• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.68-75
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• 2007

The seventy nine isolates of Botrytis spp. were obtained from leaf blight lesions of lily in Korea, Japan and Netherlands. Morphological and cultural characteristics of them were investigated and molecular characteristics of them were determined using sequence analysis of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60) gene. A selection of Botrytis isolates were evaluated for their pathogenicity to lily. Based on morphological and cultural characteristics, the Botrytis isolates were divided into two groups, and identified as B. elliptica (n = 54) and B. cinerea (n = 25). Based on analysis of RPB2 and HSP60 sequences, the Botrytis isolates were also divided into two groups and well supported morphological groupings. Spore suspensions of B, elliptica showed significant pathogenicity on lily leaves and flowers, however those of B. cinerea showed pathogenicity only on flowers but not on leaves. The latter showed pathogenicity on lily leaves only when spore suspensions amended with PDB were used as inocula.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.199-207
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• 2022

The demand for novel strains has been rising in the domestic market to increase the production of sclerotia from Wolfiporia hoelen. To improve strain breeding efficiency, we investigated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) gene, which may be linked to the mating type locus, are useful for distinguishing monokaryons from dikaryons in Korean W. hoelen strains. We designed a specific primer set to efficiently amplify a region of RPB2 using PCR with the genomic DNA of 12 cultivated strains and 31 wild strains of W. hoelen collected from Korea. Nucleotide sequences of the PCR-amplified RPB2 genes were determined and analyzed for the presence of SNPs among the 43 W. hoelen strains. Previously reported SNP loci were detected in the RPB2 gene of all W. hoelen strains tested. However, these previously reported SNP loci could not be applied to differentiate monokaryons from dikaryons in approximately one-third of Korean wild strains with homozygous genotypes. Three additional SNPs in the RPB2 gene, which may improve the ability to distinguish monokaryons from dikaryons, were identified by searching through the multiple sequence alignments of the 43 W. hoelen strains. The applicability of these three novel SNPs, together with the previously known SNPs, in the RPB2 gene to W. hoelen strain breeding was verified by examining the hybrid strains and their parental strains.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.929-937
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) (ethanol : DW=1:1, v/v) on inhibition of type 2 diabetes using an OLETF rat model via regulation of HbA1c and AGEs levels. Supplementation with ASE 0.1% and 0.5% effectively lowered levels of glucose, insulin, oral glucose tolerance test, and Homa-insulin resistance, suggesting reduced insulin resistance. Blood levels of HbA1c and AGEs were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner. As oxidative stress plays a key role in accelerating production of HbA1c and AGEs, which worsen symptoms of type 2 diabetes, levels of malonaldehyde and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured. Lipid peroxidation in both blood and liver tissues was significantly reduced, and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-${\beta}$ and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, which elevate production of HbA1c and AGEs, was inhibited (P<0.05). To evaluate the possible cellular events after AGEs receptor activation, genetic expression of protein kinase C (PKC)-${\delta}$ and transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}$ was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Supplementation with both ASE 0.1% and 0.5% significantly inhibited mRNA expression of PKC-${\delta}$ and TGF-${\beta}$, indicating that ASE may have beneficial effects on preventing insulin-resistant cells or tissues from progressing to diabetic complications. Taken together, ASE has potential to improve type 2 diabetes by inhibiting insulin resistance and protein glycosylation, including production of HbA1c and AGEs. Anti-oxidative activities of ASE are a main requisite for reducing production of HbA1c and AGEs and are also related to regulation of the PKC signaling pathway, resulting in suppression of TGF-${\beta}$, which increases synthesis of collagen, prostaglandin, and disease-related proteins.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 1999

Background: Telomerase enzyme activity is not detected in most normal cells, a phonomenon believed to be associated with limitations on cellular proliferation. Since this activity is detected in nearly all human tumor, including lung cancers, it has been suggested that telomerase activation may be coupled to acquisition of malignant phenotype. In this study, we determined whether telomerase activity was associated with tumor pathologic stage. Methods: Primary tumor specimens obtained by bronchoscopic biopsies from 33 patients were analyzed. Telomerase activity was measured by means of a modified Telomeric Repeat Amplication Protocol(TRAP) assay. Results: Telomerase activity was detected in 23 of the 27 non-small-cell lung cancer and 5 of 6 small-cell lung cancer. A few primary tumors did not appear to have detectable telomerase activity. Positive associations were found between the telomerase-positive rate and tumor stage(p<0.05). Conclusion: High telomerase activity is detected frequently in primary lung cancers that exhibit high tumor cell proliferation rates and advanced pathologic stage.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.219-233
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• 1999

Purpose : Respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children. This study was performed to analyze antigenic and genetic variation of G protein of subgroup A RSV. Methods : One hundred seventy-nine strains isolated at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital over 8 years-period from 1990 through 1998 were analysed for antigenic and genetic variability. Analysis was made by reactivity with monoclonal antibodies raised against RSV, and by restriction mapping and, for selected strains, nucleotide sequencing following amplification of full sequence of G gene by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results : Restriction fragment analysis of the amplified G protein gene revealed 23 restriction patterns, 12 of which included more than 2 isolate, and the most frequent genetic type comprised 30% of the strains. Indirect immunofluorescent staining with monoclonal antibodies revealed 6 antigenic types with one predominant pattern accounting for 91% of the total strains. The most frequent antigenic type had 21 restriction patterns, and some viruses with same restiction pattern had different monoclonal antibody reaction pattern. Nucleotide sequence homology of subgroup A was 91~93% between reference(A2, Long) and Korean isolates, 93~99% among Korean isolates. Maximum-parsimony analysis demonstrated that Korean isolates were distinct from reference strains and subgroup A strains were clustered in 4 groups. Conclusion : The restriction analysis pattern of G protein gene identified greater diversity within subgroup A than was seen with the monoclonal analysis and a variety of antigenic and genetic types of RSV are circulating in Korea which are different from reference strains or strains isolated from other countries.