• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제43권4호
• /
• pp.331-339
• /
• 2020

Genetic modifications in noncoding regulatory regions are likely critical to human evolution. Human-accelerated noncoding elements are highly conserved noncoding regions among vertebrates but have large differences across humans, which implies human-specific regulatory potential. In this study, we found that human-accelerated noncoding elements were frequently coupled with DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs), together with monomethylated and trimethylated histone H3 lysine 4, which are active regulatory markers. This coupling was particularly pronounced in fetal brains relative to adult brains, non-brain fetal tissues, and embryonic stem cells. However, fetal brain DHSs were also specifically enriched in deeply conserved sequences, implying coexistence of universal maintenance and human-specific fitness in human brain development. We assessed whether this coexisting pattern was a general one by quantitatively measuring evolutionary rates of DHSs. As a result, fetal brain DHSs showed a mixed but distinct signature of regional conservation and outlier point acceleration as compared to other DHSs. This finding suggests that brain developmental sequences are selectively constrained in general, whereas specific nucleotides are under positive selection or constraint relaxation simultaneously. Hence, we hypothesize that human- or primate-specific changes to universally conserved regulatory codes of brain development may drive the accelerated, and most likely adaptive, evolution of the regulatory network of the human brain.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.231-236
• /
• 2001

SINE-R retroposons have been derived from human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K family and found to be hominoid specific. Both SINE-R retroposons and HERV-K family are potentially capable of affecting the expression of closely located genes. From cDNA library of human fetal brain, we identified seven SINE-R retroposons and compared them with sequences derived from GenBank database. The SINE-R retroposons from human feta1 brain showed 85∼97% sequence similarities with the human-specific retroposon SINE-R.C2. They also showed 88∼96% sequence similarities with the sequence of the schizo-cDNA clone that derived from postmortem frontal cortex tissue of a schizophrenic patient. Phylogenetic analysis using the neiqhbor-joining method revealed that the seven new SINE-R retroposons from cDNA library of the human feta1 brain have proliferated independently during human evolution. The data indicate that such SINE-R retroposons are expressed in human fetal brain and deserve further investigation as potential leads to understanding of neuropsychiatric diseases.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제11권4호
• /
• pp.379-384
• /
• 2001

Long terminal repeats(LTRs) of the human endogenous retrovirus(HERV) heve been found to be coexpresed with genes located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to the genetic variation of human genome connected to various diseases. Recently, HERV-W family was identified in the cerebrospinal fluids and brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Using cHNA library derived from human fetal brain, we performed PCR amplification and identified seven new HERV-W LTR elements. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity(98∼99%) with HERV-W (AF072500). A phylogentic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that seven new HERV-W LTR elements(FB-1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12) were closely related to the AX000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from Gen Bank database. Our data suggest that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements are expressed in human feta brain and may contribute to an understanding of biological function connected to neuropsychiatric diseases.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제32권4호
• /
• pp.409-413
• /
• 1999

The cDNA encoding CMP-NeuAc:lactosylceramide ${\alpha}2$,3-sialyltransferase (GM3 synthase) was isolated from a human fetal brain cDNA library using sequence information obtained from amino acid sequences found in the conserved regions of the previously-cloned mouse GM3 synthase (mST3Gal V) and human sialyltransferases. The cDNA sequence included an open reading frame coding for 362 amino acids, and the primary structure of this enzyme predicted all the structural features characteristic of other sialyltransferases, including a type II membrane protein topology and both sialylmotifs. Comparative analysis of this cDNA with mST3Gal V showed 85% and 86% identity of the nucleotide and amino acid residues, respectively. The expression of this gene is highly restricted in both human fetal and adult tissues.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제13권3호
• /
• pp.291-297
• /
• 2003

인간 내생 레트로바이러스 HERV-W는 다발성 경화증 환자로부터 탐지된 MSRV와 연루되어 있다. 인간 태아의 뇌로부터 유래된 cDNA library를 이용하여 PCR법으로 2개의 HERV-W 패밀리(HWP-FB10과 HWP-FB12)를 동정하고 분석하였다. 그들은 HERV-W (accession no. AF009668)와 89%의 염기서열의 유사성을 보였다. Pol 유전자를 아미노산의 서열로 분석해 본 결과 점돌연변이 또는 삽입/결실로 말미암아 frameshift 및 종결코돈을 나타내었다. 유전자정보의 데이터베이스를 이용하여 HERV-W 패밀리간의 분자계통분류도를 작성해 본 결과 HWP-FB10은 인간의 염색체 7q21-22로부터 유래된 AC000064와 매우 가깝게 관련되어 있음을 시사하였다. 이들의 새로운 HERV-W pol 패밀리가 이웃하는 어떤 유전자와 상호 연결되어 있으며, 어떠한 기능을 수행하는지에 대한 전망에 대해 토의하였다.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제52권10호
• /
• pp.577-588
• /
• 2019

DNA methylation at CpG sites is an essential epigenetic mark that regulates gene expression during mammalian development and diseases. Methylome refers to the entire set of methylation modifications present in the whole genome. Over the last several years, an increasing number of reports on brain DNA methylome reported the association between aberrant methylation and the abnormalities in the expression of critical genes known to have critical roles during aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Consequently, the role of methylation in understanding neurodegenerative diseases has been under focus. This review outlines the current knowledge of the human brain DNA methylomes during aging and neurodegenerative diseases. We describe the differentially methylated genes from fetal stage to old age and their biological functions. Additionally, we summarize the key aspects and methylated genes identified from brain methylome studies on neurodegenerative diseases. The brain methylome studies could provide a basis for studying the functional aspects of neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제10권2호
• /
• pp.5-11
• /
• 1977

The mature human braun contains over 10 billion nerve cells (neurons), whose functions are directly related to the acquisition, transfer, processing, analysis, and utilization of all the information. There are also billions of glial cells, which serve primarily to support and to maintain the integrity of the neuron network and to synthesize an essential fatty strucfure, myelin. In the human brain DNA content therefore cell number rises rapidly until birth and then more slowly until $5{\sim}6$ months of age, when it reaches a maximum. While glial cells may be replaced, the more important nerve cell neurons can never be replaced once they are formed. Humans are born with their full complement of neurons and every neuron is as old as each individual. Thus prenatal malnutrition can seriously affect a person's entire life by severely inhibiting the production of neurons before birth.It has been demonstrated that in humans severe malnutrition during the fetal period and in infancy is associated with intellectual impairment. Severely malnourished children have brains smaller than average size and have been found to have $15{\sim}20%$ fewer brain cells than wellnourished childen. There is growing body of literature pointing to malnutrition as a cause of abnormal behavior as evidence that suggests these abnormalities may produce chromosomal damage that may persist forever. Although cognitive development in children is affected by multiple environmental factors, nutrition certainly deaerves more attention than it has received.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제27권12호
• /
• pp.1671-1677
• /
• 2014

Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb) and FK506 binding protein 38 (FKBP38) are two important regulatory proteins in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. There are contradictory data on the interaction between Rheb and FKBP38 in human cells, but this association has not been examined in cashmere goat cells. To investigate the interaction between Rheb and FKBP38, we overexpressed goat Rheb and FKBP38 in goat fetal fibroblasts, extracted whole proteins, and performed coimmunoprecipitation to detect them by western blot. We found Rheb binds directly to FKBP38. Then, we constructed bait vectors (pGBKT7-Rheb/FKBP38) and prey vectors (pGADT7-Rheb/FKBP38), and examined their interaction by yeast two-hybrid assay. Their direct interaction was observed, regardless of which plasmid served as the prey or bait vector. These results indicate that the 2 proteins interact directly in vivo. Novel evidence is presented on the mTOR signal pathway in Cashmere goat cells.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
• /
• 제3권1호
• /
• pp.101-105
• /
• 1999

N-Methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG)는 DNA에서 N-methylpurine과 다른 손상된 purine기를 제거하는 DNA 회복 효소이다. 생쥐의 임신 8일 후의 태아조직부터 생후 400일까지의 조직들로부터 RT-PCR 방법으로 MPG mRNA 발현을 조사하였다. MPG mRNA는 태아 형성기동안 많은 양이 발현되었으며, 특히 15일에서 가장 높게 발현되었다. 태반에서의 MPG mRNA는 8 p.c. (post coitum)부터 18 p.c. 까지 계속적으로 감소하였다. 태아 형성기의 뇌와 간 조직에서 높은 mRNA 발현을 보였으나, 400일 되는 성체에서는 현저히 감소하였다. 부정소, 정낭, 정소, 정관, 난소, 난관 그리고 자궁 등의 생식기관에서의 MPG mRNA는 비교적 높게 발현되었고, 그들 중 부정소에서의 발현 정도가 가장 높았다. 이러한 결과들로 보아 MPG 유전자는 태아 발생단계 및 조직 특이적으로 발현됨을 알 수 있었다.

• 한국임상수의학회지
• /
• 제36권2호
• /
• pp.116-118
• /
• 2019

A 2-year-old female Persian cat weighing 2.95 kg was admitted for dystocia. The levels of white blood cells and thrombocytes were decreased in blood analysis. In radiography and ultrasonography, there were four fetuses with no remarkable signs of blood flow and heartbeat. In particular, one of them showed symptom of Spalding's sign, which is a rare symptom that indicated overriding of the fetal cranial bones and shrinkage of the head with a decreased volume. It was reported that Spalding's sign is one of the strong indication of fetal death in human uterus and it occurs rarely with normal fetus without apparent reason prior to labor in human. This is the first report to provide the Spalding's sign in domestic cats and this will be applied in a strong presumptive evidence that fetal death has occurred with brain disruption sequence while pregnancy in domestic animals.