• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.1521_1522
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• 2009

Chemotaxis is the directed movement of cells in gradients of signaling molecules, an essential biological process that underlies morhpogenesis during development, and the recruitment of immune cells to sites of infection. Especially, bacterial chemotaxis has utilized as an important prelude to study metabolism, prey-predator relationship, symbiosis, other ecological interactions in microbial communities. Recently, novel analytical formats integrated with microfluidics were introduced to investigate the chemotaxis of the cells with the precise control of chemical gradient and small volume of cells. In this study, we present a method to detect bacterial chemotaxis by direct fluidic contacting. The developed fluidic-handling method is driven by capillary force, hydrophobic barrier and a cohesion force between fluids. We have investigated the chemotactic response of E Coli. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to three kinds of chemoeffectors such as HEPES buffer, peptone and chloroform.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2009

Cell migration is one of the essential mechanisms responsible for complex biological processes. Intensive researches have begun to elucidate the mechanisms and search intriguing conditions for efficient control of cell migration. One general mechanism that is widely applicable for cells including Escherichia coli, amoebae and endothelial cell is chemotaxis. The single cell study for bacterial chemotaxis has an advantage over studies with the population of cells in providing a clearer observation of cell migration, which leads to more accurate assessments of chemotaxis. In this paper, we propose a three-dimensional model considering a single bacterium to study its chemotaxis. The semi-implicit Fourier spectral method is applied for high efficiency and numerical stability. The simulation results reveal rich dynamics of cell migration and provide quantitative assessments of bacterial chemotaxis with various chemoattractant gradient fields.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.190-200
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• 2016

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial leaf blight (BLB) in rice (Oryza sativa L.). In this study, we investigated the effect of a mutation in opsX (XOO1056), which encodes a saccharide biosynthesis regulatory protein, on the virulence and bacterial chemotaxis of Xoo. We performed DNA micro-array analysis, which showed that 63 of 2,678 genes, including genes related to bacterial motility (flagellar and chemotaxis proteins) were significantly downregulated ($<\;-2\;log_2$ fold changes) by the mutation in opsX. Indeed, motility assays showed that the mutant strain was nonmotile on semisolid agar swarm plates. In addition, a mutant strain (opsX::Tn5) showed decreased virulence against the susceptible rice cultivar, IR24. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR reaction was performed to confirm the expression levels of these genes, including those related to flagella and chemotaxis, in the opsX mutant. Our findings revealed that mutation of opsX affects both virulence and bacterial motility. These results will help to improve our understanding of Xoo and provide insight into Xoo-rice interactions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.160-163
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• 2001

In order to investigate the role of bacterial chemotaxis in root colonization, the chemotaxis potential of bacteria isolated from spinach roots was compared with that of bacteria from nonhizosphere soil, with reference to the plant age (1,000 isolates), soil moisture conditons (1,400 isolates), and part of the root (200 isolates). The % CT (% occurrence of chemotaxis (+) isolates among total bacterial isoltes) of the root isolates significantlyfluctuated during the plant growth period, reaching a maximum after 10-15 days of growth. At this time period, the maximum % CT for the root isolates was around 70-80% CT under a soil moisture 50% WFP (% volume of water-filled pores in total soil pores), and then gradually reduced with an increasing % WFP. The results of the chemotaxis potential of each of the 100 islates from the spinach roots and nonrhizosphere soil under various % WFP demonstrated that the % CT of the root isolates were significantly higher than those of solates from the nonrhizosphere soil under a wide range of soil moisture content (35-80% WFP). Furthermore, the % CT value (80%) from the upper root was significantly higher than tht (55%) from the lower root. Compared with the % CT values of the roots, the values from the nonrhizosphere soil did not significantly vary relative to the plant age of % WFP. These results indicate that chemotaxis would appear to be a major factor in bacterial root colonization.

• The Microorganisms and Industry
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.14-18
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• 1986

Barcterial chemotaxis is a transient response of an organism in a situation where environmental homogeneity has been disturbed by certain chemical compounds. The phenomenon has been described in motile bacterial species including enteric bacteria, Gram-positives(14), Spirochaetes (6) and even Archaebacteria (8). However, most comprehensive studies have been done with Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Two analogies to higher eucaryotic sensory phenomena are provided by the study of bacterial chemotaxis. First, bacterial chemotaxis is similar to the stimulus-response of neuronal, immune and sperm cells. Second, studies of individual components involved in the bacterial sensory pathway can contribute to the understanding of the function of receptors, controling signals and molecular comparators in transmembrane signalling system. The bacterial sensory transducer, a chemoreceptor in a broad sense, is a unique entity for studying sensory function in which sensory reception, signalling and adaptation are integrated (7,18).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.523-529
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• 2010

Recently, several research groups have been investigating the motion of flagellated bacteria, with the aim of examining the feasibility of using bacterial chemotaxis as an efficient power source for microactuators. In this study, microparticle-tracking velocimetry ($\mu$-PTV) is used for investigating the motion of fluorescent microbeads propelled by bacterial chemotaxis. Flagellated bacteria, Serratia marcescens, are spontaneously attached to the surface of the fluorescent polystyrene (PS) microbeads in an aqueous culture. The microbeads thus treated are injected into the test medium, which contains the solidified chemoattractant L-aspartate. With time, the particles slowly move toward the zone in which the L-aspartate concentration is high. This study shows that chemotaxis of flagellated bacteria can be applied as an efficient power source for microactuators.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2014

The Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm is a swarm intelligence optimization algorithm. This paper first analyzes the chemotaxis, as well as elimination and dispersal operation, based on the basic Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm. The elimination and dispersal operation makes a bacterium which has found or nearly found an optimal position escape away from that position, which greatly affects the convergence speed of the algorithm. In order to avoid this escape, the sphere of action of the elimination and dispersal operation can be altered in accordance with the generations of evolution. Secondly, we put forward an algorithm of an adaptive adjustment of step length we called improved bacterial foraging optimization (IBFO) after making a detailed analysis of the impacts of the step length on the efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm, based on chemotaxis operation. The classic test functions show that the convergence speed and accuracy of the IBFO algorithm is much better than the original algorithm.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.58.2-58.2
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• 2005

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.31 no.3 s.258
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• pp.209-216
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• 2007

Bacterial chemotaxis is essential to the study of structure and function of bacteria. Although many studies have accumulated the knowledge about chemotaxis in the past, the motion of a single bacterium has not been studied much yet. In this study, we have developed a device microfabricated by soft lithography and consisting of microfluidic channels. The microfluidic assay generates a concentration gradient of chemoattractant linearly in the main channel by only diffusion of the chemicals. Bacteria are injected into the main channel in a single row by hydrodynamic focusing technique. We measured the velocity of bacteria in response to a given concentration gradient of chemoattractant using the microfludic assay, optical systems with CCD camera and simple PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) algorithm. The advantage of this assay and experiment is to measure the velocity of a single bacterium and to quantify the degree of chemotaxis by statistically analyzing the velocity at the same time. Specifically, we measured and analyzed the motility of Escherichia coli strain RP437 in response to various concentration gradients of L-aspartate statistically and quantitatively by using this microfluidic assay. We obtained the probability density of the velocity while RP437 cells are swimming and tumbling in the presence of the linear concentration gradient of L-aspartate, and quantified the degree of chemotaxis by analyzing the probability density.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.25 no.4 s.34
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• pp.111-121
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• 1999

Acne vulgaris, the most common skin disease. can be formed as only a few comedons or severe inflammatory lesions. The pathogenesis of acne involves various factors; excessive androgen, excessive sebum production, abnormal alteration of follicular epithelium, proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes, and inflammation. We investigated acne therapy using oriental herbs described in the Korean traditional medical book(Dong-ui-bo-gam). Oriental herbs(Angelica daurica, Arctium lappa, Coptidis rhizoma, and Glycyrrhiza glabra) were chosen based on their respective property of sebum control, anti-inflammatory activity, and anti-bacterial activity. We examined the effect of acne treatment, in terms of chemotactic inhibition, lipogenesis inhibition, and anti-bacterial activity for P. acnes. 1. Neutrophil chemotaxis assay; P. acnes secrete chemotactic factors and other pro-inflammatory extracellular products. Neutrophil chemotactic activity of P. acnes was measured by 48-well chemotaxis method. Angelica daurica clearly suppressed chemotactic activity of P. acnes. 2. Using sebaceous gland of hamster ear lipogenesis assay; Sebaceous lipogenesis was measured using ear biopsies by incubation or $C^{14}$-acetate in culture media. The $C^{14}$-labeled lipids were extracted and determined by liquid scintilation counting. Coptidis rhizoma markedly inhibited sebum production. 3. Anti-bacterial assay for P. acnes(MIC test); Glycyrrhiza glabra showed anti-bacterial activity. P. acnes did not develop resistance against Glycyrrhiza glabra. Retinoids are effectively to inhibit sebum production and regulate follicular keratinization process, with little anti-inflammatory activity. Angelica daurica suppressed neutrophil chemotaxis, Coptidis rhizoma inhibited sebum production, and Glycyrrhiza glabra showed anti-bacterial activity against P. acnes. A combined formulation of Angelica daurica, Coptidis rhizoma. and Glycyrrhiza glabra is expected to provide effective acne treatment.