• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권12호
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• pp.1605-1614
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• 2022

The strains associated with foodborne Salmonella enterica Thompson outbreaks in Korea have not been identified. Therefore, we characterized S. Thompson strains isolated from chocolate cakes linked to foodborne outbreaks in Korea. A total of 56 strains were isolated from preserved cake products, products in the supply chain distribution, the manufacturer's apparatus, and egg white liquid products used for cream preparation. Subsequently, serological typing, pathogenic gene-targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and whole-genome multi-locus sequence typing (wgMLST) were performed to characterize these isolates. The antigen formula of all isolates was 7:k:1,5, namely Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Thompson. All 56 isolates harbored invA, his, hin, and stn, and were negative for sefA and spvC based on gene-targeted PCR analyses. Based on PFGE results, these isolates were classified into one group based on the same SP6X01.011 pattern with 100% similarity. We selected 19 strains based on the region and sample type, which were subjected to wgMLST. Although the examined strains showed 100% similarity, they were classified into seven clusters based on allelic differences. According to our findings, the cause of these outbreaks was chocolate cake manufactured with egg white liquid contaminated with the same Salmonella Thompson. Additionally, comparative analysis of wgMLST on domestic isolates of S. Thompson from the three outbreaks showed genetic similarities of over 99.6%. Based on the results, the PFGE and wgMLST combination can provide highly resolved phylogeny and reliable evidence during Salmonella outbreak investigations.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.28-42
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• 2023

Seed dispersal supports community structure, maintains genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes, and influences vegetation assemblages. In the Philippines, only two seed dispersal studies have compared different dispersal agents. We examined the seed dispersal patterns of water, wind, birds, and bats in the Caliraya Watershed, Philippines. We aimed to determine the floral species that were dispersed and how the forest characteristics influenced seed dispersal. By running seed rain traps and drift litter collection from March to June 2022, we analyzed 14,090 seeds in a privately owned study site within the watershed. Water did not exclusively disperse any species and acted as a secondary disperser. Seed density (seeds/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=166) and bat-dispersed (n=145) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=79) seeds (One-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]: F_2,87=16.21, P<0.0001). Species number (species/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=3.7) and bat-dispersed (n=3.9) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=0.2) seeds (One-way ANOVA: F_2,87 =16.67, P<0.0001). Birds dispersed more species because they are more diverse and access a wider variety of fruits, unlike bats. Birds and bats target different fruits and provide separate seed dispersal services. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that the number and basal area of fleshy fruit trees most strongly influenced the bird seed dispersal patterns. Therefore, we recommend a three-way approach to restoration efforts in the Caliraya Watershed: (1) ensure the presence of fleshy fruit trees in restoration zones, (2) assist the establishment of mid-successional and wind-dispersed trees, and (3) intensify the conservation efforts for both flora and faunal diversity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.469-478
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• 2023

Background: Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. To support agricultural production and enhance crop yield, two major N sources, nitrate and ammonium, are applied as fertilizers to the soil. Although many studies have been conducted on N uptake and signal transduction, the molecular genetic mechanisms of N-mediated physiological roles, such as the secondary growth of storage roots, remain largely unknown. Methods: One-year-old P. ginseng seedlings treated with KNO₃ were analyzed for the secondary growth of storage roots. The histological paraffin sections were subjected to bright and polarized light microscopic analysis. Genome-wide RNA-seq and network analysis were carried out to dissect the molecular mechanism of nitrate-mediated promotion of ginseng storage root thickening. Results: Here, we report the positive effects of nitrate on storage root secondary growth in Panax ginseng. Exogenous nitrate supply to ginseng seedlings significantly increased the root secondary growth. Histological analysis indicated that the enhancement of root secondary growth could be attributed to the increase in cambium stem cell activity and the subsequent differentiation of cambium-derived storage parenchymal cells. RNA-seq and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that the formation of a transcriptional network comprising auxin, brassinosteroid (BR)-, ethylene-, and jasmonic acid (JA)-related genes mainly contributed to the secondary growth of ginseng storage roots. In addition, increased proliferation of cambium stem cells by a N-rich source inhibited the accumulation of starch granules in storage parenchymal cells. Conclusion: Thus, through the integration of bioinformatic and histological tissue analyses, we demonstrate that nitrate assimilation and signaling pathways are integrated into key biological processes that promote the secondary growth of P. ginseng storage roots.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2022년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.73-73
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• 2022

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L., Family Asteraceae) is highly ranked in production and economic value and is consumed either fresh or in salad mixes because of its important dietary source of bioactive phytochemicals. The world collection of Lactuca spp. leafy crops, maintained in NAC, includes 2,464 accessions from 71 countries around the world, of which 2,411 belong to L. sativa species, nineteen to L. saligna, and fifteen to L. serriolar. We aimed to investigate the lettuce germplasm with morphological and biochemical analyses and provide new material for breeding. The lettuce crop comprises seven main groups of cultivars (including oilseed lettuce) differing phenotypically. Agricultural characteristcs were investigated including time to bolting, time to flowering, seed color, flower color, leaf attitude, leaf color, leaf anthocyanin coloration, type of incision of margin, depth of incisions of margins, and leaf venation. Screening of the health beneficial metabolites like anthocyanin and bitter sesquiterpene lactones (lactucin and lactucopicrin) was also conducted. The range of anthocyanin and SLs were 0~563.78 mg/100g D.W. and 3.74~3311.66 ug/g D.W., respectively. The investigation of the degree of variation regarding phenotypic traits and biochemical revealed adaptive stable and highly variable use of trait collection.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.236-244
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• 2024

Background: Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) is the primary pathogenic fungus that causes Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) root rot disease. To control the disease, safe and efficient antifungal pesticides must currently be developed. Methods: In this study, we prepared and characterized a nanoemulsion of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (Ne-FvEO) using ultrasonic technology and evaluated its stability. Traditional Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (T-FvEO) was prepared simultaneously with 1/1000 Tween-80 and 20/1000 dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The effects and inhibitory mechanism of Ne-FvEO and T-FvEO in F. oxysporum were investigated through combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses. Results: Results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Ne-FvEO decreased from 3.65 mg/mL to 0.35 mg/mL, and its bioavailability increased by 10-fold. The results of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) showed that T-FvEO did not contain a high content of estragole compared to Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (FvEO) and Ne-FvEO. Combined metabolome and transcriptome analysis showed that both emulsions inhibited the growth and development of F. oxysporum through the synthesis of the cell wall and cell membrane, energy metabolism, and genetic information of F. oxysporum mycelium. Ne-FvEO also inhibited the expression of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase and reduced the content of 2-oxoglutarate, which inhibited the germination of spores. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Ne-FvEO effectively inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum in P. notoginseng in vivo. The findings contribute to our comprehension of the antifungal mechanism of essential oils (EOs) and lay the groundwork for the creation of plant-derived antifungal medicines.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.179-192
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• 2023

The world has watched the emergence of numerous animal viruses that may threaten animal health which were added to the perpetual growing list of animal pathogens. This emergence drew the attention of the experts and animal health groups to the fact that it has become necessary to work on vaccine development. The current review aims to explore the perspective vaccines for emerging viral diseases in farm animals. This aim was fulfilled by focusing on modern technologies as well as next generation vaccines that have been introduced in the field of vaccines, either in clinical developments pending approval, or have already come to light and have been applied to animals with acceptable results such as viral-vectored vaccines, virus-like particles, and messenger RNA-based platforms. Besides, it shed the light on the importance of differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals technology in eradication programs of emerging viral diseases. The new science of nanomaterials was explored to elucidate its role in vaccinology. Finally, the role of Bioinformatics or Vaccinomics and its assist in vaccine designing and developments were discussed. The reviewing of the published manuscripts concluded that the use of conventional vaccines is considered an out-of-date approach in eliminating emerging diseases. However, these types of vaccines are considered the suitable plan especially in countries with few resources and capabilities. Piloted vaccines that rely on genetic-based technologies with continuous analyses of current viruses should be the aim of future vaccinology. Smart genomics of emerging viruses will be the gateway to choosing appropriate vaccines, regardless of the evolutionary rates of viruses.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제50권
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• pp.115-126
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• 2023

A hydroponics experiment was performed to study the physiological and biochemical changes in Moroccan barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties cultivated under salt stress conditions. Four barley varieties were grown under exposure to three salt concentrations, including 0, 200, and 300 mM NaCl. The ANOVA for both salt stress-sensitive and resistant varieties indicated that salt treatment represented the main source of variability in all studied traits. Salt treatment significantly reduced root and shoot dry weight (RDW and SDW), relative water content (RWC), and chlorophyll content (Chl a, Chl b, and Chl T). However, increases in electrolyte leakage (EL) along with proline and total soluble sugar (TSS) contents were recorded. In addition, large variations in all measured traits were found between varieties. The 'Massine' and 'Laanaceur' varieties displayed relatively higher RDW and SDW values. The 'Amira' and 'Adrar' varieties showed lower RWC values and Chl contents than those of the controls indicating their relative sensitivity to salt stress. Principal component analysis revealed that most of the variation was captured by PC1 (72% of the total variance) which grouped samples into three categories according to salt treatment. Correlation analyses highlighted significant associations between most parameters. Positive relationships were found between RDW, SDW, RWC, Chl content, and soluble proteins contents, while all of these parameters were negatively associated with EL intensity, proline content, and TSS content. The results from this study showed that the 'Massine' and 'Laanaceur' varieties were relatively salt-tolerant. These two salt-tolerant varieties present a good genetic background for breeding of barley varieties showing high salt tolerance.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.42-47
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• 2024

The value of silkworms as functional health food materials has increased, as has the interest in its disease control for stable production, and in the economic value of entomopathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we isolated and identified disease-causing fungi from white muscardine silkworms, and confirmed whether this strain could produce white muscardine silkworms. For the analysis of the cause of white muscardine disease in the infected silkworms, the fungi and prokaryotes causing the disease were identified, isolated, and identified using metagenome analysis. Metagenomic analysis detected a large amount of the fungus Metarhizium rileyi in silkworms, and a large amount of the bacterium Enterococcus mundtii, which was presumed to be the causative agent of the disease. For accurate identification of the fungi, these were purified by culture medium, and sequencing and phylogenetic tree analyses were performed using an internal transcribed spacer. As a result, M. rileyi, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and C. tenuissimum were identified. In general, M. rileyi is known to form green conidia, but in this study, white-yellow conidia were formed, indicating that the exact causative agent of the fungal disease cannot be estimated by diagnosing the symptoms. Thus, a diagnostic method is necessary for the continuously collection of required pathogens, and identifying their morphological and genetic characteristics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.880-890
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• 2024

The immunomodulatory effects of Euglena gracilis (Euglena) and its bioactive component, β-1,3-glucan (paramylon), have been clarified through various studies. However, the detailed mechanisms of the immune regulation remain to be elucidated. This study was designed not only to investigate the immunomodulatory effects but also to determine the genetic mechanisms of Euglena and β-glucan in cyclophosphamide (CCP)-induced immunosuppressed mice. The animals were orally administered saline, Euglena (800 mg/kg B.W.) or β-glucan (400 mg/kg B.W.) for 19 days, and CCP (80 mg/kg B.W.) was subsequently administered to induce immunosuppression in the mice. The mice exhibited significant decreases in body weight, organ weight, and the spleen index. However, there were significant improvements in the spleen weight and the spleen index in CCP-induced mice after the oral administration of Euglena and β-glucan. Transcriptome analysis of the splenocytes revealed immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated in the Euglena- and β-glucantreated groups. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses indicated that pathways related with interleukin (IL)-17 and cAMP play significant roles in regulating T cells, B cells, and inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, Ptgs2, a major inflammatory factor, was exclusively expressed in the Euglena-treated group, suggesting that Euglena's beneficial components, such as carotenoids, could regulate these genes by influencing immune lymphocytes and inflammatory cytokines in CCP-induced mice. This study validated the immunomodulatory effects of Euglena and highlighted its underlying mechanisms, suggesting a positive contribution to the determination of phenotypes associated with immune-related diseases and the research and development of immunotherapies.

• 한국자원식물학회지
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.270-306
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• 2024

This study investigated the diversity of 323 mung bean accessions from Korea, China, and India, along with six cultivars, using 22 agronomical traits. The standardized Shannon-Weaver index (H') for the qualitative traits ranged from 0.11 (terminal leaflet shape) to 0.98 (pubescence density of pod). Likewise, the coefficient of variation for the quantitative traits ranged from 8.76% (days to maturity (DM)) to 79.91% (lodging rate (LR)), indicating a wide genetic variance. Hypocotyl color, pod color, seed shape, and seed coat surface lust showed different distributions among Korean, Indian, and Chinese accessions. Chinese accessions had the highest average germination rate, DM, days from flowering to maturity, and one-hundred seeds weight, followed by Korean and Indian accessions, while the number of seeds per pod (SPP) displayed the opposite trend, with all except SPP showing significant variation (p < 0.05). Similarly, plant height, days to flowering, and number of pods per plant increased in the order of India > Korea > China, with LR showing the opposite trend (p < 0.05). The mung bean accessions were grouped into four major clusters using hierarchical cluster analysis supported by principal component analyses, and all of the quantitative traits showed significant variations between the clusters (p < 0.05). Generally, the mung bean accessions investigated in this study exhibited wide phenotypic trait variations, which could be beneficial for future genomics studies. Moreover, this study identified 77 accessions that outperformed the controls. Consequently, these superior accessions could provide a wide spectrum of options during the development of improved mung bean varieties.