• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.89-96
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• 1995

An Avabidofsis thaliana gene encoding phosphoribosyl anthranilate transferase is shown to be the gene that is defective in blue fluorescent trp 1 mutant plants. This gene, named PAT1, coding region is homologous to those for the phosphoribosyl anthranilate transferase from many microorganisms. This is due to a defect in tryptophan biosynthesis that leads to an accumulation of anthranilate, a fluorescent intermediate in the tryptophan pathway. PAT1 is a single-copy gene that complements all of the visible phenotypes of the different trp1 mutants. Experiments to determine the regulation of the PAT1 gene are in progress. The wild-type PAT1 promoter and several promoter deletions of PAT1 gene have been transformed into Arabidopsis tryptophan mutants. These constructs might identify promoter elements that control this patterns. We have isolated the homozygous lines in T3 seeds and analysed the protein levels using PAT antibody and PAT protein level increased two fold in pHSl07. Finally, the potential of using PAT1 as a selectable marker or visible reporter of gene expression is being explored.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.194-199
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• 2004

Investigation of the expression of the riboflavin (rib) genes, which are found immediately downstream of luxG in the lux operon in Photobacterium phosphoreum, provides more information relevant to the evolution of bioluminescence, as well as to the regulation of supply of flavin substrate for bacterial bioluminescence reactions. In order to answer the question of whether or not the transcriptions of lux and rib genes are integrated, a transcriptional termination assay was performed with P. phoxphoreum DNA, containing the possible stem-loop structures, located in the intergenic region of luxF and luxE ($\Omega$$\_$A/), of luxG and ribE ($\Omega$$\_$B/), and downstream of ribA ($\Omega$$\_$c/). The expression of the CAT (Chloram-phenicol Acetyl Transferase) reporter gene was remarkably decreased upon the insertion of the stem-loop structure ($\Omega$$\_$c/) into the strong lux promoter and the reporter gene. However, the insertion of the structure ($\Omega$$\_$B/) into the intergenic region of the lux and the rib genes caused no significant change in expression from the CAT gene. In addition, the single stranded DNA in the same region was protected by the P. phosphoreum mRNA from the Sl nuclease protection assay. These results suggest that lux genes and rib genes are part of the same operon in P. phosphoreum.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.377-379
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• 1999

In order to improve the transfection efficiency of CHO/dhfr- cells using cationic lipid, optimal concentrations of the cationic lipid($LipofectAmine^{TM}$) and DNA(pEGFP-C1) need to be determined. The use of green fluorescent protein(GFP) gene as a reporter gene facilitated the quantification of transfection efficiency. The green fluorescence intensity of each cell transfected at various lipid-DNA concentrations was measured using fluorescence-activated cell sorter(FACS) analysis. A combination of $2.0{\mu}L$ cationic lipid and 0.4{$\mu}g$ DNA in a well resulted in the highest trasfection efficiency. Taken together, the method using FACS analysis of GFP is simple and fast, facilitating the optimization of transfection.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.756-762
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• 2003

In the current study, our research focused on the estrogenic activity of isoflavonoids, mainly genistein, biochanin A and daidzein. Genistein enhanced the reporter gene expression of MCF-7-ERE-Luc cells, at a concentration as low as 10 nM, with a concentration of 100 nM the achieved gene expression effects were similar to those of 10 pM 17$\beta$-estradiol. Based on the estrogenic activities of biochanin A and daidzein, hydroxyl groups at the 4 and 5 positions are needed for the maximal effect of the genistein. The estrogenic effects of these isoflavonoids were inhibited by the concomitant treatment with tamoxifen. The data showed that the estrogenic effects of isoflavonoids were mediated through estrogen receptors. When the isoflavonoids were tested as mixtures, the estrogenic effects were lower than the arithmetic sum of those induced by each individual isoflavonoid. The estrogenic potency of each isoflavonoid was presented at EC50 levels with a 17$\beta$-estradiol equivalent concentration (EEQ) based on the dose response of each chemical. The EC50s and EEQs of genistein, biochanin A and daidzein were 4.15, 0.89 and 0.18 $\mu$M, and 15.0, 5.12 and 1.83 $\mu$ M/M, respectively. Our data clearly demonstrated that the pERE-luciferase reporter gene assay was suited for the sensitive and quantitative measurement, and large scale screening, of the estrogenicity of chemicals in vitro.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.740-746
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• 2004

In order to identify the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of natural herbal extracts, widely used in the Korean traditional medicine, an in vitro screening system was designed using pGL3, a luciferase reporter vector, and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cyclooxygenase (COX)-II as target genes. The promoter regions of each gene was generated by PCR using the human chromosome as template DNA, and inserted into pGL3 vector with Kpnl and Hindlll. The final construct was transfected into human myleomonocytic leukemia cells (U937) that could be differentiated and activated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using this system, we tested the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of several herbal extracts being regarded to have the medicinal effects of diminishing the body heat and complementing Qi. The well-known chemicals of PD98059 and berberine chloride were used as controls of the transcriptional inhibitors of TNF-α and COX-II, respectively. Among them, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan-Sam) was found to exhibit the significant medicinal properties of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2006

This study was conducted to examine the effect of IRES controlled reporter gene on screening and production of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) proteins from cultured CHO cells. The cDNA was cloned for EPO from human liver cDNA Using site-directed mutagenesis, we generated recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) with two additional N-glycosylations (Novel erythropoiesis-stimulating protein: NESP). Wild type hEPO and NESP were cloned into expression vectors with GFP reporter gene under regulatory control of CMV promoter and IRES so that the vectors could express both rhEPO and GFP. The expression vectors were transfected to cultured CHO-K1 cells. Under microscopy, expression of GFP was visible. Using supernatant of the culture, ELISA assay, immunocytochemistry and in vitro assay using EPO dependant cell line were performed to estimate biological activity to compare the production characteristics (secretion levels, etc.) between rhEPO and NESP. The activity of NESP protein, obtained by mutagenesis, was described and compared with its rhEPO counterpart produced under same conditions. Although NESP had less secretion level in CHO cell line, the biological activity of NESP was greater than that of rhEPO. These results are consistent with previous researches. We also demonstrated that rhEPO and GFP proteins expressed simultaneously from transfected CHO cell line. Therefore we conclude that use of GFP reporter gene under IRES control could be used to screen and produce rhEPO in cultured CHO cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.288-296
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• 2005

Cytokines interleukin (IL) 12 and 23 play critical roles in linking innate and adaptive immune responses. They are members of heterodimeric cytokines, sharing a subunit p40. Although IL12/23 p40 is mainly induced in macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) after stimulation with microbial Toll-like receptor ligands, methods to monitor the cells that produce IL12/23 p40 in vivo are limited. Recently, the mouse model to track p40-expressing cells with fluorescent reporter, yellow fluorescent protein, has been developed. Macrophages and DCs from these mice faithfully reported p40 induction using the fluorescent marker. Here we took advantage of these reporter mice to screen bio-compounds for p40-inducing activity. After screening hundreds of compounds, we found several extracts inducing IL12/23 p40 gene expression. Treatment of DCs with these extracts induced the expression of MHC class II and co-stimulatory molecules, which implies that these might be useful as adjuvants. Next, the in vivo target immune cells of candidate compounds were examined. The reporter system can be useful to identify cells producing IL12 or IL23 in vivo as well as in vitro. Thus, our cytokine reporter system proved to be a valuable reagent for screening for immunostimulatory molecules and identification of target cells in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.4 s.114
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• pp.510-517
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• 2005

The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena is capable of both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation which probably facilitated its incredible adaptation and proliferation in freshwater environments. A small gene, patS, was found to block nitrogen fixing cells from developing which resulted in death of Anabaena in the absence of combined nitrogen sources. We analyzed the DNA sequences in the vicinity of the patS gene by using a codon usage program and detected no codon bias other than the patS open reading frame. Three overlapping cosmids that contain the patS gene were identified, and the presence of other known heterocyst-controlling genes was examined. The patS expression in response to nitrogen starvation was analyzed at the level of transcription and translation by using Northern blot analyses and lacZ-reporter-gene fusion experiments, respectively. The patS expression increased rapidly (within 12 hours) upon the removal of combined nitrogen from the media.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 2007

Approximately 2.0 kb of the promoter region of the Pichia pastoris phosphoglycerate kinase gene (PGK1) was reduced to a 266 bp fragment and this minimized portion was used for construction of a new episomal constitutive expression vector in P. pastoris. As an approach to developing a constitutive expression vector in P. pastoris, the GAP promoter region of the Pichia expression vector pGAPZB was replaced with sequentially deleted PGK1 promoter fragments fused to a beta-galactosidase gene. When a lacZ gene was used as a reporter gene, PGK1 promoter strength was lower than that of the constitutive GAP promoter but it was higher than TEF1. We report here the development of the pPGKZ-E vector as a new episomal expression vector for heterologous gene expression by removing non-essential regions of the PGK1 promoter. This broadens the choice of episomal expression vectors for controlled constitutive expression in P. pastoris.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.257-262
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• 2005

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated cotyledonary-node explants transformation was used to produce transgenic melon. Cotyledonary-node explants of melon (Cucumis melo L. cv. Super VIP) were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strains (LBA4404, GV3101, EHA101) containing the binary vector (pPTN289) carrying with CaMV 35S promoter-gus gene as reporter gene and NOS promoter-bar gene conferring resistance to glufosinate (herbicide Basta) as selective agent, and the binary vector (pPTN290) carrying with Ubiquitin promoter-GUS gene and NOS promoter-nptll gene conferring resistance to paromomycin as selective agent, respectively. The maximum transformation efficiency (0.12%) was only obtained from the cotyledonary-node explants co-cultivated with EHA101 strain (pPTN289) on selection medium with 5 mg/L glufosinate and not produced a transgenic melon from the cotyledon or cotyledonary-node co-cultivated with other strains. Finally, five plants transformed showed the resistance in glufosinate antibiotic and the GUS positive response in leaf ($T_0$), flower ($T_0$), seeds ($T_1$) and plantlet ($T_1$). Southern blot analysis revealed that the gus gene integrated into each genome of transgenic melon.