• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.3-8
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• 2000

The complete genome sequence of a Gram-positive bacterium .Bacillus subtilis has recently been reported and it is now clear that more than 50% of its ORFs have no known function (1). To study the global gene expression in B. subtilis at single gene resolution, we have tested the glass DNA microarrays in a step-wise fashion. As a preliminary experiment, we have created arrays of PCR products for 14 ORF whose transcription patterns have been well established through transcriptional mapping analysis. We measured changes in mRNA transcript levels between early exponential and stationary phase by hybridizing fluorescently labeled cDNA (with Cy3-UTP and Cy5-UTP) onto the array. We then compared the microarray data to confirm that the transcription patterns of these genes are well consistent with the known Northern analysis data. Since the preliminary test has been successful, we scaled up the experiments to ${\sim}$94% of the 4,100 annotated ORFs for the complete genome sequence of B. subtilis. Using this whole genomic microarray, we searched genes that are catabolite-repressive and those that are under the control of ${\sigma}^{Y}$, one of the functionally unknown ECF sigma factors. From these results, we here report that we have established DNA microarray techniques that are applicable for the whole genome of B. subtilis.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.281-285
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• 2005

Pod dehiscence (PD), defined as the opening of pods along both the dorsal and ventral sutures, causes the seed to shatter in the field before harvesting and results in loss of seed yields. However, breeding for resistance to PD is difficult due to the complicated genetic behavior and environmental interaction. The objective of the present research was to analyze the genetic behavior of PD for improving the breeding efficiency of resistance to PD in soybean. PD after oven-drying the sampled pod at $40^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours was the most reliable to predict the degree of PD tested in the field. Keunolkong, a dehiscent parent, was crossed with non-dehiscent parents, Sinpaldalkong and Iksan 10. Using their $F_1\;and\;F_2$ seeds, PD was measured after oven drying the pod at $40^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours. The gene conferring PD behaved in different manners depending on the genetic populations. In the Keunolkong$\times$Sinpaldalkong population, PD seemed to be governed by single major recessive gene and minor genes, while several genes were probably involved in the resistance to pod dehiscence in the Keunolkong$\times$Iksan 10 population. Heritability for PD estimated in F2 population showed over $90\%$ in the two populations. High heritability of PD indicated that selection for resistance to PD should be effective in a breeding program. In addition, genetic mapping of quantitative locus (QTL) for PD in both populations may reveal that genes conferring PD are population-specific.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.196-204
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• 2008

Despite increasing awareness of the importance of WRKY genes in plant defense signaling, the locations of these genes in the Capsicum genome have not been established. To develop WRKY-based markers, primer sequences were deduced from the conserved sequences of the DNA binding motif within the WRKY domains of tomato and pepper genes. These primers were derived from upstream and downstream parts of the conserved sequences of the three WRKY groups. Six primer combinations of each WRKY group were tested for polymorphisms between the mapping parents, C. annuum 'CM334' and C. annuum 'Chilsung-cho'. DNA fragments amplified by primer pairs deduced from WRKY Group II genes revealed high levels of polymorphism. Using 32 primer pairs to amplify upstream and downstream parts of the WRKY domain of WRKY group II genes, 60 polymorphic bands were detected. Polymorphisms were not detected with primer pairs from downstream parts of WRKY group II genes. Half of these primers were subjected to $F_2$ genotyping to construct a linkage map. Thirty of 41 markers were located evenly spaced on 20 of the 28 linkage groups, without clustering. This linkage map also consisted of 199 AFLP and 26 SSR markers. This WRKY-based marker system is a rapid and simple method for generating sequence-specific markers for plant gene families.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.931-937
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• 2006

The full-length cDNA of the porcine SMPX gene was obtained by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The nucleotide sequences and the predicted protein sequences share high sequence identity with both human and mouse. The promoter of SMPX was sequenced and then analyzed to find the promoter binding sites. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that SMPX has a high level of expression in heart and skeletal muscle, a very low expression in lung and spleen and no expression in liver, kidney, fat and brain. Moreover, SMPX has a differential expression level in skeletal muscle, the expression in 65-day embryos being higher than other stages. The porcine SMPX was mapped to SSCXp24 by using a somatic cell hybrid panel (SCHP) and was found closely linked to SW1903 using the radiation hybrid panel IMpRH. An A/G single nucleotide polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) was detected in eight breeds. The analysis of allele frequency distribution showed that introduced pig breeds (Duroc and Large White) have a higher frequency of allele A while in the Chinese indigenous pig breeds (Qingping pig, Lantang pig, YushanBlack pig, Large Black-White pig, Small Meishan) have a higher frequencies of allele G. The association analysis using an experimental population (188 pigs), which included two cross-bred groups and three pure-blood groups, suggested that the SNP genotype was associated with intramuscular fat content.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.26.1-26.12
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• 2019

Identification of fusion gene is of prominent importance in cancer research field because of their potential as carcinogenic drivers. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data have been the most useful source for identification of fusion transcripts. Although a number of algorithms have been developed thus far, most programs produce too many false-positives, thus making experimental confirmation almost impossible. We still lack a reliable program that achieves high precision with reasonable recall rate. Here, we present FusionScan, a highly optimized tool for predicting fusion transcripts from RNA-Seq data. We specifically search for split reads composed of intact exons at the fusion boundaries. Using 269 known fusion cases as the reference, we have implemented various mapping and filtering strategies to remove false-positives without discarding genuine fusions. In the performance test using three cell line datasets with validated fusion cases (NCI-H660, K562, and MCF-7), FusionScan outperformed other existing programs by a considerable margin, achieving the precision and recall rates of 60% and 79%, respectively. Simulation test also demonstrated that FusionScan recovered most of true positives without producing an overwhelming number of false-positives regardless of sequencing depth and read length. The computation time was comparable to other leading tools. We also provide several curative means to help users investigate the details of fusion candidates easily. We believe that FusionScan would be a reliable, efficient and convenient program for detecting fusion transcripts that meet the requirements in the clinical and experimental community. FusionScan is freely available at http://fusionscan.ewha.ac.kr/.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.789-793
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• 2010

Artificial chromosome manipulation and amplification of single-copy yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) are usually required in order to use YACs for applications such as physical mapping and functional analysis in eukaryotes. We designed and implemented a Simultaneous YAC Manipulation-Amplification (SYMA) system that combines the copy number amplification system of YAC with a convenient YAC manipulation system. To achieve the desired split and to amplify a YAC clone-harboring plant chromosome, a pBGTK plasmid containing a conditional centromere and thymidine kinase (TK) gene was constructed as a template to amplify the splitting fragment via PCR. By splitting, new 490-kb and 100-kb split YACs containing the elements for copy number amplification were simultaneously generated from a 590-kb YAC clone. The 100-kb split YAC was then successfully amplified 14.4-fold by adding 3 mg/ml sulfanilamide and $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ methotrexate (S3/M50) as inducing substances.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.239-244
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• 2000

The cats gene encodes the major catalase in Sreptomyces coelicolor, whose production increases upon H$_2$O$_2$treatment. Besides the previously identified primary promoter (catApl), a minor promoter (catAp2) was newly assigned by S1 nuclease mapping. The catAp2 transcript was observed transiently upon entry into the stationary phase in liquid culture and upon differentiation on solid plates, whereas the level of catApl transcription did not chance significantly during this growth transition. ThecatApl promoter was transcribed by the major vegetative RNA polymerase holoenzyme containing $\sigma$$\^$HrdB/, whereas the catAp2 was transcribed in vitro by the holoenzyme containing $\sigma$$\^$R/ that is activated under oxidative conditions. The cia-element regulating the H$_2$O$_2$-inducibility of catApl was identified within the 23 bp inverted repeat sequence located between -65 and -43 of the catApl promoter. We roamed this sequence HRE (H$_2$O$_2$-responsive Element). The distal half of the inverted repeat was more crucial for H$_2$O$_2$-dependent induction of the catApl transcript than the proximal half. HRE most likely serves as a binding site for the H$_2$O$_2$-responsive repressor CatR.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.418-425
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• 2019

Multicistronic elements, such as the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and 2A-like cleavage sequence, serve crucial roles in the eukaryotic ectopic expression of exogenous genes. For utilization of multicistronic elements, the cleavage efficiency and order of elements in multicistronic vectors have been investigated; however, the dynamics of multicistronic element-mediated expression remains unclear. Here, we investigated the dynamics of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) IRES- and porcine teschovirus-1 2A (p2A)-mediated expression. By utilizing real-time fluorescent imaging at a minute-level resolution, we monitored the expression of fluorescent reporters bridged by either EMCV IRES or p2A in two independent cultured cell lines, HEK293 and Neuro2a. We observed significant correlations for the two fluorescent reporters in both multicistronic elements, with a higher correlation coefficient for p2A in HEK293 but similar coefficients for IRES-mediated expression and p2A-mediated expression in Neuro2a. We further analyzed the causal relationship of multicistronic elements by convergent cross mapping (CCM). CCM revealed that in all four conditions examined, the expression of the preceding gene causally affected the dynamics of the subsequent gene. As with the cross correlation, the predictive skill of p2A was higher than that of IRES in HEK293, while the predictive skills of the two multicistronic elements were indistinguishable in Neuro2a. To summarize, we report a significant temporal correlation in both EMCV IRES- and p2A-mediated expression based on the simple bicistronic vector and real-time fluorescent monitoring. The current system also provides a valuable platform to examine the dynamic aspects of expression mediated by diverse multicistronic elements under various physiological conditions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.607-613
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• 2019

Objective: Intramuscular fat (IMF) content plays an important role in meat quality. Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes related to pig IMF, especially using pig populations with high IMF content variation, can help to establish novel molecular breeding tools for optimizing IMF in pork and unveil the mechanisms that underlie fat metabolism. Methods: We collected muscle samples of 453 Chinese Lulai black pigs, measured IMF content by Soxhlet petroleum-ether extraction method, and genotyped genome-wide SNPs using GeneSeek Genomic Profiler Porcine HD BeadChip. Then a genome-wide association study was performed using a linear mixed model implemented in the GEMMA software. Results: A total of 43 SNPs were identified to be significantly associated with IMF content by the cutoff p<0.001. Among these significant SNPs, the greatest number of SNPs (n = 19) were detected on Chr.9, and two linkage disequilibrium blocks were formed among them. Additionally, 17 significant SNPs are mapped to previously reported quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of IMF and confirmed previous QTLs studies. Forty-two annotated genes centering these significant SNPs were obtained from Ensembl database. Overrepresentation test of pathways and gene ontology (GO) terms revealed some enriched reactome pathways and GO terms, which mainly involved regulation of basic material transport, energy metabolic process and signaling pathway. Conclusion: These findings improve our understanding of the genetic architecture of IMF content in pork and facilitate the follow-up study of fine-mapping genes that influence fat deposition in muscle.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.375-381
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• 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (~22 nucleotides) regulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. By directing the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to bind specific target mRNAs, miRNA can repress target genes and affect various biological phenotypes. Functional miRNA target recognition is known to majorly attribute specificity to consecutive pairing with seed region (position 2-8) of miRNA. Recent advances in a transcriptome-wide method of mapping miRNA binding sites (Ago HITS-CLIP) elucidated that a large portion of miRNA-target interactions in vivo are mediated not only through the canonical "seed sites" but also via non-canonical sites (~15-80%), setting the stage to expand and determine their properties. Here we focus on recent findings from transcriptome-wide non-canonical miRNA-target interactions, specifically regarding "nucleation bulges" and "seed-like motifs". We also discuss insights from Ago HITS-CLIP data alongside structural and biochemical studies, which highlight putative mechanisms of miRNA target recognition, and the biological significance of these non-canonical sites mediating marginal repression.