• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.217-225
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• 2006

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) RTA transcription factor is recruited to its responsive elements through interaction with RBP-Jk that is a downstream transcription factor of the Notch signaling pathway that is important in development and cell fate determination. This suggests that KSHV RTA mimics cellular Notch signal transduction to activate viral lytic gene expression. Here, I demonstrated that unlike other B lymphoma cells, KSHV -infected primary effusion lymphoma BCBL1 cells displayed the constitutive activation of ligand-mediated Notch signal transduction, evidenced by the Jagged ligand expression and the complete proteolytic process of Notch receptor I. In order to investigate the effect of Notch signal transduction on KSHV gene expression, human Notch intracellular (hNIC) domain that constitutively activates RBP-Jk transcription factor activity was expressed in BCBL1 cells, TRExBCBL1-hNIC, in a tetracycline inducible manner. Gene expression profiling showed that like RTA, hNIC robustly induced expression of a number of viral genes including KS immune modulatory gene resulting in downregulation of MHC I and CD54 surface expression. Finally, the genetic analysis of KSHV genome demonstrated that the hNIC-mediated expression of KS during viral latency consequently conferred the downregulation of MHC I and CD54 surface expression. These results indicate that cellular. Notch signal transduction provides a novel expression profiling of KSHV immune deregulatory gene that consequently confers the escape of host immune surveillance during viral latency.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1987.07a
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• pp.391-401
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• 1987

Plant chloroplast DNA exists as an unique circular structure in which large single copy(LSC) region and small single copy (SSC) region are separated by large inverted repeat sequences (IRS). It has been known that the unique existence of inverted repeat sequences in chloroplast DNA has no relation with the stability of the chloroplast DNA, but causes the inversion between inverted repeat its biological significance has not been understood so far. In rice, several gene clusters have been cloned and sequenced which contain ribulose-5-biophosphate car-boxylase large subunit (rbcL). Especially, one rbcL gene is linked with rp12 gene which is located in the IRS region in one of the gene clusters. By comparison of nucleotide sequence, the two genes are found to be linked through 151 bp repeat sequence which is homologous to the rp123 gene in IRS region. The repeat sequence is found to be located 3' downstream of rfcL gene and near psbA gene in LSC region. The existence of these repeat sequences and the presence of gene clusters caused by the gene rearrangement thorough the repeat sequence provide a possible which is found to be dispersed chloroplast DNA provide the model system to explaine the heterogeneity of the chloroplast DNA in rice in term of gene rearrangement.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.653-657
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• 2012

While it is known that sulfur containing amino acids (SCAA) are very important in regulating hepatocyte growth and preventing liver-diseases, the fundamental molecular mechanisms of how they exert their hepatoprotective functions are not well known. Since it is widely understood that the hepatic concentrations of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) in chronic liver disease patients are severely decreased, the pathophysiological importance of SAMe and its downstream antioxidant, glutathione should be discussed in order to see a big picture of relationship between SCAA and liver diseases. Chronic SAMe deficient mice have shown spontaneous hepatocellular carcinoma development due to impaired mitochondria functions with low levels of prohibitin1 protein, and through deficiency in many genes which are known to ameliorate genetic instability, such as APEX1 and DUSP1, the functions of which are recovered by SAMe treatment. In this review, current knowledge of the basic concepts of the mechanisms through which SCAAs protect the liver will be discussed in detail. Also, a possible tumor suppressor in livers, prohibitin1, and its functional relationship with SAMe will be discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.511-518
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• 2006

A gene cluster for cyclohexanone oxidation was cloned from Rhodococcus sp. TK6, which is capable of growth on cyclohexanone as the sole carbon source. The 9,185-bp DNA sequence analysis revealed seven potential open reading frames (ORFs), designated as ssd-chnR-chnD-chnC-chnB-chnE-partial pcd. The chnBCDE genes encode enzymes for the four-step conversion of cyclohexanone to adipic acid, catalyzed by cyclohexanone monooxygenase (ChnB), $\varepsilon-caprolactone$ hydrolase (ChnC), 6-hydroxyhexanoate dehydrogenase (ChnD), and 6-oxohexanoate dehydrogenase (ChnE). Furthermore, the presence of a regulatory element in the downstream region of the chnD gene supports the notion that chnR is a putative regulatory gene. Among them, the activity of ChnB was confirmed and characterized, following their expression and purification in Escherichia coli harboring the modified chnB gene (chnB gene with 6 successive codons for His at the 3' terminus).

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2012

The p53 protein plays a pivotal role in tumor suppression. The cellular level of p53 is normally kept low by proteasome-mediated degradation, allowing cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. Under stress conditions, such as DNA damage, p53 is stabilized and activated through various post-translational modifications of itself as well as of its regulatory proteins for induction of the downstream genes responsible for cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis. Therefore, the level of p53 should be tightly regulated for normal cell growth and for prevention of the accumulation of mutations in DNA under stress conditions, which otherwise would lead to tumorigenesis. Since the discovery of Mdm2, a critical ubiquitin E3 ligase that destabilizes p53 in mammalian cells, nearly 20 different E3 ligases have been identified and shown to function in the control of stability, nuclear export, translocation to chromatin or nuclear foci, and oligomerization of p53. So far, a large number of excellent reviews have been published on the control of p53 function in various aspects. Therefore, this review will focus only on mammalian ubiquitin E3 ligases that mediate proteasome-dependent degradation of p53.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.429-439
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• 2018

To develop a convenient promoter analysis system for fungi, a null-pigment mutant (NPG) of Aspergillus nidulans was used with the 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) gene, npgA, which restores the normal pigmentation in A. nidulans, as a new reporter gene. The functional organization of serially deleted promoter regions of the A. nidulans trpC gene and the Cryphonectria parasitica crp gene in filamentous fungi was representatively investigated to establish a novel fungal promoter assay system that depends on color complementation of the NPG mutant with the PPTase npgA gene. Several promoter regions of the trpC and crp genes were fused to the npgA gene containing the 1,034-bp open reading frame and the 966-bp 3' downstream region from the TAA, and the constructed fusions were introduced into the NPG mutant in A. nidulans to evaluate color recovery due to the transcriptional activity of the sequence elements. Serial deletion of the trpC and crp promoter regions in this PPTase reporter assay system reaffirmed results in previous reports by using the fungal transformation step without a laborious verification process. This approach suggests a more rapid and convenient system than conventional analyses for fungal gene expression studies.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.285-291
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• 2021

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been recognized as a therapeutic tool for various diseases due to its unique ability for tissue regeneration and immune regulation. However, poor survival during in vitro expansion and after being administrated in vivo limits its clinical uses. Accordingly, protocols for enhancing cell survivability is critical for establishing an efficient cell therapy is needed. CDDO-Me is a synthetic C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoolean-1,9-dien-28-oic acid, which is known to stimulate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway. Herein, report that CDDO-Me promoted the proliferation of MSCs and increased colony forming units (CFU) numbers. No alteration in differentiation into tri-lineage mesodermal cells was found after CDDO-Me treatment. We observed that CDDO-Me treatment reduced the cell death induced by oxidative stress, demonstrated by the augment in the expression of Nrf2-downstream genes. Lastly, CDDO-Me led to the nuclear translocation of NRF2. Our data indicate that CDDO-Me can enhance the functionality of MSCs by stimulating cell survival and increasing viability under oxidative stress.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.435-443
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• 2022

In response to environmental changes, signaling pathways rewire gene expression programs through transcription factors. Epigenetic modification of the transcribed RNA can be another layer of gene expression regulation. N⁶-adenosine methylation (m⁶A) is one of the most common modifications on mRNA. It is a reversible chemical mark catalyzed by the enzymes that deposit and remove methyl groups. m⁶A recruits effector proteins that determine the fate of mRNAs through changes in splicing, cellular localization, stability, and translation efficiency. Emerging evidence shows that key signal transduction pathways including TGFβ (transforming growth factor-β), ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), and mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) regulate downstream gene expression through m⁶A processing. Conversely, m⁶A can modulate the activity of signal transduction networks via m⁶A modification of signaling pathway genes or by acting as a ligand for receptors. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the crosstalk between m⁶A and signaling pathways and its implication for biological systems.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.599-603
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• 2021

CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing systems have been established in a broad range of eukaryotic species. Herein, we report the first method for genetic engineering in pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) using CRISPR/Cas9. For in vivo expression of guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting the mating-type gene HD1 (LeA1), we identified an endogenous LeU6 promoter in the L. edodes genome. We constructed a plasmid containing the LeU6 and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (LeGPD) promoters to express the Cas9 protein. Among the eight gRNAs we tested, three successfully disrupted the LeA1 locus. Although the CRISPR-Cas9-induced alleles did not affect mating with compatible monokaryotic strains, disruption of the transcription levels of the downstream genes of LeHD1 and LeHD2 was detected. Based on this result, we present the first report of a simple and powerful genetic manipulation tool using the CRISPR/Cas9 toolbox for the scientifically and industrially important edible mushroom, L. edodes.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.704-712
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• 2022

Research on whitening materials using natural alternatives is actively being conducted. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro inhibitory effects of Ranunculus chinensis Bunge (RCB) on melanogenesis and associated enzymes, such as tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1, and TRP-2 in B16F10 murine melanoma cells. We found that RCB extract significantly attenuated melanin synthesis and reduced the activity of intracellular tyrosinase, a rate-limiting melanogenic enzyme. Western blot analysis showed that RCB extract decreased the protein expression of tyrosinase and TRP-1. In addition, it significantly decreased the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a key regulator of melanogenesis. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation has been reported to be involved in the inhibition of melanogenesis. Thus, we investigated whether the hypopigmentary effects of RCB extract were related to the activation of ERK. RCB extract induced ERK phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it markedly inhibited body pigmentation in a zebrafish model. Our results suggest that RCB extract inhibits melanogenesis by activating ERK pathway-mediated suppression of MITF and its downstream target genes, including tyrosinase. Therefore, RCB extract can be used as a whitening agent in the development of functional cosmetics.