• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2015

In this study, single PCR and multiplex PCR tests were examined for identification of four types of squid species (giant squid, cuttlefish, octopus, beka squid) purchased from fish market as well as aquatic processed products in Busan. To design the specific primers against each species, the nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial 16s rRNA gene of Architeuthis dux, Todarodes pacificus, Enteroctopus dofleini, Enteroctopus megalocyathus, Uroteuthis chinensis, Uroteuthis duvauceli, Uroteuthis edulis groups were analyzed for the identification of each species registered in the GeneBank (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and have been used for comparative analysis. In order to obtain the size variation of amplified fragments on multiplex PCR, we designed KOJ-F, OJ-F, OCT-F, HAN-F, ALLR primers for each species. The optimal PCR conditions and primers were selected for four types of squid species to determine target base sequences in its PCR products. In the case of single PCR, giant squid was only amplified by KOJ-F/ALLR primer; cuttlefish was only amplified by OJ-F/ALLR primer; octopus was only amplified by OCT-F/ALLR primer; and beka squid was only amplified by HAN-F/ALLR primer. For multiplex PCR, the mixture of four kinds of genomic DNA (giant squid, cuttlefish, octopus, beka squid) been prepared as a template and used together with the mixture of KOJ-F/OJ-F/OCT-F/HAN-F/ALLR primers in the reaction. By the multiplex PCR, it is confirmed that four samples are correspond to multiple simultaneous amplicon. Finally, we validated the established methods of multiplex PCR in the aquatic processed products. Although the mitochondrial 16s rRNA primers used in this study was useful as a marker for detection of each species among them, the study indicated that the established multiplex PCR method can be more useful tool for monitoring the processed products.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.173-178
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• 1998

Leptin, the product of the obese gene, is produced by adipose tissue and is known to be a hormone concerned with regulation of appetite and metabolism. Recent reports have shown that leptin is associated not only with obesity but also with female reproduction, but it has not yet been ascertained whether leptin acts directly on the ovaries or indirectly via the hypothalamus or pituitary pathway. The object of this study is to determine the expression of leptin and its receptor in the ovaries of 3 and 8 weeks old rats by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. In the ovaries of 3 and 8 weeks old rats, leptin was stained in the theca cells and portions of granulosa cells of atretic follicles, whereas leptin receptors was stained in interstitial cells and ova of preantral follicles. The RT-PCR results showed that leptin receptor mRNA was expressed in the ovaries of both immature and adult rats, while leptin mRNA was not. In conclusion, leptin mRNA was not expressed in the ovaries, however, leptin was detected by immunohistochemistry. Compared to leptin itself, leptin receptors in the ovaries were ascertained by both RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. These results suggest that leptin is related to the regulation of the physiological functions of the ovaries.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2002

Leptin, a product of the obese gene, is associated not only with obesity but also with female reproductive function, but it has not yet been ascertained whether leptin acts directly on the ovary or indirectly via the hypothalamus-pituitary pathway. Therefore, the object of this study was to investigate the expession of leptin and its receptor in the rat ovary by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR during the estrous cycle. Immunohistochemistry results showed that leptin was stained in the theca cells and in part of granulosa cells in atretic follicles, whereas leptin receptor was localized in the interstitial cells and ova in preantral follicies. In particular, leptin and its receptor in atretic follicles displayed more intensive staining compared to those in normal follicles. During the estrous cycle, the mRNA expression of leptin and its receptor in the ovary was detected by RT-PCR and estradiol, progesterone, and leptin levels in the serum was measured by ELISA. The leptin level in the serum on metestrous phase was significantly higher than that on estrous phase. Similar to leptin level, progesterone level increased on metestrous phase. Leptin mRNA was not detected throughout the estrous cycle, whereas leptin receptor mRNA was expressed on all phases of estrous cycle excepting the diestrous phase. These results suggest that leptin might be directly involved in the regulation of ovarian function in rat.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.185-189
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• 2002

Along with the worldwide rapid increase of the cultivation area and commercial production of genetically modified (GM) crops, the amount of GM grains imported to Korea has also been increasing. Roundup-Ready soybean (RRS) was introduced with 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-photphate synthase (EPSPS) gene derived from Agrobacterium CP4 to confer the resistance to herbicide, glyphosate. In this study, we tried to develop PCR-based analytical method to detection the presence of RRS among non-GM soybeans. In order to detect RRS specifically, oligonucleotide primers were specifically designed based on the nucleotide sequence of EPSPS transgene. Qualitative PCR method was established and its specificity and accuracy were confirmed by analysing the nucleotide sequence of PCR DNA fragments. Bioassay was also conducted by spraying glyphosate at seedling stage. Survived individuals showed obvious resistance to Roundup Ready, however all of non-GM seedlings died in two weeks after spray. Conclusively, the highly selective detection systems for RRS were successfully established by both PCR using specific primers to EPSPS transgene and bioassay using the herbicide resistance of RRS. In addition to, the imported soybean showed to be mixed to several varieties regarding to 100-seed weight and hilum color.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.555-562
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• 2018

Swine influenza virus (SIV) causes one of the most common diseases of the pig population, and its subtypes are determined by hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Recently, the SIV subtype diagnosis has been developed. The method using antigen-antibody reaction rather than PCR was mainly used because of the large change in the ribonucleotide sequences of SIV. Here, we have developed 10 diagnostic primer sets through multi-nucleotide sequences alignment of spreaded SIV since 2008 in Korea and then optimized the reaction of the one-step RT-PCR for rapid determination of SIV subtype. In addition, specific primers were designed to early determine the pandemic SIV by detecting unique M sequences proven in highly infectious and virulent subtypes of the influenza H1N1 (pH1N1). Here, some of the SIVs spread in Korea from 2008 to 2014 have been tested to determine the subtypes and pandemic potential of SIV. All diagnostic primer sets were found to be able to accurately determine the SIV subtype and to detect the pandemic SIV. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the optimized one-step RT-PCR analysis using these primer sets is useful for rapid diagnosis of SIV subtypes. These results can be used for development of SIV subtype diagnostic kit to early detect before virulent SIV spreads do.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2019

Tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) is an internal parasite that is parasitic on the bronchus of adult bees and sucks fluid from the trachea. Since its first report by Rennie, it has been spread throughout Europe and in some Asian regions, with adjacent Japan and China reported in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Korea detected specific genes of A. woodi in 2015, but only one of 99 samples has been identified and the being of A. woodi has not been confirmed. In this study, we established a specific nested PCR method to confirm for detecting low-copy number of A. woodi-specific gene in bee samples. As a result, A. woodi-specific COI gene was amplified in 15 of 23 samples, and they were judged positive by melting point analysis and sequencing analysis. Although we could not observe the existence of the mites in bees, our results suggest that tracheal mit might exist in nature.

• Mycobiology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2004

Molecular approaches, internal transcribed spacer(ITS) sequences of ribosomal DNA, and Universal Rice Primer Polymerase Chain Reaction(URP-PCR) were used to investigate the genetic diversity, taxonomic complexity, and relationships of Trichoderma species in mushroom farms. Forty-one isolates of 13 Trichoderma spp. were used in this study and clustered into eight groups. The DNA fingerprint patterns and ITS1 region sequence alignment data showed similar results, but not in some species, such as T. virens, T. atroviride, T. harzianum, and T. aureoviride. Results of this study have proven that the morphology-based taxonomic system has some limitations in terms of classification. The data obtained in this study would be a good index for classifying indistinguishable Trichoderma strains.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.29 no.A
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• pp.161-167
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• 2009

The bifunctional Xylanase-Cellulase hybrid protein was constructed by gene fusion. Two genes corresponding to endoxylanase gene (xylS) and endocellulase gene (celA) were amplified by PCR from Bacillus licleniformis NBL420. It was then linked through splicing by overlap extension (SOE) by PCR method. The two resulting fused hybrids, xyl/cel and cel/xyl, which differ by its orientation, were confirmed by its nucleotide sequencings. One of two fusion genes, xyl/cel was successfully expressed into pET22b(+) vector (pxyl/cel) with bifunctional xylanase-cellulase activity. On the contrary, the other cel/xyl fusion protein showed only cellulase activity with much decreased xylanase activity. Enzymatic properties of Xyl/Cel fusion protein were investigated regarding optimum pH, optimum temp, thermostability, and pH stability. It was revealed that Xyl/Cel fusion protein retained the bifunctional xylanase-cellulase activities eventhough two enzymes were connected with each other directly. These informations could be useful for construction of other hybrid proteins as well as increased range of substrate utilization.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.599-606
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• 2001

Background : Since the advent of AIDS, tuberculosis has become a major public health problem in the western society. Therefore, it is essential that pulmonary tuberculosis be rapidly diagnosed. Light microscopic detection of acid-fast organisms in sputum has traditionally been used for rapidly diagnosing tuberculosis. However positive smears are only observed in about one-half to three-quarters of cases. Studies using PCR for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis disclosed several shortcomings suggesting an inability to distinguish between active and treated or inactive tuberculosis. In this study, the clinical significance of a PCR-based rapid technique for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in peripheral blood was investigated. Materials and Methods : From July 1, 1998 through to August 30, 1999, 59 patients with presumed tuberculosis, who had no previous history of anti-tuberculosis medication use within one year prior to this study were recruited and followed up for more than 3 months. AFB stain and culture in the sputum and/or pleural fluids and biopsies when needed were performed. Blood samples from each of the 59 patients were obtained in order to identify Mycobacterium Tuberculosis DNA by a PCR test. Results : 1) Forty five out of 59 patients had a final diagnosis of tuberculosis ; Twenty eight were confirmed as having active pulmonary tuberculosis by culture or biopsy. Four were clinically diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. The other 13 patients were diagnosed as having tuberculous pleurisy (9) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (4). 2) Fourteen patients showed a positive blood PCR test. The PCR assay correctly identified active tuberculosis in 13 out of 14 patients. The overall sensitivity and specificity of this blood peR assay for diagnosing tuberculosis were 29% and 93%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 93%, the negative predictive value was 29% and the diagnostic accuracy was 44%.3) Six out of 14(43%) patients with blood PCR positive tuberculosis were immunologically compromised hosts. 4) A simple chest radiograph in blood PCR positive tuberculosis patients showed variable and inconsistent findings. Conclusion : A peripheral blood PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not recommended as a screening method for diagnosing active tuberculosis. However, it was suggested that the blood PCR assay could contribute to an early diagnostic rate due to its high positive predictive value.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 2016

Tuberculosis (TB) remains an unsolved community health problem since identification of its causing microorganism called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by Robert Koch in 1882. Annually, eight million TB cases are newly reported and 2~3 million patients die from TB. Pulmonary TB is highly infectious and untreated pulmonary TB patients are believed to infect >10 people in a year. The conventional methods for diagnosis of TB are chest X-ray and isolation of the causing microorganisms from patient specimens. Screening of TB is conducted with smeared sputum in slides, and TB is confirmed by identification of MTB in cultured specimens. One of the fatal pitfalls of screening detection for smeared sputum is that it is impossible to distinguish MTB and other acid-fast bacilli (AFB) because they are stained equally with Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stain. Culture of MTB is the most reliable method for diagnosis of TB but it takes 4~8 weeks. In this report, we suggest a fast and highly-reliable MTB detection method that distinguishes AFB in sputum samples. Purified DNA from the AFB stained slide samples offered by The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis were used to detect infected MTB in patients. PCR, real-time PCR and reverse blot hybridization assay (REBA) methods were applied to purified DNA. Conclusively, the real-time PCR method was confirmed to produce high sensitivity and we were able to further detect drug-resistant MTB with REBA.