• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2020

Although Candida albicans is the major fungal pathogen of candidemia, severe infections by non-albicans Candida (NAC) spp. have been increasing in recent years. Among NAC spp., C. glabrata has emerged as the second most common pathogen. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate its structure, epidemiology, and basic biology. In the present study, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed with a total of 102 C. glabrata clinical isolates that were isolated from various types of clinical specimen. For MLST, six housekeeping genes-FKS, LEU2, NMT1, TRP1, UGP1, and URA3-were amplified and sequenced. The results were analyzed using the C. glabrata database. Out of a total of 3,345 base-pair DNA sequences, 49 variable nucleotide sites were found, and the results showed that 12 different sequence types (ST) were identified from the 102 clinical isolates. The data also demonstrated that the undetermined ST1 was the most predominant ST in Korea. Further, seven undetermined STs (UST) containing UST2-8 were classified at specific loci. The data from this study may provide a fundamental database for further studies on C. glabrata, including its epidemiology and evolution. The data may also contribute to the development of novel antifungal agents and diagnostic tests.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.39-50
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• 2014

In order to understand the diversity and genetic relationships of silkworm strains preserved in Korea, we genotyped 78 Bombyx mori strains (Bombycidae: Lepidoptera) originating from Japan, using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. We obtained per-locus allele numbers ranging from 5 to 16 (with an average value of 9.1), per-locus observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.13 to 1.00, and per-locus polymorphic information content ranging from 0.36 to 0.77, indicating that some loci are highly variable. Phylogenetic analysis with the eight concatenated microsatellite loci showed no clustering based on known strain characteristics and origin. Nineteen strain-specific apomorphic alleles, which discriminated 16 of the 78 silkworm strains, were obtained from eight loci. These strain-specific alleles can thus be utilized for routine discrimination of strains from Japan, without any further typing of other loci. Homozygotes were also observed at some loci (27 of 118 genotypes), which can also be used to discriminate several strains by typing a few loci. These results showed that eight microsatellite loci described herein were sufficiently variable to discriminate among the 78 silkworm strains we examined, and may be useful for future investigations of this economically important species.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2017

Fungal infections by human pathogenic fungi are increasing globally in elderly, children and immune suppressed or deficient patients. Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the well-known pathogenic fungi and causes aspergilloses in human world widely. However, current identification and classification methods based on its phenotypic characteristics still have limitations. Therefore, currently, molecular biological tools using their DNA sequences are used for genotype identification and classification. In the present study, in order to analyze genetic variations of A. fumigatus clinical isolates, a total of six housekeeping genes were amplified by PCR using specific primer pairs and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) assay. Results from phylogenetic tree analysis showed that most A. fumigatus strains (88.9%) from respiratory specimens were classified into cluster A and B, and approximately half of A. fumigatus strains (46%) from non-respiratory specimens were classified into cluster C and D. Although the sample size was limited, genetic characteristics of A. fumigatus clinical isolates according to their origins were very similar and well-correlated with other clinical data.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 1997

Of all HLA class I molecules, HLA-C gene products are most poorly understood because they express at a low level on the cell surface compared to HLA-A and -B. In order to identify serologically detectable and undetectable HLA-C antigens, we have established a DNA-based tissue typing method for the HLA-C locus by PCR-SSP (polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers). Genomic DNA prepared from Iymphoblastoid 21 B-cell lines and 120 Korean individuals by proteinase K digestion and pheno/chloroform extractions have been typed by PCR-SSP (23 primer mixes were used). The PCR-SSP results of control cell lines were discrepant from serology in 1 case among 21 cases: Cw6 which was negative by serology but positive by PCR-SSP (cell line: MANIKA). Twenty four HLA-Cw "blank" antigens among fifty Korean individuals were completely determined by PCR-SSP DNA typing. HLA-Cw*0101 (15.3%), Cw*1401 (12.3%) and Cw*0701 (11.7%) alleles were frequently found in 120 Korean individual samples. In conclusion. the high level of discrimination for HLA-C alleles may prove useful and informative in the study of transplant survival, and identify the importance of allelic differences, not readily detectable by serology, on host and donor compatibility.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.157-169
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• 2022

DNA typing is the typical technology in the forensic science and plays a significant role in the personal identification of victims and suspects. Short tandem repeat (STR) is the short tandemly repeated DNA sequence consisting of 2~7 bp DNA units in specific loci. It is disseminated across the human genome and represents polymorphism among individuals. Because polymorphism is a key feature of the application of DNA typing STR analysis, STR analysis becomes the standard technology in forensics. Therefore, the DNA database (DNA-DB) was first introduced with 4 essential STR markers for the application of forensic science; however, the number of STR markers was expanded from 4 to 13 and 13 to 20 later to counteract the continuously increased DNA profile and other needed situations. After applying expanded STR markers to the South Korean DNA-DB system, it positively affected to low copy number analysis that had a high possibility of partial DNA profiles, and especially contributed to the theft cases due to the high portion of touch DNA evidence in the theft case. Furthermore, STR marker expansion not only contributed to the resolution of cold cases but also increased kinship index indicating the potential for improved kinship test accuracy using extended STR markers. Collectively, the expansion of the STR locus was considered to be necessary to keep pace with the continuously increasing DNA profile, and to improve the data integrity of the DNA-DB.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.81-92
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• 2012

A total of 85 Chinese-origin silkworm strains preserved in Korea were genotyped for eight polymorphic micro-satellite loci. We obtained per-locus number of alleles, ranging from 5 to 14 with an average value of 9.5, perlocus observed heterozygosity, ranging from 0.07 to 0.99, and per-locus polymorphic information content (PIC), ranging from 0.34 to 0.82, indicating that some loci are highly variable. Phylogenetic analysis with the eight concatenated microsatellite loci showed no clustering on the basis of known strain characteristics. A total of 22 strain-specific apomorphic alleles, which discriminate 19 among 85 silkworm strains were obtained from eight loci. These strain-specific alleles, thus, can casually be utilized for the discrimination of applicable strains without any further typing of other loci. Furthermore, a substantial number of homozygote strains, represented by 27 among 76 alleles in eight loci were found. These results collectively suggest that the silkworm microsatellite DNA is actually and potentially important molecular markers for the eventual discrimination of silkworm strains that are preserved as hundreds in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1177-1184
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• 2012

In order to estimate how diverse the mating types in Pleurotus eryngii from different regions are, pairings between monokaryons derived from inter- and intra-groups were done. Sixteen and 15 alleles were identified at loci A and B from the 12 strains. In the P. eryngii KNR2312, widely used for commercial production, four mating loci, A3, A4, B3, and B4, were determined. Those loci, except A3, were found in 4 strains out of 12 strains. To improve breeding efficiency, especially in mating type determination, RAPD and BSA were performed to screen for a mating type specific marker. The SCAR marker 13-$2_{2100}$ was developed based on the RAPD-derived sequence typing B3 locus. The sequence analysis of 13-$2_{2100}$ revealed that it contained a conserved domain, the STE3 super-family, and consensus sequences like the TATA box and GC box. It seems likely that the SCAR marker region is a part of the pheromone receptor gene.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.359-362
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• 1995

The highly polymorphic variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) loci in the human genome are informative markers for the genetic characterization of individuals in the paternity test and forensic science as well as for the study of human disease. In this study, VNTR loci D1S80 and D2S123 have been amplified by PCR and the amplified length polymorphic alleles were detected with a discontinuous vertical PAGE system and silver staining. For explicit DNA typing, PCR optimization, in which amplification efficiencies are similar over a wide range of allele sizes, non-specific amplifications are minimal, and new longer alleles have high amplification efficiency, has been performed by changing the PCR reaction buffer composition and thermal cycling conditions. It turned out that adding an appropriate amount of Tween 20 and NP40 to the PCR reaction buffer and raising the annealing temperature to $68^{\circ}C$ in thermal cycling made it possible for optimal VNTR loci amplification. A modified PAGE system for VNTR separation was established. Under these conditions, new longer alleles in the 01580 locus were discovered and 025123 pattern changes in colorectal tumors were observed. These technical tips are valuable for detecting various amplified fragment length polymorphisms.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.209-219
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• 2003

The evolutionary course of the CsRn1 long-terminal-repeat (LTR) retrotransposon was predicted by conducting a phylogenetic analysis with its paralog LTR sequences. Based on the clustering patterns in the phylogenetic tree, multiple CsRn1 copies could be grouped into four subsets, which were shown to have different integration times. Their differential sequence divergences and heterogeneous integration patterns strongly suggested that these subsets appeared sequentially in the genome of C. sinensis. Members of recently expanding subset showed the lowest level of divergence in their L TR and reverse transcriptase gene sequences. They were also shown to be highly polymorphic among individual genomes of the trematode. The CsRn1 element exhibited a preference for repetitive, agenic chromosomal regions in terms of selecting integration targets. Our results suggested that CsRn1 might induce a considerable degree of intergenomic variation and, thereby, have influenced the evolution of the C. sinensis genome.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.407-416
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• 2019

Recent years have seen an increase in the incidence of candidiasis caused by non-albicans Candida (NAC) species. In fact, C. glabrata is now second only to C. albicans as the most common cause of invasive candidiasis. Therefore, the rapid genotyping specifically for C. glabrata is required for early diagnosis and treatment of candidiasis. A number of genotyping assays have been developed to differentiate C. glabrata sequence types (STs), but they have several limitations. In the previous study, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) has performed with a total of 101 C. glabrata clinical isolates to analyze the prevalent C. glabrata STs in Korea. A total of 11 different C. glabrata STs were identified and, among them, ST-138 was the most commonly classified. Thus, a novel probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was developed and evaluated for rapid and accurate identification of the predominant C. glabrata ST-138 in Korea. Two primer pairs and hybridization probe sets were designed for the amplification of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region and TRP1 gene. Analytical sensitivity of the probe-based qPCR assay was 100 ng to 10 pg and 100 ng to 100 pg (per 1 μL), which target ITS1 region and TRP1 gene, respectively. This assay did not react with any other Candida species and bacteria except C. glabrata. Of the 101 clinical isolates, 99 cases (98%) were concordant with MLST results. This novel probe-based qPCR assay proved to be rapid, sensitive, highly specific, reproducible, and cost-effective than other genotyping assay for C. glabrata ST-138 identification.