• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.600-606
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• 2023

Dengue virus (DENV) is a widespread arbovirus. To efficiently establish infection, DENV evolves multiple strategies to hijack the host innate immune response. Herein, we examined the inhibitory effects of DENV serotype 2 (DENV2) nonstructural proteins on RIG-I-directed antiviral immune response. We found that DENV2 NS2A, NS2B, NS4A, and NS4B significantly inhibited RIG-I-mediated IFN-β promoter activation. The roles of NS2B in RIG-I-directed antiviral immune response are unknown. Our study further showed that NS2B could dose-dependently suppress RIG-I/MAVS-induced activation of IFN-β promoter. Consistently, NS2B significantly decreased RIG-I- and MAVS-induced transcription of IFNB1, ISG15, and ISG56. Mechanistically, NS2B was found to interact with MAVS and IKKε to impair RIG-I-directed antiviral response. Our findings demonstrated a previously uncharacterized function of NS2B in RIG-I-mediated antiviral response, making it a promising drug target for anti-DENV treatments.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.48-57
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• 2012

Acute viral encephalitis caused by neurotrophic viruses, such as mosquito-borne flaviviruses, is an emerging and re-emerging disease that represents an immense global health problem. Considerable progression has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of acute viral encephalitis, but the immune-pathological processes occurring during the progression of encephalitis and the roles played by various molecules and cellular components of the innate and adaptive systems still remain undefined. Recent findings reveal the significant contribution of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and regulatory $CD4^+$ T cells in the outcomes of infectious diseases caused by neurotrophic viruses. In this review, we discuss the ample evidence focused on the roles of TLRs and $CD4^+$ helper T cell subsets on the progression of acute viral encephalitis. Finally, we draw attention to the importance of these molecules and cellular components in defining the pathogenesis of acute viral encephalitis, thereby providing new therapeutic avenues for this disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.242-254
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• 2018

Defensins are antimicrobial peptides that participate in the innate immunity of hosts. Humans constitutively and/or inducibly express ${\alpha}$- and ${\beta}$-defensins, which are known for their antiviral and antibacterial activities. This review describes the application of human defensins. We discuss the extant experimental results, limited though they are, to consider the potential applicability of human defensins as antiviral agents. Given their antiviral effects, we propose that basic research be conducted on human defensins that focuses on RNA viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza A virus (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and dengue virus (DENV), which are considered serious human pathogens but have posed huge challenges for vaccine development for different reasons. Concerning the prophylactic and therapeutic applications of defensins, we then discuss the applicability of human defensins as antivirals that has been demonstrated in reports using animal models. Finally, we discuss the potential adjuvant-like activity of human defensins and propose an exploration of the 'defensin vaccine' concept to prime the body with a controlled supply of human defensins. In sum, we suggest a conceptual framework to achieve the practical application of human defensins to combat viral infections.

• Entomological Research
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.439-447
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• 2018

Adult mosquito surveillance was conducted from 2013 through 2014 at four cattle sheds, a wild bird refuge, and two residential areas located in Gyeongnam Province in the Republic of Korea. Adult mosquitoes were collected in black light traps from April 1, through November 30. Mosquito surveillance was conducted to figure out population densities of vector mosquitoes, possibly invaded mosquitoes and identify various virus infections at the selected sites. A total of 107,466 females comprising 14 species and 7 genera were collected from 2013 to 2014. The most common species collected were Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (63.8%), Anopheles sinensis s.l. (18.9%), Aedes vexans nipponii (Theobald) (7.7%), and Culex pipiens Coquillett (5.1%). Trap indices (TIs) varied widely for species over their range, due to geographical distribution and degree of association with rural and urban communities. The most collected An. sinensiss.l. and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus appeared at a cow shed in Hapcheon (TI 347.5) and a pigsty in Daejeo-1-dong, Busan (TI 1,040.8), respectively, due in part to their situation near breeding sites such as rice paddies. The bi-weekly population densities for mosquito species were variable for each of the years, apparently as a result of variable annual weather conditions. None of the mosquito species collected tested for the flavivirus including Japanese Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Virus, Dengue Virus, and Zika Virus infections by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay were positive.

• 한국콘텐츠학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국콘텐츠학회 2017년도 춘계 종합학술대회 논문집
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• pp.109-110
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• 2017

본 연구에서는 2016년 전 세계에 공포를 안겼던 지카 바이러스(Zika virus)와 최근 아열대성 기후의 확대로 인해 향후 대유행이 예상되는 뎅기 바이러스(Dengue virus)의 구별 진단 방법에 대해 논의하고자 한다. 두 바이러스는 모두 플라비바이러스 속(Flavivirus genus)에 해당되며, 동일한 단백질 도메인(domain)으로 구성되어 있다. 본 연구에서는 여러 도메인 중에서도 진단에 유리하다고 판단되는 비구조단백질 1(NS1, non-structural protein 1)을 선정하였으며, UniProt (Universal Protein Resource) 데이터베이스를 활용하여 지카 바이러스와 뎅기 바이러스의 비구조단백질 1의 아미노산 서열을 상호 비교 분석 하였다. 더 나아가 IEDB (Immune Epitope Database) 데이터베이스를 활용하여 비구조단백질 1의 아미노산 중, 진단에 용이한 에피토프로 예상되는 5개의 후보를 도출하였다. 최종적으로 후보군으로부터 지카 바이러스와 뎅기 바이러스를 구별하여 진단할 수 있다고 판단되는 에피토프(펩타이드)를 제안하였다.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.104-111
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• 2016

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne pathogen, belongs to Flaviviridae family having a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, currently known for causing large epidemics in Brazil. Its infection can cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect during pregnancy. The recent outbreak of ZIKV in February 2016 in Brazil realized it as a major health risk, demands an enhanced surveillance and a need to develop novel drugs against ZIKV. Amodiaquine, prochlorperazine, quinacrine, and berberine are few promising drugs approved by Food and Drug Administration against dengue virus which also belong to Flaviviridae family. In this study, we performed molecular docking analysis of these drugs against nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein of ZIKV. The protease activity of NS3 is necessary for viral replication and its prohibition could be considered as a strategy for treatment of ZIKV infection. Amongst these four drugs, berberine has shown highest binding affinity of -5.8 kcal/mol and it is binding around the active site region of the receptor. Based on the properties of berberine, more similar compounds were retrieved from ZINC database and a structure-based virtual screening was carried out by AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8. Best 10 novel drug-like compounds were identified and amongst them ZINC53047591 (2-(benzylsulfanyl)-3-cyclohexyl-3H-spiro[benzo[h]quinazoline-5,1'-cyclopentan]-4(6H)-one) was found to interact with NS3 protein with binding energy of -7.1 kcal/mol and formed H-bonds with Ser135 and Asn152 amino acid residues. Observations made in this study may extend an assuring platform for developing anti-viral competitive inhibitors against ZIKV infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권12호
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• pp.1716-1721
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• 2021

Chikungunya fever is an arboviral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The disease has similar clinical manifestations with other acute febrile illnesses which complicates differential diagnosis in low-resource settings. We aimed to develop a rapid test for CHIKV detection based on the nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay technology. The system consists of a primer set that recognizes the E1 region of the CHIKV genome and test strips in an enclosed cassette which are used to detect amplicons labeled with FITC/biotin. Amplification of the viral genome was done using open-source PCR, a low-cost open-source thermal cycler. Assay performance was evaluated using a panel of RNA isolated from patients' blood with confirmed CHIKV (n = 8) and dengue virus (n = 20) infection. The open-source PCR-NALFIA platform had a limit of detection of 10 RNA copies/ml. The assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% CI: 67.56% - 100%) and 100% (95% CI: 83.89% - 100%), respectively, compared to reference standards of any positive virus culture on C6/36 cell lines and/or qRT-PCR. Further evaluation of its performance using a larger sample size may provide important data to extend its usefulness, especially its utilization in the peripheral healthcare facilities with scarce resources and outbreak situations.

• 한국콘텐츠학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국콘텐츠학회 2015년도 춘계 종합학술대회 논문집
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• pp.225-226
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• 2015

뎅기 바이러스는 전 세계적으로 빠르게 확산되고 있는 모기 매개 바이러스이다. 현재까지 4가지의 혈청형이 알려져 있는 뎅기 바이러스는 뎅기열, 뎅기 출혈열과 뎅기 쇼크증후군 등을 유발한다. 현재 뎅기 바이러스가 전 세계적으로 확산되고 있음에도 불구하고 확실한 치료제나 백신이 없기 때문에 초기 진단이 매우 중요하다. 아열대기후로 진입하는 우리나라에서도 흰줄숲모기가 자주 발견되기 때문에 이 질병으로부터 결코 자유롭지가 않다. 바이러스 감염을 진단하기 위한 진단키트를 개발하기 위해서는 타깃 유전자 부위 선정이 매우 중요하기 때문에 본 연구에서는 먼저 생명정보학을 기반으로 뎅기 바이러스만을 특이적으로 검출할 수 있는 항월결정부위를 예측하고 진단키트에 적용하고자 하였다. 4가지 유형의 뎅기 바이러스 유전자들을 찾고, ProtScale Tool 프로그램으로 친수성(hydrophilicity), 접근성(acc -essibility), 유연성(flexibility), 회전(${\beta}-turns$) 등의 특성을 분석하여 항원결정부위를 선정하였다. 이 항원결정부위를 이용하여 단일클론항체를 제작하였으며 향후 진단키트로의 적용 가능성을 확인하였다.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.217-226
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• 2017

Purpose: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are notorious disease vectors that spread various viruses including dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Recent Zika virus outbreaks were carried by Ae. aegypti, raising awareness about the perils of its global distribution. Because Ae. albopictus is spread throughout South Korea and can carry the same viruses as Ae. aegypti, monitoring potential distributions of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti is necessary. Methods: In this study, the potential distributions of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti in South Korea were modeled using CLIMEX software, and changes in response to climate change were predicted. Results: The results indicated that the climatic suitability for Ae. albopictus was consistently high, while occurrence of Ae. aegypti was only predicted for Jeju Island in 2080. Conclusions: The results provide basic information for preventing the invasion of Ae. aegypti, and consequent interactions between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, which may cause severe outbreaks of dangerous diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권11호
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• pp.1928-1936
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• 2018

Recently, human infections caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), which can lead to fatality, have dramatically increased in East Asia. With the unavailability of vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent and/or treat SFTSV infection, early rapid diagnosis is critical for prevention and control of the disease. Here, we report the development of a simple, rapid and sensitive portable detection method for SFTSV infection applying reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) combined with one-pot colorimetric visualization and electro-free reaction platform. This method utilizes a pocket warmer to facilitate diagnosis in a resource-limited setting. Specific primers were designed to target the highly-conserved region of L gene of SFTSV. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was approximately $10^0$ viral genome copies from three different SFTSV strains. This assay exhibited comparable sensitivity to qRT-PCR and 10-fold more sensitivity than conventional RT-PCR, with a rapid detection time of 30 to 60 minutes. The RT-LAMP assay using SFTSV clinical specimens has demonstrated a similar detection rate to qRT-PCR and a higher detection rate compared to conventional RT-PCR. Moreover, there was no observed cross-reactive amplification of other human infectious viruses including Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Dengue, Enterovirus, Zika, Influenza and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This highly sensitive, electro- and equipment-free rapid colorimetric visualization method is feasible for resource-limited SFTSV field diagnosis.