A bacterial strain, designated HOR6-4^T, was isolated from the epidermal tissue of a root of a Phalaenopsis orchid. Strain HOR6-4^T was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The cells were aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-motile coccoids. Phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed a clear affiliation with the family Dermacoccaceae . Strain HOR6-4^T showed relatively low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (below 95.9 %) to type strains of species with validly published names, showing the highest sequence similarities to the type strains of Flexivirga alba (95.8 %) and Yimella lutea (95.5 %). The DNA G+C content of strain HOR6-4^T was 64.7 mol%. Strain HOR6-4^T had anteiso-C_17 : 0 (19.3 %), 10-methyl C_18 : 0 (tuberculostearic acid; 13.5 %) and 10-methyl C_17 : 0 (11.7 %) as the major fatty acids and contained MK-8(H₄) and MK-8(H₆) as the predominant quinones. Polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, three aminophospholipids, two phospholipids and an aminolipid. The peptidoglycan type was A4α, with an l-Lys–l-Thr–d-Glu interpeptide bridge with a glycine residue bound to the alpha-carboxyl group of d-Glu in position 2 of the peptide subunit. Mycolic acids were not present. On the basis of comparative analysis of phenotypic and phylogenetic traits, strain HOR6-4^T is considered to represent a novel species in a new genus in the family Dermacoccaceae , for which the name Rudaeicoccus suwonensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Rudaeicoccus suwonensis is HOR6-4^T ( = KACC 12637^T = DSM 19560^T).

An ivory-coloured bacterium, designated strain 5YN7-3^T, was isolated from a wetland, Yongneup, Korea. Cells of the strain were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and short rods. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that strain 5YN7-3^T belongs to the order Rhizobiales of the class Alphaproteobacteria and is closely related to Kaistia soli 5YN9-8^T (97.8 %), Kaistia granuli Ko04^T (97.6 %) and Kaistia adipata Chj404^T (97.4 %). Strain 5YN7-3^T showed DNA–DNA hybridization values of 28, 22 and 35 % with K. granuli Ko04^T, K. soli 5YN9-8^T and K. adipata Chj404^T, respectively. The major fatty acids were C_18 : 1 ω7c (51.2 %), C_19 : 0 cyclo ω8c (25.0 %), C_18 : 0 (12.9 %) and C_16 : 0 (10.8 %) (>10 % of total fatty acids). Ubiquinone-10 was the major isoprenoid quinone and the DNA G+C content was 66.5 mol%. The phenotypic characteristics in combination with 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and DNA–DNA hybridization data clearly define strain 5YN7-3^T as a novel species of the genus Kaistia, for which the name Kaistia terrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 5YN7-3^T (=KACC 12910^T =DSM 21341^T).

A novel Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated 5GHs34-4^T, was isolated from greenhouse soil in Yongin, Republic of Korea. Growth occurred in the temperature range of 10–37 °C (optimum 28–30 °C) and at pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum pH 7.0). It can tolerate up to 3 % (w/v) NaCl. The strain showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity levels of 95.1–97.0 % with species of the genus Leifsonia , 95.7–96.7 % with species of the genus Herbiconiux , 95.1–96.4 % with species of the genus Salinibacterium and 96.1 % with Labedella gwakjiensis and Homoserinimonas aerilata . The highest sequence similarities (97.0 %) were with Leifsonia aquatica JCM 1368^T, Leifsonia poae VKM Ac-1401^T and Leifsonia psychrotolerans LI1^T. The peptidoglycan type determined for strain 5GHs34-4^T was B2γ with dl-2,4-diaminobutyric acid at position 3. The murein was of the acetyl type. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and two unknown glycolipids. The menaquinones detected were MK-13, MK-12 and MK-14, and the major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C_18 : 1ω7c and/or C_18 : 1ω6c), anteiso-C_17 : 0 and anteiso-C_15 : 0. The phenotypic and phylogenetic traits of strain 5GHs34-4^T differed in some respects from those of members of the family Microbacteriaceae . Therefore, strain 5GHs34-4^T is considered to represent a novel species of a new genus in the family Microbacteriaceae , for which the name Rudaibacter terrae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 5GHs34-4^T ( = KACC 15523^T = NBRC 108754^T).

Selenium binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) has been known to be reduced in various types cancer, and epigenetic change is shown to be likely to account for the reduction of SELNEBP1 expression. With cDNA microarray comparative analysis, we found that SELENBP1 is markedly decreased in hepatitis B virus-X (HBx)-expressing cells. To clarify the effect of HBx on SELENBP1 expression, we compared the expression levels of SELENBP1 mRNA and protein by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Northern blot, and Western blot. As expected, SELENBP1 expression was shown to be reduced in cells expressing HBx, and reporter gene analysis showed that the SELENBP1 promoter is repressed by HBx. In addition, the stepwise deletion of 5′ flanking promoter sequences resulted in a gradual decrease in basal promoter activity and inhibition of SELENBP1 expression by HBx. Moreover, immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays containing 60 pairs of human liver tissue showed decreased intensity of SELENBP1 in tumor tissues as compared with their matched non-tumor liver tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that inhibition of SELENBP1 expression by HBx might act as one of the causes in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma caused by HBV infection.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-flagellated bacterium, designated KIS22-12^T, was isolated from a soil sample of Baengnyeong Island in Onjin county, Republic of Korea. Cells were non-spore-forming cocci showing catalase-positive and oxidase-negative reactions. Growth of strain KIS22-12^T was observed between 10 and 35 °C (optimum, 28–30 °C), between pH 5.0 and 9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and with 0–3 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain KIS22-12^T contained MK-8(H₄) as the predominant menaquinone, and C_17 : 1ω8c, iso-C_15 : 0 and anteiso-C_15 : 0 as the major fatty acids. Strain KIS22-12^T contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, one unknown aminophospholipid, one unknown aminolipid, two unknown phospholipids and one unknown lipid. The peptidoglycan type was A1γ. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 75.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain KIS22-12^T formed a phyletic lineage with Oryzihumus leptocrescens KV-628^T. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two strains was 96.5 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular properties, strain KIS22-12^T represents a novel species within the genus Oryzihumus , for which the name Oryzihumus terrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KIS22-12^T ( = KACC 16543^T = DSM 27161^T = NBRC 109596^T). An emended description of the genus Oryzihumus is also provided.