• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.388-395
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• 2015

Somatic embryogenesis is as an excellent technology for potential use in plant mass production, germplasm conservation, or genetic engineering. We examined the effect of cold storage using 3 embryogenic callus lines with different levels of embryogenesis competence derived from immature zygotic embryo cultures of Kalopanax setemlobus. Somatic embryo induction, germination and plant conversion were evaluated after 1, 3 and 6 months storage at $4^{\circ}C$ in the dark. Most cold-stored embryogenic calli formed somatic embryos normally even after 6 months; however, the induction rate was gradually decreased by increasing the storage period. The most competent line tended to show a slight decline in somatic embryo induction rate, as compared with other lines after cold storage. In general, cold storage resulted in reduced somatic embryo germination and plant regeneration, although 93% somatic embryo germination and 91% plant conversion were achieved regardless of the storage period. Cold storage led to cell browning and degradation. Additionally, the cell structures were confirmed by the aceto-carmine and evans blue dye evaluation. Collectively, our results showed that embryogenic callus of K. septemlobus could be preserved at $4^{\circ}C$ without subculture for 6 months, and suggested the need for storage of relatively more competent embryogenic calli lines to support somatic embryo induction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.103 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 2014

This study was conducted to investigate composition of understory vegetation and indicator species by altitude and slope azimuth in Mt. Gyebang designated as Protected Area for Forest Genetic Resource Conservation and National Park. Tracheophytes were 350 taxa; 80 families, 203 genera, 303 species, 38 varieties, 5 forma and 4 sub-species in research area. The species of greatest importance value were Tripterygium regelii (9.143%), Acer pseudosieboldianum (7.594%), Symplocos chinensis for. pilosa (6.347%) in the shrub layer and were Sasa borealis (8.653%), Isodon excisus (2.936%) and Carex siderosticta (2.897%). In the herb layer as a result of NMS analysis, the distribution range of the major species were found to be affected by the altitude (shrub layer: $R^2$ > 0.3, herb layer: $R^2$ > 0.6). The result of plexus diagram analysis showed that Acer pseudosieboldianum was associated with Magnolia sieboldii, Acer barbinerve, Euonymus oxyphyllus etc. in the shrub layer; Meehania urticifolia was associated with Aconitum jaluense, Veratrum oxysepalum, Prunus padus etc. in the herb layer. The significant indicator species were analyzed for 60 species by the altitude and investigated for 30 species in accordance with the slope azimuth. As a consequence of MRPP, interspecies composition along the altitude group was heterogeneous and the species composition according to the azimuth slope was extremely different between the NE and SW.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.522-526
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• 2007

Since newly emerged disease, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), spread from Asia to North America and Europe rapidly in 2003, many researchers have tried to determine where the virus came from. In the phylogenetic point of view, SARS virus has been known to be one of the genus Coronavirus, but, the overall conservation of SARS virus sequence was not highly similar to that of known coronaviruses. The natural reservoirs of SARS-CoV are not clearly determined, yet. In the present study, the genomic sequences of SARS-CoV were analyzed by bioinformatics techniques such as multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis methods as well multivariate statistical analysis. All the calculating processes, including calculations of the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) and other genomic parameters using 30,305 coding sequences from the two genera, Coronavirus, and Lentivirus, and one family, Orthomyxoviridae, were performed on SMP cluster in KISTI, Supercomputing Center. As a result, SARS_CoV showed very similar RSCU patterns with feline coronavirus on the both axes of the correspondence analysis, and this result showed more agreeable results with serological results for SARS_CoV than that of phylogenetic result itself. In addition, SARS_CoV, human immunodeficiency virus, and influenza A virus commonly showed the very low RSCU differences among each synonymous codon group, and this low RSCU bias might provide some advantages for them to be transmitted from other species into human beings more successfully. Large-scale genomic analysis using bioinformatics techniques may be useful in genetic epidemiology field effectively.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.94-102
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• 1984

These experiments were intended to obtain basic information to develop an effective method of seed storage, using local varieties of seeds of 13 different crops in Korea. The germination ratio and velocity were investigated at one month intervals with seeds stored in six different temperatures($-20^{\circ}C$, $-7^{\circ}C$, $7^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, $30^{\circ}C$, $50^{\circ}C$) for six months. The results obtained are summarized as follows. 1. Final germination ratio of the seeds of different crops were not influenced by the storage temperatures when dry seeds were used, but moist seeds were affected by storage temperatures. 2. The germination velocity and growth of the primary root of the seeds were remarkably influenced by storage temperatures. Viability of the seeds maintained in freezing temperatures ($-20^{\circ}C$, $-7^{\circ}C$) and in low temperature ($7^{\circ}C$) were higher than that of the seeds stored in high temperature ($30^{\circ}C$).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 2019

Habitat loss by industrialization, urbanization, and poaching reduced the population of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetabus ussuricus) population in South Korea in the late 20^th Century. In the early 2000s, the Korean Government had begun a restoration project of Asiatic black bear. In 2017, a bear was found in Mt. Sudosan, Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, approximately 80 km from Mt. Jirisan where the bear was first released. Genetic analysis confirmed that this bear was one of the Jirisan bear population, estimating that this bear escaped from its habitat. After trapping this bear in Mt. Sudosan, it was rereleased again in Mt. Jirisan, but this bear moved again to Mt. Sudosan. After 2^nd trapping and releasing, this bear came back to Mt. Sudosan. In Mt. Sudosan, this bear covered a greater distance and moved more as compared to other Asiatic black bear in Mt. Jirisan. Today, this bear has its home range within Mt. Sudosan area after the third release, estimating that this bear is stable and active in this area. Our findings are the first case showing the interesting pattern of repetitive disperse activities and habitat expansion of Asiatic black bear. The results of this case are valuable information that can be used for wildlife conservation and restoration of endangered wildlife.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.9-22
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• 1996

Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in human, with infants and young children being particularly susceptible. In the temperate zones, sharp annual outbreaks of RSV occur during the colder months, in both the northern and the southern hemisphere. RSV is unusual in that it can repeatedly reinfect individuals throughout life and infect babies in the presence of maternal antibody. RSV isolates can be divided into two subgroups, A and B, on the basis of their reactions with monoclonal antibodies, and the two subgroups are also distinct at the nucleotide sequence level. The specific diagnosis of RSV infection was best made by isolation of virus in tissue culture, identification of viral antigen, or by specific serologic procedures. Recently, rapid detection of RSV and analysis of RSV strain variation became possible by development of methods of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification. In this study, to determine the genetic diversity of RSV found in Korea, 173 bp and 164 bp spanning selected regions of the RSV F and SH genes were enzymatically amplified and sequenced, respectively. Eight for F gene and three for SH gene were detected in 66 nasopharyngeal swap samples tested. Two major antigenic subgroups, A and B were confirmed from Korean samples (seven for subgroup A and one for subgroup B). At the nucleotide level of the F gene region, Korean subgroup A strains showed 95-99% homologies compared to the prototype A2 strain of subgroup A and 93-100% homologies among Korean subgroup A themselves. For the SH gene region, Korean subgroup A strain showed 97.5% homology compared to the prototype A2 strain of subgroup A, and Korean subgroup B strain showed 97% homology compared to the prototype 18537 strain of subgroup B. Most of base changes were transition and occured in codon position 3, which resulted in amino acid conservation. Using the maximum parsimony method, phylogenetic analysis indicated that Korean RSV strains formed a group with other RSV strains isolated from the United States, Canada, the Great Britain and Australia.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.120-122
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• 2007

All living organisms use numerous signal-transduction pathways to sense and respond to their environments and thereby survive and proliferate in a range of biological niches. Molecular dissection of these signalling networks has increased our understanding of these communication processes and provides a platform for therapeutic intervention when these pathways malfunction in disease states, including infection. Owing to the expanding availability of sequenced genomes, a wealth of genetic and molecular tools and the conservation of signalling networks, members of the fungal kingdom serve as excellent model systems for more complex, multicellular organisms. Here, we employed Cryptococcus neoformans as a model system to understand how fungal-signalling circuits operate at the molecular level to sense and respond to a plethora of environmental stresses, including osmoticshock, UV, high temperature, oxidative stress and toxic drugs/metabolites. The stress-activated p38/Hog1 MAPK pathway is structurally conserved in many organisms as diverse as yeast and mammals, but its regulation is uniquely specialized in a majority of clinical Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A and D strains to control differentiation and virulence factor regulation. C. neoformans Hog1 MAPK is controlled by Pbs2 MAPK kinase (MAPKK). The Pbs2-Hog1 MAPK cascade is controlled by the fungal "two-component" system that is composed of a response regulator, Ssk1, and multiple sensor kinases, including two-component.like (Tco) 1 and Tco2. Tco1 and Tco2 play shared and distinct roles in stress responses and drug sensitivity through the Hog1 MAPK system. Furthermore, each sensor kinase mediates unique cellular functions for virulence and morphological differentiation. We also identified and characterized the Ssk2 MAPKKK upstream of the MAPKK Pbs2 and the MAPK Hog1 in C. neoformans. The SSK2 gene was identified as a potential component responsible for differential Hog1 regulation between the serotype D sibling f1 strains B3501 and B3502 through comparative analysis of their meiotic map with the meiotic segregation of Hog1-dependent sensitivity to the fungicide fludioxonil. Ssk2 is the only polymorphic component in the Hog1 MAPK module, including two coding sequence changes between the SSK2 alleles in B3501 and B3502 strains. To further support this finding, the SSK2 allele exchange completely swapped Hog1-related phenotypes between B3501 and B3502 strains. In the serotype A strain H99, disruption of the SSK2 gene dramatically enhanced capsule biosynthesis and mating efficiency, similar to pbs2 and hog1 mutations. Furthermore, ssk2, pbs2, and hog1 mutants are all hypersensitive to a variety of stresses and completely resistant to fludioxonil. Taken together, these findings indicate that Ssk2 is the critical interface protein connecting the two-component system and the Pbs2-Hog1 pathway in C. neoformans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1446-1457
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• 2016

Wetlands exhibit intermediate characteristics of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the biodiversity is rich in these unique biological habitats. The symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi that inhabit these wetlands play an important role in natural resource management, biodiversity, and conservation. Accordingly, the mujechi, having academic value for the study of the natural environment, was investigated in terms of genetic diversity of endophytic fungi, which inhabit the roots of wild plants. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified to identify fungal strains. In total, 226 strains were isolated and categorized into three phyla, seven classes, 10 orders, 22 families, and 31 genera. In plants by endophytic fungi were classified in Isachne globosa (Ig) to 19 genera, Scirpus karuisawensis (Sk) to 11 genera, Utricularia racemosa (Ur) to 19 genera, and one incertae sedis, Eriocaulon decemflorum (Ed) to 11 genera. The fungal taxa was identified the genera Acephala (19.9%), Tolypocladium (16.3%), Neopestalotiopsis (11.5%), and Perenniporia (7.1%). The fungal group isolated from Isachne globosa (Ig) grew the largest number of isolated fungal strains. After comprehensive evaluation, the endophytic fungal group from Utricularia racemosa (Ur) ranked highest in diversity analyses. From the roots of wild plant in mujechi-neup, it confirmed the distribution and diversity of endophytic fungi. This study provides the basic data to understand fungal community structure in peat wetlands.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.368-373
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• 2010

Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii Henry is a short and creeping evergreen shrub which reaches about 60 cm in height and only occurs in the northeast Asia and in the top of high mountains over the Korea. The Korea Forest Service protects it strictly by law since J. chinensis var. sargentii is an eccentric plant and possibly may be exterminated soon in Korea. This study was carried out to develop the propagation technique by cutting for conservation of genetic resources of J. chinensis var. sargentii. The rooting responses of branch cuttings, obtained from hard(May) and semi-hard wood shoots (August) to four growth regulators, namely, IAA, IBA, NAA and Rooton(exceptionally powder method) applied at various concentrations(0, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 $mgL^{-1}$) were examined in mixed soil media. Rooting rate showed significant difference between cutting times, among kinds and among concentrations of growth regulators. The optimum cutting time was April to May in hardwood cutting. The application of IBA 1000 $mgL^{-1}$(rooting rate : 36.4%) was most effective in callus formation and rooting of cutting. Relatively, rooting of cutting of the control taken in May was 30.4%. Root characteristics such as number, length and diameter of root were not significantly affected by kinds and concentrations of growth regulators in hardwood cutting.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.353-361
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• 2015

Spatio-temporal variation in fruit set in orchids would affect long-term population viability and will influence genetic diversity over many generations. The aim of this study was to examine the breeding system of the nectariferous terrestrial orchid Epipactis thunbergii, to specifically determine levels of fruit set in terms of time and space under natural conditions. We examined pollination under natural conditions and conducted hand pollination experiments during a 2-year survey in four populations located along 1.5 km of coastal line in Jinguiri (rual village) [Jeollanam-do (province), southern Korea]. We found that, over a 2-year period, levels of percentage of fruit set were similar within patches of the four populations. By contrast, we detected significant differences in the percentage of fruit set among patches. We also found that plants with larger inflorescence size produced significantly more fruits than plants with fewer flowers. Over a 2-year period, the percentage of fruit set for E. thunbergii was similar but low (14.1%) compared to that averaged for eighty-four rewarding species (37.1%). However, an increase in fruit set was achieved by hand-pollinations: artificial self-pollination (90.5-95.2%), artificial geitonogamy (94.7-95.0%), and cross-pollination (artificial xenogamy, 91.3-91.4%). No emasculated flowers produced fruits and no automatic pollination was found in E. thunbergii. Our findings suggest that E. thunbergii is a self-compatible terrestrial orchid that depends on pollinators (insects) to achieve fruit set in natural habitats, and that local environmental conditions were similar over a period of 2 years in the study area. Our results also highlight the cryptic variation of fruit production in time, but more pronounced variability in space.