• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.554-560
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• 2023

To prevent illegal timber distribution, DNA markers have been used to identify the species and origin. However, extracting high-quality DNA from timber is difficult because of its physical and chemical properties. In this study, we investigated whether the age of timber tissue influences the yield of DNA extraction and the success rate of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to understand the relationship between the establishment time of the wood annual ring and the extracted DNA concentration (ng/μl), purity (A260/A280), and PCR success rate (%) from pinewood, a major Korean domestic species. According to the results, it was observed that as the distance from the cambium increased, indicating that the tissue was older, the concentration and purity of the extracted DNA decreased significantly. For the trnM-trnV (285 bp) and rpoC1 (298 bp) regions, the PCR success rate was 100%. However, for the rbcL (1.3 kb) region, the PCR success rate was 66.67%. Moreover, PCR amplification of the rbcL region failed at all points older than 30 years. Thus, it is deduced that as time passes, along with the decay of timber cells, DNA is degraded, leading to a decrease in DNA concentration, purity, and PCR success rate. The results of this study are expected to be beneficial for future applications, such as the species identification of timber, providing valuable insights and potential utilization in this field.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.169-173
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• 2000

On human chromoscomes, a short sequence of DNA is known to repeat a number of times. These are called variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) or short tandem respeat (STR) which has a short core. VNTR and STR are used in the filed of forensic science, evolution, and anthropology. In this work, we examined allele frequencies of one VNTR (YNZ22) and three STRs (NeuR, D21S11, Humth01) in a korean population sample by polymerase chain reaction (RCP) followed by high-resolution polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis (PAGE) with silver stain. Subsequently, the polymorphism information content (PIC) was calculated : the hifhest PIC was observed in the NeuR locus (0.95680) and lowest in the Humth01 locus (0.75809).

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2008

Ribosomal Protein S4Y(RPS4Y) gene is the human sex-linked gene on the Y chromosome. There are a number of reports on the sex determination using RPS4Y gene analysis for prevention and diagnosis in sex-linked disease. Thus RPS4Y gene is a reliable genetic marker for sex determination in forensic medicine. In general, the sex determination of an unidentified body can be achieved based on anatomical characteristics, but sometimes sex determination was considered to be difficult such as pre-adolescent bodies or decomposed, mutilated bodies. In this case, Sex determination using PCR method in human teeth produces good results. Because human teeth have a great structural durability, the DNA well preserved in the teeth. So author isolated nuclear DNA from the 20 human teeth(10 males, 10 females), performed to detect RPS4Y gene by PCR method. Samples were divided four group(10 pulp and 10 dentinal tissue in male, 10 pulp and 10 dentinal tissue in female). It was found that detection of RPS4Y gene for sex determination was possible in all the male pulp tissues and 6 out of 10 male dentinal tissues. But there was not detected in female pulp and dentinal tissues. In the view of this results demonstrates the possibility that detection of RPS4Y gene with other sex chromosome genes from the human teeth is useful to sex determination in forensic medicine.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.281-285
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• 2023

The red-tongue viper(Gloydius ussuriensis) is one of only three species of the genus Gloydius found in South Korea. Gloydius ussuriensis has a narrow activity radius and is distributed nationwide, and this species was reported to have the largest population among the Korean species in genus Gloydius. Preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis using part of the mitochondrial DNA indicated that domestic G. ussuriensis is not comprised of monophyletic groups, and morphological analysis showed differences between domestic populations. In this study, we developed 17 microsatellites for the analysis of G. ussuriensis genetic diversity based on these characteristics. These microsatellites were developed using six multiplex panels, which could be employed to validate 80 G. ussuriensis specimens from different geographical regions in South Korea. The average number of alleles per locus was 12.2 and ranged from 4 to 25 alleles; the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.238 to 0.950 and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.213 to 0.933. As a result of assessing four inland populations, a high level of genetic diversity was confirmed. These newly developed markers will be useful for further studies on the population structure and evolutionary history of the G. ussuriensis.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.313-317
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• 2019

Bats influence overall ecosystem health by regulating species diversity and being a major source of zoonotic viruses. Hence, there is a need to elucidate their migration, population structure, and phylogenetic relationship. The complete mitochondrial genome is widely used for studying the genome-level characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of various animals due to its high mutation rate, simple structure, and maternal inheritance. In this study, we determined the complete mitogenome sequence of the bird-like noctule (Nyctalus aviator) by Illumina next-generation sequencing. The sequences obtained were used to reconstruct a phylogenic tree of Vespertilionidae to elucidate the phylogenetic relationship among its members. The mitogenome of N. aviator is 16,863-bp long with a typical vertebrate gene arrangement, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 putative control region. Overall, the nucleotide composition is as follows: 32.3% A, 24.2% C, 14.3% G, and 29.2% T, with a slight AT bias (61.5%). The base composition of the 13 PCGs is as follows: 30.3% A, 13.4% G, 31.0% T, and 25.2% C. The phylogenetic analysis, based on 13 concatenated PCG sequences, infers that N. aviator is closely related to N. noctula with a high bootstrap value (100%).

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2006

The most important progress in diagnostic sciences is the increased sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic procedures due to the development of micromethodologies and increasing availability of immunological and molecular biological reagents. The technological advances led to consider the diagnostic use of saliva for an array of analytes and DNA source. The purpose of the present study was to compare DNA from saliva with those from blood and buccal swab, to evaluate diagnostic and forensic application of saliva, to investigate the changes of genomic DNA in saliva according to the storage temperature and period of saliva samples, and to evaluate the integrity of the DNA from saliva stored under various storage conditions by PCR analysis. Peripheral venous blood, unstimulated whole saliva, stimulated whole saliva, and buccal swab were obtained from healthy 10 subjects (mean age: $29.9{\pm}9.8$ years) and genomic DNA was extracted using commercial kit. For the study of effects of various storage conditions on genomic DNA from saliva, stimulated whole saliva were obtained from healthy 20 subjects (mean age: $32.3{\pm}6.6$ years). After making aliquots from fresh saliva, they were stored at room temperature, $4^{\circ}C$, $-20^{\circ}C$, and $-70^{\circ}C$. Saliva samples after lyophilization and dry-out procedure were stored at room temperature. After 1, 3, and 5 months, the same experiment was performed to investigate the changes in genomic DNA in saliva samples. In case of saliva aliquots stored at room temperature and dry-out samples, the results in 2 weeks were also included. Integrity of DNA from saliva stored under various storage conditions was also evaluated by PCR amplification analysis of $\beta$-globin gene fragments (989-bp). The results were as follows: 1. Concentration of genomic DNA extracted from saliva was lower than that from blood (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences among various types of saliva samples. Purities of genomic DNA extracted from stimulated whole saliva and lyophilized one were significantly higher than that from blood (p<0.05). Purity of genomic DNA extracted from buccal swab was lower than those from various types of saliva samples (p<0.05). 2. Concentration of genomic DNA from saliva stored at room temperature showed gradual reduction after 1 month, and decreased significantly in 3 and 5 months (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively). Purities of DNA from saliva stored for 3 and 5 months showed significant differences with those of fresh saliva and stored saliva for 1 month (p<0.05). 3. In the case of saliva stored at $4^{\circ}C$ and $-20^{\circ}C$, there were no significant changes of concentration of genomic DNA in 3 months. Concentration of DNA decreased significantly in 5 months (p<0.05). 4. There were no significant differences of concentration of genomic DNA from saliva stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ and from lyophilized one according to storage period. Concentration of DNA showed decreasing tendency in 5 months. 5. Concentration of genomic DNA immediately extracted from saliva dried on Petri dish were 60% compared with that of fresh saliva. Concentration of DNA from saliva stored at room temperature after dry-out showed rapid reduction within 2 weeks (p<0.05). 6. Amplification of $\beta$-globin gene using PCR was successful in all lyophilized saliva stored for 5 months. At the time of 1 month, $\beta$-globin gene was successfully amplified in all saliva samples stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ and $-70^{\circ}C$, and in some saliva samples stored at $4^{\circ}C$. $\beta$-globin gene was failed to amplify in saliva stored at room temperature and dry-out saliva.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

Various probabilistic methods have been proposed for using interpopulation allele frequency differences to infer the ethnic group of a DNA specimen. The selection of the statistical method is critical because the accuracy of the statistical classification results vary. For the ancestry classification, we proposed a new ancestry evaluation method that estimate the combined ethnicity index as well as compared its performance with various classical classification methods using two real data sets. We selected 13 SNPs that are useful for the inference of ethnic origin. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed by restriction fragment mass polymorphism assay and followed by classification among ethnic groups. We genotyped 400 individuals from four ethnic groups (100 African-American, 100 Caucasian, 100 Korean, and 100 Mexican-American) for 13 SNPs and allele frequencies that differed among the four ethnic groups. Additionally, we applied our new method to HapMap SNP genotypes for 1,011 samples from 4 populations (African, European, East Asian, and Central-South Asian). Our proposed method yielded the highest accuracy among statistical classification methods. Our ethnic group classification system based on the analysis of ancestry informative SNP markers can provide a useful statistical tool to identify ethnic groups.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.507-515
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• 2024

Microbial forensics is a scientific discipline for analyzing evidence related to biological crimes by identifying the origin of microorganisms. Multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis(MLVA) is one of the microbiological analysis methods used to specify subtypes within a species based on the number of tandem repeat in the genome, and advances in next generation sequencing(NGS) technology have enabled in silico anlysis of full-length whole genome sequences. In this paper, we analyzed unknown samples provided by Robert Koch Institute(RKI) through The United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism(UNSGM)'s external quality assessment exercise(EQAE) project, which we officially participated in 2023. We confirmed that the 3 unknown samples were B. anthracis through nucleic acid isolation and genetic sequence analysis studies. MLVA results on 32 loci of B. anthracis were analysed by using genome sequences obtained from NGS(NextSeq and MinION) and Sanger sequencing. The MLVA typing using short-reads based NGS platform(NextSeq) showed a high probability of causing assembly error when a size of the tandem repeats was grater than 200 bp, while long-reads based NGS platform(MinION) showed higher accuracy than NextSeq, although insertion and deletion was observed. We also showed hybrid assembly can correct most indel error caused by MinION. Based on the MLVA results, genetic identification was performed compared to the 2,975 published MLVA databases of B. anthracis, and MLVA results of 10 strains were identical with 3 unkonwn samples. As a result of whole genome alignment of the 10 strains and 3 unknown samples, all samples were identified as B. anthracis strain A4564 which is associated with injectional anthrax isolates in heroin users.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.352-358
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• 2005

Microsatellites are short tandem repeated nucleotide sequences that are present throughout the human genome. Variations in the repeat number or a loss of heterozygosity around the microsatellites have been termed a microsatellite alteration (MA). A MA reflects the genetic instability caused by an impairment in the DNA mismatch repair system and is suggested to be a novel tumorigenic mechanism. A number of studies have reported that MA in the DNA extracted from the plasma occurs at varying frequencies among patients with a non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The genomic DNA from 9 subjects with a non-small cell lung cancer (squamous cell cancer 6, adenocarcinoma 2, non-small cell lung cancer1) and 9 age matched non-cancer control subjects (AMC: tuberculosis 3, other inflammatory lung disease 6) and 12 normal control subjects (NC) were extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes and plasma. Three microsatellite loci were amplified with the primers targeting the Gene Bank sequence D21S1245, D3S1300, and D3S1234. MA in the form of an allelic loss or a band shift was examined with 6% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. None (0/12) of the NC subjects less than 40 years of age showed a MA in any of the three markers, while 88.9%(8/9) of the AMC above 40 showed a MA in at least one of the three markers (p<0.05). Sixty percent(6/10) of the control subjects with a smoking history showed a MA in one of the three markers, while 9.1%(1/11) of the control subjects without smoking history showed a MA (p<0.05). However, not only did 66.7%(6/9) of lung cancer patients show a MA in at least one of the three markers but so did 88.9%(8/21) of the AMC patients (p>0.05). In conclusion, a MA in the D21S1245, D3S1300, and D3S1234 loci using DNA extracted from the plasma was detected in 66.7% of lung cancer while no MA was found in the young non-smoking control subjects. However, many of the non-cancer control subjects (aged smokers) also showed a MA, which compromised the specificity of the MA analysis as a screening test. Therefore, a further study with a larger sample size will be needed.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.565-570
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• 1999

The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene from Bacillus stearothermopilus was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA was inserted into the expression vector pGEX-KG, and expressed it as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST) in E. coli. The recombinant ADH was produced by induction with 1 mM isopropyl-${\beta}$-D-thiogalactopyranoside at $37^{\circ}C$ and purified by glutathione affinity chromatography. The recombinant ADH exhibited high substrate specificity for ethanol. The activity of the recombinant ADH proceeded optimally at pH 9.0 and $70^{\circ}C$. The recombinant ADH was highly stable against high temperature. This thermostable alcohol dehydrogenase can be used for the enzymatic determination of alcohol and for the industrial production of alcohol.