• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1971-1982
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• 2017

Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR) strains possess higher adherent capacity than non-piliated strains. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize probiotic pLR strains in human fecal samples. To this end, mouse polyclonal antiserum (anti-SpaA) against the recombinant pilus protein (SpaA) of L. rhamnosus strain GG (LGG) was prepared and tested for its reactivity and specificity. With the anti-SpaA, a method combining the de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar plating separation and colony immunoblotting (CIB) was developed to isolate pLR from 124 human fecal samples. The genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the resultant pLR isolates were compared by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting, and examination of adhesion to Caco-2 cells, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA specifically reacted with three pLR strains of 25 test strains, as assessed by western blotting, immunofluorescence flow cytometry, and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) assays. The optimized MRS agar separation plus anti-SpaA-based CIB procedure could quantitatively detect $2.5{\times}10^3CFU/ml$ of pLR colonies spiked in $10^6CFU/ml$ of background bacteria. Eight pLR strains were identified in 124 human fecal samples, and were confirmed by 16S RNA gene sequencing and IEM identification. RAPD fingerprinting of the pLR strains revealed seven different patterns, of which only two isolates from infants showed the same RAPD profiles with LGG. Strain PLR06 was obtained with high adhesion and autoaggregation activities, hydrophobicity, and gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA-based CIB is a rapid and inexpensive method for the preliminary screening of novel adherent L. rhamnosus strains for commercial purposes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1604-1613
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• 2018

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a probiotic commonly used in fermented dairy products. In this study, RNA-sequencing was performed to unravel the effects of acid stress on LGG. The transcriptomic data revealed that the exposure of LGG to acid at pH 4.5 (resembling the final pH of fermented dairy products) for 1 h or 24 h provoked a stringent-type transcriptomic response wherein stress response- and glycolysis-related genes were upregulated, whereas genes involved in gluconeogenesis, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism were suppressed. Notably, the pilus-specific adhesion genes, spaC, and spaF were significantly upregulated upon exposure to acid-stress. The transcriptomic results were further confirmed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Moreover, acid-stressed LGG demonstrated an enhanced mucin-binding ability in vitro, with 1 log more LGG cells (p < 0.05) bound to a mucin layer in a 96-well culture plate as compared to the control. The enhanced intestinal binding ability of acid-stressed LGG was confirmed in an animal study, wherein significantly more viable LGG cells (${\geq}2log\;CFU/g$) were observed in the ileum, caecum, and colon of acid-stressed LGG-treated mice as compared with a non-acid-stressed LGG-treated control group. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that acid stress enhanced the intestine-binding ability of LGG through the induction of pili-related genes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.505-512
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• 2002

대장균 K99 섬모의 생합성은 8개로 구성된 K99의 특이 유전자의 발현과 숙주유래 인자에 의해 조절되는 다른 유전자들의 발현에 의존된다. 본 연구에서는 K99섬모 유전자군중 제 3지역 발현에 유전조절자의 관련성 여부를 연구하였다. Gel retardation 분석 방법올 통하여 제3지역의 발현에 관련된 유전조절단위를 함유한 fanF 지역의 단백질 인자가 부착됨을 암시하였다. 이 분석방법을 이용한 결과는 또한 이 단백질 인자가 K99 유전자에서 유래되지 않고 대장균 염색체에서 유래됨을 지적하였다. 이를 보다 더 조사하기 위하여 대장균 염색체에 Tn10 transposon 유전자 변이 실험을 수행하였다. K99 유전자군으로부터 제 1지역과 제2지역의 유전자를 제거시키고, 제 3지역의 유전자인 fanG에 transposon TnlacZ를 삽입한 pTL65-1 plasmid을 제작하였다. 이 pTL65-1는 다시 Tn10으로 염색체가 변이된 대장균에 주입하였다. 3개의 pTL65-1 주입된 Tn10 대장균 변이체 내에서 fanG의 발현이 증가되었다. 이들 변이대장균으로부터 Tn10이 어떤 염색체 유전자 부위를 변이 시켰는지 확인하기 위해서 변이부위 유전자를 cloning하여 염기서열을 분석하였다. 이중 2개의 clone이 동일하였으며 지금까지 알려지지 않은 유전자였다. 이들 2개의 변이체 내에서 fanG의 발현은 대조군과 비교해 약 4.2배 증가 되였다. 결론적으로 이들 2개의 clone으로부터 유래된 인자는 지금까지 알려지지 않은 제 3지역의 억제 조절자임을 나타내었다.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

Since Anton van Leeuwen­hoek first observed a surface-associated multicellular structure of bacterial cells in the 17th century, it has been shown to exhibit an ability to form a biofilm by numerous bacterial species. The biofilm formation is composed of distinct developmental stages, which include an attachment/adhesion of a single cell, a proliferation toward monolayered coverage, a propagation to aggregated microcolony, a maturation to 3-dimensional structure, and subsequently a local degradation. Investigation to identify the essential factors for bacterial biofilm formation has been performed via classical genetic approaches as well as recently developed technologies. The initial stage requires bacterial motility provided by a flagellum, and outermembrane components for surface signal interaction. Type IV-pilus and autoaggregation factors, e.g., type I-fimbriae or Ag43, are necessary to reach the stages of monolayer and micro colony. The mature biofilm is equipped with extracellular polymeric matrix and internal water-filled channels. This complex architecture can be achieved by differential expressions of several hundred genes, among which the most studied are the genes encoding exopolysaccharide biosyntheses and quorum-sensing regulatory components. The status of our knowledge for the biofilms found in humans and natural ecosystems is discussed in this minireview.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2012

Helicobacter pylori is an important factor of chronic gastritis, digestive ulcer, and stomach cancer. CagL, a virulence factor of H. pylori, is well-known as a pilus protein which acts as adhesion to host cell and a component of Type 4 secretion system. In this study, we evaluated the protective response of recombinant CagL protein (rCagL) using Mongolian gerbil animal model for H. pylori infection. The cagL gene was cloned from 26695 H. pylori followed by over-expression and purification of the protein in E. coli. Mongolian gerbils were immunized with rCagL protein mixed with aluminum adjuvant via intramuscular injections once a week during 4 weeks. At a week after the last immunization, the Mongolian gerbils were administrated with H. pylori 7.13 strain into the stomach and sacrificed to measure antibody titer on rCagL by ELISA and bacterial colonization in the stomach, and to examine the histopathological changes and cytokine expression at 6 week after challenge. Antibody titers on recombinant protein were significantly increased from a week after the first immunization. There was no significant change of the number of bacterial colony between control group and immunized group. The relative stomach weight was significantly decreased in immunized group, but the significant change of histopathological assessment was not observed in the stomach. Cytokine expression such as IL-$1{\beta}$ and KC also was not significantly different between control and immunized groups. These results indicate that rCagL could effectively induce the formation of the specific IgG antibodies. However, bacterial colonization and histopathological lesions could not be inhibited by the immunization in the stomach, indicating not enough protection against H. pylori infection. We consider that along with CagL other adequate antigens could be needed stimulating immune response and inducing protective effects against gastric disease, and also a better adjuvant could be considered.