• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.302-306
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• 2004

A total of forty strains of pigment-producing halophilic bacteria were isolated from the solar saltern and coastal seawater in Korea. The diversity of those bacteria were determined on the basis of PCR-RFLP and 16S rDNA sequences. The isolated strains were clssified into nine genera: Pseudoalteromonas, Photobacterium, Vibrio, Halobacillus, Bacillus, Paracoccus, Salinicoccus, Tenacilbaculum, and Flavobacterium. While more than $80\%$ of the pigment-producing halophilic bacteria isolated from the coastal seawater were classified as gram-negative Pseudolateromonas, most of the strains isolated from the solar saltern were classified into gram-positive Halo­bacillus. The other strain was KK7, which may be identified as novel species belonging to the genus, Salini­coccus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.245-250
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• 2012

The 16S rDNA - RFLP types for six Vibrio species (V. fluvialis, V. proteolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. mimicus) including two core group members, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticu s, and Grimontia (Vibrio) hollisae were determined using PCR-RFLP analysis. Six tetrameric restriction enzymes (Alu I, Cfo I, Dde I, Hae III, Msp I, and Rsa I) were selected for RFLP analysis. V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. proteolyticus showed the same RFLP pattern following digestion with four of the six used restriction enzymes: CfoI, DdeI, MspI, and RsaI. Various restriction enzyme combinations generated digests recognizable as distinct RFLP types for each of the assayed Vibrio species. In particular, AluI single digestion produced species specific band patterns that enabled the differentiation between these Vibrio species. Dendrogram based on restriction patterns showed that two Vibrio core group members, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were closely related having a similarity over 90%. Although the observed RFLP pattern for Grimontia hollisae shared several common bands with other Vibrio spp., G. hollisae results were still clearly distinct from Vibrio spp. RFLP types for all restriction enzymes tested. If restriction enzymes are aptly selected, PCR-RFLP analysis is still a rapid and effective tool for differentiating Vibrio species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.815-820
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• 2008

Two culture-independent methods, namely ribosomal DNA libraries and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), were adopted to examine the microbial community of a Malaysian light crude oil. In this study, both 16S and 18S rDNAs were PCR-amplified from bulk DNA of crude oil samples, cloned, and sequenced. Analyses of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and phylogenetics clustered the 16S and 18S rDNA sequences into seven and six groups, respectively. The ribosomal DNA sequences obtained showed sequence similarity between 90 to 100% to those available in the GenBank database. The closest relatives documented for the 16S rDNAs include member species of Thermoincola and Rhodopseudomonas, whereas the closest fungal relatives include Acremonium, Ceriporiopsis, Xeromyces, Lecythophora, and Candida. Others were affiliated to uncultured bacteria and uncultured ascomycete. The 16S rDNA library demonstrated predomination by a single uncultured bacterial type by >80% relative abundance. The predomination was confirmed by DGGE analysis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2009

Jujube trees infected with phytoplasma exhibit symptoms of typical witches' broom, such as yellowing, abnormally small leaves, short internodes and proliferation of shoots. A 1.2 kb fragment of the 16S rDNA from jujube phytoplasma was generated by R16F2n/R16R2 primer pair from earlier amplified P1/P7 PCR products of cloned jujube witches' broom phytoplasmas. Enzymatic restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analysis of 16S rDNA revealed that the jujube tree was infected with 16S rDNA I and V groups of phytoplasmas. Extensive comparative analyses of restriction enzyme profiles from Alu I, Hha I, Msp I, and Rsa I clearly classified the two into different phytoplasma groups. The phylogenie analyses based on 16S rDNA showed that the similarity of the two different clones was 87.5%. This is the first report of a mixed phytoplasmal infection in a single jujube tree.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2009

A cultivation-based approach was employed to compare the culturable bacterial diversity associated with two phylogenetically closely related marine sponges, Spirastrella abata and Spirastrella panis, which have geologically overlapping distribution patterns. The bacteria associated with sponge were cultivated using MA medium supplemented with 3% sponge extracts. Community structures of the culturable bacteria of the two sponge species were analyzed with PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) based on 16S rDNA sequences. The RFLP fingerprinting of 16S rDNA digested with HaeIII and MspI, revealed 24 independent RFLP types, in which 1-5 representative strains from each type were partially sequenced. The sequence analysis showed >98.4% similarity to known bacterial species in public databases. Overall, the microbial populations of two sponges investigated were found to be the members of the classes; Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. The Alphaproteobacteria were predominant in the bacterial communities of the two sponges. Gammaproteobacteria represented 38.5% of bacterial community in S. abata. Whereas only 1.6% of this class was present in S. panis. Bacillus species were dominat in S. panis. Bacillus species were found to be 44.3% of bacterial species in S. panis, while they were only 9.7% in S. abata. It is interesting to note that Planococcus maritimus (8.1%, phylum Firmicutes) and Psychrobacter nivimaris (28.9%, phylum Gammaproteobacteria) were found only in S. abata. This result revealed that profiles of bacterial communities from the sponges with a close phylogenetic relationship were highly species-specific.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.109-114
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• 2002

To evaluate the phylogenetic and taxonomic status of the phytoplasmas associated with water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica DC) disease in Korea and Japan, their 16S rDNA was analyzed. DNAs extracted from water dropworts collected in Korea (Kyongnam province) and Japan (Chiba prefecture) affected by witches' broom and yellows were subjected to PCR using phytoplasma-specific primers, which amplified a 1.4-kbp fragment that included the 16S rDNA. Phytoplasmas were characterized by RFLP analysis using AluI, HaeIII, HhaI, KpnI, MseI, and RsaI restriction enzymes and by sequence analysis of the PCR products. The mater dropwort witches'broom (WDWB) and water dropwort yellows (WDY) 16S rDNA sequences were identical and closely related to onion yellows (OY, 99.9% identity), which belong to the aster yellows (AY) 16S-subgroup. However, the KpnI RFLP analyses clearly distinguished the WDY and WDWB phytoplasmas from the OY phytoplasma. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA showed that WDWE and WDY phytoplasmas are members of a relatively homogeneous group that evolved from a common ancestor.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.307-312
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• 2004

Diversity of the bacterial communities and the relation between community structure and components of waste­water were analyzed by 16S rRNA-based molecular techniques. Clone libraries of the 16S rDNAs from the sludges were constructed by PCR and cloning. The 1,151 clones from a sludge sample of sewage treatment plant were clustered into 699 RFLP phylotypes and the 1,228 clones from the wastewater disposal plant of chemical industry were clustered into 300 RFLP phylotypes. Shannon-Weiner diversity indices of two sampling sites were 8.7 and 6.1, indicating that the bacterial community structure of sewage treatment plant was more diverse than that of wastewater disposal plant of chemical industry. Forty clones belonging to predominant RFLP types were selected and sequenced. Seventy percent (28 clones) of the sequenced clones were related to the uncultured bacteria in public databases. The ${\beta}-Proteobacteria$ dominated in the bacterial communities of investigated two sludge samples. 16S rDNA sequences of the sewage treatment plant were similar to those of other activated sludges, while the bacterial community in wastewater disposal plant of chemical industry rep­resented the strains identified from high-temperature, anaerobic, hydrocarbon-rich, and sulfur-rich environ­ments. This result suggested that bacterial communities depended upon the components of wastewater.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.366-374
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• 2010

Culture-dependent RFLP and culture-independent DGGE were employed to investigate the bacterial community associated with the marine sponge Spirastrella abata. A total of 164 bacterial strains associated with the sponge were cultivated using Zobell and Natural sea salt media. PCR amplicons of the 16S rDNA from the bacterial strains were digested with the restriction enzymes HaeIII and MspI, and then assigned into different groups according to their restriction patterns. The 16S rDNA sequences derived from RFLP patterns showed more than 95% similarities compared with known bacterial species, and the isolates belonged to four phyla, Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria), Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteriodetes, of which Alphaproteobacteria was dominant. DGGE fingerprinting of 16S rDNAs amplified from the sponge- derived total gDNA showed five major DGGE bands, and their sequences showed more than 96% similarities compared with available sequences. The sequences derived from DGGE bands revealed high similarity with the uncultured bacterial clones. DGGE revealed that bacterial community consisted of four phyla, including Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria), Actinobacteria, Spirochetes, and Chloroflexi. Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were commonly found in bacteria associated with S. abata by both RFLP and DGGE methods; however, overall bacterial community in the sponge differed depending on the analysis methods.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 1996

Twelve isolates of Accnthamoebc app. assigned to either A. castellanii or A. poIMphoSa, and type strains of A. culbefsoni, A. henIWi, A. pqkestinefiE, and A. astronyxi,s were examined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of a conserved region of small subunit ribosomal RMh gene (ssu rDNA) amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products of the isolates measured approximately 910-930 bp, except for that of A. astronyxis which was extraordinarily long, approximately 1,170 bp. Average of estimated sequence divergence of the amplified DNA among the isolates assigned to A. castellanii was 9.8% whereas that among the isolates assigned to A. polvphusn 9.6%. The maximum intraspecific sequence divergence among the isolates assigned to A. costellanii was observed between the Chang and Ma strains (17.3%) while that among the isolates assigned to A. poIWphosa was observed between KA/S3 and KA/S7 strains (16.1%). The both maximum sequence divergences were much greater than the minimum interspecific sequence divergence between A. cnstellnnii and A. polwphasa (2.6%) which appeared between the Castellani (or CCAP 1501/12 g) and KA/S3 strains. The PCR-RFLP patterns of A. culbertsoni, A. healyi, A. palestinensis, and A. ostronvxis were quite diverse from one another and from those of isolates assigned to either A. castellanii or A. polyphoga. It is suggested that taxonomic validity of the isolates assigned to either A. castellnnii or A. polyphoga should be reevaluated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.312-317
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• 2002

Indigenous lactobacilli were isolated from vaginas of Korean women for possible use in ecological treatment of bacterial vaginosis. Vaginal swab samples were obtained from a gynecological clinic and streaked on Rogosa SL agar plates to select the most predominant lactobacilli in each sample. The preliminary identification of the isolates as lactobacilli was based on microscopic observation of Gram-positive rod-shaped cell morphology. The initial characterization was performed on 108 isolates in terms of their cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), antimicrobial activity, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production capability, and 10 isolates were then selected for further molecular identification. For a rapid procedure to identify lactobacilli, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of the l6S rRNA genes were applied. The 10 selected lactobacilli and 9 different reference strains of Lactobacillus spp. were characterized by PCR-RFLP where the amplified l6S rDNA was digested with 7 different restriction endonucleases prior to analysis. DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of one particular isolate, KLB 46, that had been identified as L. crispatus by the PCR-RFLP analysis, further confirmed its identity as L. crispatus.