• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.651-656
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• 2015

Plant growth and development are coordinately orchestrated by environmental cues and phytohormones. Light acts as a key environmental factor for fundamental plant growth and physiology through photosensory phytochromes and underlying molecular mechanisms. Although phytochromes are known to possess serine/threonine protein kinase activities, whether they trigger a signal transduction pathway via an intracellular protein kinase network remains unknown. In analyses of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK, also called MKK) mutants, the mkk3 mutant has shown both a hypersensitive response in plant hormone gibberellin (GA) and a less sensitive response in red light signaling. Surprisingly, light-induced MAPK activation in wild-type (WT) seedlings and constitutive MAPK phosphorylation in dark-grown mkk3 mutant seedlings have also been found, respectively. Therefore, this study suggests that MKK3 acts in negative regulation in darkness and in light-induced MAPK activation during dark-light transition.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.386-391
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• 2005

This study was done to produce a mutated protein inactivated cytotoxicity of Shigatoxin 2e (Stx2e) of E.coli O139 isolates by deletional mutagenesis of Stx2e A subunit gene encoding active-site cleft of enzymatic domain in ST2e holotoxin. Cytotoxicity of the toxoid expressed from the mutant Stx2e gene was compared with wild type Stx2e for development of vaccine candidate. A recombinant plasmid pED18 containing Stx2e gene ot E.coli O139 isolates was used to generate mutation plasmid. Deletion mutagenesis was conducted for Stx2e A subunit gene encoding enzymatically active domain by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using ot designed primer to induce deletional mutation. DNA sequence analysis was confirmed that the pentamer (Typ 202- Ser 206) that lies within the proposed active-site cleft in the second region was completely deleted. A DNA fragment of 1.1 kb that encode the new mutant Stx2eA gene was inserted into plasmid pRSET vector digested with EcoRV-Hind III and named pEDSET The PEDSET was transformed in E. coli for expression of mutant protein and the protein was confirmed by SDS-PACE and Western-blotting. The protein expressed by the mutant was tested to confirm the reduction of cytotoxic activities on Vero cell using microcytotoxicity assay compared with wild type Stx2e, the cytotoxicity of deletional mutant protein was at least reduced by 3,000-fold on Vero cell.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.476-481
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• 1999

S. cerevisiae mutant(reg1-501, gal1), which cannot use galactose and has alleviated glucose repression level, is used as host for optimizing induction of GAL promoter. The optimum concentration of galactose as inducer for recombinant protein production and the galactose consumption rate have been tested with S. cerevisiae mutant and compared with conventional S. cerevisiae. The extent of glucose repression were investigated for both strain and the degradation pattern of produced foreign protein have been compared in both cases. The effect of pH on foreign protein degradation pattern were studied for both strains. The secetion efficiency of both strains were carried out. Through these experiments, optimum condition of recombinant protein production by GAL promoter using S. cerevisiae mutant (reg1-501, gal1) were found.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2015

Purpose: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a peripheral neuropathy mainly divided into CMT type 1 (CMT1) and CMT2 according to the phenotype and genotype. Although molecular pathologies for each genetic causative have not been revealed in CMT2, the correlation between cell death and accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of Schwann cells is well documented in CMT1. Establishment of in vitro models of ER stress-mediated Schwann cell death might be useful in developing drug-screening systems for the treatment of CMT1. Materials and Methods: To develop high-throughput screening (HTS) systems for CMT1, we generated cell models using transient expression of mutant proteins and chemical induction. Results: Overexpression of wild type and mutant peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) induced ER stress. Similar results were obtained from mutant myelin protein zero (MPZ) proteins. Protein localization revealed that expressed mutant PMP22 and MPZ proteins accumulated in the ER of Schwann cells. Overexpression of wild type and L16P mutant PMP22 also reduced cell viability, implying protein accumulation-mediated ER stress causes cell death. To develop more stable screening systems, we mimicked the ER stress-mediated cell death in Schwann cells using ER stress inducing chemicals. Thapsigargin treatment caused cell death via ER stress in a dose dependent manner, which was measured by expression of ER stress markers. Conclusion: We have developed genetically and chemically induced ER stress models using Schwann cells. Application of these models to HTS systems might facilitate the elucidation of molecular pathology and development of therapeutic options for CMT1.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 1999

In order to elucidate a role of residue 24 in the folding of tryptophan synthase $\alpha$ subunit, mutant proteins in which Thr 24 was replaced by Met, Ala, Ser, Leu or Lys were overexpressed in E. coli, and the extents of accumulated proteins as soluble or aggregated forms were examined. The mutant proteins with Met or Leu at residue 24 were predominantly accumulated as soluble forms as the native protein. On the other hand, mutant proteins with Ser, Ala or Lys at residue 24 were expressed as aggregated forms as well. This result suggests that residue 24 of tryptophan synthase $\alpha$ subunit may be implicated in the folding of this protein.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.487-493
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• 2004

To investigate the antifungal activity related protein in pesticidal bacteria, a bacterial strain LTD was isolated from soil collected at Gimje in Jeonbuk province, Korea, and identified as Bacillus subtilis LTD based on a API50 CHB kit and 168 rDNA sequencing. It has an antifungal activity against 9 plant pathogenic fungi in a paper disc assay. The antifungal activity- deficient mutant, B. subtilis mLTD was induced at a 5 kGy dose of $^{60}Co$ gamma radiation. Using the two-dimensional electrophoresis and the matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the comparison analysis of proteins between the wild and mutant were performed. A major intracellular serine proteinase IspA (MW: 32.5 kDa), a NAD (P) H dehydrogenase (MW: 20.0 kDa), and a stage II sporulation protein AA, SpoIIAA (MW: 14.3kDa) were detected only in the B. subtilis LTD. These results suggested that the functions of these proteins found only in the B. subtilis LTD could. be closely related to the antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.149-154
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• 2005

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels encoded by the tax-4 and tax-2 genes are required for chemosensing and thermosensing in the nematode C. elegans. We identified a gene in the C. elegans genome, which we designated cng-1, that is highly homologous to tax-4. Partial CNG-1 protein tagged with green fluorescent protein was expressed in several sensory neurons of the amphid. We created a deletion mutant of cng-1, cng-1 (jh111), to investigate its in vivo function. The mutant worms had no detectable abnormalities in terms of their basic behavior or morphology. Whereas tax-4 and tax-2 mutants failed to respond to water-soluble or volatile chemical attractants, the cng-1 null mutant exhibited normal chemotaxis to such chemicals and a tax-4;cng-1 double mutant had a similar phenotype to tax-4 single mutants. Interestingly, cng-1 and tax-4 had a synergistic effect on brood size.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.771-777
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• 2006

A novel gene (agiA) required for adventurous gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus has been identified. Null mutations in this gene caused defects in the gliding movement of isolated cells, suggesting that it belongs to one of the A-motility genes. The isolated agiA mutant cells neither glided nor produced slime trails on agar surface. However, agiA was different from other known A-motility genes in that the agiA mutant created in the $S^-$ mutant background glided in the swarm of cells, since other known A-motility mutants created in the $S^-$ mutant background do not move in the swarm of cells. The agiA mutant was also defective in fruiting body development. Sequence analysis predicted that agiA encodes a 787-amino-acid protein with eight tripeptide repeat motifs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.789-793
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• 1999

The effect of acetic acid formation deficiency on recombinant E. coli fermentation was investigated using a mutant strain deficient in acetic acid formation. A mutant strain which does not grow under anaerobic conditions was isolated. The acetic acid production in this strain was negligible in aerobic batch fermentation. The cloned-gene expression in the mutant strain was higher than the wild-type strain. Fed-batch fermentations with controlled specific growth rates were carried out in order to compare the cloned-gene expression between the wild-type and the mutant strains. The expression decreased along with the specific growth rate in both strains. The cloned-gene expression in the mutant strain was 60% higher than in the wild-type strain at the same specific growth rate.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2013

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is responsible for the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV core protein plays not only a structural role in the virion morphogenesis by encapsidating a virus RNA genome but also a non-structural role in HCV-induced pathogenesis by blocking innate immunity. Especially, it has been shown to regulate JAK-STAT signaling pathway through its direct interaction with Janus kinase (JAK) via its proline-rich JAK-binding motif ($^{79}{\underline{P}}GY{\underline{P}}WP^{84}$). However, little is known about the physiological significance of this HCV core-JAK association in the context of the virus life cycle. In order to gain an insight, a mutant HCV genome (J6/JFH1-79A82A) was constructed to express the mutant core with a defective JAK-binding motif ($^{79}{\underline{A}}GY{\underline{A}}WP^{84}$) using an HCV genotype 2a infectious clone (J6/JFH1). When this mutant HCV genome was introduced into hepatocarcinoma cells, it was found to be severely impaired in its ability to produce infectious viruses in spite of its robust RNA genome replication. Taken together, all these results suggest an essential requirement of HCV core-JAK protein interaction for efficient production of infectious viruses and the potential of using core-JAK blockers as a new anti-HCV therapy.