• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.105-115
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• 2015

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is critical for the triggering of innate immune response by recognizing the conserved molecular patterns of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses and mediated antigenic adaptive immunity. To understand how TLR7 distinguish pathogen-derived molecular patterns from the host self, it is essential to be able to identify TLR7 receptor interaction interfaces, such as active sites or R848-agonist binding sites. The functional interfaces of TLR7 can serve as targets for structure-based drug design in studying the TLR7 receptor's structure-function relationship. In contrast to mammalian TLR7, chicken TLR7 (chTLR7) is unknown for its important biological function. Therefore, it has been targeted to mediate contrasting evolutionary patterns of positive selection into non-synonymous SNPs across eleven species using TLR7 conservation patterns (evolutionary conserved and class-specific trace residues), where protein sequence differences to the TLR7 receptors of interest record mutation that have passed positive section across the species. In this study, we characterized the Lys609 residue on chTLR7-ECD homodimer interfaces to reflect the current tendency of evolving positive selection to be transfer into a stabilization direction of the R848-agonist/chTLR7-ECDs complex under the phylogenetically variable position across species and we suggest a potential indicator for contrasting evolutionary patterns of both the species TLR-ECDs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2009

CDC48 is a member of the AAA ATPase superfamily. Yeast CDC48 and its mammalian homolog p97 are implicated in diverse cellular processes, including mitosis, membrane fusion, and ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. However, the cellular functions of plant CDC48 proteins are largely unknown. In the present study, we performed virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) screening and found that silencing of a gene encoding a tobacco CDC48 homolog, NgCDC48, resulted in severe abnormalities in leaf and shoot development in tobacco. Furthermore, transgenic tobacco plants (35S:anti-NgCDC48), in which the NgCDC48 gene was suppressed using the antisense RNA method, exhibited severely aberrant development of both vegetative and reproductive organs, resulting in arrested shoot and leaf growth and sterile flowers. Approximately 57-83% of 35S:anti-NgCDC48 plants failed to develop mature organs and died at early stage of development. Scanning electron microscopy showed that both adaxial and abaxial epidermal pavement cells in antisense transgenic leaves were significantly smaller and more numerous than those in wild type leaves. These results indicate that NgCDC48 is critically involved in cell growth and development of tobacco plants. An in vivo targeting experiment revealed that NgCDC48 resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in tobacco protoplasts. We consider the tantalizing possibility that CDC48-mediated degradation of an as-yet unidentified protein(s) in the ER might be a critical step for cell growth and expansion in tobacco leaves.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.142-148
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• 2005

The immune response-related genes have been suggested to be the most favorable genes for positive selection during evolution. Comparing the entire DNA sequence of chimpanzee chromosome 22 (PTR22) with human chromosome 21 (HSA21), we have identified 15 orthologs having indel in their coding sequences. Among them, interferon-${\alpha}$ receptor-1 gene (IFNAR1), an immuneresponse-related gene, is subjected to comparative genomic analysis. Chimpanzee IFNAR1 showed the same genomic structure as human IFNAR1 (11 exons and 10 introns) except the 3 bp insertion in exon 4. The sequence alignment of IFNAR1 coding sequence indicated that 'ISPP' amino acid sequence motif is highly conserved in chimpanzee and other animals including mouse and chicken. However, the human IFNAR1 shows that one proline residue is missing in the sequence motif. The homology modeling of the IFNAR1 structures suggests that the proline deletion in human IFNAR1 leads to the formation of the following ${\alpha}$-helix, whereas two sequential prolines in chimpanzee IFNAR1 inhibit it. As a result, human IFNAR1 may adopt a characteristic structure distinct from chimpanzee IFNAR1. This human specific trait could contribute to specific immune response in the most optimized manner for humans. Further molecular biological studies on the IFNAR1 will help us to gain insights into the molecular implication of species-specific host-pathogen interaction in primate evolution.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1246-1256
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• 2015

Chlamydophila psittaci is an important intracellular pathogen. Persistent infection is an important state of the host-parasite interaction in this chlamydial infection, which plays a significant role in spreading the organism within animal populations and in causing chronic chlamydiosis and serious sequelae. In this study, a C. psittaci persistent infection cell model was induced by penicillin G, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to study the transcriptional levels of 10 C. psittaci genes (dnaA, dnaK, ftsW, ftsY, grpE, rpsD, incC, omcB, CPSIT_0846, and CPSIT_0042) in acute and penicillin-G-induced persistent infection cultures. Compared with the acute cultures, the penicillin-G-treated cultures showed a reduced chlamydial inclusion size and a significantly decreased number of elementary body particles. Additionally, some enlarged aberrant reticulate body particles were present in the penicillin-G-treated cultures but not the acute ones. The expression levels of genes encoding products for cell division (FtsW, FtsY) and outer membrane protein E encoding gene (CPSIT_0042) were downregulated (p < 0.05) from 6 h post-infection onward in the persistent infection cultures. Also from 6 h post-infection, the expression levels of DnaA, DnaK, IncC, RpsD, GrpE, and CPSIT_0846 were upregulated (p < 0.05); however, the expression level of OmcB in the persistent infection was< almost the same as that in the acute infection (p > 0.05). These results provide new insight regarding molecular activities that accompany persistence of C. psittaci, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of C. psittaci infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.679-685
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• 2011

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) produces a putative effector, XoAvrBs2. We expressed XoAvrBs2 homologously in Xoo with a TAP-tag at the C-terminus to enable quantitative analysis of protein expression and secretion. Addition of rice leaf extracts from both Xoo-sensitive and Xoo-resistant rice cultivars to the Xoo cells induced expression of the XoAvrBs2 gene at the transcriptional and translational levels, and also stimulated a remarkable amount of XoAvrBs2 secretion into the medium. In a T3SS-defective Xoo mutant strain, secretion of the TAPtagged XoAvrBs2 was blocked. Thus, we elucidated the transcriptional and translational expressions of the XoAvrBs2 gene in Xoo was induced in vitro by the interaction with rice and the induced secretion of XoAvrBs2 was T3SSdependent. It is the first report to measure the homologous expression and secretion of XoAvrBs2 in vitro by rice leaf extract. Our system for the quantitative analysis of effector protein expression and secretion could be generally used for the study of host-pathogen interactions.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

Fusarium culmorum is one of the most important causal agents of root rot of wheat. In this study, 10 F. culmorum isolates were collected from farms located in five agro-ecological regions of Morocco. These were used to challenge 20 durum wheat genotypes via artificial inoculation of plant roots under controlled conditions. The isolate virulence was determined by three traits (roots browning index, stem browning index, and severity of root rot). An alpha-lattice design with three replicates was used, and the resulting ANOVA revealed a significant (P < 0.01) effect of isolate (I), genotype (G), and G × I interaction. A total of four response types were observed (R, MR, MS, and S) revealing that different genes in both the pathogen and the host were activated in 53% of interactions. Most genotypes were susceptible to eight or more isolates, while the Moroccan cultivar Marouan was reported resistant to three isolates and moderately resistant to three others. Similarly, the Australian breeding line SSD1479-117 was reported resistant to two isolates and moderately resistant to four others. The ICARDA elites Icaverve, Berghisyr, Berghisyr2, Amina, and Icaverve2 were identified as moderately resistant. Principal component analysis based on the genotypes responses defined two major clusters and two sub-clusters for the 10 F. culmorum isolates. Isolate Fc9 collected in Khemis Zemamra was the most virulent while isolate Fc3 collected in Haj-Kaddour was the least virulent. This work provides initial results for the discovery of differential reactions between the durum lines and isolates and the identification of novel sources of resistance.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2018

An increase in $CO_2$ will affect plant pathogenic microorganisms, the resistance of host plants, and host-pathogen interactions. This study used Capsicum annuum and Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, a pathogenic bacterium of pepper, to investigate the interactions between hosts and pathogens in conditions of increased $CO_2$ concentrations. Our analysis of disease resistance genes under 800 ppm $CO_2$ using quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression of CaLRR1, CaPIK1, and PR10 decreased, but that of negative regulator WRKY1 increased. Additionally, the disease progress and severity was higher at 800 ppm than 400 ppm $CO_2$. These results will aid in understanding the interaction between red pepper and X. euvesicatoria under increased $CO_2$ concentrations in the future.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.24 no.2 s.63
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• pp.65-70
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• 1985

The locational preference of the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens ($St{\aa}l$) and the whitebacked plant hopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera(Horvath) was studied on rice cultivars IR22 and IR36 as an integral part of subsequent research on insect-fungal pathogen relationships. The BPH was observed to stay consistently on the basal portion while the WBPH showed a general preference for the upper portion regardless of varieties, rice growth stages and insect population density levels. The habitat preference of both species (BPH and WBPH) was found not to be affected by the presence of the other species when both species are present on the same host plant Five rice cultivars with different reactions to BPH biotype 2 were used in the study on BPH-Rhizoctonia solani relationship: IR22 and TN1 (susceptible); Triveni and ASD7 (moderately resistant); and IR42 (resistant). Test plants were inoculated with R. solani (Kuhn) $3{\sim}4$days after insect infestation. Sheath blight disease severity/incidence was significantly higher in the treatment where BPH+R. solani were together than in the treatment with only the pathogen. Symptom expression of the disease in the BPH-pathogen combination was faster and mycelial growth was more profuse inducing the formation of more infection structures. Regardless of varietal reaction to BPH biotype 2, the degree of hopperburn was significantly higher in the combination of the two pests as compared with that of BPH alone. There could be a synergistic relationship between the insect pest and the pathogen indicated by a positive interaction between the two species.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2017

The rice blast fungus is a representative model phytopathogenic fungus in which Gene-for-Gene interaction with host rice is applicable. After 1980, eight differential varieties have been constructed and classified to analyze the race of rice blast isolates in Korea. However, since there is limited information about the genetic background of rice blast resistance genes within the Korean differentials, scientific analysis on the emergence of new race or resistance break down was difficult. Recently, a differential system has been developed using monogenic resistance lines to understand the interactions of pathogen race and rice resistance genes. In this study, a total of 50 isolates were selected from four different races isolated in Korea, and they were inoculated into monogenic lines. As a result, the isolates in the same race classified by the Korean differential system reacted differently in single monogenic lines. This suggests that the isolates categorized as the same race group contains different avirulence genes and furthermore, it is presumed that the Korean differential system is difficult to provide useful information for breeding program. For this reason, introduction of differential system using monogenic resistance lines is required in addition to the current system.