The infection of pandemic influenza viruses such as swine flu (H1N1) and avian flu viruses to the host cells is related to the following two factors: First, the surface protein such as HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase) of the influenza virus. Second, the specific structure of the oligosaccharide [sialic acid(${\alpha}2$-6) galactose(${\beta}1$-4)glucose or sialic acid(${\alpha}2$-3)galactose(${\beta}1$-4)glucose] on the host cell. After recognizing the specific structure of the oligosaccharide on the surface of host cells by the surface protein of the influenza virus, the influenza virus can secrete sialidase and cleave the sialic acid attached on the final position of the specific structure of the oligosaccharide on the surface of host cells. Tamiflu (oseltamivir), known as a remedy of swine flu, has a saccharide analog structure, especially the sialic acid analog. Tamiflu can inhibit the invasion of influenza viruses (swine flu and avian flu viruses) into the host cells by competition with sialic acid on the terminal position of the specific oligosaccharide on the surface of the host cell. Because of the emergence of Tamiflu resistance, the development of new potent anti-influenza inhibitors is needed. The inhibitors with positive-charge groups have potential as antiviral therapeutics, and the strain specificity must also be resolved.

Metallothioneins are a class of small cysteine-rich proteins that have been associated with increased tolerance to metal and oxidative stresses in animals, plants, and fungi. We investigated a metallothionein-like (mt-like) gene shown previously to be upregulated in fruiting bodies of the fungus Agaricus bisporus in response to post-harvest storage. Analysis of an A. bisporus genomic DNA cosmid library identified two similar mt-like genes (met1 and met2) arranged as a bidirectional gene pair transcribed from the same promoter region. The promoter contained regulatory elements including 9 metal responsive elements and a CAAT box region 220 bp downstream of met1 that showed striking similarity to a feature in Coprinopsis cinerea mt-like gene promoters. Transcriptional analysis showed that both met genes are significantly and rapidly (within 3 hours) upregulated during post-harvest storage and expression is significantly greater in stipe and cap tissues compared with the gills. However, a strong directionality of the promoter was demonstrated, as transcript levels of met1 were at least two orders of magnitude greater than those of met2 in all samples tested.

The arsH gene is one of the arsenic resistance system in bacteria and eukaryotes. The ArsH protein was annotated as a NADPH-dependent flavin mononucleotide (FMN) reductase with unknown biological function. Here we report for the first time that the ArsH protein showed high ferric reductase activity. Glu104 was an essential residue for maintaining the stability of the FMN cofactor. The ArsH protein may perform an important role for cytosolic ferric iron assimilation in vivo.

A potent fungus for amylase production, Chrysosporium asperatum, was isolated from among 30 different cultures obtained from wood samples collected in the Junagadh forest, India. All of the isolated cultures were screened for their ability to produce amylase by submerged fermentation. Among the selected cultures, C. asperatum (Class Euascomycetes; Onygenales; Onygenaceae) gave maximum amylase production. In all of the different media tested, potato starch was found to be a good substrate for production of amylase enzyme at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.0. Production of enzyme reached the maximum when a combination of starch and 2% xylose, and organic nitrogen (1% yeast extract) and ammonium sulfate were used as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. There was no significant effect of metal ions on enzyme activity. The enzyme was relatively stable at $30^{\circ}C$ for 20 min, and no inhibitory effect of $Ca^{+2}$ ions on amylase production was observed.

There are accumulating evidences suggesting that connexin (Cx), a gap junction channel-forming protein, acts as a growth suppressor in various cancer cells, and this effect is attributeed to the gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJIC). In order to characterize the relationship between the growth-arresting activity of Cx26 and its cytoplasmic localizations after expression, we linked a nuclear export signal (NES) sequence to Cx26 cDNA before transfecting into a rat breast cancer cell line. A confocal fluorescent microscopic observation revealed that the insertion of NES minimized the nuclear expression of Cx26, and increased its cytoplasmic expression, including plasma membrane junctions. Total cell counting and BrdUrd-labeling experiments showed that the growth of the breast cancer cells was inhibited by 74% upon transfection of Cx26-NES, whereas only 9% inhibition was observed with only Cx26 cDNA.

An acid phosphatase (HppA) activated by $NH_4Cl$ was purified 192- and 34-fold from the periplasmic and membrane fractions of Helicobacter pylori, respectively. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that HppA from the latter appears to be several kilodaltons larger in molecular mass than from the former by about 24 kDa. Under acidic conditions (pH${\leq}$4.5), the enzyme activity was entirely dependent on the presence of certain mono- and/or divalent metal cations (e.g., $K^+$,$ NH_4{^+}$, and/or $Ni^{2+}$). In particular, $Ni^{2+}$ appeared to lower the enzyme's $K_m$ for the substrates, without changing $V_{max}$. The purified enzyme showed differential specificity against nucleotide substrates with pH; for example, the enzyme hydrolyzed adenosine nucleotides more rapidly at pH 5.5 than at pH 6.0, and vice versa for CTP or TTP. Analyses of the enzyme's N-terminal sequence and of an $HppA^-$ H. pylori mutant revealed that the purified enzyme is identical to rHppA, a cloned H. pylori class C acid phosphatase, and shown to be the sole bacterial 5'-nucleotidase uniquely activated by $NH_4Cl$. In contrast to wild type, $HppA^-$ H. pylori cells grew more slowly. Strikingly, they imported $Mg^{2+}$ at a markedly lowered rate, but assimilated urea rapidly, with a subsequent increase in extracellular pH. Moreover, mutant cells were much more sensitive to extracellular potassium ions, as well as to metronidazole, omeprazole, or thiophenol, with considerably lowered MIC values, than wild-type cells. From these data, we suggest that the role of the acid phosphatase HppA in H. pylori may extend beyond 5'-nucleotidase function to include cation-flux as well as pH regulation on the cell envelope.

Coenzyme $Q_{10}$ ($CoQ_{10}$) is a widely used supplement in heart diseases treatment or antioxidative dietary. The microbial production of $CoQ_{10}$ was enhanced by addition of solanesol and novel precursors recovered from waste tobacco. The novel precursors were separated by silica gel and identified as ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid (LNA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) based on the effect on $CoQ_{10}$ production and GC-MS. The effects of novel precursors on $CoQ_{10}$ production by Sphingomonas sp. ZUTE03 were further evaluated in a two-phase conversion system. The precursor's combination of solanesol (70 mg/l) with BHT (30 mg/l) showed the best effect on the improvement of $CoQ_{10}$ yield. A maximal $CoQ_{10}$ productivity (9.5 mg $l^{-1}$ $h^{-1}$) was achieved after 8 h conversion, with a molar conversion rate of 92.6% and 92.4% on BHT and solanesol, respectively. The novel precursors, BHT and LNA in crude extracts from waste tobacco leaves, might become potential candidates for application in the industrial production of $CoQ_{10}$ by microbes.

A ${\beta}$-glucosidase from Phoma sp. KCTC11825BP isolated from rotten mandarin peel was purified 8.5-fold with a specific activity of 84.5 U/mg protein. The purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 440 kDa with a subunit of 110 kDa. The partial amino acid sequence of the purified ${\beta}$-glucosidase evidenced high homology with the fungal ${\beta}$- glucosidases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 3. Its optimal activity was detected at pH 4.5 and $60^{\circ}C$, and the enzyme had a half-life of 53 h at $60^{\circ}C$. The $K_m$ values for p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside and cellobiose were 0.3 mM and 3.2 mM, respectively. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by both glucose ($K_i$=1.7 mM) and glucono-${\delta}$-lactone ($K_i$=0.1 mM) when pNPG was used as the substrate. Its activity was inhibited by 41% by 10 mM $Cu^{2+}$ and stimulated by 20% by 10 mM $Mg^{2+}$.

This study was conducted to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Korean isolates of Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii). A total of 43 Cronobacter spp., including 5 clinical isolates, 34 food isolates, 2 environmental isolates, and 2 reference strains (C. sakazakii ATCC 29004 and C. muytjensii ATCC51329) were used in this study. Korean isolates of Cronobacter spp. were divided into 11 biogroups according to their biochemical profiles and 3 genomic groups based on the analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Biogroups 1 and 2 contained the majority of isolates (n=26), most of which were contained in 16S rRNA cluster 1 (n=34). Korean isolates of Cronobacter spp. showed diverse biochemical profiles. Biogroup 1 contained C. sakazakii GIHE (Gyeonggido Research Institute of Health and Environment) 1 and 2, which were isolated from babies that exhibited symptoms of Cronobacter spp. infection such as gastroenteritis, sepsis, and meningitis. Our finding revealed that Biogroup 1, C. sakazakii, is more prevalent and may be a more pathogenic biogroup than other biogroups, but the pathogenic biogroup was not represented clearly among the 11 biogroups tested in this study. Thus, all biogroups of Cronobacter spp. were recognized as pathogenic bacteria, and the absence of Cronobacter spp. in infant foods should be constantly regulated to prevent food poisoning and infection caused by Cronobacter spp.

A gene encoding bacillopeptidase F, bpr86-1, was cloned from B. amyloliquefaciens CH86-1 isolated from cheonggukjang. This gene could encode a preproenzyme of 1,431 amino acids. When bpr86-1 was introduced into B. subtilis WB600 via pHY300PLK, an E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector, the transformant showed fibrinolytic activity. During growth on LB, the fibrinolytic activity of cells increased sharply when they entered the stationary phase. The highest activity (761.4 mU/mg protein) was observed at 96 h of cultivation.

The correlation between alcoholic fermentation rate, measured as carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) evolution, and the rate of hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) formation during wine production was investigated. Both rates and the resulting concentration peaks in fermentor headspace $H_2S$ were directly impacted by yeast assimilable nitrogenous compounds in the grape juice. A series of model fermentations was conducted in temperature-controlled and stirred fermentors using a complex model juice with defined concentrations of ammonium ions and/or amino acids. The fermentation rate was measured indirectly by noting the weight loss of the fermentor; $H_2S$ was quantitatively trapped in realtime using a pre-calibrated $H_2S$ detection tube which was inserted into a fermentor gas relief port. Evolution rates for $CO_2$ and $H_2S$ as well as the relative ratios between them were calculated. These fermentations confirmed that total sulfide formation was strongly yeast strain-dependent, and high concentrations of yeast assimilable nitrogen did not necessarily protect against elevated $H_2S$ formation. High initial concentrations of ammonium ions via addition of diammonium phosphate (DAP) caused a higher evolution of $H_2S$ when compared with a non-supplemented but nondeficient juice. It was observed that the excess availability of a certain yeast assimilable amino acid, arginine, could result in a more sustained $CO_2$ production rate throughout the wine fermentation. The contribution of yeast assimilable amino acids from conventional commercial yeast foods to lowering of the $H_2S$ formation was marginal.

The Raf-1 kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) can regulate multiple key signaling pathways. Specifically, RKIP binds to Raf-1 kinase and inhibits the Ras-Raf-1-MEK1/2- ERK1/2 pathway. Additionally, Raf-1 has been shown to translocate to mitochondria and thereby protect cells from stress-mediated apoptosis. Recently, HBx was found to stimulate the mitochondrial translocation of Raf-1, contributing to the anti-apoptotic effect. We found that RKIP was downregulated during HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis. In this study, we show that RKIP bound to Raf-1 and consequently inhibited the translocation of Raf-1 into mitochondria. This promoted the apoptosis of cells treated with apoptotic stimulus. Thus, the downregulation of RKIP increased the level of free Raf-1 and thereby elevated the mitochondrial translocation of Raf-1 during HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis. The elevated Raf-1 mitochondrial translocation induced the increased anti-apoptotic effect and subsequently promoted HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis.

Single-chain variable fragment (scFv) is a fusion protein of the variable regions of the heavy (VH) and light (VL) chains of immunoglobulin, connected with a short linker peptide of 10 to about 20 amino acids. In this study, the scFv of a monoclonal antibody against the third domain of human CD4 was cloned from OKT4 hybridoma cells using the phage display technique and produced in E. coli. The expression, production, and purification of anti-CD4 scFv were tested using SDS-PAGE and Western blot, and the specificity of anti-CD4 scFv was examined using ELISA. A 31 kDa recombinant anti-CD4 scFv was expressed and produced in bacteria, which was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays. Sequence analysis proved the ScFv structure of the construct. It was able to bind to CD4 in quality ELISA assay. The canonical structure of anti-CD4 scFv antibody was obtained using the SWISS_MODEL bioinformatics tool for comparing with the scFv general structure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for generating scFv against human CD4 antigen. Engineered anti-CD4 scFv could be used in immunological studies, including fluorochrome conjugation, bispecific antibody production, bifunctional protein synthesis, and other genetic engineering manipulations. Since the binding site of our product is domain 3 (D3) of the CD4 molecule and different from the CD4 immunological main domain, including D1 and D2, further studies are needed to evaluate the anti-CD4 scFv potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Nowadays, there are a number of colorimetric techniques available for the determination of a time killing assay in a manner much easier and faster than those previously more commonly used, which were much more time-consuming and laborious colony counting procedures. Here, an attempt has been made to test the antimicrobial peptides of Citropin 1.1, Palm-KK-$NH_2$, and Temporin A on a reference strain of Staphylococcus aureus using resazurin as the cell viability reagent. Staphylococcus aureus was exposed to the test compounds over varying periods of time and the metabolic activity measured, with a profile of antimicrobial activity then established. The results are in agreement with data from previous literature, thus confirming the relevance of the application of resazurin for the testing of antimicrobial agents.

The molecular mechanisms of apoptotic induction by benzyldihydroxyoctenone (BDH), a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces sp., have been previously published in prostate cancer LNCaP cells. Apoptotic induction of BDH-treated LNCaP cells was associated with downregulation of Bcl-xL that caused, in turn, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, and activation of procaspases and specific proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the patterns of apoptotic induction by BDH in non-prostate, ovarian cancer PA-1 (androgen-independent and -insensitive) cells and prostate cancer cells with different androgen responsiveness, such as C4-2 (androgen-independent and -sensitive), 22Rv1 (androgen-dependent and -low sensitive), and LNCaP (androgen-dependent and -high sensitive) cells. We found that BDH-treated LNCaP cell proliferation was significantly inhibited in a time-dependent manner and induced apoptosis via downregulation of the androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), as well as antiapoptotic Bcl-xL protein. However, the levels of BDH-mediated apoptotic induction and growth inhibition in 22Rv1 cells were apparently lower than those of LNCaP cells. In contrast, the induction of apoptosis and antiproliferative effect in BDH-treated non-prostate cancer PA-1 and hormone refractory C4-2 cells were not detectable and marginal, respectively. Therefore, BDH-mediated differential apoptotic induction and growth inhibition in a cell type seem to be obviously dependent on its androgen responsiveness; primarily on androgen-dependency, and then on androgensensitivity.