• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Taenia solium, T. saginata, and T. asiatica are taeniid tapeworms that cause taeniasis in humans and cysticercosis in intermediate host animals. Taeniases remain an important public health concerns in the world. Molecular diagnostic methods using PCR assays have been developed for rapid and accurate detection of human infecting taeniid tapeworms, including the use of sequence-specific DNA probes, PCR-RFLP, and multiplex PCR. More recently, DNA diagnosis using PCR based on histopathological specimens such as 10% formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded and stained sections mounted on slides has been applied to cestode infections. The mitochondrial gene sequence is believed to be a very useful molecular marker for not only studying evolutionary relationships among distantly related taxa, but also for investigating the phylo-biogeography of closely related species. The complete sequence of the human Taenia tapeworms mitochondrial genomes were determined, and its organization and structure were compared to other human-tropic Taenia tapeworms for which complete mitochondrial sequence data were available. The multiplex PCR assay with the Ta4978F, Ts5058F, Tso7421F, and Rev7915 primers will be useful for differential diagnosis, molecular characterization, and epidemiological surveys of human Taenia tapeworms.

• Mycobiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2016

The most economically important species used in a wide range of fermentation industries throughout Asia belong to Aspergillus section Flavi, which are morphologically and phylogenetically indistinguishable, with a few being toxigenic and therefore a major concern. They are frequently isolated from Korean fermentation starters, such as nuruk and meju. The growing popularity of traditional Korean alcoholic beverages has led to a demand for their quality enhancement, therefore requiring selection of efficient non-toxigenic strains to assist effective fermentation. This study was performed to classify the most efficient strains of Aspergillus section Flavi isolated from various types of traditional wheat nuruk, based on a polyphasic approach involving molecular and biochemical evaluation. A total of 69 strains were isolated based on colony morphology and identified as Aspergillus oryzae/flavus based on internal transcribed spacer and calmodulin gene sequencing. Interestingly, none were toxigenic based on PCR amplification of intergenic regions of the aflatoxin cluster genes norB-cypA and the absence of aflatoxin in the culture supernatants by thin-layer chromatography analysis. Saccharification capability of the isolates, assessed through ${\alpha}-amylase$ and glucoamylase activities, revealed that two isolates, TNA24 and TNA15, showed the highest levels of activity. Although the degrees of variation in ${\alpha}-amylase$ and glucoamylase activities among the isolates were higher, there were only slight differences in acid protease activity among the isolates with two, TNA28 and TNA36, showing the highest activities. Furthermore, statistical analyses showed that ${\alpha}-amylase$ activity was positively correlated with glucoamylase activity (p < 0.001), and therefore screening for either was sufficient to predict the saccharifying capacity of the Aspergillus strain.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.539-543
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• 1998

Hrp1, of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is a new member of the SW12/SNF2 protein family that contains a chromodomain and a DNA binding domain as well as ATPase/7 helicase domains. This configuration suggests that Hrp1 could be a homolog of mouse CHD1, which is thought to function in altering the chromatin structure to facilitate gene expression. To understand the enzymatic nature of Hrp1 we purified the 6-Histidine-tagged Hrp1 protein (6$\times$His-Hrp1) to homogeneity from a S. pombe Hrp1-overexpressing strain and hen examined its biochemical properties. We demonstrate that the purified 6$\times$His-Hrp1 protein exhibited a DNA-binding activity with a moderate preference to the (A＋T)-rich tract in double-stranded NA via a minor groove interaction. However, we failed to detect any intrinsic DNA helicase activity from the purified Hrp1 like other SW12/SNF2 proteins. These observations suggest that the DNA binding activities of Hrp1 may be involved in the remodeling of the chromatin structure with DNA-dependent ATPase. We propose that Hrp1 may function in heterochromatins as other proteins with a chromo- or ATPase/helicase domain and play an important role in the determination of chromatin architecture.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.622-626
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• 2006

Molecular characterization of Hallikar, the native cattle breed of Karnataka, was undertaken using 19 cattle specific, highly polymorphic microsatellite markers recommended by FAO. The genomic DNA was subjected to PCR amplification and alleles were resolved through six per cent denaturing PAGE with a 10 bp DNA ladder followed by silver staining. Genotyping of animals was done based on allele size. The number of alleles ranged from three to nine with allele sizes ranging from 102 bp to 294 bp. These alleles were distributed in the frequency range between 0.0306 and 0.8673 in the population. The mean observed number of alleles was $6.368{\pm}1.4225$. The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were $0.7515{\pm}0.1734$ and $0.7850{\pm}0.1381$, respectively. The high heterozygosity observed implies presence of higher genetic variability within Hallikar breed. The PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) values ranged from 0.2322 (ETH152) to 0.8654 (ETH225). The percentage of polymorphic loci obtained was 100 as all the 19 microsatellite markers were found to be polymorphic. Except for ETH152, all the other loci had high PIC values, indicating that these markers are highly informative for characterization of Hallikar breed. The population was tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium at 19 microsatellite loci, and at 74 per cent of the loci the population was found to be in disequilibrium.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 2018

The rapid increase in number and diversity of Extended Spectrum ${\beta}$-Lactamases (ESBLs) producing Enterobacteriaceae in natural aquatic environment is a major health concern worldwide. This study investigates abundance and distribution of ESBL producing multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae and molecular characterization of ESBL genes among isolates from highly polluted stretch of river Yamuna, India. Water samples were collected from ten different sites distributed across Delhi stretch of river Yamuna, during 2014-15. A total of 506 non duplicate Enterobacteriaceae isolates were obtained. Phenotypic detection of ESBL production and antibiotic sensitivity for 15 different antibiotics were performed according to CLSI guidelines (Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute, 2015). A subset of ESBL positive Enterobacteriaceae isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene and screened for ESBL genes, such as $bla_{CTX-M}$, $bla_{TEM}$ and $bla_{OXA}$. Out of 506 non-duplicate bacterial isolates obtained, 175 (34.58%) were positive for ESBL production. Susceptibility pattern for fifteen antibiotics used in this study revealed higher resistance to cefazolin, rifampicin and ampicillin. A high proportion (76.57%) of ESBL positive isolates showed multidrug resistance phenotype, with MAR index of 0.39 at Buddha Vihar and Old Delhi Railway bridge sampling site. Identification and PCR based characterization of ESBL genes revealed the prevalence of $bla_{CTX-M}$ and $bla_{TEM}$ genes to be 88.33% and 61.66%, respectively. Co-occurrence of $bla_{CTX-M}$ and $bla_{TEM}$ genes was detected in 58.33% of the resistant bacteria. The $bla_{OXA}$ gene was not detected in any isolates. This study highlights deteriorating condition of urban aquatic environment due to rising level of ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae with multidrug resistance phenotype.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.168-176
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• 2023

Silicon (Si) has the potential to improve plant growth and stress tolerance. The study aimed to explore Si-involving plant responses and molecular characterization of different Si-responsive genes in alfalfa. In this study, the exogenous supplementation of Si enhanced plant growth, and biomass yield. Si-acquisition in alfalfa root and shoot was higher in Si-supplemented compared to silicon deficient (-Si) plants, implying Si-acquisition has beneficial on alfalfa plants. As a consequence, the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was significantly increased in silicon-sufficient (+Si) plants. The quantitative gene expression analysis exhibited a significant upregulation of the Lsi1, Lsi2, Lsi3, NIP5;1, and NIP6;1 genes in alfalfa roots, while BOR1, BOR4, NIP2, and NIP3 showed no significant variation in their expression. The MEME results further noticed the association of four motifs related to the major intrinsic protein (MIP). The interaction analysis revealed that NIP5;1 and Lsi1 showed a shared gene network with NIP2, BOR1, and BOR4, and Lsi2, Lsi3 and NIP3-1, respectively. These results suggest that members of the major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) family especially Lsi1, Lsi2, Lsi3, NIP5;1, and NIP6;1 genes helped to pass water and other neutral solutes through the cell membrane and those played significant roles in Si uptake and transport in plants. Together, these insights might be useful for alfalfa breeding and genome editing approaches for alfalfa improvement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.436-456
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• 2024

Several thermostable proteases have been identified, yet only a handful have undergone the processes of cloning, comprehensive characterization, and full exploitation in various industrial applications. Our primary aim in this study was to clone a thermostable alkaline protease from a thermophilic bacterium and assess its potential for use in various industries. The research involved the amplification of the SpSKF4 protease gene, a thermostable alkaline serine protease obtained from the Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius SKF4 bacterium through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The purified recombinant SpSKF4 protease was characterized, followed by evaluation of its possible industrial applications. The analysis of the gene sequence revealed an open reading frame (ORF) consisting of 1,206 bp, coding for a protein containing 401 amino acids. The cloned gene was expressed in Escherichia coli. The molecular weight of the enzyme was measured at 28 kDa using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The partially purified enzyme has its highest activity at a pH of 10 and a temperature of 80℃. In addition, the enzyme showed a half-life of 15 h at 80℃, and there was a 60% increase in its activity at 10 mM Ca²⁺ concentration. The activity of the protease was completely inhibited (100%) by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF); however, the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) resulted in a 20% increase in activity. The enzyme was also stable in various organic solvents and in certain commercial detergents. Furthermore, the enzyme exhibited strong potential for industrial use, particularly as a detergent additive and for facilitating the recovery of silver from X-ray film.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.181-188
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• 2012

As the demand for large-scale analysis of gene expression using DNA arrays increases, the importance of the surface characterization of DNA arrays has emerged. We compared the efficiency of molecular biological applications on solid-phases with different surface polarities to identify the most optimal conditions. We employed thiol-gold reactions for DNA immobilization on solid surfaces. The surface polarity was controlled by creating a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of mercaptohexanol or hepthanethiol, which create hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface properties, respectively. A hydrophilic environment was found to be much more favorable to solid-phase molecular biological manipulations. A SAM of mercaptoethanol had the highest affinity to DNA molecules in our experimetns and it showed greater efficiency in terms of DNA hybridization and polymerization. The optimal DNA concentration for immobilization was found to be 0.5 ${\mu}M$. The optimal reaction time for both thiolated DNA and matrix molecules was 10 min and for the polymerase reaction time was 150 min. Under these optimized conditions, molecular biology techniques including DNA hybridization, ligation, polymerization, PCR and multiplex PCR were shown to be feasible in solid-state conditions. We demonstrated from our present analysis the importance of surface polarity in solid-phase molecular biological applications. A hydrophilic SAM generated a far more favorable environment than hydrophobic SAM for solid-state molecular techniques. Our findings suggest that the conditions and methods identified here could be used for DNA-DNA hybridization applications such as DNA chips and for the further development of solid-phase genetic engineering applications that involve DNA-enzyme interactions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.233-238
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• 2014

Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) and its brain-specific homologue, PTBP2, are associated with pre-mRNAs and influence pre-mRNA processing, as well as mRNA metabolism and transport. They play important roles in neural differentiation and glioma development. In our study, we detected the expression of the two proteins in glioma cells and predicted that they may be sumoylated using SUMOplot analyses. We confirmed that PTBP1 and PTBP2 can be modified by SUMO1 with co-immunoprecipitation experiments using 293ET cells transiently co-expressing SUMO1 and either PTBP1 or PTBP2. We also found that SUMO1 modification of PTBP2 was enhanced by Ubc9 (E2). The mutation of the sumoylation site (Lys137) of PTBP2 markedly inhibited its modification by SUMO1. Interestingly, in T98G glioma cells, the level of sumoylated PTBP2 was reduced compared to that of normal brain cells. Overall, this study shows that PTBP2 is posttranslationally modified by SUMO1.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.595-606
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• 2006

Metallothioneins are a group of low molecular mass and cysteine-rich metal-binding proteins, ubiquitously found in most living organisms. They play an important role in maintaining intracellular metal homeostasis, eliminating metal toxification and protecting against intracellular oxidative damages. Analysis of complete rice genome sequences revealed eleven genes encoding putative metallothionein (OsMT), indicating that OsMTs constitute a small gene family in rice. Expression profiling revealed that each member of the OsMT gene family differs not only in sequence but also in their tissue expression patterns, suggesting that these isoforms may have different functions they perform in specific tissues. On the basis of OsMT structural and phylogenetic analysis, the OsMT family was classified as two classes and class I was subdivided into four types. Additionally, in this paper we also present a complete overview of this family, describing the gene structure, genome localization, upstream regulatory element, and exon/intron organization of each member in order to provide valuable insight into this OsMT gene family.