• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.28.1-28.18
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• 2022

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a major cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries. However, sporadic outbreaks caused by this microorganism in developed countries are frequently reported recently. As an important zoonotic pathogen, EPEC is being monitored annually in several countries. Hallmark of EPEC infection is formation of attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions on the small intestine. To establish A/E lesions during a gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infeciton, EPEC must thrive in diverse GIT environments. A variety of stress responses by EPEC have been reported. These responses play significant roles in helping E. coli pass through GIT environments and establishing E. coli infection. Stringent response is one of those responses. It is mediated by guanosine tetraphosphate. Interestingly, previous studies have demonstrated that stringent response is a universal virulence regulatory mechanism present in many bacterial pathogens including EPEC. However, biological signficance of a bacterial stringent response in both EPEC and its interaction with the host during a GIT infection is unclear. It needs to be elucidated to broaden our insight to EPEC pathogenesis. In this review, diverse responses, including stringent response, of EPEC during a GIT infection are discussed to provide a new insight into EPEC pathophysiology in the GIT.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 1999

Thirteen transcriptionally-fused carbon starvation mutants, derived from Pseudomonas putida ATCC 12633, were analyzed for their survivability and transcriptional induction profiles upon carbon starvation. One of these mutants, MK114, which exhibited the lowest survivability and the highest induction rate, was selected and further examined under different starvation (nitrogen and phosphate) and stress (osmolarity, H2O2, salts, alcohol, and heat) conditions. Under all tested conditions MK114 induced ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity, implying that the interrupted gene (cst114) is a general starvation and stress response gene. The rate of induction ranged from 2.6-fold for phosphate starvation to 3.7-fold for osmotic shock. The mini-Tn5 flanking DNA was cloned from the chromosome of MK114. The cloned DNA fragment exhibited carbon starvation activity, indicating that this fragment contains a carbon starvation-related promoter region. This region was partially sequenced. Possible physiological roles of Cst114 in a carbon sensing mechanism and in other stress responses are also discussed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.374-385
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• 2013

Environmental stresses induce several plant pathogenic bacteria into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, but the basis for VBNC is largely uncharacterized. We investigated the physiology and morphology of the copper-induced VBNC state in the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum in liquid microcosm. Supplementation of $200{\mu}M$ copper sulfate to the liquid microcosm completely suppressed bacterial colony formation on culture media; however, LIVE/DEAD BacLight bacterial viability staining showed that the bacterial cells maintained viability, and that the viable cells contain higher level of DNA. Based on electron microscopic observations, the bacterial cells in the VBNC state were unchanged in size, but heavily aggregated and surrounded by an unknown extracellular material. Cellular ribosome contents, however, were less, resulting in a reduction of the total RNA in VBNC cells. Proteome comparison and reverse transcription PCR analysis showed that the Dps protein production was up-regulated at the transcriptional level and that 2 catalases/peroxidases were present at lower level in VBNC cells. Cell aggregation and elevated levels of Dps protein are typical oxidative stress responses. $H_2O_2$ levels also increased in VBNC cells, which could result if catalase/peroxidase levels are reduced. Some of phenotypic changes in VBNC cells of R. solanacearum could be an oxidative stress response due to $H_2O_2$ accumulation. This report is the first of the distinct phenotypic changes in cells of R. solanacearum in the VBNC state.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.325-333
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• 1997

Recent evidence indicates that growth factors modulate response of mammary epithelial cells to environmental stress. The objective of this study was to examine the cellular and biochemical responses of mammary tissue to environmental stress caused by artificial mastitis. For experimental a, pp.oach, toxins of most mastitis causing organisms(Staph. aureus or Strep. agalactiae) and heat stress(42$^{\circ}C$) were artificially exposed to mammary tissue. Effects of these environmental stresses on cell growth, cell death and heat shock protein synthesis were examined. Lactating mammary tissure were cultured under basal medium(DMEM) su, pp.emented with insulin(10$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) and aldosterone(1$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml). All treatment groups in heat stress at 42$^{\circ}C$ incubation significantly decreased DNA synthesis rates in comparison with those at 39$^{\circ}C$(P<0.05), however, these decreased DNAa synthesis rates were recovered by addition of adenosine(10$\mu$M) and IGFI(10ng/ml). Similar results were obtained when tissue growth rates were measured by DNA content/tissue. Strep. agalactiae toxin did not significantly decreased DNA content/tissue in comparison with no treatment of bacterial toxin with or without heat stress, however, tended to decrease DNA contents/tissue without heat stress. In the fluorography analysis, heat stress(42$^{\circ}C$ incubation) slightly increased 35S-methoionine labelled 70kd protein synthesis. These results indicate that environmental stress caused by artificial mastitis slightly decreased mammary growth or mammary size, however, these results could be recovered by addition of adenosine and IGF-I.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.76-89
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• 2007

CaCDPK4, a full-length cDNA clone encoding Capsicum annuum calcium-dependent protein kinase 4, was isolated from chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Deduced amino acid sequence of CaCDPK4 shares the highest homology with tobacco NpCDPK8 and chickpea CaCDPK2 with 79% identity. Genomic blot analyses revealed that CaCDPK4 is present as a single copy in pepper genome, but it belongs to a multigene family. CaCDPK4 was highly induced when pepper plants were inoculated with an incompatible bacterial pathogen. Induced levels of CaCDPK4 transcripts were also detected in pepper leaves by the treatment of ethephon, an ethylene-inducing agent, and high-salt stress condition. The bacterial-expressed GST-CaCDPK4 protein showed to retain the autophosphorylation activity in vitro. GUS expression driven by CaCDPK4 promoter was examined in transgenic Arabidopsis containing transcriptional fusion of CaCDPK4 promoter. GUS expression under CaCDPK4 promoter was strong in the root and veins of the seedlings. GW (-1965) and D3 (-1377) promoters conferred on GUS expression in response to inoculation of an incompatible bacterial pathogen, but D4-GUS (-913) and DS-GUS (-833) did not. Taken together, our results suggest that CaCDPK4 can be implicated on signal transduction pathway of defense response against an incompatible bacterial pathogen in pepper.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1560-1568
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• 2013

Salmonella, a main cause of foodborne diseases, encounters a variety of environmental stresses and overcomes the stresses by multiple resistance strategies. One of the general responses to hyperosmotic stress is to import or produce compatible solutes so that cells maintain fluid balance and protect proteins and lipids from denaturation. The ProP and ProU systems are the main transport systems for compatible solutes. The OsmU system, recently identified as a third osmoprotectant transport system, debilitates excessive growth as well by reducing production of trehalose. We studied a fourth putative osmoprotectant transport system, YehZYXW, with high sequence similarity with the OsmU system. A Salmonella strain lacking YehZ, a predicted substrate-binding protein, did not suffer from hyperosmolarity but rather grew more rapidly than the wild type regardless of glycine betaine, an osmoprotectant, suggesting that the YehZYXW system controls bacterial growth irrespective of transporting glycine betaine. However, the growth advantage of ${\Delta}yehZ$ was not attributable to an increase in OtsBA-mediated trehalose production, which is responsible for the outcompetition of the ${\Delta}osmU$ strain. Overexpressed YehZ in trans was capable of deaccelerating bacterial growth vice versa, supporting a role of YehZ in dampening growth. The expression of yehZ was increased in response to nutrient starvation, acidic pH, and the presence of glycine betaine under hyperosmotic stress. Identifying substrates for YehZ will help decipher the role of the YehZYXW system in regulating bacterial growth in response to environmental cues.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2014

Lactobacilli, the dominant species of microorganisms in the vaginal flora of healthy women, play important roles to prevent bacterial vaginosis and other sexually transmitted diseases. In this study, we carried out studies on stress adaptation prior to various stress treatment. We found that heat or salt adapted KLB46 showed higher cell viability than non adapted upon heat stress at $60^{\circ}C$ for 20 min. When chloramphenicol was added during the adaptation process, heat tolerance was abolished. This result suggested that de novo protein synthesis was essential during adaptation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1184-1192
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• 2011

A bacterial isolate (strain JS-2) characterized as Bacillus sp. was challenged with high concentrations of toxic selenite ions. The microbe was found to transform the toxic, soluble, colorless selenite (${SeO_3}^{2-}$) oxyions to nontoxic, insoluble, red elemental selenium ($Se^0$). This process of biotransformation was accompanied by cytoplasmic and surface accumulation of electron dense selenium ($Se^0$) granules, as revealed in electron micrographs. The cells grown in the presence of selenite oxyions secreted large quantities of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). There were quantitative and qualitative differences in the cell wall fatty acids of the culture grown in the presence of selenite ions. The relative percentage of total saturated fatty acid and cyclic fatty acid increased significantly, whereas the amount of total unsaturated fatty acids decreased when the cells were exposed to selenite stress. All these physiological adaptive responses evidently indicate a potentially important role of cell wall fatty acids and extracellular polymeric substances in determining bacterial adaptation towards selenite-induced toxicity, which thereby explains the remarkable competitiveness and ability of this microbe to survive the environmental stress.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1031-1036
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• 2005

[ $(+)-Lyoniresinol-3{\alpha}-O-\beta-D-glucopyranoside$ ] (1) was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the root bark from Lycium chinense Miller, and its structure was determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy including DEPT, HMQC, and HMBC. $(+)-Lyoniresinol-3{\alpha}-O-\beta-D-glucopyranoside$ exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from patients, and human pathogenic fungi without having any hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes. In particular, compound 1 induced the accumulation of intracellular trehalose on C. albicans as stress response to the drug, and disrupted the dimorphic transition that forms pseudo-hyphae caused by the pathogenesis. This indicates that $(+)-Lyoniresinol-3{\alpha}-O-\beta-D-glucopyranoside$ has excellent potential as a lead compound for the development of antibiotic agents.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2024

Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, a plant pathogenic bacterium that can survive for a long time in soil and water, causes lethal wilt in the Solanaceae family. Sigma S is a part of the RNA polymerase complex, which regulates gene expression during bacterial stress response or stationary phase. In this study, we investigated the role of sigma S in R. pseudosolanacearum under stress conditions using a rpoS-defective mutant strain of R. pseudosolanacearum and its wild-type strain. The phenotypes of rpoS-defective mutant were complemented by introducing the original rpoS gene. There were no differences observed in bacterial growth rate and exopolysaccharide production between the wild-type strain and the rpoS mutant. However, the wild-type strain responded more sensitively to nutrient deficiency compared to the mutant strain. Under the nutrient deficiency, the rpoS mutant maintained a high bacterial viability for a longer period, while the viability of the wild-type strain declined rapidly. Furthermore, a significant difference in pH was observed between the culture supernatant of the wild-type strain and the mutant strain. The pH of the culture supernatant for the wild-type strain decreased rapidly during bacterial growth, leading to medium acidification. The rapid decline in the wild-type strain's viability may be associated with medium acidification and bacterial sensitivity to acidity during transition to the stationary phase. Interestingly, the rpoS mutant strain cannot utilize acetic acid, D-alanine, D-trehalose, and L-histidine. These results suggest that sigma S of R. pseudosolanacearum regulates the production or utilization of organic acids and controls cell death during stationary phase under nutrient deficiency.