Molecular taxonomy of a soil actinomycete isolate, KCCM10454 showing neuroprotective activity by 16S rRNA and rpoB gene analysis.
Epilepsy constitutes a significant public health problem, and even the newest drugs and neurosurgical techniques have proven unable to cure the disease. In order to select a group of isolates which could generate an active compound with neuroprotective or antiepileptic properties, we isolated 517 actinomycete strains from soil samples taken from Jeju Island, in South Korea. We then screened these strains for possible anti-apoptotic effects against serum deprivation-induced hippocampal cell death, using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay as an in vitro test. The excitotoxic glutamate analog, kainic acid (KA), was used to induce seizures in experimental mice in our in vivo tests. As a result of this testing, we located one strain which exhibited profound neuroprotective activity. This strain was identified as a Streptomyces species, and exhibited the rifampin-resistant genotype, Asn(AAC)442, according to the results of 16S rRNA and rpoB gene analyses.
Lee
Bong-Hee
BH
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Cheju National University, Jeju 690-756, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Hong
H
Kim
Hyun-Ju
HJ
Lim
Yoon-Kyu
YK
Byun
Kyung-Hee
KH
Hutchinson
Brian
B
Kim
Chang-Jin
CJ
Ko
Young-Hwan
YH
Lee
Keun-Hwa
KH
Cha
Chang-Yong
CY
Kook
Yoon-Hoh
YH
Kim
Bum-Joon
BJ
D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001483:Base Sequence; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013302:Streptomyces / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C105078:RNA polymerase beta subunit; D012293:Rifampin