Comparison of a commercial H1N1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and hemagglutination inhibition test in detecting serum antibody against swine influenza viruses.

Recently a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detecting antibody against H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV) has been made available to diagnosticians and veterinary practitioners. Because the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test has been considered the standard test for SIV serology, diagnostic performance of the new ELISA was evaluated using positive (n = 60) and negative (n = 188) serum samples from young pigs with known status of SIV infection and compared with that of the HI test. Both ELISA and HI test identified all negative animals correctly. None of the serum samples (n = 64) from pigs inoculated with H3N2 SIV was positive by ELISA for SIV antibody. The H1N1 SIV antibody detectable by ELISA appears to develop more slowly in comparison with antibody detectable by HI test. Although antibody was detected by HI test in all inoculated animals (n = 20) by day 7 postinoculation (PI), antibody was detected by ELISA in 0%, 75%, and 100% of the inoculated animals on days 7, 14, and 28 PI, respectively. Discrepancy in test results between the 2 serologic tests appeared to be because of differences in antibody isotypes detected by each test. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay mainly detected IgG antibody, whereas the HI test detects IgM antibody very efficiently as well as IgG antibody. Collectively, the commercial ELISA is highly specific for antibody to H1N1 SIV but may not identify positive animals at the early stage of infection as effectively as the HI test, particularly when SIV is introduced to a na?ve swine population.     

Anticancer Activity of Mannose-Specific Lectin,BPL2, from Marine Green Alga Bryopsis plumosa

Lectin is a carbohydrate-binding protein that recognizes specific cells by binding to cell-surface polysaccharides. Tumor cells generally show various glycosylation patterns, making them distinguishable from non-cancerous cells. Consequently, lectin has been suggested as a good anticancer agent. Herein, the anticancer activity of Bryopsis plumosa lectins (BPL1, BPL2, and BPL3) was screened and tested against lung cancer cell lines (A549, H460, and H1299). BPL2 showed high anticancer activity compared to BPL1 and BPL3. Cell viability was dependent on BPL2 concentration and incubation time. The IC₅₀ value for lung cancer cells was 50 μg/mL after 24 h of incubation in BPL2 containing medium; however, BPL2 (50 μg/mL) showed weak toxicity in non-cancerous cells (MRC5). BPL2 affected cancer cell growth while non-cancerous cells were less affected. Further, BPL2 (20 μg/mL) inhibited cancer cell invasion and migration (rates were ˂20%). BPL2 induced the downregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-related genes (Zeb1, vimentin, and Twist). Co-treatment with BPL2 and gefitinib (10 μg/mL and 10 μM, respectively) showed a synergistic effect compared with monotherapy. BPL2 or gefitinib monotherapy resulted in approximately 90% and 70% cell viability, respectively, with concomitant treatment showing 40% cell viability. Overall, BPL2 can be considered a good candidate for development into an anticancer agent.     

Genetic relationships among cultivated and wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vigna angularis</Emphasis> (Willd.) Ohwi et Ohashi and relatives from Korea based on AFLP markers

Genetic variation and relationships among members of the azuki bean complex (Vigna angularis) including wild (V. angularis var. nipponensis), weedy, and cultivated types (V. angularis var. angularis), V. nakashimae, and rice bean (V. umbellata) from Korea were examined using the Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. AFLP analysis of 50 accessions revealed 333 (72.1%) polymorphic fragments out of 462 fragments amplified using seven primer combinations. The number of polymorphic fragments within each species was 70 in the azuki bean complex and 41 in V. nakashimae, but there was no polymorphism in rice bean. The number of shared fragments among species ranges from 142 between the azuki bean complex and V. nakashimae to 166 between the azuki bean complex and rice bean. Within the azuki bean complex, the range of shared bands was from 231 between cultivated and weedy types to 238 between cultivated and wild types. A dendrogram generated from Jaccard’s similarity matrix was divided into three groups, which correspond to V. nakashimae, azuki bean complex, and rice bean. The relationship between azuki bean and rice bean is closer than between azuki bean and V. nakashimae. Phenetic distances averaged 0.502 between the azuki bean complex and V. nakashimae and 0.467 between the azuki bean complex and rice bean. Within the azuki bean complex, the weedy type was more closely related to wild than cultivated types. But UPGMA dendrogram of the azuki bean complex reveals that each type is not clearly isolated. These results will help to understand genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics of Vigna in Korea.     

DNA profiling and genetic diversity of Korean soybean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glycine max</Emphasis> (L.) Merrill) landraces by SSR markers

Approximately 7,000 accessions of Korean soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) landraces, largely composed of three collections, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute’s soybean (KAS), the Korean Crop Experiment Station’s soybean (KLS) and the Korean Agricultural Development and Technology Center’s soybean (KADTC) collections, have been conserved at the Rural Development Administration (RDA) genebank in Korea. The accessions within collections were classified based on their traditional uses such as sauce soybean (SA), sprouted soybean (SP), soybean for cooking with rice (SCR), and OTHERS. A total of 2,758 accessions of Korean soybean landraces were used to profile and to evaluate genetic structure using six SSR loci. A total of 110 alleles were revealed by at the six SSR loci. The number of alleles per SSR locus ranged from 9 to 39 in Satt187 and Satt_074, respectively. The number of alleles ranged from 87 in the KADTC collection to 96 in the KLS collection, and from 63 in the SCR group to 95 in the SP group. Nei’s average genetic diversity ranged from 0.68 to 0.70 across three collections, and 0.64 to 0.69 across the usage groups. The average between-group differentiation (G _st) was 0.9 among collections, and 4.1 among the usage groups. The similar average diversity among three collections implies that the genetic background of the three collections was quite similar or that there were a large number of duplicate accessions in three collections. The selection from the four groups classified based upon usage may be a useful way to select accessions for developing a Korean soybean landrace core collection at the RDA genebank. DNA profile information of accessions will provide indications of redundancies or omissions and aid in managing the soybean collection held at the RDA genebank. The information on diversity analysis could help to enlarge the genetic diversity of materials in breeding programs and could be used to develop a core collection.     

A review on microbial and toxic risk analysis procedure for reclaimed wastewater irrigation on paddy rice field proposed for South Korea

Water shortage has become a major agricultural concern, and “The Sustainable Water Resources Research Program” in Korea is currently addressing this problem through the development of treatment systems for reclaiming wastewater and the assessment of human health risks associated with its reuse. Through this program, started in 2001, many studies have examined various water resources. Reclaiming wastewater is one way to alleviate water-shortage pressures, and one of the major potential uses of reclaimed water is irrigation. However, the main concern with reusing reclaimed wastewater is the increased likelihood of human contact that might result in exposure to pathogens and increased health risks. Relatively few studies have examined the toxic risks using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation in rice paddy fields. This study provides an overview of methods for quantitative microbial risk assessment and toxic risk assessment of heavy metal concentrations developed in the previous studies that can be applied to the evaluation of rice paddy fields irrigated with reclaimed wastewater in South Korea.     

Effect of Adding Different Dietary Fiber Sources on Farinographic Parameters of Wheat Flour

Breadmaking is a complex process that involves a series of parameters that must be controlled. Rheological measurements are often used to predict the behavior of wheat dough during processing and the quality of the final product. There are many different dietary fiber sources that can be used to enhance the nutritional quality of bread. However, they will affect processing and final product quality. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the effects of adding different dietary fiber sources (wheat bran, resistant starch, and locust bean gum) on farinographic parameters of wheat flour. The experiments were conducted according to a 2³ central composite rotational design (CCRD). With the experimental results or responses (farinographic parameters), the effect of each variable was calculated and the interactions between them were determined. Models that explain the effects of the different fiber sources on water absorption, arrival time, dough development time, and mixing tolerance index of wheat flour were established. The fiber sources interacted for some of the parameters analyzed, demonstrating that if two or more sources of dietary fiber are present in the mix, they might act different to what would be expected of the sum of them. It was also noticed that for most parameters, wheat bran and locust bean gum had a greater influence on farinographic parameters than resistant starch. The simultaneous presence of the three fibers, within the ranges studied, contributed to an increase in water absorption, arrival time, and mixing tolerance index, and to a reduction in departure time and dough stability.     

Three AFLP markers tightly linked to the genic male sterility <Emphasis Type="Italic">ms</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">3</Emphasis></Subscript> gene in chili pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis> L.) and conversion to a CAPS marker

Genic male sterility (GMS) has long been used as a tool for hybrid seed production in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). We developed DNA markers linked to the GMS ms ₃ gene in a segregating population using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) techniques. The segregating population was subjected to BSA-AFLP with 512 primer combinations. Three AFLP markers (Eagg/Mccc₂₇₆, Eagc/Mctt₁₇₈, and Ecag/Mtgc₂₀₄) were identified as tightly linked to the ms ₃ locus. Among them, we converted the AFLP marker Ecag/Mtgc₂₀₄ to the cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker, named GMS3-CAPS, based on sequencing analysis of internal and flanking regions for the markers between male-fertile and sterile plants. This marker will be useful for pepper breeding using the GMS system.     

Placotylene A,an Inhibitor of the Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation,from a Korean Sponge Placospongia sp.

A new inhibitor, placotylene A (1), of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation, and a regioisomer of placotylene A, placotylene B (2), were isolated from a Korean marine sponge Placospongia sp. The chemical structures of placotylenes A and B were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, along with MS spectral analysis and revealed as an iodinated polyacetylene class of natural products. Placotylene A (1) displayed inhibitory activity against RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation at 10 μM while placotylene B (2) did not show any significant activity up to 100 μM, respectively.