• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.293-297
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• 1999

The pts operon, which encodes several factors in the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) of Escherichia coli, has multiple promoters which respond to different signals to facilitate quick adaptation to changes in growth conditions. The influence of an 1 kbp DNA region upstream of the pts P0 promoter on pts expression was studied in vitro by employing the DNA templates containing both P0 and P1 promoter with or without the 1 kbp upstream DNA region for in vitro transcription assay. The 1 kbp DNA region upstream of the pts P0 promoter, however, had no effect on pts transcription in vitro. The intracellular concentration of cAMP was measured when cells were grown in the presence of glucose, mannose, or mannitol. The transcription of P0 was increased maximally in the presence of glucose even though the concentration of cAMP in the condition was lowest while the transcription from the P1b was highest when cells were grown in the presence of mannose or mannitol even though the intracellular concentration of cAMP was lower than cells grown in the absence of the sugar. These results suggest the possibility of the existence of a glucose inducible repressor specific for the P0 promoter and a second repressor that is inducible by glucose, mannose and mannitol specific for the P1 promoter.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2045-2049
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• 2012

Objective: To investigate the effect of down-regulation of Sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) expression on the apoptosis of human Burkitt lymphoma cells (Daudi cells) and potential mechanisms. Methods: Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting SENP1 was designed and synthesized and then cloned into a lentiviral vector. A lentiviral packaging plasmid was used to transfect Daudi cells (sh-SENP1-Daudi group). Daudi cells without transfection (Daudi group) and Daudi cells transfected with blank plasmid (sh-NC-Daudi group) served as control groups. Flow cytometry was performed to screen GFP positive cells and semiquantitative PCR and Western blot assays were employed to detect the inference efficiency. The morphology of cells was observed under a microscope before and after transfection. Fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot assays were conducted to measure the mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis related molecules (caspase-3, 8 and 9). After treatment with $COCl_2$ for 24 h, the mRNA and protein expression of hypoxia inducible factor -$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) was determined. Results: Sequencing showed the expression vectors of shRNA targeting SENP1 to be successfully constructed. Following screening of GFP positive cells by FCM, semiqualitative PCR showed the interference efficiency was $79.2{\pm}0.026%$. At 48 h after transfection, the Daudi cells became shrunken, had irregular edges and presented apoptotic bodies. Western blot assay revealed increase in expression of caspase-3, 8 and 9 with prolongation of transfection (P<0.05). Following hypoxia treatment, mRNA expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ remained unchanged in three groups (P>0.05) but the protein expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ markedly increased (P<0.05). However, in the sh-SENP1-Daudi group, the protein expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ remained unchanged Conclusion: SENP1-shRNA can efficiently inhibit SENP1 expression in Daudi cells. SENP1 inhibition may promote cell apoptosis. These findings suggest that SENP1 may serve as an important target in the gene therapy of Burkitts lymphoma.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1500-1506
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• 2012

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}$-dependent apoptosis is important in the elimination of damaged or abnormal cells from normal tissues, especially in liver, in vivo. To investigate which gene expressions are critical for TGF-${\beta}$-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes, gene expression profiling experiments were performed with TGF-${\beta}$-treated and non-treated mouse hepatocytes AML12 cells. Findings showed that serum and glucocorticoid-inducible protein kinase1 (SGK1) expression is markedly downregulated during TGF-${\beta}$-induced apoptosis. Findings confirmed that expression of SGK1 protein, as well as mRNA, is also markedly decreased with TGF-${\beta}$ treatment. Infection of adenoviral vector encoding constitutively active SGK1 (CA-SGK1), but not kinase dead SGK1 (KD-SGK1), attenuated TGF-${\beta}$-induced apoptosis. All of these results suggest that downregulation of SGK1 expression is critical for TGF-${\beta}$-induced apoptosis in AML12 cells.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.192-199
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• 2006

Pseudomonas putida KL47 is a natural isolate that assimilates benzene, 1-alkylbenzene $(C_1-C_4)$, biphenyl, p-cumate, and p-cymene. The genetic background of strain KL47 underlying the broad range of growth substrates was examined. It was found that the cym and cmt operons are constitutively expressed due to a lack of the cymR gene, and the tod operon is still inducible by toluene and biphenyl. The entire array of gene clusters responsible for the catabolism of toluene and p-cymene/p-cumate has been cloned in a cosmid vector, pLAFR3, and were named pEK6 and pEK27, respectively. The two inserts overlap one another and the nucleotide sequence (42,505 bp) comprising the cym, cmt, and tod operons and its flanking genes in KL47 are almost identical (>99 %) to those of P. putida F1. In the cloned DNA fragment, two genes with unknown functions, labeled cymZ and cmtR, were newly identified and show high sequence homology to dienelactone hydrolase and CymR proteins, respectively. The cmtR gene was identified in the place of the cmtI gene of previous annotation. Western blot analysis showed that, in strains F1 and KL47, the todT gene is not expressed during growth on Luria Bertani medium. In minimal basal salt medium, expression of the todT gene is inducible by toluene, but not by biphenyl in strain F1; however, it is constantly expressed in strain KL47, indicating that high levels of expression of the todST genes with one amino acid substitution in TodS might provide strain KL47 with a means of adaptation of the tod catabolic operon to various aromatic hydrocarbons.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.321-325
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• 1996

To isolate a novel gene for antibacterial peptide, an inducible clone(BmInc8) was selected by differential screening strategy from Bombyx mori cDNA library prepared from lavae injected with Escherichia coli. This clone contained a cDNA insert of 564 nucleotides and encoded 59 amino acids with an apparent molecular mass of 6.3 kDa. The cDNA sequence of BmInc8 had 61.2% identity compared to that of the bactericidin from Manduca sexta and also the deduced amino acids sequences from this insert had 65% identity compared to that of the cecropin D peptide Hyalophora cecropia. The transient expression assay of this insert using prokaryotic expression vector system revealed that the expressed peptide displayed the antibacterial activity. The cDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank under the accession number U30289.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.144-149
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• 2008

Despite versatile activity (cancericidal, antimicrobial, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) inhibition, immune deactivation of DNA bis-intercalation agent, echinomycin, its specific mechanism has been elusive. Of these novel mechanisms, we reported that using human colon cancer cells (HT-29), apoptotic machinery induced by echinomycin might be dependent of caspase-3 pathway. Despite a partial enlightenment of prototypic signal path triggered by echinomycin, the role of Bcl-2 in this signaling pathway is unclear. To address this issue, we explored whether or not echinomycin would overcome the anti-apoptotic impact of Bcl-2 in HT-29 cells by the controlled Bcl-2 overexpression. Prior to this proof, we confirmed that echinomycin induces mitochondrial depolarization, then triggering the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis with an involvement of upstream cas-pases-3. Transiently transfection with inactive Bax-DNA failed to prevent echinomycin-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. To dissect the role of Bcl-2 in echinomycin-induced apoptosis, HT-29 cells were transiently transfected with Bcl-2 DNA for overexpression and then treated with echinomycin for 24h. Combined analyses of DNA fragmentation and flow cytometric analysis clearly verified that echinomycin-induced apoptosis was drastically attenuated by Bcl-2 overexpression, whereas a control vector rarely affected echinomycin-induced apoptosis. Collectively, these data verify that Bcl-2 regulates echinomycin-induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. To my knowledge, this is the first evidence that of diverse, structured minor groove binders (MGB), the prototypic echinomycin might control the apoptotic signaling via Bcl-2-mitochondrial pathway.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.191-195
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• 2004

Arabidopsis NDPK2 (AtNDPK2) is a key singaling component that regulate cellular redox state and known to enhance multiple stress tolerance when over-expressed in Arabidopsis plant (Moon et al. 2003). In order to develop transgenic potato plants with enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses, we placed an AtNDPK2 cDNA under the control of a stress-inducible SWPA2 promoter or enhanced CaMV 35S promoter. Transgenic potato plants (cv. Superior and Atlantic) were generated using an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system and selected on MS medium containing 100 mg/L kanamycin. Genomic Southern blot analysis confirmed the incorporation of AtNDPK2 cDNA into the potato genome. When potato leaf discs were treated with methyl viologen (MV) at 10 $\mu$M, transgenic plants showed higher tolerance to MV than non-transgenic or vector-transformed plants. The NDPK2 transgenic potato plants will be further used for analysis of stress-tolerance to multiple environmental stresses.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.553-559
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• 1998

cDNA of human thrombopoietin (hTPO) amplified by polymerase chain reaction from a cDNA library of human fetal liver was cloned. EPO-like domains ($hTPO_{153} \;or\; hTPO_{l63})\; of\; hTPO(hTPO_{332}$) were expressed in Escherichin coli using several kinds of expression systems, such as ompA secretion, thioredoxin fusion, and the $P_L$ and T7 expression systems. To obtain $hTPO_{153}$ in soluble form, $hTPO_{153}$ cDNA was fused in-frame behind the gene encoding ompA signal sequence and thioredoxin protein. When fused with either of the genes, $hTPO_{153}$ was not expressed to the detectable level. However, a high level expression of the EPO-like domain of hTPO was obtained using the PL and T7 expression system. $hTPO_{153} \;or\; hTPO_{l63} cDNA were subcloned into the pLex and pET-28a(＋) vectors under the control of the inducible$ P_L\;T_7$ promoter, respectively. Proteins expressed using pl.ex vector and pET-28a(＋) detected in insoluble forms with an expression level of about 14% and 9% of total cellular proteins, respectively, and the level of expression was rapidly diminished in 2 h after the maximum level of expression was reached.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.461-468
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• 2016

In recent years, various naturally occurring defence peptides such as plectasin have attracted considerable research interest because they could serve as alternatives to antibiotics. However, the production of plectasin from natural microorganisms is still not commercially feasible because of its low expression levels and weak stability. A tandemly arrayed plectasin gene (1,002 bp) from Pseudoplectania nigrella was generated using the isoschizomer construction method, and was inserted into the pPICZαA vector and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The selected P. pastoris strain yielded 143 μg/ml recombinant plectasin (Ple) under the control of the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter. Ple was estimated by SDS-PAGE to be 41 kDa. In vitro studies have shown that Ple efficiently inhibited the growth of several gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus suis and Staphylococcus aureus. S. suis is the most sensitive bacterial species to Ple, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 μg/ml. Importantly, Ple exhibited resistance to pepsin but it was quite sensitive to trypsin and maintained antimicrobial activity over a wide pH range (pH 2.0 to 10.0). P. pastoris offers an attractive system for the cost-effective production of Ple. The antimicrobial activity of Ple suggested that it could be a potential alternative to antibiotics against S. suis and S. aureus infections.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.534-537
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• 2002

An agarase gene from Bacillus cereus ASK202 was expressed in high levels by E. coli BL21(DE3)/pEBA1 using pET28a(+) vector system with the inducible T7 promoter in the presence of isopropyl- ${\beta}$ -thiogalactopyranoside. The open reading frame encodes 761 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 83,300 daltons and a potential signal peptide about 36 amino acid residues at the N-terminus. E. coli BL21(DE3)/pEBA1 produce 1280 unit/ ${\ell}$ of agarase. The optimum physical condition for the agarase activity was pH 5.6, and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. The agarase activity was stable up pH $4.0{\sim}9.0$ and $4{\sim}40^{\circ}C$. The km and maximum rate of metabolism for agar were 0.068mg/$m{\ell}$ and 0.094mg/$m{\ell}{\cdot}min$, respectively.