• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.397-404
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• 2023

Acanthamoeba species are free-living amoebae those are widely distributed in the environment. They feed on various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and algae. Although majority of the microbes phagocytosed by Acanthamoeba spp. are digested, some pathogenic bacteria thrive within them. Here, we identified the roles of 3 phagocytosis-associated genes (ACA1_077100, ACA1_175060, and AFD36229.1) in A. castellanii. These 3 genes were upregulated after the ingestion of Escherichia coli. However, after the ingestion of Legionella pneumophila, the expression of these 3 genes was not altered after the consumption of L. pneumophila. Furthermore, A. castellanii transfected with small interfering RNS (siRNA) targeting the 3 phagocytosis-associated genes failed to digest phagocytized E. coli. Silencing of ACA1_077100 disabled phagosome formation in the E. coli-ingesting A. castellanii. Alternatively, silencing of ACA1_175060 enabled phagosome formation; however, phagolysosome formation was inhibited. Moreover, suppression of AFD36229.1 expression prevented E. coli digestion and consequently led to the rupturing of A. castellanii. Our results demonstrated that the ACA1_077100, ACA1_175060, and AFD36229.1 genes of Acanthamoeba played crucial roles not only in the formation of phagosome and phagolysosome but also in the digestion of E. coli.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.200-208
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• 1993

연두금파리 종령유충의 복강내에 이물질로서 protein-A gold 용액(20 nm 크기) colloidal gold 용액(15 nm 크기), 그리고 이들의 혼합액을 주입하여 혈구가 이들을 처리하는 양상을 전자현미경을 이용하여 관찰하였다. Gold 입자에 대한 혈구의 세포성 면역작용 방식은 식세포작용이었고 이러한 식세포 작용은 연두금파리에서 확인한 prohemocyte, plasmatocyte. granulocyte type I, II, III, 그리고 oneocvtoid 등의 6가지 혈구 중 type 11 granulocyte에 의해서 수행되었다. Gold 입자는 주로 판상의 원형질 돌기를 통하여 혈구 속으로 들어갔으며 coated-pit로 보이는 구조에 의해서도 받아들이는 것으로 나타났다. 식세포 작용은 gold 용액 주입후 10분 이내에 빠른 속도로 일어났으며 시간이 경과함에 따라 gold 입자를 함유한 phagosome은 리소소음과 융합하여 phagolysosome을 형성하면서 세포질내에 축적되어 있었다. Gold 용액을 주입한 후 type II granulocyte에서는 세포질 돌기와 전자 밀도가 높은 과립, 그리고 세포 소기관이 소실되는 등의 변화가 일어났다. protein A-gold 및 colloidal gold 용액에 대한 기본적인 식세포 과정은 별다른 차이점이 없었으나 gold 입자 섭취 초기 과정과 양, 그리고 multivesicular body의 모습등에서는 차이점을 보여 주었다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.11
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• pp.1153-1161
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• 2005

As known by other name(natural immunity), the innate immune system comprises all those mechanisms for dealing with infection that are constitutive or built in, changing little with age or with experience of infection. Though in some ways less sophisticated than adaptive immunity, innate immunity should not belittled, since it has evidently protected thousands of species of invertebrates sufficiently to survive for up to 2 billion years. In the innate immune system, molecules of both cellular and humoral types are involved, corresponding to the need to recognize and dispose of different types of pathogen, to promote inflammatory responses and to interact to the adaptive immune system. A major features of innate immunity are the presence of the normal gut flora, complements, macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells and many cytokines that can block the establishment of infection. Both phagocytic cells and complement system have tremendous potential for damaging host cells, but fortunately they are normally only triggered by foreign materials, and usually most of their destructive effects are focussed on the surface of these or in the safe environment of the phagolysosome. This article addreses the comprehensive mechanisms of the major components of the innate immune system to prevent the infection.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.347-354
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• 1992

New regulatory, loci which participate in the regulation of anaerobic inducible gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium were identified. We observed the regulatory network of new regulator mutations to various anaerobic inducible gene (1). Some anaerobic inducible lac fusions were also induced at low pH condition which was severe environment to withstand for its virulence at the place like phagolysosome. Sic oxygen-regulated regulatory mutants (oxr) isolated by Tn10 mutagenesis were divided into two groups. Five of them were found to show negative effect on the regulation of anaerobic gene expression, while on e showed positive effect on the regulation. Genetic loci of four oxr were identified with 54 Mud-P22 lysogens covering the whole chromosome of S. typhimurium, in the nearby region of map unit 87 min (oxr101), 63 min (oxr104), 97 min (oxr 105), and 57 min (oxr 106), respectively. Two oxr mutants were subjected to two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoretic analysis of anaerobic inducible proteins for searching the control circuitry of our oxr mutants.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.221-228
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• 1999

In order to find a biochemical marker for late Iysosomes, we characterized two cDNAs which were cloned by using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against Iysosomes in Amoeba proteus as a probe. The two cDNAs, a 1.3-kb cDNA in pBSK-Iys45 and a 1.6-kb cDNA in pBSK-Iys60, were found to encode proteins homologous to pepstatin-insensitive carboxyl proteinases (PICPs). E. coli transformed with pBSK-Iys45 produced two immunopositive polypeptides (45 and 43 kDa) and the cDNA in 1274 bases encoded a 44,733-Da protein (Lys45) of 420 amino acids containing one site for a core oligosaccharide. On the other hand, E. coli transformed with pBSK-Iys60 produced several polypeptides (64, 54, 45, 41, and 37 kDa) reacting with the mAb. The cDNA contained 1629 bases and encoded a 59,231-Da protein (Lys60) of 530 amino acids containing two sites for asparagine-linked core oligosaccharides. These two cDNAs showed identities of 60.3% in nucleotide sequences and 23.6% in amino acid sequences. Lys45 and Lys60 appeared to share XXEFQK as a common antigenic domain. The amino acid sequence of the Lys45 protein showed 17.4% identity and 40.9% similarity to that of PICP from Pseudomonas sp. 101. On the other hand, Lys60 showed a 24.3% identity and 51.9% similarity with human Iysosomal PICP in the amino acid sequence. A putative active center for serine protease, GTS＊xxxxxFxG, was found to be conserved among PICP homologues. The two PICPs are the first reported enzymatic markers for late Iysosomes.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2012

Apoptosis is a physiological programmed cell death process. Tubercle bacilli inhibit apoptosis of alveolar macrophages and phagolysosome fusion. We investigated whether the Bcl-2 family anti-apoptotic member, Bfl-1/A1, plays an important role in the anti-apoptotic process during mycobacterial infection. PMA-treated human monocytoid THP-1 cells were infected with mycobacteria (H37Rv, BCG, and K-strain) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10 for 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 48, or 72 h. In addition, PMA-treated THP-1 cells were pretreated with specific inhibitors for 45 min before stimulation with mycobacteria at an MOI of 10 for 4 h. After the indicated time, the cells were subject to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, and a Bfl-1/A1-specific Western blot was performed. In PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells, the expression level of Bfl-1/A1 mRNA was increased by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) H37Rv infection. The mRNA level of Bfl-1/A1 peaked 3 h after MTB infection, then declined gradually until 9 h. However, Bfl-1/A1 mRNA induction gradually re-increased from 24 h to 72 h after MTB infection. No difference in Bfl-1/A1 expression was detected following infection with MTB H37Rv, K-strain, or M. bovis BCG. These results were not dependent on mycobacterial virulence. Moreover, mRNA levels of other anti-apoptotic molecules (Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL) were not increased after MTB H37Rv or K-strain infection. These results suggest that mycobacteria induce the innate immune host defense mechanisms that utilize Bfl-1/A1 molecules at early time points, regardless of virulence.