• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1240-1245
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• 2008

Kimbab is the most popular ready-to-eat (RTE) food in Korea. A rapid detection method based on multiplex PCR technique was developed for detection of major food-borne pathogens like Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytongenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Specific bands were obtained as 108 bp (Sau, S. aureus), 284 bp (Sal, S. enterica, S. enteritids, and S. typhmurium), 404 bp (Lmo, L. monocytogenes), 475 bp (Bce, B. cereus), and 600 bp (Shi, S. flexineri and S. sonnei). Visible cell numbers varied from 4.14-5.03, 3.61-4.47, and 4.10-5.11 log CFU/g in randomly collected June, July, and August samples, respectively. Among the 30 kimbab samples obtained 83.3% samples were contaminated and 16.7% samples were free from contamination. The highest rate of contamination was with S. aureus (56.7%) followed by B. cereus (43.3%), Salmonella spp. (36.7%), Shigella spp. (13.3%), and L. monocytogenes (6.7%). The identification of the pathogenic species could be faster using one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the ability to test for food-borne pathogenic species in kimbab will save time and increase the ability to assure its quality.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.441-446
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• 2019

The assortment of endophytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in kimchi derives from its raw vegetables, which include Chinese cabbage, radish, welsh onion, onion, garlic, red pepper, and ginger. These vegetables were examined during mulkimchi fermentation using gene-specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction and 16S ribosomal RNA sequence analysis. Sixteen species from five LAB genera (Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, and Weissella) appeared in the raw kimchi materials. Interestingly, nine LAB species were identified in mulkimchi on fermentation day 0 as follows: Leuconostoc carnosum, Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc gelidum, Leuconostoc inhae, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus sakei, Lactococcus lactis, and Weissella confusa. Seven additional LAB species were present in mulkimchi at fermentation day 9 as follows: Leuconostoc gasicomitatum, Leuconostoc kimchii, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus pentosus, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella koreensis. These species corresponded completely with the LAB in kimchi vegetables. Wei. confusa was the predominant LAB during early fermentation (pH 6.20 to 4.98 and acidity 0.20 to 0.64%), while Lac. sakei, Lac. plantarum, and Wei. koreensis became dominant later in fermentation (pH 4.98 to 3.88 and acidity 0.64 to 1.26%). These results collectively demonstrate that the LAB involved in mulkimchi fermentation originates from the raw vegetables examined.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.341-349
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• 2015

Magnoliae Flos (Sini in Korean) is one of the most important oriental medicinal plants. In the Korean Herbal Pharmacopeia, the bud of the all species in Manolia denudate and Manolia genus were regarded as the botanical sources for ‘Sini’. Most the dried bud of Manolia denudata, Manolia biondii and Manolia sprengeri were used as ‘Xin-yi’ in China. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine and compare the ‘Magnolia’ species, four species including Manolia denudata, M. biondii, M. liliiflora and M. Kobus were analysis of sequencing data revealed DNA polymorphisms. The based on tRNA coding leucine/phenylalanine (trnL-F) and NADH-plastoquinone oxidoreductase subunit 5 (ndhF) sequences in chloroplast DNA. For the identification of ‘Magnolia’ species, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of chloroplast DNA regions such as ndhF have proven an appropriate method. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been identified between genuine “Sini” and their fraudulent and misuse. Specific PCR primers were designed from this polymorphic site within the sequence data, and were used to detect true plants via multiplex PCR.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.689-694
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• 2013

Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis are parasites known to be carcinogenic and causative agents of cholangiocarcinoma in Asia. The standard method for diagnosis for those parasite infections is stool examination to detect parasite eggs. However, the method has low sensitivity, and eggs of O. viverrini and C. sinensis are difficult to distinguish from each other and from those of some other trematodes. Here, we report a multiplex real-time PCR coupled with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for the differentiation of O. viverrini and C. sinensis eggs in fecal samples. Using 2 pairs of species-specific primers, DNA sequences from a portion of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad 2) gene, were amplified to generate 209 and 165 bp products for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. The distinct characteristics of HRM patterns were analyzed, and the melting temperatures peaked at $82.4{\pm}0.09^{\circ}C$ and $85.9{\pm}0.08^{\circ}C$ for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. This technique was able to detect as few as 1 egg of O. viverrini and 2 eggs of C. sinensis in a 150 mg fecal sample, which is equivalent to 7 and 14 eggs per gram of feces, respectively. The method is species-specific, rapid, simple, and does not require fluorescent probes or post-PCR processing for discrimination of eggs of the 2 species. It offers a new tool for differentiation and detection of Asian liver fluke infections in stool specimens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.568-572
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• 2015

Acetes chinensis is an economically important shrimp that belongs to the Sergestidae family; following fermentation, A. chinensis' economic value, however, is low in China, and much of the catch in China is exported to Korea at a low price, thus leading to potential false labeling. For this reason, we developed a simple method to identify A. chinensis' origin using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified from partial (i.e., 570 bp) DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial 16s rRNA gene in 96 Korean and 96 Chinese individual shrimp. Among 10 SNP sites, four sites were observed in populations from both countries, and two sites located in the middle with SNP sites at their 3'-ends were used to design allele-specific primers. Among the eight internal primers, the C220F primer specific to the Chinese A. chinensis population amplified a DNA fragment of 364 bp only from that population. We were able to identify the A. chinensis population origin with 100% accuracy using multiplex PCR performed with two external primers and C220F primers. These results show that the 16S rRNA gene that is generally used for the identification of species can be used for the identification of the origin within species of A. chinensis, which is an important finding for the fair trade of the species between Korea and China.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1062-1067
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• 2018

Reliable labeling of fish products can reassure consumers regarding the identity and quality of seafoods. Therefore, techniques that can identify adulteration or mislabeling are valuable. To rapidly identify two Trachurus species, Trachurus japonicus and Trachurus novaezelandiae, a highly efficient, rapid, duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) having two species-specific primers simultaneously was identified. This species-specific primer focused on a single nucleotide mismatch in the 3'-terminal base of a primer designed in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COI) subunit I DNA. To optimize the duplex PCR condition, gradient PCR reactions were conducted to determine the primer annealing temperature and the primer concentration. The PCR's product was observed on the gel, suggesting that DNA molecules may be useful in differentiating the two species. The length of the amplification fragments were 103 bp for Trachurus japonicus and 214 bp for Trachurus novaezelandiae, which, along with the species-specific primer visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis, enabled accurate distinction of the species of the Trachurus genus. These results indicate that the duplex PCR, which has a species-specific primer based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), can be useful for rapidly differentiating the two species of Trachurus. This duplex PCR analysis is simple, rapid, and reliable, and could be beneficial to protecting consumers' rights.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.326-329
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• 2015

Fusaric acid is a mycotoxin produced by species of the fungus Fusarium and can act synergistically with other Fusarium toxins. In order to develop a specific detection method for fusaric acid-producing fungus, PCR primers were designed to amplify FUB10, a transcription factor gene in fusaric acid biosynthetic gene cluster. When PCR with Fub10-f and Fub10-r was performed, a single band (~550 bp) was amplified from F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides, F. anthophilum, F. bulbicola, F. circinatum, F. fujikuroi, F. redolens, F. sacchari, F. subglutinans, and F. thapsinum, all of which were known for fusaric acid production. Whereas the FUB10 specific band was not amplified from Fusarium species known to be trichothecene producer. Because production of fusaric acid can co-occur in species that also produce fumonisin mycotoxins, we developed a multiplex PCR assay using the FUB10 primers as well as primers for the fumonisin biosynthetic gene FUM1. The assay yielded amplicons from fumonisin producers such as F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides, allowing for the simultaneous detection of species with the genetic potential to produce both types of mycotoxins.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.379-390
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• 2007

We sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of the Japanese fish tapeworm D. nihonkaiense. The genome is a circular-DNA molecule of 13607 bp (one nucleotide shorter than that of D. latum mtDNA) containing 12 protein-coding genes (lacking atp8), 22 tRNA genes and two rRNA genes. Gene order and genome content are identical to those of the other cestodes reported thus far, including its congener D. latum. The only exception is Hymenolepis diminuta in which the positions of trnS2 and trnL1 are switched. We tested a PCR-based molecular assay designed to rapidly and accurately differentiate between D. nihonkaiense and D. latum using species-specific primers based on a comparison of their mtDNA sequences. We found the PCR-based system to be very reliable and specific, and suggest that PCR-based identification methods using mtDNA sequences could contribute to the study of the epidemiology and larval ecology of Diphyllobothrium species.

• Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology : HEB
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.865-873
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• 2018

Allium ochotense and Allium microdictyon are commonly known as 'Mountain garlic' and are popular, economically important species in many countries such as Korea, China, and Mongolia. Their leaves are used as culinary side dishes and in traditional medicines. In Korea, these two species are at risk of extinction due to damage to their natural habitat and thus, conservation and breeding programs are needed. However, their identification relies mostly on morphological data, which is limited and until recently, led to classifying these two species under A. victorialis. In the present study, a simple and reliable method of molecular identification was developed to distinguish A. ochotense from A. microdictyon that targets four barcoding regions: the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the maturase K gene (matK), the chloroplast psbA-trnH intergenic region, and the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit gene (rbcL). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in ITS and matK regions, and species-specific primers were designed based solely on the SNP at position 680 of the ITS region that could differentiate A. ochotense from A. microdictyon. Using these primers in amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR, A. ochotense, and A. microdictyon could be simultaneously and efficiently distinguished. This study is the first to report a simple, rapid, and efficient method for discriminating A. ochotense and A. microdictyon, indicating the utility of species-specific markers in the development of conservation and breeding programs.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.453-459
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• 2007

We developed a multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay to simultaneously detect Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Corynebacterium spp. and seudomona aeruginosa. This method employs a single tube and multiple specific primers which yield 200, 281, 346, 423, 542, and 1,427 bp PCR products, respectively. All the PCR products were easily detected by agarose gel electrophoresis and were sequenced to confirm the specificity of the reactions. To test this method, DNA extracted from urine samples was collected from 96 sexually transmitted disease or prostatitis patients at a local hospital clinical center, and were subjected to the mPCR assay. The resulting amplicons were cloned and sequenced to exactly match the sequences of known pathogenic isolates. N. gonorrhoeae and Corynebacterium spp. were the most frequently observed pathogens found in the STDs and prostatitis patients, respectively. Unexpectedly, P. aeruginosa was also detected in some of the STD and prostatitis samples. More than one pathogen species was found in 10% and 80.7% of STD and prostatitis samples, respectively, indicating that STD and prostatitis patients may have other undiagnosed and associates. The sensitivity of the assay was determined by sing purified DNA from six pathogenic laboratory strains and revealed that this technique could detect pathogenic DNA at concentrations ranging from 0.018 to $1.899\;pg/{\mu}l$. Moreover, the specificities of this assay were found to be highly efficient. Thus, this mPCR assay may be useful for the rapid diagnosis of causative infectious STDs and prostatitis. useful for the infectious STDs and prostatitis.