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Extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli have been found in healthy individuals in Indonesia and Vietnam. The ISEcp1-bla CTX-M transposition unit of ESBL-producing bacterial isolates has been considered responsible for the production of CTX-M type ESBL and is important for the dissemination of bla CTX-M . This study aimed to characterize the upstream genetic structure (UGS) of E. coli isolates possessing bla CTX-M-1 group and/or bla CTX-M-9 group genes obtained from healthy individuals in Indonesia and Vietnam. A total of 501 CTX-M type ESBL-producing E. coli isolates possessing bla CTX-M-1 group and/or bla CTX-M-9 group genes were obtained from healthy individuals of the two countries in 2018. UGSs of the ISEcp1-bla CTX-M transposition unit of the 501 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were amplified by barcode-adaptor-ligation-mediated PCR and analyzed using the Nanopore sequencer. The obtained sequence information was used to classify the UGSs of the ISEcp1-bla CTX-M transposition unit. From the 501 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, 502 UGSs were obtained, which were classified into 85 UGS types based on the sequence. ISEcp1 of 359 (71.5%) of the 502 UGSs was disrupted by gene insertion, and ISEcp1-bla CTX-M transposition unit of most (87.1%) of the determined UGSs was confirmed as plasmidic. Only 6 (7.1%) of the 85 UGS types were common to both countries. Our results indicated that many different UGSs of ISEcp1-bla CTX-M transposition units were detected in Indonesia and Vietnam; hence, we suggest that structurally different kinds of plasmids harboring bla CTX-M were separately distributed in the two countries. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Introduction Because blaCTX-M is responsible for resistance of bacteria to the third generation cephalosporins, location of blaCTX-M could be a good indicator for classifying bacterial isolates harboring blaCTX-M in molecular epidemiology. However, determination of blaCTX-M location has been difficult when multiple copies of ISEcp1 were found on bacterial genome. We aimed to establish a high-throughput analytical method for upstream genetic structures (UGS) of ISEcp1 to facilitate determination of blaCTX-M location. Methods Extracted DNA samples obtained from 168 Escherichia coli isolates possessing blaCTX-M were digested by restriction enzyme, HaeIII, and the digested DNA fragments were ligated with homemade barcode adaptors. Then, DNA fragments containing UGS of ISEcp1 were amplified and subjected to the Nanopore sequencer. Results Nucleotide sequences and locations of 168 UGSs obtained from the examined E. coli isolates were determined. Among the 168 determined UGSs, 150 (89.3%) UGS were confirmed on plasmid and classified into eight types. Interestingly, coding sequence of ISEcp1 transposase gene in seven of the eight types were disrupted by IS26 insertion. The remaining 18 (10.7%) UGSs were observed in identical chromosomal region. The obtained nucleotide sequences the locations of UGSs were confirmed by conventional capillary sequencer and Southern blotting, respectively, and any discrepant result was not observed with these confirmation procedures. Conclusions Our results indicated that the established method was efficient for simultaneously determining at least 100 different UGS, and suggested that the determined UGSs of ISEcp1-blaCTX-M transposition unit was useful for classification of bacterial isolates harboring blaCTX-M.

High concentration of particulate matter (PM) threatens public health and the environment. Increasing traffic in the city is one of the main factors for increased PM in the air. Urban green spaces play an important role in reducing PM. In this study, the leaf surface and in-wax PM (sPM and wPM) accumulation were compared for 11 plant species widely used for landscaping in South Korea. In addition, biochemical characteristics of leaves (ascorbic acid chlorophyll content, leaf pH, and relative water content) were analyzed to determine air pollution tolerance. Plant species suitable for air quality improvement were selected based on their air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API). Results showed a significant difference according to the accumulation of sPM and wPM and the plant species. PM accumulation and APTI showed a positive correlation. Pinus strobus showed the highest PM accumulation and APTI values, while Cercis chinensis showed the lowest. In 11 plants, API was divided into five groups. Pinus densiflora was classified as the best group, while Cornus officinalis and Ligustrum obtusifolium were classified as not recommended.

Oxidative stress can affect in vitro GFP expression through its control of the gene silencing effect of the liposome prepared by 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethyl-ammonium propane (DOTAP). The gene silencing effect of cationic DOTAP liposome in in vitro GFP expression, especially focusing on its translation process, and the effects of oxidative stress on its silencing effect were investigated. GFP expression, initiated by mRNA, was found to be thoroughly inhibited in the presence of DOTAP liposome at concentration of more than 2.5 mM, though its inhibitory effect was reduced in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The analyses of (i) the interaction of mRNA with DOTAP, (ii) the chemical structure of DOTAP, and (iii) the membrane fluidity of DOTAP liposome imply the possible role of gene expression by the liposome membrane and stress conditions.

The effect of cationic liposome prepared from 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethyl- ammonium-propane (DOTAP) on the gene expression at the mRNA translation level was investigated using an E. coli cell-free translation system. DOTAP liposome at 3 mM inhibited the mRNA translation of green fluorescent protein (GFP), as indicated both by the fluorescence intensity of GFP and by SDS-PAGE analysis. The role of DOTAP liposome on the inhibition of mRNA translation was revealed that the cationic quaternary amine groups on the liposome surface can interact and neutralize the anionic phosphate groups on mRNA by an electrostatic interaction. mRNA molecules still existed without any degradation in the presence of DOTAP liposome although it could not be translated. These results clearly illustrated that the DOTAP liposome could knock down mRNA and silence its activity of translation in an E. coli cell-free system.

The effective production and secretion of chitosanase from S. griseus cells, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, were studied by the treatment of the cells with 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) liposomes under heat condition. The variation of the conformation and activity of the chitosanase caused by the interaction of liposomes with target chitosanase under stress condition was systematically investigated by using circular dichroism (CD) spectra and dielectric dispersion analysis (DDA). The effect of the oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide) on the lipid and protein peroxide of cell membrane of S. griseus pretreated with and without liposomes under heat stress at 41 degrees C was further carried out. The possible utilization of membrane-membrane interaction between liposomes and cell membrane induced by the heat treatment was further investigated to enhance the production of chitosanase from S. griseus under oxidative stress condition.

A direct interaction of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) liposomes with membrane of Streptomyces griseus cell under the heat stress at 41 degrees C increased the chitosanase production and release to 2.2 times higher than that at 37 degrees C without the POPC liposomes. Amount of chitosanase released across the lipid mimicking cell membrane (LMCM) liposome under a heat at 41 degrees C in the presence of POPC liposomes was 17% of initially-entrapped chitosanase while it was only 1% in the absence of POPC liposomes, even under a heat stress at 41 degrees C, clearly showing the importance of the direct interaction between membrane and membrane.