• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.83-86
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• 2003

Major advances in positive-sense RNA virus research have been facilitated by the development of reverse genetics systems. These systems consist of an infectious cDNA clone that encompasses the genome of the virus in question. This clone is then used as a template for the subsequent synthesis of infectious RNA for the generation of synthetic viruses. However, the construction of infectious cDNA for the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has been repeatedly thwarted by the instability of its cDNA. As JEV is an important human pathogen that causes permanent neuropsychiatric sequelae and even fatal disease, a reliable reverse genetics system for this virus is highly desirable. The availability of this tool would greatly and the development of effective vaccines as well as facilitate studies into the basic biology of the virus, including the molecular mechanisms of viral replication, neurovirulence, and pathogenesis. We have successfully constructed a genetically stable infectious JEV cDNA containing full-length viral RNA genome. Synthetic RNA transcripts generated in vitro from the cDNA were highly infectious upon transfection into susceptible cells, and the cDNA remained stable after it had been propagated in E. coli for 180 generations. Using this infectious JEV cDNA, we have successfully expressed a variety of reporter genes from the full-length genomic and various subgenomic RNAs in vitro transcribed from functional JEV cDNAS. In summary, we have developed a reverse genetics system for JEV that will greatly facilitate the research on this virus in a variety of different fields. It will also be useful as a heterologous gene expression vector and aid the development of a vaccine against JEV.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.162-172
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• 2021

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is the predominant viral pathogen that affects the yield and quality of soybean. The natural host range for SMV is very narrow, and generally limited to Leguminosae. However, we found that SMV can naturally infect Pinellia ternata and Atractylodes macrocephala. In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-family infection of SMV, we used double-stranded RNA extraction, rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction and Gibson assembly techniques to carry out SMV full-length genome amplification from susceptible soybeans and constructed an infectious cDNA clone for SMV. The genome of the SMV Shanxi isolate (SMV-SX) consists of 9,587 nt and encodes a polyprotein consisting of 3,067 aa. SMV-SX and SMV-XFQ008 had the highest nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities of 97.03% and 98.50%, respectively. A phylogenetic tree indicated that SMV-SX and SMV-XFQ018 were clustered together, sharing the closest relationship. We then constructed a pSMV-SX infectious cDNA clone by Gibson assembly technology and used this clone to inoculate soybean and Ailanthus altissima; the symptoms of these hosts were similar to those caused by the virus isolated from natural infected plant tissue. This method of construction not only makes up for the time-consuming and laborious defect of traditional methods used to construct infectious cDNA clones, but also avoids the toxicity of the Potyvirus special sequence to Escherichia coli, thus providing a useful cloning strategy for the construction of infectious cDNA clones for other viruses and laying down a foundation for the further investigation of SMV cross-family infection mechanisms.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2014

Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd), a noncoding infectious RNA molecule, causes seriously economic losses of chrysanthemum for 3 or 4 years after its first infection. Monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd isolate SK1 (CSVd-SK1) were constructed in the plasmids pGEM-T easy vector and pUC19 vector. Linear positive-sense transcripts synthesized in vitro from the full-length monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd-SK1 could infect systemically tomato seedlings and chrysanthemum plants, suggesting that the linear CSVd RNA transcribed from the cDNA clones could be replicated as efficiently as circular CSVd in host species. However, direct inoculation of plasmid cDNA clones containing full-length monomeric cDNA of CSVd-SK1 failed to infect tomato and chrysanthemum and linear negative-sense transcripts from the plasmid DNAs were not infectious in the two plant species. The cDNA sequences of progeny viroid in systemically infected tomato and chrysanthemum showed a few substitutions at a specific nucleotide position, but there were no deletions and insertions in the sequences of the CSVd progeny from tomato and chrysanthemum plants.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.187-191
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• 2002

This paper describes the cloning and sequence analysis of the 5'-terminal region and full-length cDNA production of genomic RNA of Lily symptomless virus (LSV), a Species Of the genus Carlavirus. A sing1e DNA band about 600 bp harboring the 5'-end of genomic RNA of the virus was successfully amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), and was cloned for nucleotide sequence determination. Sequence analysis of selected RACE cDNA clones revealed that the LSV 5'non-translated region consists of 67 nucleotides long of AT rich stretch followed GC rich from the 5'-end. To produce full-length cDNA products for the viral genomic RNA, a set of LSV-specific primers could be designed based on the obtained sequence in this study and the known sequences of 3'-terminal region for the virus. Full-length cDNA copies of LSV, an 8.4 kb long, were directly amplified by the long-template RT-PCR technique from the purified viral genomic RNA samples. This full-length cDNA copies were analyzed by restriction mapping. The molecules produced in this study can be useful for the production of in vitro infectious cDNA clone, as well as, for the completion of genomic RNA sequence and genome structure for the virus.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 2005

A Korean isolate of Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV-Kr) was isolated from a diseased hot pepper plant and its biological and molecular properties were compared to that of PMMoV-J and PMMo V -So The genomic RNA of PMMoV-Kr consists of 6,356 nucleotides. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences identities of four viral proteins and two noncoding regions among PMMoV-Kr, PMMoV-S and PMMoV-J were $96.9\%\;to\;100.0\%\;and\;97.5\%\;to\;98.6\%$, respectively. Full-length cDNA amplicon of PMMoV-Kr was directly amplified by RT-PCR with a set of 5'-end primer anchoring T7 RNA promoter sequence and 3'-end virus-specific primer. Capped transcript RNAs from the full-length cDNA clone were highly infectious and caused characteristic symptoms of wild type PMMoV when mechanically inoculated to systemic host plants such as Nicotiana benthamiana and pepper plants.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2016

The infectious full-length cDNA clone of zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) isolate PA (pZYMV-PA), which was isolated from pumpkin, was constructed by utilizing viral transcription and processing signals to produce infectious in vivo transcripts. Simple rub-inoculation of plasmid DNAs of pZYMV-PA was successful to cause infection of zucchini plants (Cucurbita pepo L.). We further engineered this infectious cDNA clone of ZYMV as a viral vector for systemic expression of heterologous proteins in cucurbits. We successfully expressed two reporter genes including gfp and bar in zucchini plants by simple rub-inoculation of plasmid DNAs of the ZYMV-based expression constructs. Our method of the ZYMV-based viral vector in association with the simple rub-inoculation provides an easy and rapid approach for introduction and evaluation of heterologous genes in cucurbits.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.608-613
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• 2017

The full-length sequence of a new isolate of Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) from Korea was divergent, but most closely related to the Japanese isolate A4, at 84% nucleotide identity. The full-length cDNA of the Korean isolate of ACLSV was cloned into a binary vector downstream of the bacteriophage T7 RNA promoter and the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Chenopodium quinoa was successfully infected using in vitro transcripts synthesized using the T7 promoter, detected at 20 days post inoculation (dpi), but did not produce obvious symptoms. Nicotiana occidentalis and C. quinoa were inoculated through agroinfiltration. At 32 dpi the infection rate was evaluated; no C. quinoa plants were infected by agroinfiltration, but infection of N. occidentalis was obtained.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.86-95
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• 2002

As a result of genome projects, the research to elucidate the function of a protein of interest has recently been well-recognized. In order to facilitate functional genomics, a useful mammalian gene expression vector is required. Using an infectious CDNA clone of BVDV pNADLclns-, we have developed a mammalian gene expression vector. In this study, a replication-competent full-length infectious CDNA clone containing puremycin acetyltransferase (pac) gene (pNADLclns-/pac) was successfully generated. The viral RNA replication and viral protein NS3 synthesis were examined by detecting metabollically $^{32}P$-labelled genomic viral RNA and immunoblotting with a mouse anti-NS3 antibody. To generate viral replicon as an expression vector, we examine if the viral structural genes (C, E0, El, E2) are required for viral replication by deletion analysis. As a result, all of the structural proteins are dispensable for viral replication per se, but essential for infectious viral particle formation. Based on our deletion analysis, we have generated a replication-competent BVDV viral replicon (pNADLclns-/pac/${\Delta}S$), whose structural genes are all deleted. In addition to NADLclns- /pac/${\Delta}S$, NADLclns-/ luc/${\Delta}S$ viral replicon containing luciferase gene as a reporter was constructed and fecund to be replication-compotent in HeLa and BHK cells as well as MDBK cells. Therefore, BVDV viral replicon developed in our study will be a useful tool to express a protein of interest in various mammalian cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.143.3-144
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• 2003

A Korean isolate of Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV-Kr) was isolated from a diseased pepper crop in Chunchon, Korea. The isolate was biologically purified on Nicoticaa tabacum cv. Xanthi-nc by successive single local transfer steps, and propagated on N. tabacum cv. Samsun. PMMoV-Kr could systemically infect on N. glauca, N. benthmiana, N. occidentalis and Lycopersicon esculentum, which is typical of known isolates of PMMoV. PMMoV-Kr belongs to the pathotype P1,2 based on pepper-tobamoviral indicator experiments; Capsicn chinone harboring L3 gene revealed resistant (necrotic local lesion on inoculated leaf, HR) whereas L+, L1 and L2 pepper plants expressed susceptible reactions of mosaic systemic symptoms for the isolate. To confirm the pathology and delineate symptom determinant of the isolate, full-length cDNAs of PMMoV-Kr were amplified by RT-PCR with a primer set corresponding to the 5'- and 3'-ends of PMMoV. The RT-PCR molecules amplified from genome RNA of the isolate was cloned into the pUC18 vector. Full-length cDNA clones constructed under the control of the T7 RNA promoter could be successfully transcribed to produce in vitro transcript RNA. Infectivity of the capped transcripts and its progeny virus was verified by Western blot and RT-PCR analyses.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

In this study, a DNA-launched reverse genetics system was developed from a type 2 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strain, KNU-12. The complete genome of 15,412 nucleotides was assembled as a single cDNA clone and placed under the eukaryotic CMV promoter. Upon transfection of BHK-tailless pCD163 cells with a full-length cDNA clone, viable and infectious type 2 progeny PRRSV were rescued. The reconstituted virus was found to maintain growth properties similar to those of the parental virus in porcine alveolar macrophage (PAM) cells. With the availability of this type 2 PRRSV infectious clone, we first explored the biological relevance of ORF5a in the PRRSV replication cycle. Therefore, we used a PRRSV reverse genetics system to generate an ORF5a knockout mutant clone by changing the ORF5a translation start codon and introducing a stop codon at the 7^th codon of ORF5a. The ORF5a knockout mutant was found to exhibit a lack of infectivity in both BHK-tailless pCD163 and PAM-pCD163 cells, suggesting that inactivation of ORF5a expression is lethal for infectious virus production. In order to restore the ORF5a gene-deleted PRRSV, complementing cell lines were established to stably express the ORF5a protein of PRRSV. ORF5a-expressing cells were capable of supporting the production of the replicationdefective virus, indicating complementation of the impaired ORF5a gene function of PRRSV in trans.