• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1201-1206
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• 2002

In oriental medicine, human being is classified into four groups according to their body constitution status (;tae-yang, tae-eum, so-yang, and so-eum persons) considering the differences in function of internal organs and characteristics. Four body constitution, called 'sa-sang' has been recognized as an important factor for diagnosing the patients before madical teratment. Yet, the criteria to divide body constitutions or its scientific principle are not clearly defined. As an initial effort to elucidate biological priciples underlying four body constitution groups, we studied genetic variations among three constitution groups (tae-eum, so-yang, and so-eum persons). Noting distinct responses to ingested food and administered drugs among three groups, SNPs and haplotype experiments were performed in 2D6, 2C9, and 1A2 DNA regions of the cytochrome P450 gene. Significant variability in SNPs types was found in 2D6 region. Moreover, haplotyping in 2D6 region showed relatively high occurrences of haplotype 3 and 5 in so-eum person, haplotype 6 in tae-eum person, and hyplotype 1 in so-yang person. These results indicate that individuals with different body constitutions respond differently to ingested food and drugs, which might reflect constitution-specific genetic background. The genetic approach would therefore be useful to reveal intrinsic differences among four constitution body groups in the responsiveness to various drugs and external stimulations to human body.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2007

The first evidence has been provided about the variation within trnL-trnV and trnF-trnT spacer regions of cpDNAs in Korean fir and Manchurian fir, revealed by PCR-RFLP analysis. Four cpDNA haplotypes have accordingly been recognized by being analyzed using the trnL-trnV/Tru11 primer-enzyme combination and 3 haplotypes using the trnF-trnT/TagI combination, which exhibited inter and intraspecific variation. A total of 6 cpDNA haplotypes were recognized by pooling the PCR-RFLP variants observed in both combinations. Haplotypes 2 and 3 were common for both species investigated, whereas haplotypes 1, 4, and 5 were detected only in Korean fir and haplotype 6 was detected only in Manchurian fir. Although haplotypes 2 and 3 were common in both species, haplotype 2 was major haplotype for Korean fir and haplotype 3 was one of the 2 major haplotypes for Manchurian fir. Restricted occurrence of haplotype 4 in Mt. Halla and haplotype 5 in Mt. Jiri of the Korean fir may represent the existence of geographic isolation by the sea between them. Diagnostic potential of individual haplotypes in discriminating between the two species as well as between their populations is discussed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.711-719
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• 2009

We determined a portion of mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequences (416 bp) to investigate the genetic structure of the octopus (Octopus minor Ssaki) population in Korea and China. Samples were obtained from Korea (Yeosu, Namhae, Jindo, Muan, Geomundo and Seosan) and China (Sandong) during the period of August 2006 to September 2007. Sequence analyses of 28 individual specimens collected from 7 localities revealed 11 haplotypes, ranging in a sequence divergence of 0.2% - 1.2%. Phylogenetic analyses using PHYLIP and networks subdivided the octopus into two clades (termed clade A and B) and the nucleotide divergence between them was 0.4%. This haplotype subdivision was in accordance with geographic separation: one at Yeosu, Namhae, Muan and Jindo, and the other at Seosan, Geomundo and Sandong. On the basis of hierarchial genetic analysis, genetic distance between localities in Korea and China were also found, but a significant population differentiation was not shown in this study (p>0.05). Consequently, most of the octopus populations in Korea had considerable distribution due to the mitochondrial gene flow that resulted in a formation of a genetically homogenous structure, whereas some of the Korean and Chinese populations had different genetic structures. Gene flow among populations may be restricted due to impassable geographic barriers that promote genetic differentiation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1329-1335
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• 2011

Korean native goats, which are characterized by black coat color, have existed on the Korean peninsula for a long time. Until now, there has been no comprehensive investigation concerning their genetic diversity, phylogenetic analysis or origin. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and verified phylogenetic status of the Korean native goat using the 453-bp fragment of the hypervariable fragment I (HVI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region from 60 individuals among 5 populations. The Korean native goat showed less haplotype diversity when compared with goats from other countries. In addition, 6 haplotypes that had not been previously reported were verified in this study. In phylogenetic analyses with other country's goats, 10 haplotypes from Korean native goats were classified into mtDNA lineage A. Moreover, in a phylogenetic tree for goats which contained mtDNA lineage A, 8 of 10 haplotypes could be included in a subgroup with goats from Vietnam and an area of China. However, none of the remaining haplotypes belonged to a major group of Korean native goats and were located on different independent positions. These results suggest that almost Korean native goats aligned more closely to China and Vietnam breeds in mtDNA lineage A and there was no gene flow from other mtDNA lineages. Our results will contribute to conservation strategies and genetic breeding of Korean native goats.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1132-1139
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• 2006

Single nucleotide polymorph isms (SNPs) in the MDR1 gene that are responsible for drug efflux can cause toxicity. Therefore, this study determined the SNPs of the Korean MDR1 gene, and analyzed the haplotypes and a linkage disequilibrium (LD) of the SNPs determined. The frequency of 9 SNPs from the MDR1 gene was determined by PCR-RFLP analyses of 100 to 500 healthy individuals. The frequcies of the SNPs were C3435T (47.7%), G2677T (37.6%), G2677A (4.4%), T1236C (21.7%), T129C (8%), A2956G (2.5%), T307C (1.5%), A41aG (9.2%), C145G (0%), and G4030C (0%). Analyses of the haplotype structure and an estimation of the LD of the combined polymorph isms demonstrated that the frequency of the 1236T-2677G-3435T haplotype is much higher in Koreans (14.1%) than in Chinese and western black Africans and the C3435T SNP in Koreans appears to have LD with T129C in Koreans for the first time. These results provide insight into the genetic variation of MDR1 in Koreans, and demonstrated the possibility of a new LD in this gene.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.96-101
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• 2014

The molecular features of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae strains isolated in Korea were compared with strains isolated in Japan and Italy. Sequencing of eight P. syringae pv. actinidiae and three P. syringae pv. theae strains revealed a total of 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms across 4,818 bp of the concatenated alignment of nine genes. A multiplex PCR assay was developed for the detection of P. syringae pv. actinidiae and for the specific detection of recent haplotype strains other than strains isolated since the 1980s in Korea. The primer pair, designated as TacF and TacR, specifically amplified a 545-bp fragment with the genomic DNA of new haplotype of P. syringae pv. actinidiae strains. A multiplex PCR conducted with the TacF/TacR primer pair and the universal primer pair for all P. syringae pv. actinidiae strains can be simultaneously applied for the detection of P. syringae pv. actinidiae and for the differentiation of new haplotype strains.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 2014

The distribution of S-haplotypes and genetic relationships were evaluated for 47 accessions of 'Danji' radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. hortensis Baker f. gigantissimus Makino) originating from Jeju Island in South Korea. A total of 22 S-haplotype-specific SCAR markers for the S locus glycoprotein (SLG) and S receptor kinase (SRK) loci were tested, and six primer sets amplified locus-specific PCR fragments from at least one 'Danji' radish accession. S5 and S21 alleles atthe SLG locus were the most frequently distributed, and detected from 87.5% and 64.6% of the accessions, respectively. The frequency of the class-II haplotype at the SLG locus was 75%, more frequent than the class-I haplotype. The S23 allele at the SRK locus was detected from 7 accessions. Grouping of the accessions based on S-allele composition revealed three major groups, while 8 accessions showed a unique allelic composition. The genetic diversity of 47 'Danji' radishes and 1 'Gwandong' radish were also evaluated with 38 RAPD primers. A total of 312 bands were scored, and showed that 138 bands (44.2%) were monomorphic among the accessions, whereas 174 (55.8%) bands were polymorphic. Polymorphism rates ranged from 0.2 to 1.0, indicating significant variations in detecting polymorphism across RAPD primers. The genetic similarity coefficients among all pairs of the 48accessions varied from 0.62 to 0.93, and 42% of the comparisons exhibited values higher than 0.85. All the cultivars could be distinguished based on the DNA fingerprints revealed by RAPD. The comparisons between the dendrograms based on S-haplotypes and RAPDs indicate an unrelated and sporadic distribution for several accessions; however, there was a tendency for accessions with the same S-allelic composition to group into the same cluster.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.401-412
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• 2013

Because of an increased number of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) along with associated disease burdens, medical professionals have become more aware of this pathogen in recent years. In this study, by analyzing both the nuclear 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene loci, 27 clinical Acanthamoeba strains that caused AK in Japan were classified into 3 genotypes, T3 (3 strains), T4 (23 strains), and T5 (one strain). Most haplotypes were identical to the reference haplotypes reported from all over the world, and thus no specificity of the haplotype distribution in Japan was found. The T4 sub-genotype analysis using the 16S rRNA gene locus also revealed a clear subconformation within the T4 cluster, and lead to the recognition of a new sub-genotype T4i, in addition to the previously reported sub-genotypes T4a-T4h. Furthermore, 9 out of 23 strains in the T4 genotype were identified to a specific haplotype (AF479533), which seems to be a causal haplotype of AK. While heterozygous nuclear haplotypes were observed from 2 strains, the mitochondrial haplotypes were homozygous as T4 genotype in the both strains, and suggested a possibility of nuclear hybridization (mating reproduction) between different strains in Acanthamoeba. The nuclear 18S rRNA gene and mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene loci of Acanthamoeba spp. possess different unique characteristics usable for the genotyping analyses, and those specific features could contribute to the establishment of molecular taxonomy for the species complex of Acanthamoeba.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2001

The partial sequences of mtDNA cytochrome b gene in two subspecies of striped field mouse(Apodemus agrarius coreae and A. agrarius manchuricus) from Korea and northeast China were analyzed to determine the degree of genetic diversity in ech subspecies and to confirm their subspecific difference. In 18 specimens of A. agrarius coreae, ten haplotypes were resulted, and in two specimens of A. agrarius manchuricus. one haplotype was revealed. Tamura-Nei nucleotide distance among ten haplotypes in subspecies coreae ranged 0.36 to 1.86%. and nucleotide distance between two subspecies (coreae and manchuricus) was 0.37 to 1.47%: maximum infrasubspecific divergence in coreae was greater than maximum intersubspecific difference between two subspecies. Moreover, no major subgroup was resulted when 11 haplotypes in two subspecies were compared. Our sequence result was not cancordant with the morphological data studied so far, and it is concluded that cytochrome b gene sequence is not a good genetic marker to distinguish two subspecies of A. agrarius. In futurem, mtDNA control region analyses seemded to be necessary to reveal genetic relationship between these two subspecies of A. agrarius.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4239-4242
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• 2013

It is reported that the expression level of MLL3 in gastric cancer tissue highly correlates with tumor progression. However, whether MLL3 genetic variants are associated with the risk of gastric cancer remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a genotyping analysis for MLL3 in 314 cases of gastric cancer and 322 controls from the Chinese Han population. 4 SNPs (rs6943984, rs4725443, rs3800836, rs6464211) were selected for the present analysis. We found 2 SNPs (rs6943984, rs4725443) of MLL3 gene were significantly associated with the risk of gastric cancer : the rs6943984 with the minor allele A and rs4725443 with the minor allele C revealed strong associations with increased gastric cancer risk [P < 0.001, OR=1.97, 95% CI=1.48~2.64 and P <0.001, OR=2.23, 95% CI=1.54~3.24]. Haplotype analysis of the four SNPs showed that haplotype A-T-A-C, G-T-G-C, and G-C-A-C increased the risk of gastric cancer (P <0.001, P=0.18, and P<0.001, respectively), while haplotype G-T-A-C significantly reduced the risk of gastric cancer (P <0.001). We concluded that MLL3 variants are significantly associated with gastric cancer risk. Our results for the first time provided new insight into susceptibility factors of MLL3 gene variants in carcinogenesis of gastric cancer of the Chinese Han population.