• BMB Reports
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.376-381
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• 2008

The discovery of RNA silencing inhibition by virus encoded suppressors or low temperature leads to concerns about the stability of transgenic resistance. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) has been previously characterized to be essential for transgene-mediated RNA silencing. Here we showed that low temperature led to the inhibition of RNA silencing, the loss of viral resistance and the reduced expression of host RdRp homolog (NtRdRP1) in transgenic T4 progeny with untranslatable potato virus Y coat protein (PVY-CP) gene. Moreover, RNA silencing and the associated resistance were differently inhibited by potato virus X (PVX) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infections. The increased expression of NtRdRP1 in both PVX and TMV infected plants indicated its general role in response to viral pathogens. Collectively, we propose that biotic and abiotic stress factors affect RNA silencing-mediated resistance in transgenic tobacco plants and that their effects target different steps of RNA silencing.

• 원예과학기술지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.314-323
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• 2016

A transient ihpRNA-induced gene silencing system based on Agrobacterium-mediated injection infiltration has been established to evaluate candidate genes involved in proanthocyanidin (PAs) biosynthesis in persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.). We chose DkPDS (phytoene desaturase) as a gene-silencing target to evaluate the newly developed transient gene silencing system. Our qRT-PCR analysis indicated that two ihpRNA constructs (pHG-PDS5' and pHG-PDS3') targeted DkPDS, which also led to significantly reduce expression of DkPDS in 'Mopanshi' persimmon leaves. To further confirm the reliability of the system, we successfully utilized it for DkLAR (leucoanthocyanidin reductase) gene silencing. The expression levels of DkLAR in 'Mopanshi' and 'Eshi 1' leaves were ca. 6-fold and ca. 5-fold lower than those in leaves harboring empty vector (pHG-GFP), respectively. DMACA (4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde) staining and the Folin-Ciocalteau assay showed that the accumulation of PAs was markedly inhibited in 'Mopanshi', 'Eshi 1' and 'Youhou' leaves. These results indicate that DkLAR plays an important role in the accumulation of PAs in persimmon. The transient ihpRNA-induced gene silencing method developed in this study is a highly efficient and useful tool for functional analysis of persimmon genes involved in PA biosynthesis.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.307-312
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• 2007

클라미도모나스 (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii)에서 Tombus 바이러스의 p19 유전자가 RNAi suppressor로서 기능하는 지는 조사하기 위하여 형질전환을 수행하였다. Southern분석을 통하여 p19 유전자가 1 copy에서 여러 copy로 도입된 형질전환체를 선발하였다. MAA7 유전자의 3'UTR 부위의 inverted repeat (IR) DNA가 형질전환되어 제작된 #33 strain을 p19유전자로 다시 형질전환 한 결과, MAA7 mRNA의 발현 양이 변하여 일정하지 않고 교란되었으며, 5-FI가 첨가된 배지에서 증식이 저해되었다. 증식이 저해된 것은 p19 유전자에 의한 silencing의 suppression이 일어난 것으로 간주할 수 있다. 그러나 MAA7 mRNA의 발현양이 전반적으로 증가하지 않고 발현양의 교란이 일어났으므로 p19 유전자에 의한 silencing의 suppression으로 보기 어렵다. 따라서 본 연구에 사용된 p19 유전자가 클라미도모나스에서는 codon usage가 상이하여 단백질 발현양이 충분치 않아서 silencing의 suppression을 완전하게 하지 못하거나 고등식물에서 일어나는 방식과는 다른 방식으로 suppression한다고 할 수 있다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.1043-1048
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• 2012

The COPS3 gene has stimulating effect on cell proliferation and progression of osteosarcomas and related cells. However, the features of COPS3 and its potential application as a therapeutic target in other cancers has not yet been studied. In this study, therefore, the effect of COPS3 silencing via COPS3 siRNA on lung cancer cell proliferation was examined. Expression levels of COPS3 gene in COPS3 siRNA infected cells and control siRNA infected cells were compared with real time PCR and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation levels were comprehensively analyzed by MTT, BrdU incorporationy, and colony formation assays. For mechanistic assessment the effects of COPS3 silencing on cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results showed that successful silencing of the COPS3 gene at both translational and transcriptional levels significantly reduced the proliferation and colony formation by lung cancer cells (p<0.01). Flow cytometry showed cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase after COPS3 silencing, and more importantly, apoptosis was induced as a result of COPS3 knockdown, which negatively affected cell survival. Therefore, these results provide another piece of important evidence that the COPS3 gene expressed in lung cancer cells may play a critical role in stimulating proliferation. Down-regulation of COPS3 could significantly inhibit lung cancer cell growth, which was most likely mediated via induction of cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and apoptosis.

• 원예과학기술지
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• 제30권6호
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• pp.734-742
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• 2012

본 연구는 배추의 유전자 기능분석을 위한 RNAi 유전자 침묵 기법과 T-DNA 삽입 기법을 비교하기 위해 수행하였다. 두 종류의 형질전환 계통이 이용되었으며 BrSAMS-knockout(KO) 계통은 T-DNA 삽입으로 한 개의 Brassica rapa S-adenosylmethionine synthetase(BrSAMS) 유전자가 기능을 상실한 계통이었으며 BrSAMS-knockdown(KD) 계통은 RNAi 방법을 통해 BrSAMS 유전자들의 발현이 억제된 계통이었다. KO 계통과 KD 계통의 microarray 분석 결과에서는 SAMS 유전자와 관련된 sterol, 자당, homogalacturonan 생합성 및 glutaredoxin-related protein, serine/threonine protein kinase, 그리고 gibberellin-responsive protein 유전자들의 발현 수준이 뚜렷한 차이를 보여 주었다. 그러나 KO 계통의 유전자 발현 양상은 하나의 BrSAMS 유전자가 기능을 상실하였음에도 불구하고 대조 계통과 비교하여 RNAi기법을 적용한 KD 계통에 비해 큰 차이를 보여주지 못했다. 또한 직접적으로 SAMS 유전자와 관련된 폴리아민과 에틸렌 합성 유전자들의 발현 변화도 KD 계통에서 더 잘 나타났다. 본 연구에서 microarray 결과를 이용한 KO 계통의 BrSAMS 기능분석은 배추과식물의 게놈 triplication 발생으로 인하여 다수로 존재하는 SAMS 유전자들 때문에 명확한 결론을 얻을 수 없었다. 결론적으로 배추와 같은 배수체 작물의 유전자 기능 분석은 RNAi silencing에 의한 유전자 knock-down 기법이 T-DNA 삽입에 의한 knock-out 기법보다 더욱 효율적인 것으로 나타났다.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.273-281
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• 2011

Diverse epigenetic phenotypes are frequently found during research on transgenic plants. To understand the factors underlying such diversity, hundreds of independent 35S-GFP transgenic N. benthamiana plants were analyzed. The diverse GFP-expression phenotypes of the transgenic plants were classified into three major types based on the GFP expression patterns and their response to 35S-GFP agroinfiltration: steady-green, silenced and non-uniform phenotype. The non-uniform phenotype was further sub-divided into five minor phenotypes: variegated, red-dropped, on-silencing, partitioned and misty, according to the distribution of GFP expression on the leaves. Many of transgenic plants continuously generated diverse phenotypes over several generations despite the transgene identity. Such epigenetic GFP phenotyping was found to be the result of spontaneous transgene silencing mediated by either or both of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). This finding was verified by the detection of 21- and 24-nt small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules, and DNA methylation in the transgenic plants that showed repeated epigenetic variation. Agroinfiltration demonstrated that irregular distribution of GFP on a leaf was the result of erratic transgene silencing, and the technique also proved to be a rapid and effective method for selecting fully silenced plants within 3 days. Furthermore, two novel phenotypes described are potential materials for in-depth investigations into the genes and mechanisms responsible for spontaneous transgene silencing.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.226-231
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• 2017

At the post-transcriptional and translational levels, microRNA (miRNA) represses protein-coding genes via seed pairing to the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA. Although working models of miRNA-mediated gene silencing are successfully established using miRNA transfections and knockouts, the regulatory interaction between miRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) remain unknown. In particular, how the mRNA-resembling lncRNAs with 5' cap, 3' poly(A)-tail, or coding features, are regulated by miRNA is yet to be examined. We therefore investigated the functional interaction between miRNAs and lncRNAs with/without those features, in miRNA-transfected early zebrafish embryos. We observed that the greatest determinants of the miRNA-mediated silencing of lncRNAs were the 5' cap and 3' poly(A)-tails in lncRNAs, at both the post-transcriptional and translational levels. The lncRNAs confirmed to contain 5' cap, 3' poly(A)-tail, and the canonical miRNA target sites, were observed to be repressed in the level of both RNA and ribosome-protected fragment, while those with the miRNA target sites and without 5' cap and 3' poly(A)-tail, were not robustly repressed by miRNA introduction, thus suggesting a role as a miRNA-decoy.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.167-172
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• 2005

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a copper protein with important functions in iron homeostasis and in inflammation. Cp mRNA expression is induced by interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$ in U937 monocytic cells, but synthesis of Cp protein is halted after about 12 h by transcript-specific translational silencing. The silencing mechanism requires binding of a 4-component cytosolic inhibitor complex, IFN-gamma-activated inhibitor of translation (GAIT), to a defined structural element (GAIT element) in the Cp 3'-UTR. Translational silencing of Cp mRNA requires the essential proteins of mRNA circularization, suggesting that the translational inhibition requires end-to-end mRNA closure. These studies describe a new mechanism of translational control, and may shed light on the role that macrophage-derived Cp plays at the intersection of iron homeostasis and inflammation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권9호
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• pp.5391-5396
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• 2013

Aim: To investigate the role of Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) in tumour growth and metastasis of esophageal squamous cancer. Methods: A lentiviral shRNA-vector was utilized to stably knockdown GOLPH3 in Eca-109 esophageal squamous cancer cells. mRNA transcription and protein expression of GOLPH3 were examined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation activity was assessed by MTT assay and invasion and migration potentials by matrigel invasion and transwell motility assays. Results: Stable knockdown in the GOLPH3 cell line was established. PD-A gene expression was significantly suppressed by lentivirus-mediated RNAi, which resulted in reducing the capacity for cell proliferation, migration, invasion and adhesion in vitro. In vivo, GOLPH3 depletion resulted in inhibition of tumour growth, with stable decrease in the expression of GOLPH3 in tumor xenografts. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lentivirus mediated silencing of the GOLPH3 gene has a significant anti-tumour effect on esophageal squamous cancer in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the results indicate that GOLPH3 might be an effective molecular target for gene therapy in esophageal squamous cancer.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.183-189
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• 2018

The plant hormone auxin regulates the overall metabolic processes essential for plant growth and development. Auxin signaling is mediated by early auxin response genes, which are classified into three major families: AUXIN/INDOLE ACETIC ACID (AUX/IAA), GRETCHEN HAGEN3 (GH3) and SMALL AUIN UP RNA (SAUR). The SAUR gene family is the largest family among early auxin response genes and encodes the small and highly unstable gene products. The functional roles of SAUR genes have remained unclear for many years. The traditional genetic and molecular studies on the SAUR functions have been hampered by their likely genetic redundancy and tandem arrays of highly related genes in the plant genome, together with the molecular characteristics of SAUR. However, recent studies have suggested possible roles of SAUR in a variety of tissues and developmental stages in accordance with the novel approaches such as gain-of-function and RNA silencing techniques. In this review, the recent research progress on the functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of SAUR and a set of possible future works are discussed.