ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Fingerprints can serve to identify individuals, but fingerprint quality may be deteriorated, even to the point of eliminating fingerprints, due to the external environment. OBJECTIVE: Poor fingerprint quality cannot be effectively used to identify individuals; hence, the need for other methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the utility of bacterial communities and the only microorganisms present in the sample to identify internal and external factors in individuals. Samples included eight participants' fingerprints and their mobile phone surfaces. Bacterial DNA in the samples was sequenced using next-generation sequencing to target the V3-V4 region in the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The QIIME program was used to perform a taxonomic assignment and alpha diversity and beta diversity analyses based on the sequence data. RESULTS: Until now, personal identification has only relied on microbial communities. However, this study identified microbial differences according to Korean mobile phones, fingertips, or gender, and confirmed the possibility of characterization of samples when it was difficult to identify individuals by the microbial community. The biodiversity and composition of individual bacterial communities were affected by internal and external environments. Bacteria from individuals and mobile phones were shared due to contact between mobile phone surfaces and fingertips. Of the eight Koreans, six of the fingertips and mobile phone samples matched each other for personal identification. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that the bacteria from an individual could be matched with the contact object and could be used as forensic evidence. Such bacterial profiling of individuals may confer forensic evidence and serve as a basis for improving the accuracy of forensic verification.
ABSTRACT
The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor 2 (NHERF2/TKA-1/E3KARP) contains two PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 (PDZ) domains which interact with the PDZ docking motif (X-(S/T)-X-(V/L)) of proteins to mediate the assembly of transmembrane and cytosolic proteins into functional signal transduction complexes. One of the PDZ domains of NHERF2 interacts specifically with the DSLL, DSFL, and DTRL motifs present at the carboxy-termini of the 2-adrenergic receptor, the platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, respectively. Serum- and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 1 (SGK1) also carries a putative PDZ-binding motif (D-S-F-L) at its carboxy tail, implicated in the specific interaction with NHERF2. There is a 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) interacting fragment (PIF) in the tail of NHERF2. Using pull-down assays and co-transfection experiments, we demonstrated that the DSFL tail of SGK1 interacts with the first PDZ domain of NHERF2 and the PIF of NHERF2 binds to the PIF-binding pocket of PDK1 to form an SGK1-NHERF2-PDK1 complex. Formation of the protein complex promoted the phosphorylation and activation of SGK1 by PDK1. Thus, it was suggested that NHERF2 mediates the activation and phosphorylation of SGK1 by PDK1 through its first PDZ domain and PIF motif, as a novel SGK1 activation mechanism.
