Sandaracinobacter neustonicus sp. nov., isolated from the sea surface microlayer in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, and emended description of the genus Sandaracinobacter.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated PAMC 28131T, was isolated from a sea surface microlayer sample in the open water of the Pacific Ocean. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain PAMC 28131T revealed an affiliation to the genus Sandaracinobacter with the closest species Sandaracinobacter sibiricus RB16-17T (sequence similarity of 98.2 %). Strain PAMC 28131T was able to grow optimally with 0.5-1.0 % NaCl and at pH 6.5-7.0 and 30 °C. The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified glycolipid and an unidentified lipid. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were C18 : 1 ω6c and/or C18 : 1 ω7c, (42.6 %), C17 : 1 ω6c (19.3 %) and C16 : 1 ω6c and/or C16 : 1 ω7c (15.8 %), and the respiratory quinone was Q-10. The genomic DNA G+C content was 65.3 mol%. The phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data showed that strain PAMC 28131T could be clearly distinguished from S. sibiricus RB16-17T. Thus, strain PAMC 28131T should be classified as representing a novel species in the genus Sandaracinobacter, for which the name Sandaracinobacter neustonicus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PAMC 28131T (=KCCM 43127T=JCM 30734T).

Pseudomonas neustonica sp. nov., isolated from the sea surface microlayer of the Ross Sea (Antarctica).

Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated SSM26T and SSM44, were isolated from a sea surface microlayer sample from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains SSM26T and SSM44 revealed a clear affiliation with the genus Pseudomonas. Based on the results of phylogenetic analysis, strains SSM26T and SSM44 showed the closest phylogenetic relationship with the species Pseudomonas sabulinigri KCTC 22137T with the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity level of 98.5 %. Strains SSM26T and SSM44 grew optimally at 30 °C, pH 7.0-7.5 and 0.5-10.0 % NaCl (w/v). The major cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω7c (31.3-34.9 %), C16 : 0 (15.5-20.2 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c/C16 : 1 ω6c; 19.5-25.4 %) and C12 : 0 (6.0-9.3 %). The genomic DNA G+C content of each strain was 56.2 mol%. Genomic relatedness analyses based on the average nucleotide identity and the genome-to-genome distance showed that strains SSM26T and SSM44 constituted a single species that was clearly distinguishable from its phylogenetically close relatives. The combined phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, genomic and phylogenetic data also showed that strains SSM26T and SSM44 could be distinguished from validly published members of the genus Pseudomonas. Thus, these strains should be classified as representing a novel species in the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonas neustonica sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain SSM26T (=KCCM 43193T=JCM 31284T=PAMC 28426T) and a sister strain SSM44 (=KCCM 43194=JCM 31285=PAMC 28427).

Pseudoalteromonas neustonica sp. nov., isolated from the sea surface microlayer of the Ross Sea (Antarctica), and emended description of the genus Pseudoalteromonas.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped and motile strain, designated PAMC 28425T, was isolated from a sea surface microlayer sample from the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain PAMC 28425T showed an affiliation with the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain PAMC 28425T formed a clade with Pseudoalteromonas prydzensis MB8-11T and Pseudoalteromonas mariniglutinosaKMM 3635T with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 98.3-98.6 %. Genomic relatedness analyses based on the average nucleotide identity and the genome-to-genome distance showed that strain PAMC 28425T is clearly distinguished from the phylogenetically close relatives. Cells of strain PAMC 28425T grew optimally at 25 °C and pH 7.5-8.5 in the presence of 1.0-3.0 % (w/v) sea salts. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0, and C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c. The genomic DNA G+C content was 39.7 mol%. On the basis of the phylogenetic, genomic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data presented, we propose the name Pseudoalteromonas neustonica sp. nov. with the type strain PAMC 28425T (=KCCM 43187T=JCM 31286T).

Reclassification of Halomonas caseinilytica Wu et al. 2008 as a later synonym of Halomonas sinaiensis Romano et al. 2007, and emendation of the species description.

The taxonomic relationship between Halomonas sinaiensis DSM 18067(T) and Halomonas caseinilytica JCM 14802(T) has not been established, despite the high similarity (99.6 %) of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. To clarify their taxonomic positions, a polyphasic approach was applied to both type strains. Genomic relatedness analyses between H. sinaiensis DSM 18067(T) and H. caseinilytica JCM 14802(T) resulted in an average nucleotide identity of 99.5 % and an estimated DNA-DNA hybridization of 96.1 % by the genome-to-genome distance calculator, indicating that they belong to a single species. Phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics showed no pronounced differences between the two type strains. Based on the results of this polyphasic study, it is proposed that H. caseinilytica JCM 14802(T) is a later heterotypic synonym of H. sinaiensis DSM 18067(T). An emended description for the species H. sinaiensis is given.

Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) gene polymorphism may not confer a susceptibility to mood disorders.

Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) plays a key role in the cellular antioxidant defense by detoxifying quinine derivatives. Case-control association study of the possible relationship between the NQO1 gene polymorphism and mood disorders (patients with major depressive disorder, n=61; patients with bipolar I disorder, n=80; control, n=106) was carried out using PCR-based techniques. These preliminary results showed that the NQO1 gene polymorphism was not related to a susceptibility to mood disorders.

Mesenchymal stem cells protect against the tissue fibrosis of ketamine-induced cystitis in rat bladder.

Abuse of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine promotes the development of lower urinary tract symptoms that resemble interstitial cystitis. The pathophysiology of ketamine-induced cystitis (KC) is largely unknown and effective therapies are lacking. Here, using a KC rat model, we show the therapeutic effects of human umbilical cord-blood (UCB)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Daily injection of ketamine to Sprague-Dawley rats for 2-weeks resulted in defective bladder function, indicated by irregular voiding frequency, increased maximum contraction pressure, and decreased intercontraction intervals and bladder capacity. KC bladders were characterized by severe mast-cell infiltration, tissue fibrosis, apoptosis, upregulation of transforming growth factor-ß signaling related genes, and phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 proteins. A single administration of MSCs (1 × 10(6)) into bladder tissue not only significantly ameliorated the aforementioned bladder voiding parameters, but also reversed the characteristic histological and gene-expression alterations of KC bladder. Treatment with the antifibrotic compound N-acetylcysteine also alleviated the symptoms and pathological characteristics of KC bladder, indicating that the antifibrotic capacity of MSC therapy underlies its benefits. Thus, this study for the first-time shows that MSC therapy might help to cure KC by protecting against tissue fibrosis in a KC animal model and provides a foundation for clinical trials of MSC therapy.

Nonlinear optical and two-photon absorbtion properties of 1,3,5-tricyano-2,4,6-tris(styryl)benzene-containing octupolar oligomers.

Octupolar oligomers containing 2-12 molecules of 1,3,5-tricyano-2,4,6-tris(styryl)benzene derivatives have been synthesized and their nonlinear optical and two-photon absorption (TPA) properties were determined. The beta(0) values are in the range of (85-1219) x 10(-30) esu and increase monotonically with the increasing number of the octupolar units within the molecule. The two-photon-induced fluorescence excitation spectra are quite similar to the single-photon absorption spectra except that the wavelength is doubled, indicating that the one- and two-photon allowed excited states are the same. The peak TPA cross-section values (delta(max)) measured with nanosecond pulses by the two-photon-induced fluorescence method are in the range (3010-62, 930) x 10(-50) cm(4)s photon(-1). The delta(max) increases as the number of the octupolar units in the molecules increases. A linear relationship is observed between delta(max) and beta, and this delta-beta relationship serves as a useful design strategy for the synthesis of novel octupolar oligomers and polymers with large TPA and beta.