• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2006

Methylmercury (MeHg), one of the heavy metal compounds, can cause severe damage to the central nervous system in humans. Many reports have shown that MeHg is poisonous to human body through contaminated foods and has released into the environment. Despite many studies on the pathogenesis of MeHg-induced central neuropathy, no useful mechanism of toxicity has been established so far. This study, using of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method, was peformed to identify differentially expressed genes by MeHg in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line. We prepared to total RNA from SH-SY5Y cells treated with solvent (DMSO) and $6.25\;{\mu}M\;(IC_{50})$ MeHg and performed forward and reverse SSH. Differentially expressed cDNA clones were screened by dot blot, sequenced and confirmed that individual clones indeed represent differentially expressed genes with real time RT-PCR. These sequences were identified by BLAST homology search to known genes or expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Analysis of these sequences may provide an insight into the biological effects of MeHg in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease and a possibility to develop more efficient and exact monitoring system of heavy metals as ubiquitous environmental pollutants.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Coronaviruses are known respiratory pathogens. In the past, most human coronaviruses were thought to cause mild symptoms such as cold. However recently, as seen in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), infectious diseases with severe pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms are caused by coronaviruses, making research on coronaviruses become important. Considering previous studies, we constructed 'HCoV-IMDB (Human Corona Virus Immune Database)' to systematically provide genetic information on human coronavirus and host immune information, which can be used to analyze the interaction between human coronavirus and host immune proteins. The 'HCoV-IMDB' constructed in the study can be used to search for genetic information on human coronavirus and host immune protein and to download data. A BLAST search specific to the human coronavirus, one of the database functions, can be used to infer genetic information and evolutionary relationship about the query sequence.

• BLOOD RESEARCH
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.294-298
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• 2018

Background Production of immunosuppressive enzymes such as indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is one of the strategies employed by hematologic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), to circumvent immune surveillance. Moreover, IDO has the ability to convert $CD4^+CD25^-$ conventional T cells into regulatory T cells (Tregs). In this study, we evaluated the expression of IDO in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) patients and its correlation with the Treg marker, FOXP3, as well as clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods Thirty-seven newly diagnosed CN-AML patients were enrolled in our study along with 22 healthy individuals. The expression of the IDO and FOXP3 genes was analyzed by SYBR Green real-time PCR. Results Both IDO and FOXP3 were highly upregulated in CN-AML patients compared to control groups (P=0.004 and P=0.031, respectively). A positive correlation was observed between IDO and FOXP3 expression among AML patients (r=0.512, P=0.001). Expression of IDO and FOXP3 showed no significant correlation with laboratory parameters such as white blood cell and platelet counts, hemoglobin levels, bone marrow blast percentage, gender, and FLT3 mutation status (P>0.05). Conclusion Higher IDO expression in CN-AML patients may be associated with an increased Treg phenotype which may promote disease progression and lead to poor prognosis of CN-AML patients.

• Korean journal of aerospace and environmental medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.82-83
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• 2021

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with a characteristic chromosomal translocation (bcr-abl) called Philadelphia chromosome which plays a key role in the pathogenesis. Approximately 85% of patients with CML are in the chronic phase at the time of diagnosis. During this phase, patients are well tolerated and have few symptoms. But untreated, over the course of several years progresses to an accelerated phase and ultimately to a blast crisis, the terminal phase. CML is largely treated with targeted drug therapy called tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) which have led to dramatically improved long-term survival rates since 2001. These drugs became standard treatment of this disease and allow most patients to have much better quality of life when compared to the former chemotherapy drugs and the bone marrow transplantation. Imatinib (Gleevec or Glivec, Norvatis) was the first of these TKIs and found to inhibit the progression of CML in the majority of patients (65%-75%) sufficiently to achieve remission. Since the advent of imatinib, CML has become the first neoplasm in which a medical treatment can give to the patient a normal life expectancy.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.313-317
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• 2010

There are the farmer's needs to develop early-maturing cultivar adaptable to mid-northern inland plain and alpine area. Furthermore, it is required to develop a rice variety to produce new rice before concentrated marketing dates, even in the years of early Chuseok. 'Joun' is a new extremely early-maturing japonica rice cultivar developed in 2009 from the cross of SR14880-173-3-3-2-2-2/Unbong20 at Cheolwon Substation, National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), Rural Development Administration (RDA). The heading date of 'Joun' is July 23 in mid-northern alpine area, which is 7 days earlier than that of Odaebyeo. It has about 61 cm in culm length with semi-erect plant type. Panicle has a few awns and its exertion is good. The number of spikelets per panicle is smaller than that of Odaebyeo and 1,000 grain-weight of brown rice is 21.2 g which is less than 26.3 g of Odaebyeo, but the complete grain ratio is higher. Milled kernels are translucent with non-glutinous endosperm and palatability of cooked rice is good. It shows strong resistance to cold treatment, lodging, premature heading, wilting and viviparous germination during ripening stage. This cultivar shows resistance to leaf blast disease but susceptible to bacterial blight, virus disease and insect pests. The milled rice yield performance of 'Joun' is about 5.18 MT/ha by ordinary culture in local adaptability test for three years. This cultivar may be highly adaptable to the mid-northern inland plain and alpine area, north-eastern coastal area and middle plain area.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.153-157
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• 2006

In 2005, average temperature was lower, and average rainfall was less than those of previous year. The diseases of rice, barley, pepper, chinese melon, apple and oriental pear were surveyed. Bacterial blight, bacterial grain rot, and panicle disease of rice, black rot of pear, and white rot and bitter rot of apple were severe. Especially, brown rot of rice occurred four times higher than those of previous year. Panicle blight of rice increased about 3 times, compared with the previous year, presumed that the higher rainy days, rainfall and RH promoted spread of the fungal pathogens to panicles of rice. The diseases of rice leaf blast, sudden wilt syndrome, downy mildew and powdery mildew of chinese melon in plastic greenhouse, and virus diseases of hot pepper occurred distinctly less than those of the previous year. Another diseases surveyed occurred similar or less.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.129-136
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• 2021

Rice is responsible for the stable crop of 3 billion people worldwide, about half of Asian depends on it, and rice is grown in more than 100 countries. Rice diseases can lead to devastating economic loss by decreasing yield production, disturbing a stable food supply and demand chain. The most commonly used method to control rice disease is chemical control. However, misuse of chemical control can cause environmental pollution, residual toxicity, and the emergence of chemical-resistant pathogens, the deterioration of soil quality, and the destruction of biodiversity. In order to control rice diseases, research on alternative biocontrol is actively pursued including microorganism-oriented biocontrol agents. Microbial agents control plant disease through competition with and antibiotic effects and parasitism against plant pathogens. Microorganisms isolated from the rice rhizosphere are studied comprehensively as biocontrol agents against rice pathogens. Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Trichoderma sp. were reported to control rice diseases, such as blast, sheath blight, bacterial leaf blight, brown spot, and bakanae diseases. Here we reviewed the microorganisms that are studied as biocontrol agents against rice diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.26-35
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• 2001

In order to search potent antifungal substances from domestic plants, 40 plants cultivated in Korea were collected. After extracting with methanol (MeOH) and concentrating to dryness, the MeOH extracts were screened for in vivo antifungal activity against six plant diseases at a concentration of $2000{\mu}g/mL$. Fourteen extracts showed disease-controlling activity more than 90% against at least one of the 6 plant diseases tested; eight, seven, and three extracts controlled more than 90% the development of rice blast, tomato late blight, and wheat leaf rust, respectively. However, none of the extracts exhibited in vivo antifungal activity more than 90% against rice sheath blight, tomato gray mold, and barley powdery mildew. From the MeOH extracts of Angelica gigas and A. dahurica showing potent controlling activity against rice blast, 1 and 2 antifungal substances, respectively, were isolated by solvent partitioning and column chromatography. The three compounds were identified to be coumarins, namely, decursin, imperatorin, and isoimperatorin, by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. They were examined for in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities together with umbelliferone (7-bydroxycournarin) and scopoletin (6-methoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin) containing a free hydroxyl group at position 7 to investigate the structure-activity relationship. In vitro, most of 50% growth inhibitory concentrations ($IC_{50}$) were over $200{\mu}g/mL$, indicating that they have relatively weak antifungal activity. The antifungal activity of decursin and scopoletin, containing cyclic alkoxy groups instead of free hydroxyl group at position 7, was stronger than umbelliferone and scopoletin. Especially, decursin and imperatorin showed potent antifungal activities against Pythium ultimum and Magnaporthe grisea, respectively, with $IC_{50}$ values less than $25{\mu}g/mL$. In vivo, decursin and imperatorin showed potent antifungal activity against rice blast, whereas other coumarins hardly controlled the development of 6 plant diseases tested. These results suggest that the antifungal activity of 7-hydroxycoumarin derivative is substantially increased when the hydroxyl group at position 7 is protected by a stable cyclic alkoxy grouping.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 1987

Banana blast was frequently encountered in greenhouses of Jeju province during a local survey of plan diseases from 1985 to 1986. The disease incidence on banana was very severe up to $100\%$ in a greenhouse. The causal fungus was identified as Pyricularia angulata Hashioka based on mycological characteristics and Path genicity of the fungus. The symptom of blast produced on leaves of banana was circular to oval, dark brow spots with yellow margins which measured 1-10mm in diameter, and the symptom on fruits was circular to oval reddish brown or dark brown, depressed spots which measured up to 20mm in diameter. The symptoms were scattered not only on leaves and fruits of banana but. also on petioles, leaf sheaths, bunch stalks and crowns The pathogen was characterized that conidia were hyaline, 2 septated, ovate to pyriform with a small hilum solitary at ends of den tides of conidiophores, and measured $16.0-34.0\times7.0-12.0{\mu}m$ (average $22.5\times9.0{\mu}m$) and conidiophores were mostly 2 septated, occasionally 2 or 3 branched, denticulate at the tips, and measured $7.5-100.0\times3.0-5.0{\mu}m$(average $90.0\times4.0{\mu}m$). The optimum temperature range for mycelial growth of the fungus on PDA was $26-28^{\circ}C$. The result of pathogenicity tests revealed that P. angulata had pathogenicity only on banana. On the other hand Pyricularia grisea (Cke.) Sacc. isolated from Digitaria sanguinalis(L.) Scopo. was not pathogenic to banana. It was revealed that the leaves were the most susceptible to P. angulata among several parts of banana in inoculation tests. Thirty-day-old fruits of banana were more susceptible to the fungus than 60-day-old fruits, and bunch stalks were more susceptible than the fruits.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.238-246
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• 2010

In 2006 fall, a preliminary survey of viruses in two important medicinal plants, Cynanchum wilfordii and C. auriculatum, was conducted on the experimental fields at the Agricultural Research and Extension Services of Chungbuk province in Korea. On each experimental fields, percentage of virus infection was ranged from 20 to 80%, and especially an average of disease incidence propagated by roots was twice higher than that by seeds. The various symptoms were observed in Cynanchum spp. plants, such as mosaic, mottle, necrosis, yellowing, chlorotic spot and malformation etc. In electron microscopic examination of crude sap extracts, filamentous rod particles with 390-730 nm were observed in most samples. The virus particles were purified from the leaves of C. wilfordii with typical mosaic symptom, and the viral RNA was extracted from this sample containing 430-845 nm long filamentous rod. To identify the viruses, reverse transcription followed by PCR with random primers was carried out. The putative sequences of P3 and coat protein of potyvirus were obtained. From a BLAST of the two sequences, they showed 26-38% and 62-72% identities to potyviruses, respectively. In SDS-PAGE analysis, the subunit of coat protein was approximately 30.3 kDa, close to the coat protein of potyvirus. In bioassay with 21 species in 7 families, Chenopodium quinoa showed local lesion on inoculated leave and chlorotic spot on upper leave, but the others were not infected. RT-PCR detection using specific primer of C. wilfordii and C. auriculatum samples, all of 24 samples with virus symptom was positive, and five out of seven samples without virus symptom were also positive. On the basis of these data, the virus could be considered as a new member of potyvirus. We suggested that the name of the virus was Keunjorong mosaic virus (KjMV) after the common Korean name of C. wilfordii.