Journal of Microbiology

Journal Articles

Inhibition of KIF20A suppresses the replication of influenza A virus by inhibiting viral entry: Hoyeon Jeon , Younghyun Lim , In-Gu Lee , Dong-In Kim , Keun Pil Kim , So-Hee Hong , Jeongkyu Kim , Youn-Sang Jung , Young-Jin Seo; J. Microbiol. 2022;60(11):1113-1121. Published online November 1, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-022-2436-x

15 View
0 Download

Abstract: The influenza A virus (IAV) has caused several pandemics, and therefore there are many ongoing efforts to identify novel antiviral therapeutic strategies including vaccines and antiviral drugs. However, influenza viruses continuously undergo antigenic drift and shift, resulting in the emergence of mutated viruses. In turn, this decreases the efficiency of existing vaccines and antiviral drugs to control IAV infection. Therefore, this study sought to identify alternative therapeutic strategies targeting host cell factors rather than viruses to avoid infection by mutated viruses. Particularly, we investigated the role of KIF20A that is one of kinesin superfamily proteins in the replication of IAV. The KIF20A increased viral protein levels in IAV-infected cells by regulating the initial entry stage during viral infection. Furthermore, the KIF20A inhibitor significantly suppressed viral replication, which protected mice from morbidity and mortality. Therefore, our findings demonstrated that KIF20A is highly involved in the viral replication process and viral propagation both in vitro and in vivo, and could thus be used as a target for the development of novel antiviral drugs.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effect of Korean propolis on Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric damage in vitro: Moon-Young Song , Da-Young Lee , Eun-Hee Kim; J. Microbiol. 2020;58(10):878-885. Published online September 2, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-0277-z

17 View
0 Download
27 Citations

Abstract: Helicobacter pylori, present in the stomach lining, is a Gramnegative bacterium that causes various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis and peptic ulcers. Propolis is a natural resinous substance collected from a variety of plants, and contains several natural bioactive substances. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of Korean propolis on H. pylori-induced damage in the human adenocarcinoma gastric cell line. The propolis used in this study was obtained from the Korea Beekeeping Association in South Korea. The expression of pro-inflammatory interleukins (ILs), such as IL-8, IL-12, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, which was increased after H. pylori infection, significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner upon pretreatment with Korean propolis, because of the suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor κB pathway. The anti-oxidative activity of propolis was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate free radical assay. Korean propolis showed significant anti-oxidative effects via reactive oxygen species scavenging. In addition, pretreatment with Korean propolis upregulated the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes through Nrf2 signaling activation. These findings indicate that the use of Korean propolis, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, can be promising for the prevention of H. pylori-induced gastric damage.

Simultaneous detection of Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in environmental water using PMA combined with mPCR: Guoyang Xie , Shuang Yu , Wen Li , Dan Mu , Zoraida P. Aguilar , Hengyi Xu; J. Microbiol. 2020;58(8):668-674. Published online June 25, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-0084-6

14 View
0 Download
15 Citations

Abstract: A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) with propidium monoazide (PMA) and internal amplification control (IAC) for the simultaneous detection of waterborne pathogens Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli O157:H7, was developed. This PMA-IAC-mPCR assay used four new specific primers based on the genes for invA, ecfX, cesB, and fliC, respectively. A 16S rRNA primer was chosen for IAC to eliminate false negative
results
. The photosensitive dye, propidium monoazide (PMA) was used to exclude signals from dead bacteria that could lead to false positive results. In pure culture, the limits of detection (LOD) were 101 CFU/ml for P. aeruginosa, 102 CFU/ml for both Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7, and 103 CFU/ml for B. cereus, respectively. In addition, with a 6–8 h enrichment of all four bacteria that were combined in a mixture that was spiked in water sample matrix, the LOD was 3 CFU/ml for Salmonella spp., 7 CFU/ml for E. coli O157:H7, 10 CFU/ml for B. cereus and 2 CFU/ml for P. aeruginosa. This PMA-IAC-mPCR assay holds potential for application in the multiplex assay of waterborne pathogens.

Development of a real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for the detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus: Jae Woong Lee , Yu-Jung Won , Lae Hyung Kang , Sung-Geun Lee , Seung-Won Park , Soon-Young Paik; J. Microbiol. 2020;58(8):711-715. Published online May 18, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-0109-1

17 View
0 Download
9 Citations

Abstract: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is being reported annually in South Korea since its first detection there in 2010. The causal agent is a negative-strand RNA virus 80–100 nm in diameter. It causes fever, thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms, and neural symptoms. The mortality rate of SFTS was 32.6% among 172
case
s reported from 2012 to 2015 in South Korea. Thus, is necessary to develop an effective diagnostic method that selectively identifies the isolates circulating in South Korea. The real-time reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for molecular diagnosis. Here, we designed novel primers for this assay and found that the technique had very high specificity, sensitivity, and efficiency. This real-time RTLAMP approach using the novel primers developed herein can be applied for early diagnosis of SFTSV strains in South Korea to reduce the mortality rate of SFTS.

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search