• 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.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.143-147
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• 2022

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare ocular disease, but it is a painful and sight-threatening infectious disease. Early diagnosis and adequate treatment are necessary to prevent serious complications. While AK is frequently diagnosis via several PCR assays or Acanthamoeba-specific antibodies, a more specific and effective diagnostic method is required. This study described the production of a polyclonal peptide antibody against the periplasmic binding protein (PBP) of A. castellanii and investigated its diagnostic potential. Western blot analysis showed that the PBP antibody specifically reacted with the cell lysates of A. castellanii. However, the PBP antibody did not interact with human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells and the other 3 major causative agents of keratitis. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) results revealed the specific detection of A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts by PBP antibodies when A. castellanii were co-cultured with HCE cells. PBP antibody specificity was further confirmed by co-culture of A. castellanii trophozoites with F. solani, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa via ICC. The PBP antibody specifically reacted with the trophozoites and cysts of A. polyphaga, A. hatchetti, A. culbertsoni, A. royreba, and A. healyi, thus demonstrated its genus-specific nature. These results showed that the PBP polyclonal peptide antibody of A. castellanii could specifically detect several species of Acanthamoeba, contributing to the development of an effective antibody-based AK diagnostics.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

An isolate of Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus(CMV) was isolated from Hydrangea macrophylla for. otaksa(Sieb. et Zucc. ) Wils. showing mosaic symptoms, and designated as Hm-CMV. Hm-CMV was characterized by the tests of host range, physical properties, serological properties, RNA and coat protein compositions, and reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Twelve species in 4 families were used in the host range test of Hm-CMV and could be differentiated from Y-CMV used as a control CMV by the ringspot and line pattern on inoculated leaves of several tobacco plants. Thevirus produced local lesions on inoculated leaves of Chenopodium amarticolor, C. quinoa and Vigna unguiculata. The physical properties of the virus were as follows; thermal inactivation point(TIP) was 60$\^{C}$, dilution end point (DEP) was 10$\^$-3/, and longevity in vitro (LIP) was 3∼4 days. Hm-CMV was serologically identical to Y-CMV. SDS-polyaciylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE) showed one major protein band of about 28 kDa. In RNA or dsRNA analysis, Hm-CMV consisted of four RNA or dsRNA species, but satellite RNA was not detected. In RT-PCR using CMV-common primer and CMV subgroup I-specific primer, bothe amplified expected size of about 490 bp and 200 bp DNA fragments from Hm-CMV, respectively. Restriction enzyme analysis of the 490 bp RT-PCR products using EcoR I and Msp I showed that Hm-CMV belonged to CMV subgroup I. However, Hm-CMV could be differentiated from other CMV subgroup I isolates by RNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (RAP-PCR).

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.522-526
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• 2014

Pyropia, economic red algae species, have been cultivated in Korea (referred to as 'gim'), Japan ('nori'), and China ('zicai') for over 300 years. Vegetable seaweed Pyropia species are sold in the public markets in various forms as commercial seafoods. In Korea, two kinds of Pyropia seafood made with species of Pyropia and Ulva (sea lettuce, referred to as 'parae') are also sold. These are referred to as 'parae-gim' (with Pyropia spp. and U. linza) and 'gamtaegim' (with Pyropia spp. and U. prolifera). There is currently no method for identifying the seaweed species that comprise Pyropia seafood products. Therefore, we developed novel molecular markers to identify Ulva species in commercial Pyropia seafoods. Based on rbcL molecular markers, we identified informative characteristics to discriminate U. linza and U. prolifera as seafood ingredients. Moreover, PCR with 3'-end mismatch primers successfully isolated the specific rbcL sequences of U. linza and U. prolifera from Pyropia seafoods. Therefore, our novel molecular markers will be useful for identifying the ingredient species of commercial seafoods.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2010

A total of 191 samples collected from the commercial swine farms located in Chungnam province were investigated by PCR to estimate the prevalence of Lawsonia (L.) intracellularis infection. In the group of the pigs with proliferative enteritis, 14 (93.3%) of 15 intestinal samples and 12 (80.0%) of 15 feces were positive in PCR. In contrast, a relatively low positive rate (18.0%, 29 of 161 samples) was determined in the group of normal healthy pigs. The group of pigs over 120 days showed the highest positive rates (26.8%, 15 of 56 samples). In the comparison of the sequences of 210bp for species specific fragments and 301bp for outer membrane protein, the isolates (L1. L2) showed almost 100% identity with the reference L. intracellularis (L08049, USA). For the sequences of partial 16s rDNA, the homologies among the 5 isolates (L1-L5) were 97.4% to 99.3%, and those of 5 sequences (L1-L5) versus 5 overseas reference strains of L. intracellularis ranged from 98.6% to 99.8%. In the comparison of the nucleotide sequences among 5 isolates and other species in Desulfovibrionales showed 82.4 to 99.5% identities. The 5 isolates shared relatively low identities (76.9% to 84.4%) with the species of alpha-proteobacteria. In phylogenetic analysis based on the 16s rDNA sequences, all of the 5 isolates (L1-L5) were located in the same branch with the strains of L. intracellularis that were previously isolated from the pigs in USA and China. Seven strains of Desulfovibrio sp. were clustered in the neighboring branches, whereas alpha and gamma Proteobacteria showed distant relationship with L. intracellularis strains. The present findings suggest that L. intracellularis infection is endemic in the swine farms in the regions, and that the domestic isolates maintained very limited genetic variation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.753-760
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• 2007

The diversity of Paenibacillus species was assessed in the rhizospheres of four cultivars of sorghum sown in Cerrado soil amended with two levels of nitrogen fertilizer(12 and 120 kg/ha). Two cultivars(IS 5322-C and IS 6320) demanded the higher amount of nitrogen to grow, whereas the other two(FBS 8701-9 and IPA 1011) did not. Using the DNA extracted from the rhizospheres, a Paenibacillus-specific PCR system based on the RNA polymerase gene(rpoB) was chosen for the molecular analyses. The resulting PCR products were separated into community fingerprints by DGGE and the results showed a clear distinction between cultivars. In addition, clone libraries were generated from the rpoB fragments of two cultivars(IPA 1011 and IS 5322-C) using both fertilization conditions, and 318 selected clones were sequenced. Analyzed sequences were grouped into 14 Paenibacillus species. A greater diversity of Paenibacillus species was observed in cultivar IPA 1011 compared with cultivar IS 5322-C. Moreover, statistical analyses of the sequences showed that the bacterial diversity was more influenced by cultivar type than nitrogen fertilization, corroborating the DGGE results. Thus, the sorghum cultivar type was the overriding determinative factor that influenced the community structures of the Paenibacillus communities in the habitats investigated.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.302-307
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• 2018

Background: A soil-borne pathogenic fungus, Ilyonectria radicicola (Cylindrocarpon destructans) causes root rot on ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) and is known to attack many other plants. The Nectria/Neonectria radicicola complex has been renamed as the I. radicicola complex after analysis of its multi-gene relatedness and morphological characteristics. The fungi in this complex have been reclassified into 16 species under the genus Ilyonectria based on characteristics analysis Methods and Results: To obtain useful data from the Korean ginseng root rot, I. radicicola was isolated from the rhizosphere soils of the chestnut tree. They were identified through a pathogenicity test and a survey of the morphological features. The existence of I. radicicola in soil samples was confirmed by PCR detections using nested PCR with species-specific primer sets. These were subsequenctly isolated on semi-selective media from PCR-positive soils. Genetic analysis of the I. radicicola complex containing these pathogens was done by comparing the DNA sequences of the histone h3 region. These isolates originating from the rhizosphere soils of chestnut constituted a clade with other closely related species or I. radicicola isolates originating from ginseng or other host plants, respectively. Additionally, the pathogenicity tests to analyze the characteristics of these I. radicicola isolates revealed that they caused weakly virulent root rot on ginseng. Conclusions: This is the first study reporting that I. radicicola isolates from chestnut rhizosphere soils can attack ginseng plant in Korea. Thus, these results are expected to provide informations in the selection of suitable fields for ginseng cultivation.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.125.1-125
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• 2003

Pepper anthracnose is one of the major limiting factors in pepper production. Boring last over 10 years, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides has been known as the most prevalent species among five Colletotrichum spp. involved as anthracnose causing agents. Recently, however, the change of major species with pepper anthracnose has been proposed. Identification study was peformed on 12 test isolates collected from anthracnose disease symptoms on pepper during 2001-2002 and 25 reference isolates obtained from several other host plants. The identification of the isolates with morphological observation and IfS region sequence comparison resulted that 11 ones from 12 test isolates colleted from pepper anthracnose during 2001-2002 were identified as C. acutatum. PCR using species-specific primers designed from ITS region sequence suggested a rapid diagnosis method in identifying C. acutatum from C. gloeosporioides.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.601-605
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• 2003

Traditional taxonomic methods used for the identification and differentiation of ginsengs rely primarily on morphological observations or physiochemical methods, which cannot be used efficiently when only powdered forms or shredded material is available. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to determine the unique DNA profiles that are characteristic not only of the genus Panax but also of various Panax subgroups collected from five different countries. RAPD results of OP-5A primer showed a specific single band that is characteristic of all ginseng samples. RAPD results of OP-13B primer demonstrated that OP-13B primer could be used as a unique RAPD marker to differentiate Panax species. These results support that this approach could be applied to distinguish Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng) from others at the molecular level.