• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2001.02a
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• pp.29-29
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• 2001

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2000

Solitary long terminal repeats(LTRs) of human endogenous retrovirus K family(HERV-K) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of closely located genes. It has been suggested that HERV-K LTR-like elements entered the primate genome approximately 33-40 million years ago. WE investigated the presence of HERV-K LTR elements in New World monkeys using PCR amplification. Six LTR elements of HERV-K family were identified from New World monkeys, represented by the squirrel and night monkeys. They showed a high degree of sequence homology(96-99%) with the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that an LTR element (SM-1) from the squirrel monkey and another LTR element (NM-1) from the night monkey are very closely related to the human-specific HERV-K LTR elements with low degree of divergence. This finding suggests that some of LTR elements of HERV-K family have recently been proliferated in New World monkeys. A sequence in chromosome Xq26(AL034407) \ulcorner contains an HERV-K LTR element was shown to be present in the human genome, but is absent in the bonobo, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and gibbon. It has more than 99% homology to other human-specific HERV-K LTR elements. This sequence thus represents and isolated insertion of an evolving class of elements that may have made a particular contribution to human genomic plasticity.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.476-483
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• 2020

The genus Pholiota (Strophariaceae, Basidiomycota) is made up of wood-rotting saprotrophic mushrooms characterized by a yellow or brown pileus with scales and/or slimy, and by a brownish smooth spore with a germ pore. However, these features are not enough to distinguish its species, or separate the genus Pholiota from other brown-spored wood-rotting genera such as Hypholoma and Stropharia. Although internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencebased identification has improved identification accuracy for species of Pholiota, most Pholiota species in Korea are reported based on morphological features. To evaluate the taxonomy of Pholiota species, we investigated 62 specimens collected from 1999 to 2019 in Korea using ITS sequence analysis and morphological observation. Twelve of the 16 recorded Pholiota species in Korea were identified. While eight species were clearly separated, the ITS analysis did not distinguish three in the Pholiota adiposa complex. Therefore, further investigation is required to distinguish these three species. ITS sequences deposited in GenBank confirm that P. highlandensis exists in Korea. The presence of the other four Pholiota species could not be confirmed through specimens or sequence information in GenBank. A taxonomic key and the ITS sequence data for Korean Pholiota species are included and can be good baselines for further research on Pholiota taxonomy and diversity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.310-317
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• 1998

Peptide synthetases are large multifunctional enzyme complexes that catalyze the nonribosomal synthesis of a structurally diverse family of peptide antibiotics. These enzymes are composed of functionally independent domains with independent enzymatic activities. Their specific linkage order of domains forms the protein template that defines the sequence of the incorporated amino acids. Within each domain, several motifs of highly conserved sequences have been identified from the sequence alignment of the various peptide synthetases ［30］. Taking advantage of the conserved nucleotide sequence of Core 1 and Core 2, we designed PCR primers to amplify the peptide synthetase genes from three different gram-positive bacterial strains. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified PCR products from those three strains showed significant homology to various peptide synthetase genes, suggesting that the PCR products are parts of peptide synthetase genes. Therefore, this rapid and efficient PCR technique can be used for the isolation of peptide synthetase genes from various strains.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2005

Six stains of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria were selected through germinating seed assay and root colonization assay. Among them, SKU-78 strain induced significant suppression of bacterial wilt disease in tomato and pepper plants. Seed treatment followed by soil drench application with this strain resulted in over 60% reduction of bacterial wilt disease compared with the control. It was suggested that SKU-78 strain activated the host defense systems in plants, based on lack of direct antibiosis against pathogen. According to Bergey's Manual of Systemic Bacteriology and 16S rDNA sequence data, SKU-78 stain was identified as Bacillus sp. SKU-78.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2017

As a part of the research program 'Survey of freshwater organisms and specimen collection', freshwater samples were collected from Lakes Soyang and Chungju in 2016. Hundreds of bacterial strains were isolated from the samples and were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Among the bacterial isolates, strains showing higher than 98.7% sequence similarity with validly published bacterial species not reported in Korea were selected as unrecorded bacterial species. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 17 strains were identified as unrecorded bacterial species in Korea. The 17 bacterial strains were phylogenetically diverse and belonged to four phyla, seven classes, 13 orders, 14 families, and 16 genera. At generic level, the unreported species were affiliated with Caulobacter, Paracoccus, and Mesorhizobium of the class Alphaproteobacteria, Deefgea, Undibacterium, Chitinimonas, Inhella, and Sphaerotilus of the class Betaproteobacteria, Vibrio and Cellvibrio of the class Gammaproteobacteria, Sanguibacter and Clavibacter of the phylum Actinobacteria, Lactococcus of the phylum Firmicutes, Deinococcus of the class Deinococci, and Chryseobacterium and Flavobacterium of the phylum Bacteroidetes. The unreported species were further characterized by examining Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position. The detailed description of the 17 unreported species are also provided.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2020

Chrysosplenium grayanum Maxim. (Series Nepalensia), which had been known to be restricted to Japan, was newly discovered from Mt. Cheongtae in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from Japan and herbarium specimens. Chrysosplenium grayanum is clearly distinguished from the remaining taxa of the genus Chrysosplenium by having glabrous plant body, opposite leaves, cylindrical papillae with roundish head at the tip on the smooth seed surface, and four stamens. Molecular sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions, chloroplast rbcL and matK genes strongly supported that this previously unknown Chrysosplenium species from Korea is C. grayanum. Taking the molecular and the morphological evidence into consideration, it is clear that newly discovered Chrysosplenium population in Korea is conspecific with the widely distributed C. grayanum in Japan. In this paper, we provide a description, illustration, and photo images of Chrysosplenium grayanum from Korea and also a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Korea.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.269-275
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• 2006

A recent report of the Korean Intellectual Property Office(KIPO) showed that the number of biological sequence-based patents is rapidly increasing in Korea. We present biological features of Korean patented sequences though bioinformatic analysis. The analysis is divided into two steps. The first is an annotation step in which the patented sequences were annotated with the Reference Sequence (RefSeq) database. The second is an association step in which the patented sequences were linked to genes, diseases, pathway, and biological functions. We used Entrez Gene, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Ontology (GO) databases. Through the association analysis, we found that nearly 2.6% of human genes were associated with Korean patenting, compared to 20% of human genes in the U.S. patent. The association between the biological functions and the patented sequences indicated that genes whose products act as hormones on defense responses in the extra-cellular environments were the most highly targeted for patenting. The analysis data are available at http://www.patome.net

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2019

In 2015 and 2017, the National Institute of Biological Resources has isolated four unrecorded prokaryotic species designated as R-1-5, R-2-13, R-2-1, and R-1-8 from the peatland soil of Yongneup. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity determined the four strains (R-1-5, R-2-13, R-2-1, R-1-8) were most closely related to Curvibacter lanceolatus (99.93%), Massilia brevitalea (98.7%), Pseudomonas lini (99.54%), and Pseudomonas vancouverensis (99.93%), respectively. The four unrecorded strains belong to the phylum Proteobacteria, in which the genera Curvibacter and Massilia are assigned to the class Betaproteobacteria, and the genus Pseudomonas to the class Gammaproteobacteria. Since there are no publications or official reports on these four strains, these four species are new records to Korea. The strains were further characterized by Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position. Descriptive information of the four unrecorded species is provided.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.293-305
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• 2024

Various samples were collected from Korean islands in order to obtain unrecorded bacterial species in 2023. After aerobically incubating on marine agar and Reasoner's 2A agar, approximately 1,200 bacterial strains were isolated and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequences. A total of 36 strains showed ≥98.7% sequence similarity to previously published and validated bacterial species. However, these strains have not previously been reported in the Republic of Korea, indicating that they belong to Korean unrecorded bacterial species. The unrecorded bacterial species were assigned to the classes Actinomycetes, Bacilli, Bacteroidia, Flavobacteriia, Sphingobacteriia, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The information we obtained by examining the strains includes details of the Gram reactions, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic positions of the unrecorded species.