• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2013

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the pathogen of paratuberculosis called Johne's disease. Johne's disease is hardly eliminated because of its long latent period and continuous dissemination, so it is found in ruminants worldwide and can cause substantial economic losses in cattle. It has been reported in many studies on the distribution of Johne's disease in some provinces of Korea that not many, but noticeable numbers of infected cows have been detected since the first detection in 1984. The aims of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Johne's disease obtained from slaughtered cattle in central area of Gyeongnam province, Korea. In this study, the ELISA serum antibody test and PCR were employed on a total of 240 blood and ileac substrate samples from slaughtered cattle in two slaughtering and wholesale centers in Gyeongsangnam-do Livestock Veterinary Research Institute Central Branch. Out of the entire 240 blood samples, three (1.3%) were positive by ELISA, while five (2.1%) were suspected cattle. But ileac substrate samples, eight (3.3%) were positive by PCR. By breeds, positive rates of ELISA and PCR in Korean native cattle were 1.3% and 3.5%, respectively, but no positive cows were found in dairy cattle. By provinces, sero-positive rates of Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk were 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively. And PCR positive rates of Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk and other provinces were 2.4%, 5.0% and 2.8%, respectively. These results indicate that it requires the nationwide monitoring test and measure to deal with subclinically infected slaughtering cows.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2003

We cloned a gene encoding acetyl xylan esterase(axeA) of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) and studied its expression pattern in Escherichia coli. The full sequence of axeA was amplified by PCR. Sequence analysis of the PCR product revealed an open reading frame of 1,008 nucleotides encoding a protein consisted of 335 amino acid residues, with a calculated molecular mass of about 38 kDa. The base sequence showed 98% homology to the same gene of Streptomyces lividans. Two different kinds of acetyl xylan esterases were produced in Escherichia coli(pLacI) by IPTG induction; their molecular weights were 38 kDa and 34 kDa, respectively. Of these, 38 kDa protein seemed to be a total protein holding N-terminal signal peptide region, whereas 34 kDa protein seemed to be a matured protein without signal peptide which was produced by peptide bond cleavage between two amino acid residues of alanine 41 and alanine 42.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.335-339
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• 1999

Citrus tristeza virus(CTV), an aphid-borne closterovirus, is one of the most destructive pathogens of citrus. It has caused rapid decline in growth, stem pitting and death in citrus trees. A reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed for detection of CTV and investigation of the CTV infection status of citrus and its related cultivars in Cheju island. For RT-PCR based CTV detection, primers were designed to amplify 670bp of coat protein gene. A screening test for CTV in citrus cultivars was conducted from March to July in 1999. Seventy individual citrus trees representing 9 species of 3 genera were tested. The infection rates of CTV for leaves from the years or older trees of late maturing citrus varieties such as Yuzu (C. junos Sieb. ex Tanaka), Navel orange (C.sinensis Osbeck), Kiyomitanger (C. unshiu x C. sinensis), and Shiranuhi ((C. unshiu x C. sinensis) x C. reticulata) were 100%, 80%, 60%, and 60% respectively. The CTV infection rates in Early satsuma mandarins such as 'Miyagawa Early' Satsuma mandarins (C. unshiu Marc. var. Miyagawa) and 'Okitsu Early' Satsuma mandarins (C. unshiu Marc. var. Okitsu) were 100%, and 60%, respectively. CTV was not detected in Cheju native Dangyooja (C. unshiu Marc. var. Osbeck), Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) and Kumquat (Fortunella margarita Swingle). In conclusion, RT-PCR assay can be successfully applied to the detection of CTV in citrus trees.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1487-1492
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• 2014

This research applied and evaluated a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using cytochrome b gene to detect pork contamination in meatballs from local markets in Surabaya and Yogyakarta regions, Indonesia. To confirm the effectiveness and specificity of this fragment, thirty nine DNA samples from different meatball shops were isolated and amplified, and then the PCR amplicon was digested by BseDI restriction enzyme to detect the presence of pork in meatballs. BseDI restriction enzyme was able to cleave porcine cytochrome b gene into two fragments (131 bp and 228 bp). Testing the meatballs from the local market showed that nine of twenty meatball shops in Yogyakarta region were detected to have pork contamination, but there was no pork contamination in meatball shops in Surabaya region. In conclusion, specific PCR amplification of cytochrome b gen and cleaved by BseDI restriction enzymes seems to be a powerful technique for the identification of pork presence in meatball because of its simplicity, specificity and sensitivity. Furthermore, pork contamination intended for commercial products of sausage, nugget, steak and meat burger can be checked. The procedure is also much cheaper than other methods based on PCR, immunodiffusion and other techniques that need expensive equipment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.744-750
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• 1999

Forty alcohol yeast strains were isolated from the main mashes (10 strains from each mash) for brewing of 4 different kinds of Korean traditional liquor (3 different types of Yakju and 1 Takju). Thirty-eight out of 40 strains were identified to be the same strain, Saccharomyces boulardii, by the Automated Bacteria, Yeast, and Fungi Identification System (Biolog Co., U.S.A.) based on the metabolic fingerprints. One strain that showed the highest ethanol production among the 38 strains in YPD medium, designated SHY 111, was selected and used for differentiating from other yeast type strains using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amplified DNA, from transcribed internal spacers of SHY 111 chromosomal DNA, was found to be the same in both size and sequence as those of S. cerevisiae KCCM 11215 (formerly S. coreanus) and S. boulardii along with that of S. cerevisiae AB 972, which was used as a type strain for the yeast genome project. However, when PCR was carried out with the intron splice site primer, it resulted in the amplification of the SHY 111-specific DNA fragment which was about 200 bp in size. When PCR was carried out using the primer to test diversity of 40 isolated yeast strains, it was found that the PCR patterns were similar to each other except for the 200 bp bands derived from all the 10 strains from one Yakju, and 2 strains from another Yakju. These results suggest the strain identified as S. boulardii by the Automated Identification System to be a dominant strain for the fermentation of Korean traditional liquors.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2184-2191
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• 2016

The time-consuming and high-cost preparation of soluble peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC) currently limits their wide uses in monitoring antigen-specific T cells. The single-chain trimer (SCT) of peptide-${\beta}2m$-MHC class I heavy chain was developed as an alternative strategy, but its gene fusion is hindered in many cases owing to the incompatibility between the multiple restriction enzymes and the restriction endonuclease sites of plasmid vectors. In this study, overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning were adopted to overcome this restriction. The SCT gene of the $OVA_{257-264}$ peptide-$(GS_4)_3-{\beta}2m-(GS_4)_4-H-2K^b$ heavy chain was constructed and inserted into plasmid pET28a by overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning, without the requirement of restriction enzymes. The SCT protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, and then purified and refolded. The resulting $H-2K^b/OVA_{257-264}$ complex showed the correct structural conformation and capability to bind with $OVA_{257-264}$-specific T-cell receptor. The overlap extension PCR and one-step cloning ensure the construction of single-chain MHC class I molecules associated with random epitopes, and will facilitate the preparation of soluble pMHC multimers.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 2014

PCR detection of intestinal protozoa is often restrained by a poor DNA recovery or by inhibitors present in feces. The need for an extraction protocol that can overcome these obstacles is therefore clear. $QIAamp^{(R)}$ DNA Stool Mini Kit (Qiagen) was evaluated for its ability to recover DNA from oocysts/cysts directly from feces. Twenty-five Giardia-positive, 15 Cryptosporidium-positive, 15 Entamoeba histolytica-positive, and 45 protozoa-free samples were processed as control by microscopy and immunoassay tests. DNA extracts were amplified using 3 sets of published primers. Following the manufacturer's protocol, the kit showed sensitivity and specificity of 100% towards Giardia and Entamoeba. However, for Cryptosporidium, the sensitivity and specificity were 60% (9/15) and 100%, respectively. A series of optimization experiments involving various steps of the kit's protocol were conducted using Cryptosporidium-positive samples. The best DNA recoveries were gained by raising the lysis temperature to the boiling point for 10 min and the incubation time of the InhibitEX tablet to 5 min. Also, using a pre-cooled ethanol for nucleic acid precipitation and small elution volume ($50-100{\mu}l$) were valuable. The sensitivity of the amended protocol to Cryptosporidium was raised to 100%. Cryptosporidium DNA was successfully amplified by either the first or the second primer set. When applied on parasite-free feces spiked with variable oocysts/cysts counts, ${\approx}2$ oocysts/cysts were theoretically enough for detection by PCR. To conclude, the Qiagen kit with the amended protocol was proved to be suitable for protozoan DNA extraction directly from feces and support PCR diagnosis.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.612-616
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• 2006

In recent years, there has been increasing concerns in gene flow from GM crops to wild or weedy relatives as a potential risk in the commercialization of GM crops. To access the possibility of the environmental impacts by GM rice, small-scale experiments of gene transfer were carried out. Herbicide and drought stress resistant GM rice and non-GM rice Nakdongbyeo, wild rice Oryza nivara, and weedy rice Sharebyeo were used for artificial pollination experiments and bar gene was used as a tractable marker after pollination. The harvested putative hybrid seeds after artificial pollination were germinated and true hybrid plants were selected by basta treatment. The hybrid plants were verified again by PCR amplification of bar and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) genes and RAPD PCR analysis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.326-329
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• 2017

Background: Cultivated ginseng is often introduced as a substitute and adulterant of Russian wild ginseng due to its lower cost or misidentification caused by similarity in appearance with wild ginseng. The aim of this study is to develop a simple and reliable method to differentiate Russian wild ginseng from cultivated ginseng. Methods: The mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 7 (nad7) intron 3 regions of Russian wild ginseng and Chinese cultivated ginseng were analyzed. Based on the multiple sequence alignment result, a specific primer for Russian wild ginseng was designed by introducing additional mismatch and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for identification of wild ginseng. Real-time allele-specific PCR with endpoint analysis was used for validation of the developed Russian wild ginseng single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker. Results: An SNP site specific to Russian wild ginseng was exploited by multiple alignments of mitochondrial nad7 intron 3 regions of different ginseng samples. With the SNP-based specific primer, Russian wild ginseng was successfully discriminated from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng samples by allele-specific PCR. The reliability and specificity of the SNP marker was validated by checking 20 individuals of Russian wild ginseng samples with real-time allele-specific PCR assay. Conclusion: An effective DNA method for molecular discrimination of Russian wild ginseng from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng was developed. The established real-time allele-specific PCR was simple and reliable, and the present method should be a crucial complement of chemical analysis for authentication of Russian wild ginseng.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.193-204
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• 2020

Sixteen acetic acid bacteria (AAB) were isolated from blueberries and citric fruits of the Salto Grande region (Concordia, Entre Rios, Argentina) using enrichment techniques and plate isolation. Enrichment broths containing ethanol and acetic acid enabled maximum AAB recovery, since these components promote their growth. Biochemical tests allowed classification of the bacteria at genus level. PCR-RFLP of the 16S rRNA and PCR-RFLP of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer allowed further classification at the species level; this required treatment of the amplified products of 16S and 16S-23S ITS ribosomal genes with the following restriction enzymes: AluI, RsaI, HaeIII, MspI, TaqI, CfoI, and Tru9I. C7, C8, A80, A160, and A180 isolates were identified as Gluconobacter frateurii; C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, A70, and A210 isolates as Acetobacter pasteurianus; A50 and A140 isolates as Acetobacter tropicalis; and C9 isolate as Acetobacter syzygii. The bacteria identified by 16S rRNA PCR-RFLP were validated by 16S-23S PCR-RFLP; however, the C1 isolate showed different restriction patterns during identification and validation. Partial sequencing of the 16S gene resolved the discrepancy.