• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.439-445
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• 2012

The chitinase producing Lysobacter enzymogenes C-3 has previously been shown to suppress plant pathogens in vitro and in the field, but little is known of the regulation of chitinase production, or its role in antimicrobial activity and biocontrol. In this study, we isolated and characterized chitinase-defective mutants by screening the transposon mutants of L. enzymogenes C-3. These mutations disrupted genes involved in diverse functions: glucose-galactose transpoter (gluP), disulfide bond formation protein B (dsbB), Clp protease (clp), and polyamine synthase (speD). The chitinase production of the SpeD mutant was restored by the addition of exogenous spermidine or spermine to the bacterial cultures. The speD and clp mutants lost in vitro antifungal activities against plant fungal pathogens. However, the gluP and dsbB mutants showed similar antifungal activities to that of the wild-type. The growth of the mutants in nutrient rich conditions containing chitin was similar with that of the wild-type. However, growth of the speD and gluP mutants was defective in chitin minimal medium, but was observed no growth retardation in the clp and dsbB mutant on chitin minimal medium. In this study, we identified the four genes might be involved and play different role in the production of extracellular chitinase and antifungal activity in L. enzymogenes C-3.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.1337-1345
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• 2005

Vibrio vulnificus is the causative agent of foodborne diseases such as gastroenteritis and life-threatening septicemia. Microbial pathogenicity is a complex phenomenon in which expression of numerous virulence factors is frequently controlled by a common regulatory system. In the present study, a mutant exhibiting decreased cytotoxic activity toward intestinal epithelial cells was screened from a library of V. vulnificus mutants constructed by a random transposon mutagenesis. By a transposon-tagging method, an open reading frame, fexA, a homologue of Escherichia coli areA, was identified and cloned. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the fexA were analyzed, and the amino acid sequence of FexA from V. vulnificus was $84\%\;to\;97\%$ similar to those of AreA, an aerobic respiration control global regulator, from other Enterobacteriaceae. Functions of the FexA were assessed by the construction of an isogenic mutant, whose fexA gene was inactivated by allelic exchanges, and by evaluating its phenotype changes in vitro and in mice. The disruption of fexA resulted in a significant alteration in growth rate under aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions. When compared to the wild-type, the fexA mutant exhibited a substantial decrease in motility and cytotoxicity toward intestinal epithelial cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, the intraperitoneal $LD_{50}$ of the fexA mutant was approximately $10^{1}-10^{2}$ times higher than that of parental wild-type. Therefore, it appears that FexA is a novel global regulator controlling numerous genes and contributing to the pathogenesis as well as growth of V. vulnificus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.21-28
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• 2018

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system is an efficient method to mutation in a sequence specific manner. Here we report the direct transfection of the Cas9 nuclease and gene specific guide RNA can be used in BM-N cell line derived from Bombyx mori ovarian tissue to enfeeble function of endogenous gene in vitro. We have used gene editing system to negative regulation components of major signaling cascade, the Toll pathway, which controls B. mori resistance to microbe infections, such as fungi and gram positive bacteria. We demonstrate that the $I{\kappa}B-like$ protein Cactus may controls the activation of transcription factors such as Rel A and Rel B. The direct transfection of Cas9 nuclease and Cactus-specific guide-RNA complex may be used in BM-N cells to disrupt the function of endogenous genes in vitro. A mutation frequency of 30-40% was observed in the transfected cells, and various mutations caused the target region. Moreover, RT-PCR analysis revealed that Cactus gene was down regulated after these mutations. More importantly, mutation of BmCactus stimulated expression of lysozyme, moricin, and lebocin genes. These results suggest that the CRISPR/Cas9 systems are expected to efficiently induce site-specific mutations and it was possible to produce antimicrobial peptide through the gene editing.

• 한국육종학회지
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.510-514
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• 2009

난 시장이 확대되고 있지만 일반대중이 선호하고 있는 동양계 심비디움 난은 대부분 수입 또는 산채에 의존하여 고가로 판매되고 있고, 서양계 심비디움은 외국 품종에 대한 로열티 지불 등의 문제가 대두되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 관상가치가 있고 대량증식이 가능하여 외국산 품종을 대체할 수 있는 소형 심비디움 난을 육성하고자 하였다. 동양계 및 서양계 심 비디움의 교배종인 "동양"의 바이러스 무병주를 생장점배양에 의해 기내에서 대량증식을 하던 중, 잎무늬 돌연변이 식물체를 선발하여 고정계통을 "대국"이라 명명하였다. "대국"은 잎의 가장자리에 백색이나 노란색 줄무늬가 있는 복륜 무늬종으로 광택이 있다. "대국"의 잎 길이는 약 40 cm, 엽폭은 1.6 cm, 엽수는 4~5장으로 동양에 비교하여 잎 및 초세가 작고 단아하다. 꽃에도 복륜무늬가 있으며 개화시기는 3~5월과 9~10월 연 2회이다. 신품종 "대국"은 잎무늬 줄무늬와 초세가 단정하여 분화용 엽예품으로 관상가치가 뛰어나며, 기존 동양계 심비디움 품종에 비교하여 조직배양 및 순화가 잘되고 생육이 왕성하여 값싸게 공급 가능한 품종이다.(품종특허 등록번호: 특허 제 0478734).

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2000년도 추계학술발표대회
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• pp.24-31
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• 2000

In order to find out SoxR-reducing system in E. coli, we generated Tn10-insertion mutants and screened for constitutive expression of SoxS in a soxS-lacZ fusion strain. One mutation was mapped in rseB, a gene in rseABC (Regulation of SigmaE) operon. The constitutive soxS-expressing phenotype was due to the polar effect on the downstream gene, rseC. RseC is likely to function as a component of SoxR reduction system because SoxR was kept in oxidized form to activate soxS expression in rseC mutant. RseC is an integral membrane protein with an N-terminal cysteine-rich domain in the cytoplasm. The functionally critical cysteines were determined by substitution mutagenesis. The truncated N-terminal domain of RseC reduced the soxS transcription by $50\%$ as judged by in vitro transcription assay. Currently RseC is believed to be a reducing factor for SoxR. However, the mechanism for the reduction needs further investigation.

• BMB Reports
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.90-94
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• 2001

The mutagenic activity of chitosan oligosaccharide and its antimutagenic effect against 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) were investigated using the Salmonella/Ames test. No mutagenic activity was found in the Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100, either with or without S9 activation. In contrast, chitosan oligosaccharide showed an inhibitory effect on the mutagenic activity of the cooked food mutagen, MeIQx, in the presence of S9. The influence of chitosan oligosaccharide on the genotoxicity of MeIQx was examined using a host-mediated assay in mice. The oligosaccharide was administered for 14 consecutive days (intragastric application at doses of 0.1 or 0.5 g/kg body wt) to mice. S. typhimurium TA 98 was given intravenously before an oral dose of MeIQx (4.5 mg/kg body wt.). The number of $his^+$ revertants were determined from the Ever of mice. The intragastric application of oligosaccharide led to a 47% reduction in the number of mutants induced by MeIQx (p<0.05). These results suggested that chitosan oligosaccharide had antimutagenic properties against MeIQx in vitro and in vivo.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.277-283
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• 2015

Plant genome analyses, including Arabidopsis thaliana showed a large gene family of plant receptor kinases with various extracellular ligand-binding domain. Now intensively studies to understand physiological and cellular functions for higher plant receptor kinases in diverse and complex biological processes including plant growth, development, ligands perception including steroid hormone and plant-microbe interactions. Brassinosteroids (BRs) as a one of well know steroid hormone are plant growth hormones that control biomass accumulation and also tolerance to many biotic and abiotic stress conditions and hence are of relevance to agriculture. BRI1 receptor kinase, which is localized in plasma membrane in the cell sense BRs and it bind to a receptor protein known as BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1). Recently, we reported that BRI1 and its co-receptor, BRI1-ASSOCIATED KINASE (BAK1) autophosphorylated on tyrosine residue (s) in vitro and in vivo and thus are dual-specificity kinases. Other plant receptor kinases are also phosphorylated on tyrosine residue (s). Post-translational modifications (PTMs) can be studied by altering the residue modified by directed mutagenesis to mimic the modified state or to prevent the modification. These approaches are useful to not only characterize the regulatory role of a given modification, but may also provide opportunities for plant improvement.

• BMB Reports
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• 제42권5호
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• pp.260-264
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• 2009

Tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) exhibits cytotoxicity towards various tumor cells in vitro and induces apoptotic necrosis in transplanted tumors in vivo. It also shows severe toxicity when used systemically for the treatment of cancer patients, hampering the development of TNF-$\alpha$ as a potential anticancer drug. In order to understand the structure-function relation of TNF-$\alpha$ with respect to receptor binding, we selected four regions on the bottom of the TNF-$\alpha$ trimer that are in close contact with the receptor and carried out mutagenesis studies and computational modeling. From the study, various TNF-$\alpha$ muteins with a high therapeutic index were identified. These results will provide a structural basis for the design of highly potent TNF-$\alpha$ for therapeutic purposes. By conjugating TNF-$\alpha$ muteins with a high therapeutic index to a fusion partner, which targets a marker of angiogenesis, it could be possible to develop TNF-$\alpha$ based anticancer drugs.

• 한국동물생명공학회지
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.267-271
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• 2019

This study aimed to investigate the function of the constitutively activating mutation D540G on eel FSHR activity by in vitro functional studies. Site-directed mutagenesis was carried out to generate the D-to-G mutation at position 540 of the pcDNA3-eel FSHR construct. Vectors expressing either wild type or mutant receptor were transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. The functional characteristics of both the wild type and mutant receptors were analyzed by a cAMP assay. cAMP accumulation was highly increased in cells transfected with the D540G mutant receptor in a dose-dependent manner. Of note, basal cAMP levels were remarkably increased (~13.1-fold) with expression of this mutant when compared to wild type receptor. These findings suggest that the D540G mutation in the eel FSHR may contribute to ovulation during eel sex maturation as well as play a pivotal role in inducing FSHR activity.

• 한국식물병리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식물병리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 추계학술발표회
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• pp.108.1-108
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• 2003

Soil metagenome is untapped total microbial genome including that of the majority of unculturable bacteria present in soil. We constructed soil metagenomic library in Escherichia coli using DNA directly extracted from two different soils, pine tree rhizosphere soil and forest topsoil. Metagenomic libraries constructed from pine tree rhizosphere soil and forest topsoil consisted of approximately 33,700 clones and 112,000 clones with average insert DNA size of 35-kb, respectively. Subsequently, we screened the libraries to select clones with antimicrobial activities against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Agrobacterium tumefaciens using double agar layer method. So far, we have a clone active against S. cerevisiae and a clone active against A. tumefaciens from the forest topsoil library. In vitro mutagenesis and DNA sequence analysis of the antifungal clone revealed the genes involved in the biosynthesis of antimicrobial secondary metabolite. Metagenomic libraries constructed in this study would be subject to search for diverse genetic resources related with useful microbial products.