Strain Gsoil 098T , a Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile coccus, was isolated from soil from a ginseng field in South Korea and characterized in order to determine its taxonomic position. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain Gsoil 098 T belongs to the family Nocardioidaceae, and the highest degrees of sequence similarity were found with Aeromicrobium marinum T2 T (99.0 %), A.

Abstract. Shikonin (SK), a natural naphthoquinone isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb, has been known to suppress the proliferation of several cancer cells. However, its role in the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has yet to be demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of SK on EMT. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced EMT-like phenotypic changes, enhancing cell migration and invasion. SK markedly reduced the expression of the LPS-induced EMT markers, including N-cadherin in MDA-MB-231 cells, and increased the expression of E-cadherin in MCF-7 cells. SK also inhibited cell migration and invasion in vitro. The effects of SK on the LPS-induced EMT were mediated by the inactivation of the NF-κB-Snail signaling pathway. The results provided new evidence that SK suppresses breast cancer cell invasion and migration by inhibiting the EMT. Therefore, SK is a potentially effective anticancer agent for breast tumors, by inhibiting metastasis.

A bacterial strain (designated KMY03T) that possesses β-glucosidase activity was isolated from soil from a ginseng field in South Korea and was characterized in order to determine its taxonomic position. The bacterium was found to comprise Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile cells with unipolar polytrichous flagella. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain KMY03T was shown to belong to the family Burkholderiaceae of the Betaproteobacteria, being most closely related to Burkholderia caledonica LMG 19076T (97.8 %), Burkholderia terricola LMG 20594T (97.5 %), Burkholderia xenovorans LMG 21463T (97.4 %) and Burkholderia phytofirmans LMG 22146T (97.3 %). Chemotaxonomic data (major ubiquinone, Q-8; major fatty acids, C17 : 0 cyclo, C16 : 0, C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c and summed feature 2) supported the affiliation of the novel strain with the genus Burkholderia. The results of DNA–DNA hybridizations and physiological and biochemical tests allowed the strain to be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from Burkholderia species with validly published names. On the basis of these data, strain KMY03T represents a novel species of the genus Burkholderia, for which the name Burkholderia ginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMY03T (=KCTC 12389T=NBRC 100965T).

Two novel polysaccharide-degrading bacteria (strains DCY03T and DCY04) were isolated from a soil sample of a ginseng field in the Republic of Korea and were identified as representing members of the genus Paenibacillus on the basis of phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic inference based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Cells of the two isolates were Gram-positive, spore-forming, non-motile, straight rods. Based on DNA–DNA relatedness data, the strains were considered to belong to the same species. The DNA G+C content ranged from 56.6 to 57.0 mol%. The predominant cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C15 : 0 (63.8–62.8 %). Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two novel isolates and the type strains of recognized Paenibacillus species were 91.4–96.5 %. Strains DCY03T and DCY04 could clearly be distinguished from phylogenetically closely related Paenibacillus species on the basis of DNA–DNA relatedness data and phenotypic characteristics. Therefore, on the basis of these data, the two isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus soli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY03T (=KCTC 13010T=LMG 23604T).

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