• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2011

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (S.) aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens worldwide and the emergence of this strain has become a major clinical problem. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of MRSA and their genetic characteristics in 69 S. aureus isolated from humans and animals. In human isolates, higher antimicrobial resistance rates were observed against penicillin (80.6%), followed by erythromycin (11.9%) and tetracycline (9.0%). All of them were susceptible to clindamycin, enrofloxacin, novobiocin, pirlimycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin. The resistance patterns in animal isolates were similar to those of human isolates. Two (2.9%) MRSA strains were isolated from human (n = 1) and animal (n = 1), and these isolates were confirmed as carrying the mecA gene. One isolate originating from human was resistant to 7 drugs and the other isolate derived from animal was resistant to 11 drugs. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) variant IIIB was identified in animal isolate but SCCmec type of an isolate from human was not exactly determined. Two MRSA isolates showed unrelated PFGE pattern between them. Our results indicated although the frequency of MRSA isolates from humans and animals was low, a continuous surveillance and monitoring should be called for to prevent the contamination and spread of MRSA in the community. To our knowledge, this is the first time that SCCmec type variant IIIB was detected from animals in Korea.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.1.1-1.13
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• 2016

Objectives To investigate the accuracy and scientific validity of the current very low risk factor for hereditary diseases in humans following exposures to ionizing radiation adopted by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The value is based on experiments on mice due to reportedly absent effects in the Japanese atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors. Methods To review the published evidence for heritable effects after ionising radiation exposures particularly, but not restricted to, populations exposed to contamination from the Chernobyl accident and from atmospheric nuclear test fallout. To make a compilation of findings about early deaths, congenital malformations, Down's syndrome, cancer and other genetic effects observed in humans after the exposure of the parents. To also examine more closely the evidence from the Japanese A-bomb epidemiology and discuss its scientific validity. Results Nearly all types of hereditary defects were found at doses as low as one to 10 mSv. We discuss the clash between the current risk model and these observations on the basis of biological mechanism and assumptions about linear relationships between dose and effect in neonatal and foetal epidemiology. The evidence supports a dose response relationship which is non-linear and is either biphasic or supralinear (hogs-back) and largely either saturates or falls above 10 mSv. Conclusions We conclude that the current risk model for heritable effects of radiation is unsafe. The dose response relationship is non-linear with the greatest effects at the lowest doses. Using Chernobyl data we derive an excess relative risk for all malformations of 1.0 per 10 mSv cumulative dose. The safety of the Japanese A-bomb epidemiology is argued to be both scientifically and philosophically questionable owing to errors in the choice of control groups, omission of internal exposure effects and assumptions about linear dose response.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2008

Melting curve analysis of fluorescently labeled DNA fragments is used extensively for genotyping single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP). Here, we evaluated a SNP genotyping method by melting curve analysis with the two probe chemistries in a 384-well plate format on a Roche LightCycler 480. The HybProbe chemistry is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer(FRET) and the SimpleProbe chemistry uses a terminal self-quenching fluorophore. We evaluated FRET HybProbes and SimpleProbes for two SNP sites closely linked to two quantitative trait loci(QTL) for southern root-knot nematode resistance. These probes were used to genotype the two parents and 94 $F_2$ plants from the cross of PI 96354$\times$Bossier. The SNP genotypes of all samples determined by the LightCycler software agreed with previously determined SSR genotypes and the SNP genotypes determined on a Luminex 100 flow cytometry instrument. Multiplexed HybProbes for the two SNPs showed a 98.4% success rate and 100% concordance between repeats two of the same 96 DNA samples. Also, we developed a HybProbe assay for the Rcs3 gene conditioning broad resistance to the frogeye leaf spot(FLS) disease. The LightCycler 480 provides rapid PCR on 384-well plate and allows simultaneous amplification and analysis in approximately 2 hours without any additional steps after amplification. This allowed for a reduction of the potential contamination of PCR products, simplicity, and enablement of a streamlined workflow. The melting curve analysis on the LightCycler 480 provided high-throughput and rapid SNP genotyping and appears highly effective for marker-assisted selection in soybean.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.267-291
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• 2010

Life can be kept in suspended animation either before fertilization at oocyte stage or after fertilization at different stages of embryonic development for a variety of reasons. It not only has potential applications in fertility preservation and management in human but also has important roles in the preservation and management of animal genetic resources, low-cost international movement of selected genetics, and rapid dissemination of germplasm through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and genetic engineering. Currently, slow-freezing and vitrification are the two approaches by which oocytes and embryos can be cryopreserved for long-term storage. Both of these methods have their own advantages and disadvantages but allow the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos with comparable efficiency. Vitrification of oocyte and embryos, although proven successful just 13 years after slow-freezing, is generally considered an emerging technology and appears to slow gain acceptance in both animal and human ART despite having controversial storage and contamination issues. In this manuscript, we discuss the basic techniques of oocyt/embryo cryopreservation and review the current status and recent developments in vitrification.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1522-1542
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• 2019

To adapt to environmental changes and to maintain cellular homeostasis, microorganisms adjust the intracellular concentrations of biochemical compounds, including metal ions; these are essential for the catalytic function of many enzymes in cells, but excessive amounts of essential metals and heavy metals cause cellular damage. Metal-responsive transcriptional regulators play pivotal roles in metal uptake, pumping out, sequestration, and oxidation or reduction to a less toxic status via regulating the expression of the detoxification-related genes. The sensory and regulatory functions of the metalloregulators have made them as attractive biological parts for synthetic biology, and the exceptional sensitivity and selectivity of metalloregulators toward metal ions have been used in heavy metal biosensors to cope with prevalent heavy metal contamination. Due to their importance, substantial efforts have been made to characterize heavy metal-responsive transcriptional regulators and to develop heavy metal-sensing biosensors. In this review, we summarize the biochemical data for the two major metalloregulator families, SmtB/ArsR and MerR, to describe their metal-binding sites, specific chelating chemistry, and conformational changes. Based on our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms, previously developed metal biosensors are examined to point out their limitations, such as high background noise and a lack of well-characterized biological parts. We discuss several strategies to improve the functionality of the metal biosensors, such as reducing the background noise and amplifying the output signal. From the perspective of making heavy metal biosensors, we suggest that the characterization of novel metalloregulators and the fabrication of exquisitely designed genetic circuits will be required.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.76-80
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• 2019

About 15% to 20% of all clinically recognized pregnancies result in spontaneous abortion or miscarriage, and chromosomal anomalies can be identified in up to 50% of first trimester miscarriages. Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) is currently considered first-tier testing for detecting fetal chromosomal abnormalities and is supported by the absence of cell culture failure or erroneous results due to cell contamination in pregnancy loss. Triploidy is a lethal chromosome number abnormality characterized by an extra haploid set of chromosomes. Triploidy is one of the most common chromosomal aberrations in first trimester spontaneous abortions. Here, we report two cases of triploidy abortion that were not detected using array comparative genomic hybridization-based CMA. The aim of this report was to remind clinicians of the limitations of chromosomal testing and the misdiagnosis that can result from biased test selection.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.241-246
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• 2014

Viruses in the genus Megalocytivirus have been subdivided into four subgroups. Among these subgroups 2 and 4, represented by the red sea bream iridovirus (RBIV) and the olive flounder iridovirus (FLIV), respectively, are non-exotic. subgroups 1 and 3, represented by the red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) and the infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), respectively, have not been detected in Korea and are known as exotic. Shellfish are filter-feeders, and can thus filter and accumulate Megalocytivirus in their digestive glands, allowing us to track viral contamination in surrounding aquatic environment. In this study, we developed a high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis to differentiate among subgroups of Megalocytivirus accumulated in shellfish, and confirmed the convenience and efficiency of this method. More than two subgroups of Megalocytivirus were found in the digestive gland of a single shellfish. We classified all Megalocytivirus viruses from shellfish in Korea into subgroups 2 and 4, although proportions of subgroups were different among regions. Compared to nucleotide sequencing analysis, HRM analysis is a simple and rapid method for differentiating of Megalocytivirus subgroups.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.319-328
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• 2009

This study investigated the epidemiology of Listeria (L.) monocytogenes, a food-borne pathogen. The epidemiology of food-borne pathogens is of great importance for clarifying bacterial origin and preventing bacterial contamination and infection. This work examined 68 L. monocytogenes strains, including 11 reference strains and 57 isolates from imported US beef, domestic meats (beef, pork, chicken meat), raw milk, and milk plants. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques were optimized to develop a standard molecular epidemiological analysis of L. monocytogenes. There was great genetic variability among the isolates, which produced 24 and 34 RAPD patterns with primer HLWL85 and HLWL74, respectively. The discriminatory power of the RAPD methods with HLWL85 and HLWL74 primer were very high (DI = 0.957; S ${\geq}$ 80%, S ${\geq}$ 95%). Some RAPD types were specific to origin. A few RAPD types were specific for L. monocytogenes strains belonging to a particular serotype. Using the HLWL85 primer, the strains isolated from milk plants could be distinguished from the other strains. And using the HLWL74 primer, the strains isolated from imported beef (US) could be distinguished completely from the other strains.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.263-270
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• 2006

Pongamia pinnata Pierre is a tree legume, having potential in production of raw material for biodiesel. A protocol for in wk propagation of this plant was standardized using seedling explants. Growth regulators (GR) including gibberellic acid $(GA_3),\;N^6-benzylaminopurine(BA)$, thidiazuron (TDZ), and Adenine sulphate (Ads) were tested for optimum germination of seeds. Removal of seed coat prior to germination, controlled fungal growth partially but enhanced bacterial growth. Antibiotic cefotaxime was ineffective in controlling bacterial contamination. Seedling derived nodal explants and cotyledon nodes with attached cotyledons were excised and cultured for induction of shoots. Optimum sprouting and multiplication of shoot buds were obtained in MS medium supplemented with $8.88{\mu}M$ BA. These buds differentiated and rooted on medium devoid of GR. Optimum growth of Pongamia seedling was obtained in cotton plugged culture vessels. Reculturing of the cotyledon node explants produced more shoots from the same site. This process of removing shoots and reculturing of cotyledon node was followed for eight passages yielding 4 to 8 shoots in each cycle. The shoots (75%) rooted on half strength MS basal medium supplemented with 0.22% charcoal. All plants survived on transfer to soil. This is the first report on in vitro regeneration of Pongamia pinnata. This report demonstrates the possibility of coupling more than one parameter in single experiment to hasten the process of standardization. The process of cycling the nodal explant repeatedly for production of large number of shoots from single meristem may find application in genetic transformation experiments wherein meristems are used for transformation.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.8.1-8.6
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• 2018

Desmarestia japonica (Phaeophyceae, Desmarestiales) was recently established from the Japanese ligulate Desmarestia and is morphologically similar to D. ligulata. This species has been reported only from Japan. However, the taxonomic reports based on additional regional distributions are needed to clarify this taxonomic entity and its species boundaries. Because Desmarestia species have restricted distributions in Korea, we reexamined herbarium specimens of D. ligulata deposited at the National Institute of Biological Resources (South Korea). To improve the amplification efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction and avoid contamination by the DNA of other organisms, we developed taxon-specific molecular markers suitable for DNA barcoding of Desmarestia species. Nuclear ribosomal small subunit RNA (18S rDNA) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) regions were selected as target DNA. As a result, both were successfully isolated from herbarium specimens of D. japonica acquired over 10 years. These molecular markers provide useful genetic information for herbarium specimens for which conventional molecular analysis is challenging.