Publications by authors named "Eriko Kage-Nakadai"

was recently reported as a novel species. Here, we present the whole-genome sequence of strain MH-1 isolated from homemade pickled Chinese cabbage in Japan. These genomic data have the potential to help clarify the role of species in fermented foods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

is isolated from commercial kimchi, which is a traditional Korean fermented food. This study was conducted to evaluate the probiotic effects of . was fed , and its longevity, motility, and gene expression were examined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bitterness and astringency are the aversive tastes in mammals. In humans, aversion to bitterness and astringency may be reduced depending on the eating experience. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying plasticity in preference to bitter and astringent tastants remain unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The widespread application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in environmental remediation has raised public concerns about their toxicity to aquatic organisms. Although appropriate surface modification can mitigate the ecotoxicity of NPs, the lack of polymer coating to inhibit toxicity completely and the insufficient knowledge about charge effect hinder the development of safe nanomaterials. Herein, we explored the potential of polyglycerol (PG) functionalization in alleviating the environmental risks of NPs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a leading cause of diarrhea in developing countries and among travelers, and the study used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to assess ETEC infections.
  • The ETEC strain ETEC1, derived from a diarrhea patient, was shown to decrease the lifespan and body size of C. elegans while increasing enterotoxin gene expression and colonization.
  • The research reveals that live ETEC1 causes pathogenic effects through colonization and toxin production, indicating that C. elegans is a beneficial model for studying ETEC infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

subsp. exhibits probiotic properties in humans. Considering that can be used to study the effects of microorganisms on animal behavior, owing to its simple nervous system, we assessed the impacts of two strains of subsp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the effects of Bacillus subtilis var. natto, used in traditional Japanese natto, on lifespan extension using C. elegans as a model organism.
  • - Results showed that C. elegans fed a specific strain of B. subtilis (MI-OMU01) lived significantly longer and exhibited greater resistance to various stressors compared to those fed regular E. coli.
  • - Genetic analysis indicates that the lifespan extension is linked to certain signaling pathways, specifically TIR-1/SARM, p38 MAPK, and insulin/IGF-1, which play a role in longevity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The anthelmintic paraherquamide A acts selectively on the nematode L-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), but the mechanism of its selectivity is unknown. This study targeted the basis of paraherquamide A selectivity by determining an X-ray crystal structure of the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP), a surrogate nAChR ligand-binding domain, complexed with the compound and by measuring its actions on wild-type and mutant nematodes and functionally expressed nAChRs. Paraherquamide A showed a higher efficacy for the levamisole-sensitive [L-type (UNC-38/UNC-29/UNC-63/LEV-1/LEV-8)] nAChR than the nicotine-sensitive [N-type (ACR-16)] nAChR, a result consistent with in vivo studies on wild-type worms and worms with mutations in subunits of these two classes of receptors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study investigates the mechanisms governing experience-dependent tolerance of bitter compounds in Caenorhabditis elegans. The nematodes showed an aversion to nicotinamide, MgCl2, isoleucine, and arginine in a Gα-dependent manner. Worms furthermore displayed diminished avoidance of MgCl2 upon MgCl2-preconditioning at the larval stages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Optical control of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling is a highly valuable approach for comprehensive understanding of GPCR-based physiologies and controlling them precisely. However, optogenetics for GPCR signaling is still developing and requires effective and versatile tools with performance evaluation from their molecular properties. Here, we systematically investigated performance of two bistable opsins that activate Gi/Go-type G protein (mosquito Opn3 (MosOpn3) and lamprey parapinopsin (LamPP)) in optical control in vivo using .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We report a notch-shaped coplanar microwave waveguide antenna on a glass plate designed for on-chip detection of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of fluorescent nanodiamonds (NDs). A lithographically patterned thin wire at the center of the notch area in the coplanar waveguide realizes a millimeter-scale ODMR detection area (1.5 × 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cutibacterium acnes plays roles in both acne disease and healthy skin ecosystem. We observed that mutations in the tir-1/SARM1 and p38 MAPK cascade genes significantly shortened Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan upon C. acnes SK137 infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cutibacterium acnes is a bacteria found on human skin that can both help maintain skin health and contribute to skin issues like acne, depending on the strain.
  • Research showed that some strains of C. acnes can shorten the lifespan of the model organism C. elegans, while strain HL110PA4 did not affect lifespan and actually improved resistance against the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus.
  • The study found that the TIR-1 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways are important for how C. acnes helps protect against infections, indicating a complex interplay between skin-resident bacteria and host immune responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Accumulating studies have argued that the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR) is a mitochondrial stress response that promotes longevity in model organisms. In the present study, we screened an off-patent drug library to identify compounds that activate UPR using a mitochondrial chaperone hsp-6::GFP reporter system in Caenorhabditis elegans. Metolazone, a diuretic primarily used to treat congestive heart failure and high blood pressure, was identified as a prominent hit as it upregulated hsp-6::GFP and not the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone hsp-4::GFP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Di--butyl phthalate (DBP) is a widely used plasticizer, but most research has focused on its environmental impact and human toxicity, leaving a gap in knowledge regarding its effects on algal species.
  • A study examining DBP's effects on microalgae found an acute biotoxicity level of 4.95 mg/L, which led to reduced chlorophyll a levels and altered protein expression, with more than half of the identified 1257 proteins showing increased expression in response to DBP exposure.
  • Specific proteins related to key metabolic processes, such as acetolactate synthase and GDP-L-fucose synthase 2, were significantly downregulated, suggesting that DBP may hinder algal growth
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Real-time temperature monitoring inside living organisms provides a direct measure of their biological activities. However, it is challenging to reduce the size of biocompatible thermometers down to submicrometers, despite their potential applications for the thermal imaging of subtissue structures with single-cell resolution. Here, using quantum nanothermometers based on optically accessible electron spins in nanodiamonds, we demonstrate in vivo real-time temperature monitoring inside worms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The virB gene was most common in human patients (41%) and connected to the afaB and aggR genes, which are linked to different adhesion types, while Shiga toxin genes were more prevalent in cattle samples.
  • * Findings suggest that Shigella spp. and enteroinvasive E. coli are the main causes of diarrhea in humans, with some overlap of eae genes from animal sources, though few human samples had stx positivity, likely due to low occurrence in animal samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the effects of a Gram-positive bacterium, a common probiotic, on the lifespan of nematodes and how it interacts with the Toll-like receptor (TLR) gene mutation.
  • It was found that the lifespan extension from this probiotic was enhanced in nematodes with a mutation in the TLR gene, while other probiotic bacteria did not show the same effect in these mutant animals.
  • Further analysis showed increased expression of immune response-related genes in TLR mutant worms, indicating that TLR plays a role in regulating longevity and behavior in response to the probiotic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how the probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis affects the food preferences and behavior of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans compared to the standard food, E. coli OP50.
  • Despite showing an increased lifespan with B. infantis, the worms did not exhibit a strong preference for it over E. coli, although they preferred B. infantis to no food at all.
  • The research identified the genetic factors, specifically daf-16b in AIY interneurons and daf-18, that influence the worms' behavior in leaving the B. infantis lawn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - **Study Overview**: The research analyzed atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC) strains from poultry fecal samples in Japan and Bangladesh using molecular methods, revealing a higher prevalence of phylogroup A compared to B1.
  • - **Virulence and Resistance Findings**: Intimin type β1 was found to be common in both phylogroups, particularly within group B1 strains, with a significant portion showing high rates of antimicrobial resistance, especially among strains from Bangladesh.
  • - **Implications of Results**: The study indicates that Japanese poultry may serve as a reservoir for aEPEC strains, which are distinct from human strains, while Bangladeshi strains exhibit lower virulence but higher resistance
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The probiotic strain MIYAIRI 588 (CBM 588) was found to significantly extend the lifespan and enhance locomotion in model animals compared to those fed a standard diet of OP50.
  • - Animals that consumed CBM 588 also showed increased resistance to stressors such as pathogenic bacteria, UV radiation, and metal exposure.
  • - The lifespan extension effects of CBM 588 were not observed in certain mutant strains, suggesting its benefits may involve the regulation of the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway and the Nrf2 transcription factor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diarrheagenicity of diffusely adherent (DAEC) remains controversial. Previously, we found that motile DAEC strains isolated from diarrheal patients induced high levels of interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion via Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5). However, DAEC strains from healthy carriers hardly induced IL-8 secretion, irrespective of their possessing flagella.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tauopathy is a type of dementia defined by the accumulation of filamentous tau inclusions in neural cells. Most types of dementia in the elderly, including Alzheimer's disease, are tauopathies. Although it is believed that tau protein abnormalities and/or the loss of its functions results in neurodegeneration and dementia, the mechanism of tauopathy remains obscure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The membrane trafficking events that regulate unicellular tube formation and maintenance are not well understood. Here, using an RNAi screen, we identified the small GTPase ARF1 homolog ARF-1.2 as a regulator of excretory tube formation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigated how lactic acid (LA), both with and without organic material, affects the heat resistance of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) at different recovery times after treatment.
  • - LA was effective in reducing Lm numbers, but its effectiveness decreased when organic matter was present; it required a concentration of at least 3.0% LA to effectively kill Lm quickly.
  • - Post-treatment, Lm displayed significantly increased heat resistance, with a D value increase of up to 3.4 times compared to untreated bacteria, indicating the involvement of certain stress proteins in this enhanced survival mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF