Dihydrostilbenes and flavonoids from whole plants of Jacobaea vulgaris.

The isolation of previously undescribed 12 compounds from the MeOH extract of Jacobaea vulgaris whole plants is disclosed, comprising 11 dihydrostilbenes (1-11) and one flavanone (12), and eight known compounds (six flavonoids, one dihydrostilbene, and one caffeoylquinic acid). Structural elucidation employed spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, HRESIMS, and ECD calculations. Evaluation of the compounds' effects on PCSK9 and LDLR mRNA expression revealed that compounds 1 and 3 downregulated PCSK9 mRNA while increasing LDLR mRNA expression, suggesting potential cholesterol-lowering properties.

Characterization of the complete plastome sequence of Korean endemic, Cardamine glechomifolia H.Lév. (Brassicaceae, Brassicales).

In this study, we report the complete plastome sequence of Cardamine glechomifolia H.Lév. 1913 (NCBI acc. no. OP894664). This plastome shows typical quadripartite structure. The plastome size is 154,307 bp, which consists of 84,015 bp large single-copy (LSC), 17,690 bp small single-copy (SSC), and 26,301 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The plastome contains 112 genes, including 78 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and four rRNA genes. The infA gene is pseudogenized. Sixteen genes contain one intron and two genes (clpP and ycf3) have two introns. The phylogenomic analysis conducted in our study reveals that the genus Cardamine, which encompasses C. glechomifolia, exhibits three distinct clades. In order to elucidate the interrelationship among the three clades, it is imperative to conduct additional investigations by augmenting the number of Cardamine samples.

Post-Effects of Time-Restricted Feeding against Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Insulin Resistance in Obese Mice.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been shown to improve the disordered metabolic and immunologic functions associated with obesity, however little is known about its post-effects after the cessation of TRF practice. In the current study, we determined how long the effects of TRF persist, and whether the effects are tissue-dependent. There were four groups of mice in this study: overweight and obese mice were randomized into (1) TRF group (TRF for 6 weeks), (2) post-TRF group (TRF for 4 weeks and later ad libitum), (3) continuous ad libitum of high-fat diet (HFD-AL), and (4) the lean control-fed low-fat diet ad libitum. Blood, liver, and adipose tissues were collected to measure the metabolic, inflammatory, and immune cell parameters. The results showed that TRF withdrawal quickly led to increased body weight/adiposity and reversed fasting blood glucose. However, fasting insulin and insulin resistance index HOMA-IR remained lower in the post-TRF than in the HFD-AL group. In addition, TRF-induced reduction in blood monocytes waned in the post-TRF group, but the TRF effects on mRNA levels of proinflammatory immune cells (macrophages Adgre1 and Itgax) and cytokine (Tnf) in adipose tissue remained lower in the post-TRF group than in the HFD-AL group. Furthermore, the TRF group was protected from the down-regulation of Pparg mRNA expression in adipose tissue, which was also observed in the post-TRF group to a lesser extent. The post-TRF animals displayed liver mass similar to those in the TRF group, but the TRF effects on the mRNA of inflammation markers in the liver vanished completely. Together, these results indicate that, although the lasting effects of TRF may differ by tissues and genes, the impact of TRF on adipose tissue inflammation and immune cell infiltration could last a couple of weeks, which may, in part, contribute to the maintenance of insulin sensitivity even after the cessation of TRF.

The complete chloroplast genome of Elsholtzia byeonsanensis M. Kim, an endemic species in Korea.

Elsholtzia byeonsanensis M. Kim. is an endemic species in Korea, and its leaves are distinguished from other taxa of Elsholtzia by the leathery texture. In this study, we first presented the complete chloroplast genome of E. byeonsanensis. The complete chloroplast genome was 150,628 bp, including a large-single copy region (LSC) of 82,738 bp, a small-single copy region (SSC) of 17,492 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 25,199 bp. It contained 112 genes including 78 protein-coding genes, four rRNA, and 30 tRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that E. byeonsanensis and E. splendens formed a monophyletic clade and showed a close relationship. The complete chloroplast genome of E. byeonsanensis will provide useful information for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies.

Time-restricted feeding reduces monocyte production by controlling hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the bone marrow during obesity.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has emerged as a promising dietary approach in improving metabolic parameters associated with obesity, but its effect on immune cells under obesogenic condition is poorly understood. We conducted this study to determine whether TRF exerts its therapeutic benefit over obesity-induced myeloid cell production by analyzing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in bone marrow (BM) and immune cell profile in circulation. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD) ad libitum for 6 weeks and later a subgroup of HFD mice was switched to a daily 10 h-TRF schedule for another 6 weeks. Mice on HFD ad libitum for 12 weeks had prominent monocytosis and neutrophilia, associated with expansion of BM myeloid progenitors, such as multipotent progenitors, pre-granulocyte/macrophage progenitors, and granulocyte/macrophage progenitors. TRF intervention in overweight and obese mice diminished these changes to a level similar to those seen in mice fed LFD. While having no effect on BM progenitor cell proliferation, TRF reduced expression of Cebpa, a transcription factor required for myeloid differentiation. These results indicate that TRF intervention may help maintain immune cell homeostasis in BM and circulation during obesity, which may in part contribute to health benefits associated with TRF.

In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Symplocos sumuntia Buch.-Ham. Ex D. Don Extract via Blockage of the NF-κB/JNK Signaling Pathways in LPS-Activated Microglial Cells.

Symplocos sumuntia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don (S. sumuntia) is a traditional medicinal herb used in Asia to treat various pathologies, including cough, stomachache, tonsillitis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Although the anti-inflammatory activity of S. sumuntia has been reported, little is known about its anti-inflammatory activity and molecular mechanisms in microglial cells. Therefore, we investigated the inhibitory effects of S. sumuntia methanol extract (SSME) on the inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated BV2 cells. The SSME significantly inhibited the LPS-stimulated inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression, as well as the production of nitric oxide (NO), a proinflammatory mediator. The production of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-1ß, was suppressed by the SSME in the LPS-induced BV2 cells. The mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of SSME involves the suppression of the LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as JNK. Moreover, we showed that the LPS-stimulated nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/p65 protein, followed by IκB degradation, was decreased by the SSME treatment. Collectively, these results showed that the SSME induced anti-inflammatory effects via the suppression of the MAPK signaling pathways, accompanied by changes in the NF-κB translocation into the nucleus. Therefore, SSME may be employed as a potential therapeutic candidate for various inflammatory diseases.

The complete chloroplast genome of the medicinal plant Lysimachia mauritiana (Lamarck, 1792).

Lysimachia mauritiana Lam. (Primulaceae) is known as a medicinal plant with anti-tumor and anti-viral effects. In this study, we reported the first complete chloroplast genome sequence of L. mauritiana. The total length of the complete chloroplast genome was 152,691 bp, comprising a small-single copy region (SSC) of 17,928 bp, a large-single copy region of 83,811 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 25,476 bp. It contained 114 genes comprising 80 protein-coding genes, four rRNA, and 30 tRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis showed that a chloroplast genome of L. mauritiana was a sister to a monophyletic clade, including L. christinae, L. congestiflora, L. hemsleyana. Our study will help to provide basic information for further studies on phylogenetics and population genetics.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Viburnum erosum (Adoxaceae).

Viburnum erosum is a deciduous shrub distributed in eastern Asia. As part of the systematic study to understand the phylogenetic relationship of V. erosum, we present the complete chloroplast genome of V. erosum. Its length is 158,624 bp and it has four subregions: 87,060 bp of large single-copy and 18,530 bp of small single-copy regions separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,517 bp each, including 129 genes (84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Phylogenetic analyses show that V. erosum is sister to Viburnum japonicum, supporting morphological affinity of the two species.

The second complete chloroplast genome sequence of the Viburnum erosum (Adoxaceae) showed a low level of intra-species variations.

We presented the second complete chloroplast genome of the plant. The length of chloroplast genome is 158,587 bp, consisting of four subregions: 87,050 bp of LSC and 18,503 bp of SSC regions separated by a pair of 26,517 bp IR regions. It includes 129 genes (84 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). A low-level of molecular variation within Viburnum erosum was found with 16 SNPs and 49 indels. The phylogenetic tree shows that the two accessions of V. erosum are clustered with Viburnum japonicum with no resolution between the species, suggesting that chloroplast genome in these species evolve slowly.

Characterization of Bacillus phage-K2 isolated from chungkookjang, a fermented soybean foodstuff.

An investigation of a virulent Bacillus phage-K2 (named Bp-K2) isolated from chungkookjang (a fermented soybean foodstuff) was made. Bp-K2 differed in infectivity against a number of Bacillus subtilis strains including starter strains of chungkookjang and natto, being more infectious to Bacillus strains isolated from the chungkookjang, but much less active against a natto strain. Bp-K2 is a small DNA phage whose genome size is about 21 kb. Bp-K2 is a tailed bacteriophage with an isometric icosahedral head (50 nm long on the lateral side, 80 nm wide), a long contractile sheath (85-90 nm × 28 nm), a thin tail fiber (80-85 nm long, 10 nm wide), and a basal plate (29 nm long, 47 nm wide) with a number of spikes, but no collar. The details of the structures of Bp-K2 differ from natto phage ϕBN100 as well as other known Bacillus phages such as SPO1-like or ϕ 29-like viruses. These data suggest that Bp-K2 would be a new member of the Myoviridae family of Bacillus bacteriophages.

Iso-superoxide dismutase in Deinococcus grandis, a UV resistant bacterium.

Deinococcus grandis possesses two types of superoxide dismutase (SOD, E. C. 1.15.1.1.) that show distinct electrophoretic behavior, one that migrates slowly and the other that migrates rapidly (SOD-1 and SOD-2, respectively). In this study, SOD-1 was uniformly and abundantly detected, regardless of growth phase, whereas SOD-2 was not detected during early growth, but was detectable from the exponential growth phase. In addition, a substantial increase in SOD-2 was observed in cells that were treated with potassium superoxide or UV, which suggests that SOD-2 is an inducible protein produced in response to stressful environments. Insensitivity of SOD-1 to both H(2)O(2) and cyanide treatment suggests that SOD-1 is MnSOD. However, SOD-2 would be FeSOD, since it lost activity in response to H(2)O(2) treatment, but not to cyanide. Localization studies of D. grandis iso-SODs in sucrose-shocked cells suggest that SOD-1 is a membrane-associated enzyme, whereas SOD-2 is a cytosolic enzyme. In conclusion, SOD-1 seems to be an essential constitutive enzyme for viability and SOD-2 appears to be an inducible enzyme that is probably critical for survival upon UV irradiation and oxidative stress.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1 gene of Candida utilis ATCC 9950.

The alcohol dehydrogenase gene (ADH1) of Candida utilis ATCC9950 was cloned and expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli. C. utilis ADH1 was obtained by PCR amplification of C. utilis genomic DNA using two degenerate primers. Amino acid sequence analysis of C. utilis ADH1 indicated that it contained a zinc-binding consensus region and a NAD(P)(+)-binding site, and lacked a mitochondrial targeting peptide. It has a 98 and 73% identity with ADH1s of C. albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively. Amino acid sequence analysis and enzyme characterization with various aliphatic and branched alcohols suggested that C. utilis ADH1 might be a primary alcohol dehydrogenase existing in the cytoplasm and requiring zinc ion and NAD(P)(+) for reaction.

A novel five-subunit-type 2-oxoglutalate:ferredoxin oxidoreductases from Hydrogenobacter thermophilus TK-6.

A thermophilic, chemolithoautotrophic hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Hydrogenobacter thermophilus TK-6, fixes carbon dioxide via the reductive TCA cycle. 2-Oxoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (OGOR) of this strain is one of the key enzymes of the pathway. OGOR of strain TK-6 has been reported to be a two-subunit-type OGOR and encoded by korAB. A gene cluster, forDABGEF, encoding another OGOR was found 148 bp upstream of korAB in the opposite orientation. Five of the for genes (forDABGE) were required for the expression of the active recombinant enzyme in Escherichia coli. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme showed five polypeptides corresponding to the forDABGE gene products, suggesting that the enzyme had a novel five-subunit structure. The recombinant enzyme had high substrate specificity toward 2-oxoglutarate as in the case of the gene products of korAB. Primer extension analysis showed that the korA and forD genes were transcribed from one and two transcriptional initiation sites, respectively. The results also suggested that both gene clusters were expressed in the cells of strain TK-6.