• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.89 no.5
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• pp.645-654
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• 2000

The aim of this study was to described the genetic structure of Eleutherococcus senticosus in Korea. We investigated 10 patches, which are eight Korean patches and two foreign patches come from Russia and China growing at Korean habitat, using ISSR(inter-simple sequence repeats) markers. In ISSR PCR, the overall percentage of polymorphic ISSR amplicons was 76% and the mean number of amplicons per ISSR primer was 11.5, which were higher than the RAPD results for the some cultivars collected in Korea(Kim et al., 1998) ; 57% and 5.7, respectively. So ISSR markers provide more powerful tool than RAPD markers for the investigation of genetic variation in E. senticosus. There are relatively high genetic variation among patches as 62.8%, but low variation within eight Korean patches. Such pattern of genetic variation, which is not ordinary in other tree species, may be result from the narrow and limited habitats and the asexual reproduction of this species at the natural stands in Korea. Although the small sample size in this study seemed to be resulted in the high genetic variation among patches, the overall genetic interpretation of this study might not be much affected on the basis of the characteristics of the distribution and the reproduction system of E. senticosus. Analysis of genetic distance between all pairs of the patches did not reveal any trends with regard to geographic distance, which was confirmed by the results obtained from AMOVA(analysis of molecular variance) and PCA(principal component analysis). These results suggest that, in addition to the preservation of the natural stands, the conservation of larger number of patches with small number of individuals per patch is more effective for the ex situ conservation and for maintaining the genetic diversity of E. senticosus in Korea than smaller patches with large number of individuals.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2000

Backgrounds : Recent cytogenetic studies indicated that long of the long arm of chromosome 5 is a frequent event in small cell lung canær (SCLC), suggesting the presence of a tumor suppressor gene in its place. To map the precise tumor-suppressor loci on the chromosome arm for further positional cloning efforts, we tested 15 primary SCLCs. Methods : The DNAs extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks with primary tumor and corresponding control tissue were investigated. Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite markers located in the long arm of chromosome 5 were used in the microsatellite analysis. Results : We found that ten (66.7%) of 15 tumors exhibited LOH in at least one of tested microsatellite markers. Two (13%) of 10 tumors exhibiting LOH lost a larger area in chromosome 5q. LOH was observed in five common deleted regions at 5q. Among those areas, LOH between 5q34-qter and 5q35.2-35.3 was most frequent (75%). LOH was also observed in more than 50% of the tumors at four other regions, between 5q14-15 and 5q23-31, 5q31.1, 5q31.3-33.3, and 5q34-35. Three of 15 tumors exhibited shifted bands in at least one of the tested microsatellite markers. Shifted bands occurred in 2.5% (7 of 285) of the loci tested. Conclusion : Our data demonstrated that at least five tumor-suppressor loci exist in the long arm of chromosome 5 and that they may play an important role in small cell lung cancer tumorigenesis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2009

Purpose : Many gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catecholamines, catechol estrogen, and catechol drugs. Polymorphisms of the COMT gene are reported to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease patients. Methods : One hundred and one Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 306 healthy Korean control subjects were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of the COMT gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results : There were no differences in the genotype and allelic frequency of the rs4680 and rs769224 polymorphic sites between Kawasaki disease and control subjects. Further, no significant difference was found in the rs4680 polymorphism between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13). However, the distribution of the rs769224 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P= 0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the polymorphisms of the rs769224 gene might be related to the development of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.115-126
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• 2004

Somatic hybrids of inter-compatible and inter-incompatible strains were obtained by protoplast fusion. The fusion products between compatible strains, Pleurotus ostreatus and P. florida, formed heterokaryons, while fusants between incompatible strains such as P. cornucopiae + P. florida, P. ostreatus + Ganoderma applanatum, P. florida + Ganoderma lucidum, and P. ostreatus + Flammulina velutipes formed synkaryons that retained genes from both parents. The heterokaryons showed the same level of basidioma development. In contrast, the synkaryons showed unique characteristics including clamp connection formation at mitosis, either partner basidioma development, and abnormal segregation and recombination compared with inter-compatible strains. Synkaryons can be classified into homokaryoyic and heterokaryotic type. A comparison of somatic hybrids with compatible and incompatible strains was made using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The heterokaryons between compatible species showed the same level of variability and contained both parental RAPD bands. In contrast, most of the synkaryons between incompatible species showed similarity to those of either parental bands and non-parental RAPD bands. Synkaryons can be classified into microgenome insertion type and macrogenome insertion type. A tetrapolar mating system was found among monospore isolates in somatic hybrids and wild type P. ostreatus. Homokaryons from each somatic hybrid combination were paired with tester homokaryons of the initial wild type of P. ostreatus. The changed mating types were identified in progenies. The pattern of mating type switching in somatic hybrids depends on compatibility of fusion partner. There are several factors related to the mechanism of clamp connection formation and fruiting body development of synkaryons. Of these,the major factor may be associated with self-fertility and mating type switching such as homokaryotic fruiting of wild type P. ostreatus. This review will discuss these aspects.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.129-133
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• 2017

Oyster mushroom is a type of mushroom that is commonly cultivated and consumed in Korea. P. ostreatus 'Suhan' is a preferred cultivar for many mushroom farmers because it has a dark pileus and thick stipe. However, as it is very sensitive to environmental conditions, farmers consistently demand an alternative cultivar. To develop a new cultivar, the parental strains KMCC01680 ('Suhan') and KMCC00478 ('Gosol') were selected from various collected P. ostreatus strains by cultivating genetic resources. P. ostreatus 'Heuksol' was developed by the method of Mon-Mon crossing between monokaryotic strains derived from 'Suhan' and 'Gosol'. Thirty strains of 174 crossed strains were initially selected by cultivation experiments. After bulk cultivation tests, 'Heuksol' was selected. The nuclear DNA profile of 'Heuksol' was similar to those of the parental strains, 'Suhan' and 'Gosol', when RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) primers and UPF (Universal PCR Fingerprinting) 2, 3, and 4 were used. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth was $30^{\circ}C$ for 'Heuksol', but medium-high temperatures were also appropriate, especially $13-20^{\circ}C$. The fruiting body production per bottle (1,100 mL) was approximately 140.8 g. When compared to the control strain 'Suhan', the thickness of the stipe of 'Heuksol' was greater than that of 'Suhan' (13.5 mm vs 9.4 mm). The pileus diameter of 'Heuksol' was similar to that of 'Suhan' and the pileus thickness of 'Heuksol' and 'Suhan' was 19.7 mm and 21.8 mm, respectively. 'Heuksol' had more a productive stipe number than 'Suhan' and the pileus of 'Heuksol' was dark gray, even at high temperatures. Therefore, it was suggested that this new cultivar, 'Heuksol', could provide an alternative to 'Suhan' and contribute to the profit of oyster mushroom farms.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.597-611
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• 2003

Background : Loss of the short arm of chromosome 16 is a frequent event in various cancers, which suggests the presence of tumor suppressor gene(s) there. To map precise tumor suppressor loci on the chromosome arm for further positional cloning efforts, we tested 23 primary small cell lung cancers. Method : The DNAs extracted from paraffin embedded tissue blocks with primary tumor and corresponding control tissue were investigated. Twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers located in the short arm of chromosome 16 were used in the microsatellite analysis. Results : We found that six (26.1%) of 23 tumors exhibited LOH in at least one of tested microsatellite markers. Two (8.7%) of 6 tumors exhibiting LOH lost a larger area in chromosome 16p. LOH was observed in five common deleted regions at 16p. Among those areas, LOH between D16S668 and D16S749 was most frequent (21.1%). LOH was also observed at four other regions, between D16S3024 and D16S748, D16S405, D16S420, and D16S753. Six of 23 tumors exhibited shifted bands in at least one of the tested microsatellite markers. Shifted bands occurred in 3.3% (15 of 460) of the loci tested. Conclusion : Our data demonstrated that at least five tumor suppressor loci might exist in the short arm of chromosome 16 and that they may play an important role in small cell lung cancer tumorigenesis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2005

Background : IGFBP-3 inhibits the mitogenic and anti-apoptotic activity of IGF by blocking the binding of IGF to its receptor. However, under certain circumstances, IGFBP-3 can enhance the activity of IGF by protecting IGF from its degradation. More than half of the interindividual variations in IGFBP-3 levels are known to be genetically determined by the polymorphism at -202 locus of IGFBP-3 gene. Method : We attempted to ascertain whether A-202C polymorphic variation of IGFBP-3 gene constitutes a risk factor for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Our study included 104 NSCLC patients and 104 age-, gender-, and smoking status-matched control subjects. Result : In the 104 NSCLC subjects, the genotypic frequencies at the -202 site were as follows: AA = 67 (64.4%), AC = 35 (33.7%), and CC = 2 (1.9%). We did detect significant differences in the genotypic distribution between the NSCLC and the control subjects (p<0.05), and the NSCLC risk correlated significantly with AA genotype at the -202 locus (AA>AC>CC). Using CC genotype as a reference, the odds ratio (OR) for the subjects with AC genotype was 2.60 (95% CI: 0.89 - 8.60), and the OR associated with AA genotype was 5.89 (95% CI: 1.92 - 21.16). Conclusion : These results indicate that the dysregulation of IGF axis should now be considered as another important risk factor for NSCLC, and a potential target for novel antineoplastic therapies and/or preventative strategies in high-risk groups.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.638-644
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• 2006

Backgrounds: This study investigated whether or not a polymorphism in the gene encoding the surfactant protein A(SP-A) has any bearing on the individual susceptibility to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) in a genetically homogenous Korean population. Methods: The genotypes of 19 COPD patients and 20 healthy neonates as controls were tested using a polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis for the SP-A gene. Results: The specific frequencies of the 6A2 and 6A18 alleles of SP-A1 and the 1A2 allele of SP-A2 were much higher in the COPD group than control group (p<0.05). However, the frequencies of the 6A3 and 6A4 alleles of SP-A1 and the 1A0 allele of SP-A2 in the COPD group were significantly lower than the control group. In the COPD group, the frequencies of the +50 locus genotypes GG of SP-A1 and the +9 locus genotypes CC of SP-A2 were 85.0% and 60.6%, respectively, and 19.7% and 24.8% in the control group, respectively. The frequencies of the polymorphic genotypes or alleles showed a statistically significant difference between the COPD group and the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: A genetic polymorphism in SP-A is associated with the development of COPD in the Korean population.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.534-546
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• 1997

Background : The p53 and retinoblastoma(Rb) tumor suppressor genes are associated with the pathogenesis of several types of human cancer. Substantial proportion of the primary lung cancers or cell lines have been reported to have the p53 and/or the Rb gene mutations. But, so far there is no report on the analysis of the Rb gene polymorphism as one of the genetic susceptibility marker. This study was undertaken to establish the gene frequencies of the polymorphic genotypes of the p53 and Rb genes in Koreans to evaluate the possible involvement of these genotypes as a risk factor of lung cancer. Methods : In this study 145 controls without previous and present tumor history and 128 lung cancer patients were subjected to analysis. The two intragenic polymorphisms of the p53 gene(exon 4/ AccII, intron 6/MspI) and one intron 17/XbaI polymorphism of the Rb gene were analysed by the method of polymersae chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphisms(PCR-RFLPs). The genotype of the intron 3/16 bp repeat polymorphism of p53 was determined by PCR and direct gel electrophoresis. Results : There were no significant differences in the genotype distributions of the p53 gene between lung cancer patients and controls. But heterozygotes(Arg/Pro) of the exon 4/AccII polymorphisms were slightly over-represented than controls, especially in the Kreyberg type I cancer, which was known to be associated with smoking. The intron 3/16 bp duplication and the intron 6/MspI polymorphisms were in complete linkage disequilibrium. About 95% of the individuals were homozygotes of the common alleles both in the 16 duplication and MspI polymorphisms, and no differences were deteced in the genotype distributions between lung cancer patients and controls. Overall genotype distributions of the Rb gene polymorphisms between lung cancer patients and controls were not significantly different However, the genotype distributions in the Kreyberg type I cancer were significantly different from those of controls(p = 0.0297) or adenocarcinomas(p = 0.0008). It was noticeable that 73.4% of the patients with adenocarcinomas were heterozygotes(r1/r2) whereas 39.2% of the Kreyberg type I cancer were heterozygous at this polymorphisms. In the lung cancer patients, significant differences were also noted between the high dose smokers and low dose smokers including non-smokers(p = 0.0258). The relative risk to Kreyberg type I cancer was significantly reduced in the individuals with the genotype of r1/r2(odds ratio = 0.46, 95% C.I. = 0.25-0.86, p = 0.0124). The combined genotype distribution of the exon 4 AccII of the p53 and the intron 17 Rb gene polymorphisms in Kreyberg type I cancers were significantly different from dose of controls or adenocarcinomas. The highest odds ratio were observed in the individuals with the genotypes of Arg/Pro and r2/r2(odds ratio = 1.97,95% C.I. = 0.84-4.59) and lowest one was in the patients with Arg/Arg, r1/r2 genotype(odds ratio = 0.54, 95% C.I. = 0.25-1.14). Conclusion : The p53 and the Rb gene polymorphisms modulate the risk of smoking induced lung cancer development in Koeans. However, the exact mechanism of risk modulation by these polymorphism remains to be determined. For more discrete clarification of associations between specific genotypes and lung cancer risk, the evaluations of these polymorphisms in other ethnics and more number of patients will be needed.