• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권9호
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• pp.1200-1209
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• 2021

Sepsis is an acute inflammatory response that leads to life-threatening complications if not quickly and adequately treated. Cytolysin, hemolysin, and pneumolysin are toxins produced by gram-positive bacteria and are responsible for resistance to antimicrobial drugs, cause virulence and lead to sepsis. This work assessed the effects of aloe-emodin (AE) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) on sepsis-associated gram-positive bacterial toxins. Standard and antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumonia bacterial strains were cultured in the dark with varying AE concentrations and later irradiated with 72 J/cm^-2 light. Colony and biofilm formation was determined. CCK-8, Griess reagent reaction, and ELISA assays were done on bacteria-infected RAW264.7 cells to determine the cell viability, NO, and IL-1β and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines responses, respectively. Hemolysis and western blot assays were done to determine the effect of treatment on hemolysis activity and sepsis-associated toxins expressions. AE-mediated PDT reduced bacterial survival in a dose-dependent manner with 32 ㎍/ml of AE almost eliminating their survival. Cell proliferation, NO, IL-1β, and IL-6 cytokines production were also significantly downregulated. Further, the hemolytic activities and expressions of cytolysin, hemolysin, and pneumolysin were significantly reduced following AE-mediated PDT. In conclusion, combined use of AE and light (435 ± 10 nm) inactivates MRSA, S. aureus (ATCC 29213), S. pneumoniae (ATCC 49619), MDR-S. pneumoniae, E. faecalis (ATCC 29212), and VRE (ATCC 51299) in an AE-dose dependent manner. AE and light are also effective in reducing biofilm formations, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, hemolytic activities, and inhibiting the expressions of toxins that cause sepsis.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2002년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.59-62
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• 2002

The role of a TolC homologue in the virulence of Vibrio vulnificus, a marine bacterium causing serious wound infection and fulminant septicemia in persons with underlying conditions, has been studied. TolC, an outer membrane protein, has been implicated in a variety of bacterial functions including export of diverse molecules ranging from large proteins to antibiotics. A homologue of the tolC gene of V. cholerae, which has been shown to be required for bile resistance, cytotoxicity and colonization of this organism, was identified in the partially determined genome sequence of V. vulnificus. To determine the role of TolC in the virulence of V. vulnificus, a TolC-deficient (TD) mutant was isolated by in vivo allelic exchange. Compared with the parent strain, the TD mutant was more sensitive to bile, and much less virulent in mice challenged subcutaneously. This mutant was noncytotoxic to the HEp-2 cells, but its metalloprotease and cytolysin activities in the culture supernatant were comparable to the parent strain. In addition, the resistance of the TD mutant to human serum bactericidal activity as well as its growth in either human or murine blood was not affected. Collectively, our data suggest that TolC may be involved in colonization and/or spread of V. vulnificus to the blood stream, probably by secreting a cytotoxin other than the cytolysin.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.54-59
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• 2013

Three isolates, E. faecium P1, P2 and P3, from intestinal drugs of three phamaceutical companies, four clinical vancomycin resistant isolates, E. faecium V1, V2, V3 and E. faecalis V4, and three isolates, E. faecalis DW01, DW07 and DW14, from infant feces were tested for the presence of virulence genes, ace, agg, esp, efaA, gelE, sprE, vanA and vanB as well as fsrABC, regulatory genes of gelE and sprE, cylMBA, cytolysin activation genes and cpd, cob and ccf, pheromone genes by PCR and for their phenotype activities such as protease, biofilm formation, cell clumping and hemolysis. The genes encoding cell surface adherence proteins, ace, agg, esp and efaA, were predominantly amplified from the vancomycin resistant strain V4 and the fecal isolates DW01, DW07 and DW14. Both protease and biofilm formation activity were detected only from E. faecalis V4 from which the PCR products of gelE and spreE as well as fsrABC were amplified. The pheromone genes were amplified from the V4, DW01, DW07 and DW14 strains and these strains showed clumping activity. Biofilm formation was observed from the strains DW01, DW07 and DW14, all of which produced PCR products of pheromone, and V4 as well. Whole cytolysin regulator genes were amplified from DW01, DW07 and DW14 and ${\beta}$-hemolysis activity was detected from these strains. Any virulence genes or activities except the pheomone gene ccf were not detected from the pharmaceutical isolates, E. faecium P1, P2 and P3.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.201-215
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• 1994

Recent development in the immunochemical technique has resulted in a new ultrasensitive analytical method known as liposome immunoassay (LIA). Liposome is a key element in performing liposome immunoassays, specifically designed to participate in immune reactions. A variety of markers can be encapsulated in liposomes and used as quantitative indicators of reactions. Liposome immunoassay based on agglutination, complement-mediated Iysis, cytolysin-mediated Iysis, detergent-mediated Iysis or destabilization of the liposomal membrane have been reviewed. The quantity of markers released from liposomes should be proportional to the concentration of the analytes. Therefore, liposomal agglutination and Iysis which are essential to liposomal Iysis are critically reviewed to provide a better understanding of liposome immunoassay. Based on the literature review of recent advances in liposome immunoassay for bioactive substances, this assay method may provide a convenient, specific and highly sensitive method for detecting and measuring trace amount of clinically relevant substances in the future.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2004년도 International Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea
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• pp.132-136
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• 2004

Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of the multifaceted host-pathogen interaction is critical in the development of improved treatment and prevention, as well as elucidating how certain bacteria can circumvent host defenses, multiply in the host, and cause such extensive damage. Disease caused by infection with V. vulnificus is remarkable for the invasive nature of the infection, ensuing severe tissue damage, and rapidly fulminating course. The characterization of somatic as well as secreted products of V. vulnificus has yielded a large list of putative virulence attributes, whose known functions are easily imagined to explain the pathology of disease. These putative virulence factors include a carbohydrate capsule, lipopolysaccharide, a cytolysin/hemolysin, elastolytic metalloprotease, iron sequestering systems, lipase, and pili. However, only few among the putative virulence factors has been confirmed to be essential for virulence by the use of molecular Koch's postulates. This presentation describes molecular biological characterization of the virulence factors contributing to survival as well as to toxigenesis of V. vulnificus.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2002년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.56-58
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• 2002

Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of the multifaceted host-pathogen interaction is critical in the development of improved treatment and prevention, as well as elucidating how certain bacteria can circumvent host defenses, multiply in the host, and cause such extensive damage. Disease caused by infection with V. vulnificus is remarkable for the invasive nature of the infection, ensuing severe tissue damage, and rapidly fulminating course. The characterization of somatic as well as secreted products of V. vulnificus has yielded a large list of putative virulence attributes, whose known functions are easily imagined to explain the pathology of disease. These putative virulence factors include a carbohydrate capsule, lipopolysaccharide, a cytolysin/hemolysin, elastolytic metalloprotease, iron sequestering systems, lipase, and pili. However, only few among the putative virulence factors has been confirmed to be essential for virulence by the use of molecular Koch's postulates. This presentation describes molecular biological characterization of the virulence factors contributing to survival as well as to toxigenesis of V. vulnificus.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.320-326
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• 2003

In order to identify Vibrio vulnificus in the Yellow Sea near Gunsan, Korea during the early and late summers, the efficiency of the real-time quantitative TaqMan PCR was compared to the efficiency of the conventional PCR and Biolog identification system^TM. Primers and a probe were designed from the hemolysin/cytolysin gene sequence of V. vulnificus strains. The number of positive detections by real-time quantitative TaqMan PCR, conventional PCR, and the Biolog identification system from seawater were 53 (36.8%), 36 (25%), and 10 strains (6.9%), respectively, among 144 samples collected from Yellow Sea near Gunsan, Korea. Thus, the detection method of the real-time quantitative TaqMan PCR assay was more effective in terms of accuracy than that of the conventional PCR and Biolog system. Therefore, our results showed that the real-time TaqMan probe and the primer set developed in this study can be applied successfully as a rapid screening tool for the detection of V. vulnificus.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.99-104
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• 2018

Streptococcus pneumoniae는 pneumolysin과 같은 병원성 인자를 가지고 있으며, 지역사회에서 전파되는 심각한 병원성균에 포함된다. Pneumolysin (PLY)은 콜레스테롤 의존적으로 세포막에 구멍을 형성하는 세포독소로서 백신의 주요한 표적 항원이다. PLY의 연구를 위하여 Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 균주에서 추출한 genomic DNA를 주형으로 하여 PCR을 시행하였다. 합성된 PLY 유전자 DNA를 pQE-30 vector에 삽입하고, E. coli M15에 형질전환 시킨 후 LB 배지에 IPTG를 첨가하여 PLY 단백질을 생산하였다. 재조합 단백질은 $Ni^{2+}$-agarose column을 사용하여 정제하였다. 또한, EGFP를 PLY C-말단에 부착한 융합단백질도 동일한 방법으로 클로닝하여 재조합 단백질을 생산하였다. 500 ng/ml 농도의 재조합 PLY는 1.0% 적혈구 현탁액을 100% 용혈시켰으며, 240 ng/ml 농도는 50% 용혈을 나타내었다. 그러나 재조합 PLY-EGFP는 용혈 활성이 전혀 나타나지 않았으나 형광현미경으로 관찰하였을 때 적혈구 막에 결합되어 있었다. 즉, EGFP의 PLY C-말단 부착은 PLY의 세포막 결합능은 유지시켰으나 용혈기능은 방해하였다. PLY C-말단은 용혈기능에 아주 중요한 영역이며, 세포막 결합은 PLY의 다른 영역이 보다 중요하게 작용할 것으로 추측된다. 따라서, 육안으로 관찰이 가능한 결합능은 가졌으나 용혈 기능이 결여된 PLY-EGFP를 대조군으로 활용함으로써 두 재조합 단백질은 폐렴 유발에 있어서 PLY 작용 연구에 사용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.69-75
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• 2004

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic bacterium frequently involved in human infection of seafood-associated primary septicemia and primary wound infection, mostly in men with over 40-years of age with underlying liver disease. The primary septicemia, which is the most common form of V. vulnificus infection in Korea, is defined as a systemic illness presenting fever or hypotension with recovery of V. vulnificus from blood or tissue without the apparent primary focus of infection. V. vulnificus typically do not produce acid from sucrose, but a case of primary septisemia was found in a patient at Chonnam K hospital in 1993 from whose blood a sucrose-fermenting strain was isolated. The patient was a 62-year-old man, heavy drinker, with underlying liver disease. He consumed a raw seafood dish two days before onset of the present illness. His symptoms were tenderness and swelling on the right foot. He rapidly developed septicemia, resulting in sudden death. V. vulnificus was isolated from the venous blood culture of the patient. On subculture, the isolate formed yellow colonies on TCBS and produced acid from sucrose. Because of these characteristics, species identification was not achieved by the API 20E and was delayed. Other characteristics of the isolate were identical to those of typical V. vulnificus. The isolate was common serotype O4A and possession of V. vulnificus-specific cytolysin gene was detected by PCR. The isolate was susceptible to all the antimicrobial agents tested including tetracycline, but was intermediate to colistin. In conclusion, it is important that microbiologists be aware of the presence of sucrose-positive V. vulnificus when he or she identifies gram-negative bacilli, which is isolated from the blood of patients with a recent history of raw seafood dish consumption.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.223-236
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• 2020

In this study, a safety evaluation was conducted to confirm if the Enterococcus faecium CKDB003 strain obtained by selection from a mixed fermentation of fruit and milk is suitable for use as a probiotic. The MIC value for the 10 antibiotics specified in the EFSA guidance was below the acceptable cut-off value. The antibiotic resistance genes aac(6')-li, eatAv, and msr(C) exist by whole genome sequencing, but are in the chromosome and not in the plasmid, thus confirming that there is no possibility of transmission to other microorganisms. It was confirmed that cytolysin (cylA, cylB, cylI, cylL-l, cylL-s, cylM, cylR1, cylR2), aggregation substance (asa1, asp1), collagen adhesion (ace), enterococcal surface protein (esp), endocarditis antigen (efaA), hyaluronidase (hyl) and gelatinase (gelE) were not present in the genome by examining the genes of factors related to virulence. Also, the biochemical analysis showed no toxic enzyme activities, and no virulence genes were detected by the PCR method. Thus, the E. faecium CKDB003 strain can be safely used as a health functional food probiotic, based on the results of the safety assessment.