Shiga toxins (Stxs) are major virulence factors from the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a subset of Stx-producing Escherichia coli. Stxs are multi-functional, ribosome-inactivating proteins that underpin the development of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and central nervous system (CNS) damage. Currently, therapeutic options for the treatment of diseases caused by Stxs are limited and unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning toxin-induced inflammation remain unclear. Numerous works have demonstrated that the various host ribotoxic stress-induced targets including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, its downstream substrate Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2, and apoptotic signaling via ER-stress sensors are activated in many different susceptible cell types following the regular retrograde transportation of the Stxs, eventually leading to disturbing intercellular communication. Therapeutic options targeting host cellular pathways induced by Stxs may represent a promising strategy for intervention in Stx-mediated acute renal dysfunction, retinal damage, and CNS damage. This review aims at fostering an in-depth understanding of EHEC Stxs-mediated pathogenesis through the toxin-host interactions.

A public health concern emerging from a zoonotic disease. Monkeypox is caused by the orthopoxvirus specie Monkeypox virus (MPXV). Monkeypox was identified as the most common orthopoxvirus infection in humans following the eradication of smallpox. Monkeypox has a similar clinical presentation to smallpox. The MPXV is now considered a high-threat pathogen that causes a serious public-health problem. The continuous spread of Monkeypox virus from West Africa to all other places around the world throughout 2018 to 2022, have raised concerns that MPXV could have emerged to acquire the immunological and ecological niche vacated by smallpox virus. This review highlights the current knowledge about Monkeypox evolution, infection biology, and epidemiology around the world since from 1970 to 2022, with a focus on the human, viral, and cellular factors that influence virus emergence, infection, spread, and maintenance in nature. This paper also discusses the current therapeutic options for Monkeypox treatment and control. Under the right conditions, with limited smallpox vaccination and very little orthopoxvirus immunity in some areas of the world, MPXV could become a more efficient human pathogen. Finally, the review identified knowledge gaps, particularly in terms of identifying a definitive reservoir host for monkeypox and proposes future research endeavors to address the unanswered questions.

The importance of beneficial microorganisms, particularly probiotics, that coexist in the human body, is being increasingly recognized. Probiotics are representative health functional foods that provide health benefits to humans through the production of various metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids. However, the health benefits are strain-specific, and the use of each probiotic strain should follow guidelines that assure its safety. Accurate identification of the strain should be managed through genetic and phenotypic analyses of the strain. Besides, the functionality of probiotics should be disclosed in vitro and in vivo so that they can be used as legal functional ingredients (i.e., individual standards). In this review, we deal with the guidelines, including the technical factors related to probiotic strains. The common health effects of probiotic strains include proliferation of beneficial bacteria, control of harmful bacteria, and facilitation of bowel activities. Probiotics with various functionalities (e.g., body fat and cholesterol reduction, vaginal health, and improvement of skin's immune system) have been investigated as "individual standards of raw materials for health functional foods" provided by MFDS. In the future, various biotechnologies including synthetic biology can be applied to produce customized probiotics to improve human health.

Probiotics provide a symbiotic relationship and beneficial effects by balancing the human intestinal microbiota. The relationships between microbiota changes and various diseases may predict health abnormalities and diseases. Treatment with vitamins and probiotics is one therapeutic approach. To evaluate the effect of probiotics on vitamin absorption, we chose Lactobacillus rhamnosus CBT-LR5 treatment, which has resistance to vitamin C-inducible toxicity, with vitamins in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity models. CBT-LR5 affected the absorption of micronutrients, such as ionic minerals and water-soluble vitamins. An increase in vitamin C absorption by CBT-LR5 enhanced the antioxidant response in HFD-induced obesity models. Increased vitamin B absorption by CBT-LR5 regulated lipid metabolism in HFD-induced obesity models. These favorable effects of CBT-LR5 on the absorption of vitamins should be investigated as candidate therapeutic target treatments for metabolic diseases.

Most fungal infections by opportunistic yeast pathogens such as Candida spp. are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with lowered immune. Previous studies have reported that some strains of Candida secret secondary metabolites play an important role in the decreasing of immunity in the infected patient. In this study, 110 Candida spp. were isolated from different clinical specimens from Baghdad hospitals. Candida isolates were identified by conventional methods, they were processed for Candida speciation on CHROMagar. The results of identification were confirmed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were analyzed with reference strains deposited in GenBank. Antifungal susceptibility testing was evaluated by the disc diffusion method and performed as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) M44-A document. Candida isolates investigated produce secondary metabolites gliotoxin with HPLC technique and quantification. Out of 110 Candida isolates, C. albicans (66.36%) was the most frequent isolate, followed by the isolates of C. tropicalis (10.9%) and C. glabrata (6.36%) respectively. Concerning the antifungal susceptibility test, Candida isolates showed a high level of susceptibility to Miconazole (70.9%), Itraconazole (68.2%), and Nystatine (64.5%). The ability of obtained isolates of Candida spp. to produce gliotoxin on RPMI medium was investigated, only 28 isolates had the ability to secret this toxin in culture filtrates. The highest concentrations were detected in C. albicans (1.048 ㎍/ml). Gliotoxin productivity of other Candida species was significantly lower. The retention time for gliotoxin was approximately 5.08 min.

대표적인 플라스틱 소재인 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)는 높은 내구성, 경제성과 같은 유용한 물리화학적 특성으로 병, 섬유, 용기 등 다양한 산업 분야에 사용되고 있다. 최근 일회용품을 비롯한 플라스틱 사용량 증가로 인해, 이를 처리하기 위한 방법이 필요한 상황이다. 기존의 매립, 소각 등과 같이 자연상태에 노출되는 방법과 달리 최근 미생물을 이용한 친환경적인 방법이 주목받고 있다. 본 연구에서는 PETase 유전자를 가지고 있는 토양 유래 방선균 Streptomyces. javensis Inha503를 선별하고, agar plate diffusion assay를 통해 PU (Polyurethane) 가수분해 능력을 확인하였다. 해당 균주를 PET과 함께 한달 간 배양하였고, 주사전자현미경을 통해 PET 분해능력을 확인하였다. 또한, S. javensis Inha503 유전체 탐색에서 선별된 PETase 유전자를 PET 분해능이 없는 이종숙주 S. lividans와 S. coelicolor 균주에 도입하여 PET 분해능을 확인함으로써, 방선균 유래 PETase 유전자의 활성을 최초로 확인하였다.

식물성 육류에서 미각적인 자극을 얻기 위해 사용하는 heme 함유 단백질의 지속적인 생산을 위해 강낭콩 유래 leghemoglobin a (PhLba) 유전자를 pPICZαA에 클로닝하고 Pichia pastoris에서 발현하였다. 재조합 PhLba 단백질은 가용화 형태로 배양 배지속으로 분비되었다. 정제된 PhLba의 분자량은 SDS-PAGE 상에서 16.5 kDa으로 나타났다. 재조합 PhLba holoprotein의 수율은 배양 배지에 hemin을 첨가함으로써 향상되었다. 이것은 PhLba의 apo 형태가 보조인자와 함께 효과적으로 포화된다는 것을 나타낸다.

Since the main symptoms of COVID-19 involve the respiratory system, the infection rate of this disease is predicted to be higher in patients with other respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis. In such a situation, it will be meaningful to conduct research on an allergy treatment that has fewer side effects and can effectively reduce allergy symptoms. Here, we prepared experimental samples under various fermentation conditions with mixed extracts of six medicinal plants. To examine the anti-allergic efficacy of these samples, an egg albumin-induced allergic rhinitis animal model experiment, a serum histamine and IgE experiment, and a COX and LO inhibitory activity experiment were conducted. As a result of animal experiments, OVA+SP-4 showed superior efficacy compared to OVA+SP-1 in nasal rubbing and sneezing experiments and had anti-allergic efficacy similar to that of OVA-cetirizine. The serum histamine concentration of OVA+SP-4 was also 1.3 times higher than that of the OVA+cetirizine group, showing a high histamine reduction ability, and IgE showed the same trend. An analysis of COX inhibitory efficacy also confirmed that COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitory efficacy is high, and the longer the fermentation time, the higher the antiallergic efficacy. The composition proposed by this study is expected to have a significant effect on sustainable allergy prevention and treatment in the future by applying it to human patients.

Cheonggukjang is a traditional fermented food in Korea, which is known to exert beneficial effects on health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of cheonggukjang fermented by Bacillus subtilis SCGB 574 (B574) on high fat diet (HFD)-deteriorated large intestinal health. Rats were fed with HFD or HFD supplemented with 10.1% cheonggukjang (B574). Fecal microbiota was analyzed based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and the fecal and serum metabolome were measured using GC-MS. Our results showed that SCGB574 intake significantly reduced body weight, restored tight junction components, and ameliorated inflammatory cell infiltration. SCGB574 also shifted gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of short chain fatty acid producers such as Alistipes and Flintibacter, although it decreased the abundance of Lactobacillus. Serum and fecal metabolome analyses showed significantly different metabolic profiles between the groups. The top five metabolites increased by SCGB574 were i) arginine biosynthesis, ii) alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; iii) starch and sucrose metabolism; iv) neomycin, kanamycin, and gentamicin biosynthesis; and v) galactose metabolism. These results showed that cheonggukjang fermented by SCGB574 ameliorates adverse effects of HFD through improving intestinal health.

This study investigated the hair growth effect of Schisandra chinensis extract (TS-SC) and TS-SC fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum (TS-SCLF) on human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). The production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), keratinocyte growth factor/fibroblast growth factor 7 (KGF/FGF-7) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) were examined. The secretion rates of VEGF and KGF/FGF-7 were high in TS-SC, and the secretion rates of IGF-1 and HGF were high in TS-SCLF. TGF-β1 was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner in all samples. Gene expression of VEGF, IGF-1, KGF, HGF and alkaline phosphatase, relevant to hair growth, were examined. The data revealed that TS-SC and TS-SCLF successfully promoted hair growth in hDPCs. The IGF-1 gene was expressed in a dose-dependent manner in TS-SCLF. These results indicate that TS-SC and TS-SCLF fermented extract effectively promoted hair growth and gene expression relevant to hair growth in hDPCs. Used in clinical trials the test substance 'CMK-LPF01' showed a statistically significant increase in the number of hairs at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and 24 weeks compared to before product use, and a change in hair growth, a secondary efficacy evaluation variable. Through additional research in the future, it is expected that "CMK-LPF01" can be developed as a functional material that can help alleviate symptoms of hair loss.

Quorum quenching 활성을 나타내는 acylase 효소는 생물막 형성에 중요한 영향을 미친다. 본 연구에서는 acylase 처리 조건(acylase 처리 시기 및 기간)이 다종 생물막(multispecies biofilm) 형성에 미치는 영향을 규명하였다. 서로 다른 속(genus)에 속하는 9종의 박테리아로 구성된 컨소시엄을 사용하여 acylase 처리 조건에 따른 10가지 episode에서 다양한 acylase 농도(1, 5, 10, 20, 50 mg·l^-1)에 따라 5일 동안 생물막을 형성시켰다. 각 농도별로 5일 동안 acylase를 처리한 조건에서 acylase의 농도가 증가함에 따라 생물막 형성은 억제되었다(linear regression, Y = -0.05· x + 2.37, p < 0.05, R² = 0.88). 모든 acylase 농도 조건에서 acylase를 생물막이 형성된 후에 처리한 경우(L1-L4)에 비해서 생물막 형성 시작 단계에 처리한 경우(B1-B4) 생물막 형성이 더 효과적으로 억제되었다(p < 0.05). ANOVA 결과에 따르면 acylase 10 mg·l^-1 이상 농도에서 acylase 처리 기간(period)은 acylase 처리 시기(application timings, beginning or later)에 상관없이 생물막 형성에 영향을 미쳤다(p < 0.05). 각 농도별 처리 시기(L1-L4 또는 B1-B4)에서 처리 기간과 생물막 형성 사이의 선형 회귀 분석 결과에 따르면 acylase 10 mg·l^-1 이상 농도에서 acylase 처리 기간이 증가함에 따라 생물막 형성은 억제되었다(p < 0.05, 20 mg·l^-1 농도의 L1-L4 제외). 시간에 따른 생물막 형성 결과에 따르면 모든 10가지 episode에서 생물막은 시간에 따라 점차 증가했으며(p < 0.05), 배양 시간과 생물막 형성 사이의 선형 회귀 분석 기울기 값은 acylase를 생물막 형성 시작 단계에 처리했을 때 더 낮게 나타났다(p < 0.05). 본 연구 결과는 생물막 형성 억제에 대한 acylase의 처리 시기 및 기간의 중요성을 시사한다.

본 연구에서는 토양, 담수 및 염수 퇴적물, 슬러지 등 8종의 접종원을 이용하여 배양인자(기질종류, 염농도, 배양온도)에 따른 바이오수소 생산 잠재능을 평가하고 최적조건을 도출하고자 하였다. 각 접종원 별 바이오수소 생산속도는 배양온도와 접종원 종류에 의해 유의한 영향을 받았다. 반면 기질종류와 염농도는 바이오수소 생산속도에 대체로 유의한 영향을 끼치지 않았다. 고온(50°)보다 중온(37℃)의 배양 온도가 수소 생산에 더 적합하였으며, 8종의 접종원 중에서 중에서는 혐기소화슬러지의 수소 생산능이 가장 우수하였다. 혐기소화슬러지의 최대 수소 생산속도는 중온(37℃)과 고온(50℃)에서 각각 2,729.0 및 1,384.7 ml-H₂·l^-1·d^-1였다.

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) is a globally important bacterial pathogen of walnut trees that causes substantial economic losses in commercial walnut production. Although prophages are common in bacterial plant pathogens and play important roles in bacterial diversity and pathogenicity, there has been limited investigation into the distribution and function of prophages in Xaj. In this study, we identified and characterized 13 predicted prophages from the genomes of 12 Xaj isolates from around the globe. These prophages ranged in length from 11.8 kb to 51.9 kb, with between 11-75 genes and 57.82-64.15% GC content. The closest relatives of these prophages belong to the Myoviridae and Siphoviridae families of the Caudovirales order. The phylogenetic analysis allowed the classification of the prophages into five groups. The gene constitution of these predicted prophages was revealed via Roary analysis. Amongst 126 total protein groups, the most prevalent group was only present in nine prophages, and 22 protein groups were present in only one prophage (singletons). Also, bioinformatic analysis of the 13 identified prophages revealed the presence of 431 genes with an average length of 389.7 bp. Prokka annotation of these prophages identified 466 hypothetical proteins, 24 proteins with known function, and six tRNA genes. The proteins with known function mainly comprised prophage integrase IntA, replicative DNA helicase, tyrosine recombinase XerC, and IS3 family transposase. There was no detectable insertion site specificity for these prophages in the Xaj genomes. The identified Xaj prophage genes, particularly those of unknown function, merit future investigation.

Ficus vasculosa Wall. ex Miq. (FV) has been used as a herbal medicine in Southeast Asia and its antioxidant activity has been shown in previous studies. However, it has not yet been elucidated whether FV exerts anti-inflammatory effects on activated-macrophages. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the ameliorative property of FV methanol extract (FM) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses and the underlying molecular mechanisms in RAW264.7 macrophages. The experimental results indicated that FM decreased the production of inflammatory mediators (NO/PGE2) and the mRNA/protein expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. FM also reduced the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Results also demonstrated that FM improved inflammatory response in LPS-stimulated A549 airway epithelial cells by inhibiting the production of cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. In addition, FM suppressed MAPK activation and NF-κB nuclear translocation induced by LPS. FM also upregulated the mRNA/protein expression levels of heme oxygenase-1 and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 in RAW264.7 cells. In an experimental animal model of LPS-induced acute lung injury, the increased levels of molecules in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were suppressed by FM administration. Collectively, it was founded that FM has anti-inflammatory properties on activated-macrophages by suppressing inflammatory molecules and regulating the activation of MAPK/NF-κB signaling.

Identifying carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is necessary to prevent nosocomial CRE infection outbreaks. Here, a rapid identification method with reduced enrichment time was developed without compromising accuracy. A total of 49 rectal swabs requested for CRE screening at the Department of Diagnostic Medicine at Hospital B in Busan, Korea, were included in this study. Specimens were inoculated on MacConkey and CHROMID Carba media either directly or following enrichment for 3, 6, and 24 h in 100 μl trypticase soy broth containing an ertapenem disk. The enriched cultures were further inoculated on CHROMID Carba or MacConkey media containing an ertapenem disk. In total, 19 CRE and 5 carbapenem-intermediate Enterobacteriaceae isolates were obtained from the 49 swabs. Among the 19 CRE isolates, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae constituted 13 strains. Moreover, of the 19 CRE isolates, 16 (81.25%) and 17 (88.24%) were identified from the direct cultures on MacConkey and CHROMID Carba media, respectively. After 3 h of enrichment, the proportions of the CRE identified in the media were: MacConkey medium, 16/19 (81.25%); CHROMID Carba medium, 17/19 (88.24%); and MacConkey medium containing an ertapenem disk, 17/19 (88.24%). The detection rates after 6 h of enrichment were the same for all three media (19/19 strains, 100%), whereas those after 24 h of enrichment were 21, 22, and 24 strains, respectively, but included false positives. These findings suggest that a 6-h enrichment before inoculation on the CHROMID Carba medium is optimal for the rapid and accurate detection of CRE in clinical samples.