• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.27 no.4 s.91
• /
• pp.274-279
• /
• 1999

The internal transcribed spacer regions(ITS) of the ribosomal DNA gene repeat from Coprinus and Psathyrella spp. were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Sequences from 11 species including Coprinus comatus, C. atramentarius, C. micaceus, C. cinereus, C. rhizophorus, C. radians, C. echinosporus, C. disseminatus, Psathyrella candolleana, P. spadiceogrisea and Stropharia rugosoannulata were compared. The spacer region I and II were $258{\sim}301\;bp\;and\;253{\sim}275\;bp$ in length respectively and partially contained 17S, 5.8S and 25S. The reciprocal homologies of ITS sequences among these strains were in the range of $43.9{\sim}96.0%$. According to the analysis of ITS sequences, Coprinus and Psathyrella spp. were classified into three clusters. Cluster I consisted of Coprinus lagopus, C. cinereus, C. echinosporus, C. rhizophorus, and C. atramentarius. Cluster II comprised C. micaceus, C. radians, C. disseminatus, Psathyrella candolleana, and P. spadiceogrisea. On the other hand C. comatus is in Cluster III with Stropharia rugosoannulata even though this species is belonging to the section Coprinus in morphological aspect. These results suggest that taxonomic position of Psathyrella would better be inculded in genus Coprinus. Coprinus comatus, the type species of Coprinus, gives a doubt on monophyletic evolution and is assumed to be paraphyletic or polyphyletic.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.342-349
• /
• 2014

This study was conducted to identify the bloom-forming Anabaena strains with two phenotypes (straight-type and coil-type) isolated from North Han River (Sambong-ri Joam-myun) using 16S rDNA sequence. The odor material producing potential was also examined using the geosmin-synthesizing gene cluster. Despite of striking morphological difference of the two stains, resembling A. circinalis and A. crassa species, the phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA identified the both strains as a single species of A. circinalis with high genetic similarity (98%~100%). Also, two Anabaena strains showed to possess the geosmin-synthesizing gene cluster, indicating that they are capable of producing the odor substance. This study is the first report that provides the direct evidence of geosmin production in the gene level by A. circinalis in Korea, and provides important basic information to identify the source alga of geosmin increase and its management in North Han River.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.455-465
• /
• 2001

The highly potent cytotoxic DNA-DNA cross-linker consists of two cyclopropa[c]pyrrolo[3,4-3]indol-4(5H)-ones insoles [(+)-CPI-I] joined by a bisamido pyrrole (abbreviated to "Pyrrole"). The Pyrrole is a synthetic analog of Bizelesin, which is currently in phase II clinical trials due to its excellent in vivo antitumor activity. The Pyrrole has 10 times more potent cytotoxicity than Bizelesin and mostly form DNA-DNA interstrand cross-links through the N3 of adenines spaced 7 bp apart. The Pyrrole requires a centrally positioned GC base pair for high cross-linking reactivity (i.e., $5^1$-T$AT_2$A*-$3^1$), while Bizelesin prefers purely AT-rich sequences (i.e., $5^1$-T$AT_4$A*-$3^1$, where /(equation omitted) represents the cross-strand adenine alkylation and A* represents an adenine alkylation) (Park et al., 1996). In this study, the high-field $^1$H-NMR and rMD studies are conducted on the 1 1-mer DNA duplex adduct of the Pyrrole where the 5′(equation omitted)TAGTTA*-3′sequence is cross-linked by the drug. A severe structural perturbation is observed in the intervening sequences of cross-linking site, while a normal B-DNA structure is maintained in the region next to the drug-modified adenines. Based upon these observations, we propose that the interplay between the bisamido pyrrole unit of the drug and central C/C base pair (hydrogen-bonding interactions) is involved in the process of cross-linking reaction, and sequence specificity is the outcome of those interactions. This study suggests a mechanism for the sequence specific cross-linking reaction of the Pyrrole, and provides a further insight to develop new DNA sequence selective and distortive cross-linking agents.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.287-293
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study was to isolate and characterize fungal deteriogens, which induce discoloration of the cement tunnel, and calcite forming bacteria (CFBs), which have antifungal activity against fungal deteriogens. Isolation of mold, bacteria and yeast was performed using several solid media and partially identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS); 5.8S rRNA gene sequencing and 16s rDNA sequencing. A total of 19 microbial strains were identified with the most widely distributed fungal strain being Cladospirum sphaerospermum. In addition, five bacteria derived from the tunnel were identified as CFBs. Amongst the latter, Bacillus aryabhatti KNUC205 exhibited antifungal activity against Cladospirum sphaerospermum KNUC253 and Aspergillus niger KCTC6906 as concentrated filtered supernatants.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.413-421
• /
• 2019

Purpose: Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is an important traditional medicinal herb. Pharmacological research has indicated that AM has various physiological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, anticancer, hypolipidemic, antihyperglycemic, and hepatoprotective activities. The bioactive substances responsible for the physiological activities in AM, including many antioxidant substances, change during the roasting process. This study investigated and compared the changes in the antioxidant constituents of AM caused by roasting. Methods: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) and $ABTS^+$ (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) radical scavenging activities and their total phenolic content (TPC) were measured. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was performed to confirm any changes in the isoflavonoids of roasted AM (R-AM),. The cell viability of UVB-induced HDF (Human dermal fibroblast) cells treated with AM and R-AM extracts was investigated. The comet assay was used to examine the inhibitory effects of R-AM extracts on DNA damage caused by oxidative stress. Results: The DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activities were $564.6{\pm}20.9$ and $108.2{\pm}3.1$ ($IC_{50}$ value) respectively, from the 2R-AM. The total phenol content was $47.80{\pm}1.40mg$ GAE/g from the 1R-AM. The values of calycosin and formononetin, which are the known isoflavonoid constituents of AM, were $778.58{\pm}2.72$ and $726.80{\pm}3.45{\mu}g/g$ respectively, from the 2R-AM. Treatment of the HDF cells with R-AM ($50{\sim}200{\mu}g/mL$) did not affect the cell viability. Furthermore, the R-AM extracts effectively protected against UVB-induced DNA damage. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that R-AM increases its isoflavonoid constituents and protects against UVB-induced DNA damage in HDF cells.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 1971

The effects of X-irradiation on the mitotic activity, the chromosome aberration and the DNA synthetic pattern in synchronized human kidney cells treated with 5-AU were measured in the present experiment. When 5-AU was added, mitotic activity was markedly suppressed. After removal of the cells from the chemical, its activity proceeded synchronouly and reached peaks at hours 10. In 5-AU+100R groups, it was observed the X-ray caused mitotic delay, the irregularity of the time when mitotic peak appeared and the inhibiton of mitotic activity. In the control group, chromosome aerrations per cell was 0.030, whereas 0.147 in 5-AU treated group. In 5-AU+100R and 5-AU+200R groups, chromosome aberrations per cell were 0.583 and 0.669 respectively and the average chromosome aberrations per cell per R was 0.0035. 5-AU increased the frequency of labeled metaphases together with labeling intensity, and this is thought to be due to the accumulation of cells by 5-AU at S stage. On the contrary, X-ray decreased the labeling intensity and the frequency of labeled metaphases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.495-500
• /
• 2018

Trichuris suis infection in pigs is ubiquitous in intensive and extensive farms, which causes potential threat to human health. The objective of this research was to investigate the prevalence of T. suis in pigs in Hunan province. Total 2,267 fresh fecal samples distributed in 28 pig farms from 7 different administrative regions (Hunan province) were evaluated for the existence of T. suis eggs using saturated NaCl floating method. The average infection rate of T. suis in pigs was 8.91% in Hunan province. To determine genetic variation of the gained T. suis isolates in the present study, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions from nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of 7 T. suis isolates were cloned and analyzed. Nucleotide diversities were 1.0-3.5% and 0-3.8% for ITS-1 and ITS-2, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that all isolates collected in the present study and T. suis available in Genbank generated a monophyletic clade. The present investigation revealed high infection rates of T. suis in pigs in Hunan province, which shed light on making effective measures to prevent and control T. suis infection in pigs in Hunan province.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.355-361
• /
• 2017

In this study, endophytic fungi were isolated from the roots of three native orchid species from Korea: Bletilla striata, Oreorchis patens, and Cephalanthera longibracteata. The isolated fungal endophytes were identified based on the morphological and molecular characteristics including sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S ribosomal DNA regions. As a result, we discovered 5 species of fungal endophytes that have not been previously reported in Korea: Phialocephala bamuru, Coniochaeta mutabilis, Phialophora foetens, Calonectria canadensis, and Neonectria ramulariae.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.49-55
• /
• 2011

Thirty Streptomyces sp. and 200 Bacillus sp. isolated from Korean soils and traditional foods were screened for their abilities to inhibit ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and produce 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ). This screening identified a Bacillus sp. bacterium that strongly inhibited ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and produced high levels of DNJ from Chungkookjang, a Korean traditional food. The bacterium was characterized in terms of its biochemical and molecular biological properties such as sugar utilization, cellular quinone composition, cell wall fatty acid composition, and 16S rDNA sequence. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the morphology of the bacterium. These analyses identified the bacterium as B. subtilis, a bacterium with Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status. The selected strain was named B. subtilis MORI.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.275-280
• /
• 2014

Leucine-responsive Regulatory Protein (Lrp) from Escherichia coli is an 18.8 kDa protein composed of 164 amino acids. Wild type Lrp (Lrp Wt) does not possess any tryptophan amino acid which has strong intrinsic fluorescence, whereas the mutant Lrp R145W contains a single tryptophan at the position 145 in the leucine-responsive domain. To investigate the fluorescence character, the Lrp R145W and Lrp Wt proteins were purified. The fluorescence intensity of Lrp R145W is much higher than that of wild type protein, and the intensity of Lrp R145W was decreased by binding to its specific DNA designed from ilvIH operon and to L-leucine. In addition, the tryptophan fluorescence intensity of Lrp R145W was strongly quenched by addition of acrylamide even in the least amount of concentration as well as by urea. The data obtained from this study may give valuable information on the three dimensional structure of Lrp R145W.