• ALGAE
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.349-375
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• 2006

The application of modern ecological, ultrastructural and molecular methods, aided by the cultivation of numerous cyanobacterial morphotypes, has substantially changed our knowledge of these organisms. It has led to major advances in cyanobacterial taxonomy and criteria for their phylogenetic classification. Molecular data provide basic criteria for cyanobacterial taxonomy; however, a correct phylogenetic system cannot be constructed without combining genetic data with knowledge from the previous 150 years research of cyanobacterial diversity. Thus, studies of morphological variation in nature, and modern morphological, ultrastructural, ecophysiological and biochemical characters need to be combined in a “polyphasic” approach. Taxonomic concepts for generic and infrageneric ranks are re-evaluated in light of combined phenotypic and molecular criteria. Despite their usefulness in experimental studies, the limitations of using strains from culture collections for systematic and nomenclatural purposes is highlighted. The need for a continual revision of strain identification and proper nomenclatural practice associated with either the bacteriological or botanical codes is emphasized. Recent advances in taxonomy are highlighted in the context of prospects for understanding cyanobacterial diversity from natural habitats, and the evolutionary and adaptational processes that cyanobacteria undergo.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.142-153
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• 2021

Algal genomics approaches provide a massive number of genome/transcriptome sequences and reveal the evolutionary history vis-à-vis primary and serial endosymbiosis events that contributed to the biodiversity of photosynthetic eukaryotes in the eukaryote tree of life. In particular, phylogenomic methods using several hundred or thousands of genes have provided new insights into algal taxonomy and systematics. Using this method, many novel insights into algal species diversity and systematics occurred, leading to taxonomic revisions. In addition, horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) of functional genes have been identified in algal genomes that played essential roles in environmental adaptation and genomic diversification. Finally, algal genomics data can be used to address the pangenome, including core genes shared among all isolates and partially shared strain-specific genes. However, some aspects of the pangenome concept (genome variability of intraspecies level) conflict with population genomics concepts, and the issue is closely related to defining species boundaries using genome variability. This review suggests a desirable future direction to merge algal pangenomics and population genomics beyond traditional molecular phylogeny and taxonomy.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.701-705
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• 2014

The rumen parasite, Gastrothylax crumenifer (Platyhelminthes: Gastrothylacidae), is a highly pathogenic trematode parasite of goat (Capra hircus). It sucks blood that causes acute disease like anemia, and severe economic losses occur due to morbidity and mortality of the ruminant infected by these worms. The study of these rumen paramphistomes, their infection, and public health importance remains unclear in India especially in the western part of state Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), Meerut, India, where the goat meat consumption is very high. This paper provides the molecular characterization of G. crumenifer recovered from the rumen of Capra hircus from Meerut, U.P., India by the partial sequence of 28S rDNA. Nucleotide sequence similarity searching on BLAST of 28S rDNA from parasites showed the highest identity with those of G. crumenifer from the same host Capra hircus. This is the first report of molecular identification of G. crumenifer from this part of India.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2011

Ciliates are considered one of the most diverse protozoa and play significant roles in ecology. For successful taxonomic study of these microscopic eukaryotes, a staining procedure is necessary, due mainly to intrinsic difficulties in recognizing characteristics from living cells. Although molecular taxonomy has been used to resolve the ambiguities associated with traditional morphology-based taxonomy, extraction of genomic DNA from stained ciliate cells is not available yet. In the present study, we describe a method to extract genomic DNA from a single protargol-impregnated euplotid cell. By using $HgCl_2$ as a fixative and modulating the exposure time of bleach solution in the protargol impregnation, high-quality genomic DNA can successfully be extracted from a stained single cell with minimal loss of morphological integrity. This technique will contribute to the effectiveness of combined approaches of molecular and morphological taxonomy from single ciliate cells.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.743-750
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• 2016

Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae) has generally been infected with a rodent hookworm Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. In this report, we present morphological and molecular identification of N. brasiliensis by light and scanning electron microscopy and PCR amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene and the protein sequences encoded by cox1 gene, respectively. Despite the use of N. brasiliensis in many biochemistry studies from India, their taxonomic identification was not fully understood, especially at the species level, and no molecular data is available in GenBank from India. Sequence analysis of cox1 gene in this study revealed that the present specimen showed close identity with the same species available in GenBank, confirming that the species is N. brasiliensis. This study represents the first record of molecular identification of N. brasiliensis from India and the protein structure to better understand the comparative phylogenetic characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.216-221
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• 2020

A eukaryotic marine microalga was isolated from Jungmun Saekdal Beach, Jeju Island, Korea and an integrated approach, including molecular phylogeny and morphology, was used to determine its taxonomical status. Molecular phylogenetic evidence inferred from the small subunit (SSU) 18S rRNA sequence and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) secondary structure analysis clearly showed that the isolate belonged to the recently described species, Jaagichlorella roystonensis. Distinctive morphological keys of the species were also observed by light microscopy and scanning/transmission electron microscopy(S/TEM). In this study, a Korean marine J. roystonensis species was described for the first time and was subsequently added to the national culture collections in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.526-534
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• 2019

Chlorella gloriosa (Chlorellaceae, Trebouxiophyceae) was isolated from seawater off the coast of the Dokdo Islands in Korea. An axenic culture was established using the streak-plate method on f/2 agar media supplemented with antibiotics, allowing identification of the isolate by morphological, molecular, and physiological analyses. The morphological characteristics observed by light and electron microscopy revealed typical morphologies of C. gloriosa species. The molecular phylogenetic inference drawn from the small-subunit 18S rRNA sequence verified that the microalgal strain belongs to C. gloriosa. Additionally, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the isolate was rich in nutritionally important omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that the high-value antioxidants lutein and violaxanthin were biosynthesized as accessory pigments by this microalga, with arabinose, galactose, and glucose as the major monosaccharides. Therefore, in this study, a Korean marine C. gloriosa species was discovered, characterized, and described, and subsequently added to the national culture collection.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2012

The larvae of Chaoborus are widely distributed in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. These omnivorous Chaoborus larvae are crucial predators and play a role in structuring zooplankton communities, especially for small-sized prey. Larvae of Chaoborus are commonly known to produce predator-induced polyphenism in Daphnia sp. Nevertheless, their taxonomy and molecular phylogeny are very poorly understood. As a fundamental study for understanding the role of Chaoborus in predator-prey interactions in a freshwater ecosystem, the molecular identification and phylogenetic relationship of Chaoborus were analyzed in this study. A molecular comparison based on partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) between species in Chaoborus was carried out for the identification of Chaoborus larvae collected from 2 localities in Korea. According to the results, the Chaoborus species examined here was identified as C. flavicans, which is a lake-dwelling species. Furthermore, partial mitochondrial genome including COI, COII, ATP6, ATP8, COIII, and ND3 were also newly sequenced from the species and concatenated 5 gene sequences excluding ATP8 with another 9 dipteran species were compared to examine phylogenetic relationships of C. flavicans. The results suggested that Chaoborus was more related to the Ceratopogonidae than to the Culicidae. Further analysis based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear gene sequences will provide a more robust validation of the phylogenetic relationships of Chaoborus within dipteran lineages.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.54.2-54.2
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• 1997

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.43-46
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• 1997