• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.789-797
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• 2010

The limited information on differential gene expression in the different serotypes of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae has significantly hampered the research on the pathogenic mechanisms of this organism and the development of multivalent vaccines against A. pleuropneumoniae infection. To compare the gene expressions in the A. pleuropneumoniae strains CVCC259 (serotype 1) and CVCC261 (serotype 3), we screened the differentially expressed genes in the two strains by performing representational difference analysis (RDA). Northern blot analyses were used to confirm the results of RDA. We identified 22 differentially expressed genes in the CVCC259 strain and 20 differentially expressed genes in the CVCC261 strain, and these genes were classified into 11 groups: (1) genes encoding APX toxins; (2) genes encoding transferrin-binding protein; (3) genes involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis; (4) genes encoding autotransporter adhesin; (5) genes involved in metabolism; (6) genes involved in the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter system; (7) genes encoding molecular chaperones; (8) genes involved in bacterial transcription and nucleic acid metabolism; (9) a gene encoding protease; (10) genes encoding lipoprotein/membrane protein; and (11) genes encoding various hypothetical proteins. This is the first report on the systematic application of RDA for the analysis of differential gene expression in A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1 and 3. The determination of these differentially expressed genes will serve as an indicator for future research on the pathogenic mechanisms of A. pleuropneumoniae and the development of a multivalent vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae infection.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.178-182
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• 2004

Saccharomyces cerevisiae의 class I 키틴생합성 효소인 Chsl의 활성측정법을 적용하여 Aspergillus nidulans의 영양균사에서 class I 키틴생합성 효소인 ChsC의 활성측정을 시도하였다. 그 결과, A. nidulans의 class I 키틴생합성효소도 효모류의 경우와 마찬가지로 트립신 처리에 의하여 활성화되는 효소전구체형태(zymogenic form)로 존재함을 알 수 있었다. 그리고 A. nidulans 야생형의 class I 키틴 생합성 효소활성은 트립신 처리에 의하여 6배 가량 증가되었다. 반면, chsC 유전자가 파괴된 돌연변이주는 트립신 처리에 의하여 효소활성이 증가되지 아니하였을 뿐만 아니라, 효소활성의 수준도 트립신을 처리하지 아니한 야생형의 class I 키틴생합성 효소활성과 거의 동일한 수준이었다. 따라서, 트립신을 처리하여 측정한A. nidulans 야생형의 class I 키틴생합성 효소활성 값에서 트립신을 처리하지 아니한 야생형의 class I 키틴생합성 효소활성을 제외한 값이 A. nidulans 야생형의 ChsC 효소활성임을 알았다. 이러한 조건을 토대로 영양균사 생장과정 동안 ChsC의 효소활성을 측정한 결과, chsC 유전자의 발현양상과 유사하게 액체배양상태의 영양균사가 무성분화능을 획득하는 시기로 알려진 시간대에 효소의 활성이 증가하였다. 이러한 결과는 이미 보고된 바와 같이 chs 유전자가 A. nidulans의 영양균사 생장에 관여함을 시사하고 있다.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.43-49
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• 2002

We have cloned cDNAs encoding toxin from the spider, Araneus ventricosus, and constructed a recombinant baculovirus expressing the insecticidal toxin. The cDNAs encoding toxin were cloned from the cDNA library of A. ventricosus. Sequence analysis of the cDNAs encoding the toxin of A. ventricosus revealed that the 240 bp cDNA for AvTox-1 and 192 bp cDNA for AvTox-2 have an open reading frame of 80 and 64 amino acid residues, respectively. The deduced protein sequence of the toxin genes of AvTox-1 and AvTox-2 was aligned to that of the snack Anemonia sulcata and scorpion Centruroides limpidus limpidus, respectively. Northern blot analysis indicated that AvTox-2 toxin gene showed a fat body-spe-cific expression pattern at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, we have explored the possibility of improving baculovirus by incorporating the A. vontricosus toxin gene into Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus genome under the control of polyhedrin promoter, The AvTox-2 toxin gene was expressed as approximately 5.8 kDa band in the recombinant baculovirus-injected silkworm larvae. Bioassays with the recombinant virus expressing AvTox-2 on 5th instar silkworm larvae demonstrated a decrease in the time to kill $(LT_{50} days)$ compared to wild-type BmNPV-Kl $(LT_{50} 6.72 days)$ in the injection of 10 viruses. These results indicate that A. ventricosus toxin is a novel member of the spider toxin family, suggesting that the toxin gene can be used in recombinant baculoviruses to reduce insect feeding damage and increase the speed of insect kill.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.143-151
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• 2008

A muscle-specific lipase gene of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus was cloned and characterized. This gene, which we named Bi-Lipase, consists of seven exons encoding 317 amino acid residues. Bi-Lipase possesses all the features of lipases, including GXSXG consensus motif and Ser-Asp-His catalytic triad. Expressed as a 37-kDa polypeptide in baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells, recombinant Bi-Lipase showed an optimal pH of 9.0 and exhibited its highest catalytic activity at $40^{\circ}C$. Furthermore, through the addition of tunicamycin to the recombinant virus-infected Sf9 cells, recombinant Bi-Lipase was found to be N-glycosylated. Northern and western blot analyses indicated that Bi-Lipase was expressed in the wing, thorax, and leg muscles. These results show that Bi-Lipase is a muscle-specific lipase, suggesting a possible role of Bi-Lipase in the utilization of lipids for muscular activity in B. ignitus.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.13-19
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• 2010

We developed a novel dicistronic system for the expression of target cDNA sequences in the milk of transgenic animals using goat beta-casein/hGH fusion construct, pGbc5.5hGH (Lee, 2006) and internal ribosome entry site (IRES) sequences of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) cDNA was linked to 3' untranslated region of hGH gene in the pGbc5.5hGH via EMCV IRES sequences. Transgenic mice were generated by microinjection and transgene expression was examined in the milk and mammary gland of transgenic mice at 10 days of lactation. Northern blot analysis showed that hGH gene and hG-CSF cDNA were transcribed as a single dicistronic mRNA. The hG-CSF and hGH proteins were independently translated from the dicistronic mRNA and secreted into the milk of transgenic mice. The highest concentration of hG-CSF and hGH in the milk of transgenic mice were $237{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and $8,990{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, respectively. In contrast, another hG-CSF expression cassette, in which hG-CSF genomic sequences were inserted into a commercial milk-specific expression vector (pBC1), generated a lower level ($91{\mu}g/m{\ell}$) of hG-CSF expression in the milk of transgenic mice. These results demonstrated that the novel pGbc5.5hGH-based dicistronic construct could be useful for an efficient cDNA expression in the milk of transgenic animals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.749-755
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• 2005

The ccpA gene encoding catabolite control protein A (CcpA) of Leuconostoc mesenteroides SYl, a strain isolated from kimchi, was cloned, sequenced, analyzed for transcript, and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The ccpA ORF (open reading frame) is 1,011 bp in size, which can encode a protein of 336 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 36,739 Da. The transcription start site was mapped at a position 49 nucleotides upstream of the start codon, and promoter sequences were also identified. The putative cre site overlapped with the -35 promoter sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of the CcpA contained the helix-turn-helix motif found in many DNA-binding regulatory proteins. CcpA from 1. mesenteroides SY1 had $54.6\%$ identity with CcpA from Lactobacillus casei. The Northern blot experiment showed that ccpA was transcribed as a single 1.1 kb transcript, and transcription was repressed when grown on media containing glucose. CcpA was overproduced in E. coli BL21(DE3) cells using the pET expression vector, and purified to an apparent homogeneity. Gel Mobility Shift Assay with purified CcpA and a DNA fragment containing the ere sequence of the $\alpha$-galactosidase gene (aga) from L. mesenteroides SY1 revealed that CcpA bound specifically to the cre site of aga.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.891-900
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• 2004

UDP-N-Acetylglucosamine(GlcNAc):$\beta$1,4-D-mannoside$\beta$-l ,4N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-III (GnT-III) and UDP-N-GlcNAc:$\alpha$-6-D-mannosid$\beta$-1,6N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-V(GnT - V) activities were determined in human hepatoma cell lines and metastatic colon cancer cells, and their activities were compared with those of normal liver cells and fetal hepatocytes. GnT-III activities were higher than those of GnT-V in hepatic carcinoma cells. When the two enzyme activities were assayed in highly metastatic colon cancer cells, GnT - V activities were much higher than those of GnT-III. When GlcN, GlcN-biant-PA and UDP-GlcNAc were used as substrates, the enzymes displayed different kinetic properties between hepatic and colon cancer cells, depending on their metastatic potentials. Normal cells of two origins had characteristically very low levels of GnT-III and -V activities, whereas hepatoma and colon cancer cells contained high levels of activities. These data were supported by RT-PCR and Northern blot analyses, showing that the expression of GnT-III and -V mRNAs were increased in proportion to the enzymatic activities. The increased GnT-III, md -V activities were also correlated with increased glycosylation of the cellular glycoproteins in hepatoma and colon cancer cells, as examined by lectin blotting analysis by using wheat germ glutinin (WGA), erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA), leukoagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (L-PHA), and concanavalin A (Con A). Treatment with retinoic acid, a differentiation agent, resulted in decreases of both GnT-III and -V activities of HepG2 and HepG3 cells. In colon carcinoma cells, however, treatment with retinoic acid resulted in a reduction of GnT-V activity, but not with GnT-III activity. Although the mechanism underlying the induction of these mzymes is unclear, oligosaccharides in many glycoproteins have been observed of cancer cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.584-590
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• 2003

The xylA gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus No. 236 encoding ${\beta}-xylosidase$, a major xylanolytic enzyme, was previously cloned and sequenced by the present authors. Sequence analysis indicated that translation of the xylA gene was initiated from the noncanonical initiation codon UUG, confirmed by analyzing three different amber (UAG) mutants of the xylA gene. In the present study, the UUG initiation codon was mutated into AUG or GUG, and the effects of the mutations on the XylA synthesis were examined. The AUG initiation codon was found to direct the highest level of ${\beta}-xylosidase$ synthesis; three-fold and fourteen-fold more enzyme activity than the UUG codon in E. coli and B. subtilis cells, respectively. Surprisingly, contrary to other systems reported to date, the UUG start codon was found next to AUG in the relative order of translational efficiency in both organisms. In addition, a greater abundance of the xylA mRNA was detected with the AUG start codon in both of these host cells than with GUG or UUG. Northern blot and Toeprint assays revealed that this was due to enhanced stability of mRNA with the AUG initiation codon. As expected, the ${\beta}-xylosidase$ protein level in the bacterial cells containing mRNA with the AUC start codon was also much higher than the levels with the other two different mRNAs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.620-627
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• 2004

On the foundation of a database of genome sequences and protein analyses, the ability to clone a gene based on a peptide analysis is becoming more feasible and effective for identifying a specific gene and its protein product of interest. As such, the current study conducted a protein analysis using 2-D PAGE followed by MALDI- TOF and ESI-MS to identify a highly expressed gene product of C. parasitica. A distinctive and highly expressed protein spot with a molecular size of 47.2 kDa was randomly selected and MALDI-TOF MS analysis was conducted. A homology search indicated that the protein appeared to be a fungal enolase (enol). Meanwhile, multiple alignments of fungal enolases revealed a conserved amino acid sequence, from which degenerated primers were designed. A screening of the genomic $\lambda$ library of C. parasitica, using the PCR amplicon as a probe, was conducted to obtain the full-length gene, while RT-PCR was performed for the cDNA. The E. coli-expressed eno 1 exhibited enolase enzymatic activity, indicating that the cloned gene encoded the C. parasitica enolase. Moreover, ESI-MS of two of the separated peptides resolved from the protein spot on 2-D PAGE revealed sequences identical to the deduced sequences, suggesting that the cloned gene indeed encoded the resolved protein spot. Northern blot analysis indicated a consistent accumulation of an eno1 transcript during the cultivation.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.129-141
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• 2003

Background: Leptin is a 16-KDa non-glycosylated peptide hormone synthesized almost exclusively by adipocytes. The well-known function of leptin is regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Leptin also plays a regulatory role in immune and inflammatory process including cytokine production. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of leptin on the expression of several chemokine genes(RANTES, IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, Mig, MIP-$1{\alpha}$, MIP-$1{\beta}$, and GRO-${\alpha}$) in THP-1 cells. Materials and Methods: Total RNA of THP-1 cells were prepared by Trizol method, and then stimulated with the leptin(250 ng/$m{\ell}$) or LPS(100 ng/$m{\ell}$). We examined the expression patterns of various chemokine mRNAs in THP-1 cell lines by RT-PCR and Northern blot. Results: Leptin did not induce the expression of chemokine mRNAs in THP-1 cells. The expression patterns of RANTES, IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, and Mig mRNAs in THP-1 cells stimulated with leptin and LPS simultaneously was almost same to the patterns of LPS alone-induced chemokine mRNAs. RANTES mRNA expression was independent on the concentrations of leptin. Although leptin did not have strong effect on the expression of RANTES, IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, Mig, MIP-$1{\alpha}$, MIP-$1{\beta}$, and GRO-${\alpha}$ mRNAs in THP-1 cells, leptin could induce the expression of long isoform of leptin receptor(OB-RL) mRNA, and its expression was elevated in simultaneous stimulation of leptin and LPS. Conclusion: These data suggest that leptin is able to induce OB-RL in THP-1 cells, however, leptin has little effect on the expression of pro-inflammatory chemokine genes.