• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.98-108
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• 2015

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen that causes diverse diseases ranging from minor infections to life-threatening conditions in humans and animals. To further understand its pathogenesis, the genome of the strain S. aureus FORC_001 was isolated from a contaminated food. Its genome consists of 2,886,017 bp double-stranded DNA with a GC content of 32.8%. It is predicted to contain 2,728 open reading frames, 57 tRNAs, and 6 rRNA operons, including 1 additional 5S rRNA gene. Comparative phylogenetic tree analysis of 40 complete S. aureus genome sequences using average nucleotide identity (ANI) revealed that strain FORC_001 belonged to Group I. The closest phylogenetic match was S. aureus MRSA252, according to a whole-genome ANI (99.87%), suggesting that they might share a common ancestor. Comparative genome analysis of FORC_001 and MRSA252 revealed two non-homologous regions: Regions I and II. The presence of various antibiotic resistance genes, including the SCCmec cluster in Region I of MRSA252, suggests that this strain might have acquired the SCCmec cluster to adapt to specific environments containing methicillin. Region II of both genomes contains prophage regions but their DNA sequence identity is very low, suggesting that the prophages might differ. This is the first report of the complete genome sequence of S. aureus isolated from a real foodborne outbreak in South Korea. This report would be helpful to extend our understanding about the genome, general characteristics, and virulence factors of S. aureus for further studies of pathogenesis, rapid detection, and epidemiological investigation in foodborne outbreak.

• 한국가금학회지
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.327-335
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• 2021

리메렐라 아나티페스티퍼 감염증은 오리와 거위에서 섬유소성 심막염, 간주위염증, 기낭염, 건락성난관염, 뇌막염을 특징으로 하는 급성 또는 만성 패혈증이다. 이 균은 혈청형 또는 분리주별로 병원성에 큰 차이가 나타나는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 지금까지 이러한 다양한 병원성과 그 이유에 대한 연구는 거의 이루어지지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 리메렐라 아나티페스티퍼의 병원성과 serum resistance 상관성을 구명하였다. 우리는 다양한 분리원으로부터 확보한 130주의 균주를 대상으로 serum resistance 특성을 분석하였다. 건강한 오리 인후두에서 분리된 균주들은 혈청에 대한 감수성이 높은 반면에 전신감염을 일으킨 균주들은 강한 serum resistance를 보였다. 또한 우리는 이러한 혈청의 살균효과가 혈청내 보체 성분에 의해 유도됨을 확인하였다. 강한 serum resistance를 유발하는 세균의 표면 유전자와의 관련성을 조사한 결과, 외막 단백질의 AS87_09335, AS87_00480, AS87_05195 유전자가 serum resistance와 관련 있음을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구 결과로 serum resistance 특성이 리메렐라 아나티페스티퍼의 병원성 결정 요소 중 하나라는 것을 확인하였다.

• 식물병연구
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.217-226
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• 2004

한 중 벼 도열병균의 특성 검정과 저항성원의 공동 평가를 통하여 병원균의 특성을 구명하고 주요 저항성원에 대한 정보와 한국 도열병균의 분화 현상이 중국으로부터 유래하였는지를 분석하였다. 각국의 대표균주 각각 100균주씩을 한국, 중국 판별품종 및 단인자 저항성 품종에 접종한 결과, 한국 병원균은 중국 단인자 저항성 품종에서 29개의 반응형을 보였으며, 한국균주 46%가 중국 NIL(LTH/일본품종 저항성 유전자)을 모두 침해하여, 우리나라 벼 육종 시 저항성원으로 적합지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 한국판별품종에 대한 중국균주의 반응결과, KJ-201, KJ-301, KJ-403, KJ-105, KJ-101 레이스가 각각 11%, 10%, 9% , 8%, 7%의 비율로 나타났다. 그러나 RFLP-MGR586 profile은 한국 균주가 중국균주보다 band 수와 양상이 다양하여 변이가 심한 것으로 나타났으며, IRRI에서 육성한 11개의 단인자 저항성 품종에 대하여 한-중균주의 유전자 침해비율은 대체로 비슷한 경향이었다. Pi-z, Pi-3, Pi-5(t)는 한국 균주가 각각 56.6%, 58.1%, 45.4%침해하는 반면, 중국 균주는 각각 85.2%, 75.9%, 75.9%를 침해하여 중국 균주의 침해 비율이 높았고 Pi-b 유전자의 경우, 한국 균주의 82.6%가 침해하는 반면 중국 균주는 59.3%가 침해하여 한국 균주의 침해 비율이 높았다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권13호
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• pp.5199-5203
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• 2015

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) is associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinomas and mucosa associated tissue lymphomas. Cytotoxin associated gene A (CagA) is one of the virulence factors of H.pylori. It is hypothesized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play roles in H.pylori associated disease especially in development of gastric adenocarcinoma. Individuals infected with H.pylori bearing CagA produce more ROS than others. 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG) is an in vitro marker of DNA damage and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 8OHdG level, H.pylori infection and CagA and alterations of serum 8OHdG level after H.pylori eradication. Materials and Methods: Patients admitted with dyspeptic complaints and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were assessed. H.pylori was determined from histopathology of specimens. Serum 8OHdG levels of three groups (H.pylori negative, H. pylori positive CagA negative and H.pylori positive CagA positive) were compared. Patients with H.pylori infection received eradication therapy. Serum 8OHdG levels pretreatment and posttreatment were also compared. Results: In total, 129 patients (M/F, 57/72) were enrolled in the study. Serum 8OHdG level of H.pylori negative, H. pylori positive CagA negative and H.pylori positive CagA positive groups were significantly different ($5.77{\pm}1.35ng/ml$, $5.43{\pm}1.14ng/ml$ and $7.57{\pm}1.25ng/ml$ respectively, p=0.05). Furthermore, eradication therapy reduced serum 8OHdG level ($6.10{\pm}1.54ng/ml$ vs $5.55{\pm}1.23ng/ml$, p=0.05). Conclusions: Individuals infected with H.pylori bearing CagA strains have the highest serum 8OHdG level and eradication therapy decreases the serum 8OHdG level. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study that evaluated the effect of CagA virulence factor on serum 8OHdG level and the effect of eradication therapy on serum 8OHdG levels together. Eradication of CagA bearing H.pylori may prevent gastric adenocarcinoma by decreasing ROS. 8OHdG level may thus be a good marker for prevention from gastric adenocarcinoma.

• 한국미생물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국미생물학회 2007년도 International Meeting of the Microbiological Society of Korea
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• pp.120-122
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• 2007

All living organisms use numerous signal-transduction pathways to sense and respond to their environments and thereby survive and proliferate in a range of biological niches. Molecular dissection of these signalling networks has increased our understanding of these communication processes and provides a platform for therapeutic intervention when these pathways malfunction in disease states, including infection. Owing to the expanding availability of sequenced genomes, a wealth of genetic and molecular tools and the conservation of signalling networks, members of the fungal kingdom serve as excellent model systems for more complex, multicellular organisms. Here, we employed Cryptococcus neoformans as a model system to understand how fungal-signalling circuits operate at the molecular level to sense and respond to a plethora of environmental stresses, including osmoticshock, UV, high temperature, oxidative stress and toxic drugs/metabolites. The stress-activated p38/Hog1 MAPK pathway is structurally conserved in many organisms as diverse as yeast and mammals, but its regulation is uniquely specialized in a majority of clinical Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A and D strains to control differentiation and virulence factor regulation. C. neoformans Hog1 MAPK is controlled by Pbs2 MAPK kinase (MAPKK). The Pbs2-Hog1 MAPK cascade is controlled by the fungal "two-component" system that is composed of a response regulator, Ssk1, and multiple sensor kinases, including two-component.like (Tco) 1 and Tco2. Tco1 and Tco2 play shared and distinct roles in stress responses and drug sensitivity through the Hog1 MAPK system. Furthermore, each sensor kinase mediates unique cellular functions for virulence and morphological differentiation. We also identified and characterized the Ssk2 MAPKKK upstream of the MAPKK Pbs2 and the MAPK Hog1 in C. neoformans. The SSK2 gene was identified as a potential component responsible for differential Hog1 regulation between the serotype D sibling f1 strains B3501 and B3502 through comparative analysis of their meiotic map with the meiotic segregation of Hog1-dependent sensitivity to the fungicide fludioxonil. Ssk2 is the only polymorphic component in the Hog1 MAPK module, including two coding sequence changes between the SSK2 alleles in B3501 and B3502 strains. To further support this finding, the SSK2 allele exchange completely swapped Hog1-related phenotypes between B3501 and B3502 strains. In the serotype A strain H99, disruption of the SSK2 gene dramatically enhanced capsule biosynthesis and mating efficiency, similar to pbs2 and hog1 mutations. Furthermore, ssk2, pbs2, and hog1 mutants are all hypersensitive to a variety of stresses and completely resistant to fludioxonil. Taken together, these findings indicate that Ssk2 is the critical interface protein connecting the two-component system and the Pbs2-Hog1 pathway in C. neoformans.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.337-345
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• 2006

The shigellae are common etiological agents of bacillary dysentery in humans and primates. During four years from 2002 to 2005, 22 strains of Shigella spp. were isolated from the diarrheic patients in Seoul region. All of them were identified as S. flexneri by biochemical tests and serotyping. The prevalence of serotypes were variable by year, but the major serotypes were 2a and 3a. In an antimicrobial susceptibility test, all of the isolates were resistant to streptomycin and tetracycline, and susceptible to amikacin, kanamycin, cefoxitin, and gentamicin. All of the isolates showed the multi-resistant patterns over 3 drugs. By analysis of the plasmid profile the isolates were classified into 7 groups (P1~P7). Serotypes 2a and 2b were distributed to P1, P2, P3, and P4. Serotype 3a was differentiated to P5 and serotype 3b, to P6 and serotype 4a, to P7. PCR results showed that all isolates were positive for two virulence genes, ipaH and ial, but none of the strains had stx gene. The set1A and set1B genes were detected from 12 isolates (54.5%) that belonged to serotype 2a and 2b. The sen gene was detected from 19 isolates (86.4%). The 22 isolates showed 12 to 17 DNA fragments in the sizes ranging from 20.5 kb to 1135 kb, resulting in 13 patterns by the PFGE with Not I digestion. The PFGE patterns of the isolates showed the close relation with the serotypes, but no relations with year of isolation and antimicrobial resistance.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.290-298
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• 2013

Mycobacterium 속은 Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium bovis와 같은 동물과 인체에 병원성을 나타내는 세균 종을 다수 포함하고 있다. 이들의 숙주에서의 생존과 병원성에 관한 유전학적 정보를 확보하는 것은 매우 중요하지만, 효과적인 유전학적 도구가 부족하였기 때문에 이들에 관한 연구가 미비하였다. 따라서 mycobacteria의 연구를 위한 분자생물학적 실험 도구로서 다양한 기능성 vector들이 고안되었고, 이러한 기능성 vector의 개발은 실질적으로 mycobacteria에서의 연구 효과를 증진시켰다. 본 연구에서는 Mycobacterium smegmatis에 적용 가능하고 기존에 제시되었던 mycobacteria 연구에 있어서의 한계점을 극복하기 위한 노력의 일환으로, 기능성 vector인 temperature-sensitive replication origin (TSRO)과 counterselectable marker로 levansucrase를 암호화하는 sacB 유전자를 포함하는 suicide vector pKOTs, chromosomal DNA로 site-specific recombination을 통해 삽입되는 lacZ transcriptional fusion vector pMV306lacZ, 그리고 TSRO를 가지는 minitransposon vector pTnMod-OKmTs를 개발하였다. 이 vector들은 실질적으로 M. smegmatis에서 효과적으로 작동하는 것이 확인되었으며 목적으로 하는 실험 결과 도출 가능성 또한 보여주었다. 따라서 이들 vector는 앞으로의 mycobacteria에 대한 효과적인 연구 기반이 될 것으로 기대된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.51-60
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• 2023

The foodborne illness is the important public health concerns, and the livestock feces are known to be one of the major reservoirs of foodborne pathogens. Also, it was reported that 45.5% of foodborne illness outbreaks have been associated with the animal products contaminated with the livestock feces. In addition, it has been known that the persistence of a pathogens depends on many potential virulent factors including the various virulent genes. Therefore, the first step to understanding the public health risk of livestock feces is to identify and describe microbial communities and potential virulent genes that contribute to bacterial pathogenicity. We used the whole metagenome shotgun sequencing to evaluate the prevalence of foodborne pathogens and to characterize the virulence associated genes in pig and chicken feces. Our data showed that the relative abundance of potential foodborne pathogens, such as Bacillus cereus was higher in chickens than pigs at the species level while the relative abundance of foodborne pathogens including Campylobacter coli was only detected in pigs. Also, the microbial functional characteristics of livestock feces revealed that the gene families related to "Biofilm formation and quorum sensing" were highly enriched in pigs than chicken. Moreover, the variety of gene families associated with "Resistance to antibiotics and toxic compounds" were detected in both animals. These results will help us to prepare the scientific action plans to improve awareness and understanding of the public health risks of livestock feces.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.62-65
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• 2010

Arowana (Scleropages formosus) is the most valuable group of ornamental fishes and very much in demand in the ornamental fish trade and commands high price ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per fish. In this paper, we described a case of mortality of arowana from a private aquarium in Korea. A bacterial pathogen from fish organs (brain, kidney, liver) was cultured, identified and confirmed using Vitek System 2, API 20E test, multiplex PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The morphological and biochemical properties of the bacterium isolated from the brain, kidney and liver of the fish were similar to Aeromonas sobria. Positive amplification products using the multiplex PCR assay for detection of A. sobria were obtained from these organs. The 16S rRNA gene of the isolates from fish was identical and exhibited 100% sequence similarity with A. sobria (AY987762.1) strain available from GenBank. This bacterium contained hemolysin gene, a virulence factor that plays an important role in outbreaks of disease and is pathogenic to humans as well as in fish. Although this opportunistic bacterium was isolated from a fish without any external symptoms, this pathogen may act as a reservoir and enhance chances of zoonosis to human such as during handling.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제33권6호
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• pp.543-553
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• 2017

Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oil seed crop of Asia. Yields can be negatively impacted by various factors, including disease, particularly those caused by fungi which create problems in both production and storage. Foliar diseases of sesame such as Alternaria leaf blight may cause significant yield losses, with reductions in plant health and seed quality. The work reported here determined the incidence of Alternaria species infecting sesame seeds grown in the Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 428 Alternaria isolates were obtained from 105 seed samples and grouped into 36 distinct taxonomic groups based on growth pattern and morphological characters. Isolation frequency and relative density of surface sterilized and non-surface sterilized seeds showed that three isolates (A13, A47 and A215) were the most common morphological groups present. These isolates were further identified using sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1). Whilst ITS of rDNA did not resolve the isolates into Alternaria species, the Alt a 1 sequences exhibited > 99% homology with Alternaria alternata (KP123850.1) in GenBank accessions. The pathogenicity and virulence of these isolates of Alternaria alternata was confirmed in inoculations of sesame plants resulting in typical symptoms of leaf blight disease. This work confirms the identity of a major source of sesame leaf blight in Pakistan which will aid in formulating effective disease management strategies.