• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.310-312
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• 2012

Cytochrome $b_5$ is involved in the reduction of methemoglobin back to hemoglobin, thereby maintaining normal function of the blood to carry oxygen around. Congenital abnormal condition of this enzyme causes a rare disease called methemoglobinemia. At least 4 different retropseudogenes are reported so far for cytochrome $b_5$. However, type III pseudogene has attracted most attention because it contains open reading frame in its structure. Although there is no evidence yet if this pseudogene is actually expressed in the cell or the blood the possibility of its expression needs to be elucidated. We have isolated type III pseudogene by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into pGEX-4T-1 expression vector followed by SDS-PAGE. Protein was expressed and the size of the expressed protein was 28 kDa as expected in its genetic code. This result also shows that the protein is not harmful for the viability of the microorganism. This study may contribute to the genetic diagnosis of cardiac diseases, possibly caused by cytochrome $b_5$.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2020

Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae are two closely related fungal species responsible for boxwood blight disease of ornamental shrubs (Buxus spp.) in the U.S. and Europe. A previous study has shown isolates of the latter species, which is restricted to Europe, to be less sensitive to tetraconazole, an azole fungicide. In this study, we have analyzed the CYP51 paralogs for polymorphism in 26 genomes, representing geographically disparate populations of C. pseudonaviculata (n = 19) and C. henricotiae (n = 7), from the U.S., Europe, Asia, and New Zealand. The presence of a CYP51A pseudogene and lack of a functional CYP51A paralog in all C. pseudonaviculata genomes examined is a novel discovery for fungi and could have implications for the evolution of resistance to antifungal chemicals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.81-82
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• 2001

The human ribosomal protein 54 genes, RPS4X and RPS4Y are located on the X and Y chromosomes. They have been postulated as candidate for Turner syndrome which was characterized by gonadal dysgenesis, short stature, and various external and internal anomalies. Using the BLAST search program, we identified sixteen RPS4 pseudogenes from the human genome and analyzed them phylogenetically. The RPS4-C12-1, C12-2, and C12-3 pseudogenes from chromosome 12 have been evolved independently during hominid evolution. The RPS4X gene from X chromosome it closely related to the RPS4-C12-2 from chromosome 12 and RPS4-C5 from chromosome 5, whereas the RPS4Y gene is very closely related to RPS4-C16 from chromosome 16. The exact mapping of the RPS4 pseudogene family was peformed, indicating that the RPS4 pseudogene family was mapped on human chromosomes 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20. Taken together, the precise chromosomal localization and phylegenetic relationship of the RPS4 pseudo-genes could be of great use in further study for understanding the Turner syndrome.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2004

Even though it represents $6-13\%$ of human genomic DNA, Alu sequences are rarely found in coding regions. When in exon region, over $80\%$ of them are found in 3' untranslated region (UTR). Pseudogenes are an important component of human genome. Their functions are not clearly known and the mechanism of how they are generated is still debatable. Both the Alu and Pseudogenes are important research problems in molecular biology. mRNA is thought to be a prime source of pseudogene and active research is going on its molecular mechanism. We report, for the first time, that mRNAs containing Alu repeats at 3' UTR has a significantly high correlation with processed pseudogenes, suggesting a possibility that Alu containing mRNAs have a high tendency to become processed pseudogenes. It is known that about $10\%$ of all human genes have been transposed. Transposed genes at 3' UTR without Alu repeat have about two processed pseudogenes per gene on average while we found with statistical significance that a transposed gene with Alu had over three processed Pseudogenes on average. Therefore, we propose Alu repeats as a new and important factor in the generation of pseudogenes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.281-286
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• 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health burden, and though various treatments through much research are available, difficulties in early diagnosis and drug resistance to chemotherapy-based treatments render several ineffective. Cancer stem cell model has been used to explain formation of heterogeneous cell population within tumor mass, which is one of the underlying causes of high recurrence rate and acquired chemoresistance, highlighting the importance of CSC identification and understanding the molecular mechanisms of CSC drivers. Extracellular CSC-markers such as CD133, CD90 and EpCAM have been used successfully in CSC isolation, but studies have indicated that increasingly complex combinations are required for accurate identification. Pseudogene-derived long non-coding RNAs are useful candidates as intracellular CSC markers - factors that regulate pluripotency and self-renewal - given their cancer-specific expression and versatile regulation across several levels. Here, we present the use of microarray data to identify stemness-associated factors in liver cancer, and selection of sole pseudogene-derived lncRNA ZNF204P for experimental validation. ZNF204P knockdown impairs cell proliferation and migration/invasion. As the cytosolic ZNF204P shares miRNA binding sites with OCT4 and SOX2, well-known drivers of pluripotency and self-renewal, we propose that ZNF204P promotes tumorigenesis through the miRNA-145-5p/OCT4, SOX2 axis.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.92.1-92
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• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Journal of Interdisciplinary Genomics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.19-23
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• 2022

Pseudogenes are genomic regions that contain gene-like sequences that have a high similarity to the known genes but are nonfunctional. They are categorized into processed, unprocessed, and unitary pseudogenes. Unprocessed pseudogenes generated by duplications can be problematic in sequencing approaches in molecular diagnostics. We discuss the risk of misdiagnosis when investigating genes with pseudogenes of high homology, and describe a method for identifying these small and annoying differences between parent genes and pseudogenes, including parent gene-specific assay design.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.373-379
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• 2015

Humans have acquired many distinct evolutionary traits after the human-chimpanzee divergence. These phenotypes have resulted from genetic changes that occurred in the human genome and were retained by natural selection. Comparative primate genome analyses reveal that loss-of-function mutations are common in the human genome. Some of these gene inactivation events were revealed to be associated with the emergence of advantageous phenotypes and were therefore positively selected and fixed in modern humans (the "less-ismore" hypothesis). Representative cases of human gene inactivation and their functional implications are presented in this review. Functional studies of additional inactive genes will provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying acquisition of various human-specific traits. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(7): 373-379]

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.171-175
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• 2021

Daphne genkwa (Thymelaeaceae) is a small deciduous shrub widely cultivated as an ornamental. The complete chloroplast genome of this species is presented here. The genome is 132,741 bp long and has four subregions: 85,668 bp of large single-copy and 28,365 bp of small single-copy regions are separated by 9,354 bp of inverted repeat regions with 107 genes (71 protein-coding genes, four rRNAs, and 31 tRNAs) and one pseudogene. The phylogenetic tree shows that D. genkwa is nested within Wikstroemia and is not closely related to other species of Daphne, suggesting that it should be recognized as a species of Wikstroemia.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.70-70
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• 2022

Corchoropsis Siebold & Zucc. was traditionally included in Tiliaceae, however, several morphological characters and molecular phylogenetic studies supported that it was the member of Dombeyoideae (Malvaceae). It is used as compost, medicinal, and ornamental herbs. Out of total three species, two species and one variety, grow in Korea. Although it is an East Asian endemic genus, plastome data has not been defined. Here, we characterize the plastome sequences of C. tomentosa (160,093 bp) and C. tomentosa var. psilocarpa (160,724 bp). Corchoropsis encodes 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs, and four rRNAs with a pseudogene inf A. Phylogenetic study revealed that Tilioideae is sister of Dombeyoideae. This study will contribute to define the genome structures, phylogenetic, and evolutionary studies of the genus Corchoropsis.