• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2007

In March of 2004, gray snow mold (Typhula blight) caused by Typhula spp. occurred on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poo pratensis L.) at MuJu golf courses in Jeonbuk Province. Leaves in the affected areas were matted together and frequently covered with white to grayish mycelia. Sclerotia were formed on the leaf blade, leaf sheath, or crown regions. The fungus isolated from the diseased leaf formed whitish mycelium, clamp connections, and light pink to brown, irregular-shaped small sclerotia of less than 1.4 mm in diameter, which are characteristic to Typhula incarnata. Optimum temperature ranges for mycelial growth were $5^{\circ}C$ to $15^{\circ}C$. The causal organism was confirmed to be T. incarnata as the partial sequence of its ribosomal RNA ITS1 (internal transcribed spacer) region was 91% homologous to those of T. incarnata in GenBank database. Out of the 14 fungicides tested fur antifungal activity in vitro, 10 fungicides including iprodione, tebuconazole, polyoxin D, flutolanil, hexaconazole, tolclofos-methyl, fosetyl-Al, mepronil, pencycuron+tebuconazole, and fenarimol completely inhibited fungal growth at their recommended concentrations. In the field test, these fungicides and others such as thifluzamide and thiram effectively controlled the gray snow mold of turfgrass with some variable degrees of control efficacies.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.612-624
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• 2022

A novel Gram-positive, motile, non-spore forming aerobic marine bacterium, designated 107-1^T was isolated from tidal mud collected in Gyehwa-do, South Korea. Cells of strain 107-1^T were short rod or coccoid, oxidase negative, catalase positive and grew at 10-40℃ (with optimum growth at 25-30℃). It utilized menaquinones MK-7 and 8 as its respiratory quinones and its major fatty acids were anteiso-C_15:0 (37.9%), iso-C_16:0 (14.9%), and iso-C_14:0 (10.8%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a distinct clade containing strain 107-1^T and close species Planococcus ruber CW1^T(98.52% sequence similarity), P. faecalis KCTC 33580^T(97.67%), P. kocurii ATCC 43650T(97.48%), P. donghaensis DSM 22276T(97.47%), and P. halocryophilus DSM 24743T(97.37%). Strain 107-1^T contains one circular chromosome (3,513,248bp in length) with G+C content of 44.6 mol%. Estimated ranges for genome to genome distance, average nucleotide identity, and average amino acid identity comparing strain 107-1^T with close taxa were 20.3-34.8%, 77.9-86.9%, and 73.6-92.8%, respectively. Based on polyphasic analysis, strain 107-1^T represents a novel species belonging to the genus Planococcus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.377-384
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• 2024

Prodigiosin is a red pigment characterized by a common pyrrolylpyrromethane skeleton. It is produced by Serratia marcescens, Vibrio psychroerythrus, Hahella chejuensis, etc. Prodigiosin has been reported to possess anticancer, immunosuppressant, antifungal antimalarial, and algicidal activities. However, despite prodigiosin's diverse range of activities, its production rate is significantly low and biosynthesis conditions are difficult. Consequently, the selling price is high, and its usability is limited. This study aimed to increase the efficiency of prodigiosin production according to the culture conditions of Serratia. In this study, a bacterial strain PDGS¹²⁰⁹¹⁵ producing prodigiosin was isolated from lightly contaminated stream water in Busan and identified as a strain of Serratia sp. based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis and physiological characteristics. The reddish pigment from PDGS¹²⁰⁹¹⁵ was directly extracted using acidified ethanol, and a characterization analysis confirmed that it was a prodigiosin compound. The optimal conditions for pigment production were 25℃, pH 7, and 0% NaCl concentration for a duration of 14 hr. Furthermore, by treating carbon and nitrogen sources, such as fructose and beef extract, respectively, prodigiosin production increased approximately six-fold and four-fold. Among the minerals tested, 0.1% KCl was found to be the most effective for prodigiosin production. Moreover, casein was identified as the most suitable source for prodigiosin production.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2016

In comparison to the numbers of such studies of fish, few studies have been carried out on the immunity, physiology and ecology of abalone, while studies on abalone disease are also extremely rare. Moreover, mass mortality of cultured abalone due to pathogenic bacteria has not been reported in the southern coast of Korea. However, Vibrio-like bacteria have been isolated from dead abalone, which indicates that a review is required in order to determine the cause of abalone mortality. Use of an antimicrobial agent to minimize the damage caused by disease in abalone farms is common, but the therapeutic effects are insignificant. Demand for probiotics has increased, but research on the development of probiotics for use in abalone culture is very rare. Therefore, the present study isolated KC16-2 from fermented kimchi soup and investigated the characteristics of the isolate as a candidate probiotic bacterium in abalone. KC16-2 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (B. amyloliquefaciens KC16-2) based on its biochemical properties and 16S rRNA gene sequence. B. amyloliquefaciens KC16-2 showed inhibitory effects against the growth of various vibrios in vitro, and kept the numbers constant until four days after inoculation in marine water at a temperature of $15{\sim}25^{\circ}C$, indicating the possible use of KC16-2 as a probiotic, except in the winter. The growth of KC16-2 was inhibited by bile salt, but the numbers increased over time suggesting the bacteria were still alive in the abalone's digestive tract. Abalone fed with a diet including KC16-2 for 12 weeks showed good growth, but showed no significant differences from the control group. However, the mortality of the abalone supplied the probiotic diet was reduced to half that of the control group in a challenge test with Vibrio tubiashii. Therefore, we suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens KC16-2 could be used as a probiotic bacterium for control of the mortality of abalone caused by opportunistic pathogenic vibrios.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2006

Brassica rape is an important species used as a vegetable, oil, and fodder worldwide. It is related phylogenically to Arabidopsis thaliana, which has already been fully sequenced as a model plant. The 'Multinational Brassica Genome Project (MBGP)'was launched by the international Brassica community with the aim of sequencing the whole genome of B. rapa in 2003 on account of its value and the fact that it has the smallest genome among the diploid Brassica. The genome study was carried out not only to know the structure of genome but also to understand the function and the evolution of the genes comprehensively. There are two mapping populations, over 1,000 molecular markers and a genetic map, 2 BAC libraries, physical map, a 22 cDHA libraries as suitable genomic materials for examining the genome of B. rapa ssp. pekinensis Chinese cabbage. As the first step for whole genome analysis, 220,000 BAC-end sequences of the KBrH and KBrB BAC library are achieved by cooperation of six countries. The results of BAC-end sequence analysis will provide a clue in understanding the structure of the genome of Brassica rapa by analyzing the gene sequence, annotation and abundant repetitive DHA. The second stage involves sequencing of the genetically mapped seed BACs and identifying the overlapping BACs for complete genome sequencing. Currently, the second stage is comprises of process genetic anchoring using communal populations and maps to identify more than 1,000 seed BACs based on a BAC-to-BAC strategy. For the initial sequencing, 629 seed BACs corresponding to the minimum tiling path onto Arabidopsis genome were selected and fully sequenced. These BACs are now anchoring to the genetic map using the development of SSR markers. This information will be useful for identifying near BAC clones with the seed BAC on a genome map. From the BAC sequences, it is revealed that the Brassica rapa genome has extensive triplication of the DNA segment coupled with variable gene losses and rearrangements within the segments. This article introduces the current status and prospective of Korea Brassica Genome Project and the bioinformatics tools possessed in each national team. In the near future, data of the genome will contribute to improving Brassicas for their economic use as well as in understanding the evolutional process.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.161-167
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• 2015

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] grows well in harsh environmental conditions, and is cultivated as one of the top seven food crops in the world. Recently, sweetpotato is drawing interest from people as a healthy food because it is high in dietary fiber, vitamins, carotenoids and overall nutrition value. However, few studies have been conducted on sweetpotato genome sequencing in spite of its importance. This review is aimed at increasing the efficiency of sweetpotato genome sequencing research as well as establishing a base for gene utilization in order to control useful traits. Recently, animal and plant genome sequencing projects increased significantly. However, sweetpotato genome sequencing has not been performed due to polyploidy and heterogeneity problems in its genome. Meanwhile research on its transcriptome has been conducted actively. Recently, a draft of the diploid sweetpotato genome was reported in 2015 by Japanese researchers. In addition, the Korea-China-Japan Trilateral Research Association of Sweetpotato (TRAS) has conducted research on gene map construction and genome sequencing of the hexaploid sweetpotato Xushu 18 since 2014. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the 'sweetpotato genomic sequencing to develop genomic tools for Sub-Sahara Africa breeding program'. The chloroplast genome sequence acquired during sweetpotato genome sequencing is used in evolutionary analyses. In this review, the trend of research in the sweetpotato genome sequencing was analyzed. Research trend analysis like this will provide researchers working toward sweetpotato productivity and nutrient improvement with information on the status of sweetpotato genome research. This will contribute to solving world food, energy and environmental problems.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 2000

In 1997 when cloned sheep Dolly and soon after Polly were born, it had become head-line news because in the former the nucleus that gave rise to the lamb came from cells of six-year-old adult sheep and in the latter case a foreign gene was inserted into the donor nucleus to make the cloned sheep produce human protein, factor IX, in e milk. In the last few years, once the realm of science fiction, cloned mammals especially in livestock have become almost commonplace. What the press accounts often fail to convey, however, is that behind every success lie hundreds of failures. Many of the nuclear-transferred egg cells fail to undergo normal cell divisions. Even when an embryo does successfully implant in the womb, pregnancy often ends in miscarriage. A significant fraction of the animals that are born die shortly after birth and some of those that survived have serious developmental abnormalities. Efficiency remains at less than one % out of some hundred attempts to clone an animal. These facts show that something is fundamentally wrong and enormous hurdles must be overcome before cloning becomes practical. Cloning researchers now tent to put aside their effort to create live animals in order to probe the fundamental questions on cell biology including stem cells, the questions of whether the hereditary material in the nucleus of each cell remains intact throughout development, and how transferred nucleus is reprogrammed exactly like the zygotic nucleus. Stem cells are defined as those cells which can divide to produce a daughter cell like themselves (self-renewal) as well as a daughter cell that will give rise to specific differentiated cells (cell-differentiation). Multicellular organisms are formed from a single totipotent stem cell commonly called fertilized egg or zygote. As this cell and its progeny undergo cell divisions the potency of the stem cells in each tissue and organ become gradually restricted in the order of totipotent, pluripotent, and multipotent. The differentiation potential of multipotent stem cells in each tissue has been thought to be limited to cell lineages present in the organ from which they were derived. Recent studies, however, revealed that multipotent stem cells derived from adult tissues have much wider differentiation potential than was previously thought. These cells can differentiate into developmentally unrelated cell types, such as nerve stem cell into blood cells or muscle stem cell into brain cells. Neural stem cells isolated from the adult forebrain were recently shown to be capable of repopulating the hematopoietic system and produce blood cells in irradiated condition. In plants although the term$\boxDr$ stem cell$\boxUl$is not used, some cells in the second layer of tunica at the apical meristem of shoot, some nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac, and initial cells of adventive buds are considered to be equivalent to the totipotent stem cells of mammals. The telomere ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes cannot be replicated because the RNA primer at the end of a completed lagging strand cannot be replaced with DNA, causing 5' end gap. A chromosome would be shortened by the length of RNA primer with every cycle of DNA replication and cell division. Essential genes located near the ends of chromosomes would inevitably be deleted by end-shortening, thereby killing the descendants of the original cells. Telomeric DNA has an unusual sequence consisting of up to 1,000 or more tandem repeat of a simple sequence. For example, chromosome of mammal including human has the repeating telomeric sequence of TTAGGG and that of higher plant is TTTAGGG. This non-genic tandem repeat prevents the death of cell despite the continued shortening of chromosome length. In contrast with the somatic cells germ line cells have the mechanism to fill-up the 5' end gap of telomere, thus maintaining the original length of chromosome. Cem line cells exhibit active enzyme telomerase which functions to maintain the stable length of telomere. Some of the cloned animals are reported prematurely getting old. It has to be ascertained whether the multipotent stem cells in the tissues of adult mammals have the original telomeres or shortened telomeres.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.6 s.67
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• pp.906-912
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• 2004

Helicobacter pylori infection is highly prevalent, as high as 2/3 of whole population infected, in Korea. H. pylori infection initiates inflammation by induction of interleukin-8 through type IV secretion of CagA. It was recently suggested that induction failure of IL-8 is not associated with defect in cag PAI but associated with cagE locus diversity. This study was designed to investigate ability of 11-8 in-duction according to sequence variation within the cagE gene, cagA TP motifs and vacA m-types in vitro study using AGS cell-line, and to evaluate its association with different clinical outcome. Seventy-four H. pylori stains were isolated from 23 patients with gastric cancer (Ca), 24 subjects with gastritis (G) and 27 patients with duodenal ulcer (Du) in Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. cagE gene diversity was confirmed by the PCR-RFLP methods with MboI/NlaIII and tyrosine phosphate motifs (TPMs) of cagA was determined TPM-A and C by using DdeI/Tsp5091 restriction enzyme and TPM-B was determend by Real time PCR the method of Owen et al. and IL-8 was measured by ELISA assay. IL-8 activity was positively detected in 59 among 74 strains $(79.7\%)$. IL-8 secretion was significantly increased in MboI A and MboI B type compared to MboI C type and in MboI/NlaIII A-C and B-C type than C-C type. 1L-8 activity was not associated with either the number or composition of cagA tyrosine phosphorylation motifs and vacA m-type. There was no significant difference in IL-8 activity among patient groups. cagE gene diversity is thought to be mainly associated with the induction of IL-8 in H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.389-397
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• 2018

The structure of glycan residues attached to glycoproteins can influence the biological activity, stability, and safety of pharmaceutical proteins delivered from transgenic pig milk. The production of therapeutic glycoprotein in transgenic livestock animals is limited, as the glycosylation of mammary gland cells and the production of glycoproteins with the desired homogeneous glycoform remain a challenge. The ${\beta}$-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminylatransferase1 (B3GNT1) gene is an important enzyme that attaches N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to galactose (Gal) residues for protein glycosylation; however, there is limited information about pig glycosyltransferases. Therefore, we cloned the pig B3GNT1 (pB3GNT1) and investigated its functional properties that could attach N-acetylglucosamine to galactose residue. Using several different primers, a partial pB3GNT1 mRNA sequence containing the full open reading frame (ORF) was isolated from liver tissue. The ORF of pB3GNT1 contained 1,248 nucleotides and encoded 415 amino acid residues. Organ-dependent expression of the pB3GNT1 gene was confirmed in various organs from adult and juvenile pigs. The pB3GNT1 mRNA expression level was high in the muscles of the heart and small intestine but was lower in the lungs. For functional characterization of pB3GNT1, we established a stable expression of the pB3GNT1 gene in the porcine kidney cell line (PK-15). As a result, it was suggested that the glycosylation pattern of pB3GNT1 expression in PK-15 cells did not affect the total sialic acid level but increased the poly N-acetyllactosamine level. The results of this study can be used to produce glycoproteins with improved properties and therapeutic potential for the generation of desired glycosylation using transgenic pigs as bioreactors.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2000

Purpose: Our study was designed to investigate the association of MHC Class II (DR, DQ) allele with IgA nephropathy and its significance as a prognostic factor for progression to ESRD Material and Methods: 69 children with IgA nephropathy with normal renal function(serum creatinine $\leq$ 1.5mg/dL) was classified as group A and 70 patients who received renal transplantation due to IgA nephropathy were selected as group B. The HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 alleles were studied by polymerase chain reaction using sequence specific primers. We have compared the difference in alleles between these two groups and with normal control and also examined any possible effect of the MHC class II genes on the histopathological severity and prognosis of IgAN. Results: Mean age was $8.8{\pm}2.9$ years in group A and $35.0{\pm}15.5$ years in group B. Male to female ratio was 2.8:1 in group A and 2.5:1 in group B. There was a significantly higher frequency of HLA-$DQB1^*03\;and\;DQB1^*05$ in Group B. The frequency of HLA-$DQB1^*0302\;and\;^*05031$ allele had increasing tendency in Group B(P<0.05). HLA-$DRB1^*03\;and\;^*05$ were more common in Group B(P<0.05). HLA-$DRB1^*04$ allele was the most common DR alleles in both group, but there was no statistical significance. There were no significant correlation with MHC class 13 genes on the hjstopathological severity in Group A. Conclusion: In conclusion, $HLA-DQB1^*0302\;and\;HLA-DQB1^*05031 $ allele seemed to be more common in transplanted patients compared to group with normal renal function suggesting that this allele is associated with poor prognosis in IgAN. However larger studies and follow up are required to confirm this due to uncharacterized heterogeneity in etiopathogenesis of IgA nephropathy and possibly one or more than one gene may exert influence in determining susceptibility to the diseases.