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Eun-Ju Jeong

Publications and source records attributed to Eun-Ju Jeong.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparative microarray analysis of programmed cell death induced by proteasome malfunction and hypersensitive response in plants.

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a pivotal role in the elimination of injured or unwanted cells during diverse physiological and developmental conditions in organisms. However in contrast to the animal system, signaling pathways and molecular mechanism of PCD are largely unknown in plants. We previously reported that silencing of NbPAF encoding the alpha6 subunit of 20S proteasome by virus-induced gene silencing activated programmed cell death in plants by inactivating proteasome function. In this study, we analyzed global gene expression profile of PCD induced by suppression of NbPAF expression, in comparison with that of hypersensitive response (HR)-induced PCD, using a cDNA microarray representing 4685 hot pepper genes. HR is a well-characterized PCD program in plants, which occurs in response to pathogen infection. The microarray analyses identified 247 genes whose gene expression was differentially modulated during PCD activated by NbPAF depletion or HR. Most of the genes that were up-regulated during the NbPAF-mediated PCD, including the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway-related genes, were down-regulated during HR cell death. In contrast, transcription of many defense-related genes, transcription factor genes, and photosynthesis-related genes remained unchanged or repressed during NbPAF-mediated PCD, while it was highly induced during HR cell death. Only a small number of genes including antioxidant-related genes and proteases were found to be up-regulated during induction of PCD by both proteasome inactivation and HR. Based on these results, these two PCD pathways appear to be differentially regulated, but some overlapping mechanism exists, which involves core regulators of plant PCD.

Apoptosis↗

Surface plasmon resonance imaging analysis of protein-protein interactions using on-chip-expressed capture protein.

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system, combined with a microwell gold chip for on-chip cell cultivation, was used to monitor protein-protein interactions. In particular, we developed an on-chip microscale cell cultivation system that integrates cell culture and on-chip analysis of protein-protein interactions on a single microwell chip in a time- and labor-saving manner. To assess the performance of this system in the analysis of protein-protein interactions, we conducted a series of protein-protein interaction analyses by measuring the binding of the yeast GAL4 dimerization domain (GAL4DD) to the GAL11 protein (GAL11P). Our system was found to enable the simple and rapid analysis of protein-protein interactions, requiring no special cell culturing equipment or recombinant protein expression prior to the immobilization of the purified proteins onto the chip. Our results demonstrate that the combination of an on-chip cell cultivation system and an SPR imaging system can be a useful tool to study protein-protein interactions without the need for time-consuming and labor-intensive protein preparation steps as well as fluorescent or other labeling of the interactants.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗

Monitoring of conformational change in maltose binding protein using split green fluorescent protein.

In this study, we describe a novel method for the detection of conformational changes in proteins, which is predicated on the reconstitution of split green fluorescent protein (GFP). We employed fluorescence complementation assays for the monitoring of the conformationally altered proteins. In particular, we used maltose binding protein (MBP) as a model protein, as MBP undergoes a characteristic hinge-twist movement upon substrate binding. The common feature of this approach is that GFP, as a reporter protein, splits into two non-fluorescent fragments, which are genetically fused to the N- and C-termini of MBP. Upon binding to maltose, the chromophores move closer together, resulting in the generation of fluorescence. This split GFP method also involves the reconstitution of GFP, which is determined via observations of the degree to which fluorescence intensity is restored. As a result, reconstituted GFP has been observed to generate fluorescence upon maltose binding in vitro, thereby allowing for the direct detection of changes in fluorescence intensity in response to maltose, in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. Our findings showed that the fluorescence complementation assay can be used to monitor the conformational alterations of a target protein, and this ability may prove useful in a number of scientific and medical applications.

Carrier Proteins↗

Detection of Bax protein conformational change using a surface plasmon resonance imaging-based antibody chip.

We describe an antibody chip technology that uses a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system to examine the conformational change of a protein. In this study, we used Bax protein, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins, as a model protein to investigate the conformational alteration triggered by a TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a potent inducer of apoptosis. To develop the antibody chip for detecting the Bax conformational change, we immobilized Bax monoclonal antibody 6A7, which recognizes only a conformationally changed Bax protein on a gold surface. The resultant immobilized Bax antibodies provided specific and accurate measurements of the active conformation-specific epitope in the apoptotic cancer cells treated with the TRAIL; these measurements corresponded to the data obtained by immunoprecipitation analysis using an active conformation-specific Bax antibody (6A7). The results of our study indicated that TRAIL-induced Bax structural change could be monitored quickly and simply using an SPR imaging system, thus demonstrating the potential for using such a system for the analysis of conformational properties of target proteins.

Antibodies↗

Differentiation of Anaplasmataceae through partial groEL gene analysis.

The nucleotide sequences (287 bp) of the partial groEL gene from 14 reference strains of Anaplasmataceae were determined and compared. A partial groEL gene is useful for the identification and characterization of Anaplasmataceae, in spite of its short nucleotide sequences.

Anaplasmataceae↗

Rapid and simple identification of Orientia tsutsugamushi from other group rickettsiae by duplex PCR assay using groEL gene.

In this study, two new duplex PCR methods based on the groEL gene were developed and investigated for the diagnosis of rickettsiae. The first duplex PCR assay amplified the 229-bp and the 366-bp DNAs of 6 strains including typhus group (TG) and spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, and 5 scrub typhus group (STG) rickettsiae, respectively. The second duplex PCR assay amplified the 397-bp and the 213-bp DNAs of 6 Rickettsia strains and 5 STG strains. These duplex PCR methods could simultaneously perform the rapid identification of rickettsiae and the differential diagnosis of STG and other group rickettsiae in a single reaction.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗