• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2006

Twenty isolates of Didymella bryoniae were isolated from infected cucurbit plants in various growing areas of southern Korea in 2001 and 2002. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) group [RG] I of D. bryoniae was more virulent than RG IV to watermelon. Virulence of the RG I isolate was strong to moderate to cucumber, whereas that of the RG IV varied from strong, moderate to weak. Two hundred seventy-three amplified fragments were produced with 40 primers, and were analyzed by a cluster analysis using UPGMA method with an arithmetic average program of NTSYSPC. At the distance level of 0.7, two major genomic DNA RAPD groups were differentiated among 20 isolates. The RG I included 7 isolates from watermelon and one isolate from melon, whereas the RG IV included 12 isolates from squash, cucumber, watermelon and melon. Amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and small subunit rRNA region from the 20 isolates yielded respectively a single fragment. Restriction pattern with 12 restriction enzymes was identical for all isolates tested, suggesting that variation in the ITS and small subunit within the D. bryoniae were low. Amplification of the genomic DNAs of the tested isolates with the sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) primer RG IF-RG IR specific for RG I group resulted in a single band of 650bp fragment for 8 isolates out of the 20 isolates. Therefore, these 8 isolates could be assigned into RG I. The same experiments done with RG IIF-RG IIR resulted in no amplified PCR product for the 20 isolates tested. An about 1.4 kb-fragment amplified from the RG IV isolates was specifically hybridized with PCR fragments amplified from genomic DNAs of the RG IV isolates only, suggesting that this PCR product could be used for discriminating the RG IV isolates from the RG I isolates as well other fungal species.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.543-553
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• 2017

Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oil seed crop of Asia. Yields can be negatively impacted by various factors, including disease, particularly those caused by fungi which create problems in both production and storage. Foliar diseases of sesame such as Alternaria leaf blight may cause significant yield losses, with reductions in plant health and seed quality. The work reported here determined the incidence of Alternaria species infecting sesame seeds grown in the Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 428 Alternaria isolates were obtained from 105 seed samples and grouped into 36 distinct taxonomic groups based on growth pattern and morphological characters. Isolation frequency and relative density of surface sterilized and non-surface sterilized seeds showed that three isolates (A13, A47 and A215) were the most common morphological groups present. These isolates were further identified using sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1). Whilst ITS of rDNA did not resolve the isolates into Alternaria species, the Alt a 1 sequences exhibited > 99% homology with Alternaria alternata (KP123850.1) in GenBank accessions. The pathogenicity and virulence of these isolates of Alternaria alternata was confirmed in inoculations of sesame plants resulting in typical symptoms of leaf blight disease. This work confirms the identity of a major source of sesame leaf blight in Pakistan which will aid in formulating effective disease management strategies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2015-2020
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• 2012

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid in food materials and is a component of the leaves and roots of Olea europaea, Viscum album L., Aralia chinensis L. and more than 120 other plant species. There are several reports validating its antitumor activity against different cancer cells apart from its hepatoprotective activity. However, antitumor activity against skin cancer has not beed studied well thus far. Hence the present study of effects of OA against HaCaT (immortalized keratinocyte) cells - a cell-based epithelial model system for toxicity/ethnopharmacology-based studies - was conducted. Radical scavenging activity ($DPPH{\cdot}$) and FRAP were determined spectrophotometrically. Proliferation was assessed by XTT assay at 24, 48 and 72 hrs with exposure to various concentrations (12.5-200 ${\mu}M$) of OA. Apoptotic induction potential of OA was demonstrated using a cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA method. Morphological studies were also carried out to elucidate its antitumor potential. The results revealed that OA induces apoptosis by altering cellular morphology as well as DNA integrity in HaCaT cells in a dose-dependent manner, with comparatively low cytotoxicity. The moderate toxicity observed in HaCaT cells, with induction of apoptosis, possibly suggests greater involvement of programmed-cell death-mediated mechanisms. We conclude that OA has relatively low toxicity and has the potential to induce apoptosis in HaCaT cells and hence provides a substantial and sound scientific basis for further validation studies.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.272-276
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• 2003

Sapgyo Lake is an artificial freshwater reservoir which is located to the midwest of Korea and is the main water reservoir for industry and agriculture of the region. In this study we investigated environmental factors and the change of bacterial community with the influence of surrounding inflow water and the seasonal variation using the molecular ecological approach. Water samples were collected at front of the dike in May and August, 2001. Bacterial genomic DNAs were extracted directly and purified for the amplification of bacterial 16S rDNA. Clone libraries of the 16S rDNA were constructed using pGEM-T easy vector and RFLP analysis was performed to make a group as OTUs with 4 base recognizing enzymes (MspI and HaeIII). The estimated values of richness in August sample was higher than in May. Thirty-three of 153 clones in May and thirty-eight of 131 clones in August were sequenced from forward region of bacterial 16S rDNA for about 600~800 bp. Proteobacteria, Cytophaga, gram positive bacteria and Verrucomicrobia were observed both months. Especially, Planctomyces, cyanobacteria and chloroplast appeared in August when algal bloom occurred. On the whole investigation, Sapgyo lake showed a typical community structure of estuarine and was influenced by heterochthonous organic matters from the surrounding stream.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.658-665
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• 2011

An wild boar species which has been known as an extinct species on Jeju Island, was recently observed in the surrounding areas of Mount Halla. Based on the molecular techniques, this study examines whether they are crossbred with domesticated pig breeds. Intraspecific genetic relationships with other wild boar populations and molecular sexing were examined as well. Total of four molecular markers on mitochondrial DNA(control region and ND2) and nuclear DNA(MC1R and KIT) were applied to test crossbreeding between with domesticated pig breeds, such as Landrace, Large White, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Duroc. All individuals of wild boar population had identical mtDNA control region(CR) sequences. In addition, the sequences were the same as those of some native pig breeds which are distributed in Northeast China, but different from those previously reported from the Korean Peninsula up to date. These results suggest that this population may have originated from a genetic lineage had been not previously studied and genetically related to Chinese native pig breeds. Molecular sexing results show that there are twice as many females as male. Thus the population is under expansion and its size will dynamically increase if not controlled.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil Zoology Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.1-2
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.121.1-121
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• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.105.1-105
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• 2000

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Mycobiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.60-60
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1997.10b
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• pp.266.2-266
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• 1997

No Abstract, See Full Text