• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.816-820
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• 2018

The stringent response (SR), which is activated by accumulation of (p)ppGpp under conditions of growth-inhibiting stresses, plays an important role on growth and virulence in Vibrio cholerae. Herein, we carried out a genome-wide screen using transposon random mutagenesis to identify genes controlled by SR in a (p)ppGpp-overproducing mutant strain. One of the identified SR target genes was flaC encoding flagellin. Genetic studies using flaC and SR mutants demonstrated that FlaC was involved in bacterial growth, toxin production, and normal flagellum function under conditions of high (p)ppGpp levels, suggesting FlaC plays an important role in SR-induced pathogenicity in V. cholerae.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.123-128
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• 2017

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral mucosal disorder for which no curative treatment is available. We previously reported that decreased Streptococcus salivarius and increased Acinetobacter johnsonii on the oral mucosa are associated with RAS risk. The purpose of this study was to identify antibiotics that selectively inhibit A. johnsonii but minimally inhibit oral mucosal commensals. S. salivarius KCTC 5512, S. salivarius KCTC 3960, A. johnsonii KCTC 12405, Rothia mucilaginosa KCTC 19862, and Veillonella dispar KCOM 1864 were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test using amoxicillin, cefotaxime, gentamicin, clindamycin, and metronidazole in liquid culture. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was defined as the concentration that inhibits 90% of growth. Only gentamicin presented a higher MIC for A. johnsonii than MICs for S. salivarius and several oral mucosal commensals. Interestingly, the growth of S. salivarius increased 10~200% in the presence of sub-MIC concentrations of gentamicin, which was independent of development of resistance to gentamicin. In conclusion, gentamicin may be useful to restore RAS-associated imbalance in oral microbiota by selectively inhibiting the growth of A. johnsonii but enhancing the growth of S. salivarius.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 1996

Inhibition of the growth of human cancer cells by proteins secreted from 373-L1 cells was investigated in the present study. The growth of human cancer cells was inhibited by co-culture with 373-L1 cells under 10% FBS and DME, DME, GIT and serumless medium, respectively. The conditioned medium of cultured 373-L1 cells under serumless medium was concentrated 100-fold through an ultrafiltration cell with a 10,000 molecular weight cutoff at 4$^{\circ}C$ under positive pressure using nitrogen(373-L1 EM). 373-L1 EM inhibited the growth of HeLa, Hep G 2, KHOS-Np, A43l and MCF-7 cells. 3T3-L1 EM was purified with FPLC, DEAE-ion exchange chromatography and phenyl-sepharose chromatography. The major protein of 373-L1 EM has a molecular weight of 66,000-68,000 in SDS-PAGE analysis. The results suggest that the inhibitory activity of 373-L1 EM appears to be due to some protein(m.w.66,000-68,000) secreted by 373-L1 cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.872-876
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• 2004

The plant pathogen Erwinia pyrifoliae was infected with bacteriophage PEa1(h), which produced a translucent halo plaque when grown on a lawn of E. pyrifoliae. To investigate the function of an exopolysaccharide (EPS)-depolymerase in the growth of E. pyrifoliae, an EPS-depolymerase gene was synthesized using the PCR method and sequenced. The synthesized gene was then transferred to E. pyrifoliae. The transformed E. pyrifoliae did not produce any ooze, and its growth was inhibited. However, the EPS-depolymerase did not appear to induce cell death. Accordingly, the present results suggest that an EPS-depolymerase may be effective in inhibiting the cell growth or infection of the pathogen E. pyrifoliae.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.87-89
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• 2017

Apo-transferrin is an iron-binding protein that has been reported to have an antimicrobial effect. It is considered a major component of the host defense mechanism as it limits microbial access to iron. This study was performed to investigate whether bovine apo-transferrin would have an inhibitory effect on the growth of S. pseudintermedius, which is one of the most isolated bacteria from dogs, and to compare the antimicrobial efficacy with bovine holo-transferrin. S. pseudintermedius were grown at $37^{\circ}C$ in 96-well culture plates using Muller Hinton broth containing bovine apo-transferrin or bovine holo-transferrin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 or 2.5 to 5.0 mg/ml. The optical densities of the wells were then measured at 570 nm. In this study, the apo-transferrin showed dose-dependent antimicrobial effect against S. pseudintermedius while holo-transferrin did not inhibit the growth of S. pseudintermedius effectively. The results suggest that iron deprivation is an important pathway for inhibiting bacterial growth and bovine apo-transferrin has great antimicrobial effects against S. pseudintermedius.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.329-333
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• 2021

We previously identified that tumor cells genetically modified with a 4-1BBL co-stimulatory molecule had anticancer effects in a CT26 mouse colorectal tumor model. To identify the distinction between immune cells in a mouse tumor model treated with tumor cells genetically modified with 4-1BBL or β-gal, we examined the immune cells in CT26-WT, CT26-βgal, and CT26-4-1BBL tumor bearing mice 21 days after tumor cell administration. The CD8+ T cells population in mice treated with tumor cells genetically modified with 4-1BBL was significantly increased on day 21 compared to that of tumor cells genetically modified with β-gal in the spleen and tumor tissue. The CD4+ T cell population was not different between the two mice groups. The Foxp3+CD25^high CD4 T cell population decreased on day 21 in tumor tissues, but the decrease was not significant. We also found that CD8 T cells had pivotal roles in inhibiting tumor growth by treating mice with ant-CD4 and CD8 antibodies. These results suggest that tumor cells genetically modified with 4-1BBL could inhibit tumor growth by affecting on CD8 T lymphocytes.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.337-341
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• 2022

In this study, the effect of the combined use of a lipid-soluble n-hexane extract of red ginseng marc (HERGM) and water-soluble arginine, which exhibits anticaries activity, on the growth of Streptococccus mutans was investigated. As a result of checkerboard assay, HERGM and arginine showed a synergistic effect in inhibiting the growth of S. mutans with a fractional inhibitory concentration index of 0.396. Combination treatments of HERGM and arginine resulted in leakage of nucleic acid components and decrease in the viable cell counts of S. mutans, all of which were proportional to the concentration of HERGM. In conclusion, the synergistic effect of HERGM and arginine on the growth inhibition of S. mutans is mainly attributed to HERGM.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.1279-1285
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• 2015

The current study aimed to investigate effects of ethanol extract of white sesame seed (WSE) as well as a major constituent of white sesame seed, ${\beta}-sitosterol$, on the growth, migration, and adhesion of H1299 human lung cancer cells. Treatment with WSE at concentrations of 150, 300, and $600{\mu}g/mL$ dose-dependently inhibited cell growth (to 51.5~82.6% of control). Treatment with ${\beta}-sitosterol$ at concentrations of 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, and $25{\mu}M$ inhibited cell growth to a greater extent (to 27.5~49.0% of control) than that with WSE (P<0.05). Treatment with WSE (at concentration of $600{\mu}g/mL$) or ${\beta}-sitosterol$ (at concentration of $25{\mu}M$) resulted in increased sub-G1 cell population, indicating their apoptosis-inducing activities. ${\beta}-sitosterol$ was effective in inhibiting both cell migration (to 80.8~86.2% of control at a concentration range of $3.125{\sim}25{\mu}M$) and adhesion (to 21.5~37.4% of control at a concentration range of $6.25{\sim}25{\mu}M$), whereas WSE at a concentration range of $150{\sim}600{\mu}g/mL$ was ineffective. These results indicate that ${\beta}-sitosterol$ is more active than WSE in inhibiting growth, migration, and adhesion of H1299 human lung cancer cells. Further studies are needed to determine if similar effects are reproduced in vivo.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.257-266
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Licorice has been shown to possess cancer chemopreventive effects. However, glycyrrhizin, a major component in licorice, was found to interfere with steroid metabolism and cause edema and hypertension. The roasting process of licorice modifies the chemical composition and converts glycyrrhizin to glycyrrhetinic acid. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-carcinogenic effects of the ethanol extract of roasted licorice (EERL) and to identify the active compound in EERL. MATERIALS/METHODS: Ethanol and aqueous extracts of roasted and un-roasted licorice were prepared. The active fraction was separated from the methylene chloride (MC)-soluble fraction of EERL and the structure of the purified compound was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The anti-carcinogenic effects of licorice extracts and licochalcone A was evaluated using a MTT assay, Western blot, flow cytometry, and two-stage skin carcinogenesis model. RESULTS: EERL was determined to be more potent and efficacious than the ethanol extract of un-roasted licorice in inhibiting the growth of DU145 and MLL prostate cancer cells, as well as HT-29 colon cancer cells. The aqueous extracts of un-roasted and roasted licorice showed minimal effects on cell growth. EERL potently inhibited growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast, B16-F10 melanoma, and A375 and A2058 skin cancer cells, whereas EERL slightly stimulated the growth of normal IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells and CCD118SK fibroblasts. The MC-soluble fraction was more efficacious than EERL in inhibiting DU145 cell growth. Licochalcone A was isolated from the MC fraction and identified as the active compound of EERL. Both EERL and licochalcone A induced apoptosis of DU145 cells. EERL potently inhibited chemically-induced skin papilloma formation in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Non-polar compounds in EERL exert potent anti-carcinogenic effects, and that roasted rather than un-roasted licorice should be favored as a cancer preventive agent, whether being used as an additive to food or medicine preparations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.261-269
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• 2012

In this study, 18 kinds of Korean medicinal herb extracts were examined for anti-microbial activities against pathogenic microorganisms. The methanol (MeOH) extracts from Schizandra chinensis, Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited antimicrobial activities against most pathogenic microorganisms at concentrations of 5 mg/mL, whereas the other 15 extracts exhibited anti-microbial activities at concentrations of 30 mg/mL. The minimum concentration at which Schizandra chinensis extracts inhibited for S. epidermidis and Bor. bronchiseptica was 0.6 mg/mL. The MeOH extracts from Schizandra chinensis, Caesalpinia sappan, Rhus javanica and Seutellaria baicalensis which had higher anti-microbial activities were subsequently fractionated using 5 different solvents, and further screened for anti-microbial activities. The inhibitory effects of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts on microbial growth were greater compared to any other solvent extracts. In order to investigate the inhibitory effect of Korean medicinal herbs with high anti-microbial activities on microbial proliferation, the MeOH extracts at concentrations of 0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm were added to the media. No addition of extracts caused rapid growth of microbes after 12 hours incubation. As the concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan increased, the growth-inhibiting effect on gram-positive bacteria including S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and L. monocytogenes was prominent. Rhus javanica extracts exhibited growth-inhibiting activity for gram-negative bacteria including Sal. Pullorum and Sal. Choleraesuis. The low concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited the growth of Bor. bronchiseptica and E. coli serotype $O_8$. However, the higher concentration of extracts from Rhus javanica and Caesalpinia sappan exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on microbial proliferation.