• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.22-29
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• 2018

Incorporation of unique barcodes into fission yeast gene deletion collections has enabled the identification of gene functions by growth fitness analysis. For fine tuning, it is important to examine barcode sequences, because mutations arise during strain construction. Out of 8,708 barcodes (4,354 strains) covering 88.5% of all 4,919 open reading frames, 7,734 barcodes (88.8%) were validated as high-fidelity to be inserted at the correct positions by Sanger sequencing. Sequence examination of the 7,734 high-fidelity barcodes revealed that 1,039 barcodes (13.4%) deviated from the original design. In total, 1,284 mutations (mutation rate of 16.6%) exist within the 1,039 mutated barcodes, which is comparable to budding yeast (18%). When the type of mutation was considered, substitutions accounted for 845 mutations (10.9%), deletions accounted for 319 mutations (4.1%), and insertions accounted for 121 mutations (1.6%). Peculiarly, the frequency of substitutions (67.6%) was unexpectedly higher than in budding yeast (~28%) and well above the predicted error of Sanger sequencing (~2%), which might have arisen during the solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis and PCR amplification of the barcodes during strain construction. When the mutation rate was analyzed by position within 20-mer barcodes using the 1,284 mutations from the 7,734 sequenced barcodes, there was no significant difference between up-tags and down-tags at a given position. The mutation frequency at a given position was similar at most positions, ranging from 0.4% (32/7,734) to 1.1% (82/7,734), except at position 1, which was highest (3.1%), as in budding yeast. Together, well-defined barcode sequences, combined with the next-generation sequencing platform, promise to make the fission yeast gene deletion library a powerful tool for understanding gene function.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2011

Atherosclerosis and post-angiography restenosis are associated with intimal thickening and concomitant vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Obovatol, a major biphenolic component isolated from the Magnolia obovata leaf, is known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. The goal of the present study was to enhance the inhibitory effects of obovatol to improve its potential as a preventive or therapeutic agent in atherosclerosis and restenosis. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) was examined in the presence or absence of a newly synthesized obovatol derivative, OD78. The observed anti-proliferative effect of OD78 was further investigated by cell counting and [$^3H$]-thymidine incorporation assays. Treatment with 1-4 ${\mu}M$ OD78 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation and DNA synthesis of 25 ng/ml PDGF-BB-stimulated RASMCs. Accordingly, OD78 blocked PDGF-BB-induced progression from the $G_0/G_1$ to S phase of the cell cycle in synchronized cells. OD78 decreased the expression levels of CDK4, cyclin E, and cyclin D1 proteins, as well as the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein and proliferating cell nuclear antigen; however, it did not change the CDK2 expression level. In addition, OD78 inhibited downregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) $p27^{kip1}$. However, OD78 did not affect the CKI $p21^{cip1}$ or phosphorylation of early PDGF signaling pathway. These results suggest that OD78 may inhibit PDGF-BB-induced RASMC proliferation by perturbing cell cycle progression, potentially through $p27^{kip1}$ pathway activation. Consequently, OD78 may be developed as a potential anti-proliferative agent for the treatment of atherosclerosis and angioplasty restenosis.

• 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.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.277-283
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• 2007

Embryogenic calluses derived from shoot apical meristem explants of sweetpotato were subjected to particle bombardment to generate transgenic plants for antisense expression of cDNAs encoding two different AGPase small subunit (ibAGP1 and ibAGP2). Plants were generated via somatic embryogenesis. PCR and Southern analysis demonstrated that the incorporation of ibAGP1 and ibAGP2 into the genome in an antisense orientation. Immunoblot analysis confirmed reduced levels of AGPase small subunit in transgenic plant leaves. Plants with both ibAGP1 and ibAGP2 produced a lower level of the protein than plants with ibAGP1 alone. iodine test demonstrated that transgenic plant leaves and storage root accumulated reduced amounts of starch. Iodine staining of leaf tissues indicated that transgenic plants accumulated less amount of starch than control. In accordance with western blot analysis, plants with both ibAGP1 and ibAGP2 accumulated a lower amount of starch than plants with ibAGP1 alone. Both transgenic plants exhibited a severely retarded growth, resulting in bare survival. It is suggested that disrupted expression of the gene encoding AGPase small subunit is lethal to the growth of sweetpotato contrast to other species including potato.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.107-107
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• 2017

Sweet corns are enjoyed worldwide as processed products and fresh ears. Types of sweet corn are based on the gene(s) involved. The oldest sweet corn type has a gene called "sugary (su)". Sugary-based sweet corn was typically named "sweet corn". With its relatively short shelf life and the discovery of a complementary gene, "sugary enhanced (se)", the sweet corn (su only) was rapidly replaced with another type of sweet corns, sugary enhanced sweet corn, which has recessive homozygous su/su, se/se genotype. With the incorporation of se/se genotype into existing su/su genotype, sugary enhanced sweet corn has better shelf life and increased sweetness while maintaining its creamy texture due to high level of water soluble polysaccharide, phytoglycogen. Super sweet corn as the name implies has higher level of sweetness and better shelf life than sugary enhanced sweet corn due to "shrunken2 (sh2)" gene although there's no creamy texture of su-based sweet corns. Distinction between sh2/sh2 and su/su genotypes in seeds is phenotypically possible. The Involvement of se/se genotype under su/su genotype, however, is visually impossible. The genotype sh2/sh2 is also phenotypically epistatic to su/su genotype when both genotypes are present in an individual, meaning the seed shape for double recessive sh2/sh2 su/su genotype is much the same as sh2/sh2 +/+ genotype. Hence, identifying the double and triple recessive homozygous genotypes from su, se and sh2 genes involves a testcross to single recessive genotype, chemical analysis or DNA-based marker development. For these reasons, sweetcorn breeders were hastened to put them together into one cultivar. This, however, appears to be no longer the case. Sweet corn companies began to sell their sweet corn hybrids with different combinations of abovementioned three genes under a few different trademarks or genetic codes, i.g. Sweet $Breed^{TM}$, Sweet $Gene^{TM}$, Synergistic corn, Augmented Supersweet corn. A total of 49 commercial sweet corn F1 hybrids with B73 as a check were genotyped using DNA-based markers. The genotype of field corn inbred B73 was +/+ +/+ +/+ for su, se and sh2 as expected. All twelve sugary enhanced sweet corn hybrids had the genotype of su/su se/se +/+. Of sixteen synergistic hybrids, thirteen cultivars had su/su se/se sh2/+ genotype while the genotype of two hybrids and the remaining one hybrid was su/su se/+ sh2/+, and su/su +/+ sh2/+, respectively. The synergistic hybrids all were recessive homozygous for su gene and heterozygous for sh2 gene. Among the fifteen augmented supersweet hybrids, only one hybrid was triple recessive homozygous (su/su se/se sh2/sh2). All the other hybrids had su/su se/+ sh2/sh2 for one hybrid, su/su +/+ sh2/sh2 for three hybrids, su/+ se/se sh2/sh2 for three hybrids, su/+ se/+ sh2/sh2 for four hybrids, and su/+ +/+ sh2/sh2 for three hybrids, respectively. What was believed to be a classic super sweet corn hybrids also had various genotypic combination. There were only two hybrids that turned out to be single recessive sh2 homozygous (+/+ +/+ sh2/sh2) while all the other five hybrids could be classified as one of augmented supersweet genotypes. Implication of the results for extension service and sweet corn breeding will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.205-213
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• 1998

This experiment was carried out to produce herbicide resistant potatoes hawing only chimeric phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) genes without using antibiotic selectable marker. The pDY502 vector having only PAT gene was reconstructed for transformation of potato. The reconstructed vector was introduced to Agrobacterium tumefaciens MP90 disarmed, and they were used for potato transformation. Hormonal requirement for plant regeneration from leaves and stem explants of potato was investigated. From this experiment, MS medium treated with IBA 0.1 mg/L + BA 0.5 mg/L was the best for potato regeneration, and the ratio of shoot regeneration was 54% for leaf and 46% for stem in that condition. For transformation, explants of potato leaves and stems were cocultured with A. tumefaciens MP90 containing reconstructed vector harvoring only PAT gene. When the potato explants were placed on various concentrations of bialaphos and all the potato explants were dead on medium with over 5.0mg/L bialaphos. By this selection methods, the explants cocultured with Agrobacterium produced the putative transgenic shoots on medium with 5mg/L bialaphos treatment after 3-4 weeks. Second selection was performed by transferring the shoot tips of putative transgenic to medium containing 20mg/L of bialaphos. The shoot tips grew well on the second selection medium, indicating the production of successful transgenic plants. But normal shoots were dead in same cytotoxic medium. Incorporation of the PAT gene into transgenic potatos were confirmed by PCR analysis of DNA and Southern hybridization. These results show that the PAT gene can serve as a selectable marker and herbicide resistant genes for transformation of potato.