• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 2003

Purpose : Nosocomial infection with Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin resistant S. aureus, has become a serious concern in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aim of this study is to investigate the virulence factors, and the relationship between the antibiotic resistance and the associated genes of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal cavity of neonates. Methods : Fifty one isolates of S. aureus were obtained from nasal swab taken in 28 neonates in the NICU and nursery of Pusan National University Hospital between February and May, 2001. They were tested in regard to antibiotic susceptibility, coagulase test and typing, plasmid DNA profile, as well as reactivity to enterotoxin A-E(sea, seb, sec, sed, see) genes and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1(tst) gene by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Associated genes such as mecA, mecR1, mecI, and femA were also determined by PCR. The origin of MRSA strains was assessed using DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily-primed polymerase chain reaction(AP-PCR). Results : Twenty three(45.1%) and six(11.8%) isolates were resistant to oxacillin and vancomycin respectively. Multidrug resistance to three or more of the antibiotics tested was observed in 51.0% of the isolates. Forty two isolates were coagulase positive and twenty two isolates had mecA gene. Sixteen isolates had both mecA and femA genes and had type I-III plasmids. 64.7% of isolates carried sec gene, and 80.4% carried tst gene. DNA fingerprinting by AP-PCR for 12 MRSA strains showed 10 distinct patterns, suggesting different origins. Conclusion : We confirmed that the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus, especially vancomycin resistance, is very high in neonates who were admitted in NICU and nursery. It is possible that these pathogens are responsible for serious nosocomial infections in neonates. The need for improved surveillance and continuous control of pathogens is emphasized.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.63-65
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• 1999

Although many pharmaceutically useful proteins are produced in E. coli expression system, it is very are rare for the system to be used in the production of diagnostic antigen due to a major problem, i.e., false-positive reaction of e. coli host-derived proteins contaminating purified diagnostic antigen with human sera. The N (nucleocapsid) protein of Seoul virus causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) was produced in E. coli BL21 (DE3), and used for the detection of N protein-specific antibodies in human sera. Using the N protein as a diagnostic antigen of HFRS, the false-positive reaction was cleared by merely mixing the test sera with the extract of E. coli host strain not harboring expression plasmid.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.189-193
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• 2001

The relationships between the phytoplasmas infecting Zizyphus jujuba and Paulownia coreana were investigated by PCR-RELP. The 16S rRNA genes of the phytoplasmas were analyzed and compared with each other after PCR amplification. The amplified bands 1.4 kb in size were analyzed by both restriction digestion and sequencing after cloning into a plasmid vector. In some cases, two different kinds of inserts were observed in the isolates that originated from a single plant. However, many of them appeared to be the amplification products of chloroplastic 16S rRNA gene of host plants. The phytoplasma gene could be differentiated from the chloroplastic gene by restriction digestion of the plasmids carrying the amplification products. Only the recombinant plasmids carrying phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene produced a 1.4 kb band when digested with the enzyme BanII. Of the 52 recombinant plasmids analyzed, 42 appeared to contain inserts that originated from the chloroplastic 16S rRNA gene of the host plants. No variation was detected among 16S rRNA gene of nine phytoplasma isolates infecting Z. jujuba. However, the phytoplasmas infecting Z. jujuba were different from that infecting P. coreana.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.165-169
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• 1997

Two gentamicin resistance R plasmids, pGM5 and pGM6, containing aacC2 gene were selected from environmental isolates. The gentamicin resistance determinants of R plasmids were cloned into the BamHI site of pUC18. Restriction enzyme map of inserted region of recombinant plasmids, pSYS and pSY6, and PCR results indicated that Tn3 sequence was located upstream of gentamicin resistance gene. Based on the restriction maps and susceptibility tests, it was concluded that the sequence of bla and 3' inverted repeat of Tn3 play a important roles in the expression of gentamicin resistance gene.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2009

The DNA sequencer is known to be more sensitive for the quality of template DNA, method of purification followed by sequencing reaction, and gel concentration. Therefore, we investigated optimal conditions for template preparation, purification, sequencing reaction, gel concentration, and injection medium. For plasmid prepara- tion, using chloroform instead of phenol improved the average read length from 532 bp to 684 bp. The addition of 2.5% DMSO sequencing PCR reaction resulted in 200 bp longer sequences. Purification using 50 mM EDTA and 0.6 M Sodium acetate(pH 8.0) presented 20 bp longer sequences than that using 50 mM EDTA(pH 8.0) and 0.6 M sodium acetate(pH 5.2). The injection for sequencing analysis using ABI formamide presented 90 bp longer sequences than that of using formamide deionized by resin. Moreover, there were 150 bp more readable sequences in 3.6% PAGE gel than in 4%. Consequently, it was concluded that an average of 700 bp per reaction with 85% accuracy can be obtained by the following optimal conditions: template preparation using chloroform, 2.5% DMSO, 50 mM EDTA and 0.6 M sodium acetate(pH 8.0), ABI formamide and 3.6% gel concentration.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2012

In order to cloning of PPO gene as a melanin formation related genes involved in hardening and pigmentation of insect integument or wing, we cloned cDNA and analyzed the sequence of PPO gene of H. axyridis. PPO2 primer were designed based on the sequences of PPO genes of Tribolium castaneum and Drosophila melanogaster, and then plasmid DNA were cloned from PCR products obtained from different two color patterns. When the plasmid DNA band pattern were digested by restriction enzymes, BamH1, Xba1, and EcoR1, we found same size band pattern. However, this sequence was not homologous to sequence of T. castaneum PPO gene. Using the primer designed based on the sequence of D. melanogaster, 209 bp PCR product was observed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.230-233
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• 1999

A plasmid vector was constructed for the expression and secretion of Bacillus macerans cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) in Bacillus subtilis. The vector, pUBACGT, was composed of the ribosome-binding sequence, signal sequence, and cgt gene from B. macerans under the control of amyR2, the promoter of amyE gene coding for $\alpha$-amylase from B. subtilis var. natto. Bacillus subtilis LKS88, a mutant strain lacking genes for an amylase and two proteases, was used as a host for the transformation of the plasmid vector. The transformants were selected on kanamycin-containing Luria-Bertani plates. The starch hydrolyzing activity was observed on the starch-containing plates by the iodine method and cyclodextrin-forming activity was detected in the culture medium. A SDS-PAGE analysis showed that most of the expressed CGTase in the recombinant B. subtilis was secreted into the medium at a high expression level.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.333-340
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• 1998

Streptomyces griseus trypsin (SGT) is an extracellular proteinase produced by S. griseus. The sprT gene, which encodes premature SGT protein, was cloned into the plasmid pWHM3, a Streptomyces-E. coli shuttle vector. When the recombinant plasmid was introduced into Streptomyces lividans TK24, two proteins with molecular weights of 28 kDa and 42 kDa were detected. The 28-kDa protein was a SGT protein while the larger 42-kDa protein is thought to have been a premature form of the SGT protein. The SGT protein was purified to homogeneity via ammonium sulfate fractionation and many column chromatographies, including CM -sepharose chromatography, Mono-S chromatography, and Superose-12 chromatography, from the culture broth of S. lividans TK24 harboring the sprT gene. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, isoelectric points, and stabilities at various conditions of the SGT proteins purified from the Pronase and transformant were almost identical. The amount of the expressed SGT in S. lividans TK 24 was determined to be 5 times more than that of S. griseus based on the enzymatic activity against artificial substrate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.660-665
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• 2003

High-level expression of Thermus caldophilus GK24 alkaline phosphatase (Tca APase) was achieved in Escherichia coli using the pET-based expression plasmids, pEAP1 and pEAP2. In the case of plasmid pEAP2, the signal peptide region of Tca APase was replaced by the PelB leader peptide of expression vector pET-22b(+). Furthermore, the expression level was somewhat higher than that of plasmid pEAPl. A rapid purification procedure of Tca APase overproduced in E. coli was developed which involved heating to denature E. coli proteins followed by HiTrap Heparin HP column chromatography. Optimal temperature and pH and $Mg^{2+}$ dependence of the recombinant Tca APase were similar to those of native enzyme isolated from T. caldophilus GK24.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 1988

Reverse transcriptase gene of Avian sarcoma virus(ASV) was cloned with a thermoinducible expression vector, pPL-lambda. E. coli N4830 which carries temperature sensitive cI857 la mbda repressor, was transformed with this pPL-pol plasmid DNA. The RNA transcribed by those tranoformants was isolated and analyzed. It was shown that the inserted reverse transcriptase gene of ASV was transcribed at high-level when cells were grown at high temperature.