• BMB Reports
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.243-248
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• 2015

Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common cause of familial Parkinson's disease (PD). As such, functions and dysfunctions of LRRK2 in PD have been the subject of extensive investigation. In addition to PD, increasing evidence is suggesting that LRRK2 is associated with a wide range of diseases. Genome-wide association studies have implicated LRRK2 in Crohn's disease (CD) and leprosy, and the carriers with pathogenic mutations of LRRK2 show increased risk to develop particular types of cancer. LRRK2 mutations are rarely found in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but LRRK2 might play a part in tauopathies. The association of LRRK2 with the pathogenesis of apparently unrelated diseases remains enigmatic, but it might be related to the yet unknown diverse functions of LRRK2. Here, we reviewed current knowledge on the link between LRRK2 and several diseases, including PD, AD, CD, leprosy, and cancer, and discussed the possibility of targeting LRRK2 in such diseases. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(5): 243-248]

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권8호
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• pp.3523-3525
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• 2015

Gastric cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Environmental as well as genetic factors have been shown to be involved in its genesis. Among genetic factors, loss of function of a tumor suppressive gene named promyelocytic leukemia (PML) has been demonstrated in gastric cancer. In order to cast light in the mechanism by which PML protein is under-expressed in gastric cancer cells, we analyzed all exons and intron-exon boundaries of PML gene in 50 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from gastric carcinoma tumors by means of PCR-SSCP and CSGE, with direct sequencing of abnormally shifted bands. We found a novel sequence variant of unknown significance localized in intron 5 in 3 samples (c.1398+84delA). We did not detect any deleterious mutations of the PML gene. This study shows that PML mutations may not contribute to gastric adenocarcinoma development. Post-translational modifications or protein degradation might be mechanisms by which PML is not expressed in gastric tumors.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.102-108
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• 2001

DNA damage response has a central role in the maintenance of genomic integrity while mutations in related genes may result in a range of disorders including neoplasic formations. The uvsZl characterized in this report is a navel uvs mutation in Aspergillus nidulans, resulting in a nucleotide excision repair (NER) phenotype: UV-sensitivity before DNA synthesis (quiescent cells), high UV-induced mutation frequency and probable absence of involvement with mitotic and meiotic recombinations. The mutation is recessive and nan-allelic to the previously characterized uvsA101 mutation, also located on the paba-y interval on chromosome I. uvsZl skewed wild-type sensitivity to MMS, which suggests non-involvement of this mutation with BER. Epitasis tests showed that the uvsZ gene product is probably involved in the same repair pathways as UVSB or UVSH proteins. Although mutations in these proteins result in an NER phenotype, UVSB is related with cell cycle control and UVSH is associated with the post-replicational repair pathway. The epistatic interaction among uvsZl and uvsB413 and uvsH77 mutations indicates that different repair systems may be related with the common steps of DNA damage response in Aspergillus nidulans.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제86권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Lung cancer ranks first in cancer mortality in Korea and cancer incidence in Korean men. More than half of Korean lung cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, including adjuvant therapy. Cytotoxic agents, targeted therapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitors are used in chemotherapy according to the biopsy and genetic test results. Among chemotherapy, the one that has developed rapidly is targeted therapy. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines have been updated recently for targeted therapy of multiple gene mutations, and targeted therapy is used not only for chemotherapy but also for adjuvant therapy. While previously targeted therapies have been developed for common genetic mutations, recently targeted therapies have been developed to overcome uncommon mutations or drug resistance that have occurred since previous targeted therapy. Therefore, this study describes recent, rapidly developing targeted therapies.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.391-397
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• 2005

Escherichia coli is a common inhabitant of the intestinal tracts of animals and humans. The intestines of animals also represent an ideal environment for the selection and transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes. The aim of this study was to investigate the resistance of E. coli isolated from chicken fecal samples to fluoroquinolones and to analyze the characterization of mutations in its gyrA and parC gene related resistance. One hundred and twenty-eight E. coil isolates showed a high resistance to ciprofloxacin (CIP; $60.2\%$), enrofloxacin (ENO; $73.4\%$) and norfloxacin (NOR; $60.2\%$). Missense mutation in gyrA was only found in the amino acid codons of Ser-83 or Asp-87. A high percentage of isolates ($60.2\%$) showed mutations at both amino acid codons. Missense mutation in parC was found in the amino acid codon of Ser-80 or Glu-84, and seven isolates showed mutations at both amino acid codons. Isolates with a single mutation in gyrA showed minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for CIP (${\le}0.5\;to\;0.75{\mu}g/ml$), ENO (1 to $4{\mu}g/ml$) and NOR (0.75 to $4{\mu}g/ml$). These MIC were level compared to isolates with two mutations, one in gyrA and one in parC, and three mutations, one in gyrA and two in parC (CIP, ${\le}0.5\;to\;3{\mu}g/ml;\;ENO,\;2\;to\;32<{\mu}g/ml;\;NOR,\;1.5\;to\;6\;{\mu}g/ml$). However, the isolates with two mutation in gyrA regardless of whether there was a mutation in parC showed high MIC for the three fluoroquinolones (CIP, 0.75 to $32{\le}{\mu}g/ml;\;ENO,\;3\;to\;32{\le}{\mu}g/ml;\;NOR,\;3\;to\;32{\le}{\mu}g/ml$). Interestingly, although the E. coil used in this study was isolated from normal flora of chicken, not clinical specimens, a high percentage of isolates showed resistance to fluoroquinolones and possessed mutations at gyrA and parC associated with fluoroquinolone resistance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.2445-2452
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• 2012

RNA interference has created a breakthrough in gene silencing technology and there is now much debate on the successful usage of RNAi based methods in treating a number of debilitating diseases. Cancer is often regarded as a result of mutations in genomic DNA resulting in faulty gene expression. The occurrence of cancer can also be influenced by epigenetic irregularities in the chromatin structure which leads to alterations and mutations in DNA resulting in cancer cell formation. A number of therapeutic approaches have been put forth to treat cancer. Anti cancer therapy often involves chemotherapy targeting all the cells in common, whereby both cancer cells as well as normal cells get affected. Hence RNAi technology has potential to be a better therapeutic agent as it is possible to deactivate molecular targets like specific mutant genes. This review highlights the successful use of RNAi inducers against different types of cancer, thereby paving the way for specific therapeutic medicines.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.75-79
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• 2003

Every protein can be characterized by either a distinct motif or a combination of motifs. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationships among (more than two) the motifs. Some of the proteins in the world are share motifs for evolutional or other biological benefits - they can save energy, time and resource for controlling and managing a variety of proteins. In some cases of motifs, the tendency is quite common and they can act the 'hub' motif of a network of the motif associations. The hubs are structurally and functionally important in themselves and also important in disease-related mutations. They will be highly resistant mutation to conserve their functions. But, in case of the a rare mutation, mutations on the position of hub can more easily cause fatal diseases.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.23.1-23.6
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• 2019

The acquisition of somatic mutations is the most common event in cancer. Neoantigens expressed from genes with mutations acquired during carcinogenesis can be tumor-specific. Since the immune system recognizes tumor-specific peptides, they are potential targets for personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapy. However, the discovery of druggable neoantigens remains challenging, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the mechanism of neoantigen generation and better strategies to identify them will be required to realize the promise of neoantigen-based immunotherapy. Alternative splicing and RNA editing events are emerging mechanisms leading to neoantigen production. In this review, we outline recent work involving the large-scale screening of neoantigens produced by alternative splicing and RNA editing. We also describe strategies to predict and validate neoantigens from RNA sequencing data.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.65-71
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• 2006

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is one of the most common inherited renal disorders in the world. Mutations in PKD1 located on chromosome 16p13.3 are responsible for 85% of all the ADPKD patients whereas mutations in PKD2 on chromosome 4q21-23 are responsible for the rest of the cases. Genetic heterogeneity and the problems of mutation detection in PKD1 suggest that linkage analysis is an important approach to study the genetics of ADPKD. To evaluate the availability of six (CA)n microsatellite markers for the linkage analysis of ADPKD in the Korean population, we examined the allele frequencies and heterozygosities of the markers. With the exception of KG8, five markers were highly informative, with PIC values over 0.5, but the PIC value of KG8 marker was less informative than other five markers because of the low number of alleles. Therefore, this study will be useful in linkage analysis for ADPKD families in the Korean population.

• 대한구순구개열학회지
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.65-70
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• 2008

Cleft lip and/or palate are common birth defects in humans and the causes including multiple genetic and environmental factors are complex. Combinations of genetic, biochemical, and embryological approaches in the laboratory mice are used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying normal craniofacial development and the congenital craniofacial malformations including cleft lip and/or palate. Both forward and reverse genetic approaches are used. The forward genetic approach involves identification of causative genes and molecular pathways disrupted by uncharacterized mutations that cause craniofacial malformations including cleft lip and/or cleft palate. The reverse genetic approach involves generation and analyses of mice carrying null or conditional mutations using the Cre-loxP mediated gene targeting techniques.