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OUTSTANDINGRESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS1. IDENTIFIED A MECHANISM TO ADJUST BIOSYNTHESIS OF RED TIDE-KILLINGSUBSTANCEResearcher Dr. Jihyun F. Kim I February 2010The biosynthesis adjustment mechanism of prodigiosin was successfully identified, which is asubstance produced by Hahella Chejuensis, a marine microbe that is separated from the MaradoIsland. The substance also kills red-tide plankton species. Through functional genetic analysis, theresearch team found a gene that controls biosynthesis, and the adjustment mechanism usingmolecular genetic techniques. Among 50 or so clones with genes that involve in the biosynthesis ofprodigiosin, the team discovered the fact that signal transduction which is composed of two proteinsis important to adjustment of prodigiosin’s biosynthesis; one is sensor proteins that recognize theexternal environmental conditions and the other is proteins that transduce the signal to a geneexpression system. It also proved that adjustment by non-coding RNA, which has not been widelyknown, plays a critical role to biosynthesis of pigment.2. FOUND A NEW COMMERCIALLY USEFUL MICROBEResearcher Dr. Jae Jun Song I March 2010A new commercially useful bacteria was found and published in the International Journal ofSystematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, a world-renowned British academic journal in themicrobial ecology, after naming it as “Jeongeupia Naejangsanesis.” In particular, while studyingsome commercially useful enzymes from renewable biomass, the research team separated a newstrain with excellent cellulose degrading activity from soil of the Mt. Naejang, in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk.The strain, Jeongeupia naejangsanensis, which was named after the place it was discovered, wasofficially approved around the world.5. SECURED SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH MATERIAL OF NATIVE PLANTS IN THEKOREAN PENINSULAResearcher Dr. Joong-Ku Lee I April 2010“The Illustrated Guide to the Seeds of Wild Plants in Korea” shows an external form and finestructure of seeds of 1,048 Korea’s native plants, collected by 70 or so participating researchersfrom the mountains and fields for the past decade. The book is systemized to allow easyidentification of the form and features of seeds, while providing standardization for each seed formthat is linked to another plant. The published illustrated book is also published as E-book and canbe easily searched and read through its website (http://www.seedbank.re.kr).6. IDENTIFIED ACTION PRINCIPLE OF THE ACCELERATION OF LIVER CANCERResearcher Dr. Young Il Yeom I May 2010It was identified how the signal transduction of TGF_, an anti-carcinogenic substance that controlscancer, accelerates the cancer in the liver cancer case. A new mechanism demonstrates howTGF_, the substance that patients with liver cancer usually secrete in large amount, accelerates thespread of cancer although it is an anti-carcinogenic bioactive material (cytokine).The research team found the existence of a uniquely formed molecular switch (CpG switch), whichis used when TGF_ expresses TTP gene. Also, it proved that the switch is paralyzed due to DNAmethylation, so that it made the cell come to have resistance to a cancer suppression function ofTGF_. It results in converting the function of TGF_’s signal transduction pathway from cancersuppressingmode to cancer- accelerating one.3. DEVELOPED A NEW GENOME WALKING TECHNIQUE TO SECURE USEFUL GENESResearcher Dr. Jung Hoon Sohn I April 2010Template-blocking PCR, a genome-walking technique that can use PCR to secure various usefulgenes with unknown genome information in a fast and accurate way, was developed to discovercellulose degrading enzyme gene, which is critical in the green bioenergy sector. The techniquemade it possible to extract cellulose degrading gene from Korea’s native cellulose degrading fungi.It was a gene that can produce cellulase, which is essential in the bioenergy production process.Currently, cellulase is recombined and produced in large quantities by using beer yeast, and it isbeing applied to researches for bioethanol production.7. ESTABLISHED THE WORLD’S FIRST YEAST LIBRARY AND DEVELOPED A SYSTEMTO RESEARCH DRUG ACTIONResearcher Dr. Kwang-Lae Hoe I May 2010A yeast library was established, securing 5,000 strains of mutants that only one of the genes isremoved from yeast, and a system was developed to allow the search by microarray. The researchresult was published on the on-line Nature Biotechnology on May 16, 2010. Through thedevelopment of the new system and study using the yeast library, the research team discovered500 strains of new cancer-related genes for the first time in the world, and is currently identifying anew action mechanism.4. DEVELOPED NATURAL SUBSTANCE TO TREAT THE COLDResearcher Dr. Mun-Chual Rho I April 2010“KR-200” and “KR-200-glucoside,” biomaterials that have an excellent anti-virus effect against thecold virus and a treatment effect against inflammation caused by virus infection were developed.They were applied for domestic and overseas patents, and the core technology related to them wastransferred at KRW 10 billion for license fee. The two biomaterials were separated from herbalextracts and fractions, and have an excellent anti-virus effect against rhinovirus and coxsackievirus,the common cold viruses. At the same time, they were proven to have some treatment effectsagainst inflammation by controlling various inflammatory factors caused by viral infection.8. DISCOVERED GENE COMPLEX RELATED TO PROGRESSION AND PROGNOSISOF BLADDER CANCERResearcher Dr. In-Sun Chu I May 2010A new gene expression pattern, which can discern progression and prognosis of bladder cancer,was identified using genome and bioinformatics technique. The research team studied expressionpatterns of entire genes using DNA chip which were put in 233 bladder tissue samples, includingtumor samples of 165 bladder cancer patients. As a result, it discovered core gene complex, whichare closely related to progression of prognosis of bladder cancer, and provided the grounds for newdiagnostic technique.112 KRIBB Annual Report 2010KRIBB Annual Report 2010 113