Joon-Ki Chung

Transmission of iridovirus from freshwater ornamental fish (pearl gourami) to marine fish (rock bream)

Freshwater pearl gourami Trichogaster leeri and seawater rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus infected by the iridoviruses PGIV-SP and IVS-1 were carrying similar numbers of viral particles (2.52 x 10(8) and 2.46 x 10(8) viral genome copies mg(-1) spleen tissue, respectively). The viral genome copy number for both iridoviruses decreased much faster in seawater than in freshwater, reaching a concentration of less than 0.5%, versus 26 to 54% in freshwater, after 4 d of incubation at 25 degrees C. The decrease in copy number altered the infectivity of the viruses, as reflected by the decreased cumulative mortality of rock bream injected intraperitoneally with the incubated iridoviruses. Moreover, uninfected rock bream cohabitated with PGIV-SP-challenged rock bream showed 100% cumulative mortality; a similar experiment using IVS-1 had the same result, implying the potential for iridoviral transmission from freshwater ornamental fish to marine fish even in a marine environment. Of 58 outwardly healthy marine fish groups collected from various markets, 2 rock bream groups and 1 sea perch group Lateolabrax sp. tested positive for PGIV-SP by 2-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thus, PGIV-SP from freshwater ornamental fish may have crossed both environmental and species barriers to infect marine fish such as rock bream.

Induction of differentiation of the cultured rat mammary epithelial cells by triterpene acids

We investigated the effects of triterpene acids (TAs), ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA), on the induction of proliferation and differentiation of normal rat mammary epithelial cells (RMEC) or organoids cultured in Matrigel or primary culture system. To elucidate the effects, we tested their differentiation inducing activities with intercellular communication ability, cell cycle patterns, induction of apoptosis, and morphological differentiation in the three dimensional extracellular culture system. To study the changes of RMEC subpopulation in culture, the cultured cells were isolated, immunostained with peanut lectin (PNA) and anti-Thy-1.1 antibody and then analyzed with flow cytometry. Four different subpopulations, such as PNA and Thy-1.1 negative cells (B-), PNA positive cells (PNA+), Thy-1.1 positive cells (Thy-1.1+), PNA and Thy-1.1 positive cells (B+), were obtained and the size of each subpopulation was changed in culture with time in the presence of TAs. Intercellular communication was observed in culture for 7 days in TAs-treated cells, but not in culture for 4 days with scrape-loading dye transfer technique. G2/M phase cells and the number of apoptotic population were increased in TAs-treated groups in cell cycle analyses. S phase fractions were reduced and the change of G1 phase cells was not observed. The colonies with distinct multicellular structures, such as stellate, ductal, webbed, squamous, lobulo-ductal colonies, were observed in Matrigel culture and the frequencies of each colony were changed in the presence of TAs. These results suggest that UA and OA have differentiation inducing effects on rat mammary epithelial cells in primary or in Matrigel culture.

Molecular Analysis and Enzymatic Characterization of Cathepsin B from Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Papain family중 하나인 cysteine protease는 근골격계 질환 치료를 위한target molecule로 인식 되어왔으며 Cathepsin B 는 단백질 분해의 초기과정에 관여하는 cysteine proteases 중 하나이다. 본 연구는 넙치의 cathepsin B 유전자의 발현 양상과 넙치 cathepsin B(PoCtB)의 클로닝, 발현 및 효소특성을 분석하였다. cDNA Library Screening을 이용하여 넙치의 cDNA를 클로닝하였다. 넙치의 동정된 cathepsin B 유전자는 993bp의 open reading frame과 330개의 아미노산으로 이루어져있다. Cathepsin B의 propeptide region 내에 GNFD motif와 occluding loop 가 존재함으로써 이것이 명백하게 cathepsin B group이라는 것을 보여주며, 계통 유전학적 분석 결과 다른 종의 cathepsin B에 비해 초창기에 분화되어 나온 것으로 사료된다. mature enzyme인 maPoCtB은 fusion protein인 glutathione S-transferase를 포함하는 pGEX-4T-1 vector에 삽입하여 E.coli 균주인 DH5α 내에 발현시켰다. 재조합 단백질인 PoCtB을 과발현 시킨 결과 53kDa의 분자량을 가진다. 넙치 cathepsin B 활성은 Z-Arg-Arg-AMC와 같은 fluorogenic 펩타이드 기질을 이용하여 측정되었고 적정 pH는 pH.7.5 이다.

Cloning, Expression Analysis and Enzymatic Characterization of Cathepsin L from the Inshore Hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri)

Hagfish which belongs to the chordate contact cyclostomata, is important phylogenetic relationship between vertebrate and invertebrate. Cathepsins of the cysteine protease family have traditionally been thought to play a major role in intracellular protein degradation and turnover in lysosomes. In this study, Catepsin L was cloned from Inshore hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri), the cDNA encoding ORF of the Eptatretus burgeri Cathepsin L (EbCtL) is 978 bp. The cDNA encoding proEbCtL was expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3) using the pGEX-4T-1 expression vector system. The recombinant proEbCtL protein was overexpressed as a approximately 55 kDa fusion protein. The overproduced soluble GST-fusion protein was then applied to glutathione-Sepharose 4B column chromatography; the sample harboring the fusion protein evidenced a high degree of purity when analyzed via SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Its activity was quantied by cleaving the synthetic peptide Z-FR-AMC, Z-LLE-AMC, and Suc-AAF-AMC, and the optimal pH for the protease activity was 8, 9.5, and 9, respectively.

Molecular Cloning, Expression Analysis and Enzymatic Characterization of Elastase-like Serine Protease from the Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

넙치 (Paralichthys olivaceus)로부터 elastase-like serine protease (PoElSp)를 암호화하는 cDNA를 클로닝하여 그 서열을 분석한 결과, PoElSp 유전자는 269 아미노산을 암호화하는 978염기쌍으로 구성되었다. PoElSp 유전자의 조직 특이적 발현 양상을 RT-PCR법으로 조사한 결과, 간, 비장 및 소장에서 그 발현이 크게 나타났다. lipopolysaccharide (LPS)로 인위적 세균감염을 유도한 후, 1시간째에 콩팥에서, 3시간째에는 근육에서, PoElSp 유전자의 발현이 크게 증가하였다. 또한, 이 유전자의 발현은 비장에서 LPS 주입 후 1-24시간동안 점차로 증가하였다. pro-mature PoElSp (proPoElSp)에 해당하는 cDNA를 pET32a 벡터 시스템을 이용하여 대장균에서 발현시켰다. 이 재조합 proPoElSp 단백질의 활성은 gelatin zymography 방법과 합성형광 Z-Phe-Arg-AMC의 분해법을 이용하여 측정하였다. 단백질 분해효소 활성을 위한 최적 pH는 7.5였다. 실험결과들을 종합하면, PoElSp 단백질은 면역 반응에서 중추적 역할을 하리라 판단된다.