• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.736-744
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• 2023

The introduction of the toxT-139F allele triggers the expression of TCP (toxin co-regulated pilus) and CT (cholera toxin) under simple laboratory culture conditions in most Vibrio cholerae strains. Such V. cholerae strains, especially strains that have been used in OCVs (oral cholera vaccines), can induce antibody responses against TCP in animal models. However, CT produced in these V. cholerae strains is secreted into the culture medium. In this study, V. cholerae strains that can express intracellular CTB under the control of the toxT-139F allele have been constructed for potential application in OCVs. First, we constructed a recombinant plasmid directly linking the ctxAB promoter to ctxB without ctxA and confirmed CTB expression from the plasmid in V. cholerae containing the toxT-139F allele. We constructed another recombinant plasmid to express NtrCTB, from which 14 internal amino acids-from the 7^th to the 20^th amino acid-of the leader peptide of CTB have been omitted, and we found that NtrCTB remained in the cells. Based on those results, we constructed V. cholerae strains in which chromosomal ctxAB is replaced by ntrctxB or ntrctxB-dimer. Both NtrCTB and NtrCTB-dimer remained in the bacterial cells, and 60% of the NtrCTB-dimer in the bacterial cells was maintained in a soluble form. To develop improved OCVs, these strains could be tested to see whether they induce immune responses against CTB in animal models.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.101-107
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• 2022

Tertomotide is a peptide vaccine developed for anti-cancer therapy. Since it has been found to ameliorate inflammatory symptoms in animal studies and clinical test, we investigated anti-inflammation activity of the tertomotide and the mechanism of action in monocyte in order to assess if tertomotide may serve as an anti-inflammatory agent by checking inflammatory cytokines and related signaling pathway following tertomotide treatment. We found that tertomotide reduced the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8 in LPS- or PMA-stimulated monocyte cell line and suppressed NF-κB signaling including the activation of ERK1/2 and P38 MAPK following TNF-α treatment. These results may correlate to the beneficial findings in animal studies, implicating that tertomotide may act as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. This study is an exemplary case for convergence that a computationally designed peptide for immunological purpose exerting unexpected biological activity may elicit novel anti-inflammatory drug.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.6
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• 2023

Animals imported from abroad are a cause of rabies outbreaks in many countries. Therefore, rabies serology testing for dogs and cats traveling abroad is an important measure to reduce the incidence of rabies. Rabies virus antibodies were measured in sera collected from 2,367 dogs and 894 cats between 2017 and 2021. A serum sample with a value of 0.5 IU/mL or higher was considered a pass. The overall pass rates for rabies virus were 96.4% in dogs and 98.4% in cats. The mean rabies virus neutralization assay titers were higher in cats than in dogs and in female than in male animals. According to age, 6-year-old dogs and 9-year-old cats had the highest virus neutralization assay titers. Of the failure cases, 53.0% (53/100) were dogs or cats less than 1 year old. Although the average failure rates in dogs and cats were low at 3.5% and 1.6%, respectively, the factors influencing failure were age and vaccine manufacturer. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the vaccination interval and timing of blood collection after boosting.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.257-263
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• 2023

Autophagy contributes to enhancing the immune system (innate and adaptive immune system) against foreign pathogens. Autophagy of macrophages is used as a major indicator for developing vaccine adjuvants to increase the adaptive immune response. In this study, water extracts from Rosa acicularis leaves (RAL) increased the production of immunostimulatory mediators and phagocytic activity in RAW264.7 cells. RAL increased p62/SQSTM1 expression. Inhibition of TLR4, JNK, and PI3K/AKT blocked RAL-mediated increase of p62/SQSTM1. RAL activated JNK and PI3K/AKT signaling. RAL-mediated activations of JNK and PI3K/AKT signaling were reversed by TLR4 inhibition. Taken together, it is believed that RAL-mediated autophagy may be dependent on activating via TLR4-dependent activation of JNK and PI3K/AKT signaling in macrophages.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.311-316
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• 2022

Tertomotide is a peptide fragment of hTert and developed as a vaccine targeting cancer. It has been reportedly known to ameliorate inflammatory symptoms in clinical tests and in animal studies. However, the therapeutic potential of tertomotide is not supposed to be comparable to conventional anti-inflammatory agents due to low druglikeness In order to treat inflammations present in varous lesion, the structure of tertomotide is required to be modified. In this context, 12 octapeptides were designed based on tertomotide and screened for the anti-inflammatory activity in activated monocyte by measuring TNF-α secretion. As a result, some octapeptides has been exerted anti-inflammatory activity, comparable to or better than tertomotide and estradiol, known anti-inflammatory agents. This result is supposed to be helpful for developing therapeutic purpose exploiting other tertomotide-derived peptides and would be an example for designing novel drug based on active biomolecules with undesirable structure by convergence study of biology and computer-aided medicinal chemistry.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2023

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is an acute febrile disease that mainly involves histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis in children and young adults. Diagnosis of KFD is even more difficult if image-guided percutaneous biopsy is technically challenging. We present a case of clinically diagnosed KFD in an 11-year-old boy who presented with fever, abdominal pain, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy, resulting in a diagnostic challenge. Additionally, we conducted a systematic review, and our goal was to describe the spectrum of disease, therapy, and outcomes. We identified 15 cases of KFD with symptoms that mimicked mesenteric lymphadenitis. Reports from the Americas, Europe, and Asia were also included. Most patients were male, exhibited leukopenia and elevated inflammatory markers, and recovered without significant sequelae or complications. A high index of suspicion of KFD should be maintained in children presenting with prolonged fever and unusual manifestations, such as mesenteric lymphadenitis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.72.1-72.16
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• 2023

Background: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) on the surface of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, coded with gapC, is a glycolytic enzyme that was reported to be a moonlighting protein and virulence factor. Objective: This study assessed GAPDH as a potential immunization candidate protein to prevent streptococcus infections. Methods: Mice were vaccinated subcutaneously with recombinant GAPDH and challenged with S. dysgalactiae in vivo. They were then evaluated using histological methods. rGAPDH of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) was evaluated using immunoblotting, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Results: Vaccination with rGAPDH improved the survival rates and decreased the bacterial burdens in the mammary glands compared to the control group. The mechanism by which rGAPDH vaccination protects against S. dysgalactiae was investigated. In vitro experiments showed that rGAPDH boosted the generation of interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Treatment of BMDCs with TAK-242, a toll-like receptor 4 inhibitor, or C29, a toll-like receptor 2 inhibitor, reduced cytokines substantially, suggesting that rGAPDH may be a potential ligand for both TLR2 and TLR4. Subsequent investigations showed that rGAPDH may activate the phosphorylation of MAPKs and nuclear factor-κB. Conclusions: GAPDH is a promising immunization candidate protein for targeting virulence and enhancing immune-mediated protection. Further investigations are warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying the activation of BMDCs by rGAPDH in a TLR2- and TLR4-dependent manner and the regulation of inflammatory cytokines contributing to mastitis pathogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2023

Despite regular vaccinations, equine influenza virus (EIV) and Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (strangles) are the cause of highly contagious respiratory infections in horses. Many recent studies have reported that the concurrent administration of two vaccines could simplify horse management and minimize veterinary expenses. However, there is little information available regarding the efficacy of concurrent vaccinations against EIV and strangles. In this study, we evaluated EIV-specific antibody responses following the single EIV vaccination with the recombinant viral-vectored EIV vaccine or concurrent vaccination with the EIV and inactivated strangles vaccines. Blood samples were collected at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8 weeks post-immunization (wpi) from each group. EIV-specific antibodies were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Both single and concurrent vaccination showed similar levels of EIV-specific serum immunoglobulin g (IgG) at 1 and 2 wpi. However, at 4 to 8 wpi, the EIV-only vaccination group showed significantly higher serum IgG levels than those from the concurrently vaccinated group. The HAI titers showed similar trends as the ELISA data, except at 8 wpi when both groups presented HAI titers with no significant differences. These data demonstrate that the concurrent vaccination against EIV and strangles could compromise the humoral immune response to equine influenza between vaccination intervals, which suggests the use of the consecutive vaccination protocol for EIV and strangles rather than concurrent vaccination.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.523-532
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• 2023

Objectives: During the second coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge, cases increased sharply due to low awareness and compliance with measures to limit disease spread. Health literacy (HL) is an important component of public health initiatives, and schools are potential sources of health education to increase HL via the presentation of COVID-19 educational modules. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved an online questionnaire administered to students from 5 high schools in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, Indonesia, 6-7 weeks after the start of government-issued directives restricting public gatherings. We collected data on each respondent's age, gender, parental education, and socioeconomic variables. HL was determined by the Health Literacy Measure for Adolescents. We additionally measured their attitudes and behaviors related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. The students were asked if they watched the COVID-19 module at school, their feelings about vaccination, and preferred online sources of COVID-19-related information. Results: Most of the 432 respondents had viewed COVID-19 modules at school. Module exposure was associated with significantly higher total and domain-specific HL and more positive attitudes toward government-issued COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings (p<0.05). However, behaviors to prevent COVID-19 spread and vaccine acceptance were not associated with module exposure. Most students chose social media as their source of COVID-19-related information. Conclusions: Schools can provide information to increase adolescents' HL and the public's support for health initiatives to prevent or limit the spread of COVID-19.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.339-348
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• 2023

The outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD), caused by LSD virus (LSDV), in Jeollabuk-do was first confirmed at a Korean cattle farm in Buan-gun on October 24, 2023. Afterwards, thirteen cases (twelve cases in Gochang-gun and a case in Imsil-gun) were further confirmed, resulting in a total of fourteen cases over 25 days until November 17, 2023. Clinical examination were conducted on infected and co-habitting cattle from the LSD-affected farms with particular focus on the presence of nodules throughout the body such as head, neck, chest, femur, head, and perineum. As a results, abnormal clinical signs were observed in fifteen cows: loss of appetite in six cows, high fever in three cows, eye mucosal nodules in a cow, nasal mucosal nodules in six cows, nodules on perineum in five cows, scrotum nodules in two cows, papillary nodules in a cow, and/or skin nodules in eleven cows. By the PCR methods, the common gene of capripox virus and/or the specific gene of LSDV were detected in 35 of the 69 cows tested this study. In the Farm1, capripox virus-specific gene, LSDV wild strain-specific gene, and LSDV vaccine strain-spcific gene were simultaneously detected in affected cows, indicating the cattle farm was affected by various strain of LSDV. As a result of combining clincal examination and PCR test, it was found that clinically and subclinically infeted cows coexist in the LSDV-infected farms. These finding in this study will be a great help in diagnosis and prevention of the LSD in Korean cattle farms.