• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.210-220
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• 1996

Background : Neutrophils or monocytes separated in vitro by the adherence to plastic surface are known to be activated by surface adherence itself and subsequent experimental data might be altered by surface adherence. In the process of surface adherence, adhesion molecules have a clear role in intracellular signal pathway of cellular activation. Human alveolar macrophages(HAM) are frequently purified by the adherence procedure after bronchoalveolar lavage. But the experimental data of many reports about alveolar macrophages have ignored the possibility of adhesion-induced cellular activation. Method : Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in the person whose lung of either side was confirmed to be normal by chest CT. With the measurement of hydrogen peroxide release from adherent HAM to plastic surface and non-adherent HAM with or without additional stimulation of phorbol myristate acetate(PMA) or N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), we observed the effect of the adherence to plastic surface. We also evaluated the effect of various biological surfaces on adhesion-induced activation of HAM. Then, to define the intracellular pathway of signal transduction, pretreatment with cycloheximide, pertussis toxin and anti-CD11/CD18 monoclonal antibody was done and we measured hydrogen peroxide in the culture supernatant of HAM. Results : 1) The adherence itself to plastic surface directly stimulated hydrogen peroxide release from human alveolar macrophages and chemical stimuli such as phorbol myristate acetate(PMA) or N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine(fMLP) colud not increase hydrogen peroxide release in these adherent macrophages which is already activated. 2) PMA activated human alveolar macrophages irrespective of the state of adhesion. However, fMLP stimulated the release of hydrogen peroxide from the adherent macrophages, but not from the non-adherent macrophages. 3) HAM adherent to A549 cell(type II alveolar epithelium-like human cell line) monolayer released more hydrogen peroxide in response to both PMA and fMLP. This adherence-dependent effect of fMLP was blocked by pretreatment of macrophages with cycloheximide, pertussis toxin and anti-CD18 monoclonal antibody, Conclusion : These results suggest that the stimulatory effect of PMA and fMLP can not be found in adherent macrophage because of the activation of human alveolar macrophage by the adherence to plastic surface and the cells adhered to biologic surface such as alveolar epithelial cells are appropriately responsive to these stimuli. It is also likely that the effect of fMLP on the adherent macrophage requires new protein synthesis via G protein pathway and is dependent on the adhesion between alveolar macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells by virtue of CD11/CD18 adhesion molecules.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.119-125
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• 1996

In order to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for fumonisins, production of specific antibodies, establishment of ELISA conditions, and quantitation of the toxin from spiked corns by ELISA were performed. Fumonisin $B_1(FB_1)$ conjugated to cholera toxin (CT) with or without Freund's adjuvant was subcutaneously injected into 2 groups of rabbits. When the titer of the antisera produced by each rabbit was tested, higher titer was observed in case of the immunization with the adjuvant. By use of the antiserum showing the highest titer (1:16,000) and its purified antibodies, competitive indirect and direct ELISA's (ciELISA and cdELISA) were established, respectively. When the cross-reactivity of the antibody against fumonisin analogs was investigated by the ciELISA, it was very low against $B_3$ (2%) but high against fumonisin $B_2$ (179%). The sensitivity of the ELISAs was also very high, because the detection limit for $FB_1$ was 0.03 ppb in ciELISA and 0.3 ppb in cdELISA. When the ELISA's were applied to the spiked corns after extraction with 75% methanol, the assay recovery of $FB_1$ was too unstable to assay. However, when cleanup by strong anion exchange (SAX) cartridge was introduced to remove interfering materials, the mean ELISA recovery of $FB_1$ from corns spiked to 3~10 ppm was found to be 34.0% and stable (mean of CV, 8.2%).

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.281-286
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• 2006

Tolaasin, a pore-forming toxin, is a 1,985 Da peptide produced by Pseudomonas tolaasii and causes a brown blotch disease on cultivated mushrooms. Tolaasin forms pores on the plasma membrane of various cells including fungi, bacteria, plant as well as erythrocytes, and destroys cell structure. $Zn^{+2}$ has been known to block the tolaasin activity by an unknown mechanism. Thus, we investigated the inhibitory effects of $Zn^{+2}$ on the tolaasin-induced hemolysis to understand the molecular mechanism of tolaasin-induced pore formation. $Zn^{+2}$ and $Cd^{+2}$ inhibited the tolaasin-induced hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner and their Ki values were 170 ${\mu}M$ and 20 mM, respectively. The effect of $Zn^{+2}$ was reversible since the subsequent addition of EDTA chelates $Zn^{+2}$ and removes the inhibitory effect of $Zn^{+2}$. When an osmotic protectant, PEG 2000, was added, the tolaasin-induced hemolysis was not observed. After the removal of osmotic protectant by centrifugation, resuspended erythrocytes with fresh medium were immediately hemolyzed, while the addition of $Zn^{+2}$ prevented from hemolysis, implying that tolaasin-induced pores on the membrane were already formed in the medium containing osmotic protectant. These results suggest that $Zn^{+2}$ inhibits the activity of tolaasin pores and it has minor effects on the membrane binding of tolaasin and the formation of pore.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2000

Tolaasin is a peptide toxin produced by Pseudomonas tolaasii and causes a brown blotch disease forming brown, slightly sunken spots and blotches on the cultivated mushrooms. It is a lipodepsipeptide consisting of 18 amino acids and its molecular mass is 1,985 Da. It forms a pore in plasma membranes, resulting in the disruption of membranes of fungal, bacterial, plant, and animal cells as well as mushroom tissue. In order to measure the toxicity of tolaasin, erythrocytes of blood were used to evaluate the tolaasin-induced hemolysis. Hemolytic activity of tolaasin was measured by observing the absorbance change either at 420 nm, representing the release of hemoglobins from red blood cells(RBCs), or at 600 nm, representing the density of residual cells. The hemolytic activity of culture-extract of P. tolaasii increased at early-stationary phase of growth and was maximal at late stationary phase. The hemolytic activity of tolaasin appeared high in the RBCs of dog and rat. The RBCs of rabbit and hen were less susceptible to tolaasin. The effects of various cations were also measured. $Cd^{2+}$ and $La^{3+}$. as well as $Zn^{2+}$ appeared inhibitory to the tolaasin-induced hemolysis. The effects of various anions on tolaasin-induced hemolysis were measured and carbonate showed the greatest inhibition to the hemolysis. However, phosphate stimulated the tolaasin-induced hemolysis and no effects were observed by chloride and nitrate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1051-1058
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• 2014

Platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) plays an important role in bacterial infection and inflammation. We examined the effect of the bacterial cell wall components lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Lactobacillus plantarum (pLTA) and Staphylococcus aureus (aLTA) on PAFR expression in THP-1, a monocyte-like cell line. LPS and aLTA, but not pLTA, significantly increased PAFR expression, whereas priming with pLTA inhibited LPS-mediated or aLTA-mediated PAFR expression. Expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4, and CD14 increased with LPS and aLTA treatments, but was inhibited by pLTA pretreatment. Neutralizing antibodies against TLR2, TLR4, and CD14 showed that these receptors were important in LPS-mediated or aLTA-mediated PAFR expression. PAFR expression is mainly regulated by the nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway. Blocking PAF binding to PAFR using a PAFR inhibitor indicated that LPS-mediated or aLTA-mediated PAF expression affected TNF-${\alpha}$ production. In the mouse small intestine, pLTA inhibited PAFR, TLR2, and TLR4 expression that was induced by heat-labile toxin. Our data suggested that pLTA has an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the expression of PAFR that was induced by pathogenic ligands.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 2009

The bacterial toxin, tolaasin, causes brown blotch disease on the cultivated mushrooms by collapsing fungal and fruiting body structure of mushroom. Cytotoxicity of tolaasin was evaluated by measuring hemolytic activity because tolaasins form membrane pores on the red blood cells and destroy cell structure. While we investigated the inhibitions of hemolytic activity of tolaasin by $Zn^{2+}$ and $Cd^{2+}$, we found that $Ni^{2+}$ is another antagonist to block the toxicity of tolaasin. $Ni^{2+}$ inhibited the tolaasin-induced hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner and its Ki value was $\sim10$ mM, implying that the inhibitory effect of $Ni^{2+}$ is stronger than that of $Cd^{2+}$. The hemolytic activity was completely inhibited by $Ni^{2+}$ at the concentration higher than 50 mM. The effect of $Ni^{2+}$ was reversible since it was removed by the addition of EDTA. When the tolaasin-induced hemolysis was suppressed by the addition of 20 mM $Ni^{2+}$, the subsequent addition of EDIA immediately initiated the hemolysis. Although the mechanism of $Ni^{2+}$ -induced inhibition on tolaasin toxicity is not known, $Ni^{2+}$ could inhibit any of fallowing processes of tolaasin action, membrane binding, molecular multimerization, pore formation, and massive ion transport through the membrane pore. Our results indicate that $Ni^{2+}$ inhibits the pore activity of tolaasin, the last step of the toxic process.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the heavy metal and microbiological hazards on by-products (liver, omasum, small intestines) of cattle. From April to October in 2011, one hundred and twenty samples were equally collected from slaughterhouse and meat by-product markets in Incheon city. The total bacteria counts and E. coli count were applied to assess the microbiological quality. Food borne bacteria including Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and E. coli O157:H7 were also determined. The results were obtained as follows: The undesirable grade (more than $10^5\;CFU/cm^2$) was detected in the by-product from 18.3% (slaughterhouse) and 23.3% (by-product markets). The frequency of generic E. coli (more than $10^2\;CFU/cm^2$) from the slaughterhouse was 20.0%, whereas that of the meat by-product markets was 26.7%. Of the samples from slaughterhouse, 3 (5.0%), 5 (8.3%), and 12 (20.0%) samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp, S. aureus, and C. perfringens, respectively. S. aureus and C. perfringens were also detected in 6 (10.0%) and 25 (41.7%) samples in the meat by-product markets, respectively. Nine of 11 S. aureus isolates harbored toxin gene. However, the cpe gene of C. perfringens was not detected among the 37 isolates. The detection rate was higher in August than in February, April and June. The levels of Cd and Pb in all the samples tended to be low (<0.2 mg/kg). This preliminary data could be used for legislation on the regulation and control of microorganism and heavy metal in by-products of cattle.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.147-160
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high concentration of uremic toxins in their blood and often experience muscle atrophy. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a uremic toxin produced by tryptophan metabolism. Although an elevated IS level may induce muscle dysfunction, the effect of IS on physiological concentration has not been elucidated. Additionally, the effects of ursolic acid (UA) on muscle hypertrophy have been reported in healthy models; however, it is unclear whether UA ameliorates muscle dysfunction associated with chronic diseases, such as CKD. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether UA can improve the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were incubated with or without IS (0.1 mM) and UA (1 or 2 μM) to elucidate the physiological effect of UA on CKD-related mitochondrial dysfunction and its related mechanisms using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: IS suppressed the expression of differentiation marker genes without decreasing cell viability. IS decreased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and ATP levels by downregulating the genes pertaining to mitochondrial biogenesis (Ppargc1a, Nrf1, Tfam, Sirt1, and Mef2c), fusion (Mfn1 and Mfn2), oxidative phosphorylation (Cycs and Atp5b), and fatty acid oxidation (Pdk4, Acadm, Cpt1b, and Cd36). Furthermore, IS increased the intracellular mRNA and secretory protein levels of interleukin (IL)-6. Finally, UA ameliorated the IS-induced impairment in C2C12 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that UA improves the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis by affecting differentiation, ATP levels, and IL-6 secretion in C2C12 cells. Therefore, UA could be a novel therapeutic agent for CKD-induced muscle dysfunction.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.953-958
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• 1996

A simple and rapid ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) system for fumonisins, a group of potentent carcinogen, was developed. To produce anti-fumonisin B1 (FB1) antibodies, FB1 conjugated to keyhole lympet hemocyanin (KLH) and Freund's adjuvant were immunized into rabbits subcutaneously 3 times. From one of the antisera showing high titer and good competition with the toxin in ELISA, polyclonal antibodies were purified. The cross-reactivities of the antibodies against fumonisin $B_1,\;B_2\;and\;B_3$ were 100%, 69%, and 166%, respectively. When competitive direct ELISA established by use of the antibody was applied to the spike test of $FB_1$ onto uncontaminated corns, the assay recovery was unstable unless 75% methanol extracts of corn were diluted to 1/100 with buffer. In that condition the mean ELISA recovery of FB1 from corns spiked $1-30\;{\mu}g/g$ was 67% and stable (coefficient of variation (CV) of each recovery percentage, 3.4%). The results suggest that the ELISA system established in this study needs no cleanup procedure and therefore would be powerful to screen a large number of corn samples contaminated with fumonisins.