• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.26-39
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• 2020

In maize, immature embryos (IEs) are highly regenerative explants most suitable for producing high frequencies of plantlet regeneration in vitro. Apart from media, explants, and hormones, genotypic variation also influences in vitro characters to a great extent. In the present study, IEs were used to study the distinctive effect of variation of size/stage and hormones in different genotypes on five in vitro characters viz., frequency of callus induction, growth rate of total callus, frequency of E. callus induction, and volume and number of regenerated plantlets. LS medium with different concentrations of 2,4-D (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.0 and 5.0 mg/L) were used to study the former four in vitro characters, and medium with 6-benzylaminopurine and kinetin (0.5 mg/L, each) was used for plantlet regeneration. IEs of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mm in size were isolated from four inbred lines viz., NM74C, NM81A, NM5883 and NM5884. Two-way ANOVA revealed that explant size and genotypes, as well as hormonal concentrations showed significant effects on in vitro characters. Two millimeter IEs were found to be suitable for in vitro cultures. LS medium with 1.5 mg/L 2,4-D and LS with BAP and Kn (0.5 mg/L, each) were found to be the best hormonal concentrations for callus induction, maintenance, and regeneration, respectively. Among the four genotypes, NM81A and NM5883 yielded more non-embryogenic and Type I E. calli. In contrast, NM74C and NM5884 yielded more highly regenerative Type II calli. Inbred line NM5884 was found to be the best among these four genotypes.

• Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.122-154
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• 2018

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is typically associated with single gene mutation that is inherited by autosomal dominant manner. Due to high cardiovascular risk, aggressive discovery, diagnosis, and treatment of FH are critical. Although FH is being increasingly spotlighted, we do not have sufficient data on Korean patients with FH. Here, we present the content of symposium of the Education Committee, Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis held in May 2018: 1) epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, Korean FH data, and regulation in Korea; 2) genes associated with FH, sequencing process in suspicious proband, cascade screening, and difficulty in genetic diagnosis in FH; 3) the importance of lipid-lowering therapy in FH, conventional and novel therapeutics for FH; 4) diagnosis of FH in children and adolescence, screening, and treatment of FH in children and adolescence; 5) history of FH studies in Korea, the structure and current status of FH registry of Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis; and 6) difficulty in diagnosis of heterozygous and homozygous FH, drug intolerance and achievement of treatment target. Discussion between speakers and panels were also added. We hope that this article is helpful for understanding FH and future studies performed in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.589-596
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• 2018

Ticks are the vectors of various pathogens, threatening human health and animal production across the globe. Here, for the first time we detected Ricketssia spp., Borrelia spp. and protozoan in ticks from Poyang Lake region in Jiangxi Province of eastern China. In 3 habitat categories and on 12 host species, 311 ticks from 11 species were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for 55.63%, followed by Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis flava and Ixodes granulatus. Of the collected ticks, 7.07% were positive for tick-borne pathogens, and H. longicornis and H. flava were found to be co-infected with Ricketssia spp. and protozoan. H. flava was the most detected positive for tick-borne pathogens, whereas H. longicornis had the lowest infection rate, and the difference in infection rates between tick species was significant (${\chi}^2=61.24$, P<0.001). Furthermore, adult ticks demonstrated remarkably greater infection rate than immature ticks (${\chi}^2=10.12$, P=0.018), meanwhile ticks on Erinaceidae showed significantly higher positivity than ticks collected on other host species (${\chi}^2=108.44$, P<0.001). Genetic fragment sequencing and analyses showed at least 4 pathogen species presence in ticks, namely Borrelia yangtzensis, Rickettsia slovaca or Rickettsia raoultii related genospecies, Babesia vogeli and Hepatozoon canis or Hepatozoon felis related genospecies. The finding indicates that the abundant ticks can carry diverse pathogens in Poyang Lake region, and pathogen infection is highly related to species, vertebrate hosts and life stages of ticks.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.771-781
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• 2018

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major pathogens causing bovine mastitis and foodborne diseases associated with dairy products. To determine the genetic relationships between human and bovine or bovine isolates of S. aureus, various molecular methods have been used. Previously we developed an rpoB sequence typing (RSTing) method for molecular differentiation of S. aureus isolates and identification of RpoB-related antibiotic resistance. In this study, we performed spa typing and RSTing with 84 isolates from mastitic cows (22 farms, 72 cows, and 84 udders) and developed a molecular prophage typing (mPPTing) method for molecular epidemiological analysis of bovine mastitis. To compare the results, human isolates from patients (n = 14) and GenBank (n = 166) were used for real and in silico RSTing and mPPTing, respectively. Based on the results, RST10-2 and RST4-1 were the most common rpoB sequence types (RSTs) in cows and humans, respectively, and most isolates from cows and humans clearly differed. Antibiotic resistance-related RSTs were not detected in the cow isolates. A single dominant prophage type and gradual evolution through prophage acquisition were apparent in most of the tested farms. Thus, RSTing and mPPTing are informative, simple, and economic methods for molecular epidemiological analysis of S. aureus infections.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.120-129
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• 2021

Rotavirus A (RVA) is recognized as a major etiology responsible for the development of acute gastroenteritis in children worldwide. The purpose of the present study was to perform the molecular characterization of RVA. A total of 323 stool specimens collected from hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in 2016-2018 were identified for G- and P-genotypes through RT-PCR analysis. RVA was more prevalent in 2017-2018 (37.8%) than in 2016-2017 (23.2%). The seasonal peak of RVA occurred from March to April. G3P[8] was predominant in 2016-2017 (90.6%) and 2017-2018 (58.6%). Other genotypes including G1P[8], G8P[8], G9P[8], and mixed infections were also identified. G3P[8] strains clustered together in the same lineage with other novel human equine-like G3P[8] strains previously identified in multiple countries and presented a genotype 2 constellation (G3-P[8]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2). Several amino acid differences were observed in the antigenic epitopes of the VP7 and VP8* capsid proteins of the equine-like G3P[8] compared with those of the RVA vaccine strains. The homology modeling of the VP7 and VP8* capsid proteins of the equine-like G3P[8] strains evidently exhibited that these residue differences were present on the surface-exposed area of the capsid structure. The emergence of the equine-like G3P[8] strains in Thailand indicates the rapid spread of strains with human and animal gene segments. Continuous surveillance for RVA is essential to monitor genotypes and genetic diversity, which will provide useful information for selecting rotavirus strains to develop a safe and effective RVA vaccine that is efficacious against multiple genotypes and variants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.126-134
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• 2022

Norovirus (NoV) is an important pathogen causing acute gastroenteritis worldwide. The purpose of the present study was the molecular characterization of NoV. A total of 408 stool specimens collected from hospitalized children associated with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Rai, Thailand, 2015-2017 were investigated for the presence of NoVs by RT-PCR. NoV GII was detected in 32 samples (7.8%). Five distinct genotypes were identified, including GII.4 (13/32, 40.6%), GII.3 (11/32, 34.3%), GII.17 (4/32, 12.5%), GII.2 (2/32, 6.3%), and GII.14 (2/32, 6.3%). NoV infection occurred mostly in young children under 3 years of age (31/32, 96.9%) and showed the main peak in summer months from March to April (18/32, 56.3%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 13 GII.4 strains clustered with GII.4 Sydney 2012 variant. Representative GII.3 strains were analyzed as a recombinant GII.3P[12] strain. Several amino acid differences were found in the antigenic epitopes and antibody binding sites of the VP1 capsid of the GII.3P[12]. Homology modeling of the P domain of the GII.3P[12] strain demonstrated that 10/13 amino acid differences were predicted to be located on the surface-exposed area of the capsid structure. These amino acid changes might affect the infectivity and the antigenicity of the recombinant GII.3P[12]. The prevalence of GII.4 Sydney 2012 and recombinant GII.3P[12] strains indicates the genetic diversity of circulating NoVs in Thailand, emphazing the importance of continuous surveillance to mornitor newly emerging NoV strains in the future.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.73.1-73.8
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• 2022

Background: Lumpy skin disease (LSD), a disease transmitted by direct and indirect contact with infected cattle, is caused by the Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). The disease affects cattle herds in Africa, Europe, and Asia. The clinical signs of LSD range from mild to the appearance of nodules and lesions in the skin leading to severe symptoms that are sometimes fatal with significant livestock economic losses. Objectives: This study aimed to characterize LSDV strains in the blood of infected cattle in Thailand based on the GPCR gene and determine the phylogenetic relationship of LSDV Thailand isolates with published sequences available in the database. Methods: In total, the blood samples of 120 cattle were collected from different farms in four provinces in the northeastern part of Thailand, and the occurrence of LSDV was examined by PCR based on the P32 antigen gene. The genetic diversity of LSDV based on the GPCR gene was analyzed. Results: Polymerase chain reaction assays based on the P32 antigen gene showed that 4.17% (5/120) were positive for LSDV. All positive blood samples were amplified successfully for the GPCR gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that LSDV Thailand isolates clustered together with LSDVs from China and Russia. Conclusions: The LSD outbreak in Thailand was confirmed, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed to infer the branching pattern of the GPCR gene from the presence of LSDV in Thailand. This is the first report on the molecular characterization of LSDV in cattle in Thailand.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2000

Hantaviruses are etiologic agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the world. Various hantaviruses were isolated from HFRS patients and several different rodent species in the world. Four hantavirus isolates from Indonesia and three isolates from Thailand among 89 Bandicotas captured in Yogyakarta, east region of Sumatra island, Indonesia and at Chiang Mai in Thailand during 1996 were made through several passages in Vero E6 cells. Viral genome M segment from two Indonesian isolates and three Thailand isolates were amplified using hantavirus generic primers of the M segment and cloned into pCRII vector. The genetic differences were analyzed by comparison of partial sequence of the M segment and antigenic differences were made by IFA. Nucleotide sequence homology of two isolates BC 8, BC 34 from Indonesia and two isolates thai 1322, thai 1330 to Seoul virus was 99% and 96%, respectively, but Thai 1164 was 80%Thai 1164 strain has shown 95% homology to Thai 749 virus. In conclusion it is indicated that two different serotype hantaviruses, Seoul and Thailand, are cocirculating among Bandicota in Thailand, in contrast Seoul serotype virus is circulating in Indonesia.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.789-802
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Habitual coffee consumption was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hyperglycemia in observational studies, but the causality of the association remains uncertain. This study tested a causal association of genetically predicted coffee consumption with T2D using the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables (IVs) associated with habitual coffee consumption in a previous genome-wide association study among Koreans. We analyzed the associations between IVs and T2D, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2h-postprandial glucose (2h-PG), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) levels. The MR results were further evaluated by standard sensitivity tests for possible pleiotropism. RESULTS: MR analysis revealed that increased genetically predicted coffee consumption was associated with a reduced prevalence of T2D; ORs per one-unit increment of log-transformed cup per day of coffee consumption ranged from 0.75 (0.62-0.90) for the weighted mode-based method to 0.79 (0.62-0.99) for Wald ratio estimator. We also used the inverse-variance-weighted method, weighted median-based method, MR-Egger method, and MR-PRESSO method. Similarly, genetically predicted coffee consumption was inversely associated with FBG and 2h-PG levels but not with HbA1c. Sensitivity measures gave similar results without evidence of pleiotropy. CONCLUSIONS: A genetic predisposition to habitual coffee consumption was inversely associated with T2D prevalence and lower levels of FBG and 2h-PG profiles. Our study warrants further exploration.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.128-133
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• 2012

Objectives : Located on chromosome 10q22-q23, the human neuregulin 3 (NRG3) is suggested as a strong positional and functional candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Several case-control studies examining the association between polymorphisms on NRG3 gene with schizophrenia and/or its traits (such as delusion) have been reported recently in cohorts of Han Chinese, Ashkenazi Jews, Australians, white Americans of Western European ancestry and Koreans. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of one SNP in exon 9 (rs2295933) of NRG3 gene with the risk of schizophrenia in a Korean population. Methods : Using TaqMan assay, rs2295933 in the exon 9 of NRG3 was genotyped in 435 patients with schizophrenia as cases and 393 unrelated healthy individuals as controls. Differences in frequency distributions were analyzed using logistic regression models following various modes of genetic inheritance and controlling for age and sex as covariates. Results : Subsequent analysis revealed that the frequency distribution of rs2295933 of NRG3 was not different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls of Korean ethnicity. Conclusions : This study does not support the role of NRG3 in schizophrenia in a Korean population.