• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.633-647
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• 1993

NC strain mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with Dermatophoilus-like microorganism strain W254 isolated from the sulfur granules of the swine tonsils. The development of the resulting abscesses in NC strain mice was investigated at regular time intervals by means of histological, histochemical and electron microscopical methods. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. The inoculated bacteria have settled in the subserous site of the peritoneal organ and provoked cellular response to form neutrophil, macrophage and connective tissue layers at the time of one week after inoculation, and thereafter were found to have formed typical actinomycotic abscess two weeks after inoculation. 2. The persistant abscesses were appeared to reveal close interaction between higher activity of organism and tissue reaction and contained hyaloid bodies within or outside bacterial clumps. 3. The hyaline materials were appeared to be composed of protein rich in hydroxyphenyl group by histochemical examination. The materials were presumed to be produced by the interaction between bacterial activity and host cell reaction. 4. The bacteria in the abscesses showed the various developmental stages of coccoid body, mulberry-like body tuber-shaped body and filamentous body, and it was confirmed that the mesosomal development was related to septation of the bacterial cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.74-80
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• 2012

Candida albicans is a common opportunistic pathogen and is frequently associated with biofilm formation occurring on the surfaces of host tissues and medical devices. On account of the distinct resistance of C. albicans biofilms to the conventional antifungal agents, new strategies are required to cope with these infections. The root of Polygonum cuspidatum has been used for medicinal purposes in East Asia. The aim of this study was to assess the anticandidal potential of the P. cuspidatum ethanol extract by evaluating biofilm formation, integrity of the cell membranes of C. albicans and adhesion of C. albicans cells to polystyrene surfaces. The growth and development of the biofilm was assessed using an XTT reduction assay, and the extract (0.39 mg/ml) significantly reduced ($41.1{\pm}17.8%$) biofilm formation of 11 C. albicans strains. The extract damaged the cell membranes of C. albicans and remarkably inhibited cell adhesion to polystyrene surfaces. The plant extract displayed fungistatic activity without significant hemolytic activity. Based on the results of this study, the P. cuspidatum extract has promising potential for use in treating biofilm-associated Candida infection.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2020

The disease-causing koi herpes virus (KHV), also known as cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV3), causes mass mortality of koi and carp. Koi (Cyprinus carpio) is a host for KHV, one of 12 virus species in the Alloherpesviridae family. We examined the effects of KHV disease koi (KK), and on koi×red common carp (KR) and red common carp×koi (RK) cross, using a virus challenge test. The infected fish had clinical signs that included gill necrosis and skin lesions. The RK and KR were highly more resistant (cumulative mortality: RK; 6% and KR; 8%) to KHV infection than KK fish (cumulative mortality: 28%). KHV DNA was confirmed in the tissues of all dead fish in groups by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the presence of the KHV protein in kidney was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Histological analysis showed severe gill lesions and fusion of the lamellae in KK fish, but less severe damage in RK fish. In immunohistochemistry analysis, the KHV protein localized in the cytoplasm of infected kidney cells of KK, but the cross groups had lower levels of KHV antigen. Our data indicate that the cross groups had increased resistance to KHV disease.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.295-298
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• 2019

Fasciolopsiasis is rarely known as the parasitic disease in Nepal. Herein, we report a case of fasciolopsiasis in a 22-year-old man who was admitted in the hospital with abdominal pain, distension and loss of appetite for a month. He had previously diagnosed with acute viral hepatitis but, his abdominal pain was not resolving despite improvement in his liver function and general condition. During endoscopy an adult digenean worm was seen in the first part of the duodenum. After isolation, the worm was identified morphologically as Fasciolopsis buski. Microscogic examination of the patient's stool revealed eggs with a morphology consistent with F. buski. Eggs were yellow-brown, ellipsoidal, unembmbryonated, operculated, filled with yolk cells, with thin shell and ranging $118-130{\mu}m$ in length and $60-69{\mu}m$ in width. The abdominal pain of the patient was resolved after treatment with praziquantel. By the present study, it was confirmed for the first time that fasciolopsiasis is indigenously transmitted in Nepal. Accordingly, the epidemiological studies in humans and reservoir host animals should be performed intensively in near future.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.242-249
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• 2019

Biosynthesis of indole-3-acetate (IAA) from L-tryptophan via indole-3-pyruvate pathway requires three enzymes including aminotransferase, indole-3-pyruvate decarboxylase, and indole-3-acetate dehydrogenase. To establish a bio-based production of IAA, the aspC, ipdC, and iad1 from Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, and Ustilago maydis, respectively, were expressed under control of the tac, ilvC, and sod promoters in C. glutamicum. Cells harboring ipdC produced tryptophol, indicating that the ipdC product is functional in this host. Analyses of SDS-PAGE and enzyme activity revealed that genes encoding AspC and Iad1 were efficiently expressed from the sod promoter, and their enzyme activities were 5.8 and 168.5 nmol/min/mg-protein, respectively. The final resulting strain expressing aspC, ipdC, and iad1 produced 2.3 g/l and 7.3 g/l of IAA from 10 g/l L-tryptophan, respectively, in flask cultures and a 5-L bioreactor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1137-1143
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• 2019

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) accounts for 20 million infections in humans worldwide. In most cases, the infections are self-limiting while HEV genotype 1 infection cases may lead to lethal infections in pregnant women (~ 20% fatality). The lack of small animal models has hampered detailed analysis of virus-host interactions and HEV-induced pathology. Here, by employing a recently developed culture-adapted HEV, we demonstrated that methyltransferase, a non-structural protein, strongly inhibits melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5)-mediated activation of type I interferon responses. Compared to uninfected controls, HEV-infected cells display significantly lower levels of $IFN-{\beta}$ promoter activation when assessed by luciferase assay and RT-PCR. HEV genome-wide screening showed that HEV-encoded methyltransferase (MeT) strongly inhibits MDA5-mediated transcriptional activation of $IFN-{\beta}$ and $NF-{\kappa}B$ in a dose-responsive manner whether or not it is expressed in the presence/absence of a tag fused to it. Taken together, current studies clearly demonstrated that HEV MeT is a novel antagonist of MDA5-mediated induction of $IFN-{\beta}$ signaling.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2022

Seahorses, which have been cultivated since the 2000s, are economically very important. Gas bubble disease (GBD) is a significant concern in the cultivation of seahorses; therefore, this study aimed to determine the cause of GBD-induced death in two species of Syngnathidae (Syngnathus schlegeli and Hippocampus haema). Rod-shaped bacteria were observed histopathologically and identified as Vibrio splendidus by conventional and real-time PCR analyses. The lethality of V. splendidus varies depending on the host's immune status, and the disease can be prevented through water quality management or improvement of the breeding environment. In this study, the GBD lesions (gas bubbles) were observed at 12℃, 8.0 mg/L of dissolved oxygen, 30 ppt of salinity, and pH 7.7. In addition, rod-shaped bacteria, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and extensive serous exudate were confirmed in the lesions where gas bubbles were found. PCR analysis was able to detect V. splendidus, possibly a secondary infection of the immunocompromised syngnathid fish. Understanding the risk of immunity control and the correlation between these lesions and causal agents will be of great help to the aquaculture industry and the ornamental fish market.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.8
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• pp.522-530
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• 2022

Transposable elements (TEs) account for approximately 45% of the human genome. TEs have proliferated randomly and integrated into functional genes during hominoid radiation. They appear as right-handed B-DNA double helices and slightly elongated left-handed Z-DNAs. Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) families are widely distributed in human chromosomes at a ratio of 8%. They contain a 5'-long terminal repeat (LTR)-gag-pol-env-3'-LTR structure. LTRs contain the U3 enhancer and promoter region, transcribed R region, and U5 region. LTRs can influence host gene expression by acting as regulatory elements. In this review, we describe the alternative promoters derived from LTR elements that overlap Z-DNA by comparing Z-hunt and DeepZ data for human functional genes. We also present evidence showing the regulatory activity of LTR elements containing Z-DNA in GSDML. Taken together, the regulatory activity of LTR elements with Z-DNA allows us to understand gene function in relation to various human diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.715-723
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• 2023

Microbial biofilms are resilient, immune-evasive, often antibiotic-resistant health challenges, and increasingly the target for research into novel therapeutic strategies. We evaluated the effects of a nutraceutical enzyme and botanical blend (NEBB) on established biofilm. Five microbial strains with known implications in chronic human illnesses were tested: Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus simulans (coagulase-negative, penicillin-resistant), Borrelia burgdorferi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The strains were allowed to form biofilm in vitro. Biofilm cultures were treated with NEBB containing enzymes targeted at lipids, proteins, and sugars, also containing the mucolytic compound N-acetyl cysteine, along with antimicrobial extracts from cranberry, berberine, rosemary, and peppermint. The post-treatment biofilm mass was evaluated by crystal-violet staining, and metabolic activity was measured using the MTT assay. Average biofilm mass and metabolic activity for NEBB-treated biofilms were compared to the average of untreated control cultures. Treatment of established biofilm with NEBB resulted in biofilm-disruption, involving significant reductions in biofilm mass and metabolic activity for Candida and both Staphylococcus species. For B. burgdorferi, we observed reduced biofilm mass, but the remaining residual biofilm showed a mild increase in metabolic activity, suggesting a shift from metabolically quiescent, treatment-resistant persister forms of B. burgdorferi to a more active form, potentially more recognizable by the host immune system. For P. aeruginosa, low doses of NEBB significantly reduced biofilm mass and metabolic activity while higher doses of NEBB increased biofilm mass and metabolic activity. The results suggest that targeted nutraceutical support may help disrupt biofilm communities, offering new facets for integrative combinational treatment strategies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.21.1-21.14
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• 2023

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a gram-negative bacteria associated with diverse infections like appendicitis and colorectal cancer. It mainly attacks the epithelial cells in the oral cavity and throat of the infected individual. It has a single circular genome of 2.7 Mb. Many proteins in F. nucleatum genome are listed as "Uncharacterized." Annotation of these proteins is crucial for obtaining new facts about the pathogen and deciphering the gene regulation, functions, and pathways along with discovery of novel target proteins. In the light of new genomic information, an armoury of bioinformatic tools were used for predicting the physicochemical parameters, domain and motif search, pattern search, and localization of the uncharacterized proteins. The programs such as receiver operating characteristics determine the efficacy of the databases that have been employed for prediction of different parameters at 83.6%. Functions were successfully assigned to 46 uncharacterized proteins which included enzymes, transporter proteins, membrane proteins, binding proteins, etc. Apart from the function prediction, the proteins were also subjected to string analysis to reveal the interacting partners. The annotated proteins were also put through homology-based structure prediction and modeling using Swiss PDB and Phyre2 servers. Two probable virulent factors were also identified which could be investigated further for potential drug-related studies. The assigning of functions to uncharacterized proteins has shown that some of these proteins are important for cell survival inside the host and can act as effective drug targets.