• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.19.1-19.18
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• 2021

Clinical and molecular phenotypes of asthma are complex. The main phenotypes of adult asthma are characterized by eosinophil and/or neutrophil cell dominant airway inflammation that represent distinct clinical features. Upper and lower airways constitute a unique system and their interaction shows functional complementarity. Although human upper airway contains various indigenous commensals and opportunistic pathogenic microbiome, imbalance of this interactions lead to pathogen overgrowth and increased inflammation and airway remodeling. Competition for epithelial cell attachment, different susceptibilities to host defense molecules and antimicrobial peptides, and the production of proinflammatory cytokine and pattern recognition receptors possibly determine the pattern of this inflammation. Exposure to environmental factors, including infection, air pollution, smoking is commonly associated with asthma comorbidity, severity, exacerbation and resistance to anti-microbial and steroid treatment, and these effects may also be modulated by host and microbial genetics. Administration of probiotic, antibiotic and corticosteroid treatment for asthma may modify the composition of resident microbiota and clinical features. This review summarizes the effect of some environmental factors on the upper respiratory microbiome, the interaction between host-microbiome, and potential impact of asthma treatment on the composition of the upper airway microbiome.

• Mycobiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.297-311
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• 2017

Saprolegniasis is one of the most devastating oomycete diseases in freshwater fish which is caused by species in the genus Saprolegnia including Saprolegnia parasitica. In this study, we isolated the strain of S. parasitica from diseased rainbow trout in Korea. Morphological and molecular based identification confirmed that isolated oomycete belongs to the member of S. parasitica, supported by its typical features including cotton-like mycelium, zoospores and phylogenetic analysis with internal transcribed spacer region. Pathogenicity of isolated S. parasitica was developed in embryo, juvenile, and adult zebrafish as a disease model. Host-pathogen interaction in adult zebrafish was investigated at transcriptional level. Upon infection with S. parasitica, pathogen/antigen recognition and signaling (TLR2, TLR4b, TLR5b, NOD1, and major histocompatibility complex class I), pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin $[IL]-1{\beta}$, tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-8, interferon ${\gamma}$, IL-12, and IL-10), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP9 and MMP13), cell surface molecules ($CD8^+$ and $CD4^+$) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase) related genes were differentially modulated at 3- and 12-hr post infection. As an anti-Saprolegnia agent, plant based lawsone was applied to investigate on the susceptibility of S. parasitica showing the minimum inhibitory concentration and percentage inhibition of radial growth as $200{\mu}g/mL$ and 31.8%, respectively. Moreover, natural lawsone changed the membrane permeability of S. parasitica mycelium and caused irreversible damage and disintegration to the cellular membranes of S. parasitica. Transcriptional responses of the genes of S. parasitica mycelium exposed to lawsone were altered, indicating that lawsone could be a potential anti-S. parasitica agent for controlling S. parasitica infection.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.618-627
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• 2020

Although limited progress have been made about pathogen system of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Hibiscus latent Fort Pierce virus (HLFPV), interaction between plant host and pathogen remain largely unknown, which led to deficiency of effective measures to control disease of hibiscus plants caused by HLFPV. In this study, infection of HLFPV in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was firstly confirmed for the first time by traditional electron microscopy, modern reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and RNA-seq methods in China (HLFPV-Ch). Sequence properties analyzing suggested that the full-length sequences (6,465 nt) of HLFPV-Ch had a high sequence identity and a similar genomic structure with other tobamoviruses. It includes a 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR), followed by four open reading frames encoding for a 128.5-kDa replicase, a 186.5-kDa polymerase, a 31-kDa movement protein, 17.6-kDa coat protein, and the last a 3'-terminal UTR. Furthermore, HLFPV-Ch-derived virus-derived siRNAs (vsiRNAs) ant its putative target genes, reported also for the first time, were identified and characterized from disease Hibiscus rosa-sinensis through sRNA-seq and Patmatch server to investigate the interaction in this pathogen systems. HLFPV-Ch-derived vsiRNAs demonstrated several general and specific characteristics. Gene Ontology classification revealed predicted target genes by vsiRNAs are involved in abroad range of cellular component, molecular function and biological processes. Taken together, for first time, our results certified the HLFPV infection in China and provide an insight into interaction between HLFPV and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.836-843
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• 2004

Nontypeable H. influenzae (NTHi), a Gram-negative obligate human pathogen, causes pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and otitis media, and the respiratory epithelium is the first line of defense that copes with the pathogen. In an effort to identify transcriptional responses of human respiratory epithelial cells to infection with NTHi, we examined its differential gene expression using high density cDNA microarrays. BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to NTHi for 3 hand 24 h, and the alteration of mRNA expression was analyzed using microarrays consisting of 8,170 human cDNA clones. The results indicated that approximately 2.6% of the genes present on the microarrays increased in expression over 2-fold and 3.8% of the genes decreased during the 24-h infection period. Upregulated genes included cytokines (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor 2, granulocyte chemotactic protein 2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8), transcription factors (Kruppel-like factor 7, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein $\beta$, E2F-1, NF-$\kappa$B, cell surface molecules (CD74, ICAM-1, ICAM-2, HLA class I), as well as those involved in signal transduction and cellular transport. Selected genes were further confirmed by reverse-transcription-PCR. These data expand our knowledge of host cellular responses during NTHi infection and should provide a molecular basis for the study of host-NTHi interaction.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.624-632
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• 2017

Penicillium expansum causes blue mold rot, a prevalent postharvest disease of pome fruit, and is also the main producer of the patulin. However, knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved in this pathogen-host interaction remains largely unknown. In this work, a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomic approach was applied to probe changes in P. expansum 3.3703 cultivated in apple juice medium, which was used to mimic the in planta condition. The results showed that the pH value and reducing sugar content in the apple juice medium decreased whereas the patulin content increased with the growing of P. expansum. A total of 28 protein spots that were up-regulated in P. expansum when grown in apple juice medium were identified. Functional categorization revealed that the identified proteins were mainly related to carbohydrate metabolism, secondary metabolism, protein biosynthesis or degradation, and redox homeostasis. Remarkably, several induced proteins, including glucose dehydrogenase, galactose oxidase, and FAD-binding monooxygenase, which might be responsible for the observed medium acidification and patulin production, were also detected. Overall, the experimental results provide a comprehensive interpretation of the physiological and proteomic responses of P. expansum to the host plant environment, and future functional characterization of the identified proteins will deepen our understanding of fungi-host interactions.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.97-107
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• 2015

Alteration of genetic make-up of the isolates and mono-sporidial strains of Tilletia indica causing Karnal bunt (KB) disease in wheat was analyzed using DNA markers and SDS-PAGE. The generation of new variation with different growth characteristics is not a generalized feature and is not only dependant on the original genetic make up of the base isolate/monosporidial strains but also on interaction with host. Host determinant(s) plays a significant role in the generation of variability and the effect is much pronounced in monosporidial strains with narrow genetic base as compared to broad genetic base. The most plausible explanation of genetic variation in presence of host determinant(s) are the recombination of genetic material from two different mycelial/sporidia through sexual mating as well as through parasexual means. The morphological and development dependent variability further suggests that the variation in T. indica strains predominantly derived through the genetic rearrangements.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1181-1194
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• 2015

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease transmitted by aerosol droplets and characterized by forming granulomatous lesions. Although the number of people infected in the population is high, the vast majority does not exhibit symptoms of active disease and only 5-10% develop the disease after a latent period that can vary from weeks to years. The bases of the immune response for this resistance are unknown, but it depends on a complex interaction between the environment, the agent, and the host. The analysis of cellular components of M. tuberculosis shows important host-pathogen interactions, metabolic pathways, virulence mechanisms, and mechanisms of adaptation to the environment. However, the M. tuberculosis proteome still remains largely uncharacterized in terms of virulence and pathogenesis. Here, we summarize some of the major proteomic studies performed to scrutinize all the mycobacterial components.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.443-450
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• 2005

The multi-host pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, possesses an extraordinary versatility which makes it capable of surviving the adverse conditions provided by environmental, host, and, presumably, competing microbial factors in its natural habitats. Here, we investigated the P. aeruginosa-Bacillus subtilis interaction in laboratory conditions and found that some P. aeruginosa strains can outcompete B. subtilis in mixed planktonic cultures. This is accompanied by the loss of B. subtilis viability. The bactericidal activity of P. aeruginosa is measured on B. subtilis plate cultures. The bactericidal activity is attenuated in pqsA, mvfR, lasR, pilB, gacA, dsbA, rpoS, and phnAB mutants. These results suggest that P. aeruginosa utilizes a subset of conserved virulence pathways in order to survive the conditions provided by its bacterial neighbors.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.505-511
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• 2021

Interaction of a pathogen with its host plant requires both flexibility and rapid shift in gene expression programs in response to environmental cues associated with host cells. Recently, a growing volume of data on the diversity and ubiquity of internal RNA modifications has led to the realization that such modifications are highly dynamic and yet evolutionarily conserved system. This hints at these RNA modifications being an additional regulatory layer for genetic information, culminating in epitranscriptome concept. In plant pathogenic fungi, however, the presence and the biological roles of RNA modifications are largely unknown. Here we delineate types of RNA modifications, and provide examples demonstrating roles of such modifications in biology of filamentous fungi including fungal pathogens. We also discuss the possibility that RNA modification systems in fungal pathogens could be a prospective target for new agrochemicals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 2014

Chicken are considered as the most important source of human infection by Campylobacter jejuni, which primarily arises from contaminated poultry meats. However, the genes expressed in vivo of the interaction between chicken and C. jejuni have not been screened. In this regard, in vivo-induced antigen technology (IVIAT) was applied to identify expressed genes in vivo during interaction between chicken and C. jejuni, a prevalent foodborne pathogen worldwide. Chicken sera were obtained by inoculating C. jejuni NCTC 11168 into Leghorn chickens through oral and intramuscular administration. Pooled chicken sera, adsorbed against in vitro-grown cultures of C. jejuni, were used to screen the inducible expression library of genomic proteins from sequenced C. jejuni NCTC 11168. Finally, 28 unique genes expressed in vivo were successfully identified after secondary and tertiary screenings with IVIAT. The genes were implicated in metabolism, molecular biosynthesis, genetic information processing, transport, regulation and other processes, in addition to Cj0092, with unknown function. Several potential virulence-associated genes were found to be expressed in vivo, including chuA, flgS, cheA, rplA, and Cj0190c. We selected four genes with different functions to compare their expression levels in vivo and in vitro using real-time RT-PCR. The results indicated that these selected genes were significantly upregulated in vivo but not in vitro. In short, the expressed genes in vivo may act as potential virulence-associated genes, the protein encoded by which may be meaningful vaccine candidate antigens for campylobacteriosis. IVIAT provides an important and efficient strategy for understanding the interaction mechanisms between Campylobacter and hosts.