Functional characteristics of porcine peripheral T cells stimulated with IL-2 or IL-2 and PMA

In human or mouse, mature T cells express either CD4 or CD8, resulting in different functions in the periphery. Interestingly, porcine CD4 and CD8 double positive (DP) T cells are present in the blood, and their proportions change from youth to adulthood. However, the features of these cells in swine are poorly understood. We investigated the fate of porcine peripheral T cells based on their functional characteristics, including proliferation and the expression of CD4 and CD8 co-receptors. The results showed that all the populations changed their CD8 expression in a time-dependent manner and porcine T cells had different proliferative pattern from human T cells. The results further revealed that Th2 cytokines were increased later in porcine T cells compared to human T cells upon stimulation with IL-2 + PMA. Collectively, we found that the fate of porcine peripheral T cells is different from that of human T cells, and the changes occur in a time- and stimulation-dependent manner.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Yellow Xanthophyll Pigment-Producing Marine Bacterium,Erythrobacter sp. SDW2 Strain,in Coastal Seawater

Xanthophylls, a yellow pigment belonging to the carotenoid family, have attracted much attention for industrial applications due to their versatile nature. We report the isolation of a homo xanthophyll pigment-producing marine bacterium, identified as the Erythrobacter sp. SDW2 strain, from coastal seawater. The isolated Erythrobacter sp. SDW2 strain can produce 263 ± 12.9 mg/L (89.7 ± 5.4 mg/g dry cell weight) of yellow xanthophyll pigment from 5 g/L of glucose. Moreover, the xanthophyll pigment produced by the SDW2 strain exhibits remarkable antioxidative activities, confirmed by the DPPH (73.4 ± 1.4%) and ABTS (84.9 ± 0.7%) assays. These results suggest that the yellow xanthophyll pigment-producing Erythrobacter sp. SDW2 strain could be a promising industrial microorganism for producing marine-derived bioactive compounds with potential for foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.     

Sargachromenol Isolated from Sargassum horneri Attenuates Glutamate-Induced Neuronal Cell Death and Oxidative Stress through Inhibition of MAPK/NF-κB and Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway

Oxidative stress-induced neuronal cell loss is considered to be the major mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, which could be induced by a high concentration of glutamate. In this study, sargachromenol (SC) was isolated from a marine brown seaweed Sargassum horneri (S. horneri) and its neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced oxidative stress in HT22 cells were investigated. An MTT assay was applied to assess the cytotoxicity of the SC, and the efficacies of SC were determined by flow cytometry, an analysis of ROS production, quantitative Real-Time PCR, and the Western blot assay. Our results showed that the pretreatment of SC reduced glutamate-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells via inhibiting the sub-G₁ population, DNA fragmentation, and nuclear condensation, as well as up-regulating anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) and down-regulating apoptotic proteins (Bax, p53, cleaved-PARP, caspase-3, caspase-9, and cytochrome c). Additionally, SC attenuated glutamate-induced oxidative stress by suppressing mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs;ERK, JNK, and p38) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling (IκBα and NF-κB p65), while activating nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) signaling (Nrf2; HO-1, and NQO-1). Our results suggest that SC could be used as a pharmacological candidate for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.     

An outbreak of fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus in shelter dogs

An outbreak of fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia with 70~90% morbidity and 50% mortality occurred in an animal shelter in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Clinically, the affected dogs showed severe respiratory distress within 48 h after arriving in the shelter. The dead were found mainly with nasal bleeding and hematemesis. At necropsy, hemothorax and hemorrhagic pneumonia along with severe pulmonary consolidation was observed, though histopathological analysis showed mainly hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia. Lymphoid depletion was inconsistently seen in the spleen, tonsil and bronchial lymph node. Gram-positive colonies were shown in blood vessels or parenchyma of cerebrum, lung, liver, spleen, and kidney. Also, Streptococcus (S.) equi subsp. zooepidemicus was isolated from the various organs in which the bacterium was microscopically and histologically detected. In addition, approximately 0.9 Kb specific amplicon, antiphagocytic factor H binding protein, was amplified in the bacterial isolates. In this study, we reported an outbreak of canine hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia caused by S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus in an animal shelter in Yangju, Korea.     

A DNA Probe for Rapid Screening of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Carrying Extra Chromosomes from Wild Beets of the Procumbentes Section

Genes from wild species of the Procumbentes section can be transferred to sugar beet chromosomes via translocations. Since large translocations, including for example a gene for nematode resistance, generally result in meiotic disturbances, there is a need to select new diploid resistant beets from progenies of monosomic wild beet addition lines. A dispersed repetitive DNA probe, which is closely correlated with the resistance gene and hybridizes exclusively with wild beet DNA, appears to be highly superior to selection based on isozyme markers. Characteristic ‘fingerprints’ on the available monosomic addition lines reveal the existence of at last 5 different chromosomes in the wild species each housing a gene for nematode resistance. This probe can be used advantageously to identify individuals carrying the intact or fragmented wild beet chromosomes, or even various amounts of translocated chromatin. Strategies are discussed for the identification of new translocation types using straightforward squash dot or Southern hybridization techniques in combination with the wild beet DNA probe.     

Changes in the Functional Components and Radical Scavenging Activity of Korean Maize Hybrids According to Different Cropping Seasons

We evaluated the proximate composition, free sugar content, fatty acid composition, carotenoid content, total phenol content, and radical scavenging activity of the grain from various Korean maize hybrid cultivars grown in two different cropping seasons. The moisture, crude ash, crude fat, crude protein, total starch, and amylose contents were significantly higher in most of the maize hybrid cultivars when grown in the early-season than when grown in the late-season. The free sugar content, fatty acid composition, carotenoid content, and total phenol content differed significantly between cultivars and cropping seasons. The highest unsaturated fatty acid compositions of maize hybrids of early-season and late-season were 86.05 and 86.29%, respectively, in the Daanok cultivar. The carotenoid contents were significantly higher in maize hybrids of late-season compared to those of early-season. The highest total phenol content was 108.09 mg/100 g in Singwangok of the late-season. The radical scavenging activity of maize hybrids differed significantly between cultivars and cropping seasons.     

Modulatory effects of functional rice cultivars giant embryo and Aranghyangchal on the body weight and lipid metabolism in mice fed with a high fat diet

The effects of the functional rice cultivars giant embryo and Aranghyangchal on the body weight and lipid metabolism in male C57BL/6N mice under high fat diet conditions were investigated. The animals were randomly placed into four dietary groups: normal control (NC group), high fat (HF group), and high fat supplemented with giant embryo (HF-GE group) or Aranghyangchal (HF-AR group). After 8weeks, a marked increase in the body weight and plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol concentrations were found in the HF mice relative to the control group. However, the addition of the functional rice samples in the high fat diet reduced the body weight gain and significantly decreased the lipid levels through inhibition of lipogenesis and regulation of adipokine production. The results demonstrate that the functional rice grains giant embryo and Aranghyangchal may both be useful as biomaterials in the development of functional food with therapeutic potential against high fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia.