• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2016

We isolated and confirmed two S-RNases, denoted as mpS1 and mpS2, from apple rootstock 'Marubakaido' (Malus prunifolia Borkh. Var. ringo Asami). These S-RNases contained and conserved five cysteine residues and two histidine residues, which are essential for RNase activity. The mpS1 showed high similarity to S5 (99.1%) of Malus spectabilis, whereas the mpS2 showed 99.5% nucleotide sequence similarity to S26 of (Malus ${\times}$ domestica) and 99.6% to S35 of (Malus sieversii) when compared with reported S-RNases. In amino acid sequences, the mpS1-RNase was almost similar to the S5-RNase of Malus spectabilis, and the mpS2-RNase was similar to the S35 of Malus sieversii, with only one bp being different from the S26-RNase of Malus ${\times}$ domestica. The 57 S-RNases of Malus species were renamed and rearranged containing the new S-RNases, as mprpS35 (mpS2) and mprpS57 (mpS1), for determining S-genotypes and identifying new alleles from apple species (Malus spp.).

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.367-375
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• 2016

In the present study, we conducted genetic characterization of 90 commercial maize varieties and parental lines using microsatellite markers. Thirteen microsatellite markers were selected from 100 primer pairs in the maize genome data on the basis of polymorphism information contents (PIC) value and distinct amplification products. These markers detected 5 to 24 alleles, with an average of 13.69. The mean PIC value was 0.865 and ranged from 0.716 to 0.942. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetical average (UPGMA) analysis was conducted for constructing the dendrogram using Jaccard's genetic similarity coefficient. The genetic similarity varied from 0.07 to 0.824. Thirteen microsatellite markers identified all 90 maize varieties and parental lines. The maize varieties were clustered into 5 major groups consistent with type and pedigree information. The microsatellite profile database of maize varieties could be used to select comparative varieties through genetic relationship analysis between existing varieties and candidate varieties in distinctness tests.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.714-730
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• 2017

Pre-mRNA splicing further increases protein diversity acquired through evolution. The underlying driving forces for this phenomenon are unknown, especially in terms of gene expression. A rice alternatively spliced transcript detection microarray (ASDM) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) were applied to differentiate the transcriptome of 4 representative organs of Oryza sativa L. cv. Ilmi: leaves, roots, 1-cm-stage panicles and young seeds at 21 days after pollination. Comparison of data obtained by microarray and RNA-Seq showed a bell-shaped distribution and a co-lineation for highly expressed genes. Transcripts were classified according to the degree of organ enrichment using a coefficient value (CV, the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean values): highly variable (CVI), variable (CVII), and constitutive (CVIII) groups. A higher index of the portion of loci with alternatively spliced transcripts in a group (IAST) value was observed for the constitutive group. Genes of the highly variable group showed the characteristics of the examined organs, and alternatively spliced transcripts tended to exhibit the same organ specificity or less organ preferences, with avoidance of 'organ distinctness'. In addition, within a locus, a tendency of higher expression was found for transcripts with a longer coding sequence (CDS), and a spliced intron was the most commonly found type of alternative splicing for an extended CDS. Thus, pre-mRNA splicing might have evolved to retain maximum functionality in terms of organ preference and multiplicity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2016

Cotton leaf curl is devastating disease of cotton characterized by leaf curling, vein darkening and enations. The disease symptoms are induced by DNA satellite known as Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB), dominant betasatellite in cotton but another betasatellite known as Chili leaf curl betasatellite (ChLCB) is also found associated with the disease. Grafting experiment was performed to determine if host plant resistance is determinant of dominant population of betasatellite in cotton (several distinct strains of CLCuMuB are associated with the disease). Infected scion of Gossypium hirsutum collected from field (the source) was grafted on G. arboreum, a diploid cotton species, resistant to the disease. A healthy scion of G. hirsutum (sink) was grafted at the top of G. arboreum to determine the movement of virus/betasatellite to upper susceptible scion of G. hirsutum. Symptoms of disease appeared in the upper scion and presence of virus/betasatellite in the upper scion was confirmed via molecular techniques, showing that virus/betasatellite was able to move to upper scion through resistant G. arboreum. However, no symptoms appeared on G. arboreum. Betasatelites were cloned and sequenced from lower scion, upper scion and G. arboreum which show that the lower scion contained both CLCuMuB and ChLCB, however only ChLCB was found in G. arboreum. The upper scion contained CLCuMuB with a deletion of 78 nucleotides (nt) in the non-coding region between Arich sequence and ${\beta}C1$ gene and insertion of 27 nt in the middle of ${\beta}C1$ ORF. This study may help in investigating molecular basis of resistance in G. arboreum.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.260-273
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• 2013

The incidence and distribution of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and related tobamoviruses was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on 1,926 symptomatic horticultural crops and 107 asymptomatic weed samples collected from 78 highly infected fields in the major horticultural crop-producing areas in 17 provinces throughout Iran. The results were confirmed by host range studies and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The overall incidence of infection by these viruses in symptomatic plants was 11.3%. The coat protein (CP) gene sequences of a number of isolates were determined and disclosed to be a high identity (up to 100%) among the Iranian isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of all known TMV CP genes showed three clades on the basis of nucleotide sequences with all Iranian isolates distinctly clustered in clade II. Analysis using the complete CP amino acid sequence showed one clade with two subgroups, IA and IB, with Iranian isolates in both subgroups. The nucleotide diversity within each subgroup was very low, but higher between the two clades. No correlation was found between genetic distance and geographical origin or host species of isolation. Statistical analyses suggested a negative selection and demonstrated the occurrence of gene flow from the isolates in other clades to the Iranian population.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.223-233
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• 2013

Rice stripe virus (RSV) is one of the most destructive viruses of rice, and greatly reduces rice production in China, Japan, and Korea, where mostly japonica cultivars of rice are grown. RSV is transmitted by the small brown plant-hopper (SBPH) in a persistent and circulative-propagative manner. Several methods have been developed for detection of RSV, which is composed of four single-stranded RNAs that encode seven proteins. Genome sequence data and comparative phylogenetic analysis have been used to identify the origin and diversity of RSV isolates. Several rice varieties resistant to RSV have been selected and QTL analysis and fine mapping have been intensively performed to map RSV resistance loci or genes. RSV genes have been used to generate several genetically modified transgenic rice plants with RSV resistance. Recently, genome-wide transcriptome analyses and deep sequencing have been used to identify mRNAs and small RNAs involved in RSV infection; several rice host factors that interact with RSV proteins have also been identified. In this article, we review the current statues of RSV research and propose integrated approaches for the study of interactions among RSV, rice, and the SBPH.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2013

The collared scops owl that occurs in Korea is a protected species but its exact specific status has been questioned. To resolve the species status, a molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted using two fragments of mitochondrial DNA, cytochrome b (cyt b, 891 bp) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2, 627 bp) genes. Phylogenetic trees of cyt b revealed that all Korean specimens formed a monophyletic group with Japanese scops owl Otus semitorques with very low sequence divergence (d=0.008). We obtained a similar ND2 tree as well (d=0.003); however, the genetic distance between Korean individuals and O. lempiji from GenBank (AJ004026-7, EU348987, and EU601036) was very high and sufficient enough to separate them as species (cyt b, d=0.118; ND2, d=0.113). We also found that Korean species showed high differentiation from O. bakkamoena (AJ004018-20 and EU601034; cyt b, d=0.106; ND2, d=0.113) and O. lettia (EU601109 and EU601033, cyt b, d=0.110; ND2, d=0.117) as well. Therefore, we suggest that the Korean collared scops owl should be designated as Otus semitorques.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2018

Two hypotrich ciliates, Australocirrus shii (Shi et al., 1997) Kumar & Foissner, 2015 and Afrokeronopsis aurea (Foissner & Stoeck, 2008) Foissner et al., 2010 isolated from freshwater habitats in Korea and were studied based on the specimens from live and after protargol impregnation. Australocirrus shii is redescribed based on morphology and 18S rRNA gene sequence, whereas Af. aurea is the first record for Korea. Main morphological features of the Korean population of Au. shii are as following: body size $100-200{\times}40-80{\mu}m$ in vivo; elongate to ellipsoidal or slightly elongate obovate, dorsoventrally flattened; transverse cirri arranged in (3+2) pattern, anterior pretransverse ventral cirrus distantly anterior of the first transverse cirrus; eight or nine dorsal kineties; and three caudal cirri. Main morphological features of the Korean population of Af. aurea are as following: body size $230-375{\times}70-145{\mu}m$ in vivo; shape elongate obovate or ellipsoidal, widest at the mid-body; undulating membranes in Australocirrus pattern with a buccal depression; and three caudal cirri. The Korean population of A. shii is similar in morphology with previous descriptions except for the presence of indentation at the posterior end in the Korean population. The Korean population of A. aurea is slightly shorter than the South African population and has slightly less marginal and mid-ventral cirri. The phylogenetic analysis of present two Korean hypotrichs and relevant species based on 18S rRNA gene sequences generated almost similar tree topologies compared with previous studies.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.65-65
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• 2011

Early-type galaxies represent the end point of galaxy evolution and, despite pervasive residual star formation, are generally considered "red and dead", that is composed exclusively of old stars with no star formation. Here, their molecular gas content is constrained and discussed in relation to their evolution, supporting the continuing importance of minor mergers and/or cold gas accretion. First, as part of the Atlas3D survey, the first complete, large, volume-limited survey of CO in normal early-type galaxies is presented. At least of 23% of local early-types possess a substantial amount of molecular gas, the necessary ingredient for star formation, independent of mass and environment but dependent on the specific stellar angular momentum. Second, using CO synthesis imaging, the extent of the molecular gas is constrained and a variety of morphologies is revealed. The kinematics of the molecular gas and stars are often misaligned, implying an external gas origin in over a third of all systems, more than half in the field, while external gas accretion must be shot down in clusters. Third, many objects appear to be in the process of forming regular kpc-size decoupled disks, and a star formation sequence can be sketched by piecing together multi-wavelength information on the molecular gas, current star formation, and young stars. Fourth, early-type galaxies do not seem to systematically obey all our usual prejudices regarding star formation (e.g. Schmidt-Kennicutt law, far infrared-radio continuum correlation), suggesting a greater diversity in star formation processes than observed in disk galaxies and the possibility of "morphological quenching". Lastly, a first step toward constraining the physical properties of the molecular gas is taken, by modeling the line ratios of density- and opacity-sensitive molecules in a few objects. Taken together, these observations argue for the continuing importance of (minor) mergers and cold gas accretion in local early-types, and they provide a much greater understanding of the gas cycle in the galaxies harbouring most of the stellar mass. In the future, better dust masses and dust-to-gas mass ratios from Herschel should allow to place entirely independent constraints on the gas supply, while spatially-resolved high-density molecular gas tracers observed with ALMA will probe the interstellar medium and star formation laws locally in a regime entirely different from that normally probed in spiral galaxies.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1373-1380
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• 2018

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the effects of temperature and storage time on the evolution of bacterial communities in swine manure. Methods: Manure was stored at $-20^{\circ}C$, $4^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, or $37^{\circ}C$ and sampled at 7-day intervals over 28 days of storage, for a total of 5 time points. To assess the bacterial species present, 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences were analyzed using pyrosequencing. Results: After normalization, 113,934 sequence reads were obtained, with an average length of $466.6{\pm}4.4bp$. The diversity indices of the communities reduced as temperature and storage time increased, and the slopes of rarefaction curves decreased from the second week in samples stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ and $4^{\circ}C$. These results indicate that the richness of the bacterial community in the manure reduced as temperature and storage time increased. Firmicutes were the dominant phylum in all samples examined, ranging from 89.3% to 98.8% of total reads, followed by Actinobacteria, which accounted for 0.6% to 7.9%. A change in community composition was observed in samples stored at $37^{\circ}C$ during the first 7 days, indicating that temperature plays an important role in determining the microbiota of swine manure. Clostridium, Turicibacter, Streptococcus, and Lactobacillus within Firmicutes, and Corynebacterium within Actinobacteria were the most dominant genera in fresh manure and all stored samples. Conclusion: Based on our findings, we propose Clostridium as an indicator genus of swine manure decomposition in an anaerobic environment. The proportions of dominant genera changed in samples stored at $20^{\circ}C$ and $37^{\circ}C$ during the fourth week. Based on these results, it was concluded that the microbial communities of swine manure change rapidly as storage time and temperature increase.