Sustainable production of natural products using synthetic biology: Ginsenosides.

Synthetic biology approaches offer potential for large-scale and sustainable production of natural products with bioactive potency, including ginsenosides, providing a means to produce novel compounds with enhanced therapeutic properties. Ginseng, known for its non-toxic and potent qualities in traditional medicine, has been used for various medical needs. Ginseng has shown promise for its antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, and it has been used as a potential agent to boost immunity against various infections when used together with other drugs and vaccines.

Uric acid regulates α-synuclein transmission in Parkinsonian models.

Ample evidence demonstrates that α-synuclein (α-syn) has a critical role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) with evidence indicating that its propagation from one area of the brain to others may be the primary mechanism for disease progression. Uric acid (UA), a natural antioxidant, has been proposed as a potential disease modifying candidate in PD. In the present study, we investigated whether UA treatment modulates cell-to-cell transmission of extracellular α-syn and protects dopaminergic neurons in the α-syn-enriched model.

Mutant PIK3CA as a negative predictive biomarker for treatment with a highly selective PIM1 inhibitor in human colon cancer.

Significant improvement in targeted therapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) has occurred over the past few decades since the approval of the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab. However, cetuximab is used only for patients possessing the wild-type oncogene KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF, and even most of these eventually acquire therapeutic resistance, via activation of parallel oncogenic pathways such as RAS-MAPK or PI3K/Akt/mTOR. The two aforementioned pathways also contribute to the development of therapeutic resistance in CRC patients, due to compensatory and feedback mechanisms.

Priming mesenchymal stem cells with α-synuclein enhances neuroprotective properties through induction of autophagy in Parkinsonian models.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be one of candidates for disease-modifying therapy in Parkinsonian diseases. As knowledge regarding the therapeutic properties of MSCs accumulates, some obstacles still remain to be overcome, especially, successful clinical translation requires the development of culture systems that mimic the natural MSC niche, while allowing clinical-scale cell expansion without compromising quality and function of the cells. In recent years, priming approaches using bioactive peptide or complement components have been investigated to enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs.

Uric Acid Enhances Neurogenesis in a Parkinsonian Model by Remodeling Mitochondria.

Background: Adult neurogenesis is the process of generating new neurons to enter neural circuits and differentiate into functional neurons. However, it is significantly reduced in Parkinson's disease (PD). Uric acid (UA), a natural antioxidant, has neuroprotective properties in patients with PD.

1,2,3-benzotriazole adversely affects early-life stage of Oryzias latipes.

1,2,3-benzotriazole (BT) is used in large amounts around the world and is one of the substances derived from household chemicals that are of concern for risk when discharged to aquatic environments. Therefore, several studies have been conducted on the aquatic toxicity effects of BT, but the chronic impact assessment studies to evaluate the developmental effects on the early-life stage of fish are insufficient. In this study, the acute toxicity test and subchronic toxicity test (fish, early-life stage toxicity test, ELS test) using embryos of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were performed to evaluate the acute toxicity, developmental toxicity, growth (indicated by total length and weight at the end of the test), and histopathological effect of BT.

Effect of benzotriazole on oxidative stress response and transcriptional gene expression in Oryzias latipes and Danio rerio embryo.

Emerging contaminants (EC) such as benzotriazole are being released into the environment in various ways, therefore it is necessary to understand how organisms are affected by EC. In this study, we exposed medaka (Oryzias latipes) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) during their embryonic period (1 day after hatching) to benzotriazole to investigate its effects on oxidative stress (ROS, GSH, GST, SOD, CAT and MDA) and changes in gene expression patterns. In both medaka and zebrafish, the influence of oxidative stress was confirmed through an increased MDA level and changes in the ROS and GSH levels.

Memantine exerts neuroprotective effects by modulating α-synuclein transmission in a parkinsonian model.

Ample evidence has demonstrated that α-Synuclein can propagate from one area of the brain to others via cell-to-cell transmission, which might be the underlying mechanism for pathological propagation and the disease progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent reports have demonstrated cell surface receptor-mediated cell-to-cell transmission of α-synuclein. Memantine decreased the levels of internalized cytosolic α-synuclein and led to attenuation in α-synuclein-induced cell death.

Heavy metal and antibiotic co-resistance in Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from shellfish.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major gastroenteritis-causing pathogen in Korea. Recent studies have reported that heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria are related. In this study, we investigated heavy metal and antimicrobial resistance in wild strains of V.

Regulation of influenza A virus mRNA splicing by CLK1.

Influenza A virus carries eight negative single-stranded RNAs and uses spliced mRNAs to increase the number of proteins produced from them. Several genome-wide screens for essential host factors for influenza A virus replication revealed a necessity for splicing and splicing-related factors, including Cdc-like kinase 1 (CLK1). This CLK family kinase plays a role in alternative splicing regulation through phosphorylation of serine-arginine rich (SR) proteins.

Metformin-induced endocrine disruption and oxidative stress of Oryzias latipes on two-generational condition.

Metformin has been treated for diabetes (type 2). Nowadays, this compound is frequently found in ambient water, influent/effluent of a wastewater treatment plant. To evaluate the metformin aquatic toxicity under a multi-generational exposure regimen, we exposed Oryzias latipes to metformin for two generations (133 d) and investigated its adverse effects.

n-Butyl acrylate-induced antioxidant system alteration through two generations in Oryzias latipes.

n-Butyl acrylate (nBA) is one of acrylate esters which has been applied to diverse industrial fields. For unveiling of xeno-estrogenic effects and oxidative stress induction by nBA under two-generational exposure regimen (17 weeks), the biomarkers relevant to an estrogenic effect and oxidative stress were analyzed. Acute toxicity value of nBA in Oryzias latipes was 7.

Antibiotic and heavy-metal resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from oysters in Korea.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, found frequently in oysters and other seafoods, is the most prevalent gastroenteritis-causing pathogen in Korea and other Asian countries. It is associated exclusively with the consumption of raw or improperly cooked contaminated seafood, especially oysters. In this study, we isolated and characterized 59 V.

The occurrence and distribution of hexabromocyclododecanes in freshwater systems, focusing on tissue-specific bioaccumulation in crucian carp.

The occurrence and distribution of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were investigated in freshwater, sediment, and selected crucian carp (Carassius carassius) tissues (muscle, liver, egg, and blood) to evaluate the potential for HBCDs bioaccumulation. The HBCDs concentration ranged from not detected to 0.35ng/L in freshwater, and from 0.

Heat Adaptation Improved Cell Viability of Probiotic Enterococcus faecium HL7 upon Various Environmental Stresses.

The production of viable functional probiotics presupposes stability of strain features in the final product. In previous studies, Enterococcus faecium HL7 was found to have relatively higher cell viability after freeze-drying and the long-lasting resistance to heat (60 °C) as well as higher antimicrobial activities against some of fish and human pathogens among isolated strains. For heat adaptation, E.

PFOA-induced metabolism disturbance and multi-generational reproductive toxicity in Oryzias latipes.

The aims of this study were to examine multi-generational reproductive toxicity and metabolism disturbances in Oryzias latipes exposed to 0.3, 3, and 30mg/L PFOA for 259-day. The highest concentration of PFOA suppressed fecundity over three generations from F0 to F2 and sac-fry survival rate in F2 generation, indicating that PFOA resulted in multi-generational reproductive toxicity (p<0.

Accelerated ecotoxicity of photoreactive nanoparticles on .

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) are well known as photoreactive nanoparticles (NPs). Various phototoxicities of ZnO NPs and TiO NPs were reported on several organisms. It was still necessary to evaluate the toxicity of photoreactive ZnO NPs and TiO NPs due to species-specific effects under various irradiation conditions.

Characterization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from oysters in Korea: Resistance to various antibiotics and prevalence of virulence genes.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, found frequently in oysters, is the most prevalent gastroenteritis-causing pathogen in Korea and in several other Asian countries. This study monitored changes in the environmental parameters and occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus in oyster aquaculture sites.

Shape-Dependent Relaxivity of Nanoparticle-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents.

Gold nanostars functionalized with Gd(III) have shown significant promise as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because of their anisotropic, branched shape. However, the size and shape polydispersity of as-synthesized gold nanostars have precluded efforts to develop a rigorous relationship between the gold nanostar structure (e.g.

Multi-generational xenoestrogenic effects of Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) mixture on Oryzias latipes using a flow-through exposure system.

To elucidate the multi-generational estrogenic potential of Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) mixture, vitellogenin (VTG) expression, growth indices, histological alteration, fecundity, hatching rate, larval survival rate, and sex ratio of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were investigated by exposing the fish to a mixture of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluroroctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) for three generations (238 days). Mixture composition is in the ratio of 1:1:1:1. In addition, whole body burden for each PFAA was analyzed.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from oyster in Korea.

Pathogenic Vibrio alginolyticus, a cause of severe infection in shellfish, as well as in humans, has been found at high frequency around all coastal areas of Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of V. alginolyticus, to identify the strains isolated from oysters in West Sea, and to investigate their antimicrobial resistance profiles.

Biosequestration of copper by bacteria isolated from an abandoned mine by using microbially induced calcite precipitation.

Abandoned mine sites are frequently polluted with high concentrations of heavy metals. In this study, 25 calcite-forming bacteria were newly isolated from the soil of an abandoned metal mine in Korea. Based on their urease activity, calcite production, and resistance to copper toxicity, four isolates were selected and further identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Formations of calcium carbonate minerals by bacteria and its multiple applications.

Biomineralization is a naturally occurring process in living organisms. In this review, we discuss microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) in detail. In the MICP process, urease plays a major role in urea hydrolysis by a wide variety of microorganisms capable of producing high levels of urease.