• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 1997

The present study was performed to analyze the molecular mechanism which dictates the transcription regulation of the $O^6$-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously we identified one possible upstream repressing sequence (URS) in MGMT promoter by promoter deletion and competition analysis. In this paper we report another regulatory element (UAS: upstream activating sequence. -213 to -136) which affects the transcription activity of MGMT promoter. Gel mobility shift assay and Southwestern blot analysis using UAS probe showed several specific proteins which were able to bind to this sequence.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.73-77
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• 2006

Caspase-11 has been known as a dual regulator of apoptosis and inflammatory response. An unusual feature of caspase-11 is that its expression is induced by apoptotic or proinflammatory stimuli. Utilizing these unusual features of caspase-11, we have developed a simple and sensitive assay method to screen pro- or anti-apoptotic/inflammatory molecules. To develop this assay method, we generated a reporter construct where GFP expression is regulated by caspase-11 promoter. When several types of cultured cells were transfected with this reporter construct and subsequently treated with various apoptotic or proinflammatory molecules, expression of GFP by the activation of caspase-11 promoter was easily detected by fluorescence microscopy or spectrofluorometry. In addition, a reduction of the GFP fluorescence was detected when an agent reported to suppress caspase-11 induction was applied. These results suggest that our reporter system can be used to screen pro- or anti-apoptotic/inflammatory molecules.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.594-598
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate the tissue-specific expression of ${\beta}$-glucuronidase (gus) gene driven by endosperm-specific promoter (Z4 promoter) in the transgenic tobacco and to find out inheritance pattern of transgene to the next generation. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum cv. Havana SR1) was transformed with Agrobacterium tumerfaciens LBA4404 harboring BV3 construct containing gus gene driven by Z4 promoter and a kanamycin resistant gene. Seven hundred bp PCR products, indicating the presence of npt II gene, were found in the all eight transformants by PCR analysis using nptII primers. To study the expression pattern of the two different kind of promoters, leaf disks of the Z4pro-gus-transformed plants and 35Spro-gus-transformed plants were analyzed histochemically for gus activity. As a result, leaf disks of Z4pro-gus-transformed plants showed very weak and partial positive gus activity. In contrast, leaf disks of 35Spro-gus-transformed plants showed relatively strong positive gus activity. To investigate the expressed position of Z4 promoter, seeds from Z4pro-gus-transformed plants and 35Spro-gus-transformed plants were analyzed histochemically for gus activity. Z4pro-gus-transformed seeds showed positive gus activity restricted to the endosperm. However, the blue-colored product in 35Spro-gus-transformed seeds was observed in all the area including endosperm. Kanamycin resistance assay showed that transgenes were stably inherited to next generation in all lines.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.7
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• pp.468-473
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• 2010

Previously, various inhibitors of cell wall synthesis induced the drp35 gene of Staphylococcus aureus efficiently. To determine whether drp35 could be exploited in antistaphylococcal drug discovery, we cloned the promoter of drp35 ($P_d$) and developed different biological assay systems using an engineered S. aureus strain that harbors a chromosomally-integrated $P_d$ - lacZ transcriptional fusion. An agarose-based assay showed that $P_d$ is induced not only by the cell wall-affecting antibiotics but also by rifampicin and ciprofloxacin. In contrast, a liquid medium-based assay revealed the induction of $P_d$ specifically by the cell wall-affecting antibiotics. Induction of $P_d$ by sublethal concentrations of cell wall-affecting antibiotics was even assessable in a microtiter plate assay format, indicating that this assay system could be potentially used for high-throughput screening of new cell wall-inhibiting compounds.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.386-390
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• 2008

The methanolic extract of Glycine maxim increased the expression of the promoter in B16 mouse melanoma cells harboring a tyrosinase promoter. Extract concentrations of 10 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and 100 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ resulted in tyrosinase promoter expression rates of approximately 113% and 184%, respectively, as compared to the control. The fraction layers consisting of butyl alcohol and methylene chloride improved expression effects on the tyrosinase promoter. In particular, the butyl alcohol fraction evidenced a high expression rate at 100 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$. In the MTT assay, the methanolic extract did not evidence cytotoxicity at concentrations under 500 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$. Therefore, the results observed with the extract of Glycine maxim showed that the substance exerted a positive effect on the tyrosinase promoter.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.345-350
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• 1997

The ${\beta}$-Lactoglobulin (BLG) gene expression is differentially regulated during development of the mammary tissues. Such differential regulation of the BLG gene expression can be reiterated in the cultured mammary HC11 cells. In the growing non-confluent HC11 cells, the BLG promoter activity was shown to be partially repressed by the upstream regulatory sequence. The repression was gradually diminished and switched to activation as the cells grew confluent. The differential regulation of the BLG promoter was controlled by the 5'-regulatory sequence located at the upstream of 205 bp. Electromobility shift assay showed that nuclear extract from HC11 cells differentially bound on the regulatory sequence, depending on the cell confluency, which was in accordance with the differential transcriptional activity. DNase I foot-print assay, however, revealed that all nuclear extracts presented the same foot-prints, regardless of confluency of HC11 cells. These results suggest that differential regulation BLG gene expression by the 5'-regulatory sequence may be accomplished by competitive and/or cooperative binding of differential regulatory factors on the same regulatory element.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1395-1399
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• 2008

We have recently reported the PRC1 promoter as a promoter candidate to control expression of transcriptionally targeted genes for breast cancer gene therapy. We tested whether the PRC1 promoter could be also applied for the lung cancer gene therapy. In the transient transfection assay with naked plasmids containing the luciferase fused to the PRC1 promoter, the promoter showed little activity in the normal lung cell line, MRC5. However, in the lung cancer A549 cells, PRC1 showed approximately 30-fold activation which was similar to the survivin promoter, the gene whose promoter has been already reportedas a candidate for the gene therapy of lung cancer. In viral systems, the PRC1 promoter showed approximately 75% and 66% of transcriptional activity compared to the CMV promoter in the adeno-associated virus (AAV) and the adenovirus (AV) systems, respectively. However, the PRC1 promoter in either AAV or AV showed approximately 20% activity compared to the CMV promoter in the normal lung cells. In addition, human lung tumor xenograft mice showed that the PRC1 promoter activity was as strong as the CMV activity in vivo. Taken together, these results suggested that PRC1 might be a potential promoter candidate for transcriptionally targeted lung cancer gene therapy.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.293-297
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• 1999

The pts operon, which encodes several factors in the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) of Escherichia coli, has multiple promoters which respond to different signals to facilitate quick adaptation to changes in growth conditions. The influence of an 1 kbp DNA region upstream of the pts P0 promoter on pts expression was studied in vitro by employing the DNA templates containing both P0 and P1 promoter with or without the 1 kbp upstream DNA region for in vitro transcription assay. The 1 kbp DNA region upstream of the pts P0 promoter, however, had no effect on pts transcription in vitro. The intracellular concentration of cAMP was measured when cells were grown in the presence of glucose, mannose, or mannitol. The transcription of P0 was increased maximally in the presence of glucose even though the concentration of cAMP in the condition was lowest while the transcription from the P1b was highest when cells were grown in the presence of mannose or mannitol even though the intracellular concentration of cAMP was lower than cells grown in the absence of the sugar. These results suggest the possibility of the existence of a glucose inducible repressor specific for the P0 promoter and a second repressor that is inducible by glucose, mannose and mannitol specific for the P1 promoter.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 1997

p53 tumor suppressor plays an important role in the regulation of cellular proliferation. To identify proteins regulating the expression of p53 in rat liver, we analyzed p53 promoter by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and DNase I footprinting assay. We found that a protein binds the sequence CACGTG, bHLH consensus sequence in rat p53 promoter. Southwestern blotting analysis with oligonucleotides containing this sequence shows that the molecular weight of the protein is 100 kDa. This size is not compatible with the bHLH family such as USF or c-Myc/Max which is known to regulate the expression of the human and mouse p53 gene. Therefore this 100 kDa protein may be a new protein regulating basal transcription of rat p53. We purified this 100 kDa protein through sequence-specific DNA affinity chromatogaphy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 1999

We previously found three transcription factor-binding motifs in the rat p53 promoter. They are two recognition motifs of NF1-like protein (NF1-like element 1: -296 ~ -312, NF1-like element 2: -195 ~ -219) and a bHLH protein binding element (-142 ~ -146). In this study, we investigated the DNA-protein complex formation of the three elements with nuclear extracts from both normal and regenerating liver to find the element involved in the induced transcription of p53. The level of each DNA-protein complex on NF1-like and bHLH motifs was not changed. Instead, a new element located at -264 ~ -284 was detected in the DNase I footprinting assay with regenerating nuclear extract. This element has partial homology to the AP1 consensus motif. However, the competition studies with diverse oligonucleotides suggest that the binding protein is not AP1. An in vitro transcription assay shows that this element is important for the transcriptional activation of the rat p53 promoter. Therefore, for the induced transcription of the rat p53 promoter, the-264 ~ -284 region is required in addition to two NF1-like and one bHLH motif.