• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1823-1833
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• 2018

Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) is a common and popular method used to investigate microbial communities in natural and engineered environments. In this study, two specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes, CLZ and KCLZ, were designed and verified to quantify the genus Clostridium and the species Clostridium kluyveri. The optimal concentration of hybridization buffer solution for both probes was 30% (w/v). The specificity of the designed probes was high due to the use of pellets from pure reference strains. Feasibility was tested using samples of Chinese liquor from the famed Luzhou manufacturing cellar. The effectiveness of detecting target cells appears to vary widely in different environments. In pit mud, the detection effectiveness of the target cell by probes CLZ and KCLZ was 49.11% and 32.14%, respectively. Quantitative analysis by FISH technique of microbes in pit mud and fermented grains showed consistency with the results detected by qPCR and PCR-DGGE techniques, which showed that the probes CLZ and KCLZ were suitable to analyze the biomass of Clostridium spp. and C. kluyveri during liquor fermentation. Therefore, this study provides a method for quantitative analysis of Clostridium spp. and C. kluyveri and monitoring their community dynamics in microecosystems.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.313-318
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• 2005

In this study, we demonstrate the use of a PCR-based method for the detection of the specific genes involved in natural-product biosynthesis. This method was applied, using specifically designed PCR primers, to the amplification of a gene segment encoding for sedo-heptulose 7-phosphate cyclase, which appears to be involved in the biosynthetic pathways of $C_7N$ aminoacyclitol or its keto analogue-containing metabolites, in a variety of actinomycetes species. The sequences of DNA fragments (about 540 bp) obtained from three out of 39 actinomycete strains exhibited a high degree of homology with the sedo-heptulose 7-phosphate cyclase gene, which has been implicated in acarbose biosynthesis. The selective cultivation conditions of this experiment induced the expression of these loci, indicating that the range of $C_7N$ aminoacyclitol or its keto analogue-group natural products might be far greater than was previously imagined. Considering that a total of approximately 20 $C_7N$ aminoacyclitol metabolites, or its keto analogue-containing metabolites, have been described to date, it appears likely that some of the unknown loci described herein might constitute new classes of $C_7N$ aminoacyclitol, or of its keto analogue-containing metabolites. As these metabolites, some of which contain valienamine, are among the most potent antidiabetic agents thus far discovered, the molecular detection of specific metabolite-producing actinomycetes may prove a crucial step in current attempts to expand the scope and diversity of natural-product discovery.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2004

This study was performed for the identification of Streptococcus sp. from cultured flounders (Paralichthys olivaceus) showing streptococcosis in the Jeju island. We isolated 10 strains of Streptococcus iniae from the cultured olive flounders with streptococcosis. Isolated strains were identified in S. iniae since they have formed the expected band through performing PCR assay using specific primers, Sin-1 (5'-CTAGAGTACACATGTACT(AGCT)AAG-3') and Sin-2 (5'-GGATTTTCCACTCCCATTAC-3'). In addition to 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacers (ISR), operon structure of isolated strains showed that all strains had three 16S-23S rRNA ISR band patterns. The 16S-23S rRNA ISR sequence of isolated strains showed 96% sequence identity with S. iniae (GenBank accession number AF 048773). This paper is the first report that S. iniae is associated with streptococcosis of Olive flounder in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1672-1683
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• 2021

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is recognized as one of the most important foodborne pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis in humans. The bla_CARB-17 gene is an intrinsic β-lactamase gene and a novel species-specific genetic marker of V. parahaemolyticus. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay combined with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) was developed targeting this bla_CARB-17 gene. The specificity of LAMP-LFD was ascertained by detecting V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802 and seven other non-V. parahaemolyticus strains. Finally, the practicability of LAMP-LFD was confirmed by detection with V. parahaemolyticus-contaminated samples and natural food samples. The results showed that the optimized reaction parameters of LAMP are as follows: 2.4 mmol/l Mg²⁺, 0.96 mmol/l dNTPs, 4.8 U Bst DNA polymerase, and an 8:1 ratio of inner primer to outer primer, at 63℃ for 40 min. The optimized reaction time of the LFD assay is 60 min. Cross-reactivity analysis with the seven non-V. parahaemolyticus strains showed that LAMP-LFD was exclusively specific for V. parahaemolyticus. The detection limit of LAMP-LFD for V. parahaemolyticus genomic DNA was 2.1 × 10^-4 ng/μl, corresponding to 630 fg/reaction and displaying a sensitivity that is 100-fold higher than that of conventional PCR. LAMP-LFD in a spiking study revealed a detection limit of approximately 6 CFU/ml, which was similar with conventional PCR. The developed LAMP-LFD specifically identified the 10 V. parahaemolyticus isolates from 30 seafood samples, suggesting that this LAMP-LFD may be a suitable diagnostic method for detecting V. parahaemolyticus in aquatic foods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1152-1161
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• 2007

An immunochromatography (ICG) strip test based on a monoclonal antibody for the rapid detection of L. monocytogenes in meat and processed-meat samples was developed in this study. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) specific to L. monocytogenes was produced from cloned hybridoma cells (FKLM-3B12-37) and used to develop an ICG strip test. The antibody showed a stronger binding to L. monocytogenes than other Listeria species, and a weak cross-reaction to S. aureus based on an ELISA. The detection limit of the ICG strip test was $10^5\;cell/ml$. In total, 116 meat and processed-meat samples were collected and analyzed using both the ICG strip test and a PCR. The ICG strip test and PCR indicated L. monocytogenes contamination in 34 and 27 meat samples, respectively. The 7 meat samples not identified as L. monocytogenes positive by the PCR were also tested using an API kit and found to be contaminated by Listeria species. In conclusion, the ICG strip test results agreed well with those obtained using the PCR and API kit. Thus, the developed ICG has potential use as a primary screening tool for L. monocytogenes in various foods and agricultural products, generating results within 20 min without complicated steps.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 1999

Molecular biological techniques that recently developed, have made it possible to realize some of new attempts in the research field of rumen microbiology. Those are 1) cloning of genes from rumen microorganisms mainly in E. coli, 2) transformation of rumen bacteria and 3) ecological analysis with nonculturing methods. Most of the cloned genes are for polysaccharidase enzymes such as endoglucanase, xylanase, amylase, chitinase and others, and the cloning rendered gene structural analyses by sequencing and also characterization of the translated products through easier purification. Electrotransformation of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Prevotella ruminicola have been made toward the direction for obtaining more fibrolytic, acid-tolerant, depoisoning or essential amino acids-producing rumen bacterium. These primarily required stable and efficient gene transfer systems. Some vectors, constructed from native plasmids of rumen bacteria, are now available for successful gene introduction and expression in those rumen bacterial species. Probing and PCR-based methodologies have also been developed for detecting specific bacterial species and even strains. These are much due to accumulation of rRNA gene sequences of rumen microbes in databases. Although optimized analytical conditions are essential to reliable and reproducible estimation of the targeted microbes, the methods permit long term storage of frozen samples, providing us ease in analytical work as compared with a traditional method based on culturing. Moreover, the methods seem to be promissing for obtaining taxonomic and evolutionary information on all the rumen microbes, whether they are culturable or not.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.6 s.67
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• pp.963-966
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• 2004

The sequence of ITS (partial 16S ribosomal DNA, complete ITS1, 5.8S ribosomal DNA and ITS2, and partial 28S ribosomal DNA) was analysed by PCR and autosequencing in Sarcodon aspratus. The ITS lenght of S. aspratus was 716 base pair. As this sequence compared with other reports on S. aspratus (ace No AF335110), the sequence variation based on nucleotide deletion and substitution was $1.8\%$. This nucleotide variation rate in same species was very higher than in other species. Also, the sequence varitation rates between this S. aspratus and S. imbricatus, and S. squamus were $8\%\;and\;10\%$, respectively. This results suggested that the high sequence variation of S. aspratus might be caused specific host and inhabitat environment which limited gene flow.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.989-992
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• 2002

Sweet persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) is widely cultivated in the southern part of Korea and its cultivation is increasing. However, anthracnose disease caused by Colletotricuhum species is one of the major hinderances to the cultivation and production of sweet persimmon. Therefore, in the current study, PCR was used to specifically detect Colletotrichum spp., based on the sequences of the ITS II regions in the rDNA. Using the sequence data, CO-1 was designated to detect Colletotrichum together the with ITS 4 primer. The result showed that a single segment of ca. 500 bp was observed only in Colletotrichum, but not in any other fungal and bacterial isolates. The annealing temperatures and template DNA quantites were also investigated to identify optimal conditions for detection. Using these species-specific primers, a unique band was obtained at annealing temperatures ranging from $55^{\circ}C\;and\;61^{\circ}C$ and template DNA levels from 10 pg- $10{\mu}g$.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2005

TRPV2 is a non-specific cation channel expressed in sensory neurons, and activated by noxious heat. Particularly, TRPV2 has six transmembrane domains and three ankyrin repeats. TRPV2 has been cloned from various species such as human, rat, and mouse. Oocytes of Xenopus laevis - an African clawed frog ­have been widely used for decades in characterization of various receptors and ion channels. The functional property of rat TRPV2 was also identified by this oocyte expression system. However, no TRPV2 orthologue of Xenopus laevis has been reported so far. Hence, we have focused to clone a TRPV2 orthologue of Xenopus laevis with the aid of bioinformatic tools. Because the genome sequence of Xenopus laevis is not available until now, a genome sequence of Xenopus tropicalis - a close relative species of Xenopus laevis - was used. After a number of bioinformatic searches in silico, a predicted full-length sequence of TRPV2 orthologue of Xenopus tropicalis was found. Based on this predicted sequence, various approaches such as RT-PCR and 5' -RACE technique were applied to clone a full length of Xenopus laevis TRV2. Consequently, a full-length Xenopus laevis TRPV2 was cloned from heart cDNA.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2014

Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd), a noncoding infectious RNA molecule, causes seriously economic losses of chrysanthemum for 3 or 4 years after its first infection. Monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd isolate SK1 (CSVd-SK1) were constructed in the plasmids pGEM-T easy vector and pUC19 vector. Linear positive-sense transcripts synthesized in vitro from the full-length monomeric cDNA clones of CSVd-SK1 could infect systemically tomato seedlings and chrysanthemum plants, suggesting that the linear CSVd RNA transcribed from the cDNA clones could be replicated as efficiently as circular CSVd in host species. However, direct inoculation of plasmid cDNA clones containing full-length monomeric cDNA of CSVd-SK1 failed to infect tomato and chrysanthemum and linear negative-sense transcripts from the plasmid DNAs were not infectious in the two plant species. The cDNA sequences of progeny viroid in systemically infected tomato and chrysanthemum showed a few substitutions at a specific nucleotide position, but there were no deletions and insertions in the sequences of the CSVd progeny from tomato and chrysanthemum plants.