• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.541-546
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• 2022

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination (HR) is crucial for maintaining genomic integrity and is involved in numerous fundamental biological processes. Post-translational modifications by proteins play an important role in regulating DNA repair. Here, we report that the methyltransferase SET7 regulates HR-mediated DSB repair by methylating TIP60, a histone acetyltransferase and tumor suppressor involved in gene expression and protein stability. We show that SET7 targets TIP60 for methylation at K137, which facilitates DSB repair by promoting HR and determines cell viability against DNA damage. Interestingly, TIP60 demethylation is catalyzed by LSD1, which affects HR efficiency. Taken together, our findings reveal the importance of TIP60 methylation status by SET7 and LSD1 in the DSB repair pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.166-171
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• 2023

Monocytes are peripheral leukocytes that function in innate immunity. Excessive triglyceride (TG) accumulation causes monocyte death and thus can compromise innate immunity. However, the mechanisms by which TG mediates monocyte death remain unclear to date. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which TG induces monocyte death. Results showed that TG induced monocyte death by activating caspase-3/7 and promoting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. In addition, TG induced DNA damage and activated the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/checkpoint kinase 2 and ATM-and Rad3-related (ATR)/checkpoint kinase 1 pathways, leading to the cell death. Furthermore, TG-induced DNA damage and monocyte death were mediated by caspase-2 and -8, and caspase-8 acted as an upstream molecule of caspase-2. Taken together, these results suggest that TG-induced monocyte death is mediated via the caspase-8/caspase-2/DNA damage/executioner caspase/PARP pathways.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.99-102
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• 2003

IARC classified areca quid as a human carcinogen. Areca quid chewed in Taiwan includes Piper betle inflorescence, which contains high concentrations of safrole (15 mg/fresh weight). Safrole is a documented rodent hepatocarcinogen, and chewing areca quid may contribute to human exposure (420 $\mu$m in saliva). The carcinogenicity of safrole is mediated through 1'-hydroxysafrole formation, followed by sulfonation to an unstable sulfate that reacts to form DNA adducts. Using human liver microsomes and Escherichia coli membranes expressing bicistronic human P450s, CYP2E1 and CYP2C9 were identified as the main P450s involved in the activation of safrole. We have demonstrated the presence of stable safrole-dGMP adducts in human oral tissues following areca quid chewing using $^{32}$ P-postlabeling and HPLC mass spectrometry methods. By studying 88 subjects with a known AQ chewing history and 161 matched controls, we have demonstrated that the presence of safrole-DNA adducts in peripheral blood cells was correlated to AQ chewing, and CYP2E1 seemed to play an important role in the modulation of safrole-DNA adduct formation. We have also shown that safrole can form stable safrole-DNA adducts as well as oxidative damages in rodent liver. However, the stable safrole-DNA adducts may represent a more significant initial lesion as compared to the rapidly repaired safrole-induced 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. This oxidative DNA damage is mediated through the formation of hydoryxchavicol, the major safrole metabolite in human urine. Hydroxychavicol may have gone through two-electron oxidation to the o-quinone; then via one-electron reduction to semiquinone radicals to generate oxidative DNA damage. However, these reactive metabolites can be efficiently conjugated by GSH. These data suggest that safrole may contribute to the initiation of oral carcinogenesis through safrole-DNA adduct and not oxidative DNA damage. In addition, CYP2E1 may modulate this adduct formation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.24-27
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• 2005

The role of 3' exonuclease excision in DNA polymerization was evaluated for primer extension using inert allele specific primers with exonuclease-digestible ddNMP at their 3' termini. Efficient primer extension was observed in amplicons where the inert allele specific primers and their corresponding templates were mismatched. However, no primer-extended products were yielded by matched amplicons with inert primers. As a control, polymerase without proofreading activity failed to yield primer extended products from inert primers regardless of whether the primers and templates were matched or mismatched. These data indicated that activation was undertaken for the inert allele specific primers through mismatch proofreading. Complementary to our previously developed SNP-operated on/off switch, in which DNA polymerization only occurs in matched amplicon, this new mutation detection assay mediated by $exo^+$ DNA polymerases has immediate applications in SNP analysis independently or in combination of the two assays.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.387-393
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• 2000

The process by which Agrobacterium tumefaciens genetically transforms plants involves a complex series of reactions communicated between the pathogen and the plants. To identify plant factors involved in agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation, a large number of T-DNA inserted Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lines were investigated for susceptibility to Agrobacterium infection by using an in vitro root inoculation assay. Based on the phenotype of tumorigenesis, twelve T-DNA inserted Arabidopsis mutants(rat) that were resistant to Agrobacterium transformation were found. Three mutants, rat1, rat3, and rat4 were characterized in detail. They showed low transient GUS activity and very low stable transformation efficiency compared to the wild-type plant. The resistance phenotype of rat1 and rats resulted from decreased attachment of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to inoculated root explants. They may be deficient in plant actors that are necessary for bacterial attachment to plant cells. The disrupted genes in rat1, rat3, and rat4 mutants were coding a arabinogalactan protein, a likely cell wall protein and a cellulose synthase-like protein, respectively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.903-909
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• 2015

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a PCR-based diagnostic method, is based on autocycling strand displacement DNA synthesis in the presence of exonuclease-negative Bst DNA polymerase under isothermal conditions. With the help of four specific primers that recognize six different sequences of a target DNA, LAMP has high specificity in pathogenic identification in a short time. Hence, in the present study, LAMP is used as a diagnostic tool in the identification of the most dreadful aquatic pathogenic species, Vibrio alginolyticus, and to develop species-specific LAMP primers and optimization of LAMP reaction conditions such as annealing temperature, elongation time, and other PCR chemical concentrations, including MgSO₄, dNTPs, Betaine, and Bst polymerase. The optimized LAMP primers were also checked for specificity with other Vibrio species, which showed that the designed primers were very specific to V. alginolyticus After the first introduction of a species name like this one, the first part (“Vibrio” in this case) should be abbreviated to only the first letter.only. These are usually the most harmful pathogens of the Vibrio species that appear in shrimp and crabs. The results also revealed that the LAMP assay could be 10-fold more sensitive than conventional PCR in detecting V. alginolyticus. This could be the first report on using a rapid and highly sensitive technique, the LAMP assay, in the effective diagnosis of the pathogenic bacteria V. alginolyticus, which could help in the early detection of diseases, particularly in aquaculture.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.423-431
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• 2001

Genomic and cDNA clones containing the RAT3 gene involving in Agobacterium-mediated plant transformation were identified using plant DNA flanking the righ border of a T-DNA rescued from the rat3 mutant as hy-bridization probe. Two highly homologous cDNA clones were identified; one (RAT3-1) weakly hybridized with the probe whereas another (RAT3-2) strongly hybridized with the probe. Both Rat3-1 and Rat3-2 proteins contain a putative signal peptide for secretion. The deduced molecular weights of encoded proteins are 15 kDa. The results of genomic DNA blot analysis and DNA sequencing indicated that RAT3-1 and RAT3-2 exist as single copy genes and they were arranged side by side with just 600 bp distance between them. RAT3-1 was disrupted by the integration of T-DNA into the 3 untranslated region in rat3 mutant. A BLAST search showed that both RAT3-1 and RAT3-2 proteins have homology with only the C-terminal region of $\beta$-1,3-glucanase homologues from Triticum aestivum and Arabidopsis thaliana. Thses $\beta$-1,3-glucanase homologues contain an unusually long C-terminal region with no sig-nificant homology to other $\beta$-1,3-glucanase.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.2873-2876
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• 2010

Excess free iron generates oxidative stress that may contribute to the pathogenesis of various causes of neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies have shown that one of the primary causes of increased brain iron may be the release of excess iron from intracellular iron storage molecules. In this study, we attempted to characterize the oxidative damage of DNA induced by the reaction of ferritin with $H_2O_2$. When DNA was incubated with ferritin and $H_2O_2$, DNA strand breakage increased in a time-dependent manner. Hydroxyl radical scavengers strongly inhibited the ferritin/$H_2O_2$ system-induced DNA cleavage. We investigated the generation of hydroxyl radical in the reaction of ferritin with $H_2O_2$ using a chromogen, 2,2'-azinobis-(2-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), which reacted with ${\cdot}OH$ to form $ABTS^{+\cdot}$. The initial rate of $ABTS^{+\cdot}$ formation increased as a function of incubation time. These results suggest that DNA strand breakage is mediated in the reaction of ferritin with $H_2O_2$ via the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The iron-specific chelator, deferoxamine, also inhibited DNA cleavage. Spectrophotometric study using a color reagent showed that the release of iron from $H_2O_2$-treated ferritin increased in a time-dependent manner. Ferritin enhanced mutation of the lacZ' gene in the presence of $H_2O_2$ when measured as a loss of $\alpha$-complementation. These results indicate that ferritin/$H_2O_2$ system-mediated DNA cleavage and mutation may be attributable to hydroxyl radical generation via a Fenton-like reaction of free iron ions released from oxidatively damaged ferritin.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.335-344
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• 2004

Diesel exhaust particle (<2.5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, DEP$_{2.5}$) is known to be probarbly carcinogenic (IARC group 2A). DEP$_{2.5}$ contains organic compounds such as polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), heterocyclic compounds, phenols, and nitroarenes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by DEP$_{2.5}$ without any biological activation system. Therefore, an alternative mechanism by which DEP$_{2.5}$ could be carcinogenic is known by the generation of oxidative DNA damage. The aim of this study was to investigate genotoxic effects of DEP$_{2.5}$ using single cell gel electrophoresis. In order to evaluate the mechanisms of DEP$_{2.5}$ genotoxicity, the rat micro-some mediated and DNA repair enzyme treated comet assays together with routine comet assay were performed. DEP$_{2.5}$ was collected from diesel engine bus and dichloromethane extract was obtained. The organic extract of DEP$_{2.5}$ revealed DNA damage itself in NIH/3T3 cells. And it showed both oxidative and microsome mediated DNA damages. Vitamin C as an model antioxidant reduced DNA damage in endonuclase III treated comet assay. One of flavonoid, galangin as a CYP1A1 inhibitor reduced DNA damage in the presence of S-9 mixture. Our results show that DEP$_{2.5}$ are genotoxic and a great source of oxidative stress, but antioxidants can significantly reduce oxidative DNA damages. And DEP$_{2.5}$ may contain indirect mutagens which can be inhibited by CYP inhibitors.d by CYP inhibitors.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2002

The effect of transgene inactivation in T2, T3 and F2 generations was analyzed in progeny seedlings which had been generated by Agrobacterium (LBA4404/pBI121)-mediated transformation in Arabidopsis thaliana. In a system which investigated in the expression of $\beta$-glucuronidase(GUS)gene in kanamycin-resistant (ke $n^{R}$)seedlings, GUS inactivated seedlings were observed in 5 of 12 tested lines of T2 generation and the frequency of GUS inactivation was approximately 2.3%. Lines with multi-copies of T-DNA exhibited severe GUS gene inactivation with the frequency of 5.8% in T2 generation. In T3 generation lines exhibited GUS gene inactivation with the frequency of 1.3%. In contrast, inactivation increased dramatically up to 12.6% in multi-copy T-DNA line. A similar phenomenon was also found in F2 progeny from a transgenic line which had been crossed with wild-type Arabidopsis plant, WS-O (GUS gene inactivation frequency 9.9%). These results indicate that the foreign gene introduced into the plant was inactivated progressively in its transmission during subsequent generations and the transgenic line with multi-copies of T-DNA tended to show more increased inactivation.