• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.94-111
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• 2023

In order to establish an effective management strategy for invasive species early detection and regular monitoring are required to assess their introduction or dispersal. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is actively applied to evaluate the fauna including the presence of invasive species as it has high detection sensitivity and can detect multiple species simultaneously. In Korea, the applicability evaluation of metabarcoding is being conducted mainly on fish, and research on other taxa is insufficient. Therefore, this study identified the feasibility of detecting invasive species in Korea using eDNA metabarcoding. In addition, to confirm the possibility of detection by taxa, the detection of target species was evaluated using four universal primers (MiFish, MiMammal, Mibird, Amp16S) designed for fish, mammals, birds, and amphibians. As a result, target species (Trachemys scripta, 3 sites; Cervus nippon, 3 sites; Micropterus salmoides, 7 sites; Rana catesbeiana, 4 sites) were detected in 17 of the total 55 sites. Even in the selection of dense sampling sites within the study area, there was a difference in the detection result by reflecting the ecological characteristics of the target species. A comparison of community structures (species richness, abundance and diversity) based on the presence of invasive species focused on M.salmoides and T.scripta, showed higher diversity at the point where invasive species were detected. Also, 1 to 4 more species were detected and abundance was also up to 1.7 times higher. The results of invasive species detection through metabarcoding and the comparison of community structures indicate that the accumulation of large amounts of monitoring data through eDNA can be efficiently utilized for multidimensional ecosystem evaluation. In addition, it suggested that eDNA can be used as major data for evaluation and prediction, such as tracking biological changes caused by artificial and natural factors and environmental impact assessment.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.231-240
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• 2023

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious, and immunosuppressive disease in young chickens, and causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry. More than 30 years ago, an antigenic variant IBDV (avIBDV) was reported in chicken farms in the United States. Recently, a novel avIBDV exhibited clear differences in molecular characteristics compared with previous variant strains. This study investigated the molecular characteristics of recently isolated avIBDV strains in Korea. Strains of avIBDV were confirmed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and were propagated in 10-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs through chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) inoculation. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses of hypervariable regions VP2 gene revealed that the strains originated from two different avIBDV lineages (G2a and G2d). In our results, we confirmed the co-existence and prevalence of avIBDV genogroup G2a and G2d in chicken farms. It is necessary to study the protective efficacy of current vaccines against avIBDVs.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.12
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• pp.1340-1347
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• 2006

Purpose : The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of polymorphic cytosine adenine (CA) repeat of the IGF-I gene in the age-related alterations of serum IGF-I levels in healthy children. Methods : Two hundred and forty three normal healthy children (136 boys; 107 girls) aged between 7 and 15 years were enrolled in the present study. The primers were designed to cover the promoter regions containing the polymorphic CA repeat. Data were analyzed using GeneMapper software, version 3.7. All analyses were performed using MEDCALC software packages. Results: Deletion of 2 bp (G, A) following 3' of CA repeat were observed in all Korean children. The CA repeat sequences ranged from 17 to 23, and 19 CA repeat were the most common with an alleles frequency of 39.3 percent. Considering genotypes, 63.8 percent of subjects were homozygote or heterozygote for 19 CA repeat (192 bp allele), suggesting that this is wild type allele from which all other alleles originated in Korean children. Homozygote for 19 CA repeat were 14.7 percent, heterozygote for 19 CA repeat was 49.1 percent and 19 CA noncarriers totalled 36.2 percent. In 19 CA repeat noncarriers, the mean height, weight and serum IGF-I level were lower compared with those of 19 CA homozygous carriers, but statistically not significant. Correlations between serum IGF-I level and age according to the IGF-I genotypes revealed statistically significant relationships in the all groups, in the 19 CA repeat carrier group and, even in the noncarrier group. Conclusions : There were no significant differences of the mean height, weight and serum IGF-I levels among three different genotype groups. Also, there were no significantly different correlations between 19 CA repeat polymorphisms and serum IGF-I levels, according to genotype. Our results suggest that the IGF-I 19 CA repeat gene polymorphism is not associated with circulating IGF-I levels in healthy children.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.517-528
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• 2007

Domestic or international existing researches regarding rail damage factors are focused on laying, vehicle conditions, driving speed and driving habits and overlook characteristics of track structure (elasticity, maintenance etc). Also in ballast track, as there is no special lateral spring stiffness of track also called as ballast lateral resistance in concrete track, generally, existing study shows concrete track has 2 time shorter life cycle for rail replacement than ballast track due to abrasion. As a result of domestic concrete track design and operation performance review, concrete track elasticity is lower than track elasticity of ballast track resulting higher damage on rail and tracks. Generally, concrete track has advantage in track elasticity adjustment than ballast track and in case of Europe, in concrete track design, it is recommended to have same or higher performance range of vertical elastic stiffness of ballast track but domestically or internationally review on lateral spring stiffness of track is very minimal. Therefore, through analysis of service line track on site measurement and analysis on performance of maintenance, in this research, dynamic characteristic behaviors of commonly used ballast and concrete track are studied to infer elasticity of service line track and experimentally prove effects of track lateral spring stiffness that influence curved rail damage as well as correlation between track elasticity by track system and rail damage to propose importance of appropriate elastic stiffness level for concrete and ballast track.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2013

Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx 6) is a member of the thiol-specific antioxidant protein family, which may play a role in protection against oxidative stress and in regulating phospholipid turnover. The aim of this study was to determine whether a human Prx 6/Luc vector was stably expressed and responded to antioxidants in a lung cell line (NCI-H460). To achieve this, the luciferase signal, hPrx 6 mRNA expression, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured in transfectants with a hPrx 6/Luc plasmid after treatment with four antioxidant extracts, including Korea white ginseng (KWG), Korea red ginseng (KRG), Liriope platyphylla (LP), and red Liriope platyphylla (RLP). First, the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid was successfully constructed with DNA fragments of human Prx 6 promoter, amplified by PCR using genomic DNA isolated from NCI-H460 cells, and cloned into the pTransLucent reporter vector. The orientation and sequencing of the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid were identified with restriction enzyme and automatic sequencing. A luciferase assay revealed significant enhancement of luciferase activity in the four treatment groups compared with a vehicle-treated group, although the ratio of the increase was different within each group. The KRG- and LP-treated groups showed higher activity than the KWG- and RLP-treated groups. Furthermore, the luciferase activity against RLP occurred roughly in a dose-dependent manner. However, the level of endogenous hPrx 6 mRNA did not change in any group treated with the four extracts. The SOD activity was in agreement with the luciferase activity. Therefore, these results indicate that the hPrx 6/Luc vector system may successfully express and respond to antioxidant compounds in NCI-H460 cells. The data also suggest that the Prx 6/Luc vector system may be effectively applied in screening the response of hPrx 6 to antioxidant compounds in transgenic mice.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.376-379
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• 2005

Purpose : Mycoplasama pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia and exacerbates other respiratory conditions such as asthma. Surfactant protein A(SP-A) is involved in surfactant physiology and surfactant structure, and plays a major role in innate host defense and inflammatory processes in the lung. In this study, SP-A mediated mycoplasma cidal activity. The candidate-gene approach was used to study the association between the SP-A gene locus and Mycoplasama pneumoniae pneumonia in the genetically homogeneous Korean population. Methods : PCR-cRFLP-based methodology was used to detect SP-A genotype. The forty nine children with Mycoplasama pneumoniae pneumonia were matched to 50 nomal neonates. Results : The specific frequencies for the alleles of the SP-A1 and SP-A2 gene in the study population were : $6A^2=21$ percent, $6A^3=45$ percent, $6A^4=11$ percent, $6A^8=9$ percent, $6A^{14}=8$ percent, 1A=11.3 percent, $1A^0=38$ percent, $1A^1=12.7$ percent, $1A^2=9.2$ percent, $1A^5=15.5$ percent, $1A^7=2.9$ percent, $1A^8=4.9$ percent, $1A^9=2.2$ percent, others=3.3 percent. The frequencies of specific genotypes such as $1A^2$ was higher than control group, significantly. Conclusion : $1A^2$ are susceptible factors for Mycoplasama pneumoniae pneumonia. We conclude that the SP-A gene locus($1A^2$) is an important determinant for predisposition to Mycoplasama pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.367-374
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• 2010

Telomeres at the end of chromosomes consist of tandem repeats of (TTAGGG)n DNA sequence and associated proteins. Telomeres have the essential functions in chromosome stability and genome integrity and are hence related to cell senescence and cancer. This study was carried out to quantify the amount of telomeric DNA and establish age prediction equations by using the quantity of telomeric DNA for cattle. Analysis of the telomere quantity of the lymphocytes was performed at different age, across breeds and between different sexes of cattle. We quantified the amount of telomeric DNA by the Q-FISH technique using the telomeric DNA probe in 460 cattle at age of 1~166 months in Korean Cattle and Holstein breeds. In results, we found that the amount of telomeric DNA decreased gradually with age. The amount of telomeric DNA of Korean Cattle was significantly higher than that of Holstein breed (P<0.01). In addition, the amount of telomeric DNA in male was significantly higher than that in female (P<0.01). Using the relationship between age and the amount of telomeric DNA in cattle, age predicting equations were established as a result of regression analysis. Because sex and breeds influenced telomeric DNA quantity, the age prediction equations were estimated separately in Korean Cattle females and Holstein females. The regression equations were $\hat{Y}$=$38.102X^2$-220.103X + 318.309 (P<0.0001, $R^2$=0.8019) in Korean Cattle females and $\hat{Y}$ = $42.799X^2$ - 199.682X + 242.106 (P<0.0001, $R^2$ = 0.8379) in Holstein females, where the X was quantity of telomeric DNA and Y was predicted age in months. These equations predicted the age of cattle with high significance and accuracy and have high R square values. Thus, it could be possible to scientifically predict the age using the above equations for Korean Cattle and Holstein females.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.210-218
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• 2015

Melon leaves showing yellowing symptoms were analyzed using electron microscopy and RT-PCR for major cucurbit-infecting-viruses (CMV, MNSV, CGMMV, SqMV, WMV, KGMMV, PRSV and ZYMV) reported in Korea, but these viruses were not detected. As the result of further analysis by next-generation sequencing (NGS), the virus was identified as Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV), and then confirmed by RT-PCR using CABYV-specific primers. When photosynthetic capacity was measured based on chlorophyll fluorescence yield (ChlFY), the leaves of the diseased plants showed $4.09{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, which was one-third of the readings observed for unaffected normal plants ($12.36{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$). The root functions of plants affected by leaf yellowing symptoms (LYS) was $0.28mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$, about half that measured for the normal unaffected plants ($0.48mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$). Cytological observations revealed that there were no morphological differences in the palisade parenchyma and mesophyll spongy cells of the leaves between the diseased and the normal plants. However, the same leaf cells of the affected plants contained more starch granules compared to those of the normal, unaffected plants. We conclude that the LYS of muskmelon is not merely a physiological disorder but a viral disease caused by CABYV and spread by aphids.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.385-392
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• 2011

The otter (Lutra lutra) in Korea is classified as a first grade endangered species and is managed under state control. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the otter that inhabits the Changnyeong, Jinju, and Geoje areas in Gyeongsangnamdo, Korea using mtDNA and microsatellite (MS) markers. As a result of the analysis using the 676-bp D-loop sequence of mtDNA, six haplotypes were estimated from five single nucleotide polymorphisms. The genetic distance between the Jinju and Geoje areas was greater than distances within the areas, and the distance between Jinju and Geoje was especially clear. From the phylogenetic tree estimated using the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis by the MrBays program, two subgroups, one containing samples from Jinju and the other containing samples from the Changnyeong and Geoje areas were clearly identified. The result of a parsimonious median-joining network analysis also showed two clear subgroups, supporting the result of the phylogenetic analysis. On the other hand, in the consensus tree estimated using the genetic distances estimated from the genotypes of 13 MS markers, there were clear two subgroups, one containing samples from the Jinju, Geoje and Changnyeong areas and the other containing samples from only the Jinju area. The samples were not identically classified into each subgroup defined by mtDNA and MS markers. It could be inferred that the differential classification of samples by the two different marker systems was because of the different characteristics of the marker systems used, that is, the mtDNA was for detecting maternal lineage and the MS markers were for estimating autosomal genetic distances. Nonetheless, the results from the two marker systems showed that there has been a progressive genetic fixation according to the habitats of the otters. Further analyses using not only newly developed MS markers that will possess more analytical power but also the whole mtDNA are needed. Expansion of the phylogenetic analysis using otter samples collected from the major habitats in Korea should be helpful in scientifically and efficiently maintaining and preserving them.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.185-194
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to identify the bacteria isolated from endodontic lesions by cell culture and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of them against 8 antibiotics. The necrotic pulpal tissues were collected from 27 infected root canals, which were diagnosed as endodontic infection. Samples were collected aseptically from the infected pulpal tissue of the infected root canals using a barbed broach and a paper point. The cut barbed broaches and paper points were transferred to an eppendorf tube containing $500{\mu}l\;of\;1{\times}PBS$. The sample solution was briefly mixed and plated onto a BHI-agar plate containing 5% sheep blood. The agar plates were incubated in a $37^{\circ}C$ anaerobic chamber for 2 to 5 days. The bacteria grown on the agar plates were identified by comparison of 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequencing method at the species level. To test the sensitivity of the bacteria isolated from the infected root canals against 8 antibiotics, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using broth dilution assay. The data showed that 101 bacterial strains were isolated and were identified. Streptococcus spp. (29.7%) and Actinomyces spp. (21.8%) were predominantly isolated. The 9 strains were excluded in antimicrobial susceptibility test because they were lost during the experiment or were not grown in broth culture. The percentage of bacteria susceptible for each antibiotic in this study was clindamycin, 87.0% (80 of 92); tetracycline, 75.0% (69 of 92); cefuroxime axetil, 75.0% (69 of 92); amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (5:1), 71.7% (66 of 92); penicillin G, 66.3% (61 of 92); erythromycin, 66.3% (61 of 92); amoxicillin, 44.6% (41 of 92); and ciprofloxacin, 31.5% (29 of 92). The susceptibility pattern of 8 antibiotics was dependent on the host of the bacteria strains rather than the kinds of bacterial species. These results indicate that antibiotic susceptibility test should be performed when antibiotics are needed for the treatment of infected root canals.