Ameyamaea chiangmaiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium in the alpha-Proteobacteria.

Two isolates, AC04(T) and AC05, were isolated from the flowers of red ginger collected in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the two isolates were included within a lineage comprised of the genera Acidomonas, Gluconacetobacter, Asaia, Kozakia, Swaminathania, Neoasaia, Granulibacter, and Tanticharoenia, and they formed an independent cluster along with the type strain of Tanticharoenia sakaeratensis. The calculated pair-wise sequence similarities of isolate AC04(T) were 97.

Persicobacter psychrovividus sp. nov., isolated from shellfish, and emended descriptions of the genus Persicobacter and Persicobacter diffluens.

The taxonomic position of three bacterial strains, Asr22-19T, NBRC 101035 and NBRC 101041, isolated from shellfish in Japan, was determined by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The strains were facultatively anaerobic, motile by gliding and Gram-staining-negative slender rods. Their major respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7 and their predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0 3-OH, iso-C15:0 3-OH, C16:0 3-OH, and C16:0.

Gluconobacter japonicus sp. nov., an acetic acid bacterium in the Alphaproteobacteria.

Five strains, NBRC 3271(T), NBRC 3272, NBRC 3263, NBRC 3260 and NBRC 3269 were examined genetically, phylogenetically, phenotypically and chemotaxonomically. The DNA G+C contents of the five strains were 55.1-56.

Gluconobacter sphaericus (Ameyama 1975) comb. nov., a brown pigment-producing acetic acid bacterium in the Alphaproteobacteria.

Strain NBRC 12467T was examined genetically, phylogenetically, phenotypically, and chemotaxonomically. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 59.5 mol%.

Tanticharoenia sakaeratensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new osmotolerant acetic acid bacterium in the alpha-Proteobacteria.

Tanticharoenia sakaeratensis gen. nov., sp.

Asaia lannaensis sp. nov., a new acetic acid bacterium in the Alphaproteobacteria.

Asaia lannaensis sp. nov. was described for two strains isolated from flowers of the spider lily collected in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Human carboxylesterase 1A2 expressed from carboxylesterase 1A1 and 1A2 genes is a potent predictor of CPT-11 cytotoxicity in vitro.

Background: The conversion of CPT-11 to its active form, SN-38, by carboxylesterases (CESs) is a critical event in CPT-11-induced cytotoxicity. Among the CESs, CES1 and CES2 probably play a major role in the metabolism, but the functional significance and molecular basis of CES1 on CPT-11 response remain unclear.

Methods And Results: We investigated CES1A1 (AB119997) and CES1A2 (AB187225), whose coding sequences were recently registered in GenBank, for CPT-11-induced cytotoxicity, anticipating novel biomarkers of CPT-11 response.

Single nucleotide polymorphism in the hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha gene in colorectal carcinoma.

Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the world, and its incidence has increased in recent years. We have reported that expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1alpha correlates with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor stage, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and liver metastasis. It has also been reported that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in exon 12 of HIF-1alpha gene is present in renal cell carcinoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha polymorphisms associated with enhanced transactivation capacity, implying clinical significance.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a pivotal factor that regulates cellular responses to hypoxia and is presumably linked to regulation of angiogenesis and tumor growth. We assessed the difference in transcription activity of two HIF-1alpha polymorphic variants (P582S and A588T), along with molecular epidemiological study among head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. Both HIF-1alpha variants revealed significantly higher transcription activity than wild-type (WT) did, under normoxic and hypoxic conditions (P < 0.