• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.365-370
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• 2013

The plume fruit moth, Grapholita dimorpha Komai, a fruit tree pest occurring in the northeast Asia, was firstly reported to infest apple in Korea in 2009, but its direct damage to other fruit trees has been poorly studied. In this study, we investigated shoots and fruits of both peach and plum trees and compared their damage rates by G. dimorpha to those by G. molesta, a congeneric species. In order to discriminate the two moth species, we developed a molecular diagnosis method using species-specific primer sets on different PCR conditions and distinguished the two species collected from the damaged shoots or fruits. The shoots and fruits of peach were infested mostly by G. molesta. However, in plums, the shoots were damaged by G. molesta and the fruits mostly by G. dimorpha. In addition, these two species showed a clear difference in host preference in fruit damage, where 92.5% of the Grapholita moths collected in peach fruits were identified as G. molesta, but 97.0% of the moths in plum fruits were G. dimorpha. The difference of the damage between the two fruit trees may give important information for monitoring of the two moth species in these orchards.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2006

This study was conducted to identify native ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi colonizing Pinus densiflora for revegetation of abandoned coal mines in Korea. Seedlings of P. densiflora growing on coal mining spoils of a study site in Samcheok were collected. ECM roots were observed under stereomicroscope and their DNA were extracted from each root tip for a seedling for molecular identification. A PCR primer pair specific to fungi, ITS1F and ITS4, was used to amplify fungal DNA. Restriction enzymes, Alul and Hinfl were used for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Combined with RFLP profiles and sequence analysis, total twenty one taxa were identified from the ECM root tips. Basidiomycetous fungi including Thelephoraceae, Pezizales, Laccaria, Pisolithus and Ascomycetous fungi including ericoid mycorrhizal fungi were identified from this study. Results showed that the most frequently found in the study sites was a species in Thelephoraceae. A possible use of ECM fungi identified in this study for the revegetation of abandoned coal mines with P. densiflora was discussed.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.182-186
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• 2004

Morphological observation of roots and molecular technique were used to investigate the symbiotic relationships between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and ginseng roots. Korean ginseng, Panax ginseng, was collected from 8 sites in Korea. Colonization pattern of AM fungi in ginseng roots was determined as an Arum type under light microscopes. Nested PCR using AM fungal specific primers was employed to amplify a partial region on 18s rDNA of AM fungi from the root extracted mixed DNA. The amplified DNA was cloned and analyzed by random fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with restriction enzymes, AluI, HinfI and AsuC21. One from each RFLP pattern was selected for sequencing. A total 16 clones were sequenced and identified as 2 species of AM fungi; Paraglomus brasilianum and Glomus spurcum. Paramglomus brasilianum was found from most of the ginseng roots, in this syudy suggesting that this species of AM fungi could have specific relationship with the ginseng root. Possible roles of AM fungal species in ginseng roots are discussed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2013

Amoebic keratitis (AK) caused by Acanthamoeba is one of the most serious corneal infections. AK is frequently misdiagnosed initially as viral, bacterial, or fungal keratitis, thus ensuring treatment delays. Accordingly, the early detection of Acanthamoeba would contribute significantly to disease management and selection of an appropriate anti-amoebic therapy. Recently, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method has been applied to the clinical diagnosis of a range of infectious diseases. Here, we describe a rapid and efficient LAMP-based method targeting Acanthamoeba 18S rDNA gene for the detection of Acanthamoeba using clinical ocular specimens in the diagnosis of AK. Acanthamoeba LAMP assays detected 11 different strains including all AK-associated species. The copy number detection limit for a positive signal was 10 DNA copies of 18S rDNA per reaction. No cross-reactivity with the DNA of fungi or other protozoa was observed. The sensitivity of LAMP assay was higher than those of Nelson primer PCR and JDP primer PCR. In the present study, LAMP assay based on directly heat-treated samples was found to be as efficient at detecting Acanthamoeba as DNA extracted using a commercial kit, whereas PCR was only effective when commercial kit-extracted DNA was used. This study showed that the devised Acanthamoeba LAMP assay could be used to diagnose AK in a simple, sensitive, and specific manner.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.131.1-131
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• 2003

This study reports the identification of species of Colletotrichum strains originating from red-pepper and Chinese matrimony vine in Cheongyang. Ninteen isolates of red-pepper and 26 Coiletotrichum isolates of Chinese matrimony vine were compared with 5 isolates of strawberry representing C. gloeosporioides, by use of morphological and cultural criteria. Twenty three isolates among 26 isolates from Chinese matrimony vine were identified as C. acutatum, characterized by the low growth rates and the low sensitivity to carbendazim and diethofencarb. Also, all the isolates of red-pepper were identified as C. acutatum, showing the same characteristics as those of Chinese matrimony vine. Three and five isolates from Chinese matrimony vine and strawberry, respectively, were identified as C. gloeosporioides, characterized by the high growth rates and the high seneitivity to carbendazim and diethofencarb. There were differences in colony color and pathogenicity between Chinese matrimony vine isolates and red-pepper isolates of C. autatum. The isolates of C. acutatum from Chinese matrimony vine producing orange colored colonies with abundant spores showed the strong pathogenicity to Chinese matrimony vine, although they could not infect fruits of red-pepper by the wound inoculation. However, red-pepper isolates of C. acutatum producing gray colonies showed the strong pathogenicity to Chinese matrimony vine as well as red-pepper. Furthermore, comparative study on PCR amplification of ITS regions of rDNA was carried out using a number of Colletotrichum isolates. A species-specific primer could be used for the identification of C. acutatum from red-pepper and Chinese matrimony vine.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.382-388
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• 2014

Shortfin eel (Anguilla bicolor pacifica) is a species of commercial importance and its production is greatly affected due to the infection by Heterosporis anguillarum. In this study, we evaluated the effect of H. anguillarum infection on the growth of Shortfin eel. A disease that trunk muscle of cultured shortfin eel, Anguilla bicolor pacifica, were irregular and resulted in death, breakout of the commercial eel culture farm. We observed that the trunk muscle of infected eels were irregular and represented white or yellowish externally. Histopathologically, a great numbers of large or small spores and sporophorocysts were also observed in degenerated muscle layer. The cloning of specific gene of H. anguillarum, encoding small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) from the muscle lesion of diseased eel. The size of clone gene is well matched with the size of small subunit ribosomal RNA of H. anguillarum and thus confirming the infection by H. anguillarum.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.799-807
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• 2014

Meat source fraud and adulteration scandals have led to consumer demands for accurate meat identification methods. Nucleotide amplification assays have been proposed as an alternative method to protein-based assays for meat identification. In this study, we designed Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays targeting species-specific mitochondrial DNA to identify and discriminate eight meat species; cattle, pig, horse, goat, sheep, chicken, duck, and turkey. The LAMP primer sets were designed and the target genes were discriminated according to their unique annealing temperature generated by annealing curve analysis. Their unique annealing temperatures were found to be $85.56{\pm}0.07^{\circ}C$ for cattle, $84.96{\pm}0.08^{\circ}C$ for pig, and $85.99{\pm}0.05^{\circ}C$ for horse in the BSE-LAMP set (Bos taurus, Sus scrofa domesticus and Equus caballus); $84.91{\pm}0.11^{\circ}C$ for goat and $83.90{\pm}0.11^{\circ}C$ for sheep in the CO-LAMP set (Capra hircus and Ovis aries); and $86.31{\pm}0.23^{\circ}C$ for chicken, $88.66{\pm}0.12^{\circ}C$ for duck, and $84.49{\pm}0.08^{\circ}C$ for turkey in the GAM-LAMP set (Gallus gallus, Anas platyrhynchos and Meleagris gallopavo). No cross-reactivity was observed in each set. The limits of detection (LODs) of the LAMP assays in raw and cooked meat were determined from $10pg/{\mu}L$ to $100fg/{\mu}L$ levels, and LODs in raw and cooked meat admixtures were determined from 0.01% to 0.0001% levels. The assays were performed within 30 min and showed greater sensitivity than that of the PCR assays. These novel LAMP assays provide a simple, rapid, accurate, and sensitive technology for discrimination of eight meat species.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.59-68
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• 2009

Objectives : Bupleuri Radix (Siho) is prescribed as the root of different Bupleurum species on the pharmarcopoeia in Korea and China. Moreover, other species and varieties of the genus Bupleurum have been also distributed on the herbal market as Bupleuri Radix. However, due to the morphological similarity and frequent occurrence of intermediate forms, the correct identification of this radix is very difficult. To develop a reliable method for correct identification and improving the quality standards of official Bupleuri Radix, we analyzed sequences of the ribosomal RNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (rDNA-ITS) region. Methods : PCR amplification of rDNA-ITS region was performed using ITS1 and ITS4 primer from 6 Bupleurum species and 1 variety, B. falcatum L. (Siho), an improved breed of B. falcatum L. (Samdo-Siho), B. chinense DC. (Buk-Siho), B. scorzonerifolium Willd. (Nam-Siho), B. longiadiatum Turcz. (Gae-Siho), B. euphorbiodes Nakai (Deungdae-Siho) and B. latissimum Nakai (Seom-Siho), and nucleotide sequence was determined after sub-cloning into the pGEM-Teasy vector. Authentic marker nucleotides were estimated by the analysis of ClastalW using entire rDNA-ITS sequence of three samples per species. Results : In comparative analysis of the rDNA-ITS sequences, we found specific nucleotides to distinguish Korean (B. falcatum L. and its variety) and Chinese official species (B. chinense DC. and B. scorzonerifolium Willd.) from others at positions 411 and 447, and positions 89, 101, 415 and 599, respectively. Futhermore, we also found nucleotide indels (insertion and/or deletion) and substitutions to identify each of different Bupleurum species, 2 positions for B. falcatum L. and its variety, 6 positions for B. chinense DC., 49 positions for B. scorzonerifolium Willd., 8 positions for B. euphorbioides Nakai, 7 positions for B. longiradiatum Nakai and 9 positions for B. latissimum Nakai. These sequence differences at corresponding positions are avaliable nucleotide markers to determine the botanical origins of Bupleuri Radix. Moreover, we confirmed the phylogenetic relationship of B. latissimum Nakai, a Korean endemic speices, among Bupleurum species based on the rDNA-ITS sequence. Conclusions : These marker nucleotides would be useful to identify the official herbal medicines by the providing of definitive information that can identify each plant species and distinguish it from unauthentic adulterant Bupleurum species.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2017

A survey was conducted to determine the status of Lucerne transient streak virus (LTSV) in three high-yielding alfalfa regions in central Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Qassim, and Hail) during 2014. Three hundred and eight symptomatic alfalfa, and seven Sonchus oleraceus samples were collected. DAS-ELISA indicated that 59 of these samples were positive to LTSV. Two isolates of LTSV from each region were selected for molecular studies. RT-PCR confirmed the presence of LTSV in the selected samples using a specific primer pair. Percentage identity and homology tree comparisons revealed that all Saudi isolates were more closely related to each other but also closely related to the Canadian isolate-JQ782213 (97.1-97.6%) and the New Zealand isolate-U31286 (95.8-97.1%). Comparing Saudi isolates of LTSV with ten other sobemoviruses based on the coat protein gene sequences confirmed the distant relationship between them. Eleven out of fourteen plant species used in host range study were positive to LTSV. This is the first time to document that Trifolium alexandrinum, Nicotiana occidentalis, Chenopodium glaucum, and Lathyrus sativus are new host plant species for LTSV and that N. occidentalis being a good propagative host for it.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 2012

In reared populations of Allomyrina dichotoma, commercial insects, the skin of last instar larvae was changed softer with opaque white, and infested grubs eventually died. To clarify the cause of the symptom, we collected the larvae of A. dichotoma from five farms and examined their intestinal bacterial florae using pyrosequencing technique. From those results, a member of Paenibacillus was found only in the larvae showing the symptom of disease. Through PCR analysis using a Paenibacillus specific primer set, we obtained the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence and confirmed the microbe as Paenibacillus sp. For clear identification, a whole guts was extracted from each larva showing the sign of the disease and incubated at $70^{\circ}C$ for 15 min to isolate spore forming bacteria. After then, each content of guts was cultured on $MYPGP_{NAL}$ agar medium($12.5{\mu}g/ml$ of nalidixic acid) at $30^{\circ}C$. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for the isolated bacteria showed that they were closely related to P. rigui(97.9% similarity), to P. chinjuensis(96.1% similarity), and to P. soli(95.3% similarity). Additional tests including API test and cellular fatty acid composition analysis were performed, but the strain couldn't be identified at species level, suggesting it may represent novel species of the genus Paenibacillus.