• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.743-748
• /
• 2017

Objective: Based on rapid advancement of genetic modification techniques, genomic editing is expected to become the most efficient tool for improvement of economic traits in livestock as well as poultry. In this study, we examined and verified the nickase of mutated CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) to modulate the specific target gene in chicken DF1 cells. Methods: Chicken myostatin which inhibits muscle cell growth and differentiation during myogenesis was targeted to be deleted and mutated by the Cas9-D10A nickase. After co-transfection of the nickase expression vector with green fluorescent gene (GFP) gene and targeted multiplex guide RNAs (gRNAs), the GFP-positive cells were sorted out by fluorescence-activated cell sorting procedure. Results: Through the genotyping analysis of the knockout cells, the mutant induction efficiency was 100% in the targeted site. Number of the deleted nucleotides ranged from 2 to 39 nucleotide deletion. There was no phenotypic difference between regular cells and knockout cells. However, myostatin protein was not apparently detected in the knockout cells by Western blotting. Additionally, six off-target sites were predicted and analyzed but any non-specific mutation in the off-target sites was not observed. Conclusion: The knockout technical platform with the nickase and multiplex gRNAs can be efficiently and stablely applied to functional genomics study in poultry and finally adapted to generate the knockout poultry for agribio industry.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.324-329
• /
• 2014

To facilitate the construction of genetically-modified pigs, we produced cloned embryos derived from porcine fibroblasts transfected with a pair of engineered zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) plasmids to create targeted mutations and enriched using a reporter plasmid system. The reporter expresses RFP and eGFP simultaneously when ZFN-mediated site-specific mutations occur. Thus, double positive cells ($RFP^+/eGFP^+$) were selected and used for somatic cell nuclear transfer. Two types of reporter based enrichment systems were used in this study; the cloned embryos derived from cells enriched using a magnetic sorting-based system showed better developmental competence than did those derived from cells enriched by flow cytometry. Mutated sequences, such as insertions, deletions, or substitutions, together with the wild-type sequence, were found in the cloned porcine blastocysts. Therefore, genetic mutations can be achieved in cloned porcine embryos reconstructed with ZFN-treated cells that were enriched by a reporter-based system.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.7-14
• /
• 2017

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of aqueous extract from roots of Siberian ginseng on mTORC1 pathway. Methods: mTORC1 activity was measured by the phosphorylation status of p70 S6 kinase (S6K) in HeLa cells as well as the brain, liver and muscle tissues in diabetic db/db mice. Autophagy induction after the treatment of Siberian ginseng extract was evaluated by monitoring the conversion of cytoplasmic LC3I into lipidated LC3II in cultured human HeLa GFP-LC3 cells. Cell cycle analysis was performed in HeLa cells treated with Siberian ginseng using flow cytometry. Results: Among >2,800 plant products used for oriental medicine, Siberian ginseng was found to inhibit mTORC1 to phosphorylate S6 kinsase (S6K) in HeLa cells as well as the brain, liver and muscle tissues in diabetic db/db mice. Siberian ginseng-mediated mTORC1 activity was reversible unlike the prolonged suppression of mTORC1 by rapamycin when HeLa cells were grown in fresh media after the removal of the inhibitors. Siberian ginseng extract at concentrations to inhibit mTORC1 was not overly cytotoxic in cultured HeLa cells whereas rapamycin was obviously cytotoxic. The conversion of cytoplasmic LCI into lipidated LCII was increased by fivefold in HeLa GFP-LC3 cells treated with Siberian ginseng extract. Progression of cell cycle was attenuated at G2/M phase by the treatment of Siberian ginseng extract. Conclusions: These results suggest that the aqueous extract of Siberian ginseng possibly plays a good therapeutic role in various diseases involving mTORC1 signaling.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.249-253
• /
• 2014

THOC7/Mft1 is a member of the THO complex that is an evolutionally conserved assembly connecting transcription elongation with mRNP packaging and mRNA export. In fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, an ortholog (spThoc7) of THOC7/Mft1 was isolated by partial complementation of the lethality in synthetic lethal mutant, SLRsm1. A deletion mutant in a diploid strain was constructed by replacing one of spThoc7-coding region with an $ura4^+$ gene using one-step gene disruption method. Tetrad analysis showed that the spthoc7 is nonessential for growth. But the ${\Delta}thoc7$ null mutant showed slight defects of both growth and mRNA export. And the functional spThoc7-GFP protein is localized mainly in the nucleus. These results suggest that spThoc7 is also involved in mRNA export from the nucleus to cytoplasm.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.347-351
• /
• 2002

Transgenes in HSY-TK gene driven by the lck promoter was tested for the expression in immune cells (Jurkat cells) to apply xenotransplantation of human cells into transgenic animals for the potential use of the proliferation or differentiation of human stem cells in the large animal such as an pig. Also, lck-CFP gene was used for transfection experiment into Jurkat cell to confirm the proper regulation of lck promoter for transgene expression in the T cells. Transfection of lck-GFP gene into Jurkat ceils induced CFP expression in transfected cells. The expression of Ick-TK and Ick-CFP genes was confirmed by RT-PCR using RNAs extracted from Jurkat cells, When Jurkat cells transfected with TK and CFP genes were selected against G418 or gancyclovir treatments, Jurkat cells transfected with TK gene were not proliferated in G4i8 and gancyclovir medium while intact cells or cells transfected with CFP gene could grow in gancyclovir medium. However, Jurkat cells transfected with TK or GFP gene were proliferated in G418 medium probably due to Neo$^{r}$ gene in the vector. Gancyclovir treatment destroyed Jurkat cells expressing TK gene indicating that T-cells expressing TK gene can be selectively eliminated by TK gene expression driven by lck promoter.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.136-144
• /
• 2016

Pseudomonas fluorescens pc78 is an effective biocontrol agent for soil-borne fungal diseases. We previously constructed a P43-gfp tagged biocontrol bacteria P. fluorescens pc78-48 to investigate bacterial traits in natural ecosystem and the environmental risk of genetically modified biocontrol bacteria in tomato rhizosphere. Fluctuation of culturable bacteria profile, microbial community structure, and potential horizontal gene transfer was investigated over time after the bacteria treatment to the tomato rhizosphere. Tagged gene transfer to other organisms such as tomato plants and bacteria cultured on various media was examined by polymerase chain reaction, using gene specific primers. Transfer of chromosomally integrated P43-gfp from pc78 to other organisms was not apparent. Population and colony types of culturable bacteria were not significantly affected by the introduction of P. fluorescens pc78 or pc78-48 into tomato rhizosphere. Additionally, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles were investigated to estimate the influence on the microbial community structure in tomato rhizosphere between non-treated and pc78-48-treated samples. Interestingly, rhizosphere soil treated with strain pc78-48 exhibited a significantly different bacterial community structure compared to that of non-treated rhizosphere soil. Our results suggest that biocontrol bacteria treatment influences microbial community in tomato rhizosphere, while the chromosomally modified biocontrol bacteria may not pose any specific environmental risk in terms of gene transfer.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.25-30
• /
• 2009

${\beta}$-Arrestins turn off G protein-mediated signals and initiate distinct G protein-independent signaling pathways. We previously demonstrated that angiotensin $AT_1$ receptorbound ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 is cleaved after $Phe^{388}$ upon angiotensin II stimulation. The mechanism and signaling pathway of angiotensin II-induced ${\beta}$-arrestin cleavage remain largely unknown. Here, we show that protein Tyr phosphatase activity is involved in the regulation of ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 cleavage. Tagging of green fluorescent protein (GFP) either to the N-terminus or C-terminus of ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 induced conformational changes and the cleavage of ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 without angiotensin $AT_1$ receptor activation. Orthovanadate and molybdate, inhibitors of protein Tyr phosphatase, attenuated the cleavage of C-terminal GFP-tagged ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 in vitro. The inhibitory effects of okadaic acid and pyrophosphate, which are inhibitors of protein Ser/Thr phosphatase, were less than those of protein Tyr phosphatase inhibitors. Cell-permeable pervanadate inhibited angiotensin II-induced cleavage of ${\beta}$-arrestin 1 in COS-1 cells. Our findings suggest that Tyr phosphorylation signaling is involved in the regulation of angiotensin II-induced ${\beta}$-arrestin cleavage.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.181-185
• /
• 2015

Tho2/THOC2 is a subunit of the THO complex that plays important roles in mRNP biogenesis connecting transcription with mRNA maturation and export. A fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, ortholog of Tho2/THOC2 was identified from the genome database. Tetrad analysis showed that the S. pombe tho2 is essential for growth. Repression or overexpression of the tho2 gene caused growth defect with elongated cells, abnormal DNA distribution, and accumulation of $poly(A)^+$ RNA in the nucleus. And the functional GFP-Tho2 protein is localized mainly in the nucleus. Yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that Tho2 interacted with Tex1, another subunit of THO complex. These results suggest that S. pombe Tho2 is also involved in mRNA export from the nucleus and is a component of THO complex.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.298-305
• /
• 2016

Previously our laboratory showed that Pseudomonas alkylphenolica KL28 possesses two different lap and pcu gene clusters for p-cresol catabolism. In this study, additional gene cluster (pchACXF-pcaHG-orf4-pcaBC) has been identified to encode enzymes necessary for catabolism of p-cresol to ${\beta}$-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate. This gene cluster showed almost identical nucleotide sequence homologies to those in the plasmid of Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 9866 and 9869, British origins, indicating the possibility of a horizontal gene transfer. Through mutagenesis of each gene cluster and gfp-based promoter reporter assays, it has been shown that the three gene clusters are functionally operated and pch genes are induced by p-cresol. Furthermore, the pcu gene cluster of the three was shown to be dominantly expressed in utilization of p-cresol. Mutation of the pcu gene was defective in aerial structure formation under p-cresol vapor, indicating the utilization rate of carbon source is one of key elements for the multicellular development of this strain.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.171-180
• /
• 2001

Compared to other gene transfer system, the advantages of retrovirus-mediated gene transfer are technical ease, efficient expression and genetic stability. Despite the high potency of the retrovirus vector system in gene transfer, one of the drawbacks is a difficulty in concentration of virus stock. To overcome this problem, we tested a new retrovirus vector system producing the progeny retrovirus particles encapsidated with VSV-G (vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein). The infectivity of this virus was not sacrificed by ultracentrifugal concentration and the host cell range extended from all mammalian to fish embryos. Virus titer after 1,000 x concentration was more than 10$^{8}$ CFU/ $m\ell$ on most of the target cell lines. We applied this pantropic viruses in transgenic chicken production by injecting the concentrated (100$\times$) stock into subgerminal cavity of stage X chicken embryos. The survival rate of chicken embryos after injection was about 20% and gene integration rate in surviving embryos was scored almost 100%. Analyses of RT-PCR and fluorescence microscopy, however, showed no evidence of the transgene expression.