• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2010

Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis, intracellular bacteria that can cause chronic granulomatous enteritis in cattle, continues to pose significant economic losses and health problem with high prevalence. The purpose of this study is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-base strategy for early detection of M. avium ssp paratuberculosis in whole blood. Blood samples were collected from korean cattles in Jeonbuk, Korea. The 16 out of 88 serum samples were detected M. partuberculosis by ELISA. Then samples of infected 8 Korean cattles were amplified by PCR. The PCR amplified targets are 16s rDNA and heat shock protein 65kDa (hsp 65). The 16s rDNA provided a highly sensitive and specific tool for the direct detection of mycobacteria. In addition M. avium was confirmed characteristically by the hsp65. Finally there were sure to M. avium ssp paratuberculosis by IS900 PCR. The restriction fragment length polymorphism was identified by PCR amplifications and subsequence restriction enzyme digestions with Pst I of a hsp65. These results indicate that confirm M. avium with 16s rDNA, hsp65 and a restriction fragment length polymorphism in the hsp65 gene can be seem the other pattern. Therefore, these results can be used for clinical direct detections of M. avium ssp paratuberculosis in whole blood of Korean cattle and also to be used epidemiological researches.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 2008

RNA interference (RNAi) was performed on several essential genes in the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which causes pine wilt disease. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was delivered to larvae or adult worms by soaking, electroporation, or microinjection. Soaking and electroporation of L2-L3 stage worms in solutions containing dsRNA for essential genes induced over 25% lethality after 5 days, and gene-specific phenotypes were observed. This lethality agreed with significant reductions of the targeted transcripts, as assayed by reverse-transcription coupled with real time PCR. Microinjection was the most efficient route as measured by the hatching rate of F1 embryos, which was reduced by 46%. When adult worms were soaked in dsRNA, lethality was induced in the F1 larvae, revealing the persistence of knockdown phenotypes. The penetrance of the RNAi phenotypes for essential genes was relatively low but consistent, indicating that RNAi should be useful for studying the in vivo functions of B. xylophilus gene products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.337-346
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• 2016

Three combinations of molecular chaperones from Escherichia coli (i.e., DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE-GroEL-GroES, GroEL-GroES, and DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE) were overproduced in E. coli BL21, and their in vitro stabilizing effects on a nitrile hydratase (NHase) were assessed. The optimal gene combination, E. coli groEL-groES (ecgroEL-ES), was introduced into Rhodococcus ruber TH3. A novel engineered strain, R. ruber TH3G was constructed with the native NHase gene on its chromosome and the heterologous ecgroEL-ES genes in a shuttle plasmid. In R. ruber TH3G, NHase activity was enhanced 37.3% compared with the control, TH3. The in vivo stabilizing effect of ecGroEL-ES on the NHase was assessed using both acrylamide immersion and heat shock experiments. The inactivation behavior of the in vivo NHase after immersion in a solution of dynamically increased concentrations of acrylamide was particularly evident. When the acrylamide concentration was increased to 500 g/l (50%), the remaining NHase activity in TH3G was 38%, but in TH3, activity was reduced to 10%. Reactivation of the in vivo NHases after varying degrees of inactivation was further assessed. The activity of the reactivated NHase was more than 2-fold greater in TH3G than in TH3. The hydration synthesis of acrylamide catalyzed by the in vivo NHase was performed with continuous acrylonitrile feeding. The final concentration of acrylamide was 640 g/l when catalyzed by TH3G, compared with 490 g/l acrylamide by TH3. This study is the first to show that the chaperones ecGroEL-ES work well in Rhodococcus and simultaneously possess protein-folding assistance functions and the ability to stabilize and reactivate the native NHases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1019-1024
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• 2014

Skeletal muscle atrophy can be defined as a decrease in or a disease of the muscle tissue, or as a disorder of the nerves that control the muscle, through injury or lack of use. This condition is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in various muscular disorders. Exposure to ROS induces muscle atrophy through several biological factors, such as SOD1 and HSP70. We found that cymbidium root extract reduced the $H_2O_2$-induced viability loss in C2C12 myoblasts and inhibited apoptosis. In addition, we showed that the cymbidium root extract increased the expression of HSP70 and decreased the expression of SOD1 in the $H_2O_2$-induced C2C12 myoblasts. These results suggest that cymbidium root extract might have therapeutic value in reducing ROS-induced muscle atrophy.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2015

Thioredoxin (TRX) is a disulfide reductase present ubiquitously in all taxa and plays an important role as a regulator of cellular redox state. Recently, a redox-independent, chaperone function has also been reported for some thioredoxins. We previously identified nodulin-35, the subunit of soybean uricase, as an interacting target of a cytosolic soybean thioredoxin, GmTRX. Here we report the further characterization of the interaction, which turns out to be independent of the disulfide reductase function and results in the co-localization of GmTRX and nodulin-35 in peroxisomes, suggesting a possible function of GmTRX in peroxisomes. In addition, the chaperone function of GmTRX was demonstrated in in vitro molecular chaperone activity assays including the thermal denaturation assay and malate dehydrogenase aggregation assay. Our results demonstrate that the target of GmTRX is not only confined to the nodulin-35, but many other peroxisomal proteins, including catalase (AtCAT), transthyretin-like protein 1 (AtTTL1), and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 4 (AtACX4), also interact with the GmTRX. Together with an increased uricase activity of nodulin-35 and reduced ROS accumulation observed in the presence of GmTRX in our results, especially under heat shock and oxidative stress conditions, it appears that GmTRX represents a novel thioredoxin that is co-localized to the peroxisomes, possibly providing functional integrity to peroxisomal proteins.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2009

In both gram-positive and several gram-negative bacteria, the transcription of dnaK and groE operons is negatively regulated by HrcA; however, the mechanism modulating HrcA protein activity upon thermal stress remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that HrcA is modulated via reduction and oligomerization in vitro. Native-PAGE analysis was used to reveal the oligomeric structure of HrcA. The oligomeric HrcA structure became monomeric following treatment with the reducing agent dithothreitol, and this process was reversed by treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, the mutant HrcA C118S exhibited reduced binding to CIRCE elements and became less oligomerized, suggesting that cysteine residue 118 is important for CIRCE element binding as well as oligomerization. Conversely, HrcA mutant C280S exhibited increased oligomerization. An HrcA double mutant (C118S, C280S) was monomeric and exhibited a level of oligomerization and CIRCE binding similar to wild type HrcA, suggesting that cysteine residues 118 and 280 may function as checks to one another during oligomer formation. Biochemical fractionation of E. coli cells overexpressing HrcA revealed the presence of HrcA in the membrane fraction. Together, these results suggest that the two HrcA cysteine residues at positions 118 and 280 function as reduction sensors in the membrane and mediate oligomerization upon stress.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2006

We have investigated biological responses to radiofrequency (RF) radiation in in vitro and in vivo models. By measuring the levels of heat shock proteins as well as the activation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), we could not detect any differences upon RF exposure. In this study, we used more sensitive method to find the molecular responses to RF radiation. Jurkat, human T-Iymphocyte cells were exposed to 1763 MHz RF radiation at an average specific absorption rate (SAR) of 10 W/kg for one hour and harvested immediately (R0) or after five hours (R5). From the profiles of 30,000 genes, we selected 68 differentially expressed genes among sham (S), R0 and R5 groups using a random-variance F-test. Especially 45 annotated genes were related to metabolism, apoptosis or transcription regulation. Based on support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, we designed prediction model using 68 genes to discriminate three groups. Our prediction model could predict the target class of 19 among 20 examples exactly (95% accuracy). From these data, we could select the 68 biomarkers to predict the RF radiation exposure with high accuracy, which might need to be validated in in vivo models.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.74-86
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• 2017

Objectives : This study aimed to assess the scientific evidence for the use of Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang, a traditional herbal formula, in the treatment of rhinitis, and prepare the basis for the investigational new drug application by analyzing the experimental studies. Methods : Ten electronic databases were searched up to December, 2016 without language limitation. Experimental studies on the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang against rhinitis were included. We extracted data about study design, characteristics of intervention, outcomes, and pharmacological effects from the included studies and summarized them. Results : Eight hundred and thirty-three potentially relevant studies were identified, of which 18 experimental studies met our inclusion criteria. Of 18 included studies, 5 had conducted cell viability test, and all studies had reported that Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang was non-cytotoxic. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang exhibits anti-inflammatory effect by regulating the inflammation-related cytokines including nitric oxide(NO), prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$, interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-{\alpha})$ in vitro and in vivo. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang exhibits anti-allergic effect by suppressing eosinophil, and histamine levels. Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang helps in the recovery of nasal mucous membrane by supressing goblet cells, heat shock protein 70, and substance P. Conclusions : This study suggests that Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang has the potential to be developed as therapeutic agent for rhinitis. Further experimental and clinical studies needed to be performed to prove the safety and efficacy.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.418-424
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the effect of joint mobilization on pain relief and cartilage repair in an induced osteoarthritis rat model by analyzing the expression of heat shock protein 70 in articular cartilage. Methods: MIA was injected into SD rats to induce osteoarthritis. These rats were divided into 4 groups: control group (n=30), no further treatment after the MIA injection ; experimental group I(n=30), performed swimming exercise after the MIA injection experimental group II (n=30), underwent joint mobilization after the MIA injection and experimental group III (n=30), performed swimming exercise and underwent joint mobilization after the MIA injection. For the histologic and pathophysiologic evaluation, safranin-O staining and for the immunohistochemical evaluation, the expression of HSP 70 in articular cartilage was analyzed 1, 7, 14, and 21 days after the MIA injection. Results: The inflammatory response and loss of tissue declined in experimental groups I and II over time, whereas the greatest decreases were noted in experimental group III. In the articular cartilage, low expression of HSP 70 was observed in every group on day 1, whereas HSP 70 expression was elevated on days 7 and 14 in experimental groups II and III. After 21 days, experimental group II displayed the strongest positive reaction, whereas HSP 70 was higher in experimental group III at this time point compared to that after 14 days. Conclusion: Our results showed that swimming exercise and joint mobilization had positive effects on pain relief and histologic and functional recovery in an induced osteoarthritis rat model.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.280-286
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• 2007

L-asparaginase (EC 3.5.1.1) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the amide group of L-asparagine, releasing aspartate and $NH_4{^+}$. We isolated a low temperature-inducible cDNA sequence encoding L-asparaginase from soybean leaves. The full-length L-asparaginase cDNA, designated GmASP1, contains an open reading frame of 1,258 bp coding for a protein of 326 amino acids. Genomic DNA blotting and fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that the soybean genome has two copies of GmASP1. GmASP1 mRNA was induced by low temperature, ABA and NaCl, but not by heat shock or drought stress. E. coli cells expressing recombinant GmASP1 had 3-fold increased L-asparaginase activity. A possible function of L-asparaginase in the early response to low temperature stress is discussed.