• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.88-97
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• 2008

Lipoproteins are complexes of lipids and specific apolipoproteins that are involved in lipid transport and redistribution among various tissues. In this study, we isolated full-length apolipoprotein cDNA sequences encoding apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), apoE, apoC-II, and apo-14 kDa in barred knifejaw, Oplegnathus fasciatus. In addition, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees and investigated mRNA tissue distributions. Alignment analyses of amino acid sequences revealed that secondary structures of the polypeptides apoA-I, apoE, and apoC-II in barred knifejaw are well conserved with their teleostean and mammalian counterparts in terms of characteristic tandem repetitive units forming amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helices. Both the sequence alignment data and cleavage sites of apo-14 kDa indicated a clear differentiation between Percomorpha and Cypriniformes. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic trees of apolipoprotein sub-families suggested that the common ancestor prior to the split of the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and Sarcopterygii (tetrapods) would have possessed the primordial protein-encoding genes. Tissue distribution of each apolipoprotein transcript determined by semi-quantitative RTPCR showed that barred knifejaw apoA-I transcripts were more or less ubiquitously expressed in the liver, intestines, brain, muscle, spleen, and kidney. The most striking difference from previous observations on barred knifejaw was the ubiquitous expression of apoE across all somatic tissues. Barred knifejaw apoC-II showed tissue-specific expression in the liver and intestines, while the liver and brain were the major sites of apo-14kDa mRNA synthesis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.212-218
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• 2005

A full-length 1.1 kb cDNA, designated Oryza sativa Dehydrin 1 (OsDhn1), was isolated from the seed coat of rice. The deduced protein is hydrophilic and has three K-type and one S-type motifs (SK3-type), indicating that OsDhn1 belongs to the acidic dehydrin family, which includes wheat WCOR410 and Arabidopsis COR47. Expression of OsDhn1 was strongly induced by low temperature as well as by drought. Induction of OsDhn1 by cold stress was clearcut in the roots of seedlings and the epidermis of palea and lemma. OsDhn1 was also up-regulated in UBI::CBF1/DREB1b transgenic plants indicating that it is regulated by the CBF/DREB stress signaling pathway.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2017

Protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) is an important epigenetic regulator in eukaryotic cells. During encystation, an essential process for Acanthamoeba survival, the expression of a lot of genes involved in the encystation process has to be regulated in order to be induced or inhibited. However, the regulation mechanism of these genes is yet unknown. In this study, the full-length 1,059 bp cDNA sequence of Acanthamoeba castellanii PRMT1 (AcPRMT1) was cloned for the first time. The AcPRMT1 protein comprised of 352 amino acids with a SAM-dependent methyltransferase PRMT-type domain. The expression level of AcPRMT1 was highly increased during encystation of A. castellanii. The EGFP-AcPRMT1 fusion protein was distributed over the cytoplasm, but it was mainly localized in the nucleus of Acanthamoeba. Knock down of AcPRMT1 by synthetic siRNA with a complementary sequence failed to form mature cysts. These findings suggested that AcPRMT1 plays a critical role in the regulation of encystation of A. castellanii. The target gene of AcPRMT1 regulation and the detailed mechanisms need to be investigated by further studies.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.210-216
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• 2003

This study examined the existence of genetically diverse population of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), known as quasispecies, from lily, Nicotiana benthamiana and from purified virions. Based on the conserved sequences of CMV lily isolates in intergenic region (IR) on RNA3, the genetic variation of IR from three different sources was investigated by a specific restriction endonuclease hydrolysis of amplified reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products using virus-specific primers, and was compared with IR sequences. The IR nucleotide sequences of CMV lily isolates were highly conserved, however, quasispecies was detected from all three sources in low level, containing sub-populations of RNA3. These subpopulations of RNA3 were inoculated onto zucchini squash by in vitro transcripts from corresponding full-length cDNA clones together with Eny RNA1 and 2 transcripts. The systemic symptom of zucchini plants infected by these quasispecies was chlorotic spotting, which was milder than severe mosaic and stunt symptom caused by Eny-CMV. The severity of symptom was correlated with RNA accumulation of viruses. These results suggest that the genome of CMV lily isolates consists of quasispecies populations.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2013

We isolated and functionally characterized a Dendrobium Actin1 (DmACT1) promoter that drives strong gene expression in the orchid genus Dendrobium. A genomic fragment containing the region 3227 bp upstream of the coding region of DmACT1 was obtained by inverse PCR. Detailed comparison of the full-length cDNA and genomic sequences revealed that DmACT1 has a 1374 bp first intron in the 5' UTR. However, the 5' flanking sequences upstream of the coding region showed no obvious sequence similarities compared to those of known promoters, including plant actin promoters. Serial deletion constructs of the 5' flanking region from the translation initiation codon were fused to the coding sequence of a GUS/luciferase fusion reporter to identify the regulatory elements necessary for promoter activity. Transient assays in the flowers of Dendrobium revealed that the 5' UTR-intron greatly enhanced promoter activity. Moreover, the DmACT1 promoter with its 5' UTR-intron yielded approximately 10-fold higher reporter activity than the rice Act1 promoter-intron. Our data suggest that the DmACT1 promoter with its 5' UTR-intron is a useful tool for strong expression of transgenes in Dendrobium orchids.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.574-581
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• 2004

The full-length cDNA of the lumbrokinase fraction 6 (F6) protease gene of Lumbricus rubellus was amplified using an mRNA template, sequenced and expressed in E. coli cells. The F6 protease gene consisted of pro- and mature sequences by gene sequence analysis, and the protease was translated and modified into active mature polypeptide by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the F6 protease. The pro-region of F6 protease consisted of the 44 residues from methionine-1 to lysine-44, and the mature polypeptide sequence (239 amino acid residues and one stop codon; 720 bp) started from isoleucine-45 and continued to the terminal residue. F6 protease gene clones having pro-mature sequence and mature sequence produced inclusion bodies in E. coli cells. When inclusion bodies were orally administrated rats, generated thrombus weight in the rat' venous was reduced by approximately 60% versus controls. When the inclusion bodies were solubilized in pepsin and/or trypsin solutions, the solubilized enzymes showed hemolytic activity in vitro. It was concluded the F6 protease has hemolytic activity, and that it is composed of pro- and mature regions.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.245-250
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• 2007

The complete genome sequence of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus stain A (ZYMV-A) isolated from a hollyhock (Althaea rosea) was determined by using RT-PCR with a series of primer sets. The virus genome consisted of 9593 nucleotides (nt), excluding the poly(A) tract at 3' terminus of the virus genome, with 5' and 3' untranslated region of 139 and 211 nt, respectively. The deduced polyprotein of ZYMV-A consisted of 3080 amino acid (aa) residues and was 351 kDa in molecular weight. All proteolytic cleavage sites of the polyprotein of ZYMV-A were compared with those of ZYMV strains, which showed the cleavage sites were conserved among ZYMV strains. The HC-Pro contained the KITC and PTK motifs, and the DAG motif was located at CP ORF of ZYMV-A, suggesting that ZYMV-A is aphid-transmissible. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on the complete genome among ZYMV strains or CP ORFs with other potyviruses showed ZYMV strains formed a distinct group. These results clearly confirmed that ZYMV-A was another distinct strain in ZYMV population at molecular level.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.170-174
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• 2007

High-throughput subcellular imaging is a powerful tool for investigating the function of genes. In order to identify novel regulators of apoptosis we transiently transfected HeLa cells with 938 hypothetical genes of unknown function, and captured their nuclear images with an automated fluorescence microscope. We selected genes that induced greater than 3-fold increase in the percentage of apoptotic nuclei compared with vector-transfected cells. The full-length genes C10orf61, MGC 26717, and FLJ13855 were identified as candidate proapoptotic genes, and their apoptotic effects were confirmed by DNA fragmentation ELISAs and Western blotting for caspase-7 and PARP. We conclude that a subcellular image-based apoptotic screen is useful for identifying genes with proapoptotic activity.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2009

The miniature pig is considered to be a better organ donor breed for xenotransplantation than other pig breeds because the size of the organs of the miniature pig is similar to that of humans. In this study, we aimed at identifying differentially expressed genes in the miniature pig ovary during pregnancy. For this, we used the miniature pig ovary model, annealing control primer-based reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and northern blotting analysis. We identified 13 genes showing differential expression on the based of pregnancy status and validated 8 genes using qRT-PCR. We also sequenced the full-length cDNA of ephrin receptor A4 (EphA4), which had a significant difference in expression level, and validated it by northern blotting. These genes may provide a better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms during pregnancy in miniature pig ovary.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.197-201
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• 2006

Diaminopimelate decarboxylase (DAPDC, EC 4.1.1.20) catalyzes the conversion of diaminopimelate into lysine (Lys), which is the last step in Lys biosynthetic pathway. The genes for DAPDC have been reported in many bacteria, and more recently in Arabidopsis. Here we report characterization of a gene for DAPDC from rice (OsDAPDC). Sequence analysis of a cDNA clone revealed a full-length open reading frame for OsDAPDC that encoded 490 amino acids, approximately 53.2 kDa protein. The OsDAPDC protein contains a consensus binding site for pyridoxal-5'-phosphate as a cofactor and has a sequence at the amino terminus that resembles a transit peptide for localization to plastids, similar to that of Arabidopsis. Single gene encoding DAPDC was found in chromosome II in rice. The predicted amino acid sequence of OsDAPDC is highly homologous to that of the enzymes for DAPDC encoded by lysA of many bacteria. Expression of OsDAPDC in lysA mutants of Escherichia coli shows that the gene is able to functionally complement the mutants. These results suggest that OsDAPDC encodes a protein for diaminopimelate decarboxylase in rice.