• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.212-217
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• 2010

Soil pollution by heavy metals has become a significant environmental concern due to a variety of human activities. Specially toxicity caused by excessive mercury exposure is now being recognized as a widespread environmental problem and is continuing to attract a great deal of public concerns. The earthworms are very important animals that aerate the soil with their burrowing action and enrich the soil by decomposing organic matters. Especially the earthworm Eisenia fetida is routinely used in ecotoxicological studies. The levels of DNA damage in earthworms treated with HgCl2 and ionizing radiation were investigated in this study. Genotoxic effects were evaluated in the earthworm's coelomocytes using the comet assay (Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis; SCGE). The results showed that the mercury chloride and radiation were responsible for the genotoxic effects on earthworms. The level of DNA damage significantly increased after the treatment of mercury chloride combined with ionizing radiation. The combined treatment of $HgCl_2$ and ionizing radiation had a greater genotoxicity. This study is amenable to further study such as enzyme activation assay.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2004

In the present study, the protective effects of Artemisia capillaris (AC) on the DNA damage induced by $^{60}$ Co ${\gamma}$-rays were evaluated using alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE, comet assay) in the mouse peripheral lymphocytes and micronuclei (MN) formation test in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. We also investigated the effect of AC on 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) formation in the mouse liver and thymus exposed to ${\gamma}$-ray, The tail moment and the frequency of MN, which were markers of DNA damage in the SCGE and MN formation test, were decreased in the groups treated with AC extract before exposure to 200 cGy of ${\gamma}$-ray. We also observed its activities, lowering 8-OHdG level, an index of oxidative DNA damage, in the groups treated with AC extract before whole body ${\gamma}$-irradiation (800 cGy). It is plausible that scavenging of free radicals by AC may have played an important role in providing the protection against the radiation-induced damage to the DNA. These results indicated that AC protects the DNA damage induced by ${\gamma}$-rays and might be a useful radioprotector, especially since it is a relatively nontoxic product.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-386
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• 1997

Recombinant plasmid, pBKH4, containing NPT II and P35S-BcHSP17.6 was constructed by ligation of Bum H I -digested pBKSl-l and BcHSP 17.6 (thermotolerance gene) 6om pBLH4. The tobacco leaf disc was cocultivated with transformed Agmbacterium tumefaciens bearing pBKH4 for 24 hours and transformed shoots were selected on MS-n/B medium containing $100\;{\mu\textrm{g}}/ml$ of kanamycin. Heat-killing temperature of Nicotima tabacum was $50^{\circ}$ for >15min, and transformed tobacco plants with BcHSP17.6 cDNA exhibited thermotolerance at the heat-killing temperature. The transgenic plants were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization with the probe of ${\alpha}^{_32}P$ labelled BcHSP17.6 cDNA. Transcription and expression level of BcHSP17.6 cDNA were also continued by Northern blot analysis and Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion assay. In this study, we suggest that the BcHSP17.6 cDNA introduced to tobacco plant is related to thenuoto-lerance and 17.6-kD LMW HSP acts as a protector from heat damage in plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.881-887
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• 2009

Forty-four eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing microbial strains were isolated from the intestines of marine fishes. Among them, one strain showing a maximum level of EPA (4.78% of total fatty acids) was identified as Shewanella sp. BR-2 on the basis of its 168 rRNA sequence. The EPA content reached a maximum level during the mid-exponential phase of cell growth, and gradually decreased with further growth of the cells. A cosmid DNA including the EPA biosynthesis gene cluster consisting of pfaA-E was isolated from a cosmid library of genomic DNA of Shewanella sp. BR-2, named pCosEPA-BR2. An E. coli clone harboring pCosEPA-BR2 produced EPA at a maximum level of 7.5% of total fatty acids, confirming the EPA biosynthesis activity of the cloned gene cluster.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.44-47
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• 2000

Cell growth and DNA synthesis were studied from a cultured early- and late- pas- sage mouse aorta smooth muscle cell (MASMC) because the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is a key factor in development of atherosclerosis. In this study, the cells were cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS) and stimulated by growth factors such as thrombin and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Compared to the number of early-passage MASMC (passage 3 to 9) the number of late-passage MASMC (passage 30 to 40) in a normal serum state was increased 2 fold at Day 1, 3 and 6 in culture, respectively. Incorporation of $[^3H]$ thymidine into DNA induced by serum, PDGF and thrombin in late-passage MASMC was greater than those in early-passage MASMC. We also examined whether intracellular zinc levels would be an aging factor or not. The intracellular zinc level in early- and late-passage MASMC was monitored by using the zinc probe dye N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-p-toluenesulfonamide. It is interested that late-passage MASMC increased the intracellular fluorescence level of zinc, more than the early passage MASMC did. The alterations of intracellular zinc level occur concurrently with changes in MASMC proliferation rate during aging. This data suggest that the age-associated changes in zinc concentrations may provide a new in vitro model for the study of smooth muscle cell differentiation.

• Plant Resources
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.170-174
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• 2003

The important component for medical effect in ginseng is ginsenoside. Korea Ginseng & Tobacco Research Institute contains approximately 200 lines produced by inbred selection. It is assumed that ginseng lines containing high level of ginsenoside should be included in those lines. Besides, new breeding methods such as cell line selection in vitro and hairy root were recently developed. Therefore, this study was carried out to detect genes related to ginsenoside, and to use it for selection marker to select and distribute lines containing high level of ginsenoside. DNA was extracted from both ginseng roots and hairy roots, and the difference between the line containing high ginsenoside(KG101) and normal ginsenoside(KG103) were analysed. As a result, 28 out of 36 primers showed bands, and many primers showed band difference between ginseng lines. It is considered that the bands should be analysed using DNA sequence comparison to check if those are related to ginsenoside. In case of hairy roots of ginseng, almost no differences were found between two lines.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.120-128
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• 2012

Recently sawdust cultivation of Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is increasing. It is important to make mycelia to be brown on the substrate surface. This browned surface in sawdust cultivation plays an important role like as artificial bark of the oak log, which protects the other pests and suppresses water evaporation in the substrate. In order to isolate genes which related to brown color formation, differential display method was used. Two cDNA fragments obtained by DD-PCR were 1.2 and 1.6kb and these were expressed in white colored mycelia from L. edodes, but not brown colored mycelia. Partial sequencing of these cDNA fragments showed that the 1.6kb cDNA had 100% identity with the microsatellites gene from Dugenia polichroa. However, the other 1.2kb cDNA fragment had poly T tail on 3' region of partial open reading frame on 5' region. The new primer designed based on the sequence of 1.2kb cDNA was constructed. RT-PCR analysis using the newly designed 0.12kb cDNA specific primer showed that the gene was only expressed in white color mycelia, but not in brown color mycelia. Sequence analysis of 5' region of this 1.2kb cDNA revealed that this gene contained partial open reading frame consisted of 110 amino acid. Homology search using DNASIS database showed that this gene had high sequence homology of 66.7% in DNA level and 69.2 % in amino acid level with dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratases gene from Arabidopsis thaliata. The dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratases gene was known to be function to have tolerance with oxidation stress. These results strongly suggest that this gene isolated from white mycelia of L. edodes might have a function of repressor against mycelia browning. Therefore I designated this gene as BCR (Brown Color Repressor) gene.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2001

Tentative identification of Leuconostoc lactis IH23 isolated from kimchi (a fermented vegetable product) has been described previously with 16S rDNA sequencing (Choi, 1., M. Sc. Thesis Inha Univ.1999). This strain produced the slime identified as dextran based on IR, $\^$13/C- and $^1$H-NMR spectroscopic results. Further study proved that the isolate IH23 belongs to a homogeneous genetic group with L. lactis DSM 20202$\^$T/ and L. argentinum DSM 8581$\^$T/. The results showed DNA-DNA homology of 99-100%, 16S rDNA gene sequence similarity (97.7% ), and a phylogenetic relationship although L. argentinum DSM 8581$\^$T/ had lower homology (80-91%). These data indicate that L. argentinum DSM 8581$\^$T/ and the isolate IH23 belong to an identical species with L. lactis DSM 20202$\^$T/at the genetic level, although in carbohydrate fermentation, the isolate IH23 was mast closely related to L. argentinum DSM 8581$\^$T/ and quite different from L. lactis DSM 20202$\^$T/. Here we first report the isolation of consistent phenotypic variation in Leuconostoc lactis. We also emphasize that the nomenclature of subspecies needs to be differentiated into the three strains mentioned above in Leuconostoc lactis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.116.1-116
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• 2003

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae is a fungal pathogen causing wilt disease on strawberry. The RAPD and RFLP of IGS region of rDNA were used to identify genetic affinity among 22 isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. fagariae obtained from various location of major strawberry cultivating areas in Korea. Approximately 2.6kb DNA fragment was amplified with primer CNS1 and CNL12, and polymorphisms were observed with Avail and HinfI. A dendrogram was constructed using the UPGMA for cluster analysis. Eight distinct groups were clustered based on the banding pattern obtained from RAPD and rDNA RFLP. There was high level genetic variation among Korean isolates of Fusarium of sporum f. sp. fragariae.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.379-382
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• 2005

The new cationic meso-substituted N-quarternized 4-pyridylporphyrins and their metal derivatives were synthesized as novel chemotherapeutics. The level of DNA damage induced by porphyrins TOBut4PyP, TOBut4PyP, TOEt4PyPMn and TOBut4PyPMn and its dependence on the chemical structure of compounds were analyzed by the Comet-assay. On the base of data obtained, the investigated porphyrins may be arranged by their genotoxic activity in the following order: TOEt4PyP>TOEt4PyPMn>TOBut4PyP>TOBut4PyPMn. Thus, i) the genotoxicity of the Mn-derivatives of TOEt4PyP and TOBut4PyP is higher than the original porphyrins and ii) the genotoxicity of TOEt4PyP and TOEt4PyPMn is increased after substitution of a butyl radical for ethyl one. The applied Comet-assay permits to reveal the dependence of DNA damage induction on the chemical structure of porphyrins.