058), whereas GO had no effect on total abundance of the Butyrivibrio group bacteria. A low correlation was found between B. proteoclasticus abundance and C18:0/(TVA+C18:0) (p = 0.910). The changes of fermentation over time suggested a role of GO in delaying the fermentation process and maintaining a relatively modest change of ruminal environment. The inhibitory effects of GO on the final step of biohydrogenation may be related to its antibacterial activity against B. proteoclasticus and other unknown bacteria involved.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.251-257
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• 2011

Rice is the most important crop as a model plant for functional genomics of monocotyledons. Rice is usually transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. However, the transformation efficiency using previous method is still low. In this study, we established a new method by modifying the general Agrobacterium protocol especially in the inoculation and co-cultivation step. We directly inoculated Agrobacterium containing a CIPK15 gene under the control of CaMV 35S promoter and NOS terminator in the pCAM1300 vector into the pre-soaked seeds in N6D media for 24 hours. After 7 days of culture at $25^{\circ}C$, calli were formed on seeds cultured on the co-cultivation medium containing an antioxidant compound (1 mM dithiothreitol) and of Agrobacterium growth-inhibiting agent (3 mg/L silver nitrate). We obtained 35 and 22 transgenic plants in rice cultivars, Gopumbyeo and Ilpumbyeo, with increase of transformation efficiency by 30.4% and 22.6%, respectively compared to the general transformation method. The new method in this study would lead to reduction of substantial labor and time to generate transgenic plants.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.1 s.60
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• pp.15-26
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• 1998

p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in female breast cancer tissues and the prognosis of breast cancer could be changed by mutation of the gene. This study was performed to examine risk factors for breast cancer subtypes classified by p53 mutation and to investigate the roles of p53 gene mutation in carcinogenesis of breast cancer. The study subjects were 81 breast cancer patients and 121 controls who were matched to cases 1:1 or 1:2 age, residence, education level and menopausal status. All the subjects were interviewed by a well-trained nurse with standardized questionnaire on reproductive factors, and wire asked to fill the self-administrative food frequency questionnaire. p53 gene mutation in the cancer tissue was screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) method. Mutation type was identified by direct sequencing of the exon of which mobility shift was observed in SSCP analysis. Mutations were detected in p53 gene of 25 breast cancer tissues. By direct sequencing, base substitutions were found in 20 cancer tissues (10 transition and 10 transversion), and frame shift mutations in 5 (4 insertions and 1 deletion). For the whole cases and controls, risk of breast cancer incidence decreased when the parity increased, and increased when intake amount of total calory, fat, or protein increased. Eat and protein were statistically significant risk factors for breast cancer with p53 mutation. For breast cancer without p53 mutation, protein intake was the only significant dietary factor. These results suggest that causes of p53 positive breast lancer would be different from those of p53 negative cancer, and that dietary factors or related hormonal factors induce mutation of p53, which may be the first step of breast cancer development or a promoter following some unidentified genetic mutations.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.313-319
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• 2020

Recently, cattle epidemic diseases are caused by a pathogen such as a virus or bacterium. Such diseases can spread through various pathways, such as feed intake, respiration, and contact between livestock. Diagnosis based on the ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) methods has limitations because these traditional diagnostic methods are time consuming assays that require multiple steps and dedicated equipment. In this review, we propose the use of the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) Cas system based on DNA and RNA levels for early point-of-care diagnosis in cattle. In the CRISPR/Cas system, Cas effectors are classified into two classes and six subtypes. The Cas effectors included in class 2 are typically Cas9 in type II, Cas12 in type V (Cas12a and Cas12b) and Cas13 in type VI (Cas13a and Cas13b). The CRISPR/Cas system uses reporter molecules that are attached to the ssDNA strands. When the Cas enzyme cuts the ssDNA, these reporters either fluoresce or change color, indicating the presence of a specific disease marker. There are several steps in the development of a CRISPR/Cas system. The first is to select the Cas enzyme depending on DNA or RNA from pathogens (viruses or bacteria). Based on that, the next step is to integrate the optimal amplification, transducing method, and signal reporter. The CRISPR/Cas system is a powerful diagnostic tool using a gene-editing method, which is faster, better, and cheaper than traditional methods. This system could be used for early diagnosis of epidemic cattle diseases and help to control their spread.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2017

GenesWell$^{TM}$ BCT is a 12-gene test suggesting the prognostic risk score (BCT Score) for distant metastasis within the first 10 years in early breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, and pN0~1 tumors. In this study, we validated the analytical performance of GenesWell$^{TM}$ BCT. Gene expression values were measured by a one-step, real-time qPCR, using RNA extracted from FFPE specimens of early breast cancer patients. Limit of Blank, Limit of Detection, and dynamic range for each of the 12 genes were assessed by serially diluted RNA pools. The analytical precision and specificity were evaluated by three different RNA samples representing low risk group, high risk group, and near-cutoff group in accordance with their BCT Scores. GenesWell$^{TM}$ BCT could detect gene expression of each of the 12 genes from less than $1ng/{\mu}L$ of RNA. Repeatability and reproducibility across multiple testing sites resulted in 100% and 98.3% consistencies of risk classification, respectively. Moreover, it was confirmed that the potential interference substances does not affect the risk classification of the test. The findings demonstrate that GenesWell$^{TM}$ BCT have high analytical performance with over 95% consistency for risk classification.