Leekyejoonella antrihumi gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Dermacoccaceae isolated from a cave soil.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, actinobacterial strain, designated C5-26T, was isolated from soil from a natural cave in Jeju, Republic of Korea, and its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The organism was aerobic, and cells were non-spore-forming, non-motile cocci that occurred singly, in pairs, in triplets, in tetrads, in short chains or in irregular clusters. Colonies of the cells were circular, convex, entire and white. The peptidoglycan type was A4α with an l-Ser-d-Asp interpeptide bridge. The whole-cell sugars comprised glucose, rhamnose, mannose, arabinose, galactose and ribose. The major menaquinone was MK-8(H4). The polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified phospholipid. The major fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C16 : 1 h. The size of the draft genome was 5.32 Mbp with depth of coverage of 161×. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 67.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the novel isolate belonged to the family Dermacoccaceae and formed a distinct subcluster at the base of the radiation of the genus Luteipulveratus. Highest sequence similarities of the novel isolate were found to the type strains of Luteipulveratus halotolerans (96.2 %), Branchiibius hedensis (95.4 %), Luteipulveratus mongoliensis (95.4 %) and Branchiibius cervicis (95.3 %). The whole genome-based phylogeny supported the novelty of the isolate at the genus level in the family Dermacoccaceae. On the basis of data from this polyphasic study, strain C5-26T (=KCTC 39632T=DSM 108676T) represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Dermacoccaceae, for which the name Leekyejoonella antrihumi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.

Melaminivora jejuensis sp. nov., isolated from Swinery waste.

A sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, designated strain KBB12T, was isolated from swinery waste collected in Jeju, Republic of Korea. The cells were Gram-stain-negative, flagellated and rod-shaped. Growth occurred at 15-45 °C (optimum, 30-37 °C), at pH 6-9 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-1 % (w/v) NaCl. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1 ω7c, C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω7c. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phospholipid and an unidentified lipid. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) and the DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 69.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, showed that the novel isolate belongs to the genus Melaminivora and was most closely related to Melaminivora alkalimesophila CY1T (97.2 % similarity). The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain KBB12T and M. alkalimesophila DSM26005T was 43.4±2.7 %. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, it is proposed that strain KBB12T represents a novel species of the genus Melaminivora, for which the name Melaminivora jejuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KBB12T (=KCTC 32230T=JCM 18740T).

Correlation between species-specific metabolite profiles and bioactivities of blueberries (Vaccinium spp.).

Metabolite profiling of three blueberry species (Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb., V. oldhamii Miquel., and V. corymbosum L.) was performed using gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined multivariate analysis. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis clearly showed metabolic differences among species. GC-TOF-MS analysis revealed significant differences in amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids, sugars, and phenolic acids among the three blueberry species. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis indicated that anthocyanins were the major metabolites distinguishing V. bracteatum from V. oldhamii. The contents of anthocyanins such as glycosides of cyanidin were high in V. bracteatum, while glycosides of delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin were high in V. oldhamii. Antioxidant activities assessed using ABTS and DPPH assays showed the greatest activity in V. oldhamii and revealed the highest correlation with total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents and their metabolites.

Inhibition of nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages by Jeju plant extracts.

Nitric oxide (NO) produced in large amounts by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is known to be responsible for the vasodilation and hypotension observed during septic shock and inflammation. Thus, inhibitors of iNOS may be useful candidates for the treatment of inflammatory diseases accompanied by the overproduction of NO. In this study, we prepared alcoholic extracts of Jeju plants and screened them for their inhibitory activity against NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages. Among the 260 kinds of plant extract tested, 122 extracts showed potent inhibitory activity towards NO production by more than 25% at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Plants such as Malus sieboldii, Vaccinium oldhamii, Corylus hallaisanensis, Carpinus laxiflora, Styrax obassia, and Securinega suffruticosa showed the most potent inhibition (above 70%) at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. The cytotoxic effects of the plant extracts were determined by colorimetric MTT assays and most plant extracts exhibited only moderate cytotoxicity at 100 µg/mL. Therefore, these plants should be considered promising candidates for the further purification of bioactive compounds and would be useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases accompanying overproduction of NO.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, anti-elastase, and anti-inflammatory activities of Illicium anisatum essential oil.

The essential oil of air-dried Illicium anisatum (Illiciaceae), obtained by hydrodistillation was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fifty-two components were identified in the essential oil and the main component was eucalyptol (21.8 %). The antioxidant and anti-elastase activities of the essential oil were also investigated; the essential oil exhibited moderate DPPH scavenging and anti-elastase activities. To clarify the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activities of I. anisatum essential oil (IAE), we evaluated whether it could modulate the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by activated macrophages. The results indicate that IAE is an effective inhibitor of LPS-induced NO and PGE2 production in RAW 264.7 cells. These inhibitory activities were accompanied by dose-dependent decreases in the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins and iNOS and COX-2 mRNA. In order to determine whether IAE can be safely applied to human skin, the cytotoxic effects of IAE were determined by colorimetric MTT assays in human dermal fibroblast and keratinocyte HaCaT cells. IAE exhibited low cytotoxicity at 100 microg mL-1. Based on these results, we suggest that IAE may be considered an anti-aging and anti-inflammatory candidate for cosmetic materials, but additional in vitro and in vivo tests have to be performed to prove its safety and efficacy.