• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.47.1-47.13
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• 2022

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative bacterium that is known for causing infection in nosocomial settings. As reported by the World Health Organization, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, a category that includes K. pneumoniae, are classified as an urgent threat, and the greatest concern is that these bacterial pathogens may acquire genetic traits that make them resistant towards antibiotics. The last class of antibiotics, carbapenems, are not able to combat these bacterial pathogens, allowing them to clonally expand antibiotic-resistant strains. Most antibiotics target essential pathways of bacterial cells; however, these targets are no longer susceptible to antibiotics. Hence, in our study, we focused on a hypothetical protein in K. pneumoniae that contains a DNA methylation protein domain, suggesting a new potential site as a drug target. DNA methylation regulates the attenuation of bacterial virulence. We integrated computational-aided drug design by using a bioinformatics approach to perform subtractive genomics, virtual screening, and fingerprint similarity search. We identified a new potential drug, koenimbine, which could be a novel antibiotic.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.500-507
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• 2016

Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing allows identification of methylated DNA bases and methylation patterns/motifs at the genome level. Using SMRT sequencing, diverse bacterial methylomes including those of Helicobacter pylori, Lactobacillus spp., and Escherichia coli have been determined, and previously unreported DNA methylation motifs have been identified. However, the methylomes of Xanthomonas species, which belong to the most important plant pathogenic bacterial genus, have not been documented. Here, we report the methylomes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag) strain 8ra and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) strain 85-10. We identified $N^6$-methyladenine (6mA) and $N^4$-methylcytosine (4mC) modification in both genomes. In addition, we assigned putative DNA methylation motifs including previously unreported methylation motifs via REBASE and MotifMaker, and compared methylation patterns in both species. Although Xag and Xcv belong to the same genus, their methylation patterns were dramatically different. The number of 4mC DNA bases in Xag (66,682) was significantly higher (29 fold) than in Xcv (2,321). In contrast, the number of 6mA DNA bases (4,147) in Xag was comparable to the number in Xcv (5,491). Strikingly, there were no common or shared motifs in the 10 most frequently methylated motifs of both strains, indicating they possess unique species- or strain-specific methylation motifs. Among the 20 most frequent motifs from both strains, for 9 motifs at least 1% of the methylated bases were located in putative promoter regions. Methylome analysis by SMRT sequencing technology is the first step toward understanding the biology and functions of DNA methylation in this genus.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.61-65
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• 2013

Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by stimulating the dissociation of the peptidyl-tRNA molecule from the ribosomes during elongation. The use of macrolides has increased dramatically over the last few years and has led to an increase in bacterial resistance to these antibiotics. Bacterial resistance to erythromycin is generally conferred by the ribosome methylation and/or transport (efflux) protein genes. Among the identified erythromycin-resistant genes, erm(B) (erythromycin methylation) and mef(A) (macrolide efflux) are generally detectable in erythromycin-resistant streptococcal species. The distribution of these genes in oral streptococcal isolates has been reported in studies from other countries but has not been previously examined in a Korean study. We here examined by PCR the presence of erm(B) and mef(A) in oral streptococci isolated from Korean dental plaques. Among the 57 erythromycin-resistant strains tested, 64.9% harbored erm(B) whereas 40.4% were positive for mef(A). Eleven isolates had both the erm(B) and mef(A) genes. Twenty six isolates had only erm(B) and 12 isolates had only mef(A). Eight of the 57 strains examined were negative for both genes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1472-1476
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• 2006

Previous study demonstrated that the restriction barrier of Streptomyces griseus is almost completely bypassed by the Streptomyces-E. coli shuttle vectors passed through the E. coli GM161 strain and methylated with AluI and HpaII methyltransferases. The same DNA methylation of the genomic DNA fragments cloned the nonreplicative vectors generated integrative transformation and gene disruption of their chromosomal counterparts at high efficiencies in S. griseus. This result indicated that the efficiency of gene disruption depends on the efficient transfer of the incoming DNA into bacterial hosts.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 1983

Among the many protein modifications methylation is being investigated actively with regard to bacterial chemotaxis, gene regulation, muscle contraction, cytochrome c methylation, and the synthesis of the acyl transporter, carnitine. In this study the activities of protein methylase I, II, and III in pancreatic tissues of rat, mouse, and guinea pig were examined. Furthermore, the effect of cholinergic agents on the activity of protein methylases in pancreatic fragment of guinea pig was also examined in order to test the relationship between protein methylation and pancreatic secretion. The results are as follows. 1) The activities of protein methylases were generally high in pancreatic tissues of guinea pig and mouse but low in the tissue of rat. 2) The cholinergic stimulants, acetylcholine and carbachol at a concentration of $10^{-5}M$ decreased the activities of protein methylase I, II, and III compared with unstimulated control. 3) The inhibitory effect of the cholinergic stimulant on the activities of protein methylases was not blocked by atropine at a concentration of $10^{-5}M$.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.491-498
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• 2007

It has been hypothesized that efficient exclusion of methylated retrotransposons and repeated DNA region is one of the rapid and cost-effective approaches for comprehensive gene discovery in large genome size of maize. Three kinds of methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, HapII, MspI and McrBC, were used to identify the restriction frequency of cytosine methylation sites in maize genome. Roughly 60% of total maize genomic DNA was restricted less than 500bp by McrBC, and the most of restricted small size fraction was composed retrotransposon. In order to validate the efficient construction of gene-rich shotgun library, we compare two gene-rich methyl-filtration shotgun libraries using in vivo and in vitro methyl-filtration system. The size selected DNA fraction by Sau3A-McrBC enzyme treated was very stable and has not appeared modification in E. coli, but most insert DNA size of partially digested with Sau3A were decrease less than 500bp by bacterial methylation-modification system. In compare of retroelements portion, A 44.6% of the sequences were retroelement in unmethyl-filtered library, and the most of them was Copia type, such as Prem, Opie and Ji. The portion of retroelement was drastically decreased to 25% and 20% by in vivo and in vitro filtration system, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.704-708
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• 1999

In addition to catalyzing the synthesis of glucan from sucrose as a primary reaction, glucansucrase also catalyzes the transfer of glucose from sucrose to other carbohydrates that are present or are added to the reaction digest. Using dextransucrase and altemansucrase, prepared from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-742CBM and B-1355C, respectively, we modified the bacterial cellulose in Acetobacter xylinum ATCC10821 culture, and then produced a characteristic cellulose that is soluble and has a new structure. There were also some partially modified insoluble cellulose and oligosaccharides in the modification culture. After methylation and following acid hydrolysis of both the soluble and insoluble glucans, there were ($1{\rightarrow}4$) as well as ($1{\rightarrow}6$) and ($1{\rightarrow}3$) glycosidic linkages in the soluble glucan.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.749-755
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• 2014

Background: Purple rice has become a natural product of interest which is widely used for health promotion. This study investigated the preventive effect of purple rice extract (PRE) mixed diet on DMH initiation of colon carcinogenesis. Materials and Methods: Rats were fed with PRE mixed diet one week before injection of DMH (40 mg/kg of body weight once a week for 2 weeks). They were killed 12 hrs after a second DMH injection to measure the level of $O^6$-methylguanine and xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme activities. Results: In rats that received PRE, guanine methylation was reduced in the colonic mucosa, but not in the liver, whereas PRE did not affect xenobiotic conjugation, with reference to glutathione-S-transferase or UDP-glucuronyl transferase. After 5 weeks, rats that received PRE with DMH injection had fewer ACF in the colon than those treated with DMH alone. Interestingly, a PRE mixed diet inhibited the activity of bacterial ${\beta}$-glucuronidase in rat feces, a critical enzyme for free methylazoxymethanol (MAM) release in the rat colon. These results indicated that purple rice extract inhibited ${\beta}$-glucuronidase activity in the colonic lumen, causing a reduction of MAM-induced colonic mucosa DNA methylation, leaded to decelerated formation of aberrant crypt foci in the rat colon. Conclusions: The supplemented purple rice extract might thus prevent colon carcinogenesis by the alteration of the colonic environment, and thus could be further developed for neutraceutical products for colon cancer prevention.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.289-295
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• 2011

The SpoU family of proteins catalyzes the methylation of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). We characterized a putative tRNA/rRNA methyltransferase, VaSpoU1 of the SpoU family, from Viscum album (mistletoe). VaSpoU1 and other plant SpoU1s exhibit motifs of the SpoU methylase domain that are conserved with bacterial and yeast SpoU methyltransferases. VaSpoU1 transcripts were detected in the leaves and stems of V. album. VaSpoU1-GFP fusion proteins localized to both chloroplasts and mitochondria in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Sequence analysis similarly predicted that the plant SpoU1 proteins would localize to chloroplasts and mitochondria. Interestingly, mitochondrial localization of VaSpoU1 was inhibited by the deletion of a putative N-terminal presequence in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Therefore, VaSpoU1 may be involved in tRNA and/or rRNA methylation in both chloroplasts and mitochondria.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2016

Among 116 bacterial strains isolated from Korean fermented foods, one strain (SS-76) was selected for producing new oligosaccharides in a basal medium containing maltose as the sole source of carbon. Upon morphological characterization using scanning electron microscopy, the cells of strain SS-76 appeared rod-shaped; subsequent 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain SS-76 was phylogenetically close to Bacillus subtilis. The main oligosaccharide fraction B extracted from the culture supernatant of B. subtilis SS-76 was purified by high performance liquid chromatography. Subsequent structural analysis revealed that this oligosaccharide consisted only of glucose, and methylation analysis indicated similar proportions of glucopyranosides in the 6-linkage, 4-linkage, and non-reducing terminal positions. Matrix-assisted laser-induced/ionization time-of-flight/mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization-based liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analyses suggested that this oligosaccharide consisted of a trisaccharide unit with 1,6- and 1,4-glycosidic linkages. The anomeric signals in the $^1H$-nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum corresponded to ${\alpha}$-anomeric configurations, and the trisaccharide was finally identified as panose (${\alpha}$-D-glucopyranosyl-1,6-${\alpha}$-D-glucopyranosyl-1,4-D-glucose). These results suggest that B. subtilis SS-76 converts maltose into panose; strain SS-76 may thus find industrial application in the production of panose.