• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.554-558
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• 2015

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) incorporating bacterial minicells have been evaluated as a very powerful tool in view of biocompatibility. However, limited studies have been carried out on these systems, mainly using minicells from Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli. Thus, we generated a new minicell-producing strain from an endotoxin-free Corynebacterium glutamicum by the inactivation of genes related to cell division. The two knockout strains, ${\Delta}parA$ and ${\Delta}ncgl1366$, showed distinct abilities to produce minicells. The resulting minicells were purified via sequential antibiotic treatments and centrifugations, which resulted in reproducible yields.

• 제어로봇시스템학회논문지
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.353-362
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• 2005

This article describes a state-of-the art review in nano-biomanipulation technologies. Nanomanipulation of biological objects enables an in-depth study of single molecules such as DNA and RNA, and of biophysical events at the molecular level like molecular motors. Controlled nanomanipulation is challenging but essential for precisely engineering biomolecules or cells and for manufacturing functional nano-biosystems. In this paper, we summarize several contact, non-contact and hybrid methods available for nanomanipulation of biological objects. Advantages currently available methods and their limitations are also compared. Finally, we discuss possible applications of nano-biomanipulation technologies to life science and molecular medicine including cell biology, genetic engineering, biophysics, and biochemistry.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.94-96
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• 2010

Integrating various pathway data collections to create new biological knowledge is a challenge, for which novel computational tools play a key role. For this purpose, we developed the Java-based conversion modules KGML2SBML and KGML2BioPAX to translate KGML (KEGG Markup Language) into a couple of common data exchange formats: SBML (Systems Biology Markup Language) and BioPAX (Biological Pathway Exchange). We hope that our work will be beneficial for other Java developers when they extend their bioinformatics system into SBML- or BioPAX-aware analysis tools. This is part of our ongoing effort to develop an ultimate KEGG-based pathway enrichment analysis system.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.277-282
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• 2002

Topoisomearse II is an essential enzyme in all organisms with several independent roles in DNA metabolism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the C-terminal region of topoisomerases II is associated with hetero-logous protein-protein interactions in human and yeast. In this study, we identified that RTP1, a rat homologue of EIA binding protein BS69, is another topoisomerae II interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid screening. RTP1 has an E1A-binding domain and a MYND motif, which are known to be required for transcriptional regulation by binding to other proteins and interaction with the leucine zipper motif of topoisomerase II. The physical interaction between RTP1 and topoisomerase ll$\alpha$ was examined by GST pull-down assay in vitro. The expression level of RTP1 peaks in S phase as that of topoisomerase ll$\alpha$. These results suggest that the interaction between topoisomerase ll$\alpha$ and RTP1 might play an important role in regulating the transcription of genes involved in DNA metabolism in higher eukaryotes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.873-876
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• 2000

Short tendem repeat (STR) loci have been used in the field of forensic science. There are literally hundreds of STR systems which have been mapped throughout the human genome. These STR loci are found in almost every chromosome in the genome. They may be amplified using a variety of PCR primers. In this study, a DNA genotyping system based on the multiplex amplification of highly polymorphic STR loci was developed. Three STR loci with nonoverlapping allele size ranges have been utilized in the multiplex amplification including the Neurotensin receptor gene, D21S11, and Human tyrosine hydroxylase gene. The optimal condition for triplex PCr was obtained in a solution with a total volume of $25{\mu}l$ containing 2.0 U of Taq polymerase, 3 mM of $MgCl_2$, $300{\mu}M$ of dNTP, 10 pmole of each primer set, an annealing temperature of $62^{\circ}C$, and 35 cycles. The optimized condition was successfully employed in a family paternity test.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.119-125
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• 2009

Mammalian hibernation is a type of natural adaptation that allows organisms to avoid harsh environment and to increase the possibility of survival. To investigate the molecular link between circadian and hibernating rhythms in the greater tube-nosed bats, Murina leucogaster, we set out to identify circadian genes that are expressed in bats, with specific focus on the PAS domain by using PCR-based screens. We could isolate a eDNA clone, designated as LPAS1, that encodes a protein of 521 amino acid residues. LPAS1 is closely related with CLOCK family with the highest homology to human CLOCK. Based on RT-PCR analyses, LPAS1 transcripts are ubiquitously present in tissues from both summer active and winter dormant periods. Given that LPAS1 is a member of the bHLH-PAS protein superfamily but lacks polyglutamine transactivation domains, it is likely to function as a repressor for endogenous CLOCK to hinder its roles in promoting transcription. Our result will open a new avenue to further examine the functional interconnection between the circadian clock and the circannual clock such as mammalian hibernation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.10-18
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• 2018

Tumors are dynamic metabolic systems which highly augmented metabolic fluxes and nutrient needs to support cellular proliferation and physiological function. For many years, a central hallmark of tumor metabolism has emphasized a uniformly elevated aerobic glycolysis as a critical feature of tumorigenecity. This led to extensive efforts of targeting glycolysis in human cancers. However, clinical attempts to target glycolysis and glucose metabolism have proven to be challenging. Recent advancements revealing a high degree of metabolic heterogeneity and plasticity embedded among various human cancers may paint a new picture of metabolic targeting for cancer therapies with a renewed interest in glucose metabolism. In this review, we will discuss diverse oncogenic and molecular alterations that drive distinct and heterogeneous glucose metabolism in cancers. We will also discuss a new perspective on how aberrantly altered glycolysis in response to oncogenic signaling is further influenced and remodeled by dynamic metabolic interaction with surrounding tumor-associated stromal cells.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권7호
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• pp.357-366
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• 2020

Currently, most biological research relies on conventional experimental techniques that allow only static analyses at certain time points in vitro or ex vivo. However, if one could visualize cellular dynamics in living organisms, that would provide a unique opportunity to study key biological phenomena in vivo. Intravital microscopy (IVM) encompasses diverse optical systems for direct viewing of objects, including biological structures and individual cells in live animals. With the current development of devices and techniques, IVM addresses important questions in various fields of biological and biomedical sciences. In this mini-review, we provide a general introduction to IVM and examples of recent applications in the field of immunology, oncology, and vascular biology. We also introduce an advanced type of IVM, dubbed real-time IVM, equipped with video-rate resonant scanning. Since the realt-ime IVM can render cellular dynamics with high temporal resolution in vivo, it allows visualization and analysis of rapid biological processes.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.231-236
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• 2001

SINE-R retroposons have been derived from human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K family and found to be hominoid specific. Both SINE-R retroposons and HERV-K family are potentially capable of affecting the expression of closely located genes. From cDNA library of human fetal brain, we identified seven SINE-R retroposons and compared them with sequences derived from GenBank database. The SINE-R retroposons from human feta1 brain showed 85∼97% sequence similarities with the human-specific retroposon SINE-R.C2. They also showed 88∼96% sequence similarities with the sequence of the schizo-cDNA clone that derived from postmortem frontal cortex tissue of a schizophrenic patient. Phylogenetic analysis using the neiqhbor-joining method revealed that the seven new SINE-R retroposons from cDNA library of the human feta1 brain have proliferated independently during human evolution. The data indicate that such SINE-R retroposons are expressed in human fetal brain and deserve further investigation as potential leads to understanding of neuropsychiatric diseases.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.87-90
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• 2000

Essential hypertension is a multifactorial disease, and has been shown to be associated with insulin resistance. The relationship between the genetic variation of the insulin receptor (INSR) gene and essential hypertension In Korean population was investigated by the Nsi 1 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern of this gene. The observed genotype frequencies of INSR gene were not deviated from those expected for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), but a significant association was observed between essential hypertension and N1 allele of Nsi 1 RFLP at the INSR gene ($X^2$-test; P<0.05). Moreover, the frequency of N1 allele was significantly different between normotensives and essential hypertensives in subgroups that were not obese ($X^2$-test; P<0.05). These data suggest that the Nsil RFLP of INSR gene may be a useful genetic marker for essential hypertension in Korean population.