• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1276-1280
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• 2017

The mcr-1 gene is a new "superbug" gene discoverd in China in 2016 that makes bacteria highly resistant to the last-resort class of antibiotics. The mcr-1 gene raised serious concern about its possible global dissemination and spread. Here, we report a potential anti-resistant strategy using the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated approach that can efficiently induce mcr-1 gene knockout in Escherichia coli. Our findings suggested that using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knock out the resistance gene mcr-1 might be a potential anti-resistant strategy. Bovine myeloid antimicrobial peptide-27 could help deliver plasmid pCas::mcr targeting specific DNA sequences of the mcr-1 gene into microbial populations.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.491-498
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• 2007

It has been hypothesized that efficient exclusion of methylated retrotransposons and repeated DNA region is one of the rapid and cost-effective approaches for comprehensive gene discovery in large genome size of maize. Three kinds of methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, HapII, MspI and McrBC, were used to identify the restriction frequency of cytosine methylation sites in maize genome. Roughly 60% of total maize genomic DNA was restricted less than 500bp by McrBC, and the most of restricted small size fraction was composed retrotransposon. In order to validate the efficient construction of gene-rich shotgun library, we compare two gene-rich methyl-filtration shotgun libraries using in vivo and in vitro methyl-filtration system. The size selected DNA fraction by Sau3A-McrBC enzyme treated was very stable and has not appeared modification in E. coli, but most insert DNA size of partially digested with Sau3A were decrease less than 500bp by bacterial methylation-modification system. In compare of retroelements portion, A 44.6% of the sequences were retroelement in unmethyl-filtered library, and the most of them was Copia type, such as Prem, Opie and Ji. The portion of retroelement was drastically decreased to 25% and 20% by in vivo and in vitro filtration system, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1862-1869
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• 2020

The spread of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance has posed a serious threat to public health owing to its effects on the emergence of pandrug-resistant bacteria. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and characteristics of mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat samples in Korea. In total, 1,205 E. coli strains were isolated from 3,234 retail meat samples in Korea. All E. coli strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and were examined for the presence of mcr-1 gene. All mcr-1-positive E. coli (n = 10, 0.8%) from retail meat were subjected to pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The transferability of mcr-1 gene was determined by conjugation assays. The mcr-1-positive strains exhibited diverse clonal types. Our mcr-1 genes were located in plasmids belonged to the IncI2 (n = 1) and IncX4 (n = 8) types, which were reported to be prevalent in Asia and worldwide, respectively. Most mcr-1 genes from mcr-1-positive strains (9/10) were transferable to the recipient strain and the transfer frequencies ranged from 2.4 × 10-3 to 9.8 × 10-6. Our data suggest that the specific types of plasmid may play an important role in spreading plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Korea. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the retail meat may be an important tool for disseminating plasmid-mediated colistin resistance.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.68.1-68.15
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• 2021

Background: Colistin and carbapenem-resistant bacteria have emerged and become a serious public health concern, but their epidemiological data is still limited. Objectives: This study examined colistin and carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella from pigs, pig carcasses, and pork in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Cambodia border provinces. Methods: The phenotypic and genotypic resistance to colistin and meropenem was determined in E. coli and Salmonella obtained from pigs, pig carcasses, and pork (n = 1,619). A conjugative experiment was performed in all isolates carrying the mcr gene (s) (n = 68). The plasmid replicon type was determined in the isolates carrying a conjugative plasmid with mcr by PCR-based replicon typing (n = 7). The genetic relatedness of mcr-positive Salmonella (n = 11) was investigated by multi-locus sequence typing. Results: Colistin resistance was more common in E. coli (8%) than Salmonella (1%). The highest resistance rate was found in E. coli (17.8%) and Salmonella (1.7%) from Cambodia. Colistin-resistance genes, mcr-1, mcr-3, and mcr-5, were identified, of which mcr-1 and mcr-3 were predominant in E. coli (5.8%) and Salmonella (1.7%), respectively. The mcr-5 gene was observed in E. coli from pork in Cambodia. Two colistin-susceptible pig isolates from Thailand carried both mcr-1 and mcr-3. Seven E. coli and Salmonella isolates contained mcr-1 or mcr-3 associated with the IncF and IncI plasmids. The mcr-positive Salmonella from Thailand and Cambodia were categorized into two clusters with 94%-97% similarity. None of these clusters was meropenem resistant. Conclusions: Colistin-resistant E. coli and Salmonella were distributed in pigs, pig carcasses, and pork in the border areas. Undivided-One Health collaboration is needed to address the issue.

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.555-562
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• 2018

Background: The emerging mobile colistin resistance gene, mcr-1, is an ongoing worldwide concern and an evaluation of clinical isolates harboring this gene is required in Korea. We investigated mcr-1-possessing Enterobacteriaceae among Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated in Korea, and compared the genetic details of the plasmids with those in Escherichia coli isolates from livestock. Methods: Among 9,396 Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates collected between 2010 and 2015, 1,347 (14.3%) strains were resistant to colistin and those were screened for mcr-1 by PCR. Colistin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by microdilution, and conjugal transfer of the mcr-1-harboring plasmids was assessed by direct mating. Whole genomes of three mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae clinical isolates and 11 livestock-origin mcr-1-positive E. coli isolates were sequenced. Results: Two E. coli and one Enterobacter aerogenes clinical isolates carried carried IncI2 plasmids harboring mcr-1, which conferred colistin resistance (E. coli MIC, 4 mg/L; E. aerogenes MIC, 32 mg/L). The strains possessed the complete conjugal machinery except for E. aerogenes harboring a truncated prepilin peptidase. The E. coli plasmid transferred more efficiently to E. coli than to Klebsiella pneumoniae or Enterobacter cloacae recipients. Among the three bacterial hosts, the colistin MIC was the highest for E. coli owing to the higher mcr-1-plasmid copy number and mcr-1 expression levels. Ten mcr-1-positive chicken-origin E. coli strains also possessed mcr-1-harboring IncI2 plasmids closely related to that in the clinical E. aerogenes isolate, and the remaining one porcine-origin E. coli possessed an mcr-1-harboring IncX4 plasmid. Conclusions: mcr-1-harboring IncI2 plasmids were identified in clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates. These plasmids were closely associated with those in chicken-origin E. coli strains in Korea, supporting the concept of mcr-1 dissemination between humans and livestock.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2012

The objective of this study is to develop the gene based sequence tagged site (STS) markers in wheat. The euchromatin enriched genomic library was constructed and the STS primer sets were designed using gene based DNA sequence. The euchromatin enriched genomic (EEG) DNA library in wheat was constructed using the $Mcr$A and $Mcr$BC system in $DH5{\alpha}$ cell. The 2,166 EEG colonies have been constructed by methylated DNA exclusion. Among the colonies, 606 colonies with the size between 400 and 1200 bp of PCR products were selected for sequencing. In order to develop the gene based STS primers, blast analysis comparing between wheat genetic information and rice genome sequence was employed. The 227 STS primers mainly matched on $Triticum$ $aestivum$ (hexaploid), $Triticum$ $turgidum$ (tetraploid), $Aegilops$ (diploid), and other plants. The polymorphisms were detected in PCR products after digestion with restriction enzymes. The eight STS markers that showed 32 polymorphisms in twelve wheat genotypes were developed using 227 STS primers. The STS primers analysis will be useful for generation of informative molecular markers in wheat. Development of gene based STS marker is to identify the genetic function through cloning of target gene and find the new allele of target trait.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.586-593
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• 2016

A new methanogen was isolated from an anaerobic digester using pig slurry in South Korea. Only one strain, designated KOR-1, was characterized in detail. Cells of KOR-1 were straight or crooked rods, non-motile, 5 to $15{\mu}m$ long and $0.7{\mu}m$ wide. They stained Gram-positive and produced methane from $H_2+CO_2$ and formate. Strain KOR-1 grew optimally at $38^{\circ}C$. The optimum pH for growth was 7.0. The strain grew at 0.5% to 3.0% NaCl, with optimum growth at 2.5% NaCl. The G+C content of genomic DNA of strain KOR-1 was 41 mol%. The strain tolerated ampicillin, penicillin G, kanamycin and streptomycin but tetracycline inhibited cell growth. A large fragment of the 16S rRNA gene (~1,350 bp) was obtained from the isolate and sequenced. Comparison of 16S rRNA genes revealed that strain KOR-1 is related to Methanobacterium formicicum (98%, sequence similarity), Methanobacterium bryantii (95%) and Methanobacterium ivanovii (93%). Phylogenetic analysis of the deduced mcrA gene sequences confirmed the closest relative as based on mcrA gene sequence analysis was Methanobacterium formicicum strain (97% nucleic acid sequence identity). On the basis of physiological and phylogenetic characteristics, strain KOR-1 is proposed as a new strain within the genus Methanobacterium, Methanobacterium formicicum KOR-1.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.225-229
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• 2005

To investigate impediments to plasmid transformation in Brevibacterium flavum BF4 and B. lactofermentum BL1, cell surface barriers were determined by measuring growth inhibition whilst enzymatic barriers were determined by comparing DNA methylation properties. B. lactofermentum was more sensitive to growth inhibition by glycine than B. flavum. Release of cellular proteins during sonication was more rapid for B. lactofermentum than for B. flavum. Plasmid DNA (pCSL 17) isolated from B. flavum transformed recipient $McrBC^+$ strains of Escherichia coli with lower efficiency than $McrBC^-$. McrBC digestion of this DNA confirmed that B. flavum contain methylated cytidines in the target sequence of McrBc sequences but B. lactofermentum contained a different methylation pattern. DNA derived from the B. lactofermentum transformed recipient $EcoKR^+$ strains of E. coli with lower efficiency than $EcoKR^-$, indicating the presence of methylated adenosines in the target sequence of EcoK sequences. The present data describe the differences in the physical and enzymatic barriers between two species of corynebacteria and also provide some insight into the successful foreign gene expression in corynebacteria.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2015

To elucidate the microbial consortia responsible for the anaerobic methane oxidation in the methane hydrate bearing sediments, we compared the geochemical constituents of the sediment, the rate of sulfate reduction, and microbial biomass and diversity using an analysis of functional genes associated with the anaerobic methane oxidation and sulfate reduction between chimney site (UBGH2-3) on the continental slope and non-chimney site (UBGH2-10) on the basin of the Ulleung Basin. From the vertical profiles of geochemical constituents, sulfate and methane transition zone (SMTZ) was clearly defined between 0.5 and 1.5 mbsf (meters below seafloor) in the UBGH2-3, and between 6 and 7 mbsf at the UBGH2-10. At the UBGH2-3, the sulfate reduction rate (SRR) in the SMTZ exhibited was appeared to be $1.82nmol\;cm^{-3}d^{-1}$ at the depth of 1.15 mbsf. The SRR in the UBHG2-10 showed a highest value ($4.29nmol\;cm^{-3}d^{-1}$) at the SMTZ. The 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of total Prokaryotes, mcrA, (methyl coenzyme M reductase subunit A), and dsrA (dissimilatory sulfite reductase subunit A) showed the peaks in the SMTZ at both sites, but the maximum mcrA gene copy number of the UBGH2-10 appeared below the SMTZ (9.8 mbsf). ANME-1 was a predominant ANME (Anaerobic MEthanotroph) group in both SMTZs of the UBGH2-3 and -10. However, The sequences of ANME-2 were detected only at 2.2 mbsf of the UBGH2-3 where high methane flux was observed because of massive amount of gas hydrate at shallow depth. And Desulfosarcina-Desulfococcus (DSS) that is associated with ANME-2 was detected in 2.2 mbsf of the UBHG2-3. Overall results demonstrate that ANME-1 and ANME-2 are considered as significant archaeal groups related to methane cycle in the subsurface sediment of the East Sea, and ANME-2/DSS consortia might be more responsible for methane oxidation in the methane seeping region than in non-seeping region.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.529-541
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• 2003

Yukmijihwang-tang has been widely used as an and-aging herbal medicine for hundred years in Asian countries. Numerous studies show that Yukmijihwangtang has anti-oxidative effect both in vivo and in vitro. It has been reported that Moutan Cortex Radicis extract (MCR) was the most effective herb in Yukmijihwang-tang on undifferentiated PC12 cells upon oxidative-stressed with hydrogen peroxide. The purpose of this study is to; 1) evaluate the recovery of neuronal damage by assessing the anti-oxidant effect of MCR on PC12 cells differentiated with nerve growth factor (NGF), 2) identify candidate genes responsible for anti-oxidative effect on differentiated PC12 cells by oligonucleotide chip microarray. PC12 cells, which were differentiated by treating with NGF, were treated without or with hydrogen peroxide in the presence or absence of various concentration of MCR. Cell survival was determined by using MTS assay. Measurement of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was determined using the H2DCFDA assay The viability of cells treated with MCR was significantly recovered from stressed PC12 cell. In addition, wide rage of concentrations of MCR shows dose-dependent inhibitory effect on ROS production in oxidative-stressed cells. Total RNAs of cells without treatment(Control group), only treated with H₂O₂ (stressed group) and treated with both H₂O₂ and of MCR (MCR group) were isolated, and cDNAs was synthesized using oligoT7(dT) primer. The fragmented cRNAs, synthesized from cDNAs, were applied to Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Neurobiology U34 Array. mRNA of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II delta subunit(CaMKII), neuron glucose transporter (GLUT3) and myelin/oligodendrocyte glycoprotein(MOG) were downregulated in Stressed group comparing to Control group. P2X2-5 receptor (P2X2R-5), P2X2-4 receptor (P2X2R-4), c-fos, 25 kDa synaptosomal attachment protein(SNAP-25a) and GLUT3 were downregulated, whereas A2 adenosine receptor (A2AR), cathechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), EST223333, heme oxygenase (HO), VGF, UI-R-CO-ja-a-07-0-Ul.s1 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were upregulated in MCA group comparing to Control group. Expression of Putative potassium channel subunit protein (ACK4), P2X2A-5, P2X2A-4, Interferon-gamma inducing factor isoform alpha precursor (IL-18α), EST199031, P2XR, P2X2 purinoceptor isoform e (P2X2R-e), Precursor interleukin 18 (IL-18) were downregulated, whereas MOO, EST223333, GLUT-1, MIF, Neuronatin alpha, UI-R-C0-ja-a-07-0-Ul.s1, A2. adenosine receptor, COMT, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), HO, VGF, A rat novel protein which is expressed with nerve injury (E12625) were upregulated in MCR group comparing to Stressed group. The results suggest that decreased viability and AOS production of PC12 cell by H₂O₂ may be, at lease, mediated by impaired glucose transporter expression. It is implicated that the MCR treatment protect PC12 cell from oxidative stress via following mechanisms; improving glucose transport into the cell, enhancing expression of anti-oxidative genes and protecting from dopamine cytotoxicity by increment of COMT and MIF expression. The list of differentially expressed genes may implicate further insight on the action and mechanism behind the anti-oxidative effects of herbal extract Moutan Cortex Radicis.