• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.331-337
• /
• 2009

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) has been proposed as a therapeutic target for bronchial asthma as it plays crucial roles in the pathogenesis of the disease. We developed an in vitro test system measuring transcriptional downregulatory activities on IL-13 as a primary screening method to select drug candidates from natural products. The promoter region of IL-13 (-2,048 to +1) was cloned into the upstream of a luciferase gene in the plasmid pGL4.14 containing the hygromycin resistance gene as a selection marker, generating pGL4.14-IL-13. The EL-4 thymoma and RBL-2H3 mast cells transiently expressing this plasmid highly produced the luciferase activities by responding to PI (PMA and ionomycin) stimulation up to 8-fold and 13-fold compared with the control, respectively, whereas cyclosporin A, a well-known antiasthmatic agent, significantly downregulated the activities. The BF1 clone of RBL-2H3 cells constitutively expressing pGL4.14-IL-13 was established by selecting surviving cells under a constant lethal dose of hygromycin treatment. The feasibility of this system was evaluated by measuring the downregulatory activities of 354 natural products on the IL-13 promoter using the BF1 clone. An extract from Morus bombycis (named TBRC 156) significantly inhibited PI-induced luciferase activities and IL-13 mRNA expression, but not the protein expression. Fisetin (named TBRC 353) inhibited not only PI-induced luciferase activities and mRNA expression, but also the IL-13 protein secretion, whereas myricetin (named TBRC 354) could not suppress the IL-13 expression at all. Our data indicated that this in vitro test system is able to discriminate the effects on IL-13 expression, and furthermore, that it might be suitable as a simple and time-saving primary screening system to select antiasthmatic agents by measuring transcriptional activities of the IL-13 promoter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.1078-1089
• /
• 2017

Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus is one of its mechanisms of drug resistance. Anti-biofilm screening of 106 compounds from marine-derived fungi displayed that 12 compounds inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation by >50% at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$, and only secalonic acid D (SAD) and B inhibited by >90% at $6.25{\mu}g/ml$ without inhibiting cell growth after 24-h incubation. Meanwhile, it was found that the double bond between C-1 and C-10 of citrinin derivatives and the C-C connection position of two chromone monomers may be important for their anti-biofilm activities. Moreover, SAD slightly facilitated biofilm eradication and influenced its architecture. Furthermore, SAD slowed the cell growth rate in the preceding 18-h incubation and differentially regulated transcriptional expression of several genes, such as agr, isaA, icaA, and icaD, associated with biofilm formation in planktonic and biofilm cells, which may be the reason for the anti-biofilm activity of SAD. Finally, SAD acted synergistically against S. aureus growth and biofilm formation with other antibiotics. These findings indicated that various natural products from marine-derived fungi, such as SAD, could be used as a potential biofilm inhibitor against S. aureus.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.18 no.9
• /
• pp.1244-1248
• /
• 2008

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a very important drug transporter, which plays an important role in drug disposition and represents an additional mechanism for the development of multidrug resistance. Flavonoids, a major class of natural compounds widely present in foods and herbal products, have been shown to be P-gp inhibitors. The objective of the present study was to identify new chemosensitizer candidates through the screening of various herbal extracts. The inhibitory effects of herbal extracts on P-gp activity were assessed by measuring accumulation of calcein AM using P-gp overexpressed L-MDR1 cells. Curcuma longa showed the most potent inhibition on P-gp function. The inhibitory potential of P-gp was in the order: Curcuma longa > Curcuma aromatica > Ageratum conizoids > Zanthoxylum planispinum > Zedoariae rhizome > Rakta chandan > Dalbergia odorifera > Caesalpinia Sappan > Aloe ferox. To identify individual constituents with inhibitory activity, the herbal extracts were analyzed by LC/MS/MS. Several flavonoids such as curcumin, a well-known P-gp inhibitor, were identified through mass spectral library search. These in vitro data indicate that herbal extracts contain constituents that can potently inhibit the activities of P-gp and suggest that these herbal extracts should be examined for potential chemosensitizer in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.790-794
• /
• 2004

Bifidobacterium spp. exhibits the highest number of counts among species of microflora in breast-feeding infant intestines and has been used as probiotics. From infant groups with different diets, 42 Bifidobacterial strains were isolated by selective plate, Gram-staining, and morphology using method of Mitsuoka, among which seven isolates were identified as Bifidobacterium spp. by F6PPK test, MIDI, and PCR. B. bifidum PBH-30, selected for development of probiotics, showed high resistance against low pH and oxgall treatment, and inhibition against pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. B. bifidum PBH-30 could be applicable to dairy products as probiotic strains due to its excellent growth in raw milk.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.626-632
• /
• 2013

In the course of a developing screening method for resistant radish to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani, we found that the fungus produces phytotoxic compound against Raphanus sativus. The culture filtrate of F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani KR1 represented the strongest phytotoxicity when the fungus was incubated in the malt extract broth with 150 rpm at $25^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. Under bioassay-guided purification, we isolated a substance from liquid culture of F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani KR1, with phytotoxic effect against R. sativus. The compound was identified as fusaric acid by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analyses. Phytotoxicity of the compound against cruciferous vegetable crops, including radish, cabbage, and broccoli, was investigated. Fusaric acid represented phytotoxicity on radish seedlings by concentration dependant manner. And the phytotoxin demonstrated strong phytotoxicity on the resistant cultivars as well as susceptible cultivars of radish to F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani. In addition, fusaric acid isolated from the fungus also showed a potent phytotoxic efficacy against non-host Brassicaceae crops of the fungus such as cabbage and broccoli. The results demonstrate that fusaric acid produced by F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani is non-host-specific toxin and for screening of resistant radish to the fungal pathogen, spore suspension of the fungus without the phytotoxin has to be used.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2006

Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Mysore have evolved several highly productive bivoltine hybrids which can produce international grade raw silk. Among them $CSR2{\times}CSR4,\;CSR2{\times}CSR5,\;CSR3{\times}CSR6,\;CSR17{\times}CSR16,\;CSR18{\times}CSR19$ and $CSR12{\times}CSR6$ are being popularized in the field. There is a minimum difference in their economic characters but they appear to differ in survival. Though they are productive under high input management conditions, they are very susceptible to different diseases under normal rearing practices. No systematic attempts have been made to test their susceptibility status / resistance. Thus the present study is a modest attempt to screen the above six productive bivoltine hybrids to two important pathogens viz., Bombyx mori Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (BmNPV) and Bombyx mori Infectious Flacherie Virus (BmIFV) along with existing hybrid, $KA{\times}NB4D2$ to assess their susceptibility / resistance. The results shows that the productive hybrid $CSR2{\times}CSR4$ is the most resistant to BmNPV and it is suggested by its highest $LC_{50}$ value followed by $CSR12{\times}CSR6,\;KA{\times}NB4D2,\;CSR3{\times}CSR6,\;CSR17{\times}CSR16,\;CSR18{\times}CSR19,\;CSR2{\times}CSR5$. Based on the $LC_{50}$ value and $LT_{50}$ values for BmIFV, the hybrid $KA{\times}NB4D2$ was found to be the most resistant (1st position) one followed by $CSR3{\times}CSR6$ (2nd position) $CSR2{\times}CSR$ (3rd position) and $CSR12{\times}CSR6$ (4th position) $CSR17{\times}CSR16$, $CSR18{\times}CSR19$ (5th position) and $CSR2{\times}CSR5$ being the least. The response of 7 bivoltine hybrids to both the pathogens BmNPV and BmIFV indicates that, the hybrids $CSR2{\times}CSR4$, $CSR12{\times}CSR6$ and $KA{\times}NB4D2$ were found to be the most resistant when compared to others. Further, $KA{\times}NB4D2$ being less productive hybrid with a shell ratio of 20.08%, the other two hybrids $CSR2{\times}CSR4$ (Cocoon shell ratio, 21.44%) and $CSR12{\times}CSR6$ (cocoon shell ratio, 23.45%) can be considered to be most productive with superior quality cocoon and resistant to both BmNPV and BmIFV pathogens. The overall study indicated that the hybrid $CSR2{\times}CSR5$ is the most susceptible hybrid to both the pathogens.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.39 no.5
• /
• pp.426-438
• /
• 2016

Plant disease resistance occurs as a hypersensitive response (HR) at the site of attempted pathogen invasion. This specific event is initiated in response to recognition of pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) and subsequent PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Both PTI and ETI mechanisms are tightly connected with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and disease resistance that involves distinct biphasic ROS production as one of its pivotal plant immune responses. This unique oxidative burst is strongly dependent on the resistant cultivars because a monophasic ROS burst is a hallmark of the susceptible cultivars. However, the cause of the differential ROS burst remains unknown. In the study here, we revealed the plausible underlying mechanism of the differential ROS burst through functional understanding of the Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae) AVR effector, AVR-Pii. We performed yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening using AVR-Pii as bait and isolated rice NADP-malic enzyme2 (Os-NADP-ME2) as the rice target protein. To our surprise, deletion of the rice Os-NADP-ME2 gene in a resistant rice cultivar disrupted innate immunity against the rice blast fungus. Malic enzyme activity and inhibition studies demonstrated that AVR-Pii proteins specifically inhibit in vitro NADP-ME activity. Overall, we demonstrate that rice blast fungus, M. oryzae attenuates the host ROS burst via AVR-Pii-mediated inhibition of Os-NADP-ME2, which is indispensable in ROS metabolism for the innate immunity of rice. This characterization of the regulation of the host oxidative burst will help to elucidate how the products of AVR genes function associated with virulence of the pathogen.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.58 no.4
• /
• pp.439-442
• /
• 2013

This study was conducted to develop the testing method for excessive water tolerance at germinating stage and to screen 31 domestic peanut cultivars. Regardless of peanut grain scales, the amount of seed absorption nearly reached the peak in 10 hours after imbibition. When peanut seed in vermiculate soil was directly soaked in water, ability of emergence did not reduced until 16 days and then sharply reduce to 25 days with non-emergence. When seeds germinated for 1, 2, 3, and 4 days after seeding (DAS) were soaked, the emergence abilities were distinctively varied according to the sequent soaking days such as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days. This explained the negative relationship between first germinating days (DAS) and following soaking days. Using the method of 2 day germinating and 3 day soaking that show less than 70% of emergence ability, 31 peanut cultivars were applied to test excessive water tolerance. Emergence rates varied 0% to 69% according to cultivar. Cultivar Daekwang, Sinkwang, Daecheong and Baekseon had over 50% emergence rates. These results suggested that the degree of water resistance in germinating stage may be important point to evaluate the excessive water resistance among cultivars.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.22 no.7
• /
• pp.987-990
• /
• 2012

Mungbean sprout rot is one of the most serious problems of the commercial mungbean sprout industry. In this study, 70 strains of mungbean sprout rot pathogens were isolated from rotten sprouts at different time intervals. The pathogenicity of the isolated pathogens was tested. The highly pathogenic strain (YV-St-033) was identified as Pseudomonas sp. by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In phylogenetic analysis, the YV-St-033 strain was grouped with P. mosselii, P. putita, P. fluorescens, P. entomophila, and P. lecoglossicida. The results of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the YV-St-033 strain shared the highest sequence identity (more than 99%) with the P. mosselii R10 strain. The mungbean lines of Yeungnam University germplasm were screened against the YV-St-033 strain. Based on the growth rate of the sprouts after 3 days of inoculation with the pathogen, the YV148 line was highly resistant to the pathogen. The remaining lines were either partially or fully infected. The highly resistant line YV 148 is suitable for future breeding programs due to their thin sprouts and fast growing nature.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.567-574
• /
• 2016

This survey was conducted in 2015, following up on theed tthe occurrence of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) nationwide in radish and Chinese cabbage fields of 28 cities in South Korea. A total of 152 samples of Raphanus sativus and 29 samples of Brassica rapa, showing virus-like symptoms, were collected. Among these, 107 B. rapa samples and 9 B. rapa samples were positive for TuMV when analyzed by RT-PCR. The TuMV strains found in the two crops showed 99% homology in nucleotide and amino acid sequences of coat protein to each other. Furthermore, their sequences showed 99% homology to the sequences of TuMV isolates R007 (GenBank: KU140420) and R041 (GenBank: KU140421) that were collected in 2014. These results suggested TuMV isolated from radish and cabbage in 2015 were the same strain as the isolates R007 and R041 collected in 2014. A screening test was conducted using these two isolates to select TuMV-resistant B. rapa lines out of 167 B. rapa breeding lines.and identified eight lines resistant to R007 (Kenshin, 279002, 279012, 279064, 279081, MP, C-21, HKC-004) and nine lines resistant to R041 (C-26, HKC-005, 11Su-4, 11Su-5, 11Su-7, 11Su-8, Tian Jin Lv Qing Ma Ye, CNU_141193, Jing Lv 60). Our prior data indicated 4.24% difference in sequences between the two isolates and these can serve as potential tools to develop B. rapa markers to screen for resistance against TuMV strainsin breeding populations.