• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.137.2-138
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• 2003

The commercial cultivars of red pepper were screened against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV) by seedling test. Tn single infection of TMV or PMMoV, mosaic symptom was produced on the cultivars of 'Cheongyang'and 'Wangshilgun'. However, in cultivars of 'Manilla'and 'Bugang', symptoms were not occurred. In single infection of PepMoV, symptoms of mottle and malformation were produced on the tested cultivars of 'Manilla', 'Bugang', 'Cheongyang'and 'Wangshilgun' In the cultivars of 'Cheongyang'and 'Wangshilgun', synergistic symptoms of stunt and lethal death were induced by mixed infections in the two combinations of TMV+PepMoV and PMMoV+PepMoV. However, in cultivars of 'Manilla'and 'Bugang', synergistic symptom was not occurred as mottle which was milder than that of single infection. Cells were single infected with TMV and PMMoV the cultivars of 'Cheongyang'and 'Wangshilgun', respectively, had typical ultrastructures of tobamovirus as the stacked-band structure and multiple spiral aggregate (SA). Ultrastructures of cell and tissues infected with PepMoV on the cultivars of 'Cheongyang', 'Wangshilgun', 'Manilla'and 'Bugang', the potyvirus inclusions of pinwhills, scrolls, lamminated aggregates and amorphous inclusion were observed. Infected cells with a combination of TMV+PepMoV and PMMoV+PepMoV, the virus particles and inclusions of the two different viruses were found only mixed infection in the same cytoplasm and the amounts of viruses in mixed infections were abundant than in single infection. The angled-layer aggregates (ALA) was observed in the cells infected mixedly with TMV and PepMoV

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.38.1-38.12
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• 2023

Background: Poor disease management and irregular vector control could predispose sheltered animals to disease such as feline Bartonella infection, a vector-borne zoonotic disease primarily caused by Bartonella henselae. Objectives: This study investigated the status of Bartonella infection in cats from eight (n = 8) shelters by molecular and serological approaches, profiling the CD4:CD8 ratio and the risk factors associated with Bartonella infection in shelter cats. Methods: Bartonella deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer gene, followed by DNA sequencing. Bartonella IgM and IgG antibody titre, CD4 and CD8 profiles were detected using indirect immunofluorescence assay and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Results: B. henselae was detected through PCR and sequencing in 1.0% (1/101) oral swab and 2.0% (1/50) cat fleas, while another 3/50 cat fleas carried B. clarridgeiae. Only 18/101 cats were seronegative against B. henselae, whereas 30.7% (31/101) cats were positive for both IgM and IgG, 8% (18/101) cats had IgM, and 33.7% (34/101) cats had IgG antibody only. None of the eight shelters sampled had Bartonella antibody-free cats. Although abnormal CD4:CD8 ratio was observed in 48/83 seropositive cats, flea infestation was the only significant risk factor observed in this study. Conclusions: The present study provides the first comparison on the Bartonella spp. antigen, antibody status and CD4:CD8 ratio among shelter cats. The high B. henselae seropositivity among shelter cats presumably due to significant flea infestation triggers an alarm of whether the infection could go undetectable and its potential transmission to humans.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.51.1-51.20
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• 2022

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is an intracellular protozoan parasite, which is now present in most industrialized countries. About 40% of T. cruzi infected individuals will develop severe, incurable cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, or neurological disorders. The molecular mechanisms by which T. cruzi induces cardiopathogenesis remain to be determined. Previous studies showed that increased IL-6 expression in T. cruzi patients was associated with disease severity. IL-6 signaling was suggested to induce pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses, however, the role of this pathway during early infection remains to be elucidated. We reported that T. cruzi can dysregulate the expression of host PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) during early infection. Here, we aim to evaluate the dysregulation of IL-6 signaling and the piRNAs computationally predicted to target IL-6 molecules during early T. cruzi infection of primary human cardiac fibroblasts (PHCF). Using in silico analysis, we predict that piR_004506, piR_001356, and piR_017716 target IL6 and SOCS3 genes, respectively. We validated the piRNAs and target gene expression in T. cruzi challenged PHCF. Secreted IL-6, soluble gp-130, and sIL-6R in condition media were measured using a cytokine array and western blot analysis was used to measure pathway activation. We created a network of piRNAs, target genes, and genes within one degree of biological interaction. Our analysis revealed an inverse relationship between piRNA expression and the target transcripts during early infection, denoting the IL-6 pathway targeting piRNAs can be developed as potential therapeutics to mitigate T. cruzi cardiomyopathies.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.41.1-41.16
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• 2022

The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 has chemotactic and modulatory activities in various immune cells, including dendritic cells. Because of its characteristics, LL-37 can be considered an adjuvant for vaccine development. In this study, we confirmed the possible adjuvant activity of LL-37 in mucosal vaccine development against Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) by means of intranasal immunization in C57BL/6 and human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4)-transgenic (hDPP4-Tg) mice. Intranasal immunization using the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of MERS-CoV spike protein (S-RBD) recombined with LL-37 (S-RBD-LL-37) induced an efficient mucosal IgA and systemic IgG response with virus-neutralizing activity, compared with S-RBD. Ag-specific CTL stimulation was also efficiently induced in the lungs of mice that had been intranasally immunized with S-RBD-LL-37, compared with S-RBD. Importantly, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to reduced immune cell infiltration into the lungs after infection with MERS-CoV. Finally, intranasal immunization of hDPP4-Tg mice with S-RBD-LL-37 led to enhanced protective efficacy, with increased survival and reduced body weight loss after challenge infection with MERS-CoV. Collectively, these results suggest that S-RBD-LL-37 is an effective intranasal vaccine candidate molecule against MERS-CoV infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1159-1166
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• 2013

Orientia tsutsugamushi, a gram-negative bacterium, causes severe acute febrile illness in humans. Despite this danger, the route of infection, infectivity, and protective mechanisms of the host's immune response to O. tsutsugamushi are unclear. Dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the most important cell types in bridging the innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, we observed that O. tsutsugamushi infects and replicates in monocyte-derived DCs (MODCs). During infection and replication, the expressions of the cytokines IL-12 and TNF-${\alpha}$, as well as the co-stimulatory molecules CD80, CD83, CD86, and CD40, were increased in MODCs. When O. tsutsugamushi-treated MODCs were co-cultured with autologous $CD4^+$ T cells, they enhanced production of IFN-${\gamma}$, a major Th1 cytokine. Collectively, our results show that O. tsutsugamushi can replicate in MODCs and can simultaneously induce MODC maturation and increase proinflammatory cytokine levels in MODCs that subsequently activate $CD4^+$ T cells.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.342-347
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• 2011

T cells play a key role in viral infection. However, in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HCV-specific T cells are dysfunctional and impaired in the liver, which is the primary site for HCV replication. There are multiple potential mechanisms for HCV-specific T cell dysfunction including induction of immune inhibitory pathways (program death-1; PD-1, cytotoxic t lymphocyte associated antigen-4; CTLA-4) and immune tolerance induced specific for the liver. However, the interaction between hepatocytes and HCV-specific CD8 T cells has not clearly established. In this study, we confirmed huh (human hepatoma) 7.5 cells expressing HLA (human leukocyte antigen) A2 presented antigen to activate HCV-specific CD8 T cells in HLA A2-restricted manner and expression of PD-L (program death ligand) 1 on huh7.5 cells reduced HCV-specific CD8 T cell activation, suggesting an immune modulatory activity. Loss of HCV-specific tetramer responses following antigenic stimulation correlated with increased caspase-3 activity. In addition, PD-L1 on huh7.5 cells rescued HCV-specific CD8 T cells from apoptosis. Our results suggest that the interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1 can recover the function of HCV-specific CD8 T cells in the liver, which could be applied in therapy of HCV chronic infection.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.31-38
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• 2007

Infection with virulent or attenuated Salmonella typhimuriumhas known to induce reduction in proliferative responses of spleen cells. We investigated a role of lipid A from S. typhimurium, a B cell mitogen, on proliferation of spleen cells by T cell mitogens such as concanavaline A and phytohemagglutinin under in vitro and ex vivo conditions. Lipid A alone induced proliferation of spleen cells in vitroin a dose-dependent manner. However, subsequent treatment of concanavaline A or phytohemagglutin in after lipid A treatment induced proliferation suppression of murine spleen cells in vitro and ex vivo. Removal of macrophages from spleen cells, which were obtained from a lipid A-injected mouse, restored proliferation by concanavaline A and phytohemagglutinin, indicating that macrophages appeared to play a role in lipid A-induced suppression. Secreted molecules from macrophages did not accounted for the suppression because suppressive effect was not achieved when the supernatant from macrophage-containing spleen cell culture was conditoned to macrophage-depleted spleen cell culture. Co-culture of spleen cells from lipid A-treated and - untreated mice showed proliferation suppression as increasing cell numbers of lipid A-treated mouse. These data suggested that the cell-to-cell contact of macrophage with splenic lymphocyte cells is responsible for immune responses against lipid A, which is applicable to the case of human S. typhi infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2016

Toxoplasma gondii infection induces alteration of the host cell cycle and cell proliferation. These changes are not only seen in directly invaded host cells but also in neighboring cells. We tried to identify whether this alteration can be mediated by exosomes secreted by T. gondii-infected host cells. L6 cells, a rat myoblast cell line, and RH strain of T. gondii were selected for this study. L6 cells were infected with or without T. gondii to isolate exosomes. The cellular growth patterns were identified by cell counting with trypan blue under confocal microscopy, and cell cycle changes were investigated by flow cytometry. L6 cells infected with T. gondii showed decreased proliferation compared to uninfected L6 cells and revealed a tendency to stay at S or G2/M cell phase. The treatment of exosomes isolated from T. gondii-infected cells showed attenuation of cell proliferation and slight enhancement of S phase in L6 cells. The cell cycle alteration was not as obvious as reduction of the cell proliferation by the exosome treatment. These changes were transient and disappeared at 48 hr after the exosome treatment. Microarray analysis and web-based tools indicated that various exosomal miRNAs were crucial for the regulation of target genes related to cell proliferation. Collectively, our study demonstrated that the exosomes originating from T. gondii could change the host cell proliferation and alter the host cell cycle.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1485-1490
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• 2006

In this study, comparative replicational properties of Hyphantria cunea nucleopolyhedrovirus (HycuNPV) in Lymantria dispar (IPLB-LdElta) and Spodoptera frugiperda (IPLB-Sf21) cell lines were investigated. Our microscopic observations showed that cytopathic effects (CPEs) in LdElta cells appeared 12 h later than those in Sf21 cells. Whereas polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIBs) formed at 48 h postinfection (p.i.) in LdElta cells, it formed at 36 h p.i. in Sf21 cells. Extracellular virus production determined according to the 50% tissue culture infective dose ($TCID_{50}$) method in LdElta cells started about 12 h later when compared with Sf21 cells. Titers of extracellular virus in LdElta and Sf21 cells were calculated as $1.77{\times}10^9$ plaque forming units (PFU)/ml and $5.6{\times}10^9PFU/ml$, respectively, at 72 h p.i. We also showed that viral DNA replication began at 12 h p.i. in both cell lines. Viral protein synthesis was determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and polyhedrin synthesis was observed at 12 h p.i. in both cell lines. The results indicate that while the synthesis of macromolecules is 12 h later and production of extracellular virus is almost 3-fold lower in LdElta cells compared with those in Sf21 cells, the LdElta cell line is still a productive cell line for infection of HycuNPV.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2022

Bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells are commonly used to study mammary gland development and mastitis. Lipopolysaccharide is a major bacterial cell membrane component that can induce inflammation. Autophagy is an important regulatory mechanism participating in the elimination of invading pathogens. In this study, we evaluated the mechanism underlying bacterial mastitis and mammary cell death following lipopolysaccharide treatment. After 24 h of 50 ㎍/mL lipopolysaccharide treatment, a significant decrease in the proliferation rate of MAC-T cells was observed. However, no changes were observed upon treatment of MAC-T cells with 10 ㎍/mL of lipopolysaccharide for up to 48 h. Thus, upon lipopolysaccharide treatment, MAC-T cells exhibit dose-dependent effects of growth inhibition at 10 ㎍/mL and death at 50 ㎍/mL. Treatment of MAC-T cells with 50 ㎍/mL lipopolysaccharide also induced the expression of autophagy-related genes ATG3, ATG5, ATG10, ATG12, MAP1LC3B, GABARAP-L2, and BECN1. The autophagy-related LC3A/B protein was also expressed in a dose-dependent manner upon lipopolysaccharide treatment. Based on these results, we suggest that a high dose of bacterial infection induces mammary epithelial cell death related to autophagy signals.