• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.909-915
• /
• 2017

Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 (BGN4) has many proven beneficial effects, including antiallergy and anticancer properties. It has been commercialized and used in several probiotic products, and thus strain-specific identification of this strain is very valuable for further strain-dependent physiological study. For this purpose, we developed novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer sets for strain-specific detection of BGN4 in commercial products and fecal samples of animal models. The primer set was tested on seven strains of B. bifidum and 75 strains of the other Bifidobacterium species. The BGN4-specific regions were derived using megaBLAST against genome sequences of various B. bifidum databases and four sets of primers were designed. As a result, only BGN4 produced four PCR products simultaneously whereas the other strains did not. The PCR detection limit using BGN4-specific primer sets was $2.8{\times}10^1CFU/ml$ of BGN4. Those primer sets also detected and identified BGN4 in the probiotic products containing BNG4 and fecal samples from a BGN4-fed animal model with high specificity. Our results indicate that the PCR assay from this study is an efficient tool for the simple, rapid, and reliable identification of BGN4, for which probiotic strains are known.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.1331-1335
• /
• 2000

The WL6 strain isolated from Kimchi could not be made scientific name because it was identified as three species, i.e., Leuconostoc mesenternides ssp cremoris, Leu. mesenteroides ssp. dextranicum or Lactobacillus bifermentans when it was tested by API kit or Biolog system methods. The unidentifiable WL6 strain was finally reclassified as Lactobacillus bifermentans by genetic identification using two PCR-based specific sequence primer sets which were originated from homologous pepN and 16S rRNA genes.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.133-138
• /
• 2003

Analysis of phylogenetic relationship was performed among Phellinus species based on 18S ribosomal subunit sequence data. Twenty-five strains of 19 Phellinus species including P. linteus were examined in this study. Regions of 18S ribosomal subunit were very conserved, but some variable regions between Phellinus species were observed. The species-specific detection primers, modified by 2 or 3 nucleotides in sense primer were designed based on 18S ribosomal DNA(rDNA) sequence data. The 210 by PCR bands were detected with annealing temperature $48^{\circ}C$. The 18S 2F-18S 4R detection primer set distinguished P. linteus from various Phellinus species but some species like P. baumii, P. weirianius, P. rhabarberinus and P. pomaceus also had weak reactivity on this primer set. The 18S 3F-18S 4R primer set distinguished only P. linteus from various Phellinus species, although sensitivity with this primer set was lower than that of 18S 2F-18 4R primer set. These primer sets would be useful for the detection of only P. linteus among unknown Phellinus species rapidly.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.7-10
• /
• 2001

Based on the rDNA ITS sequences data, specific primer set for PCR detection of wood-decaying fungus Phellinus linteus was designed. The length of PCR products using designed primer set(SHF and SHR) was about 540 bp. Among 11 species, 17 isolates of Phellinus spp. including Phellinus linteus, P. pomaceus, P. spiculosus, P. baumi, P. pini, P. igniarius, P. gilvus, P. biscuspidatus, P. weirii, P. johnsonianus, P. robutus, and P. igniarius, seven isolates of Phellinus linteus showed about 540 bp-sized single band. This molecular technique could offer a useful tool for detecting and identifying Phellinus linteus.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.71-75
• /
• 2024

In this review, we compared the success rates of DNA amplification and introduced the efficient non-invasive sampling of fecal samples collected from captive and wild Korean long-tailed gorals (Naemorhedus caudatus) by referring to previous non-invasive studies, including three important references (Kim et al., 2008; Kim, 2021; Kim, 2022). A large difference in PCR success rates in the captive and wild populations was observed for mitochondrial (100 and 70.0%), sex-linked (44.4 and 20.8%), and microsatellite markers (73.9 and 34.8%, respectively). Out of the three types of genetic markers, the mitochondrial maker showed the highest success rate, followed by microsatellite and sex-linked markers. In addition, we estimated two factors that affected the PCR success, including the length of the amplified fragments (long, medium, and short) and the type of primer (universal and specific) in fecal samples from a captive population. The length of the PCR fragment was inversely proportional to the PCR success (5.3, 44.4, and 55.6% for long, medium, and short fragments, respectively), and the specific primer set (100%) was more efficient than the universal primer set (60.0%). This review is fundamental but would be greatly helpful for new non-invasive conservation genetic studies, particularly those that use fecal samples from captive and wild populations of rare endangered species. We recommend beginning conservation genetic experiments using mitochondrial markers and then nuclear markers, such as microsatellite and sex-linked markers, to save time, costs, and labor.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2019

Background: Korean ginseng is an important cash crop in Asian countries. However, plant yield is reduced by pathogens. Among the Ilyonectria radicicola-species complex, I. mors-panacis is responsible for root-rot and replant failure of ginseng in Asia. The development of new methods to reveal the existence of the pathogen before cultivation is started is essential. Therefore, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method was developed to detect and quantify the pathogen in ginseng soils. Methods: In this study, a species-specific histone H3 primer set was developed for the quantification of I. mors-panacis. The primer set was used on DNA from other microbes to evaluate its sensitivity and selectivity for I. mors-panacis DNA. Sterilized soil samples artificially infected with the pathogen at different concentrations were used to evaluate the ability of the primer set to detect the pathogen population in the soil DNA. Finally, the pathogen was quantified in many natural soil samples. Results: The designed primer set was found to be sensitive and selective for I. mors-panacis DNA. In artificially infected sterilized soil samples, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction the estimated amount of template was positively correlated with the pathogen concentration in soil samples ($R^2=0.95$), disease severity index ($R^2=0.99$), and colony-forming units ($R^2=0.87$). In natural soils, the pathogen was recorded in most fields producing bad yields at a range of $5.82{\pm}2.35pg/g$ to $892.34{\pm}103.70pg/g$ of soil. Conclusion: According to these results, the proposed primer set is applicable for estimating soil quality before ginseng cultivation. This will contribute to disease management and crop protection in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.806-811
• /
• 2007

Bacillus anthracis is a soil pathogen capable of causing anthrax that is closely related to several environmental species, including B. cereus, B. mycoides, and B. thuringiensis. DNA homology studies showed that B. anthracis, B. cereus, B. mycoides, and B. thuringiensis are closely related, with a high sequence homology. To establish a method to specifically detect B. anthracis in situations such as environmental contamination, we initially performed RAPD-PCR with a 10-mer random primer and confirmed the presence of specific PCR bands only in B. anthracis species. One region specific for B. anthracis was cloned and sequenced, and an internal primer set was designed to amplify a 241-bp DNA fragment within the sequenced region. The PCR system involving these specific primer sets has practical applications. Using lyses methods to prepare the samples for PCR, it was possible to quickly amplify the 241-bp DNA segment from samples containing only a few bacteria. Thus, the PCR detection method developed in this study is expected to facilitate the monitoring of environmental B. anthracis contamination.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.8
• /
• pp.1113-1117
• /
• 2012

Shigella sonnei is a causal agent of fever, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrheal disease. The present study describes a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the specific detection of S. sonnei using a primer pair based on the methylase gene for the amplification of a 325 bp DNA fragment. The qPCR primer set for the accurate diagnosis of Shigella sonnei was developed from publically available genome sequences. This quantitative PCR-based method will potentially simplify and facilitate the diagnosis of this pathogen and guide disease management.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.25-35
• /
• 2018

Objectives : Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen has been frequently adulterated with the seeds of several inauthentic plant species. However, the accurate identification of these plant seeds is very difficult. To develop a reliable genetic authentication tool for Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen, we analyzed matK sequence. Methods : To obtain the matK sequences of plant materials, genomic DNA was extracted from 24 samples and PCR amplification was carried out using matK-AF/matK-8R universal primer set and matK-LDSF/matK-LDSR primer set. For identifying species-specific nucleotides and phylogenetic analysis, matK regions were sequenced and comparatively analyzed by the ClustalW and Maximum Likelihood method. Results : We developed a new primer set to amplify matK region in Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen and closely related plant samples. From the comparative analysis of matK sequences, we identified species-specific marker nucleotides for D. sophia, L. apetalum, L. latifolium, E. cheiranthoides, E. macilentum, and D. nemorosa, respectively. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed clear classification depending on the species. These results indicated that the matK sequence obtained a new primer set in this study was useful to identify Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen in species level. Conclusions : We developed a primer set and identified species-specific marker nucleotides enough to distinguish authentic Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen and adulterants at the species level based on the matK sequences. These genetic tool will be useful to prevent adulteration and to standardize the quality of Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.99-104
• /
• 2013

To detect five plant viruses (Beet black scorch virus, Beet necrotic yellow vein virus, Eggplant mottled dwarf virus, Pelargonium zonate spot virus, and Rice yellow mottle virus) for quarantine purposes, we designed 15 RT-PCR primer sets. Primer design was based on the nucleotide sequence of the coat protein gene, which is highly conserved within species. All but one primer set successfully amplified the targets, and gradient PCRs indicated that the optimal temperature for the 14 useful primer sets was $51.9^{\circ}C$. Some primer sets worked well regardless of annealing temperature while others required a very specific annealing temperature. A primer specificity test using plant total RNAs and cDNAs of other plant virus-infected samples demonstrated that the designed primer sets were highly specific and generated reproducible results. The newly developed RT-PCR primer sets would be useful for quarantine inspections aimed at preventing the entry of exotic plant viruses into Korea.