Day 2 :
Keynote Forum
Ilan Chet
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Keynote: Biotechnology innovation in biological control of plant diseases
Time : 08:30-09:00
Biography:
Ilan Chet has completed his PhD in Microbiology at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Rehovot. He has published 390 articles, edited five books and holds 38 patents. He has served as a Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Vice President of the Hebrew University. Later, he was the President of the Weizmann Institute of Science and nominated “Institute Professor”. He was also a Visiting Professor at Harvard, Colorado State, Cornell, Rutgers and Lund Gottingen Universities. He was awarded with many prizes, among them, the Max-Planck, the Israel prize and the Wolf Prize. He has also received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany and the Legion of Honor of France. Furthermore, he was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from Lund, Haifa and Naples Universities. He is a Member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the European Academy of Sciences and Academia Europea. He held the previous position of Deputy Secretary General at the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Abstract:
Biological control, the use of antagonistic organisms that interfere with plant pathogens represent an ecological approach to overcome the problems caused by hazardous chemical pesticides appliedin plant protection. The mycoparasite Trichoderma is an efficient biocontrol agent excreting extracellular chitinases, β-1-3 glucanases and proteases. Cloning these genes into plants can induce their resistance to diseases. Moreover, this biocontrol agent can induce systemic resistance (ISR) to diseases by priming the expression of several plant defense related genes which enables Trichoderma treated plants to be more resistant to subsequent pathogen infection. Root colonization by Trichoderma strains results in massive changes in plant metabolism leading to accumulation of antimicrobial compounds in the whole plant. Studies have demonstrated that Trichoderma can ameliorate also plant performance in the presence of various abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and heavy metals. Understanding the molecular basis of the diverse modes of action Trichoderma can lead to a better environmental friendly control of plant diseases.
- Poster Presentation
Session Introduction
Jin Ho Lee
Hannam University, South Korea
Title: Dual growth factor-immobilized microspheres for tissue reinnervation
Biography:
Jin Ho LEE graduated University of Utah, USA with Ph.D. degree in 1988. He worked at Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) as a senior research scientist from 1988 to 1993. Since 1993, he is a professor in Hannam University, Korea. He was a President of Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society (KTERMS) (2012). He was selected as a Fellow within the TERMIS in 2015. His recent research area includes stem cells/biocompatible polymer hybrid materials (scaffolds, membranes, microparticles, and hydrogels) for tissue regenerations such as cartilage, bone, tendon, muscle, trachea, vocal fold, and nerves.
Abstract:
Growth factors [basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and/or nerve growth factor (NGF)]-immobilized polycaprolactone (PCL)/Pluronic F127 microspheres were prepared using an isolated particulate-melting method and the sequential binding of heparin and growth factors (GFs) onto the microspheres. The GFs immobilized on the microspheres were released in a sustained manner over 28 days, regardless of GF type. From the in vitro culture of muscle-derived stem cells, it was observed that the NGF-immobilized microspheres induced more neurogenic differentiation than the bFGF-immobilized microspheres, as evidenced by a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction using specific neurogenic markers (Nestin, GFAP, β-tubulin, and MAP2) and Western blot (markers, Nestin and β-tubulin)] analyses. The dual bFGF/NGF-immobilized microspheres showed better neurogenic differentiation than the microspheres immobilized with single bFGF or NGF. From the preliminary animal study, the dual bFGF/NGF-immobilized microsphere group also showed effective nerve regeneration, as evaluated by immunocytochemistry using a marker, β-tubulin. The dual bFGF/NGF-immobilized PCL/Pluronic F127 microspheres may be a promising candidate for nerve regeneration in certain target tissues (i.e., muscles) leading to sufficient reinnervation [This work was supported by a grant of Korea Ministry of Health & Welfare (HI14C0522)].
Jin Ho Lee
Hannam University, South Korea
Title: Asymmetrically porous nerve guide conduit with nerve growth factor gradient for effective peripheral nerve regeneration
Biography:
Jin Ho Lee was graduated from the University of Utah, USA with PhD degree in 1988. He has worked at Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) as a Senior Research Scientist from 1988 to 1993. Since 1993, he is a Professor in Hannam University, Korea. He was a President of Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society (KTERMS) (2012). He was selected as a Fellow within the TERMIS in 2015. His recent research area includes stem cells/biocompatible polymer hybrid materials (scaffolds, membranes, microparticles and hydrogels) for tissue regenerations such as cartilage, bone, tendon, muscle, trachea, vocal fold and nerves.
Abstract:
Peripheral nerves function as communication paths between the brain and muscle/organ/skin and injury to these nerves leads to the severe loss of sensory or motor functions. Although the understanding of nerve regeneration and the development of surgical techniques are rapidly growing, sufficient restoration of damaged nerves still remains a big challenge. Recently, artificial nerve guide conduit (NGC) to bridge the gap between severed peripheral nerve stumps has been demonstrated to be a promising strategy for the treatment of damaged nerves. It is well known that the nerve regeneration is mediated by gradients of bioactive molecules including nerve growth factor (NGF; chemotaxis). In this study, the NGF gradient NGC was fabricated by rolling an asymmetrically porous polycaprolactone (PCL)/Pluronic F127 membrane with NGF gradient. The NGF loading amount and NGF release profile along the NGF gradient were investigated. The NGF immobilized on the NGC was continuously release up to 28 days, regardless of the NGF concentration. The nerve regeneration behaviors through the NGF gradient NGC were compared to the NGC with uniform NGF immobilization using a SD rat with a 2 cm long sciatic nerve defect. From the animal study, it was recognized that the NGF gradient NGC shows greater nerve regeneration behavior than the uniform NGF group. Based on our findings, it is suggested that the NGC with asymmetrically porous structure and gradient of NGF concentration can be a simple and effective therapeutic technique to accelerate the reinnervation rate and provide sufficient functional recovery of peripheral nerves.
Dora Garcia Delgado
Heber Biotec, South Africa
Title: Methodology for the valuation and negotiation of the biotechnology products with intangibles
Biography:
Dora Garcia Delgado is graduated in Foreign Trade Economy, Diplomat in Foreign Trade, Masters in Science and PhD in Economic Science from Havana University. She was trained at Business Support Centers Japan 2001 and Seoul 2003. She has attended international symposiums: Osaka Trade Fair 1998, XIII Gastroenterology Congress Queta, Pakistan, 1999, Health Tourist Congress Bali, Indonesia 2000, Bio Expo Korea 2002, SAITEX 2011 South Africa and others. She has participated in several negotiations of Cuban biotechnology products. She has publications in Journal Applied Biotechnology of Cuba: About negotiation of Biotechnology products with intangibles, the evolution of negotiation of biotechnology products further than the intellectual property protection and methodology for the valuation and negotiation of Biotechnology Products with Intangibles.
Abstract:
Heber Biotec S A, a Commercialized Company from the Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of Cuba. The High Tech Enterprise is playing an important role in the economy among other aspects as a source of high aggregated value products and intangible assets. The biotechnology enterprise is an exponent of this enterprise. Upon the basis of a document analysis and experts interchange applying Delphis method, a diagnostic is done concerning the treatment given to the biotechnology products with intangibles during negotiations. From such diagnostic the lack of a standard calculation method and the lack of a guide for preparing negotiations were identified as well as the lack of commercial culture concerning the biotechnology products with intangibles negotiation. The general objective of this work is to design a methodology for the valuation and deal making of biotechnology products. For the fulfillment of this objective a deep bibliography was reviewed granting the required concepts to design the methodology which establishes a sequence for the negotiation, recommends a calculation method and some accurate data like the range of payments, royalties percentages, coefficients to separate the intangibles form the total value of the biotechnology project or product. In the whole bibliography reviewed no other guide was found with the integration of calculation method and negotiation methodology in a sequence that become this methodology in a practical tool that allow to entrepreneur who start in biotechnology to evaluate and prepare a biotechnology product negotiation.
Chih-Wei Lin
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Title: Rapid SNP genotyping of tmigd1 gene in Tsaiya duck using lateral flow immunoassay with primer extension and nano-gold
Biography:
Hsiu-Lin Huang has received her PhD in Molecular Biology in 2010 from National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan. She has joined MingDao University in 2011 as an Assistant Professor of Department of Biotechnology. Her research interests are SNP genotyping, DNA fingerprinting, cell biology and microbiology.
Abstract:
In this work we firstly proposed lateral flow assay combined with primer extension (PEXT) and gold nanoparticles to SNP genotyping of tmigd1 gene in Tsaiya duck which has advantages of easy operation, cost effective and time saving. The gold nanoparticles were tailed with thiol-(dT)30 using salt aging method at 25 oC and used as label of lateral flow assay. The lateral flow device is mainly composed of test and control zone on the nitrocellulose membrane containing streptavidin and d(A)30, respectively. When the specific SNP exists, the corresponding primers can be extended and then the reaction product will be able to be captured by streptavidin in the test zone due to the introduction of biotin-dUTP into the reaction product during PEXT. Gold nanoparticles will hybridize with reaction product to make it become visible. Here we reported the optimized parameters of Mg2+ in PEXT reaction and streptavidin on membranes to detect the signal specificity. In addition, it is found that increasing amount of PCR product and PEXT reaction cycle number result in the increase of the signal intensity without observable change of signal specificity.
Luciana Barbosa Coitinho
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Title: Intracellular proteome profile of Phanerochaete chrysosporium during the lapachol biotransformation process
Biography:
Luciana is graduated in pharmacy and biochemistry, has a master degree in biotechnology and is currently a PhD student of pharmaceutical sciences program at the University of São Paulo.
Abstract:
Biotransformation studies can be useful for the production of new molecules with industrial and pharmaceutical interest. The lapachol, a natural product, is a naphthoquinone that presents many biological activities, which have potential uses in the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of this work is to analyze the proteome profile of Phanerochaete chrysosporium during the lapachol biotransformation process. The microorganism was cultivated in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks containing 50 mL of soy-glucose medium and incubated on a rotary shaker at 120 rpm at 30°C. After 24 hours, the mycelial mass was transferred to a Czapeck medium containing lapachol solution in DMSO (final concentration of 25 µg/mL) and bioprocess was continued for 24 hours. Control, without lapachol was also made. The mycelial mass was lysed, the proteins were precipitated with TCA 10% and acetone and 2D electrophoresis was performed in triplicate. The gels were analyzed by ImageLab 2D platinum v7.0 (GE) software. In addition, the proteolytic activity of intracellular proteome and secretome were determined using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) substrate. It identified 621 and 585 spots of control and lapachol respectively. Of these, we obtained 399 common to both, 222 control exclusive and 186 lapachol exclusive. Only the control secretome showed proteolytic activity. The obtained results suggest that the fungus modifies the profile of the proteins production during the lapachol biotransformation process.
Bogyu Choi
CHA University, South Korea
Title: Influence of microenvironment engineering on cell reprogramming
Biography:
Bogyu Choi has completed her PhD from Ewha Womans University in 2010 from the Department of Chemistry and Nano Science and Postdoctoral studies from University of California, Los Angeles (2014), School of Dentistry. She is a Research Professor at CHA University. She has published more than 30 scientific papers and her papers were cited 630 times (h-index=16).
Abstract:
The physical microenvironment has been reported to direct cell fate. Here, we found that the physical microenvironment, stiffness of hydrogels promotes the reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We prepared cell culture substrates of various stiffnesses (0.1, 1, 4, 10, and 20 kPa) using a polyacrylamide hydrogel. We found that culture on a soft hydrogel plays an important role in inducing cellular reprogramming into iPSCs via activation of mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition and enhancement of stemness marker expression. These results suggest that physical signals at the interface between cell and substrate can be used as a potent regulator to promote cell fate changes associated with reprogramming into iPSCs, which may lead to effective and reproducible iPSC production.
Chun-Yeung Lo
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Title: In silico screening for inhibitors blocking the assembly of influenza A virus polymerase complex
Biography:
Chun-Yeung Lo has obtained his BSc degree in Biochemistry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2010 and he is currently a PhD student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research is on the screening of inhibitors against influenza virus. He has also obtained several lead compounds that inhibit influenza virus through interacting with the viral nucleoprotein and the work has been published in Biodesign in 2015.
Abstract:
Influenza virus has always been a major threat to humankind, causing sporadic pandemics and recurrent annual epidemics. Moreover, as influenza virus is developing resistance to existing anti-virals, it is essential to design new drugs against it. The influenza RNA-dependent RNA polymerase consists of three subunits: PA, PB1 and PB2. By blocking the protein-protein interactions among these subunits, the viral RNA polymerase complex would fail to assemble, thereby inhibiting influenza virus replication. The co-crystal structure of PA-C terminal and PB1-N terminal was resolved in 2008. It was shown that PB1 binds to PA by inserting a short helix into a hydrophobic core of PA and the residues at the interacting interface are well conserved within type A Influenza. We employed in silico screening to identify small molecules that most likely would block the PAPB1 interaction. Compound databases were archived from zinc (UCSF) and commercial vendors (e.g., SPECS) and then virtually docked to the PA hydrophobic core by Autodock 4.0. Top results were then subjected to post-screening evaluation, including visual inspection by molecular visualization software (e.g., Pymol) and prediction of drug-likeness by Lipinski’s rules. After post-screening analysis, we selected ~150 potential hit compounds for primary screening, which involves cytotoxicity assay and ribonucleoprotein (RNP) activity assay. Two hit compounds, compound 221 and 312, were able to inhibit influenza RNP activities and attenuate viral growth. Compound 312 also delayed the death of influenza virus PR8 infected mice. The identification of hit compounds provides the basis for future optimization and lead compound development against influenza virus.
Juneyoung Jung
Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Title: Bacterial overexpression and purification of Vps34-binding domain of Beclin 1
Biography:
Juneyoung Jung has completed his undergraduate study in Daejin University, Korea. Currently, he is a graduate student of Master/PhD combined program in the Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, South Korea. His research project is to developed inhibitory peptides in autophagy. He was involved in a project of a protein fragment of Beclin 1 that is known to be a binding domain of VPS34 purification using E. coli. Presently, he continues work on the development of specific peptides which has inhibitory effect on VPS34 complex.
Abstract:
Beclin 1 recruits several autophagy-specific factors such as ATG14L and UVRAG, on the catalytic subunit of Class III Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (known as Vps34) to form an autophagy-initiating PIK3C3/VPS34 complex. Beclin 1 contains several characteristic protein-protein interaction domains for a variety of proteins that determine the function of the resulting complex. Therefore, the investigation of these domains is important to understand the roles of Beclin 1 as a scaffolding subunit of PIK3C3/VPS34 complex. In the present study, we have prepared the bacterial overexpression system to obtain Vps34-binding domain of Beclin 1 (Vps34-BD), but the proteins was quite unstable and presented as an inclusion body in E. coli. With several condition tests for protein expression and purification, we have set up the optimized protocol with the denaturing purification method. Vps34-binding assay has confirmed that the bacterially-purified Vps34-BD is soluble and functional.
Mario Andrea Marchisio
Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Title: Computational design of yeast synthetic gene circuits
Biography:
Mario Andrea Marchisio has obtained his PhD in Physics at the University of Trento, Italy in 2002. After working for four years at the CILEA computing center in Milan, Italy, he spent six years as a Post Doc at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Since September 2013, he is working as an Associate Professor in Synthetic Biology at the Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
Abstract:
One of the main goals of Synthetic Biology is the development of software that drives the assembly of DNA circuits into cells. Our software, called “Parts & Pools”, permits the visual, drag and drop design of synthetic gene circuits in yeast and other eukaryotes. The name derives from the fact that, in our framework, gene circuits are made of two kinds of components: Parts (i.e., DNA sequences such as promoters, coding regions, and terminators) and pools which can contain proteins, RNA and chemicals. “Parts & Pools” as an add-on of ProMoT (Process Modeling Tool) is a collection of Python and Perl scripts. Each script generates a biochemical model for a DNA partor a pool. Models for circuit components are encoded in MDL (Model Definition Language) such that they can be loaded on ProMoT and used for complex circuit design. The model of a genetic circuit, which arises from the composition of the models of its components, can be exported to SBML (System Biology Markup Language) or Matlab language for simulations and analysis. Genetic networks are modeled according to full mass action kinetics. In order to generate models for components characterized by a large number of species and reactions (e.g., regulated promoters) “Parts & Pools” makes use of BioNetGen (rule-based modeling approach). Currently, we are working on several software improvements: A grammar for a textual circuit description, an export function to the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) and a connection to a database containing yeast sequences characterized in our lab.
Rattrikorn Ganphung
Shimane University, Japan
Title: The suppression of Streptomyces biastmayceticus strain STS1 on powdery mildew in cucumber
Biography:
Rattrikorn Ganphung was graduated from Department of Agricultural and Technology at Thammasat University in Thailand in 2013. Presently she is pursuing Masters in Agriculture and Forest Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science at Shimane University, Shimane, Japan.
Abstract:
Powdery mildew caused by Podosphaera xanthii is a destructive fungal disease affecting cucurbitaceous crops production. The use of chemical fungicides is an important method for protecting crops against diseases. However, strains of the pathogen causing powdery mildew in cucurbitaceous crops have been reported to develop resistance to the currently used fungicides. On the other hand, biological control by microorganisms is attracted attention for control plant diseases. Recently, we isolated a Streptomyces strain, STS1, as a contaminating microorganism from a potato sucrose agar culture plate kept open in a field. In this paper, we report that strain STS1 can protect cucumber from powdery mildew caused by P. xanthii. When cucumber leaves pretreated with strain STS1 cell culture were inoculated with P. xanthii conidia 24 hours after strain STS1 cell culture pretreatment, lesion formation was inhibited compared to control leaves pretreated with distilled water. The colony formation of strain STS1 was not inhibited at 20-28 °C. Furthermore, colony formation of strain STS1 was not inhibited in the presence of several fungicides. The sequence analysis of 16S rDNA region indicated that strain STS1 exhibited high sequence similarities with Streptomyces blastmyceticus. These results suggest that the strain STS1 may be useful for protecting cucurbitaceous crops from powdery mildew caused by P. xanthii. However, this protective antifungal substance has not been identified yet. Thus, further studies are required to identify the active antifungal substances secreted in the culture filtrate of strain STS1.
Seong-Min Won
Soonchunhyang University, South Korea
Title: Tenebrio molitor modulates response to environmental stressors and extends lifespan in C. elegans
Biography:
Seong-Min Won has obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Department of Medical Biotechnology at Soonchunhyang University in 2015. She has been working on the research project focusing on the bioactivities of the Tenebrio molitor extracts since she was an undergraduate student. She has joined the graduate school at Soonchunhyang University in 2015 and started her own research projects for her Master’s degree.
Abstract:
Tenebrio molitor is one of largest insects and whose larva is consumed as food sources in many countries. Nutritional composition of Tenebrio molitor has been studied recently and contains high proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and valuable minerals. However, the bio-activity of Tenebrio molitor has not been fully understood. We examined the effect of Tenebrio molitor on resistance to oxidative stress and organism’s lifespan using C. elegans as a model system. The response to heat shock and ultraviolet irradiation was also monitored in vivo. The extracts from Tenebrio molitor showed significant effects on resistance to oxidative stress and ultraviolet irradiation and extends both mean and maximum lifespan in C. elegans. Number of progeny produced was also significantly increased in animals supplemented with the Tenebrio molitor extracts. In addition, the expression of longevity assurance genes, hsp-16.2 and sod-3, was markedly up-regulated by the supplementation with the Tenebrio molitor extracts. These findings suggest that Tenebrio molitor can affect organism’s response to stressors and extend lifespan via the induction of longevity assurance genes in C. elegans.
Seung-Won Park
Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea
Title: PnTx2-6 recombinant protein expression using the baculovirus expression vector system
Biography:
Seung-Won Park has completed his PhD from Catholic University of Korea and Postdoctoral studies from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is the Assistant Professor of Catholic University of Daegu, South Korea. He has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals.
Abstract:
Nitric oxide is the principal mediator of smooth muscle relaxation and erectile function of corpus cavernosum. A baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is used routinely to produce recombinant proteins in the milligram scale. PnTx2-6, a toxin from Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom, modulates voltage gated Na+ channels and activation of NO production. PnTx2-6 consists of a signal peptide, Glu-rich region and a mature toxin of 48 amino acids. To purify the recombinant PnTx2-6 protein from cells over-expressing the Phoneutria nigriventer spider venom full-length PnTx2-6 gene, recombinant baculovirus is infected and recovered in the Sf9 cells. As a result, recombinant PnTx2-6 protein was efficiently expressed and extracted from the insect cells using the BEVS. Further studies are required to whether PnTx2-6 was able to increase production rate of NO by NOS and can be released from the endothelium in certain vascular disease.
Kang Bo Shim
Crop Cultivation & Environment Research Division, South Korea
Title: Multivariate analysis of Sesame Germplasm diversity from eastern region of Korean Peninsula
Biography:
Kang Bo Shim has completed his PhD from Seoul National University. He is a Senior Researcher of Crop Cultivation & Environment Research Division, National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration of South Korea. He has published more than 20 papers.
Abstract:
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important edible oil crop. Meteorological factors such as temperature, rainfall and the amount of solar radiation determine the yield potential of sesame. To identify phenotypic diversity and to infer genotypic backgrounds in a collection of 250 sesame germplasm, we classified the germplasm based on variation in morphological traits using principal component (PC) and cluster analysis. The sesame germplasm were grouped based on five PCs, which accounted for 82.3% of total variation. The first PC (PC1) was positively correlated with days to flowering, days to maturity and number of capsules per plant whereas the second PC (PC2) was negatively correlated with all characteristics except capsule-bearing stem length. The third component (PC3) was highly positively correlated with capsule length and plant height. We constructed a scatter diagram of the first two PCs (PC1 vs. PC2), revealing four distinct groups of eigenvectors. Most sesame germplasm were widely distributed among Groups I, II, III and IV. Group III showed a wide range of distribution in the diagram. Otherwise, the distribution of the 250 germplasm was more compact in a scatter diagram of PC1 vs. PC3 compared with PC1 vs. PC2. Groups I, II, III and IV contained 142, 102, 2 and 3 sesame germplasm, respectively. The two germplasm in Group III were collected from different regions, as were the three germplasm in Group IV. The results show that the distribution of sesame origin is wider than the regions examined in view of phenotypic diversity.
Sun-Mi Beak
Soonchunhyang University, South Korea
Title: The effect of S-ally cysteine and its derivatives on response to environmental stressors, locomotion, and amyloid beta-induced toxicity in C. elegans
Biography:
Sun-Mi Beak has obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Department of Medical Biotechnology at Soonchunhyang University in 2015. She has been working on the research project focusing on the anti-stress and anti-aging effects of cysteine derivatives since she was an undergraduate student. She has joined the graduate school at Soonchunhyang University in 2015 and started her own research projects for her Master’s degree.
Abstract:
Lots of studies show that nutritional interventions with anti-oxidants can modulate many age related physiological changes in various model organisms. Here, we examined the effect of S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) on resistance to environmental stressors and locomotional changes with aging using C. elegans as a model system. SAC is a modified amino acid that is known to have a strong antioxidant activity. The survival of worms under oxidative stress conditions induced by hydrogen peroxide was significantly increased by supplementation of SAC. Pre-treatment of SAC significantly increased resistance to both heat stress and UV irradiation. Then, we examined the effect of SAC on motility of C. elegans and found that SAC can retard age related decline of locomotion. The supplementation with SAC showed anti-Alzheimer’s disease activity: SAC increased resistance to amyloid beta-induced toxicity. Having observed anti-stress effects of SAC, we tested the effect of SAC derivatives on resistance to oxidative stress and found that among nine SAC derivatives screened, four SAC derivatives had a strong anti-oxidant activity in vivo. Further studies will focus on the identification of other bio-activities of SAC derivatives and anti-aging effects of SAC and its derivatives. Our study will broaden the understanding of bio-activities of SAC and suggest a possible application of SAC and its derivatives to the development of anti-stress and anti-aging compounds.
Tae-Hoon Kim
Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Title: Rapid multiplex molecular detection of Brucella genus, B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis using ultra-fast convection palm PCR
Biography:
Tae-Hoon Kim has completed his undergraduate at Kongju National University in Korea. Currently he is Master’s student in Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea. His master project is to develop rapid molecular diagnostic kits for pathogen detection and he participated in part, Brucella detection kit development. He continues his work on the development on Salmonella detection kit.
Abstract:
Rapid detection and timely treatment of brucellosis is important for increasing the curative ratio, to prevent disease spread among animals and to reduce the risk of transfer to humans. In this study, we developed a rapid molecular diagnostics and differentiation method for Brucella species using convection Palm polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three Brucella genus representatives, B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis, were successfully identified and differentiated. A common primer, IS711, specific to all Brucella species tested in this study and species-specific primers were used. When these primer sets were used in convection PCR, each species-specific primer set specifically detected the target species. Multiplex detection was performed with a mixture of the common forward and all reverse primers and three distinct species-specific DNA amplicons were unambiguously detected. Sensitivity of detection was also tested and tens or hundreds of copies, depending on the species were detected using this PCR approach and gel electrophoresis. The PCR reaction time could be reduced to 20 min with distinct, detectable DNA amplicons. These results suggest that the ultra-fast multiplex detection of Brucella species developed in this study may be useful in rapid field applications.
Youssef Ali Abou Hamin Neto
School of Pharmaceutical Science of Ribeirão Preto-USP, Brazil
Title: The relevance of the protease cleavage site in generation of bioactive peptides: In silico and in vitro approaches
Biography:
Youssef Ali Abou Hamin Neto has completed his Master of Science from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (2012) and graduate degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Alfenas (2009). He is currently pursuing PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the concentration area of Natural and Synthetic Products under the guidance of Professor Dr. Hamilton Cabral, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto of University of São Paulo.
Abstract:
Introduction: Proteases are biocatalysts that hydrolyze polypeptides into peptides and/or amino acids. Each enzyme has specificity to substrate and cleavage site, these characteristics influence the product sequence and consequently the potential application. The proteases have been used to obtain peptides from food proteins, these products can present biological activities such as antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial and anti hypertensive and currently the main source of peptides are milk proteins.
Biography:
D. Natarajan is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Periyar University, Salem, Tamilnadu since October, 2008. He obtained his post-graduation and Doctoral degree (Botany) from Bharathidasan University,Trichy, Tamilnadu in 2003. His research interest includes Herbal and Microbial Biotechnology, Plant tissue culture, Bio/phytoremediation and Bio-nanomedicine. He has published more than 100 research articles both National and International journals and 63 conference attended/presented papers and 4 book chapters for his research credentials. He has operated four major projects funded by Indian Government agencies like UGC, DST, ICMR & TNSCST (worth of Rs. 45 lakhs) during his career at Periyar University. He was the recipient of the Young Scientist award for 2013 by SERB, New Delhi and he has awarded at the prestigious author award by OMICS International 2011. So far, he has guided 10 Ph.D and 20 M. Phil scholars
Abstract:
Mosquitoes transmit dreadful diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. Dengue (mosquito borne tropical disease, caused by dengue virus) and Lymphatic filariasis (infected with the filarial worms, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi or B. timori) diseases are transmitted by mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasicatus, respectively; vector control strategies include chemical, non-chemical and biological control agents. Repetitive use of man-made insecticides for mosquito control disrupts natural biological control systems and lead to the reappearance of mosquito populations. It also resulted in the development of resistance, harmful effects on non-target organisms and human health problems and subsequent searching for an alternative control measures. Microbial products are effective against mosquitoes at very low dosages with minimum effect on other biological control agents. Therefore, screening for larvicidal activity of microbial extract attributes could lead to the development of new and improved mosquito control methods is economical and safe for non-target organisms. The purpose of the present study is to explore the larvicidal activity of soil borne microbial isolate of Bacillus megaterium, against the targeted mosquito vectors. The bacterium was isolated from soil using standard microbiological methods (serial dilution) and identified as based on colony morphology i.e., white, round, smooth and shiny. Gram staining results found to be Gram positive rods and the presence of endospores. The biochemical tests were performed and the results show catalase positive, oxidase, indole, Vogues-Proskauer negative and citrate positive. Molecular identification (based on 16S rRNA analysis and Genbank database) of the potential strain (OS1) showed 99% similarity with Bacillus megaterium. The results of partial sequenced 16S rRNA gene (with 915 bp in length) were submitted in NCBI Genbank (GenBank Accession number KR061332.1). The supernatant of B. megaterium with equal volume of ethyl acetate: methanol (1:1) was mixed and the upper layer was separated using a rotary evaporator. The separated metabolite has been used to perform the larvicidal potential of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae. The mortality rate was observed at dose-dependent activity for different stages of larval instars (second, third and fourth) of both mosquitoes. Log Probit analysis (95% confidence level) revealed an LC50 value of 113.256, 168.210, 289.597; LC90 166.735, 224.943, 289.597 and LC50 232.197, 197.659, 70.728; LC90 305.076, 283.773, 133.997 ppm/ml respectively. In the biolarvicidal assay, about 1000 ppm/ml concentration of the isolate (OS1) showed 100% mortality after 48 hours of incubation. This is the first hand information on larvicidal efficiency of ethyl acetate: Methanolic extract from an entomopathogenic bacterium B. megaterium extract and could be suitable for the control of vector borne diseases in humans, especially dengue and filariasis.
John Rafael Ambag
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas, Philippines
Title: Identification of bioactive compounds in the guts and gonads of Tripneustes gratilla from Guimaras island, Central Philippines
Biography:
John Rafael Ambag is currently a Student at the Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines.
Abstract:
Sea urchins comprise the class Echinoidea under phylum Echinodermata are globular, spiny, hard-shelled organisms that inhabit the ocean floor. Taking to account that microbial populations in sea water may reach numbers as high as 106/mL, marine organisms are exposed in much harsher conditions in comparison to their terrestrial counterparts. Thus, marine organisms rely on complex antimicrobial systems to survive in such condition. Sea urchins have shown various antimicrobial activities. These include the coelomocytes of Paracentrotus lividus and ovary extract of Diadema setosum. Methanolic extract of Tripneustes gratilla showed antibacterial activity. T. gratilla is abundant in the island of Guimaras, Central Philippines. T. gratilla manifest antimicrobial properties against an array of pathogenic bacteria, wherein the highest antimicrobial activity was found in the guts and gonad extracts. However, the information about the bioactive compounds present in this extract is still scarce. Identification of such bioactive compounds is necessary for the confirmation and correlation of the bactericidal effects and also the possibility of discovering novel compounds from this species. For this study, methanolic extract was filtered using Whatmann No. 1 filter paper and 0.5 µm microfilter. Samples were eluded with water, methanol-water and methanol in a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and then analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and compounds detected were identified.