• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제57권5호
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• pp.525-529
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• 2019

Blastocystis is one of the most commonly detected genera of protozoan parasites in the human intestines as well as the intestines of many other species such as pigs in several geographical regions worldwide. However, no studies have examined Blastocystis in pigs in Korea. In this study, PCR and nucleotide sequencing were performed to evaluate the genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of Blastocystis using pig fecal samples. We obtained 646 stool samples from groups of piglets, weaners, growers, finishers, and sows in Korea. A total of 390 Blastocystis-positive samples were identified, and the infection rate was 60.4%. The infection rates were significantly related to age and region. The 4 subtypes (STs) of Blastocystis confirmed by phylogenetic analysis were ST1, ST2, ST3, and ST5, indicating the high genetic diversity of Blastocystis in Korean pigs. ST5 was highly distributed in Korean pigs among detected STs in this study. Some sequences were closely related to those of Blastocystis isolated from humans. This is the first study of Blastocystis in pigs in Korea. Based on the results, Blastocystis is prevalent in Korean pigs. Although a small number of samples were obtained in some areas, the clinical development of Blastocystis infection in pigs and potential for human transmission should be further examined.

• Journal of Species Research
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.319-336
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• 2019

During an investigation of unrecorded prokaryotic species in Republic of Korea, a total of 53 bacterial strains belonging to the class Gammaproteobacteria were isolated from soil, seawater, tidal flats, rhizosphere, salt ponds, beach sand, urine, manure, sediment, and animal intestine (Russian grayling butterfly [Hipparchia autonoe], mouse [Mus musculus], and sea bass [Lateolabrax japonicus]). Strains were identified to species using the 16S rRNA gene sequence, showing high similarity (>98.7%) with the closest bacterial species and forming a robust clade in the neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. The 53 strains of Gammaproteobacteria in this study have not been report previously in Korea. Therefore, we describe 27 genera of 16 families in 7 orders: 13 strains in the order Alteromonadales, 1 strain in the order Chromatiales, 11 strains in the order Enterobacterales, 7 strains in the order Oceanospirillales, 10 strains in the order Pseudomonadales, 8 strains in the order Vibrionales, and 3 strains in the order Xanthomonadales. Gram reaction, strain ID, isolation source, and morphological and basic biochemical characteristics are described for each species.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2019년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.43-43
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• 2019

The collection, evaluation and conservation of crop germplasm have been treated as one of the basics to breeding program. An understanding of genetic relationships among germplasm resources is vital for future breeding process like yield, quality, and resistance. In the present study, EST-SSR markers were employed to assess the polymorphism and genetic diversity of 192 accessions of Proso millet preserved in the National Agrobiodiversity Center of RDA. We evaluated the efficiency of EST-SSR markers developed for proso millet species. A total of 98 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 4.5 per locus among 192 proso millet millet accessions using 22 EST-SSR markers. The averaged values of gene diversity ($H_E$) and polymorphism information content (PIC) for each EST-SSR marker were 0.362 and 0.404 within populations, respectively. Our results showed the moderate level of the molecular diversity among the proso millet accessions from diverse countries. A phylogenetic tree revealed three major groups of accessions that did not correspond with geographical distribution patterns with a few exceptions. The less correlation between the clusters and their geographic location might be considered due to their type difference. Our study provided a better understanding of genetic relationships among various germplasm collections, and it could contribute to more efficient utilization of valuable genetic resources. The EST-SSR markers developed here will serve as a valuable resource for genetic studies, like linkage mapping, diversity analysis, quantitative trait locus/association mapping, and molecular breeding.

• 한국환경농학회지
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.295-312
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Global warming is one of the most pressing environmental issues which concomitantly complicates global climate change. Methane emission is a balance between methanogenesis and methane consumption, both of which are driven by microbial actions in different ecosystems producing methane, one of the major greenhouse gases. Paddy fields are major sources of anthropogenic methane emissions and could be compounded by organic fertilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: Literature reviews were conducted to give an overview of the global warming conditions and to present the relationship of carbon and methane to greenhouse gas emissions, and the need to understand the underlying processes of methane emission. A more extensive review was done from studies on methane emission in paddy fields under organic fertilization with greater emphasis on long term amendments. Changes in paddy soils due to organic fertilization include alterations of the physicochemical properties and changes in biological components. There are diverse phylogenetic groups of methanogens and methane oxidizing bacteria involved in methane emission. Also, multiple factors influence methanogenesis and methane oxidation in rice paddy fields under organic fertilization and they should be greatly considered when developing mitigating steps in methane emission in paddy fields especially under long term organic fertilization. CONCLUSION(S): This review showed that organic fertilization, particularly for long term management practices, influenced both physicochemical and biological components of the paddy fields which could ultimately affect methanogenesis, methane oxidation, and methane emission. Understanding interrelated factors affecting methane emission helps create ways to mitigate their impact on global warming and climate change.

• ALGAE
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.217-228
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• 2019

The marine brown algal genus Colpomenia has a worldwide distribution, with five species reported in Korea and Japan. However, no studies to date attempted to identify the number of species and geographical distribution of Colpomenia along Chinese coast. To fill the biodiversity knowledge gap, we analyzed 63 mitochondrial cox3 and 62 mitochondrial atp6 sequences of Colpomenia specimens collected from 30 localities along the Chinese coast. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference trees suggest the presence of at least three Colpomenia species (i.e., C. peregrina, C. claytoniae, and C. sinuosa) in China. C. peregrina and C. claytoniae are documented for the first time. C. sinuosa was only found in the South China Sea and its distribution didn't overlap with that of C. peregrina which was found in the Yellow-Bohai Sea and the East China Sea. C. claytoniae appears to be confined to three isolated islands in the East and the South China Sea, where it occurs in sympatry with, respectively, C. peregrina and C. sinuosa. Future study can focus on comparing eco-physiological differences of Colpomenia species in response to environmental variables and exploring possible genetic hybridization / introgression at inter-specific contact zones.

• Journal of Species Research
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.161-175
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• 2019

During a comprehensive investigation of indigenous prokaryotic species in Korea, a total of 46 bacterial strains assigned to the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, and Epsilonproteobacteria were isolated from a diversity of habitats including freshwater, seawater, brackish water, ginseng soil, plant roots, natural caves, and tidal flats. Based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (>98.7%) and formation of strongly-supported phylogenetic clades with the closest type species, each strain was assigned to an independent, predefined bacterial species. Since there were no published or official reports regarding the isolation of these 46 species in Korea, here we report them as new species to Korea: 34 species in 14 families in the five orders of Alphaproteobacteria, 10 species in five families in the three orders of Betaproteobacteria, one species of Deltaproteobacteria and one species of Epsilonproteobacteria. Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, basic biochemical characteristics, isolation source, and strain IDs are described in the species description section.

• Mycobiology
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.151-160
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• 2021

Despite recent studies, relatively few are known about the diversity of fungal communities in the deep Atlantic Ocean. In this study, we investigated the diversity of fungal communities in 15 different deep-sea sediments from the South Atlantic Ocean with a culture-dependent approach followed by phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences. A total of 29 fungal strains were isolated from the 15 deep-sea sediments. These strains belong to four fungal genera, including Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Alternaria. Penicillium, accounting for 44.8% of the total fungal isolates, was a dominant genus. The antiaflatoxigenic activity of these deep-sea fungal isolates was studied. Surprisingly, most of the strains showed moderate to strong antiaflatoxigenic activity. Four isolates, belonging to species of Penicillium polonicum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Cladosporium cladosporioides, could completely inhibit not only the mycelial growth of Aspergillus parasiticus mutant strain NFRI-95, but also the aflatoxin production. To our knowledge, this is the first report to investigate the antiaflatoxigenic activity of culturable deep-sea fungi. Our results provide new insights into the community composition of fungi in the deep South Atlantic Ocean. The high proportion of strains that displayed antiaflatoxigenic activity demonstrates that deep-sea fungi from the Atlantic Ocean are valuable resources for mining bioactive compounds.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.336-346
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• 2020

Mitochondrial genome is an important molecule for systematic and evolutionary studies in metazoans. The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique has rapidly increased the number of mitogenome sequences. The process of generating mitochondrial genome based on NGS includes different steps, from DNA preparation, sequencing, assembly, and annotation. Despite the effort to improve sequencing, assembly, and annotation methods of mitogenome, the low quality and/or quantity sequence in the final map can still be generated through the work. Therefore, it is necessary to check and curate mitochondrial genome sequence after annotation for proofreading and feedback. In this study, we introduce the pipeline for sequencing and curation for mitogenome based on NGS. For this purpose, two mitogenome sequences of Dermatobranchus otome were sequenced by Illumina Miseq system with different amount of raw read data. Generated reads were targeted for assembly and annotation with commonly used programs. As abnormal repeat regions present in the mitogenomes after annotation, primers covering these regions were designed and conventional PCR followed by Sanger sequencing were performed to curate the mitogenome sequences. The obtained sequences were used to replace the abnormal region. Following the replacement, each mitochondrial genome was compared with the other as well as the sequences of close species available on the Genbank for confirmation. After curation, two mitogenomes of D. otome showed a typically circular molecule with 14,559 bp in size and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree revealed a close relationship between D. otome and Tritonia diomea. The finding of this study indicated the importance of caution and curation for the generation of mitogenome from NGS.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.488-500
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• 2022

Most fungal infections by opportunistic yeast pathogens such as Candida spp. are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with lowered immune. Previous studies have reported that some strains of Candida secret secondary metabolites play an important role in the decreasing of immunity in the infected patient. In this study, 110 Candida spp. were isolated from different clinical specimens from Baghdad hospitals. Candida isolates were identified by conventional methods, they were processed for Candida speciation on CHROMagar. The results of identification were confirmed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were analyzed with reference strains deposited in GenBank. Antifungal susceptibility testing was evaluated by the disc diffusion method and performed as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) M44-A document. Candida isolates investigated produce secondary metabolites gliotoxin with HPLC technique and quantification. Out of 110 Candida isolates, C. albicans (66.36%) was the most frequent isolate, followed by the isolates of C. tropicalis (10.9%) and C. glabrata (6.36%) respectively. Concerning the antifungal susceptibility test, Candida isolates showed a high level of susceptibility to Miconazole (70.9%), Itraconazole (68.2%), and Nystatine (64.5%). The ability of obtained isolates of Candida spp. to produce gliotoxin on RPMI medium was investigated, only 28 isolates had the ability to secret this toxin in culture filtrates. The highest concentrations were detected in C. albicans (1.048 ㎍/ml). Gliotoxin productivity of other Candida species was significantly lower. The retention time for gliotoxin was approximately 5.08 min.

• Journal of Species Research
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.165-173
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• 2023

Bacterial communities inhabiting islands play a vital role in the functioning and formation of a unique, isolated ecosystem. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of systematic research on the indigenous microbiological resources of the islands in Korea. To excavate microbial resources for further studies on the metabolism and biotechnological potential, a standard dilution plating was applied to coastal seawater samples collected from islands along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, including Deokjeokdo, Baengnyeongdo, and Daebudo in 2022. A total of 2,007 bacterial strains were isolated from the samples as single colonies and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. A total of 20 strains, with ≥98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to bacterial species having validly published names but not reported in Korea, were designated as unrecorded bacterial species in Korea. The unrecorded bacterial strains were phylogenetically diverse and belonged to four phyla, five classes, 12 orders, 17 families, and 18 genera. The unreported species were assigned to Algimonas, Amylibacter, Notoacmeibacter, Roseibium, and Terasakiella of the class Alphaproteobacteria; Alteromonas, Congregibacter, Marinagarivorans, Marinicella, Oceanospirillum, Psychromonas, Thalassotalea, Umboniibacter, and Vibrio of the class Gammaproteobacteria; Lutibacter and Owenweeksia of the class Flavobacteriia; Paenibacillus of the class Bacilli; and Pelagicoccus of the class Opitutae. The taxonomic characteristics of the unreported species, including morphology, biochemistry, and phylogenetic position are provided in detail.