• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 1991

A shuttle promoter-probe vector, pEB203, was derived from pBR322, pPL703 and pUB110. Using the vector, a useful DNA fragment, 319 bp EcoRI fragment, having strong promoter activity has been cloned from Bacillus subtills chromosomal DNA. Selection was based on chloramphenicol resistance which is dependent upon the introduction of DNA fragments allowing expression of a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene. The nucleotide sequence of the 319 bp fragment has been determined and the putative -35 and -10 region, ribosome binding site, and ATG initiation codon were observed. This promoter was named EB promoter and the resultant plasmid which can be used as an expression vector was named pEBP313. The crystal protein gene from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73 was cloned downstream from the EB promoter without its own promoter. When the resultant plasmid, pBT313, was introduced into Escherichia coli and B. subtilis, efficient synthesis of crystal protein was observed in both cells, and the cp gene expression in B. subtilis begins early in the vegetative phase. The cell extracts from both clones were toxic to Hyphantria cunea larvae.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2209-2213
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• 2015

DNA methylation of tumor suppressor gene promoters is the most frequent phenomenon leading to inactivation of function, consequently driving malignant cell transformation. Cyclin D2 is implicated in tumor suppression. In our study, we carried out the MSP assay to evaluation the methylation status at CpG islands in the cyclin D2 promoter in breast cancer cases from the Vietnamese population. The results showed that the frequency of methylation reached 62.1% (59 of 95 breast cancer tumors), but was low in non-cancer specimens at 10% (2 of 20 non-cancer specimens). Additionally, with an RR (relative risk) and OR (odd ratios) of 6.21 and 14.8, DNA hypermethylation of cyclin D2 increased the possibility of malignant transformation. Our results confirmed the cyclin D2 hypermethylation could be used as the potential biomarker which could be applied in prognosis and early diagnosis of Vietnamese breast cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3959-3962
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• 2016

The ten-eleven-translocation-2 (TET2) gene is a novel tumor suppressor gene involved in several hematological malignancies of myeloid and lymphoid origin. Besides loss-of-function mutations and deletions, hypermethylation of the CpG island at the TET2 promoter has been found in human cancers. The TET2 encoded protein regulates DNA methylation. The present study aimed to examine DNA promoter methylation of TET2 in 100 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cases and 120 healthy children in southeast Iran. In addition, mRNA expression levels were assessed in 30 new cases of ALL and 32 controls. Our ndings indicated that promoter methylation of TET2 signi cantly increases the risk of ALL (OR=2.60, 95% CI=1.31-5.12, p=0.0060) in comparison with absent methylation. Furthermore, the TET2 gene was signi cantly downregulated in childhood ALL compared to healthy children (p=0.0235). The results revealed that hypermethylation and downregulation of TET2 gene may play a role in predisposition to childhood ALL. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are needed to con rm our ndings.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1572-1575
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• 2008

The xenotransplantation of pig organs and cells can be related with a risk of transmission of infectious diseases to human. Previous findings indicate that the regulatory region of PERV for retroviral transcription, replication and integration into the cellular DNA is located on the 5' Long Terminal Repeat (LTR). The objective of this study is the investigation of methylation and deletion status of the PERV 5' LTR region which can be used for regulating PERV expression. We compared the sequences of genomic DNA and bisulfite-treated genomic DNA from PK-15 cells expressing PERV to observe the methylation status of the 5' LTR. Our results showed that the CpG sites of U3 were methylated and methylation was inconsistent in the R and U5 regions. Also, variable numbers of 18 bp repeats and 21 bp repeats were detected on 5' LTR by sequencing analysis. The consistent U3 methylation might be indicative of host suppression of expression of the retroviruses.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.258-265
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• 2023

We conducted phylogenetic analyses using multiplexed inter-simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing and compared chloroplast DNA sequences among Ardisia japonica, A. pusilla, and morphologically intermediate plants found on Jeju Island, Korea. Our network analysis demonstrated that the intermediate plants were genetically positioned between A. japonica and A. pusilla. Our comparison of the intergenic spacer between the psbA and trnH genes in chloroplast DNA indicated that four nucleotide substitutions separate A. japonica and A. pusilla, whereas the intermediate plants exhibited the A. japonica haplotype. Our results suggest that the intermediate plants on Jeju Island represent a natural hybrid of A. japonica, as the maternal species, and A. pusilla, and that they are attributable to Ardisia×walkeri. This record constitutes the first documented occurrence of the hybrid taxon in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.212-219
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• 2004

Three isolates of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) from lily plants showing mosaic and distortion symptoms were detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using primers specific to Cucumovirus genus namely, LK-CMV, LK4-CMV, and LKS-CMV. Restriction enzymes patterns of the RT-PCR products revealed that the lily isolates belonged to subgroup IA of CMV. In terms of biological properties, the lily isolates have highly similar but distinct pathogenicity as reported in other lily strains and ordinary strains of CMV. To characterize the molecular properties, cDNAs containing coat protein (CP) gene and 3' non-coding region (NCR) of RNA3 for the isolates were cloned and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The CP similarity (218 amino acids) was highly homologous (>97％) with that of subgroup I CMV strains. However, an additional 20-nulcleotide long segment was only present in 3' NCR of lily isolates, which form an additional stem-loop RNA structure. By using chimeric construct exchange cDNA containing 3'NCR of LK-CMV into the full-length cDNA clone of RNA3 of Fny-CMV, this additional segment may prove to be significant in the identification and fitness of the virus in lily plants. The pathology of zucchini squash infected by F1F2L3-CMV, a pseudorecombinant virus was showed to change drastically the severe mosaic and stunting symptom into a mild chlorotic spot on systemic leave, compared with Fny-CMV. To delimit the sequence of RNA3 affected the pathology, various RNA3 chimeras were constructed between two strains of CMV. The symptom determinants of F1F2L3-CMV were mapped to the positions amino acid 234, 239, and 250 in 3a movement protein (MP). RNA3 chimeras changed the sequences encoding three amino acids were resulted in alteration of systemic symptom.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4177-4181
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• 2012

Cancer is a multi-factorial disease and variation in genetic susceptibility, due to inherited differences in the capacity to repair mismatches in the genome, is an important factor in the development of gastric cancer (GC), for example. Epigenetic changes, including aberrant methylation of 5/CpG islands in the promoter regions of mismatch repair (MMR) genes like hMLH1, have been implicated in the development of various types of GC. In the present study we evaluated the role of hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation in Kashmiri GC patients and controls, and assessed correlations with various dietary and lifestyle factors. The study included 70 GC patients (56 males and 14 females; age ($mean{\pm}S.D$) $50{\pm}11.4$ years). Distinction between methylated and unmethylated was achieved with MS-PCR and DNA band patterns. The Chi-square test was applied to assess the risk due to promoter hypermethylation. We found a strikingly high frequency of promoter hypermethylation in GC cases than in normal samples (72.9% (51/70) in GC cases vs 20% (14/70) in normal samples (p=0.0001).We also observed a statistically significant association between methylated hMLH1 gene promoter and smoking, consumption of sundried vegetables and hot salted tea with the risk of GC. This study revealed that hMLH1 hypermethylation is strongly associated with GC and suggested roles for epigenetic changes in stomach cancer causation in the Kashmir valley.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5069-5074
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between methylation status of the Dact1 gene and MTHFR a1298c polymorphic forms in transitional cell carcinoma tissues in a Chinese population. Methods: Polymorphisms of folate metabolism enzyme gene MTHFR were assessed by restrictive fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods and PCR-based DNA methylation analysis was used to determine the CpG island methylation status of the Dact1 gene. Associations between the methylation status of the Dact1 gene and clinical characteristics, as well as MTHFR a1298c polymorphisms, were analyzed. Results: aberrant methylation of the Dact1 gene was found in 68.3% of cancer tissues and 12.4% of normal tissues,. The methylation rate of the Dact1 gene in cancer tissues was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (46.3% vs. 17.2%, P = 0.018). No association was found between aberrant DNA methylation and selected factors including sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and green tea consumption. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, variant allele of MTHFR a1298c was found to be associated with methylation of the Dact1 gene. Compared with wild type CC, the odds ratio was 4.33 (95% CI: 1.06-10.59) for AC and 4.95 (95% CI: 1.18-12.74) for AA. The N stage in TNM staging and the occurrence of lymph node metastasis were associated with an MTHFR 1298 AA+AC genotype (P<0.05). Conclusion: MTHFR 1298 AC and AA genotypes might help maintain a normal methylation status of the Dact1 gene, aberrant CpG island methylation of which is closely related to the genesis and progression of transitional cell carcinoma.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.397-402
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• 2019

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) uses the spike (S) glycoprotein to recognize and enter target cells. In this study, we selected two epitope peptide sequences within the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the MERS-CoV S protein. We used a complex consisting of the epitope peptide of the MERS-CoV S protein and CpG-DNA encapsulated in liposome complex to immunize mice, and produced the monoclonal antibodies 506-2G10G5 and 492-1G10E4E2. The western blotting data showed that both monoclonal antibodies detected the S protein and immunoprecipitated the native form of the S protein. Indirect immunofluorescence and confocal analysis suggested strong reactivity of the antibodies towards the S protein of MERS-CoV virus infected Vero cells. Furthermore, the 506-2G10G5 monoclonal antibody significantly reduced plaque formation in MERS-CoV infected Vero cells compared to normal mouse IgG and 492-1G10E4E2. Thus, we successfully produced a monoclonal antibody directed against the RBD domain of the S protein which could be used in the development of diagnostics and therapeutic applications in the future.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.94-99
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• 2023

Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRSV) and blueberry scorch virus (BlScV) are included in the quarantine virus list managed by the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with an internal control was developed for the simultaneous detection of both viruses. The specific primers used here were designed based on the highly conserved regions of the genomic sequences of each virus, obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information nucleotide databases. The primers were designed to amplify a partial sequence within coat protein (CP) for detecting BRRSV and a partial sequence within the CP-16 kDa for detecting BlScV. 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was used as internal control, and the primer set used in a previous study was modified in this study for detecting 18S rRNA. Each conventional PCR using the BRRSV, BlScV, and 18S rRNA primers exhibited a sensitivity of approximately 1 fg plasmid DNA. The multiplex PCR assay using the BRRSV, BlScV, and 18S rRNA primers was effective in simultaneously detecting the two viruses and 18S rRNA with a sensitivity of 1 fg plasmid DNA, similar to that of conventional PCR assays. The multiplex PCR assay developed in this study was performed using 14 blueberry cultivars grown in South Korea. BRRSV and BlScV were not detected, but 18S rRNA was all detected in all the plants tested. Therefore, our optimized multiplex PCR assay could simultaneously detect the two viruses and 18S rRNA in field samples collected from South Korea in a time-efficient manner. This approach could be valuable in crop protection and plant quarantine management.