• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.331-337
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• 2009

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) has been proposed as a therapeutic target for bronchial asthma as it plays crucial roles in the pathogenesis of the disease. We developed an in vitro test system measuring transcriptional downregulatory activities on IL-13 as a primary screening method to select drug candidates from natural products. The promoter region of IL-13 (-2,048 to +1) was cloned into the upstream of a luciferase gene in the plasmid pGL4.14 containing the hygromycin resistance gene as a selection marker, generating pGL4.14-IL-13. The EL-4 thymoma and RBL-2H3 mast cells transiently expressing this plasmid highly produced the luciferase activities by responding to PI (PMA and ionomycin) stimulation up to 8-fold and 13-fold compared with the control, respectively, whereas cyclosporin A, a well-known antiasthmatic agent, significantly downregulated the activities. The BF1 clone of RBL-2H3 cells constitutively expressing pGL4.14-IL-13 was established by selecting surviving cells under a constant lethal dose of hygromycin treatment. The feasibility of this system was evaluated by measuring the downregulatory activities of 354 natural products on the IL-13 promoter using the BF1 clone. An extract from Morus bombycis (named TBRC 156) significantly inhibited PI-induced luciferase activities and IL-13 mRNA expression, but not the protein expression. Fisetin (named TBRC 353) inhibited not only PI-induced luciferase activities and mRNA expression, but also the IL-13 protein secretion, whereas myricetin (named TBRC 354) could not suppress the IL-13 expression at all. Our data indicated that this in vitro test system is able to discriminate the effects on IL-13 expression, and furthermore, that it might be suitable as a simple and time-saving primary screening system to select antiasthmatic agents by measuring transcriptional activities of the IL-13 promoter.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.26 no.4 s.87
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• pp.450-457
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• 1998

The cryparin of Cryphonectria parasitica belongs to a cell wall associated fungal hydrophobin. The cryparin, though it is encoded by a single copy gene, is known for the high expression during the liquid culture of C. parasitica, and it turns out that 22% of total mRNA was transcribed for cryparin at 48hr after the liquid culture. In addition, it is also known as one of down-regulated fungal proteins by the presence of double stranded RNA virus, Cryphonectria hypovirus 1. In previous studies (Kim et al., 1999), we have constructed a cryparin-null mutant by replacing the cryparin gene with hygromycin B resistance gene due to site directed homologous recombination. In order for the promoter analysis of cryparin which seems to be very strong as well as mycoviral specific, it is preferable to have a strain with only a target promoter replaced and a discernable target site for incoming vectors. However, the cryparin-null mutant revealed the presence of an additional copy of transforming vector except the one which replaced the cryparin gene. In addition, the cryparin-null mutant did not contain any markers for targeted integration of incoming vectors. This prompts us to design an experiment to obtain a strain for promoter analysis of cryparin gene. A different mating type strain EP6(Mata, $met^-$) was mated with the cryparin-null mutant ${\triangle}$Crp194-7(MatA, Crp${\triangle}$::hph) to make the progenies with only a single replacement vector and $met^-$ characteristic remained. Nutritional assay as well as Southern blot analysis revealed that the progeny, ${\triangle}$Crp194-a6, was the methionine auxotroph with a single replacing vector in genome. Northern blot analysis and PAGE showed that there was no cryparin produced in this bred strain either.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2002

This study has been focused on improving transformation efficiency of rice using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We have demonstrated the effect of this system when the GPAT gene related to the cold-resistance was transferred by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in rice. Transformation conditions were modified using intron $\beta$-glucuronidase (GUS) expression as a reporter gene in the rice. In this study, mature seed-derived calli of rice (Oruza sativa L. cv. Dongjin) were pre-cultured for 3 days and then infected with Agrobacterium. When this infected calli were cultured in the dark for 10 days on co-cu]lure medium containing 50 mg/L of CaCl$_2$, 30 mg/L of acetosyringone, 2 mg/L of 2,4-D, 120 mg/L of betaine, high GUS expression was observed. In the present transformation system, the efficiency of transformation of GPAT gene was about 54%. Stable integration of GPAT gene into chromosomal DNA was proven by southern blot analysis of genomic DNA isolated from T$_{0}$ progenies. The progenies (T1 generation) derived from primary transformant of 5 lines were segregated with a 3 (resistant) : 1 (sensitive ratio) in medium containing hygromycin. This high frequency transformation system can be used as a useful tool in transformation of another monocotyledon.n.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.287-292
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• 2000

Recombinant Aspergillus niger was constructed to express and secrete a biologically active murine granulaocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (mGM-CSF). A 500 bp fragment encoding the signal peptide and terminator of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd). The hygromycin phosphotrasferase gene (hph) was used as a selection marker for the fungal transformants. An expression vector was introduced into A. niger ATCC 9642, and a Northern blot analysis indicated the presence of a considerable amount of transcripts from the introduced mGM-CSF. The biological activity of recombinant mGM-CSF (rmGM-CSF) isolated from the culture filtrate was confirmend by measuring the proliferationof the GM-CSF dependent FDC-P1 cell line. It appeared that rmGM-CSF was amenable to the proteolytic activity produced by A. niger, since biological actibity was only observed when the transformants were grown in a protease-repressing medium, and the activity of rmGM-CSF dramatically decreased with an increase of age of the culture. The yield of rmGM-CSF, as determined by ELISA. was 640 ng/l of culture filtrate. Accordingly, its specific activity is estimated to be approximately two-and-a-half times higher than that of a commercial preparation from E. coli.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.241-246
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• 2005

Factors affecting regeneration of different Rubus varieties (blackberry, raspberry and their hybrid) were examined and a reliable regeneration system was established. Media for stock plant maintenance were tested; different explants and media were investigated to find the best circumstances for the regeneration. The effect of the commonly used antibiotics was studied to determine the most suitable one for selection of the transformants. We found that both MS and LS media supplemented by $20\;gL^{-1}$ sucrose are suitable for the stock plant maintenance. The optimal hormone content for the stock plants is $0.125\;mgL^{-1}$ 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) with $0.01\;mgL^{-1}$ indole-3- butyric acid (IBA). The highest regeneration rate was observed on medium containing MS salts with B5 vitamins complemented with glucose, sucrose, maltose, $10\;gL^{-1}$ each, supplemented with benzylaminopurine riboside (BAR) ($2\;mgL^{-1}$) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ($0.1\;mgL^{-1}$). The regenerated shoots appeared directly from the cut edges, without callus phase. Hygromycin and geneticin proved to be good selection agents for the Rubus explants, but due to their severe effect on the tissues we propose to use marker-free constructions for the transformation.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2000

To increase thennotolerance of forage crops, transgenic rice plants as a model for transformation of monocots were generated. A cDNA encoding the chloroplast-localized small heat shock protein (small HSP) of rice, Oshsp21, was introduced into rice plants via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer system. Calli induced from scutella were co-cultivated with a A. tumefaciens strain EHAlOl canying a plasmid, pIGhsp21. A large number of transgenic plants were regenerated on a medium containing hygromycin. Integration of Oshsp2l gene was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analyses with genomic DNA. Northern blot and immunoblot analyses revealed that the Oshsp21 gene was constitutively expressed and accumulated as mature protein in transgenic plants. Effects of constitutive expression of the OshspZl on thermotolerance were first probed with the chlorophyll fluorescence. Results indicate that inactivation of electron transport reactions in photosystem I1 (PSII), were mitigated by constitutive expression of the Oshsp21. These results suggest that the chloroplast small HSP plays an important role in protecting photosynthetic machinery during heat stress. (Key words : Thermotolerance, Rice, Transgenic, cDNA)

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1528-1531
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• 2015

Sclerotia of Wolfiporia cocos are of medicinal and culinary value. The genes and molecular mechanisms involved in W. cocos sclerotial formation are poorly investigated because of the lack of a suitable and reproducible transformation system for W. cocos. In this study, a PEG/CaCl₂-mediated genetic transformation system for W. cocos was developed. The promoter P_gpd from Ganoderma lucidum effectively drove expression of the hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene in W. cocos, and approximately 30 transformants were obtained per 10 μg DNA when the protoplast suspension density was 10⁶ protoplasts/ml. However, no transformants were obtained under the regulation of the PtrpC promoter from Aspergillus nidulans.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2000

The cytosolic glutathione reductase (GR) gene of Brassica campestris L. was introduced into several Japonica cultivars of rice by Agrobacterium tumefaciens and a large number of transgenic plants were produced. Three-week old calli were co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens strain EHA101 carrying the plasmid pIGR1. The efficiency of transformation was differed from rice cultivars. A Japonica cultivar, 'Daeribbyeo' appeared the highest efficiency (42.5%) of transformation among the four cultivars tested. The addition of acetosyringone (50 $\mu$M) during co-cultivation was a key to successful transformation. Transgene fragments were identified by PCR amplification and further confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Mendelian inheritance of the transgenes was confirmed in T$_1$ progeny.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.245-247
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• 2002

A genomic DNA library of the fungus Trametes versicolor was constructed in a yeast integration vector which contains the URA3 gene of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the gene responsible for hygromycin B resistance, and fragments acting as autonomously replicating sequences (ARSes) in the budding yeast were identified from the genomic DNA library. Sixteen recombinant plasmids from the library transformed the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Ura+ at high frequencies. They were maintained stably under selective conditions, but were gradually lost from yeast cells at different rates under nonselective conditions, indicating that they contain eukaryotic origins of DNA replication and exist as extrachromosomal plasmids. Base sequences of four ARS DNAs among the 16 cloned fragments revealed that all or the four contain at least one 11 bp ［(A/T)TTTA(T/C)(A/G)TTT(A/T)］consensus sequence of the budding yeast ARS.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.145-150
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• 2004

Cabbage plants were transformed with the potato proteinase inhibitor II (PINII) gene, bar gene, and hpt gene using Agrobacterium. The expression of the PINII gene was driven by its own promoter which was wound-inducible. Ten transgenic plants were obtained from medium containing hygromycin as a selection antibiotic. The integration and expression of PINII and bar genes were confirmed by Southern and Northern hybridization. Growth and development of diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella) and tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura) larvae were examined on $T_1$ plants. The weight of the larvae and pupae of these two insects grown on transgenic plants was not different compared to those grown on wild type plants. However, the pupation and emergence rate of diamondback moths and tobacco cutworms fed on some transgenic plants was lower than on wild type plants. These results suggest that the PINII transgene under the control of a wound-induced promoter may be used for control of insects in transgenic cabbage through reduction of insect progeny number.