• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2000

Helicobacter pylori, an etiologic agent of gastritis and peptic ulceration, produces urease which elicits a powerful immunoglobulin response in H. pylori-infected individuals. To establish a model plant vaccine agains H. pylori, 750 bp -ureA DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction from pH 808 plasmid harboring urease gene cluster was cloned and manipulated to be expressed in tobacco plants. From the regenerated transgenic tobacco plants, ureA DNA integration,m its mRNA expression and protein synthesis were analyzed and confirmed by standard molecular techniques. The CaMV 35S promoter-driving ureA construct was expressed to produce a 30 kDa protein which was identical with bacterial UreA in size when detected on immunoblot of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.68
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• pp.196-208
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• 2018

The effect of channel-system of zeolite on methanol-to-DME reaction was studied. Results revealed that channels size and topology affect catalyst lifetime, type and location of coke precursors. FER and MFI showed the best resistance towards coke deposition, whilst fast deactivation was observed on MOR. Although the higher concentration and strength of acid sites, FER structure formed a lower coke amount, preferably located within the pores, while coke cluster deposited on the external surface of MOR. Analysis of acid sites distribution and strength was performed during deactivation-regeneration process. Coke location assessment was also supported by molecular simulations.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.334-345
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• 2018

Spore-forming Bacillus species are commercially available probiotic formulations for application in humans. They have health benefits and help prevent disease in hosts by combating entero-pathogens and ameliorating antibiotic-associated diarrhea. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these benefits remain unclear. Here, we report the draft genome of a potential probiotic strain of Bacillus clausii B106. We mapped and compared the probiotic profile of B106 with other reference genomes. The draft genome analysis of B106 revealed the presence of ADI pathway genes, indicating its ability to tolerate acidic pH and bile salts. Genes encoding fibronectin binding proteins, enolase, as well as a gene cluster involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides underscored the potential of B106 to adhere to the intestinal epithelium and colonize the human gut. Genes encoding bacteriocins were also detected, indicating the antimicrobial ability of this isolate. The presence of genes encoding vitamins, including Riboflavin, Folate, and Biotin, also indicated the health-promoting ability of B106. Resistance of B106 to multiple antibiotics was evident from the presence of genes encoding resistance to chloramphenicol, ${\beta}$-lactams, Vancomycin, Tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. The findings indicate the significance of B. clausii B106 administration during antibiotic treatment and its potential value as a probiotic strain to replenish the health-promoting and disease-preventing gut flora following antibiotic treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1992-1998
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• 2018

In 2015, Bacillus paralicheniformis was separated from B. licheniformis on the basis of phylogenomic and phylogenetic studies, and urease activity was reported as a phenotypic property that differentiates between the two species. Subsequently, we have found that the urease activity of B. paralicheniformis is strain-specific, and does not reliably discriminate between species, as strains having the same urease gene cluster were identified in B. licheniformis and B. sonorensis, the closest relatives of B. paralicheniformis. We developed a multilocus sequence typing scheme using eight housekeeping genes, adk, ccpA, glpF, gmk, ilvD, pur, spo0A, and tpi to clearly identify B. paralicheniformis from closely related Bacillus species and to find a molecular marker for the rapid identification of B. paralicheniformis. The scheme differentiated 33 B. paralicheniformis strains from 90 strains formerly identified as B. licheniformis. Among the eight housekeeping genes, spo0A possesses appropriate polymorphic sites for the design of a B. paralichenofomis-specific PCR primer set. The primer set designed in this study perfectly separated B. paralicheniformis from B. licheniformis and B. sonorensis.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2019

A fungal isolate, designated KNU-JJ-1824, was isolated from a soil sample collected from a field on Jeju, Korea. Colonies of the isolates cultured on PDA, MEA and CMAD for 14 days grew to diameters of 49~51 mm, 60~63 mm, and 47~50 mm, respectively. The colonies of this fungal isolate were dark green in color on both sides, and had irregular margins on the PDA media. Mycelia submerged and exhibited clear lines from the center to the edge on MEA media. On CMAD media, they were dark brown to greenish-brown, with narrow white margins. The shape of the conidia was guttulate, fusiform or clavate, and $1.9{\sim}3.4{\times}6.5{\sim}10.2{\mu}m$ in size. A molecular phylogenetic tree was constructed using dataset from small subunit (SSU) rDNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, and the isolate was found to cluster with Scleroconidioma sphagnicola UAMH 9731. Based on the results of the phylogenetic tree analysis and the cultural and morphological characteristics, the isolate was identified as Scleroconidioma sphagnicola. We report S. sphagnicola for the first time in Korea.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 2019

The higher fragment sizes (>2,100 bp) are not observed in the two C. spp. populations. The six oligonucleotides primers OPA-11, OPB-09, OPB-14, OPB-20, OPC-14, and OPC-18 were used to generate the unique shared loci to each tonguesole population and shared loci by the two tonguesole populations. The hierarchical polar dendrogram indicates two main clusters: Gunsan (GUNSAN 01-GUNSAN 11) and the Atlantic (ATLANTIC 12-ATLANTIC 22) from two geographic populations of tonguesoles. The shortest genetic distance displaying significant molecular difference was between individuals' GUNSAN no. 02-GUNSAN no. 01 (genetic distance=0.038). In the long run, individual no. 02 of the ATLANTIC tonguesole was most distantly related to GUNSAN no. 06 (genetic distance=0.958). These results demonstrate that the Gunsan tonguesole population is genetically different from the Atlantic tonguesole population. The potential of PCR analysis to identify diagnostic markers for the identification of two tonguesole populations has been demonstrated. As a rule, using various oligonucleotides primers, this PCR method has been applied to identify polymorphic/specific markers particular to species and geographical population, as well as genetic diversity/polymorphism in diverse species of organisms.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.9
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• pp.604-608
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• 2008

The layered compounds vanadium disulfide($VS_2$) and vanadium dioxide($VO_2$) intercalated with Li are investigated for using the Discrete Variational $(DV)-X{\alpha}$ molecular orbital method. The chemical bonding properties of the atoms were examined by bond overlap population of electronic states. The plot of density of states supports the covalent bonding properties by showing the overlap between the atoms. There is a strong tendency of covalent bonding between V-S and V-O. The intensity of covalent bonding of $VS_2$ is stronger than $VO_2$. The net charge of $LiVO_2$ is higher than that of $LiVS_2$. This results of the calculation of $VO_2$ and $VS_2$ indicate that $(DV)-X{\alpha}$ method can be widely applied in the new practical materials.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

The ascomycete fungus Cordyceps militaris infects lepidopteran larvae and pupae and forms characteristic fruiting bodies. Owing to its immune-enhancing effects, the fungus has been used as a medicine. For industrial application, this fungus can be grown on geminated soybeans as an alternative protein source. In our study, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis to identify core gene sets during C. militaris cultivation on germinated soybeans. RNA-Seq technology was applied to the fungal cultures at seven-time points (2, 4, and 7-day and 2, 3, 5, 7-week old cultures) to investigate the global transcriptomic change. We conducted a time-series analysis using a two-step regression strategy and chose 1460 significant genes and assigned them into five clusters. Characterization of each cluster based on Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases revealed that transcription profiles changed after two weeks of incubation. Gene mapping of cordycepin biosynthesis and isoflavone modification pathways also confirmed that gene expression in the early stage of GSC cultivation is important for these metabolic pathways. Our transcriptomic analysis and selected genes provided a comprehensive molecular basis for the cultivation of C. militaris on germinated soybeans.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.327-335
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• 2020

Genomic DNA (gDNA) extracted from two populations of natural and cultured river pufferfish (Takifugu obscurus) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The complexity of the fragments derived from the two locations varied dramatically. The genetic distances (GDs) between individuals numbered 15 and 12 in the cultured population was 0.053, which was the lowest acknowledged. The oligonucleotide primer OPC-11 identified 88 unique loci shared within each population reflecting the natural population. The OPC-05 primer identified 44 loci shared by the two populations. The average band-sharing (BS) values of individuals in the natural population (0.683±0.014) were lower than in those derived from the cultured population (0.759±0.009) (p<0.05). The shortest GD demonstrating a significant molecular difference was found between the cultured individuals # 15 and # 12 (GD=0.053). Individual # 02 of the natural population was most distantly related to cultured individual # 22 (GD=0.827). A cluster tree was built using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) Euclidean GD analysis based on a total of 578 various fragments derived from five primers in the two populations. Obvious markers identified in this study represent the genetic structure, species security, and proliferation of river pufferfish in the rivers of the Korean peninsula.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.806-819
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• 2022

Synaptic accumulation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) oligomers and their interactions with VAMP2 have been reported to be the basis of synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD). α-Syn mutants associated with familial PD have also been known to be capable of interacting with VAMP2, but the exact mechanisms resulting from those interactions to eventual synaptic dysfunction are still unclear. Here, we investigate the effect of α-Syn mutant oligomers comprising A30P, E46K, and A53T on VAMP2-embedded vesicles. Specifically, A30P and A53T oligomers cluster vesicles in the presence of VAMP2, which is a shared mechanism with wild type α-Syn oligomers induced by dopamine. On the other hand, E46K oligomers reduce the membrane mobility of the planar bilayers, as revealed by single-particle tracking, and permeabilize the membranes in the presence of VAMP2. In the absence of VAMP2 interactions, E46K oligomers enlarge vesicles by fusing with one another. Our results clearly demonstrate that α-Syn mutant oligomers have aberrant effects on VAMP2-embedded vesicles and the disruption types are distinct depending on the mutant types. This work may provide one of the possible clues to explain the α-Syn mutant-type dependent pathological heterogeneity of familial PD.