• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.57-58
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• 2018

An accurate diagnostic marker for detecting early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC) is clinically important, since early detection of HCC remarkably improves patient survival. From the integrative analysis of the transcriptome and clinicopathologic data of human multi-stage HCC tissues, we were able to identify barrier-to-autointegration factor 1 (BANF1), procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 3 (PLOD3) and splicing factor 3b subunit 4 (SF3B4) as early HCC biomarkers which could be detected in precancerous lesions of HCC, with superior capabilities to diagnose eHCC compared to the currently popular HCC diagnostic biomarkers: GPC3, GS, and HSP70. We then showed that SF3B4 knockdown caused G1/S cell cycle arrest by recovering $p27^{kip1}$ and simultaneously suppressing cyclins, and CDKs in liver cancer cells. Notably, we demonstrated that aberrant SF3B4 overexpression altered the progress of splicing progress of the tumor suppressor gene, kruppel like factor 4 (KLF4), and resulted in non-functional skipped exon transcripts. This contributes to liver tumorigenesis via transcriptional inactivation of $p27^{kip1}$ and simultaneous activation of Slug genes. Our results suggest that SF3B4 indicates early-stage HCC in precancerous lesions, and also functions as an early-stage driver in the development of liver cancer.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.538-544
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• 2003

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major causative agent of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The development of alternative antiviral therapies is warranted because current treatments for the HCV infection affect only a limited number of patients and lead to significant toxicities. The HCV genome is exclusively present in the RNA form; therefore, ribozyme strategies to target certain HCV sequences have been proposed as anti-HCV treatments. In this study, we determined which regions of the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV are accessible to ribozymes by employing an RNA mapping strategy that is based on a trans-splicing ribozyme library. We then discovered that the loop regions of the domain IIIb of HCV IRES appeared to be particularly accessible. Moreover, to verify if the target sites that were predicted to be accessible are truly the most accessible, we assessed the ribozyme activities by comparing not only the trans-splicing activities in vitro but also the trans-cleavage activities in cells of several ribozymes that targeted different sites. The ribozyme that could target the most accessible site identified by mapping studies was then the most active with high fidelity in cells as well as in vitro. These results demonstrate that the RNA mapping strategy represents an effective method to determine the accessible regions of target RNAs and have important implications for the development of various antiviral therapies which are based on RNA such as ribozyme, antisense, or siRNA.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.71-75
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• 2001

Spin is an abundant maternal transcript comprising up to 0.2% of the total mRNA stock in mouse oocyte, whose protein product is associated with the meiotic spindle. We have identified a new isoform of Spin transcript containing a distinct 5'-untranslated region and the N-terminus of encoded protein. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that the new isoform is expressed in embryos and most of adult tissues, while the previously identified transcript is expressed solely in mouse oocyte. We thus designated these two Spin isoforms as somatic type and oocyte type, respectively. To investigate the underlying mechanism for the differential expression, genomic structure of Spin was examined. Spin exists as multiple copies in the genome, some of which appears to be pseudogenes, and characterization of Spin genomic clones indicates that oocyte- and somatic-isoforms were generated by alternative splicing. The complex organization of Spin genomic locus and its multifaceted control of expression provide a good model to study the molecular mechanisms of elaborate genome usage in mammals.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.515-520
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• 2012

High expression of osmotically responsive genes1 (HOS1), a key regulator of low temperature response and flowering time, encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase in Arabidopsis. Here, we report characterization of a newly identified splice variant (HOS1-L) of HOS1. Comparative analyses revealed that HOS1-L has a longer 5' nucleotide sequence than that of the previously identified HOS1 (HOS1-S) and that its protein sequence was more conserved than that of HOS1-S in plants. HOS1-L transcripts were spatio-temporally more abundant than those of HOS1-S. The recovery rate of HOS1-S expression was faster than that of HOS1-L after cold treatment. Diurnal oscillation patterns of HOS1-L revealed that HOS1-L expression was affected by photoperiod. An in vitro pull-down assay revealed that the HOS1-L protein interacted with the ICE1 protein. HOS1-L overexpression caused delayed flowering in wild-type plants. Collectively, these results suggest regulation of HOS1 expression at the post-transcriptional level.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2011.06a
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• pp.37-40
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• 2011

선택 스플라이싱 (alternative splicing)은 mRNA (messenger RNA)의 전구체인 pre-mRNA가 mRNA로 전사될 때 pre-mRNA의 엑손 영역들 (exons)이 여러 가지 유형 (pattern)으로 다시 연결되는 과정을 말한다. 선택 스플라이싱에 의해 하나의 유전자로부터 서로 다른 mRNA가 만들어 지고 서로 다른 이소형의 단백질 (protein isoforms)이 생성된다. 현재까지 알려진 선택 스플라이싱의 유형은 약 7가지 종류가 있으며, 유전자의 돌연변이 및 질병과 밀접한 연관성을 가지고 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 차세대 시퀀싱 (Next Generation Sequencing : NGS) 기술로 생성된 RNA-Seq 데이터로부터 각 유전자 영역에 대한 선택 스플라이싱 유형을 분류/추출하는 새로운 알고리즘을 제안한다. 제안된 알고리즘에서는 RNA-Seq 데이터를 DNA 시퀀스와 mRNA 트랜스크립트 시퀀스에 동시 매핑하고, 각 엑손 영역에 정렬된 RNA-Seq 데이터의 커버리지 정보 및 엑손의 접합 (junction) 정보를 이용하여 발현된 트랜스크립트 (transcript)의 종류와 양을 측정한다. 알고리즘의 유효성을 보이기 위하여 시뮬레이션 데이터를 이용한 인간 유전자 영역에서의 선택 스플라이싱 유형 추출 실험을 수행하였으며, 검증된 선택 스플라이싱 DB와 비교, 검증하였다.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.233-237
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• 2017

Chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL) is a myeloproliferative disease with an increased number of mature eosinophils and their precursors, which results in infiltration into organs and organ enlargement. The main cause of this disease is the overexpression of tyrosine kinase. However, there is a need for alternative medication, because some patients are resistant to imatinib, which is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor for leukemia. Many studies have indicated that S100A8 and splicing factor proline and glutamine-rich (SFPQ) function as initiation signals of apoptosis in CEL cells. We reviewed structural studies on CEL cells related to S100A8 and SFPQ. Particularly, this review highlighted microscopic results for the study of S100A8 and SFPQ in CEL cells.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.680-685
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• 1998

Prestressed concrete I-girders were used in the bridge applications in the early 1950s. During the last four decades, the most widely used girder length of bridges have been below 30meters. The main objective of this study is to develope the alternative section for long span bridge which exceed 40 meters. The developed Bulb-Tee girder has a wide bottom flange to enhance the compressive strength and to allow placement of a large number of strands in the bottom flange. New bulb-tee shaped PSC girder sections are proposed in this paper. Splicing the technique for long span bridge girder to reduce the self weight is also proposed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.664-671
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• 2023

The proper maintenance of mRNA quality that is regulated by diverse surveillance pathways is essential for cellular homeostasis and is highly conserved among eukaryotes. Here, we review findings regarding the role of mRNA quality control in the aging and longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans, an outstanding model for aging research. We discuss the recently discovered functions of the proper regulation of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, ribosome-associated quality control, and mRNA splicing in the aging of C. elegans. We describe how mRNA quality control contributes to longevity conferred by various regimens, including inhibition of insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling, dietary restriction, and reduced mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling. This review provides valuable information regarding the relationship between the mRNA quality control and aging in C. elegans, which may lead to insights into healthy longevity in complex organisms, including humans.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2015

Purpose: Salivary fluid formation is primarily driven by Ca2+-activated, apical efflux of chloride into the lumen of the salivary acinus. The anoctamin1 protein is an anion channel with properties resembling the endogenous calcium-activated chloride channels. In order to better understand the role of anoctamin proteins in salivary exocrine secretion, the expression of the ten members of the anoctamin gene family in the mouse submandibular gland was studied. Methods: Total RNA extracted from mouse submandibular salivary glands was reverse transcribed using primer pairs to amplify the full-length coding regions of each anoctamin gene and was subcloned into plasmid vectors for DNA sequencing. Alternative splice variants were also screened by polymerase chain reaction using primer pairs that amplified six overlapping regions of the complementary DNA of each anoctamin gene, spanning multiple exons. Results: Multiple anoctamin transcripts were found in the mouse submandibular salivary gland, including full-length transcripts of anoctamin1, anoctamin3, anoctamin4, anoctamin5, anoctamin6, anoctamin9, and anoctamin10. Exon-skipping splicing in the N-terminal exons of the anoctamins1, anoctamin5, and anoctamin6 genes resulted in multiple alternative splice variants. No expression of anoctamin2, anoctamin7, or anoctamin8 was found. Conclusions: The predominant anoctamin transcript expressed in the mouse submandibular gland is anoctamin1ac. The chloride channel protein produced by anoctamin1ac is likely responsible for the $Ca^{2+}$-activated chloride efflux, which is the rate-limiting step in salivary exocrine secretion.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1787-1799
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• 2022

Objective: Choline deficiency, one main trigger for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is closely related to lipid metabolism disorder. Previous study in a choline-deficient model has largely focused on gene expression rather than gene structure, especially sparse are studies regarding to alternative splicing (AS). In modern life science research, primary hepatocytes culture technology facilitates such studies, which can accurately imitate liver activity in vitro and show unique superiority. Whereas limitations to traditional hepatocytes culture technology exist in terms of efficiency and operability. This study pursued an optimization culture method for duck primary hepatocytes to explore AS in choline-deficient model. Methods: We performed an optimization culture method for duck primary hepatocytes with multi-step digestion procedure from Pekin duck embryos. Subsequently a NAFLD model was constructed with choline-free medium. RNA-seq and further analysis by rMATS were performed to identify AS events alterations in choline-deficency duck primary hepatocytes. Results: The results showed E13 (embryonic day 13) to E15 is suitable to obtain hepatocytes, and the viability reached over 95% by trypan blue exclusion assay. Primary hepatocyte retained their biological function as well identified by Periodic Acid-Schiff staining method and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity assay, respectively. Meanwhile, genes of alb and afp and specific protein of albumin were detected to verify cultured hepatocytes. Immunofluorescence was used to evaluate purity of hepatocytes, presenting up to 90%. On this base, choline-deficient model was constructed and displayed significantly increase of intracellular triglyceride and cholesterol as reported previously. Intriguingly, our data suggested that AS events in choline-deficient model were implicated in pivotal biological processes as an aberrant transcriptional regulator, of which 16 genes were involved in lipid metabolism and highly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Conclusion: An effective and rapid protocol for obtaining duck primary hepatocytes was established, by which our findings manifested choline deficiency could induce the accumulation of lipid and result in aberrant AS events in hepatocytes, providing a novel insight into various AS in the metabolism role of choline.