Bacillus sp. strain CK 11-4, which produces a strongly fibrinolytic enzyme, was screened from Chungkook-Jang, a traditional Korean fermented-soybean sauce. The fibrinolytic enzyme (CK) was purified from supernatant of Bacillus sp. strain CK 11-4 culture broth and showed thermophilic, hydrophilic, and strong fibrinolytic activity. The optimum temperature and pH were 70؇C and 10.5, respectively, and the molecular weight was 28,200 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The first 14 amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of CK are Ala-Gln-Thr-Val-Pro-Tyr-Gly-Ile-Pro-Leu-Ile-Lys-Ala-Asp. This sequence is identical to that of subtilisin Carlsberg and different from that of nattokinase, but CK showed a level of fibrinolytic activity that was about eight times higher than that of subtilisin Carlsberg. The amidolytic activity of CK increased about twofold at the initial state of the reaction when CK enzyme was added to a mixture of plasminogen and substrate (H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-NA). A similar result was also obtained from fibrin plate analysis.

The taxonomic position of a marine, gliding, pink-pigmented, aerobic, heterotrophic and Gram-negative bacterium was established using a polyphasic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the strain was a member of the phylum ‘Bacteroidetes’ in which it occupied a separate lineage. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C15 : 0 iso, C17 : 0 iso 3-OH, summed feature 3 and summed feature 4. The DNA G+C content was 48·7 mol%. Phylogenetic evidence and the results of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses strongly support the assignment of the newly isolated bacterium as a member of a novel genus and species, for which the name Pontibacter actiniarum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMM 6156T (=KCTC 12367T=LMG 23027T). It is also proposed that the illegitimate names Reichenbachia and Reichenbachia agariperforans are replaced with Reichenbachiella and Reichenbachiella agariperforans, respectively.

Tactile sensors that can mechanically decouple, and therefore differentiate, various tactile inputs are highly important to properly mimic the sensing capabilities of human skin. Herein, we present an all-solution processable pressure insensitive strain sensor that utilizes the difference in structural change upon the application of pressure and tensile strain. Under the application of strain, microcracks occur within the multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) network, inducing a large change in resistance with gauge factor of ∼56 at 70% strain. On the other hand, under the application of pressure to as high as 140 kPa, negligible change in resistance is observed, which can be attributed to the pressure working primarily to close the pores, and hence minimally changing the MWCNT network conformation. Our sensor can easily be coated onto irregularly shaped three-dimensional objects (e.g., robotic hand) via spray coating, or be attached to human joints, to detect bending motion. Furthermore, our sensor can differentiate between shear stress and normal pressure, and the local strain can be spatially mapped without the use of patterned electrode array using electrical impedance tomography. These demonstrations make our sensor highly useful and important for the future development of high performance tactile sensors.

Background DYRK1A maps to the Down syndrome critical region at 21q22. Mutations in this kinase-encoding gene have been reported to cause microcephaly associated with either intellectual disability or autism in humans. Intellectual disability accompanied by microcephaly was recapitulated in a murine model by overexpressing Dyrk1a which mimicked Down syndrome phenotypes. However, given embryonic lethality in homozygous knockout (KO) mice, no murine model studies could present sufficient evidence to link Dyrk1a dysfunction with autism. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying microcephaly and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we established an in vivo dyrk1aa KO model using zebrafish.MethodsWe identified a patient with a mutation in the DYRK1A gene using microarray analysis. Circumventing the barrier of murine model studies, we generated a dyrk1aa KO zebrafish using transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-mediated genome editing. For social behavioral tests, we have established a social interaction test, shoaling assay, and group behavior assay. For molecular analysis, we examined the neuronal activity in specific brain regions of dyrk1aa KO zebrafish through in situ hybridization with various probes including c-fos and crh which are the molecular markers for stress response.ResultsMicroarray detected an intragenic microdeletion of DYRK1A in an individual with microcephaly and autism. From behavioral tests of social interaction and group behavior, dyrk1aa KO zebrafish exhibited social impairments that reproduce human phenotypes of autism in a vertebrate animal model. Social impairment in dyrk1aa KO zebrafish was further confirmed by molecular analysis of c-fos and crh expression. Transcriptional expression of c-fos and crh was lower than that of wild type fish in specific hypothalamic regions, suggesting that KO fish brains are less activated by social context.ConclusionsIn this study, we established a zebrafish model to validate a candidate gene for autism in a vertebrate animal. These results illustrate the functional deficiency of DYRK1A as an underlying disease mechanism for autism. We also propose simple social behavioral assays as a tool for the broader study of autism candidate genes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13229-017-0168-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The gene encoding a novel modular xylanase from Cellulosimicrobium sp. strain HY-13 was identified and expressed in Escherichia coli, and its truncated gene product was characterized. The enzyme consisted of three distinct functional domains, an N-terminal catalytic GH10 domain, a fibronectin type 3 domain, and C-terminal carbohydrate-binding module 2.

Although DNA barcode coverage has grown rapidly for many insect orders, there are some groups, such as scale insects, where sequence recovery has been difficult. However, using a recently developed primer set, we recovered barcode records from 373 specimens, providing coverage for 75 species from 31 genera in two families. Overall success was >90% for mealybugs and >80% for armored scale species. The G·C content was very low in most species, averaging just 16.3%. Sequence divergences (K2P) between congeneric species averaged 10.7%, while intra-specific divergences averaged 0.97%. However, the latter value was inflated by high intra-specific divergence in nine taxa, cases that may indicate species overlooked by current taxonomic treatments. Our study establishes the feasibility of developing a comprehensive barcode library for scale insects and indicates that its construction will both create an effective system for identifying scale insects and reveal taxonomic situations worthy of deeper analysis.

Two red pigment-producing bacterial strains with a metallic green sheen were isolated from a sediment sample of getbol, the Korean tidal flat. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that these isolates represent a phyletic lineage within the c-Proteobacteria that is distantly related to the genus Hahella. No bacterial species with validly published names showed ¢92 % 16S rRNA similarity with the getbol isolates. The strains were Gram-negative, chemo-organotrophic, aerobic and required NaCl (1-7 %) for growth. They produced pigments with maximum absorption at 540 nm, which indicated the presence of prodigiosin, a well-known red pigment previously detected in Serratia marcescens. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-9. The predominant cellular fatty acids were saturated and monounsaturated straight-chain fatty acids. The DNA G+C contents ranged from 40 to 42 mol%. The combination of physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic data clearly separated the test strains from other phylogenetically related genera in the c-Proteobacteria. On the basis of polyphasic evidence from this study, it is proposed that the two getbol isolates should be classified in a novel genus, Zooshikella gen. nov., as Zooshikella ganghwensis sp. nov.The Korean tidal flat, called getbol, is the neutral zone that connects land and sea; it is largely found along the west coast of the Korean peninsula. It has been well-known for its vital biological functions, such as bioremediation of pollutants, fishery products, flood control, spawning and nursery grounds for marine animals, which may result from microbial activities and diversity (Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute, 1998). However, members of microbial communities in getbol are largely unknown, as they have never been the subject of systematic taxonomic investigation. Recently, we have initiated a study that involves the isolation and identification of members of the aerobic bacterial community from getbol. In this study, we present the taxonomic properties of two isolates, for which the name Zooshikella ganghwensis sp. nov. is proposed. IsolationTwo aerobic, halophilic bacterial strains were isolated from a sediment sample collected from the getbol of Ganghwa Island in Korea (37u 359 31?90 N, 126u 279 24?50 E). The sample was diluted with sterilized artificial sea water (ASW; Lyman & Fleming, 1940), spread onto a plate containing marine agar 2216 (MA; Difco) and incubated at 25 uC for 3 weeks. The isolates were routinely cultured on MA and maintained as glycerol suspensions (20 %, w/v) at 280 uC. Molecular systematics16S rDNA was enzymically amplified from a single colony. Primers, PCR conditions and sequencing were performed as described elsewhere (Chun & Goodfellow, 1995). The 16S rDNA sequences of strains JC2044T and JC2045 were manually aligned with representative sequences of the c-Proteobacteria obtained from GenBank. Phylogenetic trees were inferred by using the Fitch-Margoliash (Fitch & Margoliash, 1967), maximum-likelihood (Felsenstein, 1993, ...

SummaryThe CCR4-associated factor 1 (CAF1) protein belongs to the CCR4-NOT complex, which is an evolutionary conserved protein complex and plays an important role in the control of transcription and mRNA decay in yeast and mammals. To investigate the function of CAF1 in plants, we performed gain-and loss-of-function studies by overexpression of the pepper CAF1 (CaCAF1) in tomato and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of the gene in pepper plants. Overexpression of CaCAF1 in tomato resulted in significant growth enhancement, with increasing leaf thickness, and enlarged cell size by more than twofold when compared with the control plants.A transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that the CaCAF1-transgenic tomato plants had thicker cell walls and cuticle layers than the control plants. In addition to developmental changes, overexpression of CaCAF1 in tomato plants resulted in enhanced resistance against the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Additionally, microarray, northern and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses of CaCAF1-transgenic tomato plants revealed that multiple genes were constitutively upregulated, including genes involved in polyamine biosynthesis, defence reactions and cell-wall organogenesis. In contrast, VIGS of CaCAF1 in pepper plants caused significant growth retardation and enhanced susceptibility to the pepper bacterial spot pathogen Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria. Our results suggest roles for plant CAF1 in normal growth and development, as well as in defence against pathogens.