• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.268-273
• /
• 2015

The fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen (FAMA) test is regarded as the "gold standard" to detect protective antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) because of its high sensitivity and specificity. Because the classic FAMA test uses an infectious virus for detection of antibodies to VZV, it is labor-intensive, and also requires special equipment for handling the virus. For this reason, we attempted to develop a simple and safe FAMA assay. Because VZV glycoprotein E (gE) is one of the major VZV glycoproteins, we used the gE protein for the FAMA test (gE FAMA). Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of gE in HEK293T cells can be used to measure antibodies in human serum, and that gE FAMA titers are closely correlated with gpEIA ELISA data. These results indicate that our gE FAMA test has the potential to measure antibodies to VZV.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.43-48
• /
• 2009

The synthesis of coumarin-based natural products and their derivatives is described. In vitro MDR reversal activities of the synthesized compounds were evaluated in P-glycoprotein over-expressing human sarcoma cell line MES-SA/DX5. Some of the coumarin derivatives were found to show potent MDR reversal activity. In particular, pyridyl derivative (15e) exhibited more potency than verapamil.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
• /
• 1994.10a
• /
• pp.154.1-154
• /
• 1994

No Abstract, See Full Text

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.313-318
• /
• 1999

Cloning of the 5'untranslated region (5' UTR) and Nterminus of the glycoprotein precursor (G2G1) open reading frame of tomato spotted wilt virus has been problematic, possibly because of the toxicity of a signal peptide at the beginning of th G2G1 protein precursor. The toxicity of the signal peptide to bacterial growth and the reason for the expression of the peptide gene in Escherichia coli were investigated by cloning the 5' UTR and the signal peptide sequence separately. Cells transformed with the plasmid containing both the first 30 amino acids of the glycoprotein and the 5' UTR showed a severe growth inhibition whereas transformants harboring either the plasmid with the signal sequence or the 5'UTR alone did not show any ingibition. An E. coli promoter-like sequence was found in the 5'UTR and tis promoter acivity was confirmed with a promoter-less GUS gene cloned downstream of the 5'UTR. In the cloning of the Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) glycoprotein G2G1 open reading frame all the recovered plasmids contained stop codons in the signal sequence region. However, clones containing no stop codon were recovered when the signal sequence and the 5'UTR were cloned separately.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.159-163
• /
• 2010

A mixture of several detoxified bacterial strains ($Sterodin^{(R)}$) has been studied for anti-inflammatory effect in Wistar rats on carrageenin, dextran and prostaglandin $E_1$ ($PGE_1$) induced edema in acute model and cotton pellet and carrageenin induced sub-acute model, while, Freund's adjuvant induced chronic model. The bacterial strains showed strong inhibitory activity in acute, sub-acute and chronic models of inflammation. Further, it reduced ${\alpha}1$ acid glycoprotein and ${\alpha}2$ macroglobulin levels in serum and prostaglandin $E_2$ in inflamed paw. These results indicated that the bacterial strains probably act through prostaglandin mediatory pathways and may be useful in treatment of inflammation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.163-169
• /
• 2001

Despite the high potency of the retrovirus vector system in gene transfer, one of the main drawbacks of has been difficulty in preparing highly concentrated virus stock. Numerous efforts to boost the virus titer have ended in unsatisfactory results mainly due to fragile property of retrovirus envelope protein. In this study, to overcome this problem, we constructed our own retrovirus vector system producing vector viruses encapsulated with VSV-G (vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein). Concentration process of the virus stock by ultracentrifuge did not sacrifice the virus infectivity, resulting in more than 108 to 109 CFU (colony forming unit) per ml on most of the target cell lines tested. Application of this high-titer retrovirus vector system was tested on chicken embryos. Injection of virus stock beneath the blastoderms of pre-incubated fertilized eggs resulted in chick embryos expressing E. coli LacZ gene with 100% efficiency. Therefore, our results suggest that it is possible to transfer the foreign gene into chicken embryo using our high-titer retrovirus vector.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.1026-1031
• /
• 2006

The optimization of the production of a fusion protein containing the antigenic domain 1 (AD-1) is of a great importance, considering its use in diagnostic tests. The fusion protein is produced by the fermentation of a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli containing the plasmid Mbg58, which expresses the AD-1 (aa 484-650) of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B as a fusion protein together with aa 1-375 of ${\beta}-galactosidase$. An important characteristic of promoters (lac and derivatives) used in recombinant protein production in E. coli is their inducibility. Induction by IPTG is widely used for basic research; however, its use in large-scale production is undesirable because of its high cost and toxicity. In this work, studies using different inducers and carbon sources for the production of a fusion protein containing the AD-l were performed. The results showed that lactose could be used as an inducer in the fermentation process for the production of this protein, and that expression levels could exceed those achieved with IPTG. The use of lactose for protein expression in E. coli should be extremely useful for the inexpensive, large-scale production of heterologous proteins in E. coli. Addition of sucrose to the fermentation medium improved the yield of recombinant protein, whereas addition of fructose or trehalose decreased the yield.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.171-180
• /
• 2001

Compared to other gene transfer system, the advantages of retrovirus-mediated gene transfer are technical ease, efficient expression and genetic stability. Despite the high potency of the retrovirus vector system in gene transfer, one of the drawbacks is a difficulty in concentration of virus stock. To overcome this problem, we tested a new retrovirus vector system producing the progeny retrovirus particles encapsidated with VSV-G (vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein). The infectivity of this virus was not sacrificed by ultracentrifugal concentration and the host cell range extended from all mammalian to fish embryos. Virus titer after 1,000 x concentration was more than 10$^{8}$ CFU/ $m\ell$ on most of the target cell lines. We applied this pantropic viruses in transgenic chicken production by injecting the concentrated (100$\times$) stock into subgerminal cavity of stage X chicken embryos. The survival rate of chicken embryos after injection was about 20% and gene integration rate in surviving embryos was scored almost 100%. Analyses of RT-PCR and fluorescence microscopy, however, showed no evidence of the transgene expression.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.22.1-22.9
• /
• 2020

Rabid raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis) have been responsible for animal rabies in South Korea since the 1990s. A recombinant rabies vaccine strain, designated as ERAGS, was constructed for use as a bait vaccine. Therefore, new means of differentiating ERAGS from other rabies virus (RABV) strains will be required in biological manufacturing and diagnostic service centers. In this study, we designed two specific primer sets for differentiation between ERAGS and other RABVs based on mutation in the RABV glycoprotein gene. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the glycoprotein gene revealed two DNA bands of 383 bp and 583 bp in the ERAGS strain but a single DNA band of 383 bp in the field strains. The detection limits of multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were 80 and 8 FAID₅₀/reaction for the ERAGS and Evelyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth strains, respectively. No cross-reactions were detected in the non-RABV reference viruses, including canine distemper virus, parvovirus, canine adenovirus type 1 and 2, and parainfluenza virus. The results of multiplex RT-PCR were 100% consistent with those of the fluorescent antibody test. Therefore, one-step multiplex RT-PCR is likely useful for differentiation between RABVs with and those without mutation at position 333 of the RABV glycoprotein gene.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.8.1-8.17
• /
• 2021

The global crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to the most significant economic loss and human deaths after World War II. The pathogen causing this disease is a novel virus called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). As of December 2020, there have been 80.2 million confirmed patients, and the mortality rate is known as 2.16% globally. A strategy to protect a host from SARS-CoV-2 is by suppressing intracellular viral replication or preventing viral entry. We focused on the spike glycoprotein that is responsible for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration/EU Medicines Agency authorized a vaccine and antibody to treat COVID-19 patients by emergency use approval in the absence of long-term clinical trials. Both commercial and academic efforts to develop preventive and therapeutic agents continue all over the world. In this review, we present a perspective on current reports about the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 as a therapeutic target.