• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.65.1-65.1
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• 2013

Icy dust particles in interstellar clouds are considered to play a catalytic role in molecular evolution in space. Atoms and simple molecules constituting the ice mantles of dust particles may be transformed into more complex molecules under the irradiation of UV and cosmic rays. This seminar will present our recent study results for chemistry of ice surfaces, with the emphases on the mechanistic features of elementary reactions and the implications for interstellar molecular evolution. The types of reactions studied include molecule diffusion in ice, proton and hydroxide transfers, and some UV-induced reactions wih astrobiological relevance.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2007

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), synthesized in the hypothalamus, plays a pivotal role in the regulation of vertebrate reproduction. Since molecular isoforms of GnRH and their receptors (GnRHR) have been isolated in a broad range of vertebrate species, GnRH and GnRHR provide an excellent model for understanding the molecular co-evolution of a peptide ligand-receptor pair. Vertebrate species possess multiple forms of GnRH, which have been created through evolutionary mechanisms such as gene/chromosome duplication, gene deletion and modification. Similar to GnRHs, GnRH receptors (GnRHR) have also been diversified evolutionarily. Comparative ligand-receptor interaction studies for non-mammalian and mammalian GnRHRs combined with mutational mapping studies of GnRHRs have aided the identification of domains or motifs responsible for ligand binding and receptor activation. Here we discuss the molecular basis of GnRH-GnRHR co-evolution, particularly the structure-function relationship regarding ligand selectivity and signal transduction of mammalian and non-mammalian GnRHRs.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.75-81
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• 2008

Rates of molecular evolution are known to vary widely among taxonomic groups. A number of studies, examining various taxonomic groups, have indicated that body size is negatively and clutch size is positively correlated with the rates of nucleotide substitutions among vertebrate species. Generally, either smaller body mass or larger clutch size is associated with shorter generation times and higher metabolic rates. However, this generality is subject to ongoing debate, and large-scale comparative studies of species below the Order level are lacking. In this study, phylogenetically independent methods were used to test for relationships between rates of the mitochondrial cytochrome b evolution and a range of life history traits, such as body mass and clutch size in the Order Galliformes. This analysis included data from 67 species of Galliformes birds and 2 outgroup species in Anseriformes. In contrast to previous studies, taxa were limited to within-Order level, not to Class or higher. I found no evidence to support an effect of life history traits on the rate of molecular evolution within the Galliformes. These results suggest that such relationship may be too weak to be observed in comparisons of closely related species or may not be a general pattern that is applicable to all nucleotide sequences or all taxonomic groups.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2024

Directed evolution (DE) of desired locus by targeted random mutagenesis (TRM) tools is a powerful approach for generating genetic variations with novel or improved functions, particularly in complex genomes. TRM-based DE involves developing a mutant library of targeted DNA sequences and screening the variants for the desired properties. However, DE methods have for a long time been confined to bacteria and yeasts. Lately, CRISPR/Cas and DNA deaminase-based tools that circumvent enduring barriers such as longer life cycle, small library sizes, and low mutation rates have been developed to facilitate DE in native genetic environments of multicellular organisms. Notably, deaminase-based base editing-TRM (BE-TRM) tools have greatly expanded the scope and efficiency of DE schemes by enabling base substitutions and randomization of targeted DNA sequences. BE-TRM tools provide a robust platform for the continuous molecular evolution of desired proteins, metabolic pathway engineering, creation of a mutant library of desired locus to evolve novel functions, and other applications, such as predicting mutants conferring antibiotic resistance. This review provides timely updates on the recent advances in BE-TRM tools for DE, their applications in biology, and future directions for further improvements.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 1998

How did nature create the first set of genes at the beginning of life on Earth? One of the goals of molecular biology is to elucidate the fundamental rules governing how genes and, therefore, proteins were created. Through experiments carried out in the emerging field of "in vitro" or "benchtop" evolution studies, we are gaining new insights into the origins of genes and proteins as well as the origins of their functions (e.g., catalysis). In this review, I present an overview of recent experimental approaches to the question of the origin and evolution of genes. In addition, I will introduce a novel in vitro protein emergence system that was recently developed in my laboratory.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2001

The dynamic evolution process has resulted in the myriad shapes, functions, and systems evident in every living organism. For centuries, people have been harnessing the power of evolution to produce new varieties of plants and animals, such as producing tomatoes from berries and Chihuahuas from wolves. Now scientists are using it to produce better molecules, ranging from drugs to industrial chemicals, and doing it in days or weeks rather than eons. The ingenious process, which creates genetic diversity and selects those with desired features in the laboratory, is called directed evolution or test tube evolution. In this paper, concepts of directed molecular evolution and some examples will be discussed.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.102-111
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• 2015

The karyotypes of most species of crocodilians were studied using conventional and molecular cytogenetics. These provided an important contribution of chromosomal rearrangements for the evolutionary processes of Crocodylia and Sauropsida (birds and reptiles). The karyotypic features of crocodilians contain small diploid chromosome numbers (30~42), with little interspecific variation of the chromosome arm number (fundamental number) among crocodiles (56~60). This suggested that centric fusion and/or fission events occurred in the lineage, leading to crocodilian evolution and diversity. The chromosome numbers of Alligator, Caiman, Melanosuchus, Paleosuchus, Gavialis, Tomistoma, Mecistops, and Osteolaemus were stable within each genus, whereas those of Crocodylus (crocodylians) varied within the taxa. This agreed with molecular phylogeny that suggested a highly recent radiation of Crocodylus species. Karyotype analysis also suggests the direction of molecular phylogenetic placement among Crocodylus species and their migration from the Indo-Pacific to Africa and The New World. Crocodylus species originated from an ancestor in the Indo-Pacific around 9~16 million years ago (MYA) in the mid-Miocene, with a rapid radiation and dispersion into Africa 8~12 MYA. This was followed by a trans-Atlantic dispersion to the New World between 4~8 MYA in the Pliocene. The chromosomes provided a better understanding of crocodilian evolution and diversity, which will be useful for further study of the genome evolution in Crocodylia.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.35.3-35.3
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• 2015

The central molecular zone (CMZ) is a region of rich molecular gas located in the inner few hundred parsecs in barred spiral galaxies. We study the size and morphology evolution of the CMZ of Milky Way-like galaxies both in isolation and in interaction by using N-body/hydrodynamic simulations. Specifically, we examine the gas flows and star formation activities in the central region of the galaxies. We focus in particular on the effects of galaxy interactions, including flybys and minor mergers, on the evolution of the CMZ.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.617-623
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• 2003

Organisms living in the Arctic and Antarctic regions are exposed to strong constraints, of which temperature is a driving factor. Evolution has led to special adaptations, some with important implications at the biochemical, physiological, and molecular levels. The northern and southern polar oceans have very different characteristics. Tectonic and oceanographic events have played a key role in delimiting the two polar ecosystems and influencing evolution. Antarctica has been isolated and cold longer than the Arctic; its ice sheet developed at least 10 million years earlier. As an intermediate system, the Arctic is a connection between the more extreme, simpler Antarctic system and the very complex temperate and tropical systems. By studying the molecular bases of cold adaptation in polar fish, and taking advantage of the information available on hemoglobin structure and function, we analysed the evolutionary history of the ${\alpha}\;and\;{\beta}globins$ of Antarctic and Arctic hemoglobin using the molecular clock hypothesis as a basis for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.215-228
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• 1999

To choose one or more appropriate molecular markers or gene regions for resolving a particular systematic question among the organisms at a certain categorical level is still a very difficult process. The primary goal of this review, therefore, is to provide a theoretical information in choosing one or more molecular markers or gene regions by illustrating general properties and phylogenetic utilities of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that have been most commonly used for phylogenetic researches. The highly conserved molecular markers and/or gene regions are useful for investigating phylogenetic relationships at higher categorical levels (deep branches of evolutionary history). On the other hand, the hypervariable molecular markers and/or gene regions are useful for elucidating phylogenetic relationships at lower categorical levels (recently diverged branches). In summary, different selective forces have led to the evolution of various molecular markers or gene regions with varying degrees of sequence conservation. Thus, appropriate molecular markers or gene regions should be chosen with even greater caution to deduce true phylogenetic relationships over a broad taxonomic spectrum.