• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.110-115
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• 2003

Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis was conducted using a cDNA library made from the liver mRNA of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). In the survey of 421 ESTs, 362 showed significant homology to previously described genes while 59 were unidentified or novel. Comparative analysis of the identified ESTs showed that 69 $(19.0\%)$ clones were identified as homologous to the previously reported olive flounder ESTs, and 279 $(77.1\%)$ clones were identified as orthologs of known genes from other organisms. The remaining 14 $(3.9\%)$ clones were identified as orthologs of known sequences with unknown functions. These tagged cDNA clones, identified and unidentified, could provide fundamental baseline data for genomic studies of this species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.197-206
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• 2016

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of considerable genetic diversity with varying pathogenicity. Initially, we found that the strain M7 was far less pathogenic than the strain Lm850658 though both are serovar 4a strains belonging to the lineage III. Comparative genomic approaches were then attempted to decipher the genetic basis that might govern the strain-dependent pathotypes. There are 2,761 coding sequences of 100% nucleotide identity between the two strains, accounting for 95.7% of the total genes in Lm850658 and 92.7% in M7. Lm850658 contains 33 specific genes, including a novel 20K prophage whereas strain M7 has 130 specific genes, including two large prophages (38K and 44K). To examine the roles of these specific prophages in pathogenicity, the 20K and 38K prophages were deleted from their respective strains. There were virtually no differences of pathogenicity between the deletion mutants and their parent strains, although some putative virulent factors like VirB4 are present in the 20K region or holin-lysin in the 38K region. In silico PCR analysis of 29 listeria genomes show that only strain SLCC2540 has the same 18 bp integration hotspot as Lm850658, whereas the sequence identity of their 20K prophages is very low (21.3%). The 38K and 44K prophages are located in two other different hotspots and are conserved in low virulent strains M7, HCC23, and L99. In conclusion, the 20K and 38K prophages of L. monocytogenes serovar 4a strains Lm850658 and M7 are not related to virulence but contribute to genetic diversity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권6호
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• pp.426-433
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• 2017

Ephrin-A5 has been implicated in the regulation of brain morphogenesis and axon pathfinding. In this study, we used bacterial homologous recombination to express a LacZ reporter in various ephrin-A5 BAC clones to identify elements that regulate ephrin-A5 gene expression during mesencephalon development. We found that there is mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity localized to a specific +25.0 kb to +30.5 kb genomic region in the first intron of ephrin-A5. Further comparative genomic analysis indicated that two evolutionary conserved regions, ECR1 and ECR2, were present within this 5.5 kb region. Deletion of ECR1 from the enhancer resulted in disrupted mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity in transgenic embryos. We also found a consensus binding site for basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) in a highly conserved region at the 3'-end of ECR1. We further demonstrated that specific deletion of the bHLH TF binding site abrogated the mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity in transgenic embryos. Finally, both electrophoretic mobility shift assay and luciferase-based transactivation assay revealed that the transcription factor Ascl1 bound the bHLH consensus binding site in the mesencephalon-specific ephrin-A5 enhancer in vitro. Together, these results suggest that the bHLH TF binding site in ECR1 is involved in the positive regulation of ephrin-A5 gene expression during the development of the mesencephalon.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.30-37
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• 2013

Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens are closely related species that share a similar genomic background, and are both known to secrete large amounts of proteins directly into a medium. The extracellular proteomes of two strains of Bacillus subtilis and two strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens were compared by 2-D gel electrophoresis during the late exponential growth phase. The relative abundance of some minor protein spots varied among the four strains of Bacillus. Over 123 spots of extracellular proteins were visualized on the gel for B. subtilis CH 97, 68 spots for B. subtilis 3-5, 230 spots for B. amyloliquefaciens CH 51, and 60 spotsfor B. amyloliquefaciens 86-1. 2D gel electrophoresis images of the four Bacillus strains showed significantly different protein profiles. Consistent with the 2D gel electrophoretic analysis, most of the B. subtilis proteins differed from the proteases secreted by the B. amyloliquefaciensstrains. Among the proteins identified from B. subtilis, approximately 50% were cytoplasmic and 30% were canonically extracellular proteins. The secreted protein profiles for B. subtilis CH 97 and B. subtilis 3-5 were quite different, as were the profiles for B. amyloliquefaciens CH 51 and 86-1. The four proteomes also differed in the major protein composition. The B. subtilis CH 97 and B. amyloliquefaciens CH 51 proteomes both contained large amounts of secreted hydrolytic enzymes. Among the four strains, B. subtilis 3-5 secreted the least number of proteins. Therefore, even closely related bacteria in terms of genomic sequences can still have significant differences in their physiology and proteome layout.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.183-193
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• 2015

Several transgenic marine medaka Oryzias dancena strains harboring a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter construct regulated by an endogenous ${\beta}$-actin promoter were established and their expression characteristics in relation to transgene copy numbers were examined in 21 transgene genotypes. Most of the transgenic strains displayed transgene insertion patterns typical of microinjection-mediated introduction of foreign DNA into fish embryos, characterized by the random integration of multiple transgene copies (ranging from 1 - 282 copies per cell), often accompanied by the formation of concatemer(s), as assessed by genomic Southern blot hybridization analysis and qPCR. Transgenic strains showed ubiquitous and continued temporal and spatial expression patterns of the transgenic GFP during most of their life cycle, from the embryonic stage to adulthood, enabling assessment of the expression pattern of the endogenous ${\beta}$-actin gene. However, a comparative evaluation of transgene copy numbers and expression levels showed that copy number-dependent expression, the stability of the ubiquitous distribution and expression efficiency per transgene copy varied among the transgenic strains. Fluorescence expression levels were positively correlated with absolute transgene copy numbers, whereas the expression efficiency per transgene copy was inversely related to the number of transgene integrant copies. Data from this study will guide the selection of potentially desirable transgenic strains with ubiquitous expression of a fluorescent transgene, not only in this marine medaka species but also in other related model fish species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.648-657
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• 2008

In this study, we used functional genomic strategies, proteomics and quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR, to advance our understanding of genes associated with fumonisin production in the fungus Fusarium verticillioides. Earlier studies have demonstrated that deletion of the FCC1 gene, which encodes a C-type cyclin, leads to a drastic reduction in fumonisin production and conidiation in the mutant strain (FT536). The premise of our research was that comparative analysis of F. verticillioides wild-type and FT536 proteomes will reveal putative proteins, and ultimately corresponding genes, that are important for fumonisin biosynthesis. We isolated proteins that were significantly upregulated in either the wild type or FT536 via two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and subsequently obtained sequences by mass spectrometry. Homologs of identified proteins, e.g., carboxypeptidase, laccase, and nitrogen metabolite repression protein, are known to have functions involved in fungal secondary metabolism and development. We also identified gene sequences corresponding to the selected proteins and investigated their transcriptional profiles via quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR in order to identify genes that show concomitant expression patterns during fumonisin biosynthesis. These genes can be selected as targets for functional analysis to further verify their roles in $FB_1$ biosynthesis.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.24.1-24.7
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• 2023

Assays of clinical diagnosis and species identification using molecular markers are performed according to a quantitative method in consideration of sensitivity, cost, speed, convenience, and specificity. However, typical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is difficult to quantify and have various limitations. In addition, to perform quantitative analysis with the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) equipment, a standard curve or normalization using reference genes is essential. Within the last a decade, previous studies have reported that the digital PCR (dPCR) assay, a third-generation PCR, can be applied in various fields by overcoming the shortcomings of typical PCR and qRT-PCR assays. We selected Stilla Naica System (Stilla Technologies), Droplet Digital PCR Technology (Bio-Rad), and Lab on an Array Digital Real-Time PCR analyzer system (OPTOLANE) for comparative analysis among the various droplet digital PCR platforms currently in use commercially. Our previous study discovered a molecular marker that can distinguish Hanwoo species (Korean native cattle) using Hanwoo-specific genomic structural variation. Here, we report the pros and cons of the operation of each dPCR platform from various perspectives using this species identification marker. In conclusion, we hope that this study will help researchers to select suitable dPCR platforms according to their purpose and resources.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제70권1호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2011

Background: Although the gold standard method for research trials on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations has been direct sequencing, this approach has the limitations of low sensitivity and of being time-consuming. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) clamping is known to be a more sensitive detection tool. The aim of this study was to compare the detection rate of $EGFR$ mutation and EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) responsiveness according to $EGFR$ mutation status using both methodologies. Methods: Clinical specimens from 112 NSCLC patients were analyzed for $EGFR$ mutations in exons 18, 19, 20, and 21. All clinical data and tumor specimens were obtained from 3 university hospitals in Korea. After genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue specimens, both PNA-mediated PCR clamping and direct-sequencing were performed. The results and clinical response to $EGFR$-TKIs were compared. Results: Sequencing revealed a total of 35 (22.9%) mutations: 8 missense mutations in exon 21 and 26 deletion mutations in exon 19. PNA-mediated PCR clamping showed the presence of genomic alterations in 45 (28.3%) samples, including the 32 identified by sequencing plus 13 additional samples (6 in exon 19 and 7 in exon 21). Conclusion: PNA-mediated PCR clamping is simple and rapid, as well as a more sensitive method for screening of genomic alterations in $EGFR$ gene compared to direct sequencing. This data suggests that PNA-mediated PCR clamping should be implemented as a useful screening tool for detection of $EGFR$ mutations in clinical setting.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.98-108
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• 2015

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen that causes diverse diseases ranging from minor infections to life-threatening conditions in humans and animals. To further understand its pathogenesis, the genome of the strain S. aureus FORC_001 was isolated from a contaminated food. Its genome consists of 2,886,017 bp double-stranded DNA with a GC content of 32.8%. It is predicted to contain 2,728 open reading frames, 57 tRNAs, and 6 rRNA operons, including 1 additional 5S rRNA gene. Comparative phylogenetic tree analysis of 40 complete S. aureus genome sequences using average nucleotide identity (ANI) revealed that strain FORC_001 belonged to Group I. The closest phylogenetic match was S. aureus MRSA252, according to a whole-genome ANI (99.87%), suggesting that they might share a common ancestor. Comparative genome analysis of FORC_001 and MRSA252 revealed two non-homologous regions: Regions I and II. The presence of various antibiotic resistance genes, including the SCCmec cluster in Region I of MRSA252, suggests that this strain might have acquired the SCCmec cluster to adapt to specific environments containing methicillin. Region II of both genomes contains prophage regions but their DNA sequence identity is very low, suggesting that the prophages might differ. This is the first report of the complete genome sequence of S. aureus isolated from a real foodborne outbreak in South Korea. This report would be helpful to extend our understanding about the genome, general characteristics, and virulence factors of S. aureus for further studies of pathogenesis, rapid detection, and epidemiological investigation in foodborne outbreak.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

본 논문은 벼 흰 잎마름병균인 Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae(Xoo)의 병원성 유전자의 분자유전학적 연구현황을 기술하고자 한다. 또한 국내 고유 벼 흰 잎마름병균 KACC10331의 유전체해독 정보를 기반으로 다른 Xanthomonas의 유전체와 비교 분석함으로써, Xoo의 주요 병원성 유전자의 분자구조를 구명하고자 한다. 이를 통해 Xoo 고유 병원성 유전자 탐색 및 기능 해석을 위한 기초자료를 제공하는데 목적이 있다. Xoo 유전체에는 5개 과(family)에 속하는 9 type의 Insertion sequence(IS)가 611 copy로 존재하고 있으며, 주로 병원성 관련 유전자군 주위에 많이 분포하고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 현재까지 연구가 수행된 주요 병원성 관련 유전자인 hypersensitive response and pathogenicity (hrp) 유전자, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) 유전자, extracellular enzyme 유전자, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) 유전자, 그리고 avilulence 유전자의 분자유전학적 연구현황을 기술하였다.