• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.4281-4285
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• 2011

We introduced a promising patterned substrate by using a microcontact printing method that can be used for SERS immunoassays based on antigen-antibody binding. SERS spectrum of the Raman reporter with antibody, which is rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on colloidal gold nanoparticles, was observed only for the surfaces in which prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is present on the substrate that is attached to an immobilized layer of antibody on the gold nanoparticles layer of the patterned substrate. Raman mapping images clearly showed that the antibodies on the Raman reporter were successfully and selectively conjugated with the antigen on the patterned substrate. This method could be potentially extended to multi-protein detections and ultrasensitive biosensors.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.921-927
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• 2007

UCP2 and UCP3 are members of the uncoupling protein family, which may play roles in energy homeostasis. In order to determine the regulation of the predominant expression of UCP3 in skeletal muscle, the effects of differentiation and myogenic regulatory factors on the promoter activities of the mouse UCP2 and UCP3 genes were studied. Reporter plasmids, containing approximately 3 kb of the 5'-upstream region of the mouse UCP2 and UCP3 genes, were transfected into C2C12 myoblasts, which were then induced to differentiate. Differentiation positively induced the reporter expression about 20-fold via the UCP3 promoter, but by only 2-fold via the UCP2 promoter. C2C12 myoblasts were cotransfected with expression vectors for myogenin and/or MyoD as well as reporter constructs. The simultaneous expression of myogenin and MyoD caused an additional 20-fold increase in the reporter expression via the UCP3 promoter, but only a weak effect via the UCP2 promoter. In L6 myoblasts, only MyoD activated the UCP3 promoter, but in 3T3-L1 cells neither factor activated the UCP3 promoter, indicating that additional cofactors are required, which are present only in C2C12 myoblasts. The expression of UCP2 and UCP3 is differentially regulated during muscle differentiation due to the different responsiveness of their promoter regions to myogenin and MyoD.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.405-408
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• 1999

The transactivation potential of HIV-1 Vpu was identified from the yeast two-hybrid screening process. The helix II domain of HIV-1 Vpu protein and mutant Vpu protein lacking the transmembrane domain exhibited transactivation of the LacZ and Leu2 reporter genes carrying LexA upstream activating sequences, but full-length HIV-1 Vpu and the helix I domain of HIV-1 Vpu did not. The helix II domain of HIV-1 Vpu consists of a number of acidic amino acids, and is especially rich in glutamic acid, a characteristic of many transcription factors. This result suggests that protein-protein interaction may occur through the acidic helix II domain of HIV-1 Vpu.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-118
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• 2000

Recombinant plasmids harboring a heterologous gene coding for the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were transfected and expressed in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells. A stable transformation of polyclonal cell populations expressing EGFP were isolated after 4 weeks of selection with hygromycin B. The recombinant EFGP expressed in transformed S2 cells consisted of a molecular weight of 27 kDa. EGFP expression was also confirmed by fluorometric measurement. The maximum EGFP concentration was about 9.3 mg/I. The present findings demonstrate not only the successful stable expression of EGFP in Drosophuila was about 9.3 mgI. The present findings demonstrate not only the successful stable expression of EGFP in Drosophila S2 cells, but also the use of EGFP as a reporter to analyze gene expression, with its potential of a Drosophila cell expression system for recombinant protein production being an alternative to a baculovirus-insect cell expression system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.9-15
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• 1995

When quiescent cells ate stimulated to enter the cell cycle, the thymidine kinase(TK) gene is transcriptionally activated at the border of Gl and 5. In this report we show that the human TK promoter contains multiple protein-binding sites. By site-directed mutagenesis, we identified a protein-binding site on the human TK promoter requited for conferring Gl-S-regulated transcription to a heterologous promoter and dissociated it functionally from an adjacent protein-binding domain containing an inverted CCAAT motif requited for high basal level expression. Substitution-mutation of this site results in constitutive expression of the neo reporter gene in serum-stimulated fibroblasts, as well as in cells arrested in mid-Gl by a temperature-sensitive mutation. The regulatory domains for the human TK promoter exhibit interesting symmetrical features, including a set of CCAAT motifs and sites similar to the novel Yi protein-binding site recently discovered in the mouse TK promoter. Thus, components of the hTK complex is important for hTK gene regulation.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.296-301
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• 2015

Eggshell-based biocomposites have become attractive due to their exquisite nanostructure and biological properties, which are mainly composed of highly organized calcium carbonate crystals controlled by organic macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides. Here, we designed the recombinant fusion protein of a putative eggshell matrix protein named as GG1234 and a fluorescent reporter protein of DsRed. The protein was successfully over-expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. In vitro calcium carbonate crystallization was conducted in the presence of the fusion protein, and morphological change was investigated. The protein inhibited the calcite growth in vitro, and spherical calcium carbonate micro-particles with the diameter of about $20-30{\mu}m$ were obtained. We expect that this study would be helpful for better understanding of eggshell-based biomineralization.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1022-1027
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• 2005

Based on plasmid display technology by the complexes of fusion protein and the encoding plasmid DNA, an in vitro selection method for high affinity DNA-binding protein was developed and experimentally demonstrated. The GAL4 DNA-binding domain (GAL4 DBD) was selected as a model DNA-binding protein, and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was used as an expression reporter for the selection of target proteins. Error prone PCR was conducted to construct a mutant library of the model. Based on the affinity decrease with increased salt concentration, mutants of GAL4 DBD having high affinity were selected from the mutant protein library of protein-encoding plasmid complex by this method. Two mutants of (Lys33Glu, Arg123Lys, Ile127Lys) and (Ser47Pro, Ser85Pro) having high affinity were obtained from the first generation mutants. This method can be used for rapid in vitro selection of high affinity DNA-binding proteins, and has high potential for the screening of high affinity DNA-binding proteins in a sequence-specific manner.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2006

This study was conducted to examine the effect of IRES controlled reporter gene on screening and production of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) proteins from cultured CHO cells. The cDNA was cloned for EPO from human liver cDNA Using site-directed mutagenesis, we generated recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) with two additional N-glycosylations (Novel erythropoiesis-stimulating protein: NESP). Wild type hEPO and NESP were cloned into expression vectors with GFP reporter gene under regulatory control of CMV promoter and IRES so that the vectors could express both rhEPO and GFP. The expression vectors were transfected to cultured CHO-K1 cells. Under microscopy, expression of GFP was visible. Using supernatant of the culture, ELISA assay, immunocytochemistry and in vitro assay using EPO dependant cell line were performed to estimate biological activity to compare the production characteristics (secretion levels, etc.) between rhEPO and NESP. The activity of NESP protein, obtained by mutagenesis, was described and compared with its rhEPO counterpart produced under same conditions. Although NESP had less secretion level in CHO cell line, the biological activity of NESP was greater than that of rhEPO. These results are consistent with previous researches. We also demonstrated that rhEPO and GFP proteins expressed simultaneously from transfected CHO cell line. Therefore we conclude that use of GFP reporter gene under IRES control could be used to screen and produce rhEPO in cultured CHO cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.341-344
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• 2005

The expression of the glutathione S-transferase (GST), whose induction accounts for antioxidant defense system, is regulated by activation of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ${\beta}$ ($C/EBP{\beta}$), Sick house syndrome (SHS) presents healthy damage owing to the indoor environment of a building. Toluene has been implicated in one of the important causes of SHS. The present study investigated the effects of toluene treatment on the induction of GSTA2 gene and its mechanism. H411E cells treated with toluene, and GSTA2 expression was determined by immunoblot analysis. The translocation of $C/EBP{\beta}$ was assessed by immunocytochemical assays. $C/EBP{\beta}$ DNA binding activity was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The role of the C/EBP binding site in the induction of the GSTA2 gene was assessed by luciferase reporter-gene activity. Toluene induced GSTA2 protein expression. In toluene-treated cells, $C/EBP{\beta}$ translocated to the nucleus and bound to the consensus sequence of C/EBP (TTGCGCAA). Toluene treatment increased luciferase reporter-gene activity in cells transfected with the C/EBP-containing regulatory region of the GSTA2 gene. Oxidative stress is believed to play an important role in the induction of GSTA2 gene by toluene This study shows that toluene-induced GSTA2 gene expression is dependent upon nuclear translocation and binding of $C/EBP{\beta}$ to the C/EBP response element in the GSTA2 gene promoter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1452-1459
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• 2007

The Dps protein, which is overexpressed in harsh environments, is known to playa critical role in the protection of DNA against oxidative stresses. In this study, the roles of Fur in the expression of the dps gene in Salmonella and the protection mechanisms against oxidative stress in Salmonella cells preexposed to iron-stress were investigated. Two putative Fur boxes were predicted within the promoter region of the S. typhimurium dps gene. The profile of dps expression performed by the LacZ reporter assay revealed growth-phase dependency regardless of iron-status under the culture conditions. The fur mutant, $_X4659$, evidenced a reduced level of ${\beta}$-galactosidase as compared to the wild-type strain. The results observed after the measurement of the Dps protein in various Salmonella regulatory mutants were consistent with the results acquired in the reporter assay. This evidence suggested that Fur performs a function as a subsidiary regulator in the expression of dps. The survival ability of Salmonella strains after exposure to oxidative stress demonstrated that the Dps protein performs a pivotal function in the survival of stationary-phase S. typhimurium against oxidative stress. Salmonella cells grown in iron-restricted condition required Dps for full protection against oxidative stress. The CK24 (${\Delta}dps$) cells grown in iron-replete condition survived at a rate similar to that observed in the wild-type strain, thereby suggesting the induction of an unknown protection mechanism(s) other than Dps in this condition.