Sex Differences in Treatment Response to Nucleos(t)ide Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: It is unclear if there may be sex differences in response to nucleos(t)ide analogs including virologic response (VR), biochemical response (BR), complete response (CR), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among hepatitis B patients. We compared nucleos(t)ide analog treatment outcomes by sex. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3388 treatment-naïve adult hepatitis B patients (1250 female, 2138 male) from the Real-World Evidence from the Global Alliance for the Study of Hepatitis B Virus consortium who initiated therapy with either entecavir or tenofovir from 22 sites (Argentina, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States). We used propensity-score matching to balance background characteristics of the male and female groups and competing-risks analysis to estimate the incidence and subdistribution hazard ratios (SHRs) of VR, BR, CR, and HCC. RESULTS: Females (vs males) were older (52.0 vs 48.6 y); less likely to be overweight/obese (49.3% vs 65.7%), diabetic (9.9% vs 13.1%), or cirrhotic (27.9% vs 33.0%); and had a lower HBV DNA level (5.9 vs 6.0 log10 IU/mL) and alanine aminotransferase level (91 vs 102 IU/L) (all P < .01). However, after propensity-score matching, relevant background characteristics were balanced between the 2 groups. Females (vs males) had similar 5-year cumulative VR (91.3% vs 90.3%; P = .40) and HCC incidence rates (5.1% vs 4.4%; P = .64), but lower BR (84.0% vs 90.9%; P < .001) and CR (78.8% vs 83.4%; P = .016). Males were more likely to achieve BR (SHR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.17-1.46; P < .001) and CR (SHR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03-1.31; P = .016), but VR and HCC risks were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Sex differences exist for treatment outcomes among hepatitis B patients. Male sex was associated with a 16% higher likelihood of clinical remission and a 31% higher likelihood of biochemical response than females, while virologic response and HCC incidence were similar between the 2 groups.

Progression Rates by Age, Sex, Treatment, and Disease Activity by AASLD and EASL Criteria: Data for Precision Medicine.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antiviral treatment criteria are based on disease progression risk, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance recommendations for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) without cirrhosis is based on an annual incidence threshold of 0.2%. However, accurate and precise disease progression estimate data are limited. Thus, we aimed to determine rates of cirrhosis and HCC development stratified by age, sex, treatment status, and disease activity based on the 2018 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver guidelines. METHODS: We analyzed 18,338 patients (8914 treated, 9424 untreated) from 6 centers from the United States and 27 centers from Asia-Pacific countries. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate annual progression rates to cirrhosis or HCC in person-years. RESULTS: The cohort was 63% male, with a mean age of 46.19 years, with baseline cirrhosis of 14.3% and median follow up of 9.60 years. By American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases criteria, depending on age, sex, and disease activity, annual incidence rates ranged from 0.07% to 3.94% for cirrhosis, from 0.04% to 2.19% for HCC in patients without cirrhosis, and from 0.40% to 8.83% for HCC in patients with cirrhosis. Several subgroups of patients without cirrhosis including males younger than 40 years of age and females younger than 50 years of age had annual HCC risk near or exceeding 0.2%. Similar results were found using European Association for the Study of the Liver criteria. CONCLUSION: There is great variability in CHB disease progression rates even among "lower-risk" populations. Future CHB modeling studies, public health planning, and HCC surveillance recommendation should be based on more precise disease progression rates based on sex, age, and disease activity, plus treatment status.

On-treatment gamma-glutamyl transferase predicts the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) has been predictive of chronic hepatitis C-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Its role in the risk of HCC in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with nucleotide/nucleoside analogues (NAs) is elusive. METHODS: A total of 2172 CHB patients from East Asia were randomized into development and validation groups in a 1:2 ratio. Serum GGT levels before and 6 months (M6) after initiating NAs and the potential risk factors were measured. The primary endpoint was HCC development 12 months after NA initiation. RESULTS: The annual incidence of HCC was 1.4/100 person-years in a follow-up period of 11 370.7 person-years. The strongest factor associated with HCC development was high M6-GGT levels (>25 U/L; hazard ratio [HR]/95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.31/2.02-5.42, P < .001), followed by cirrhosis (HR/CI: 2.06/1.39-3.06, P < .001), male sex (HR/CI: 2.01/1.29-3.13, P = .002) and age (HR/CI: 1.05/1.03-1.17, P < .001). Among cirrhotic patients, the incidence of HCC did not differ between those with high or low M6-GGT levels (P = .09). In contrast, among non-cirrhotic patients, the incidence of HCC was significantly higher for those with M6-GGT level >25 U/L than for their counterparts (P < .001). Cox regression analysis revealed that the strongest factor associated with HCC development in non-cirrhotic patients was high M6-GGT levels (HR/CI: 5.05/2.52-10.16, P < .001), followed by age (HR/CI: 1.07/1.04-1.09, P < .001). Non-cirrhotic elderly patients with high M6-GGT levels had a similarly high HCC risk as cirrhotic patients did (P = .29). CONCLUSIONS: On-treatment serum GGT levels strongly predicted HCC development in CHB patients, particularly non-cirrhotic patients, treated with NAs.

Empirical Treatment With Carbapenem vs Third-generation Cephalosporin for Treatment of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Third-generation cephalosporins (TGCs) are recommended as first-line antibiotics for treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). However, antibiotics against multidrug-resistant organisms (such as carbapenems) might be necessary. We aimed to evaluate whether carbapenems are superior to TGC for treatment of SBP. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 865 consecutive patients with a first presentation of SBP (275 culture positive; 103 with TGC-resistant bacterial infections) treated at 7 referral centers in Korea, from September 2013 through January 2018. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We made all comparisons using data from patients whose baseline characteristics were balanced by inverse probability of treatment weighting. RESULTS: Of patients who initially received empirical treatment with antibiotics, 95 (11.0%) received carbapenems and 655 (75.7%) received TGCs. Among the entire study cohort, there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the carbapenem (25.8%) and TGC (25.3%) groups (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.11; P = .66). In the subgroup of patients with high chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment (CLIF-SOFA) scores (score of 7 or greater, n = 314), carbapenem treatment was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (23.1%) than in the TGC group (38.8%) (aOR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75-0.94; P=.002). In contrast, among patients with lower CLIF-SOFA scores (n = 436), in-hospital mortality did not differ significantly between the carbapenem group (24.7%) and the TGC group (16.0%) (aOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.85-1.32; P = .58). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with a first presentation of SBP, empirical treatment with carbapenem does not reduce in-hospital mortality compared to treatment with TGCs. However, among critically ill patients (CLIF-SOFA scores ≥7), empirical carbapenem treatment was significantly associated with lower in-hospital mortality than TGCs.

Twelve-month post-treatment parameters are superior in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: There are currently several prediction models for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving oral antiviral therapy. However, most models are based on pre-treatment clinical parameters. The current study aimed to develop a novel and practical prediction model for HCC by using both pre- and post-treatment parameters in this population. METHODS: We included two treatment-naïve CHB cohorts who were initiated on oral antiviral therapies: the derivation cohort (n = 1480, Korea prospective SAINT cohort) and the validation cohort (n = 426, the US retrospective Stanford Bay cohort). We employed logistic regression, decision tree, lasso regression, support vector machine and random forest algorithms to develop the HCC prediction model and selected the most optimal method. RESULTS: We evaluated both pre-treatment and the 12-month clinical parameters on-treatment and found the 12-month on-treatment values to have superior HCC prediction performance. The lasso logistic regression algorithm using the presence of cirrhosis at baseline and alpha-foetoprotein and platelet at 12 months showed the best performance (AUROC = 0.843 in the derivation cohort. The model performed well in the external validation cohort (AUROC = 0.844) and better than other existing prediction models including the APA, PAGE-B and GAG models (AUROC = 0.769 to 0.818). CONCLUSIONS: We provided a simple-to-use HCC prediction model based on presence of cirrhosis at baseline and two objective laboratory markers (AFP and platelets) measured 12 months after antiviral initiation. The model is highly accurate with excellent validation in an external cohort from a different country (AUROC 0.844) (Clinical trial number: KCT0003487).

No Difference in Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Treated With Entecavir vs Tenofovir.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Studies to evaluate risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection treated with the nucelos(t)ide analogues entecavir or tenofovir have produced contradictory results. These differences are likely to be the result of censored data, insufficient observation periods, and different observation periods for patients treated with different drugs. We aimed to compare the incidence of HCC development between patients treated with oral entecavir or tenofovir and followed up for the same time periods. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study, collecting data from 1560 treatment-naive patients with chronic HBV infection who were first treated with entecavir (n = 753) or tenofovir (n = 807) from 2011 through 2015 at 9 academic hospitals in Korea. Clinical outcomes were recorded over a mean time period of 4.7 ± 1.0 years, from 92.4% of patients treated with tenofovir and 92.7% of patients treated with entecavir. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients in the entecavir group (4.5%) and 45 patients in the tenofovir group (5.6%) developed HCC during the follow-up period. The incidence of HCC did not differ significantly between groups, even in a 516-pair propensity score-matched population. CONCLUSIONS: In a retrospective study of 1560 treatment-naive patients with chronic HBV infection, the incidence of HCC did not differ significantly between patients treated with entecavir vs tenofovir over the same observation period. CLINICAL TRIAL: KCT0003487.

Sex-biased gene expression in antennae of Drosophila suzukii.

Drosophila suzukii differs from other members of the genus Drosophila in its host preference and oviposition behavior. The flies are attracted to ripening fruits, and females have a serrated ovipositor enabling eggs to be laid inside the fruit. In addition to its huge economic impact, its unique chemoecological, morphological, and physiological characteristics have garnered considerable research interests. In this study, we analyzed D. suzukii antennal transcriptomes to identify sex-biased genes by comparison of differential gene expressions between male antennae (MA) and female antennae (FA). Among 13,583 total genes of the fly genome, 11,787 genes were expressed in either MA or FA. There are only 132 genes (9 in MA, 7 in FA, and 116 in both, FPKM >1) were expressed in antennae exclusively, and 2,570 genes (9 in MA, 0 in FA, and 2,561 in both) were enriched in antennae containing 185 and 113 sex-biased genes in MA and FA, respectively. Interestingly, many immune-related genes were highly expressed in MA, whereas several chemosensory genes were at high rank in FA. We identified 27 sex-biased chemosensory genes including odorant and gustatory receptors, odorant-binding proteins, chemosensory proteins, ionotropic receptors, and cytochrome P450s, and validated the gene expressions using quantitative real-time PCR. The highly expressed sex-biased genes in antennae are likely involved in the fly specific mating, host-finding behaviors, or sex-specific functions. The molecular results demonstrated here will facilitate to find the unique chemoreception of D. suzukii, as well as on the development of new management strategies for this pest.

Morphological and functional heterogeneity in olfactory perception between antennae and maxillary palps in the pumpkin fruit fly, Bactrocera depressa.

The morphology and ultrastructure of the olfactory sensilla on the antennae and maxillary palps were investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their responses to five volatile compounds were measured using electroantenogram (EAG) and electropalpogram (EPG) techniques in the pumpkin fruit fly, Bactrocera depressa (Shiraki; Diptera: Tephritidae). Male and female B. depressa displayed distinct morphological types of olfactory sensilla in the antennae and maxillary palps, with predominant populations of trichoid, basiconic, and coeloconic sensilla. Basiconic sensilla, the most abundant type of olfactory sensilla in the antennae, could be further classified into two different types. In contrast, the maxillary palps exhibited predominant populations of a single type of curved basiconic sensilla. High-resolution SEM observation revealed the presence of multiple nanoscale wall-pores on the cuticular surface of trichoid and basiconic sensilla, indicating that their primary function is olfactory. In contrast, coeloconic sensilla displayed several longitudinal grooves around the sensillum peg. The TEM observation of individual antennal olfactory sensilla indicates that the basiconic sensilla are thin-walled, while the trichoid sensilla are thick-walled. The profile of EAG responses of male B. depressa was different from their EPG response profile, indicating that the olfactory function of maxillary palps is different from that of antennae in this species. The structural and functional variation in the olfactory sensilla between antennae and maxillary palps suggests that each plays an independent role in the perception of olfactory signals in B. depressa.

Effect of Surface Modifications and Their Reaction Conditions on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Thermal Conductive Composite Material.

Thermally conductive composite materials were fabricated using Al2O3 and surface-modified MWCNTs on an ETDS matrix. The MWCNT surfaces were modified using a solution containing H2O2 and H2SO4/HNO3 and examined at various reaction times. After surface modification, the ratios of the functional groups introduced were compared. The changes in MWCNT morphology and thermal conductivity were also investigated for various reaction times. It was observed from the results that the MWCNTs exposed to 1 h acid treatment had the highest thermal conductivity without any decrease in their length. Based on the optimum oxidization of MWCNTs, further surface modification was performed using APTES, a silane coupling agent, using two different reactions. After the reaction, large particle aggregations were observed on the amine-terminated MWCNTs, which reacted with a mixture of EtOH and DI water. These agglomerates did not re-disperse after long-time sonication. However, the silanol-terminated MWCNTs were easily dispersed in EtOH via sonication, and their composite materials had outstanding thermal conductivities. Moreover, more amount of MWCNTs were processable using the same Al2O3 and ETDS concentrations, which also led to enhanced thermal conductivities compared to the other surface modification methods.

Fabrication of Water Soluble Polymer Capsules for Protecting Mineral Admixtures in Groundwater for Emergency Recovery of Sinkhole.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) based water-soluble polymer composites were fabricated for mineral admixture encapsulants to be used in underground sinkhole restoration. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and talc were added to the composites to increase their mechanical strengths and heat resistances. PEG/LLDPE/Talc composites were manufactured via melt mixing using a twin extruder. Blending PEG and LLDPE increased the mechanical properties and heat resistances of the composite, but decreased the water solubility. Talc was added to the composite to increase mechanical properties and heat resistance. The addition of talc increased the water solubilities of PEG-based composites. The highest tensile strength and impact strength were 2.89 MPa and 2.86, respectively, the increase rate being 9.63-fold relative to that of pristine PEG.

Species-Specific Interactions between Plant Metabolites and Insect Juvenile Hormone Receptors.

Because juvenile hormone (JH) controls insect development and its analogs are used as insecticides, juvenile hormone disruptors (JHDs) represent potential sources from which novel pesticides can be developed. Many plant species harbor JHD activity, which has previously been attributed plant secondary metabolites (i.e., diterpenes) that disrupt insect development by interfering with the JH-mediated heterodimer formation of insect juvenile receptor complexes. The results of the present study indicate that plant JHD activity is also concentrated in certain plant groups and families and that plant metabolites have insect group-specific activity. These findings suggest that reciprocal diversification has occurred between plants and insects through the evolution of the plant metabolites and JH receptors, respectively, and that plant metabolites could be developed into insect group-specific pesticides with limited effects on non-target species.

Olfactory attraction mediated by the maxillary palps in the striped fruit fly, Bactrocera scutellata: Electrophysiological and behavioral study.

Here, we report that the olfactory attraction of the striped fruit fly, Bactrocera scutellata (Hendel; Diptera: Tephritidae), a serious pest of pumpkin and other cucurbitaceae plants, to cue lure and raspberry ketone is mediated by the maxillary palps. The antennae, bearing three morphological types (basiconic, trichoid, and coeloconic) of olfactory sensilla, in male and female B. scutellata exhibited significant electroantennogram (EAG) responses to a plant volatile compound, 3-octanone, and methyl eugenol, whereas cue lure, raspberry ketone, and zingerone that are known to attract several other species of Bactrocera fruit flies elicited no significant EAG responses from both sexes. In contrast, maxillary palps, housing one morphological type of basiconic sensilla, displayed the largest electropalpogram (EPG) responses to cue lure followed by raspberry ketone among the five compounds tested in male and female B. scutellata, with only minor EPG responses to 3-octanone, which indicates that the maxillary palps are responsible for detecting cue lure and raspberry ketone in this species. In field trapping experiments, significant number of male B. scutellata were captured in the traps baited with cue lure or raspberry ketone, in which the attractiveness of cue lure was significantly higher than that of raspberry ketone. Methyl eugenol and zingerone were not behaviorally attractive to B. scutellata although they elicited significant EPG responses. Our study indicates that the behavioral attraction of B. scutellata to cue lure and raspberry ketone is mediated by the olfactory sensory neurons present in the maxillary palps.

Identification of plant compounds that disrupt the insect juvenile hormone receptor complex.

Insects impact human health through vector-borne diseases and cause major economic losses by damaging crops and stored agricultural products. Insect-specific growth regulators represent attractive control agents because of their safety to the environment and humans. We identified plant compounds that serve as juvenile hormone antagonists (PJHANs). Using the yeast two-hybrid system transformed with the mosquito JH receptor as a reporter system, we demonstrate that PJHANs affect the JH receptor, methoprene-tolerant (Met), by disrupting its complex with CYCLE or FISC, formation of which is required for mediating JH action. We isolated five diterpene secondary metabolites with JH antagonist activity from two plants: Lindera erythrocarpa and Solidago serotina. They are effective in causing mortality of mosquito larvae at relatively low LD50 values. Topical application of two diterpenes caused reduction in the expression of Met target genes and retardation of follicle development in mosquito ovaries. Hence, the newly discovered PJHANs may lead to development of a new class of safe and effective pesticides.

Characterization of Elastic Polymer-Based Smart Insole and a Simple Foot Plantar Pressure Visualization Method Using 16 Electrodes.

In this paper, we propose a smart insole for inexpensive plantar pressure sensing and a simple visualizing scheme. The insole is composed of two elastomeric layers and two electrode layers where the common top electrode is submerged in the insole. The upper elastomeric layer is non-conductive poly-dimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) and supports plantar pressure buffering and the lower layer is carbon nano-tube (CNT)-dispersed PDMS for pressure sensing through piezo-resistivity. Under the lower sensing layer are 16 bottom electrodes for pressure distribution sensing without cell-to-cell interference. Since no soldering or sewing is needed the smart insole manufacturing processes is simple and cost-effective. The pressure sensitivity and time response of the material was measured and based on the 16 sensing data of the smart insole, we virtually extended the frame size for continuous and smoothed pressure distribution image with the help of a simple pseudo interpolation scheme.

Conifer Diterpene Resin Acids Disrupt Juvenile Hormone-Mediated Endocrine Regulation in the Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella.

Diterpene resin acids (DRAs) are important components of oleoresin and greatly contribute to the defense strategies of conifers against herbivorous insects. In the present study, we determined that DRAs function as insect juvenile hormone (JH) antagonists that interfere with the juvenile hormone-mediated binding of the JH receptor Methoprene-tolerant (Met) and steroid receptor coactivator (SRC). Using a yeast two-hybrid system transformed with Met and SRC from the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella, we tested the interfering activity of 3704 plant extracts against JH III-mediated Met-SRC binding. Plant extracts from conifers, especially members of the Pinaceae, exhibited strong interfering activity, and four active interfering DRAs (7α-dehydroabietic acid, 7-oxodehydroabietic acid, dehydroabietic acid, and sandaracopimaric acid) were isolated from roots of the Japanese pine Pinus densiflora. The four isolated DRAs, along with abietic acid, disrupted the juvenile hormone-mediated binding of P. interpunctella Met and SRC, although only 7-oxodehydroabietic acid disrupted larval development. These results demonstrate that DRAs may play a defensive role against herbivorous insects via insect endocrine-disrupting activity.

IFT46 plays an essential role in cilia development.

Cilia are microtubule-based structures that project into the extracellular space. Ciliary defects are associated with several human diseases, including polycystic kidney disease, primary ciliary dyskinesia, left-right axis patterning, hydrocephalus and retinal degeneration. However, the genetic and cellular biological control of ciliogenesis remains poorly understood. The IFT46 is one of the highly conserved intraflagellar transport complex B proteins. In zebrafish, ift46 is expressed in various ciliated tissues such as Kupffer׳s vesicle, pronephric ducts, ears and spinal cord. We show that ift46 is localized to the basal body. Knockdown of ift46 gene results in multiple phenotypes associated with various ciliopathies including kidney cysts, pericardial edema and ventral axis curvature. In ift46 morphants, cilia in kidney and spinal canal are shortened and abnormal. Similar ciliary defects are observed in otic vesicles, lateral line hair cells, olfactory pits, but not in Kupffer׳s vesicle. To explore the functions of Ift46 during mouse development, we have generated Ift46 knock-out mice. The Ift46 mutants have developmental defects in brain, neural tube and heart. In particular Ift46(-/-) homozygotes displays randomization of the embryo heart looping, which is a hallmark of defective left-right (L/R) axis patterning. Taken together, our results demonstrated that IFT46 has an essential role in vertebrate ciliary development.

Hyunsoonleella udoensis sp. nov., isolated from a gravel sample from a beach of Udo island, Korea.

A Gram-stain negative, non-motile, rod-shaped and aerobic bacterial strain, designated JG48(T), was isolated from a gravel sample taken from a beach adjacent to Udo island, South Korea. Strain JG48(T) was found to grow optimally at 25 °C, at pH 7.0-8.0 and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain JG48(T) exhibited sequence similarities of 96.67 % to Hyunsoonleella jejuensis CNU004(T). The major fatty acids present in the strain JG48(T) were identified as iso-C15:0, iso-C15:1 G, iso-C17:0 3-OH and iso-C15:0 3-OH. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was identified as MK-6. The polar lipids profile of strain JG48(T) was found to consist of phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified amino lipids and four unidentified lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain JG48(T) was determined to be 34 mol%. Based on the morphological and physiological properties, and the results of phylogenetic analyses, the strain is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Hyunsoonleella, for which the name Hyunsoonleella udoensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JG48(T) (=KCTC 42341(T)=JCM 30600(T)).

Luteimicrobium xylanilyticum sp. nov., isolated from the gut of a long-horned beetle, Massicus raddei.

A novel strain, designated W-15(T), was isolated from the gut of a long-horned beetle, Massicus raddei, collected in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strains belonged to the suborder Micrococcineae. Strain W-15(T) was most closely related to Luteimicrobium album RI148-Li105(T) (97.9 % similarity). Strain W-15(T) was Gram-stain-positive, rod- and coccus-shaped and non-motile. Growth was observed at 15-37 °C, at pH 4.5-8.5 and in the presence of 0-5.0 % NaCl. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of the strain was A4α (l-Lys-d-Ser-d-Asp). The major menaquinone present in this strain was MK-8 (H2) and the major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, an unknown lipid, an unknown phospholipid and an unknown phosphoglycolipid. The G+C content of genomic DNA of the strain was 73.8 mol%. On the basis of evidence from our polyphasic taxonomic study, strain W-15(T) is classified as representing a novel species in the suborder Micrococcineae, for which the name Luteimicrobium xylanilyticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of this species is strain W-15(T) ( = KCTC 19882(T) = JCM 18090(T)).

Antarctobacter jejuensis sp. nov., isolated from seawater in Jeju, Korea.

A novel bacterium, designated strain 13-2-B6(T), was isolated from seawater adjacent to Songak Mountain on Jeju Island, South Korea. The novel strain was observed to be Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile with a single polar flagellum. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain 13-2-B6(T) was determined to be phylogenetically closely related to the type strain of Antarctobacter heliothermus, currently the sole species of the genus Antarctobacter (family Rhodobacteraceae). Sequence similarity between the 16S rRNA genes of strain 13-2-B6(T) and A. heliothermus EL-219(T) is 96.9 %. Strain 13-2-B6(T) was found to grow optimally at 25-30 °C, pH 7.0-8.0 and 3 % (w/v) NaCl. The predominant isoprenoid quinone in strain 13-2-B6(T) was identified as ubiquinone Q-10 and the major fatty acids were identified as C18:1 ω7c and/or C18:1 ω6c. Phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unknown aminolipids, two unknown phospholipids, an unknown glycolipid and an unknown lipid were found to be components of the polar lipid profile. The G + C content of strain 13-2-B6(T) was determined to be 62 mol %. On the basis of its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain 13-2-B6(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Antarctobacter, for which the name Antarctobacter jejuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 13-2-B6(T) (=KCTC 42009(T) =JCM 19898(T)).

Pedobacter luteus sp. nov., isolated from soil.

Two strains of Gram-staining-negative, rod-shaped bacteria that were motile by gliding, N7d-4(T) and B4a-b5, were isolated during a study of culturable bacteria in soil cultivated with potatoes. These isolates grew at 15-37 °C and at pH 6.5-7.0. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c), anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and iso-C17 : 1ω9c. The major polar lipids were phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The strains contained d-18 : 0 and d-19 : 0 sphingosines. The DNA G+C contents of strains N7d-4(T) and B4a-b5 were 48.5 and 46.9 mol% (HPLC), respectively. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains N7d-4(T) and B4a-b5 were affiliated with Pedobacter species in the family Sphingobacteriaceae. Strains N7d-4(T) and B4a-b5 shared 99.9 % sequence similarity, and the most closely related Pedobacter type strains were Pedobacter composti TR6-06(T) (96.5 and 96.7 % sequence similarity, respectively), P. oryzae N7(T) (95.4 and 95.6 %) and P. caeni LMG 22862(T) (94.0 and 94.4 %). Phenotypic data and phylogenetic inference clearly distinguished the two isolates from other Pedobacter species. Based on these data, the isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Pedobacter, for which the name Pedobacter luteus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is N7d-4(T) ( = KCTC 22699(T)  = DSM 22385(T)).