• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.51-56
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• 2007

A plant pathogenic fungus, Gibberella zeae (anamorph: Fusarium graminearum), not only generates economic losses by causing disease on cereal grains, but also leads to severe toxicosis in human and animals through the production of mycotoxins in infected plants. Here, we characterized a histidine auxotrophic mutant of G. zeae, designated Z43R1092, which was generated using a restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) procedure. The mutant exhibited pleiotropic phenotypic changes, including a reduction in mycelial growth and virulence and loss of sexual reproduction. Outcrossing analysis confirmed that the histidine auxotrophy is linked to the insertional vector in Z43R1092. Molecular analysis showed that the histidine requirement of Z43R1092 is caused by a disruption of an open reading frame, designated GzHIS7. The deduced product of GzHIS7 encodes a putative enzyme with an N-terminal glutamine amidotransferase and a C-terminal cyclase domain, similar to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae HIS7 required for histidine biosynthesis. The subsequent gene deletion and complementation analyses confirmed the functions of GzHIS7 in G. zeae. This is the first report of the molecular characterization of histidine auxotrophy in G. zeae, and our results demonstrate that correct histidine biosynthesis is essential for virulence, as well as sexual development, in G. zeae. In addition, our results could provide a G. zeae histidine auxotroph as a recipient strain for genetic transformation using this new selectable marker.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.1307-1314
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• 2022

In this study, we sought to investigate the various characteristics of Salmonella spp. isolated from raw chicken meats available in Korean markets. The data collected, such as food source of isolation, sampling information, serotype, virulence, and genetic profile including sequence type, were registered in the database for further comparative analysis of the strains isolated from the traceback investigation samples. To characterize serotype, virulence and gene sequences, we examined 113 domestically distributed chicken meat samples for contamination with Salmonella spp. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 24 strains (21.2%) of Salmonella isolated from 113 commercially available chicken meats and by-products, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Serotyping of the isolated Salmonella spp. revealed S. Enteritidis in 11 strains (45.8%), S. Virchow in 6 strains (25%), S. Montevideo in 2 strains (8.3%), S. Bsilla in 2 strains (8.3%), S. Bareilly in 1 strain (4.2%), S. Dessau in 1 strain (4.2%), and S. Albany in 1 strain (4.2%). The genetic correlation indicated that 24 isolated strains were classified into 18 clusters with a genetic similarity of 64.4-100% between them. Eleven isolated S. Enteritidis strains were classified into 9 genotypes with a sequence identity of 74.4%, whereas the most distantly related S. Virchow was divided into five genotypes with 85.9% identity. Here, the MLST analysis indicated that the major Sequence Type (ST) of the Salmonella spp. isolated from domestic chicken sold in Chungcheong Province belongs to the ST 11 and 16, which differs from the genotype of Salmonella isolated from imported chicken. The differential sequence characteristics can be a genetic marker for identifying causative bacteria for epidemiological investigations of food poisoning.

• 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.

• 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.

• 한국식품위생안전성학회지
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.129-134
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• 2017

병원성 대장균군은 전세계적으로 식중독을 발생하는 중요한 병원균으로 알려져 있다. 국내 유통중인 생닭과 조리된 닭가공품 356시료에서 대장균 80균주(22.5%)를 분리하여 병원성 유전자 multiplex PCR를 이용하여 분석한 결과 astA 유전자가 26균주(32.5%)에서 검출되었으며, escV 유전자는 17균주(21.3%) eaeA 유전자는 16균주(20.0%) 검출되었다. 특히 식품에서 문제가 되는 장출혈성 대장균 유전자 stx 1는 3균주(3.8%)와 stx 2, EHEC-hly는 각 1균주(1.3%)에서 검출되었다. 병원성 유전자를 토대로 STEC, EPEC, EHEC, EIEC or EAEC의 병원성 대장균으로 분류한 결과 45균주(56.3%)가 검출되었으며 typical EPEC, EIEC and ETEC의 병원성 대장균은 검출되지 않았다. STEC 병원성 대장균은 O152, O1, O116, O26, O25, O119, O153 혈청형이 분리되었다. 특히 생닭에서 병원성 대장균에 대한 검출률이 높으므로 생닭을 가공 조리 시 교차 오염이 발생하기 않도록 조리 도구, 조리 환경에 대한 철저한 관리가 필요하다고 생각된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.502-509
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• 2005

Sexual reproduction plays an important role in the biology and epidemiology of oomycete plant pathogens such as the heterothallic species Phytophthora infestans. Recent worldwide dispersal of A2 mating type strains of P. infestans resulted in increased virulence, gene transfer, and genetic variation, creating new challenges for disease management. To develop a genetic assay for mating type identification in P. infestans, we used the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) technique. The primer combination E+AT/M+CTA detected a fragment specific to A1 mating type (Mat-A1) of P. infestans. This fragment was cloned and sequenced, and a pair of primers (INF-1, INF-2) were designed and used to differentiate P. infestans Mat-A1 from Mat-A2 strains. The Mat A1-specific fragment was detected using Southern blot analysis of PCR products amplified with primers INF-1 and INF-2 from genomic DNA of 14 P. infestans Mat-A1 strains, but not 13 P. infestans Mat-A2 strains or 8 other isolates representing several Phytophthora spp. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNAs of P. infestans isolates revealed a 1.6 kb restriction enzyme (EcoRI, BamHI, AvaI)-fragment only in Mat-A1 strains. The A1 mating type-specific primers amplified a unique band under stringent annealing temperatures of $63^{\circ}C-64^{\circ}C$, suggesting that this PCR assay could be developed into a useful method for mating type determination of P. infestans in field material.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.57-62
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• 2002

In vivo expression technology (IVET) has been developed to study bacterial gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium during host infection. The expression of selected genes by IVET has been elevated in vivo but not in vitro. The selected genes turned out to be important for bacterial virulence and/or pathogenicity. IVET depends on a synthetic operon with a promoterless transcriptional fusion between a selection marker gene and a reporter gene. The IVET approach has been successfully adapted in other bacterial pathogens and plant-associated bacteria using different selection markers. Pseudomonas putida suppresses citrus root rot caused by Phytophthora parasitica and enhances citrus seedling growth. The WET strategy was adapted based on a transcriptional fusion, pyrBC'-lacZ, in P. putida to study the bacterial traits important far biocontrol activities. Several genes appeared to be induced on P. parasitica hyphae and were found to be related with metabolism and regulation of gene expression. It is likely that the biocontrol strain took a metabolic advantage from the plant pathogenic fungus and then suppressed citrus root rot effectively. The result was parallel with those from the adaptation of IVET in P. fluorescens, a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Interestingly, genes encoding components for type III secretion system have been identified as rhizosphere-induced genes in the PGPR strain. The type III secretion system may play a certain role during interaction with its counterpart plants. Application of IVET has been demonstrated in a wide range of bacteria. It is an important strategy to genetically understand complicated bacterial traits in the environment.

• Mycobiology
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• 제51권5호
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• pp.273-280
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• 2023

The nucleolus is the largest, membrane-less organelle within the nucleus of eukaryotic cell that plays a critical role in rRNA transcription and assembly of ribosomes. Recently, the nucleolus has been shown to be implicated in an array of processes including the formation of signal recognition particles and response to cellular stress. Such diverse functions of nucleolus are mediated by nucleolar proteins. In this study, we characterized a gene coding a putative protein containing a nucleolar localization sequence (NoLS) in the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. Phylogenetic and domain analysis suggested that the protein is orthologous to Rrp8 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. MoRRP8-GFP (translational fusion of MoRRP8 with green fluorescence protein) co-localizes with a nucleolar marker protein, MoNOP1 fused to red fluorescence protein (RFP), indicating that MoRRP8 is a nucleolar protein. Deletion of the MoRRP8 gene caused a reduction in vegetative growth and impinged largely on asexual sporulation. Although the asexual spores of DMorrp8 were morphologically indistinguishable from those of wild-type, they showed delay in germination and reduction in appressorium formation. Our pathogenicity assay revealed that the MoRRP8 is required for full virulence and growth within host plants. Taken together, these results suggest that nucleolar processes mediated by MoRRP8 is pivotal for fungal development and pathogenesis.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권3호통권83호
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• pp.386-395
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• 2007

본 연구는 1999년에서 2001년도 걸쳐서 3년간 국내에서 분리된 환자유래 장염비브리오 18균주와 일본 후쿠오카 지역에서 2002년도에 환자에서 분리한 장염비브리오 9균주 등 총 27균주에 대하여 toxR 유전자의 검출, 혈청형별 검사, 약제내성의 양상, tdh, trh1 및 trh2 유전자의 보유상태 및 urease 생성성을 살펴보고, 혈청형 O3:K6 균주에 대하여 TDH의 생성성 검사, tdh 양성균주의 RFLP 형별, ORF 8의 분포, PFGE법과 RAPD법을 실시하였으며 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 한국 및 일본의 환자유래 균주 대부분에서 urease음성이었으며, toxR 유전자로 확인 동정하였고 혈청형의 분포는 국내 분리 주의 O3:K6, O4:K9, O6:K46, O3:K57, O5:Kl5와 일본 분리주의 O3:K6, O1:K38, O4:K68, O4:Kl2의 혈청형으로 나타났다. 2. 항생제 감수성 시험에서는 vancomycin과 oxacillin은 27균주 (100%), penicillin은 26균주 (96.3%)로 높은 내성을 나타내었고, 14균주 (51.9%)가 4가지 이상의 항생제에 다제내성을 나타내었다. 항생제의 내성양상은 6종류로 혈청형에 관계없이 vancomycin, oxacillin, penicillin에 내성을 나타내는 V형이 15균주 (55.6%)로 가장 많이 나타났다. 3. tdh 유전자는 26균주가 PCR법과 DNA probe hybridization법의 결과에서 양성으로 나타났으며, urease양성이었던 일본 환자유래 혈청형 O3:K6 1균주만이 tdh유전자 음성, trh2 유전자 양성을 나타냈다. 혈청형 O3:K6의 TDH 생성성역가는 전 균주가 256배에서 2,048배 정도로 나타났으며, RFLP 양상은 모든 균주가 11.5 kb와 4.3 kb에 tdh 유전자를 보유하고 있었다. 또한 혈청형 O3:K6 균주들은 RAPD법과 PFGE법으로 유전자형별을 비교 검토한 결과 8형으로 거의동일한 유전자형별의 결과를 나타내었다. 4. ORF 8의 분포는 혈청형 O3:K6 전 균주에서 양성이었고, 특히 혈청형 O6:K46 4균주 모두에서 ORF 8 양성을 나타내어 새롭게 나타난 유행균주일 가능성을 시사 하였다. 따라서 ORF 8 유전자의 검출은 범세계적으로 유행하는 균주들을 동정하는데 있어 genetic marker로서 매우 유용한 것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.674-678
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• 2002

Yersinia enterocolitica causes various diseases in humans, including enteritis. The onset of such diseases is closely related with the expression of important virulence factors, particularly outer membrane proteins (OMPs). The expression of OMPs depends on several factors, including temperature, and origin, biotype and serotype of the bacteria. Recently, concerns over food safety have increased along with the demand for the development of sensitive, rapid, and pathogen-specific detection methods. To develop a suitable detection method for Y. enterocolitica isolated from Korean moutainspring water and pig feces, the OMP expression patterns were analyzed phenotypically and immunologically using 12 representative strains from 51 Y. enterocolitica Korean isolates. A 38-kDa OMP was commonly observed in all strains. However, additional OMPs were also observed in different biotypes and serotypes as well as bacterial origins, by incubating Y. enterocolitica at a low temperature. The specificity of the 38-kDa OMP was confirmed by a Western blot analysis with antisera against Y. enterocolitica and Brucella abortus. The results, therefore, indicate that the 38-kDa OMP could be used as a marker for detecting Y. enterocolitica in the environment or for seromonitoring.