• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.657-662
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• 2006

Identification of accessible sites in targeted RNAs is a major limitation to the effectiveness of antisense oligonucleotides. A class of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, known as the “10-23” DNA enzyme or DNAzyme, which is a small catalytic DNA, has been shown to efficiently cleave target RNA at purine-pyrimidine junctions in vitro. We have designed a strategy to identify accessible cleavage sites in the target RNA, which is hepatitis C virus nonstructural gene 3 (HCV NS3) RNA that encodes viral helicase and protease, from a pool of random DNAzyme library. A pool of DNAzymes of 58 nucleotides-length that possess randomized annealing arms, catalytic core sequence, and fixed 5'/3'-end flanking sequences was designed and screened for their ability to cleave the target RNA. The screening procedure, which includes binding of DNAzyme pool to the target RNA under inactive condition, selection and amplification of active DNAzymes, incubation of the selected DNAzymes with the target RNA, and target site identification on sequencing gels, identified 16 potential cleavage sites in the target RNA. Corresponding DNAzymes were constructed for the selected target sites and were tested for RNA-cleavage in terms of kinetics and accessibility. These selected DNAzymes were effective in cleaving the target RNA in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$. This strategy can be applicable to identify accessible sites in any target RNA for antisense oligonucleotides-based gene inactivation methods.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.150-153
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• 2002

Solar UV light is a well-known carcinogen. UVA radiation is probably carcinogenic to humans. In addition, recent investigations point to the importance of UVA irradiation in the photoaging. We investigated the mechanism of sequence- specific DNA damage using $\^$32/P-Iabeled DNA fragments in relation to carcinogenesis and aging. Furthermore, we investigated whether UVA accelerates the telomere shortening in human WI-38 fibroblasts. The exposure of double- stranded DNA fragments to 365 nm light in the presence of endogenous sensitizers produced sequence-specific cleavage at the 5' site of 5'-GG-3' and 5'-GGG-3' sequences. In addition, HPLC analysis revealed that sensitizers plus 365 nm light increased the 8-oxodG content of double-stranded DNA. We discuss the mechanisms of guanine-specific DNA damagecaused by excited photosensitizers in relation to carcinogenesis and aging.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.86-90
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• 1986

The DNA methylated by Hpa II methylase was not cleaved by Sma, I, Ava I and Nae I endonucleases. This experimental data could be interpreted as strong evidences that Sma I, Ava I and Nae I methylases which yet to be isolated would methylate on the inmost cytosine nucleotide within their hexameric recognition sequences. The facts that Sma I, Ava I and Nae I endonucleases can not cleave the DNA methylated by Hpa II methylase are the valuable informations for protecting DNAs upon cleavage reactions by Sma I, Ava I and NAe I endonucleases especially for cDNA insertion experiments into vector DNAs using Sma I, Ava I and Nae I oligonucleotide linkers. In the case of Xma I endonuclease, partially cleaved DNA fragments were observed although the reaction rate was greatly decreased. This result implies that the methylation site of Xma I methylase which yet to be isolated would not be the same as that of Hpa II methylase in Xma I sequence.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.167-173
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• 1999

Blocking the 1st mitotic cleavage was performed in mud loach (Misgurmus mizolepis) using UV-irradiated cyprinid loach (M. anguillicaudatus) sperm and ternal shocks Optimum UV range for inactivation of cyprinid loach sperm and thermal shocks. Optimum UV range for inactivation of cyprinid loach sperm was between 3,150 to 4,050 ergs/m$m^2$. Heat shock treatment ($41^{\circ}C$ for 3mins) with various treatment initiation times ranged from 22 to 50 min post insemination resulted wide range of success for induced gynogenesis. Best result was obtained when haploid egges were shocked at 28 min after insemination (corresponding to metaphase division of the 1st cleavage); 26% of total eggs inseminated were viable diploid gynogens. The hatching success and early survival of the both meiotic and mitotic gynogenetic groups were significantly lower than those of control crosses (P<0.05). Maternal origin of induced gynogenetic mud loach was verified by multi-locus DNA fingerprinting.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.79-79
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• 2001

Genotoxic chemotherapeutics are irreversible DNA targeting agents, which can act as anticancer and antiviral drugs. Natural antibacterial and anticancer enediynes function through the formation of free radicals formed by Bergman-type cycloaromatization and being capable of cleavage of DNA strand. They have been focused primarily on the design and syntheses of simple enediyne structures, which can be mimic their mechanistic feature. Recently. I have been reported the possible application of 4'-bromoacetophenone as a simple photoactivatable DNA cleaving agent, which could be readily prepared and exhibit potent and selective DNA cleaving activity. Herein, we further investigated the activity of 4'-bromoacetophenone-pyrrolecarboxamides, which consist of both DNA cleaving element and recognition unit under various conditions in order to get more understanding of the mechanism of the action and find a broad spectrum of application.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.07a
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• pp.11-15
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• 1999

In order to evlauate feasibility of the gene tagging by the maize transposable element Ac in heterologous plant systems, we have investigated physical distances and directions of transposition of the element in Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco cultured cell line BY-2. We prepared a T-DNA construct that carried a non-autonomous derivative of Ac with a site for cleavage by endonuclease I-Scel (designated dAc-I-RS element). Another cleavage site was also introduced into the T-DNA region outside dAc-I-RS. A number of transgenic Arabidopsis plants were generated, each of which had a single copy of the T-DNA at a different chromosomal location. To examine the pattern of transposition, three out of these transgenic plants were crossed with the Arabidopsis plant that carried the gene for Ac transposase and progeny in which dAc-I-RS had been transposed were isolated. After digestion of the genomic DNA of these progeny with I-SceI, sizes of segment of DNA were determined byd pulse-field gel electrophoresis. We also performed linkage analysis for the transposed elements and sites of mutations near the elements. Our results with three transgenic lines showed that 50% of all transposition events had occurred within 1,700 kilo-base pairs (kb) on the same chromosome, with 35% within 200 kb, and that the elements transposed in both directions on the chromosome with roughly equal probability. The data thus indicate that the Ac-Ds system is most useful for tagging of genes that are present within 200 kb of the chromosomal site of Ac in Arabidopsis. In addition, determination of the precise localization of the transposed dAc-I-RS element should definitely assist in map-based cloning of genes around insertion sites. In the present paper, we report typical examples of such gene isolation studies.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1985.08b
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• pp.51-57
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• 1985

In order to evlauate feasibility of the gene tagging by the maize transposable element Ac in heterologous plant systems, we have investigated physical distances and directions of transposition of the element in Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco cultured cell line BY-2. We prepared a T-DNA construct that carried a non-autonomous derivative of Ac with a site for cleavage by endonuclease I-Scel (designated dAc-I-RS element). Another cleavage site was also introduced into the T-DNA region outside dAc-I-RS. A number of transgenic Arabidopsis plants were generated, each of which had a single copy of the T-DNA at a different chromosomal location. To examine the pattern of transposition, three out of these transgenic plants were crossed with the Arabidopsis plant that carried the gene for Ac transposase and progeny in which dAc-I-RS had been transposed were isolated. After digestion of the genomic DNA of these progeny with I-SceI, sizes of segment of DNA were determined byd pulse-field gel electrophoresis. We also performed linkage analysis for the transposed elements and sites of mutations near the elements. Our results with three transgenic lines showed that 50% of all transposition events had occurred within 1, 700 kilo-base pairs (kb) on the same chromosome, with 35% within 200 kb, and that the elements transposed in both directions on the chromosome with roughly equal probability. The data thus indicate that the Ac-Ds system is most useful for tagging of genes that are present within 200 kb of the chromosomal site of Ac in Arabidopsis. In addition, determination of the precise localization of the transposed dAc-I-RS element should definitely assist in map-based cloning of genes around insertion sites. In the present paper, we report typical examples of such gene isolation studies.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.447-450
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• 1994

Rate of hydrolysis ethylene phosphate, dimethylphosphate and hydroxyethylmethylphosphate in neutral water have been measured. Hydrolysis of ethylene phosphate proceeds with P-0 bond cleavage $(k_{obs}=3{\times}10^{-7}s^{-1}\;at\;100^{\circ}C,\;{\Delta}H{\neq}=24\;kcal,\;{\Delta}S{\neq}=25.5\;eu)$. In constrast, hydrolysis of dimethylphosphate proceeds with C-O bond cleavage $(k_{obs}=3{\times}10^{-7}s^{-1}\;at\;150^{\circ}C)$. The rate constant for P-O bond cleavage of dimethylphosphate is estimated at $1{\times}10^{-11}s^{-1}\;at\;150^{\circ}C,\;({\Delta}H{\neq}=36\;kcal,\;{\Delta}S{\neq}=25.5\;eu)$. A phosphodiesterase catalyzed hydrolysis of dimethylphosphate is $10^{17}$ times faster than the simple water rate. The observed rate of hydrolysis of hydroxyethylmethylphosphate is comparable to that of dimethylphosphate indicating C-O bond cleavage $(k_{obs}=6{\times}10^{-7}s^{-1}\;at\;150^{\circ}C)$.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 1988

Restriction endonucleases were used to search for intraspecific variation at 32 cleavage sites in mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) purified from fourteen strains of Drosophila melanogaster helonging to different localities of the world. mtDNA of D. melanogaster was displayed site variation(Hpall, Haelll and Seal endonucleases) and length variation(maxirnum 550bp). Six genotypes, Ml, M2, M3, M4, M6 and M7, could be distinguished based on ihe site types witti a low average of intraspecific substitution rate (1.88%),but M5 type of Ogasawara strain in Japan was not detected in this study. A possible explanation for the low divergence was that mtDNA variation of fourteen strains in D. melanogaster could not he accumulated sufficiently owing to recent divergence of few individuals, and that sequence divergence was prevented by frequent migration in spite of the geographical isolation.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.191-195
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• 1995

IciA protein has been shown as an inhibitor for the initiation of E. coli chromosomal DNA replication at oriC. IciA protein binds the AT-rich region in oriC and then blocks the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication. Two binding sites for IciA protein were identified in dnaA gene, encoding the initiator for the E. coli chromosomal replication, promoter region by gel-shift assay and DNase I footprinting, One, named as IciA site I, is located upstream of the dnaA promoter 1P. The other, named as IciA site II, is located downstream of the dnaA promoter 2P. The sequence comparison of the regions protected from the DNase I cleavage did not result in a clear consensus sequence for the binding of IciA protein, suggesting that IciA protein may be a member of multimeric complex dsDNA binding proteins. This study provided information about the binding mode of IciA protein. Even though the IciA site II and IciA binding site in oriC seem to be composed of two IciA binding units, one binding unit is likely enough to cause the binding of IciA protein to the IciA site I. The binding of IciA protein to the dna4 promoter implies that IciA protein may involve not only the control of the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication but also the control of the dna4 gene expression.