• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.49-54
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• 2018

Nuchal translucency is an important indicator of an aneuploid fetus in prenatal diagnostics. Previously, only the presence of aneuploid could be confirmed by conventional karyotyping of fetuses with thick nuchal translucency. With the development of genetic diagnostic techniques, however, it has been reported that subtle variations not detectable by conventional karyo-typing might occur in cases of pathologic clinical syndrome in euploid fetuses. One of the newer, high-resolution genetic methods in the prenatal setting is chromosomal microarray. The possible association between nuchal translucency thickness with normal karyotype and submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities detectable by microarray has been studied. How and when to apply microarray in clinical practice, however, is still debated. This article reviews the current studies on the clinical application of microarray in cases of increased nuchal translucency with normal karyotype for prenatal diagnosis.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.746-757
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• 2020

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the major pathogenic E. coli that causes diarrhea and edema in post-weaning piglets. In this study, we describe the morphology and characteristics of ØCJ19, a bacteriophage that infects ETEC, and performed genetic analysis. Phage ØCJ19 belongs to the family Myoviridae. One-step growth curve showed a latent phase of 5 min and burst size of approximately 20 phage particles/infected cell. Phage infectivity was stable for 2 h between 4℃ and 55℃, and the phage was stable between pH 3 and 11. Genetic analysis revealed that phage ØCJ19 has a total of 49,567 bases and 79 open reading frames (ORFs). The full genomic sequence of phage ØCJ19 showed the most similarity to an Escherichia phage, vB_EcoS_ESCO41. There were no genes encoding lysogeny, toxins, virulence factors, or antibiotic resistance in this phage, suggesting that this phage can be used safely as a biological agent to control ETEC. Comparative genomic analysis in terms of the tail fiber proteins could provide genetic insight into host recognition and the relationship with other coliphages. These results showed the possibility to improve food safety by applying phage ØCJ19 to foods of animal origin contaminated with ETEC and suggests that it could be the basis for establishing a safety management system in the animal husbandry.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.818-827
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• 2010

A full-length cDNA and genomic DNA of a $leucoanthocyanidin$ $dioxygenase$ ($DgLDOX$) gene was isolated from the petals of chrysanthemum 'Argus', and comparative features of the gene among three flower color mutants derived from a gamma-ray mutagenesis were characterized. The cDNA coding region of the gene was 1068 bp and was translated into 356 amino acids accordingly. The genomic DNA size was 1346 bp for 'Argus', while three mutants revealed ranges of 1363 to 1374 bp. A single intron between two coding exons for the $DgLDOX$ gene was found, of which size was 112 bp for 'Argus', but 128 or 137 bp for three flower color mutants, indicating that a genomic insertion in the intron occurred during the gamma-ray mutagenesis. DNA blot analysis revealed the $DgLDOX$ gene presenting as a single copy in the chrysanthemum genome. The $DgLDOX$ gene was expressed in both 'Argus' of light-pink color and two purple color mutants (AM1 and AM3) but had very weak expression in only white color mutant (AM2). The results demonstrated that variations in the flower color of the mutants might be associated with changes in the amino acid moieties in the coding exons or fragment insertions in the intron of the $DgLDOX$ gene, which potentially resulted in less expression of the gene in the white colored mutant.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.825-833
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• 2017

Strain IMCC26207 was isolated from the surface layer of Lake Soyang in Korea by the dilutionto-extinction culturing method, using a liquid medium prepared with filtered and autoclaved lake water. The strain could neither be maintained in a synthetic medium other than natural freshwater medium nor grown on solid agar plates. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain IMCC26207 formed a distinct lineage in the order Acidimicrobiales of the phylum Actinobacteria. The closest relative among the previously identified bacterial taxa was "Candidatus Microthrix parvicella" with 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 91.7%. Here, the draft genome sequence of strain IMCC26207, a freshwater actinobacterium, is reported with the description of the genome properties and annotation summary. The draft genome consisted of 10 contigs with a total size of 3,316,799 bp and an average G+C content of 57.3%. The IMCC26207 genome was predicted to contain 2,975 protein-coding genes and 51 non-coding RNA genes, including 45 tRNA genes. Approximately 76.8% of the protein coding genes could be assigned with a specific function. Annotation of the IMCC26207 genome showed several traits of adaptation to living in oligotrophic freshwater environments, such as phosphorus-limited condition. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the genome of strain IMCC26207 was distinct from that of "Candidatus Microthrix" strains; therefore, we propose the name "Candidatus Limnosphaera aquatica" for this bacterium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.644-655
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• 2023

Safety assessment and functional analysis of probiotic candidates are important for their industrial applications. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is one of the most widely recognized probiotic strains. In this study we aimed to determine the functional genes of L. plantarum LRCC5310, isolated from kimchi, using next-generation, whole-genome sequencing analysis. Genes were annotated using the Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology (RAST) server and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) pipelines to establish the strain's probiotic potential. Phylogenetic analysis of L. plantarum LRCC5310 and related strains showed that LRCC5310 belonged to L. plantarum. However, comparative analysis revealed genetic differences between L. plantarum strains. Carbon metabolic pathway analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database showed that L. plantarum LRCC5310 is a homofermentative bacterium. Furthermore, gene annotation results indicated that the L. plantarum LRCC5310 genome encodes an almost complete vitamin B₆ biosynthetic pathway. Among five L. plantarum strains, including L. plantarum ATCC 14917^T , L. plantarum LRCC5310 detected the highest concentration of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate with 88.08 ± 0.67 nM in MRS broth. These results indicated that L. plantarum LRCC5310 could be used as a functional probiotic for vitamin B₆ supplementation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.664-669
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• 2020

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers. Although biomarkers are continuously being discovered, few specific markers, rather than classification markers, representing the aggressiveness and invasiveness of breast cancer are known. In this study, we used samples from canine mammary tumors in a comparative approach. We subjected 36 fractions of both canine normal and mammary tumor plasmas to high-performance quantitative proteomics analysis. Among the identified proteins, LCAT was selectively expressed in mixed tumor samples. With further MRM and Western blot validation, we discovered that the LCAT protein is an indicator of aggressive mammary tumors, an advanced stage of cancer, possibly highly metastatic. Interestingly, we also found that LCAT is overexpressed in high-grade and lymph-node-positive breast cancer in silico data. We also demonstrated that LCAT is highly expressed in the sera of advanced-stage human breast cancers within the same classification. In conclusion, we identified a possible common plasma protein biomarker, LCAT, that is highly expressed in aggressive human breast cancer and canine mammary tumor.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.515-521
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• 2011

There are increasing demands for the producing and breeding new domestic riding horses for the vitalizations of horse riding industry in Korea, according as 'Horse Industry Support Act' became. In this study, we were to develop the functional relation through the conformation comparison & body composition analysis. 76 heads of 5 breeds utilized for riding horses in Korea were used and their body measurements on 12 items were measured and cluster analysis was conducted to determine the correlation relation among them. The measurements were standardized that (height, croup height, pelvis length), and (hip width, width of pelvis) were highly correlated. In these results of the decision tree, we confirmed to classify the breed type determination by their body measurements (hip height, hip width, head length, croup height). This result can be used as basic data for the development of horse type determination (racing, riding, Riding for the Disabled, Working, or fattening) through the analysis of body composition, and be utilized as the basic data for the producing and breeding new domestic riding horses through the 3D Stereosocpic image system analyze.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.534-539
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• 2010

'Hongro' is early-mid maturing cultivar with good quality like 'Tsugaru' and it has not preharvest drop. The CAX1 gene was introduced into Korean apple cultivar 'Hongro' by Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring pBI121 to obtain transgenic apple with enhanced Ca level. The CAX1 gene playing the role of $H^+/Ca^{2+}$ transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana increases Ca concentration in several plants. Regenerated transgenic lines were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA for the existence of CAX1 gene. Southern blot analysis of 'Hongro' transformants showed that two putative transgenic lines were integrated with CAX1 gene in genomic DNA. The CAX1 comparative expression levels of two transgenic lines were higher than that of non-transformant evaluated by comparative quantification analysis using a real-time PCR. These two lines were multiplied in vitro, and micro-grafted on apple rootstocks 'M.9' in the isolated greenhouse. Since two years after micro-grafting, the fruits came into bearing. Compared to Ca level of the non-transgenic 'Hongro', that of the CAX1 transgenic 'Hongro' in the flesh and leaves was higher.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.52-54
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• 2013

Proteins in DNAJ/K families are ubiquitous, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, and function as molecular chaperones. For systematic phylogenomics of the DNAJ/K families, we developed the Eukaryotic DNAJ/K Database (EDD). A total of 12,908 DNAJs and 4,886 DNAKs were identified from 339 eukaryotic genomes in the EDD. Kingdom-wide comparison of DNAJ/K families provides new insights on the evolutionary relationship within these families. Empowered by 'class', 'cluster', and 'taxonomy' browsers and the 'favorite' function, the EDD provides a versatile platform for comparative genomic analyses of DNAJ/K families.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.572-576
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• 2005

This study focused on detecting catabolic genes for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) distributed in the reed rhizosphere of Sunchon Bay, Korea. These marsh and mud environments were severely affected by human activities, including agriculture and fisheries. Our previous study on microbial roles in natural decontamination displayed the possibility that PAH-degrading bacteria, such as Achromobacter sp., Alcaligenes sp., Burkholderia sp. and Pseudomonas sp. play an important decontamination role in a reed rhizosphere. In order to gain further fundamental knowledge on the natural decontamination process, catabolic genes for PAH metabolism were investigated through PCR amplification of dioxygenase genes using soil genomic DNA and sequencing. Comparative analysis of predicted amino acid sequences from 50 randomly selected dioxygenase clones capable of hydroxylating inactivated aromatic nuclei indicated that these were divided into three groups, two of which might be originated from PAH-degrading bacteria. Amino acid sequences of each dioxygenase clone were a part of the genes encoding enzymes for initial catabolism of naphthalene, phenanthrene, or pyrene that might be originated from bacteria in the reed rhizosphere of Sunchon Bay.