• Genes and Genomics
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.1259-1267
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• 2018

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit crop with high commercial value due to its high nutritional values and favorable tastes. However, irregular bearing attributed to unstable flowering is a major ongoing problem for litchi producers. Previous studies indicate that low-temperature is a key factor in litchi floral induction. In order to reveal the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the reproductive process in litchi, we had analyzed the transcriptome of buds before and after low-temperature induction using RNA-seq technology. A key flower bud differentiation associated gene, a homologue of FLORICAULA/LEAFY, was identified and named LcLFY (GenBank Accession No. KF008435). The cDNA sequence of LcLFY encodes a putative protein of 388 amino acids. To gain insight into the role of LcLFY, the temporal expression level of this gene was measured by real-time RT-PCR. LcLFY was highly expressed in flower buds and its expression correlated with the floral developmental stage. Heterologous expression of LcLFY in transgenic tobacco plants induced precocious flowering. Meantime, we investigated the sub-cellular localization of LcLFY. The LcLFY-Green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein was found in the nucleus. The results suggest that LcLFY plays a pivotal role as a transcription factor in controlling the transition to flowering and in the development of floral organs in litchi.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.559-571
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• 2022

Galectins, a family of ß-galactoside-binding lectins, have emerged as soluble mediators in infected cells and pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) responsible for evoking and regulating innate immunity. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of galectin-1 in the host immune response of redlip mullet (Liza haematocheilia). We established a cDNA database for redlip mullet, and the cDNA sequence of galectin-1 (LhGal-1) was characterized. In silico analysis was performed, and the spatial and temporal expression patterns in gills and blood in response to lipopolysaccharide polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid, and Lactococcus garvieae were estimated via quantitative real-time PCR. Functional assays were conducted using recombinant protein to investigate carbohydrate binding, bacterial binding, and bacterial agglutination activity. LhGal-1 was composed of 135 amino acids. Conserved motifs (H-NPR, -N- and -W-E-R) within the carbohydrate recognition domain were found in LhGal-1. The tissue distribution revealed that the healthy stomach expressed high levels of LhGal-1. The temporal monitoring of LhGal-1 mRNA expression in the gill and blood showed its significant upregulation in response to immune challenges with different stimulants. rLhGal-1 exhibited binding activity in response to carbohydrates and bacteria. Moreover, the agglutination of rLhGal-1 against Escherichia coli was observed. Collectively, our findings suggest that LhGal-1 may function as a PRR in redlip mullet. Furthermore, LhGal-1 can be considered a significant gene to play a protective role in redlip mullet immune system.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.265-272
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• 2008

The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β(C/EBPβ), a member of the leucine zipper DNA-binding protein of transcription factor, plays a crucial role in the control of early phases of adipocyte differentiation. In this studies, we report the identification, characterization, and expression of the Korean native cattle C/EBPβ gene. The Korean native cattle and black cattle C/EBPβ cDNA includes a 1047bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 348 amino acids. The C/EBPβ cDNA sequence of the Korean native cattle and black cattle shows high conservation with the corresponding amino acid sequences reported in other species. The distribution of C/EBPβ mRNA in various tissues of Korean native cattle aged 26 months was investigated using Northern Blot analysis. The C/EBPβ expression was detected in adipose tissue, lung, sirloin while expression was not detected in heart, kidney, small intestine, colon, and liver. However, we are analyzed polymorphism of bZIP domain in the C/EBPβ gene. A polymorphism was not identified at this position.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2015

Ten types of farm-made brewing vinegars were collected and four high acetic acid-producing strains (CV1, CV3, CV5, and CV6) were isolated. Among them strain CV1, exhibiting highly alcohol-resistant and acetic acid-producing properties, was selected and its taxonomic properties were investigated by phenotypic (particularly chemotaxonomic) characterization and phylogenetic inference based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. On SM broth agar, cells of strain CV1 were gram-stainingnegative and formed pale white colonies with smooth to rough surfaces. Strain CV1 produced acetate from ethanol and was resistant to up to 8% (v/v) ethanol in LM broth. Strain CV1 had a G+C content of 61.0 mol%, contained meso-DAP as the cell wall amino acid, and possessed Q-10 as the major ubiquinone. A comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CV1 was most closely related to Gluconacetobacter saccharivorans (≥99.0% identity). In liquid media, the optimum growth conditions for acetic acid production were 30℃ and pH >3.0 and strain CV1 produced 9.3% and 8.4% acetic acids from 10% and 9% alcohol concentrations, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2015

Vinegar is a widely used acidic seasoning and can be manufactured using various methods and bases, including cereals, wheat, and fruits. Most studies on vinegar have been conducted to evaluate its antioxidant activity. In the present study, fermented dark vinegar (FDV) produced from unpolished rice was examined for its antimicrobial activity, biochemical content, including the amounts of sugar, total soluble sugar, organic acid, and free amino acids, and pH and physiological activity. The antimicrobial efficiency of FDV was assessed using the paper disc-agar diffusion method. FDV exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic bacteria and yeast strains that were tested. In fact, the activity of FDV was shown to be higher than that of the commercial antibiotics carbenicillin (50 µg/ml) and tetracycline (50 µg/ml) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Lodderomyces elongisporus. The antioxidant activity of FDV and ascorbic acid was evaluated. Using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method, we found that FDV has the highest activity of the antioxidants. After spreading FDV onto tryptic soy broth and yeast extract-peptone-dextrose agar media, the microbial strains were isolated and characterized through physiological and biochemical analysis. Based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, the isolated microorganisms exhibited a close similarity to Acetobacter papayae, Acetobacter pasteurianus, and Acetobacter peroxidans.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.313-318
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• 2009

TIAF1 is a TGF-${\beta}$1-induced anti-apoptotic factor that plays a critical role in blocking TNF (tumor necrosis factor) cytotoxicity in mouse fibroblasts and participates in TGF-${\beta}$-mediated growth regulation. In this study, we obtained the full-length cDNA sequence of the porcine TIAF1 gene. Real-time PCR further revealed that the TIAF1 gene was expressed at the highest level in liver and kidney with prominent expressions detected in uterus, and lower levels detected in heart, spleen, lung, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle and fat of Large White pigs. Sequence analysis indicated that a 6 base-pair deletion mutation existed in the exon of the TIAF1 gene between Meishan and Large White pigs. This mutation induced deletion of Gln and Val amino acids. PCR-RFLP was used to detect the polymorphism in 394 pigs of a "Large White${\times}$Meishan" $F_{2}$ resource population and four purebred pig populations. The frequencies of the A allele (with a 6 bp deletion) were dominant in Chinese Meishan and Bamei pigs, and the frequencies of the B allele (no 6 bp deletion) were dominant in Large White and Landrace pigs. Association analyses revealed that the deletion mutation had highly significant associations (p<0.01) with meat marbling score of the thorax-waist longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle (MM1) and intramuscular fat percentage (IMF), and significant associations (p<0.05) with carcass length (CL). The results presented here supply evidence that the 6 bp deletion mutation in the TIAF1 gene affects porcine meat quality and provides useful information for further porcine breeding.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2024

Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is a popular and economically vital plant known for its ornamental and medicinal properties. Despite its widespread cultivation, there has been no documentation of plant viruses on gardenia yet. In the present study, gardenia leaves exhibiting symptoms of plant viral diseases were sampled and sequenced by both metatranscriptome and small RNA sequencing. As a consequence, bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) was identified in gardenia for the first time and named BCMV-gardenia. The full genome sequence of BCMV-gardenia is 10,054 nucleotides (nt) in length (excluding the poly (A) at the 3' termini), encoding a large polyprotein of 3,222 amino acids. Sequence analysis showed that the N-termini of the polyprotein encoded by BCMV-gardenia is less conserved when compared to other BCMV isolates, whereas the C-termini is the most conserved. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that BCMVgardenia was clustered closely with other BCMV isolates identified outside the leguminous plants. Our results indicated that the majority of BCMV-gardenia virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) were 21 nt and 22 nt, with 21 nt being more abundant. The first nucleotide at the 5' termini of vsiRNAs derived from BCMV-gardenia preferred U and A. The ratio of vsiRNAs derived from sense (51.1%) and antisense (48.9%) strands is approaching, and the distribution of vsiRNAs along the viral genome is generally even, with some hot spots forming in local regions. Our findings could provide new insights into the diversity, evolution, and host expansion of BCMV and contribute to the prevention and treatment of this virus.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.363-369
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• 2016

A putative cyclomaltodextrinase gene (licd) was found from the genome of Listeria innocua ATCC 33090. The licd gene is located in the gene cluster involved in maltose/maltodextrin utilization, which consists of various genes encoding maltose phosphorylase and sugar ABC transporters. The structural gene encodes 591 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 68.6 kDa, which shares less than 58% of amino acid sequence identity with other known CDase family enzymes. The licd gene was cloned, and the dimeric enzyme with C-terminal six-histidines was successfully produced and purified from recombinant Escherichia coli. The enzyme showed the highest activity at pH 7.0 and 37℃. licd could hydrolyze β-cyclodextrin, starch, and maltotriose to mainly maltose, and it cleaved pullulan to panose. It could also catalyze the hydrolysis of acarbose to glucose and acarviosine-glucose. In particular, it showed significantly higher activity towards β-cyclodextrin and maltotriose than towards starch and acarbose. licd also showed transglycosylation activity, producing α-(1,6)- and/or α-(1,3)-linked transfer products from the acarbose donor and α-methyl glucopyranoside acceptor.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.25 no.4 s.83
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• pp.330-339
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• 1997

Botrytis cinerea T91-1 has shown to produce at least four different polygalacturonases in a liquid medium containing citrus pectin as a carbon source. One of the enzymes, its molecular weight was estimated as 37 kDa by denatured polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was purified by a series of procedures including acetone precipitation, ion exchange, heparin affinity, and reverse phase column chromatographies. By viscometric analysis, the enzyme was revealed as an endo-polygalacturonase. The enzyme activity was inhibited by divalent cations such as $Ca^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$, and $Cu^{2+}$. Km and Vmax for polygalacturonic acid hydrolysis were 0.33 mg/ml and 28.6 nM/min, respectively. The optimum temperature for enzymatic activity was $55^{\circ}C$ and the enzyme showed optimal pH values between 4.0 and 4.5. The enzyme was stable up to 12 hours in the range of pH 4 to 7 and at the temperature below $30^{\circ}C$. Amino acid sequence from N-terminal up to 6 amino acids determined by Edman degradation showed little homology with polygalacturonases from fungi and plants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.126-133
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• 2016

A gene from Actinomyces sp. Korean native goat (KNG) 40 that encodes an endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase, EG1, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) $DH5{\alpha}$. Recombinant plasmid DNA from a positive clone with a 3.2 kb insert hydrolyzing carboxyl methyl-cellulose (CMC) was designated as pDS3. The entire nucleotide sequence was determined, and an open-reading frame (ORF) was deduced. The ORF encodes a polypeptide of 684 amino acids. The recombinant EG1 produced in E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ harboring pDS3 was purified in one step using affinity chromatography on crystalline cellulose and characterized. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis/zymogram analysis of the purified enzyme revealed two protein bands of 57.1 and 54.1 kDa. The amino terminal sequences of these two bands matched those of the deduced ones, starting from residue 166 and 208, respectively. Putative signal sequences, a Shine.Dalgarno-type ribosomal binding site, and promoter sequences related to the consensus sequences were deduced. EG1 has a typical tripartite structure of cellulase, a catalytic domain, a serine-rich linker region, and a cellulose-binding domain. The optimal temperature for the activity of the purified enzyme was $55^{\circ}C$, but it retained over 90% of maximum activity in a broad temperature range ($40^{\circ}C$ to $60^{\circ}C$). The optimal pH for the enzyme activity was 6.0. Kinetic parameters, $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ of rEG1 were 0.39% CMC and 143 U/mg, respectively.