• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.123-128
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• 2019

The use of 16S rDNA is commonplace in the determination of prokaryotic species. However, it has limitations, and there are few studies at the genus level. We investigated conserved genes and metabolic pathways at the genus level in 28 strains of 13 genera of prokaryotes using the COG database (conserved genes) and MetaCyc database (metabolic pathways). Conserved genes compared to total genes (core genome) at the genus level ranged from 27.62%(Nostoc genus) to 71.76%(Spiribacter genus), with an average of 46.72%. The lower ratio of core genome meant the higher ratio of peculiar genes of a prokaryote, namely specific biological activities or the habitat may be varied. The ratio of common metabolic pathways at the genus level was higher than the ratio of core genomes, from 58.79% (Clostridium genus) to 96.31%(Mycoplasma genus), with an average of 75.86%. When compared among other genera, members of the same genus were positioned in the closest nodes to each other. Interestingly, Bacillus and Clostridium genera were positioned in closer nodes than those of the other genera. Archaebacterial genera were grouped together in the ortholog and metabolic pathway nodes in a phylogenetic tree. The genera Granulicella, Nostoc, and Bradyrhizobium of the Acidobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Proteobacteria phyla, respectively, were grouped in an ortholog content tree. The results of this study can be used for (i) the identification of common genes and metabolic pathways at each phylogenetic level and (ii) the improvement of strains through horizontal gene transfer or site-directed mutagenesis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.584-588
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• 2016

Several Bacillus species were isolated from rice field soils, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that Bacillus cereus was the most abundant. A strain named BC1 showed antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani. Bacteriophages infecting strain BC1 were isolated from the same soil sample. The isolated phage PK16 had an icosahedral head of $100{\pm}5nm$ and tail of $200{\pm}5nm$, indicating that it belonged to the family Myoviridae. Analysis of the complete linear dsDNA genome revealed a 158,127-bp genome with G + C content of 39.9% comprising 235 open reading frames as well as 19 tRNA genes (including 1 pseudogene). Blastp analysis showed that the proteins encoded by the PK16 genome had the closest hits to proteins of seven different bacteriophages. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the major capsid protein showed a robust clustering of phage PK16 with phage JBP901 and BCP8-2 isolated from Korean fermented food.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.591-597
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• 2017

Maribacter dokdonensis DSW-8 was isolated from the seawater off Dokdo in Korea. To investigate the genomic features of this marine bacterium, we sequenced its genome and analyzed the genomic features. After de novo assembly and gene prediction, 16 contigs totaling 4,434,543 bp (35.95% G+C content) in size were generated and 3,835 protein-coding sequences, 36 transfer RNAs, and 6 ribosomal RNAs were detected. In the genome of DSW-8, genes encoding the proteins associated with gliding motility, molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis, and utilization of several kinds of carbohydrates were identified. To analyze the genomic relationships among Maribacter species, we compared publically available Maribacter genomes, including that of M. dokdonensis DSW-8. A phylogenomic tree based on 1,772 genes conserved among the eight Maribacter strains showed that Maribacter speices isolated from seawater are distinguishable from species originating from algal blooms. Comparison of the gene contents using COG and subsystem databases demonstrated that the relative abundance of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism are higher in seawater-originating strains than those of algal blooms. These results indicate that the genomic information of Maribacter species reflects the characteristics of their habitats and provides useful information for carbon utilization of marine flavobacteria.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2013

An agar-hydrolyzing marine bacterium, strain GNUM08120, was isolated from Sargassum fulvellum collected from Yeongil bay of East Sea of Korea. The isolate was Gram-negative, aerobic, motile with single polar flagellum, and grew at 1-10% NaCl, pH 5.0-8.0, and $15-37^{\circ}C$. G+C content and the predominant respiratory quinone were 46.13 mol% and Q-8, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids were Summed feature 3 (24.5%), $C_{16:0}$ (21.7%), and $C_{18:1}{\omega}7c$ (12.5%). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and DNA-DNA hybridization analyses, strain GNUM08120 was identified as a novel subspecies of Alteromonas macleodii, designated Alteromonas macleodii subsp. GNUM08120. Production of agarase by strain GNUM08120 was likely repressed by the effect of carbon catabolite repression caused by glucose. The crude agarase prepared from 12-h culture broth of strain GNUM08120 exhibited an optimum pH and temperature for agarase activity at 7.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. The crude enzyme produced (neo)agarobiose, (neo)agarotetraose, and (neo)agarohexaose as the hydrolyzed product of agarose.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.43-43
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• 2019

The collection, evaluation and conservation of crop germplasm have been treated as one of the basics to breeding program. An understanding of genetic relationships among germplasm resources is vital for future breeding process like yield, quality, and resistance. In the present study, EST-SSR markers were employed to assess the polymorphism and genetic diversity of 192 accessions of Proso millet preserved in the National Agrobiodiversity Center of RDA. We evaluated the efficiency of EST-SSR markers developed for proso millet species. A total of 98 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 4.5 per locus among 192 proso millet millet accessions using 22 EST-SSR markers. The averaged values of gene diversity ($H_E$) and polymorphism information content (PIC) for each EST-SSR marker were 0.362 and 0.404 within populations, respectively. Our results showed the moderate level of the molecular diversity among the proso millet accessions from diverse countries. A phylogenetic tree revealed three major groups of accessions that did not correspond with geographical distribution patterns with a few exceptions. The less correlation between the clusters and their geographic location might be considered due to their type difference. Our study provided a better understanding of genetic relationships among various germplasm collections, and it could contribute to more efficient utilization of valuable genetic resources. The EST-SSR markers developed here will serve as a valuable resource for genetic studies, like linkage mapping, diversity analysis, quantitative trait locus/association mapping, and molecular breeding.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.08a
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• pp.45-45
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• 2020

A large number of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in public databases have provided an opportunity for the systematic development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. EST-SSRs derived from conserved coding sequences show considerable cross-species transferability in related species. In the present study, we assessed the utility of foxtail millet EST-SSRs in barnyard millet. A total of 312 EST-SSRs of foxtail millet were tested using 84 Echinochloa crus-galli germplasm accessions; a high rate of transferability (62%) and 46 primer sets (13%) were shown the polymorphism in barnyard millet. The 13% of functional EST-SSRs) was demonstrated between cereals and barnyard millet. SSR marker profile data were scored for the computation of pairwise distances as well as a Neighbor Joining (NJ) tree of all the genotypes. The averaged values of gene diversity (H_E) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were 0.213 and 0.179 within populations, respectively. The 84 barnyard millet germplasm accessions were divided into five different groups, which agreed well with their geographical origins. The exotic 12 accessions of India type barnyard millet (E. frumentacea) were all separated form Korean local collection genotype. The present results provide evidence of divergence between cultured and wild type barnyard, as a millet and grass. The polymorphic SSR markers indicated in this study were of great value in analysis of genetic diversity that can be further used for crop improvement through breeding.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.512-521
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• 2016

A bacterial strain was isolated from a soil sample collected on Jeju Island, Korea. The strain, designated WJ-2, exhibited a high xylanase activity, whereas cellulase activity was not detected. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of WJ-2 was highly similar to type strains of the genus Streptomyces. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain WJ-2 is phylogenetically related to Streptomyces atrovirens. Furthermore, DNA-DNA hybridization analysis confirmed that strain WJ-2 is a novel subspecies of Streptomyces atrovirens. The genomic DNA G+C content was 73.98 mol% and the major fatty acid present was anteiso-C15:0 (36.19%). The growth and xylanase production of strain WJ-2 were significantly enhanced by using soytone and xylan as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. Crude enzyme preparations from the culture broth of strain WJ-2 exhibited maximal total xylanase activities at pH 7.0 and $55^{\circ}C$. Thin-layer chromatography analysis revealed that the crude enzyme degrades beechwood xylan to yield xylobiose and xylotriose as the principal hydrolyzed end products.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2017

A xylan-degrading bacterium (strain WJ-1) was isolated from soil collected from Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. Strain WJ-1 was characterized as a gram-positive, aerobic, and spore-forming bacterium. The predominant fatty acid in this bacterium was anteiso-$C_{15:0}$ (42.99%). A similarity search based on 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that the strain belonged to the genus Streptomyces. Further, strain WJ-1 shared the highest sequence similarity with the type strains Streptomyces spinoveruucosus NBRC 14228, S. minutiscleroticus NBRC 13000, and S. glaucescens NBRC 12774. Together, they formed a coherent cluster in a phylogenetic tree based on the neighbor-joining algorithm. The DNA G+C content of strain WJ-1 was 74.7 mol%. The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain WJ-1 and the closest related species S. glaucescens NBRC 12774 was 85.7%. DNA-DNA hybridization, 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, and the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics suggest that strain WJ-1 constitutes a novel subspecies of S. glaucescens. Thus, the strain was designated as S. glaucescens subsp. WJ-1 (Korean Agricultural Culture Collection [KACC] accession number 92086). Additionally, strain WJ-1 secreted thermostable endo-type xylanases that converted xylan to xylooligosaccharides such as xylotriose and xylotetraose. The enzymes exhibited optimal activity at pH 7.0 and $55^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2008

The stromatal forms of T. fuciformis and the mycelia of Hypoxylon sp. were collected. The DNA sequence in the ITS region of the 5.8S ribosomal genes of isolated strain KG103 was very similar to that of T. fuciformis AF042409 with a homology of over 98% in the EMBL/GenBank database through BLAST searching. A second isolate, No KG201, one of the symbiotic strains for cultivating T. fuciformis also exhibited high homology with Annulohhypoxylon stygium AJ390406. Potato Dextrose Medium exhibited the best mycelial growth of 14 mm/14 days and 85 mm/14 days for T. fuciformis and its symbiotic fungi, respectively. Optimum culture conditions for the micelial growth were pH 5 at $25^{\circ}C$. For the optimization of artificial cultivation of T. fuciformis in bottle with sawdust medium, several conditions such as type of sawdust, supplements, pH, moisture content, and incubation temperature were investigated. T. fuciformis and symbiotic fungi showed fast mycelial growth on corn cob media (77 and 52%) followed by oak tree sawdust and cotton seed meal. The optimal temperature for mycelial growth of T. fuciformis and symbiotic fungi on corn cob media was $25^{\circ}C$ at 55% of moisture content.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.98-108
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• 2015

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen that causes diverse diseases ranging from minor infections to life-threatening conditions in humans and animals. To further understand its pathogenesis, the genome of the strain S. aureus FORC_001 was isolated from a contaminated food. Its genome consists of 2,886,017 bp double-stranded DNA with a GC content of 32.8%. It is predicted to contain 2,728 open reading frames, 57 tRNAs, and 6 rRNA operons, including 1 additional 5S rRNA gene. Comparative phylogenetic tree analysis of 40 complete S. aureus genome sequences using average nucleotide identity (ANI) revealed that strain FORC_001 belonged to Group I. The closest phylogenetic match was S. aureus MRSA252, according to a whole-genome ANI (99.87%), suggesting that they might share a common ancestor. Comparative genome analysis of FORC_001 and MRSA252 revealed two non-homologous regions: Regions I and II. The presence of various antibiotic resistance genes, including the SCCmec cluster in Region I of MRSA252, suggests that this strain might have acquired the SCCmec cluster to adapt to specific environments containing methicillin. Region II of both genomes contains prophage regions but their DNA sequence identity is very low, suggesting that the prophages might differ. This is the first report of the complete genome sequence of S. aureus isolated from a real foodborne outbreak in South Korea. This report would be helpful to extend our understanding about the genome, general characteristics, and virulence factors of S. aureus for further studies of pathogenesis, rapid detection, and epidemiological investigation in foodborne outbreak.