• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.1061-1065
• /
• 2001

The antibacterial effects of water extracts of Scutellariate Radix (a dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis GEORGI) and its major flavonoid components, Baicalin and Baicalein, on Salmonella typhimurium, a representative enteric pathogen, were studied. Through a Kriby-Bauer disc analysis, the growth-inhibition activity of Scutellariae Radix against. S. typhimurium was found to be compatible with commercial antibiotics, such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and streptomycin. In contrast, the growth of a nonpathogenic E. coli strain was unaffercted by Scutellariae Radix. To examine the effect of polyphosphate kinase (ppk), a putative virulence factor, on the antibacterial activity of Scutellariae Radix, the growth profile of a ppk mutant of S. typhimurium was investigated in a tryptic soy broth containing different concentrations of water extracts of Scutellariae Radix. The ppk mutant was able to grow in 6 mg/ml of water extracts of Scutellariae Radix, whereas in 6 mg/ml of water extracts of Scutellariae Radix, whereas the wild-type could not, implying that the inactivation of ppk made S. typhimurium more resistant to the antibacterial activity of Scutellariae Radix. No enhanced resistance was observed in a ppk mutant of S. typhimurium complemented with a ppk expression vector. The attenuation of the virulence by ppk inactivation was also observed in a virulence assay using BLAB/c mice. Neither Baicalin nor Baicalein exhibited any growth-inhibition activity against S. typhimurium. The water extracts of Scutellariae Radix stimulated the transcription of ppk, especially in the early growth-stage of S. typhimurium.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7395-7399
• /
• 2014

Background: Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, especially with high-risk types such as HPV16 and HPV18, has been identified as the primary cause of cervical cancer. E6 and E7 are the major onco-proteins of high-risk HPVs, which are consistently expressed in HPV infected tissues but absent in normal tissues and represent ideal therapeutic targets for immunotherapy of cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: In this study, the optimized fusion gene HPV18 E6E7 (HPV18 ofE6E7) was constructed according to genetic codon usage for human genes. At the same time, for safety future clinical application, a mutant of HPV18 ofE6E7 fusion gene was generated by site-directed mutagenesis at L52G for the E6 protein and C98G for the E7 protein. Results: HPV18-E6E7 mutant (HPV18 ofmE6E7) constructed in this work not only lost the transformation capability for NIH 3T3 cells and tumorigenicity in BALB/c nude mice, but also maintained very good stability and antigenicity. Conclusion: These results suggest that the mutant should undergo further study for application as a safe antigenspecific therapeutic vaccine for HPV18-associated tumors.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.325-334
• /
• 2007

Recently, quorum sensing has been implicated as an important global regulator controlling the production of numerous virulence factors such as capsular polysaccharides in bacterial pathogens. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of smcR, a homolog of V. harveyi luxR identified from V. vulnificus ATCC29307, were analyzed. The amino acid sequence of SmcR from V. vulnificus was 72 to 92% similar to those of LuxR homologs from Vibrio spp. Functions of SmcR were assessed by the construction of an isogenic mutant, whose smcR gene was inactivated by allelic exchanges, and by evaluating its phenotype changes in vitro and in mice. The disruption of smcR resulted in a significant alteration in biofilm formation, in type of colony morphology, and in motility. When compared with the wild-type, the smcR mutant exhibited reduced survival under adverse conditions, such as acidic pH and hyperosmotic stress. The smcR mutant exhibited decreased cytotoxic activity toward INT 407 cells in vitro. Furthermore, the intraperitoneal $LD_{50}$ of the smcR mutant was approximately $10^2$ times higher than that of parental wild-type. Therefore, it appears that SmcR is a novel global regulator, controlling numerous genes contributing to the pathogenesis as well as survival of V. vulnificus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.937-942
• /
• 2001

The present study was conducted to identify the mechanism about the regulation of appetite by examining the expression patterns of vasoactive intestinal peptide in the hypothalamus of either fasted for 24 hours or anorexia mutant mouse. In order to investigate expression pattern of the vasoactive intestinal peptide, immunohisto-chemistry was employed along with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and dot blotting. Immunohistochemistry has shown that level of expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide and appetite-suppessing neuropeptide, was lower in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and higher in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the anorexia mutant group than in the comparable regions in the control group. This pattern was repeated in the fasting group, which also showed lower and higher levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide expression in the SCN and PVN respectively, In contrast, the vasoactive intestinal peptide mRNA level in the entire hypothalamus via RT-PCR and dot blotting was similar in the fasting and control groups, while it was significantly increased in the anorexia mutant group.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.444-452
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on $A{\beta}$-42, cytochrome c, SOD-1, 2 and Sirt-3 protein expressions in brain cytosol and mitochondria in mutant (N141I) presenilin-2 transgenic mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The mice were divided into four groups (Non-Tg-sedentary, n=5; Non-Tg treadmill exercise, n=5; Tg-sedentary, n=5; Tg treadmill exercise, n=5). To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of treadmill exercise, Non-Tg and Tg mice were subjected to exercise training on a treadmill for 12 wk, after which their brain cytosol and mitochondria were evaluated to determine whether any changes in the cognitive performance, $A{\beta}$-42 protein, cytochrome c protein, anti-oxidant enzymes (SOD-1, SOD-2) and Sirt-3 protein had occurred. The results indicated that treadmill exercise resulted in amelioration in cognitive deficits of Tg mice. In addition, the expressions of mitochondrial $A{\beta}$-42 and cytosolic cytochrome c protein were decreased in the brains of Tg mice after treadmill exercise, whereas antioxidant enzymes, SOD-l and SOD-2 were significantly increased in response to treadmill exercise. Furthermore, treadmill exercise significantly increased the expression of Sirt-3 protein in Non-Tg and Tg mice. Taken together, these results suggest that treadmill exercise is a simple behavioral intervention which can sufficiently improve cognitive performance and inhibit $A{\beta}$-induced oxidative stress in AD.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.29-29
• /
• 1982

Carcinogenesis is extremely complex. Therefore, it is paradoxical but nonetheless important in cancer research if, in an animal whose parental strains are normally sensitive to cancer induction, we could find mutant strains which are resistant to various carcinogens as a result of mutations in one or two genes. No such mutants have been reported so far as I am aware but we do know that at early stages in their development, fish, mice, and humans are highly resistant to cancer induction by chemicals and radiation. I will give a brief overview of the stage-dependent resistance of fish, mice and humans to cancer induction and discuss the stem-cell mutation theory to explain the cancer-resistant stages. Finally, the latent period of induced neoplasms will be discussed in relation to the stem-cell mutation theory.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.43 no.9
• /
• pp.593-598
• /
• 2010

Tetrahydrobiopterin ($BH_4$) is a pivotal cofactor for enzymes responsible for the synthesis and release of monoamine neurotransmitters including dopamine and serotonin as well as the release of glutamate. Deficiencies in $BH_4$ levels and reduced activities of $BH_4$-associated enzymes have been recently reported in patients with schizophrenia. Accordingly, it is possible that abnormalities in the biochemical cascades regulated by $BH_4$ may alter DA, 5-HT and Glu neurotransmission, and consequently contribute to the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia. The development of a novel strain of mutant mice that is deficient in $BH_4$ by knocking out the expression of a functional sepiapterin reductase gene (spr -/-) has added new insights into the potential role of $BH_4$ in the pathophysiology and improved treatment of schizophrenia.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 1992

Footpad swelling having the relationship with arthus-reaction of antibody-mediated hypersensitivity and delayed type hypersensitivity was recovered to the almost normal level. The nethemoglobin induced by aniline showed no significant deviation. PFC/spleen cell and PFC/106 spleen cell were increased slightly, but not in case of RFC. Hemagglutination value was increased slightly, but hemolytic value was not changed significantly. Mice in the administration of the polysaccharide does not show any significant stress factor in the cage for mice admlrustered plasma corticosterone. Key words: antibody-mediated hypersensitivity, delayed type hypersensitivity, methemoglobin, Hemagglutination value, hemolytic value, plasma corticosterone.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.369-378
• /
• 2012

Analysis of synaptic plasticity together with behavioral and molecular studies have become a popular approach to model autism spectrum disorders in order to gain insight into the pathosphysiological mechanisms and to find therapeutic targets. Abnormalities of specific types of synaptic plasticity have been revealed in numerous genetically modified mice that have molecular construct validity to human autism spectrum disorders. Constrained by the feasibility of technique, the common regions analyzed in most studies are hippocampus and visual cortex. The relevance of the synaptic defects in these regions to the behavioral abnormalities of autistic like behaviors is still a subject of debate. Because the exact regions or circuits responsible for the core features of autistic behaviors in humans are still poorly understood, investigation using region-specific conditional mutant mice may help to provide the insight into the neuroanatomical basis of autism in the future.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.11 no.5
• /
• pp.299-306
• /
• 2011

Background: $CD4^+Fop3^+$ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are needed to maintain peripheral tolerance, but their role in the development of autoimmune arthritis is still debated. The present study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism by which Tregs influence autoimmune arthritis, using a mouse model entitled K/BxN. Methods: We generated Treg-deficient K/BxNsf mice by congenically crossing K/BxN mice with Foxp3 mutant scurfy mice. The arthritic symptoms of the mice were clinically and histopathologically examined. The proportions and activation of $CD4^+$ T cells and/or dendritic cells were assessed in the spleens, draining lymph nodes and synovial tissue of these mice. Results: K/BxNsf mice exhibited earlier onset and more aggressive progression of arthritis than their K/BxN littermates. In particular, bone destruction associated with the influx of numerous RANKL+ cells into synovia was very prominent. They also contained more memory phenotype $CD4^+$ T cells, more Th1 and Th2 cells, and fewer Th17 cells than their control counterparts. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells expressing high levels of CD86 and CD40 were elevated in the K/BxNsf synovia. Conclusion: We conclude that Tregs oppose the progression of arthritis by inhibiting the development of $RANKL^+$ cells, homeostatically proliferating $CD4^+$ T cells, Th1, Th2 and mature plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and by inhibiting their influx into joints.