• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.2 s.69
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• pp.253-260
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• 2005

Mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK), which is a member of the Kin I (internal motor domain) subfamily of kinesin-related proteins, is known to play a role in mitotic segregation of chromosome during M phase of the cell cycle. In the present study, we have produced a rat polyclonal antibody using human MCAK (HsMCAK) expressed in E. coli as the antigen. The antibody specifically recognized the HsMCAK protein (81 kDa), and could detect its nuclear localization in human Jurkat T cells and 293T cells by Western blot analysis. The specific stage of the cell cycle was obtained through blocking by either hydroxyl urea or nocodazole and subsequent releasing from each blocking for 2, 4, and 7 h. While the protein level of HsMCAK reached a maximum level in the S phase with slight decline in the $G_{2}-M$ phase, the electrophoretic mobility shift from $p81^{MCAK}\;to\;p84^{MCAK}$ began to be induced in the late S phase and reached a maximum level in the $G_{2}/M $ phase, and then it disappeared as the cells enter into the $G_{1}$ phase. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that HsMCAK protein localized to centrosome and nucleus at the interphase, whereas it appeared to localize to the spindle pole, centromere of the condensed mitotic DNA, spindle fiber, or midbody, depending on the specific stage of the M phase. These results demonstrate that a rat polyclonal antibody raised against recombinant HsMCAK expressed in E. coli specifically detects human MCAK, and indicate that the electrophoretic mobility shift from $p81^{MCAK}\;to\;p84^{MCAK}$, which may be associated with its differential intracellular localization during the cell cycle, fluctuates with a maximum level of the shift at the $G_{2}-M$ phase.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2015

Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional, iron-binding glycoprotein found in physiological secretions of mammals. LF shows antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activities. In the present study, a gene encoding the N-terminal lobe of human lactoferrin (hLF) was isolated, cloned and expressed in methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris. The recombinant hLF-N (rhLF-N) protein was secreted into the culture medium at the level of $458{\mu}g/ml$ in 3 L fermentor. The size of purified hLF-N was estimated as 35 kDa when analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. The rhLF-N was further confirmed by immunodiffusion using the anti-hLF polyclonal antibody. The expression profile analysis by qRT-PCR showed that the relative mRNA expression of rhLF-N was maximal after 2-3 days of methanol induction and reduced gradually at 4 days. The purified rhLF-N showed broad antibacterial activities against the pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, and Salmonella typhimurium. However, rhLF-N showed relatively lower activity when compared to peptides derived from LF. In spite of this weak activity, the rhLF-N expressed in P. pastoris might be more advantageous for the industrial application, because rhLF-N is secreted into the culture medium and the production can also be increased by optimization of culture conditions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.773-780
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• 2015

3D8 single chain variable fragment (scFv) is a recombinant monoclonal antibody with nuclease activity that was originally isolated from autoimmune-prone MRL mice. In a previous study, we analyzed the nuclease activity of 3D8 scFv and determined that a HeLa cell line expressing 3D8 scFv conferred resistance to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PRV). In this study, we demonstrate that 3D8 scFv could be delivered to target tissues and cells where it exerted a therapeutic effect against PRV. PRV was inoculated via intramuscular injection, and 3D8 scFv was injected intraperitoneally. The observed therapeutic effect of 3D8 scFv against PRV was also supported by results from quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, southern hybridization, and immunohistochemical assays. Intraperitoneal injection of 5 and $10{\mu}g$ 3D8 scFv resulted in no detectable toxicity. The survival rate in C57BL/6 mice was 9% after intramuscular injection of 10 $LD_{50}$ PRV. In contrast, the 3D8 scFv-injected C57BL/6 mice showed survival rates of 57% ($5{\mu}g$) and 47% ($10{\mu}g$). The results indicate that 3D8 scFv could be utilized as an effective antiviral agent in several animal models.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.170-175
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• 2018

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 5~10% of PD patients are familial PD cases. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) has been known to be a causal gene of PD when it is mutated. LRRK2 contains the functional kinase and GTPase domains as well as leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and WD40 domains that are known to play critical roles for protein-protein interaction, suggesting that LRRK2-interacting proteins are important regulators for PD pathogenesis. In an effort to identify proteins interacting with LRRK2, we carried out co-immunoprecipitation of LRRK2 antibody using extracts of NIH3T3 cells that express LRRK2 at a relatively high level. The mass spectrometry analysis of a precipitated band revealed that the co-precipitated band was methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS), an ancient enzyme that transfers methionin to its cognate tRNA. The interaction of MRS with LRRK2 was confirmed again by co-immunoprecipitation of endogenous proteins and GST pull-down assays. However, LRRK2 did not phosphorylate recombinant MRS protein in in vitro kinase assays, and over-expression of LRRK2 or MRS did not affect the stability of its partner protein. Our data indicate that LRRK2 interacts with but does not phosphorylate MRS, and the stability of each partner is not affected by the other.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 1996

Abnormalities of p53 gene are common in lung cancers and are associated with immunologically detectable p53 protein. p53 immunoreactivity is uncommon in normal cells but is frequently seen in neoplasia. Therefore, assessment of p53 expression may assist in the cytological diagnosis of malignancy. The usefulness of p53 immunostaining as a marker of malignancy in the cytological analysis of bronchial brush specimens from the patients with lung cancers was investigated in this study. A total of 71 bronchial brush samples submitted for cytologic diagnosis were immunostained with D07, a monoclonal antibody to recombinant p53 protein. Resultant p53 data were correlated with cytologic diagnosis and clinical information. Of the 17 smears with a benign cytodiagnosis, all were p53 negative. Of the 40 cases with a malignant cytodiagnosis (histologically confirmed), 35 were p53 positive and 5 were negative. Of the 14 cases that were cytologically suspicious but nondiagnostic for malignancy, 11 were p53 positive, 9 of which were subsequently proved to be malignant by histologic examination, and the remaining 2 cases were tuberculosis clinically. Forty four of 51 histologically confirmed lung carcinomas were p53 positive, including 25 of 28 squamous cell carcinomas, 13 of 17 small cell carcinomas, 3 of 3 adenocarcinomas, and 3 of 3 large cell undifferentiated carcinomas. These results suggest that p53 immunostaining could be of value as a marker of malignancy in the cytologic examination of bronchial brush specimens. Furthermore, we have shown the possible clinical utility of p53 immunostaining in cytopathological diagnosis, that is, as a valuable adjunct to morphological assessment in the analysis of cytopathologically suspicious cases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.572-577
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• 2018

Recent studies showed that the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade is a dramatic therapy for melanoma by enhancing antitumor immune activity. Currently, major strategies for the PD-1/PD-L1 blockade have mainly focused on the use of antibodies and compounds. Seeking an alternative approach, others employ endogenous proteins as blocking agents. The extracellular domain of PD-1 (ePD1) includes the binding site with PD-L1. Accordingly, we constructed a PD-1-based recombinantly tailored fusion protein (dFv-ePD1) that consists of bivalent variable fragments (dFv) of an MMP-2/9-targeted antibody and ePD1. The melanoma-binding intensity and antitumor activity were also investigated. We found the intense and selective binding capability of the protein dFv-ePD1 to human melanoma specimens was confirmed by a tissue microarray. In addition, dFv-ePD1 significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of mouse melanoma B16-F1 cells, and displayed cytotoxicity to cancer cells in vitro. Notably, dFv-ePD1 significantly inhibited the growth of mouse melanoma B16-F1 tumor cells in mice and in vivo fluorescence imaging showed that dFv-ePD was gradually accumulated into the B16-F1 tumor. Also the B16-F1 tumor fluorescence intensity at the tumor site was stronger than that of dFv. This study indicates that the recombinant protein dFv-ePD1 has an intensive melanoma-binding capability and exerts potent therapeutic efficacy against melanoma. The novel format of the PD-L1-blocked agent may play an active role in antitumor immunotherapy.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 1995

To understand the molecular structure and pathogenesis mechanism of Korean garlic viruses, we have isolated cDNA clones for garlic viruses. The partial nucleotide sequences of 24 cDNA clones were determined and those of five clones containing poly(A) tail were compared with sequences of other plant viruses. One of these clones, V9, has a primary structure similar to the carlavirus group, suggesting that the clone V9 derived from a part of garlic latent virus (GLV). Northern blot analysis with the clone V9 as a probe demonstrated that GLV genome is 8.5 knt long and has a poly(A) tail. The clone V9 encodes coat protein (CP) of 33 kDa and nucleic acid binding protein of 10 kDa in different reading frame. The hexanucleotide motif, 5'-ACCUAA, which is conserved in the 3' noncoding region arid was proposed to be a cis-acting element involved in the production of negative strand genomic RNA was noticed. Complementary sequence to the hexanucleotide motif, 5'-TTAGGT, is also found in the positive strand of V9 RNA. The putative CP gene was cloned into the pRSET-A expression vector and expressed in E. coli BL21. The expressed recombinant V9CP protein was purified by $Ni^{2+}$ NTA affinity chromatography. The anti-V9CP antibody recognizes 34 kDa polypeptide which could be CP of GLV in infected garlic leaf extract. Immunoblot and Northern blot analysis of various cultivars shows wide occurrence of GLV in Korean garlic plants.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2008

Dental caries is an infectious disease caused by mutans streptococci, and is a primary etiologic agent of dental caries in humans. The molecular pathogenesis of mutans streptococcal-associated dental caries occurs in three phases. Firstly, S. mutans attaches to tooth surface via a cell surface adhesion termed antigen I/II. In the second phase, the glucosyltransferase(GTFs) synthesize polymers like glucans in the presence of sucrose. In the third phase, the multivalent glucans interacts with glucan binding proteins (GBPs) and they make dental plaque and accumulation of microorganisms. Many studies and clinical trials have indicated that a mucosal immune response to these antigens(Ag I/II, GTFs, GBPs) of S. mutans can influence the pathogenesis of dental caries. So these antigens can be important vaccine candidates for immunologic intervention against dental caries. In this study, we cloned the genes for GTFb, GTFc, GTFd from S. mutans GS-5 and did the nucleotide sequence analysis. And the recombinant proteins of GTFd and N-terminus of GTFd were expressed. Intact GTF which we get from this experiment can be used for antibody production specific for any GTF activity domain through animal experiment.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2016

In this work, major outer capsid protein (P10) encoded by genome segment S10 of Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Genomic dsRNA was extracted from RBSDV-miryang isolate infected rice plants. Based on the sequence of S10 (RBSDV-miryang, GenBank JX994211), a pair of S10 specific primers were designed and used to amplify the fragment encoding the N-part of P10. We amplified the partial gene (S10 1-834 nt) of RBSDV P10 (1-278 aa) by RT-PCR. Amplified RBSDV S10 (1-834 nt) was cloned into the expression vector pET32a (+). Recombinant RBSDV S10 (1-834 nt) was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) and purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) affinity column. We successfully obtained P10 partial protein of RBSDV and the purified protein was used to immunize rabbits. The resulting polyclonal antiserum specifically recognized RBSDV from infected plant in both Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In this study, we provide purified RBSDV P10 (1-278 aa), which would be good material for the serological study of RBSDV-miryang isolates.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.97-97
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• 2002

Human eryhropoietin (EPO) is acidic glycoprotein hormone that plays key role in hematopoiesis by facilitating differentiation of erythrocyte and formation of hemoglobin (Hb) and is used for the treatment of anemia. Human EPO is consist of 166 amino acids which is modified by three N-glycosylations (24, 38, 83) and single O-glycosylation (126). N-glycosylation is reported to be related to the cellular secretion and activity of EPO. In this study, we examined effects of mutagenesis in glycosylation site of recombinat hEPO for the cellular secretion during production from cultured CHO cell. We produced rhEpo which was cloned by PCR from human liver cDNA (TaKaRa) in cultured CHO cell. Using supernatant of the culture, ELISA assay and western analysis were performed. To estimate biological activity, 20IU of rhuEpo was subcutaneously injected into four ICR mice. After 8 days, HCT level was increased average 13 per cent, RBC was increased ca. 2${\times}$10$\^$6//${\mu}\ell$. In disease model Rat (anemia c-kit, WSRC-WS/WS), HCT was increased ca. 12%, RBC was increased ca. 1.6${\times}$10$\^$6//${\mu}\ell$. These results suggests that rhEpo we produced has biological activity. To remove glycosylation site by substituting 24, 38, 83, and 126th asparagine (or serine) with glutamic acid, overlapping -extension site-directed mutagenesis was performed. To add novel glycosylation sites, 69, 105th leucine was mutated to asparagine. Mutant EPO construct was transfected into CHO cell. Supernatant of the cell culture was analyzed using ELISA assay with monoclonal anti-EPO antibody (Medac, Germany). Since, several reports for mutagenesis of glycosylation sites showed case-by-case results, we examined both transient expression and stable expression. Addition of novel glycosylation sites resulted no secretion while deletion mutants had little effect except some double deletion mutants (24/83 and 38/83) and triple mutant. We suggest that not single but combination of glycosyl group affect secretion of EPO.