• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제17권5호
• /
• pp.2527-2533
• /
• 2016

Sensitising cancer cells and at the same time desensitizing normal cells is a double task in cancer management. Agents which can combat the debilitating side effects of cancer therapeutics and simultaneously synergize with anticancer agents in specifically targeting cancer cells are needed. Selenium, a proven anticarcinogen, gains due importance in terms of its efficacy to combat the side effects of cancer therapy. This study is a comparative analysis of the chemoprotective effects of selenium compounds, methyl selenol (generated from organic selenomethionine (5mmol/L ; METase 40U/L)) and sodium selenite (inorganic form)($30{\mu}M$) in peripheral blood human lymphocytes exposed to cisplatin and mitomycin. Biochemical alterations occurring in many cells during apoptosis include loss of plasma membrane phospholipid asymmetry, DNA fragmentation, and activation of caspase-3. The present study demonstrated that the selenium metabolite and selenite are efficient in protecting lymphocytes undergoing DNA damage and exerted their activity by reducing caspase 3 expression. Interestingly organic methylselenol (MeSe) was found to offer more protective effects compared to inorganic selenite (SeL), by reducing the induction of apoptosis by the cytotoxic agents. This suggests that MeSe and to a lesser extent selenite might have potential for assessment in clinical trials and could be considered as strong candidates in pharmacogenomics or in the nutriprotective arena.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• 제23권5호
• /
• pp.398-402
• /
• 2008

Cyanobacteria havebeen identified as one of the most promising group producing novel biochemically active natural products. Cyanobacteria are a very old group of prokaryotic organisms that produce very diverse secondary metabolites, especially non-ribosomal peptide and polyketide structures. Though many useful natural products have been identified in cyanobacterial biomass, cyanobacteria produce also extracellular proteins related with NRPS/PKS. Detection of unknown secondary metabolites in medium was carried in the present study by a screening of 98 cyanobacterial strains. A degenerated PCR technique as molecular approaches was used for general screening of NRPS/PKS gene in cyanobacteria. A putative PKS gene was detected by DKF/DKR primer in 38 strains (38.8%) and PCR amplicons resulted from a presence of NRPS gene were showed by MTF2/MTR2 primer in 30 strains (30.6%) and by A3/A7 primer in 26 strains (26.5%). HPLC analysis for a detection of natural products was performed in extracts from medium in which cyanobacteria containing putative PKS or NRPS were cultivated. CBT57, CBT62, CBT590 and CBT632 strains were screened for a production of extracellular natural products. 5 pure substances were detected from medium of these cyanobacteria.

• 환경생물
• /
• 제23권4호
• /
• pp.405-408
• /
• 2005

To induce the enhanced mutants of dinitroaniline herbicide pendimethalin degrading bacterium, Bacillus sp. MS202 was irradiated with gamma radiation at the dose of $LD_{99}$ (3.35 kGy). Three enhanced mutants (MS202m7, MS202m14, MS202m18) were isolated from the candidates by the generation - isolation method. Clear zone formation and the GC analysis confirmed that the degrading activity of each enhanced mutant (MS202m7, MS202m14, MS202m18), the formation of pendimethalin metabolite, increased by $11\%,\;45\%,\;and\;32\%$ than a wild type, respectively. It suggested that these mutants induced by gamma radiation could be useful for the application of pesticide degradation.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제48권1호
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 2010

Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the central nervous system that play roles in maintaining the blood-brain-barrier and in neural injury, including cerebral malaria, a severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Prostaglandin (PG) $D_2$ is abundantly produced in the brain and regulates the sleep response. Moreover, $PGD_2$ is a potential factor derived from P. falciparum within erythrocytes. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is catalyzing enzyme in heme breakdown process to release iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin/bilirubin, and may influence iron supply to the P. falciparum parasites. Here, we showed that treatment of a human astrocyte cell line, CCF-STTG1, with $PGD_2$ significantly increased the expression levels of HO-1 mRNA by RT-PCR. Western blot analysis showed that $PGD_2$ treatment increased the level of HO-1 protein, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Thus, $PGD_2$ may be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria by inducing HO-1 expression in malaria patients.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제43권10호
• /
• pp.688-692
• /
• 2010

In a previous study, we recently claimed that dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-inducible dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) expression is one of the key factors involved in androgen-potentiated balding. We also demonstrated that L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (Asc 2-P) represses DHT-induced DKK-1 expression in cultured dermal papilla cells (DPCs). Here, we investigated whether or not L-threonate could attenuate DHT-induced DKK-1 expression. We observed via RT-PCR analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that DHT-induced DKK-1 expression was attenuated in the presence of L-threonate. We also found that DHT-induced activation of DKK-1 promoter activity was significantly repressed by L-threonate. Moreover, a co-culture system featuring outer root sheath (ORS) keratinocytes and DPCs showed that DHT inhibited the growth of ORS cells, which was then significantly reversed by L-threonate. Collectively, these results indicate that L-threonate inhibited DKK-1 expression in DPCs and therefore is a good treatment for the prevention of androgen-driven balding.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제10권4호
• /
• pp.535-538
• /
• 2000

Streptomyces lavendulae FRI-5 produces the ${\gamma}$-butyrolactone autoregulator IM-2, which is required for nucleoside antibiotic producetion. We have developed a system for introducing DNA into S. lavendule FRI-5 via conjugal transfer from Esherichia cole. Conditions were established for conjugation of the oriT-and attP-containing plasmid pSET152 from E. coli ET12567 (pUZ8002) to FRI-5. Conjugation resulted in integration of the plasmid at the chromosomal C31 attB site. The frequency of intergeneric conjugation varied with the medium used. The highest frequency ($1.6\times10-5$ per recipient) was obtained on ISP medium 2 containing 10mM MgCl2. Southern blot and phenotypic analyses of exconjugants revealed that S. lavendulae FRI-5 contains a unique C31 attB site, and that integration of heterologous DNA into the attB site did not interfere with morphological differentiation or IM-2-dependent signal transduction, including the production of a blue pigment. This system will now enable detailed genetic analysis of the regulation of antibiotic production in S. lavendulae FRI-5.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제20권1호
• /
• pp.127-131
• /
• 2010

In this study, Corynebacterium glutamicum and its derived mutants were used to demonstrate the relationship between proline, glutamate, and ornithine. The maximum ornithine production was shown in the culture medium (3,295.0 mg/l) when the cells were cultured with 20 mM proline, and was 15.5 times higher than in the presence of 1 mM proline. However, glutamate, which is known as an intermediate in the process of converting proline to ornithine, did not have any positive effect on ornithine production. This suggests that the conversion of proline to ornithine through glutamate, is not possible in C. glutamicum. Comparative analysis between the wild-type strain, SJC 8043 ($argF^-$, $argR^-$), and SJC 8064 ($argF^-$, $argR^-$, and $ocd^-$), showed that C glutamicum could regulate ornithine production by ornithine cyclodeaminase (Ocd) under proline-supplemented conditions. Therefore, proline directly caused an increase in the endogenous level of ornithine by Ocd, which would be a primary metabolite in the ornithine biosynthesis pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제28권5호
• /
• pp.784-795
• /
• 2018

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Pc3 was isolated from Antarctic seawater with antifungal activity. In order to investigate the metabolic regulation mechanism in the biosynthesis of lipopeptides in B. amyloliquefaciens Pc3, GC/MS-based metabolomics was used when exogenous indole was added. The intracellular metabolite profiles showed decreased asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, threonine, valine, isoleucine, hexadecanoic acid, and octadecanoic acid in the indole-treated groups, which were involved in the biosynthesis of lipopeptides. B. amyloliquefaciens Pc3 exhibited a growth promotion, bacterial total protein increase, and lipopeptide biosynthesis inhibition upon the addition of indole. Besides this, real-time PCR analysis further revealed that the transcription of lipopeptide biosynthesis genes ituD, fenA, and srfA-A were downregulated by indole with 22.4-, 21.98-, and 26.0-fold, respectively. It therefore was speculated that as the metabolic flux of most of the amino acids and fatty acids were transferred to the synthesis of proteins and biomass, lipopeptide biosynthesis was weakened owing to the lack of precursor amino acids and fatty acids.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• 제15권3호
• /
• pp.61-67
• /
• 2000

Toxic lesions of styrene in the Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) were compared with those of styrene oxide, the active metabolite of styrene, using embryo-larval assays. The developmental stages of Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) treated with both chemicals were not altered and progressed normally. However, styrene oxide was more toxic than styrene in terms of causing death and lesions . High concentrations of styrene (higher than 4.9 ppm) and styrene oxide (higher than 2.4 ppm), resulting in more than 50% mortality, caused similar lesions of cardiovascular system, craniofacial bone formation and spinal deformities, although a number of lesions were not observed by both chemicals . In the group treated with styrene, eyeball sizes and intereye distances were reduced, while, in the group treated with styrene oxide , the eyes and eye cups were not developed and two eyes were sometimes fused. In addition, styrene oxide caused the lesion which involved the posterior brain and brain stem were herniated through the spinal cord . The noticeable difference of toxic symptoms between these two chemicals was the time of onset. Toxicities of cardiovascular system and craniofacial bone formation appeared on day 3 of development in styrene oxide treated group, but, styrene treated group staned to show hemorrhages on day 3 and the craniofacial malformation were appeared on day 5, These differences between two chemicals may be due to the metabolism of styrene to styrene oxide, the reactive intermediate.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• 제30권
• /
• pp.6.1-6.7
• /
• 2015

Objectives This study aimed to estimate the effects of 4-nonylphenol (NP), a ubiquitously present surfactant in aquatic environments, on the anti-oxidant systems of the liver in the Far Eastern catfish Silurus asotus. Methods Changes in biochemical parameters involved in glutathione (GSH)-related and other anti-oxidant systems were analyzed following 4 weeks of 4-NP administration (0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg diet) via a formulated diet to catfish. Results 4-NP exposure induced an elevation in hepatic lipid peroxide levels and an accompanying decrease in reduced state GSH after 2 weeks, suggesting pro-oxidant effects of the chemical in catfish. This oxidative stress was associated with an inhibition of the GSH-utilizing enzyme glutathione peroxidase at the same time point. This inhibition was restored after 4 weeks. The activities of other anti-oxidant enzymes, i.e., glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and catalase were increased after 4 weeks. These enzyme increases occurred more strongly at the higher 4-NP concentration (1.0 mg/kg diet). Conclusions 4-NP given to catfish at 0.1 to 1.0 mg/kg diet, concentrations relevant to environmental levels, depletes the endogenous anti-oxidant molecule GSH and temporarily inhibits GSH-related anti-oxidant enzymes. Such declines in anti-oxidant capacity and elevated oxidative stress seem to be compensated eventually by subsequent activation of various anti-oxidant enzyme systems.