• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1869-1872
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• 2012

Background: To assess the diagnostic potential of tumor-associated high molecular weight DNA in stool samples of 32 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared to 32 healthy Malaysian volunteers by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods: Stool DNA was isolated and tumor-associated high molecular weight DNA (1.476 kb fragment including exons 6-9 of the p53 gene) was amplified using PCR and visualized on ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. Results: Out of 32 CRC patients, 18 were positive for the presence of high molecular weight DNA as compared to none of the healthy individuals, resulting in an overall sensitivity of 56.3% with 100% specificity. Out of 32 patients, 23 had tumor on the left side and 9 on the right side, 16 and 2 being respectively positive. This showed that high molecular weight DNA was significantly (p = 0.022) more detectable in patients with left side tumor (69.6% vs 22.2%). Out of 32 patients, 22 had tumors larger than 1.0 cm, 18 of these (81.8%) being positive for long DNA as compared to not a single patient with tumor size smaller than 1.0 cm (p <0.001). Conclusion: We detected CRC-related high molecular weight p53 DNA in stool samples of CRC patients with an overall sensitivity of 56.3% with 100% specificity, with a strong tumor size dependence.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.9.1-9.10
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• 2013

In traditional systems of medicine including homeopathy, the Condurango extract (Con) is often used to cure stomach cancer mainly, without having any scientific validation of its anti-cancer ability. Con has therefore been tested against non-small-cell lung cancer cells (NSCLC) A549 and NCI-H522 (H522) known to contain the KRAS mutation, making them resistant to most chemotherapeutic agents. As cancer cells generally defy cytotoxicity developed by chemopreventive agents and escape cell death, any drug showing the capability of preferentially killing cancer cells through apoptosis is worth consideration for judicious application. A549 and H522 cells were exposed to $0.35{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ and $0.25{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ of Con, respectively, for 48 h and analysed based on various protocols associated with apoptosis and DNA damage, such as MTT assay to determine cell viability, LDH assay, DNA fragmentation assay, comet assay, and microscopical examinations of DNA binding fluorescence stains like DAPI, Hoechst 33258 and acridine orange/ethidium bromide to determine the extent of DNA damage made in drug-treated and untreated cells and the results compared. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and the generation of reactive oxygen species were also documented through standard techniques. Con killed almost 50% of the cancer cells but spared normal cells significantly. Fluorescence studies revealed increased DNA nick formation and depolarized membrane potentials after drug treatment in both cell types. Caspase-3 expression levels confirmed the apoptosis-inducing potential of Con in both the NSCLC lines. Thus, overall results suggest considerable anticancer potential of Con against NSCLC in vitro, validating its use against lung cancer by practitioners of traditional medicine including homeopathy.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2005

In this study, we assessed the susceptibility of 12 Lactobacillus strains, all of which had been isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of chicken, to three antibiotics (chloramphenicol, erythromycin and tetracycline) used commonly as selective markers in transformation studies of lactic acid bacteria. Among these strains, $17\%,\;58\%,\;and\;25\%$ were found to exhibit a high degree of resistance to $200\;{\mu}g/ml$ of tetracycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol, respectively. Seven of the 12 Lactobacillus strains exhibiting resistance to at least $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ of chloramphenicol or erythromycin, and five strains exhibiting resistance to at least $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ of tetracycline, were subsequently subjected to plasmid curing with chemical curing agents, such as novobiocin, acriflavin, SDS, and ethidium bromide. In no cases did the antibiotic resistance of these strains prove to be curable, with the exception of the erythromycin resistance exhibited by five Lactobacillus strains (L. acidophilus I16 and I26, L. fermentum I24 and C17, and L. brevis C10). Analysis of the plasmid profiles of these five cured derivatives revealed that all of the derivatives, except for L. acidophilus I16, possessed profiles similar to those of wild-type strains. The curing of L. acidophilus I16 was accompanied by the loss of 4.4 kb, 6.1 kb, and 11.5 kb plasmids.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2007

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been regarded as a useful microorganism and tried to manipulate plasmid DNA for increasing the usefulness. Although several methods have been developed to isolate plasmid DNA from Escherichia coli (E. coli), these methods were not sufficient to apply to LAB with exception of O'Sullivan's lysis method. So, we evaluated plasmid DNA extraction from LAB using general E. coli preparation methods and tried to improve the extraction yield and DNA purity by modifying O'Sullivan's alkaline lysis method. To improve the extraction yield, salt and carrier were added to precipitant and those were incubated at $-70{^{\circ}C}$. Only incubation at $-70{^{\circ}C}$ was the effective method of those modifications. Purity of plasmid DNA was improved by two times of each centrifugation and phenol/chloroform extraction. However, DNA was damaged by twice extraction with phenol/chloroform. Also, exclusion of ethidium bromide showed negative effect to purity. Additionally, it was recommended that improvement of the extraction yield may be due to centrifugation at high speed for more time and to dissolving complete DNA pellet before addition of 7.5 M ammonium acetate. Extraction using this modification produced higher quality of plasmid DNA.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.742-749
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• 2016

The cancer chemo-preventive effects of equol have been demonstrated for a wide variety of experimental tumours. In a previous study, we found that equol inhibited proliferation and induced apoptotic death of human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells. However, the mechanisms underlying equol-mediated apoptosis have not been well understood. In the present study, the dual AO (acridine orange)/EB (ethidium bromide) fluorescent assay, the comet assay, MTS, western blotting and flow cytometric assays were performed to further investigate the pro-apoptotic effect of equol and its associated mechanisms in MGC-803 cells. The results demonstrated that equol induced an apoptotic nuclear morphology revealed by AO/EB staining, the presence of a comet tail, the cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP and the depletion of cIAP1, indicating its pro-apoptotic effect. In addition, equol-induced apoptosis involves the mitochondria-dependent cell-death pathway, evidenced by the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, the cleavage of caspase-9 and the depletion of Bcl-xL and full-length Bid. Moreover, treating MGC-803 cells with equol induced the sustained activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and inhibiting ERK by U0126, a MEK/ERK pathway inhibitor, significantly attenuated the equol-induced cell apoptosis. These results suggest that equol induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells via the sustained activation of the ERK1/2 pathway. Therefore, equol may be a novel candidate for the chemoprevention and therapy of gastric cancer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2003

In order to increase the production and secretion rate of mouse salivary $\alpha$-amylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, various experiments were attempted. A plasmid pCNNinv (AMY) was constructed by the substitution of ADCl promoter and native signal sequence of mouse salivary $\alpha$-amylase cDNA gene with PRBI promoter and yeast invertase leader sequence, which resulted in 25% increase in the production of $\alpha$-amylase in the culture medium. The respiratory deficient transformant carrying pCNNinv (AMY) were obtained by treating yeast cells with ethidium bromide, and the $\alpha$-amylase activities in the culture brothes of the respiratory-deficient transformants were 5-8 times higher than that of parental wild type strain. $\alpha$-Amylase activity was also increased 3 times when the 0.015% (w/v) of 2-mercaptoethanol was added to the culture medium.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.292-303
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• 1998

The arbitrary primer polymerase chain reaction(AP-PCR) and Southern blot restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) were used to genotype the cariogenic pathogen S. mutans in children. Following the morphologic chracteristics of colony on selective medium for S. mutans, total genomic DNA from 155 strains was extracted by conventional methods. Among 155 strains, 143 strains (92.3%) were confirmed S. mutans by PCR with dexA gene and 114 strains were used in this study. Three random sequence 10-base oligonucleotide primers were chosen for AP-PCR. The amplified DNA products were separated electrophoretically in a 2% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide and the banding patterns were compared among different strains. For RFLP analysis, DNA was digested with EcoRI and BamHI, separated on a 0.7 % agarose gel and transferred to a nylon membrane. The membrane was probed with a previously characterised 1.6 kilobases (kb) DNA fragment cloned from gtf B gene of S. mutans. The probe was labeled with isotope[$^{32}P-{\alpha}CTP$], and hybridized fragments were detected with intensifying screen. AP-PCR produced 4-8 DNA bands in the 0.25-10 kb regions and distinguished 9, 10 or 12 genotypes, depending on the specific primer used. Southern blot RFLP analysis revealed 2 hybridization patterns consisting of 1 DNA fragments 450, 500 bp. These results indicate that AP-PCR is more discriminative method for genotyping of S. mutans.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1 s.61
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• pp.59-70
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• 2005

Objective: Tumor necrosis factor-a $(TNF-{\alpha})$, a potent immuno-modulator and pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in many pathological processes. In this study, the author examined whether promoter region polymorphism in the $TNF-{\alpha}$a gene at position-308 affect the odds of cerebral infarction (CI) and whether genetic risk is enhanced by sasang constitutional classification. Methods: 212 CI patients and 610 healthy controls were genotyped and determined according to sasang constitutional classification. The amplified genotypes were analyzed on $8\%$ polyacrylamide gel. The alleles were visualized by ethidium bromide staining. Primers for $TNF-{\alpha}$ were designed to incorporate a polymorphic site at a position -308 bp of the $TNF-{\alpha}$ gene into an NcoI restriction site. Restriction digests generated products of 87 and 20 bp for G allele and 107 bp for A allele. Results : A significant decrease was found for the $TNF-{\alpha}$ A allele in CI patients compared with controls (P=0.033, odds ratio, O.R.: 0.622). However, there was no significant association between $TNF-{\alpha}$ polymorphism and sasang constitution in CI patients. Conclusion: My finding suggests that $TNF-{\alpha}$promoter region polymorphism is responsible for susceptibility to CI in Koreans.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.430-435
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• 2013

Multidrug resistance, especially multidrug efflux mechanisms that extrude structurally unrelated cytotoxic compounds from the cell by multidrug transporters, is a serious problem and one of the main reasons for the failure of therapeutic treatment of infections by pathogenic microorganisms as well as of cancer cells. Streptococcus mutans is considered one of the primary causative agents of dental caries and periodontal disease, which comprise the most common oral diseases. A fragment of chromosomal DNA from S. mutans KCTC3065 was cloned using Escherichia coli KAM32 as host cells lacking major multidrug efflux pumps. Although E. coli KAM32 cells were very sensitive to many antimicrobial agents, the transformed cells harboring a recombinant plasmid became resistant to several structurally unrelated antimicrobial agents such as tetracycline, kanamycin, rhodamin 6G, ampicillin, acriflavine, ethidium bromide, and tetraphenylphosphonium chloride. This suggested that the cloned DNA fragment carries a gene encoding a multidrug efflux pump. Among 49 of the multidrug-resistant transformants, we report the functional gene cloning and characterization of the function of one multidrug efflux pump, namely MdeA from S. mutans, which was expressed in E. coli KAM32. Judging from the structural and biochemical properties, we concluded that MdeA is the first cloned and characterized multidrug efflux pump using the proton motive force as the energy for efflux drugs.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 1983

A moderately halophilic bacterium, Listeria denitrificans HB-38, isolated from mud on the seashore in Sooyoung bay, Pusan, showed the requirement of $4\%$ sodium chloride for cell growth in a medium with salts typical of a marine environment, and showed that of $10\%$ in a medium with salts typical of a terrestrial environment. The optimum temperature and pH for growth were $40^{circ}C$ and pH 7.5 in the medium containing $10\%$ sodium chloride and ions typical of a terrestrial environment. Sodium chloride as a protoplast stabilizer gave more stability than sorbitol or sucrose, meanwhile the protoplast did not require higher concentration of stabilizer than that of E. coli protoplast. Succinic dehydrogenase of HB-38 had a halophilic property showing maximal activity in the presence of $9\%$ sodium chloride. The strain HB-38 did not harbor an extrach-romosomal DNA.