• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2011

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an aerobic, Gram-negative, glucose-nonfermenting bacterium, which has emerged as a serious opportunistic pathogen. Recently, outbreaks of carbapenem resistant P. aeruginosa give rise to significant therapeutic challenges for treating nosocomial infections. The genes of metallo-${\beta}$-lactamase (MBL), a powerful carbapenemase, are carried as a part of the mobile gene cassettes inserted into integrons playing an important role in rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial isolates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of integron in imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa isolates. A total of 61 consecutive, non-duplicate, and imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from a university hospital in the Chungcheong province of Korea. We employed repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) method for the selection of clonally different P. aerusinosa strains. PCR and DNA sequencing were conducted for the detection of integrons. Twenty-one clonally different P. aeruginosa strains were isolated. Only one (P28) of the strains harbored $bla_{VIM-2}$ that was found as gene cassettes in class 1 integrons. Four of 21 carbapenem resistant P. aeruginosa strains harbored class 1 integron containing aminoglycoside resistance determinant. All of the integrons detected in the study contained more than one resistance gene cassette, which can mediate resistance to multiple antibiotics. To prevent further spreading of the multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa, conseguent monitoring and clinical polices are required.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.70-79
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• 2010

Rice blast is one of the serious devastating diseases. This study was carried out to determine the genetic diversities of blast resistance (R) genes form 86 accessions of aromatic rice with eight SNP markers, z4792, zt4792, z60510, zt6057, k6415, k6411, k39575 and t256, which showed the close-set linkage to 6 major genes, Piz, Piz-t, Pik, Pik-m, Pik-p, and Pit. Four accessions of indica type, Mayataung, Yekywin Yinkya Hmwe, Basmati9-93, and Basmati5854, showed the positive amplicons of six major genes. Among 86 accessions, 83 accessions were detected both or one of Piz and Piz-t genes. Seventy three accessions contained the Piz gene with z4792 marker. In addition, 30 and 71 accessions possessed Piz-t gene with zt4792 and zt6057 markers, respectively. Ten accessions showed the positive bands for the Piz-t gene with both zt4792 and zt6057 markers. Only one accession, Khau Nua Keo, was not amplified for both Piz and Piz-t gene. But japonica type, Gerdeh, possessed only Piz gene between Piz and Piz-t. Fifty two accessions showed the three of Pik multiple genes and Pit gene. Four accessions, Iari7447, Daebunhyangdo2, Shiyayuuine, and Basmati 6129 possessed a Pik-p gene. Especially, Pit gene on chromosome 1 was detected with t256 marker in all of 83 accessions, exception of A-2, one accession of japonica type.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.265-276
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• 2007

The 13 major blast resistance(R) genes against Magnaporthe grisea were screened in a number of Korean rice varieties using molecular markers. Of the 98 rice varieties tested, 28 were found to contain the Pia gene originating from Japanese japonica rice genotypes. The Pib gene from BL1 and BL7 was incorporated into 39 Korean japonica varieties, whereas this same gene from the IRRI-bred indica varieties was detected in all Tongil-type varieties. We also found that 17 of the japonica varieties contained the Pii gene. The Pii gene in Korean rice varieties originates from the Korean japonica variety Nongbaeg, and Japanese japonica varieties Hitomebore, Inabawase, and Todorokiwase. The Pi5 gene, which clusters with Pii on chromosome 9, was identified only in Taebaeg. Thirty-four varieties were found to contain alleles of the resistance gene Pita or Pita-2. The Pita gene in japonica varieties was found to be inherited from the Japanese japonica genotype Shimokita, and the Pita-2 gene was from Fuji280 and Sadominori. Seventeen japonica and one Tongil-type varieties contained the Piz gene, which in the japonica varieties originates from Fukuhikari and 54BC-68. The Piz-t gene contained in three Tongil-type varieties was derived from IRRI-bred indica rice varieties. The Pi9(t) gene locus that is present in Korean japonica and Tongil-type varieties was not inherited from the original Pi9 gene from wild rice Oryza minuta. The Pik-multiple allele genes Pik, Pik-m, and Pik-p were identified in 24 of the varieties tested. In addition, the Pit gene inherited from the indica rice K59 strain was not found in any of the Korean japonica or Tongil-type varieties tested.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.73-96
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• 2024

Root and stem rot caused by Phytophthora palmivora is one of the most serious diseases affecting durian production in Thailand where metalaxyl, an effective fungicide against oomycetes, has been used extensively for a long period to control this disease. Although field isolates of P. palmivora resistant to metalaxyl exist in Thailand, a molecular basis for P. palmivora has not yet been elucidated regarding metalaxyl resistance. The current study tested whether P. palmivora RPA1 (the DNA-directed RNA polymerase I subunit gene), a homolog gene of RPA190 associated with metalaxyl resistance in some isolates of Phytophthora infestans, had a role in the resistance mechanism toward metalaxyl. In total, 40 durian-derived isolates of P. palmivora were assessed for metalaxyl sensitivity using a mycelial growth inhibition assay. The effective concentrations for 50% mycelial growth inhibition values for all isolates tested were in the range 0.01-872.88 mg/L. The isolates were clustered into three groups: sensitive (n=23), moderately resistant (n=11), and resistant (n=6) groups. No polymorphism was revealed based on multiple alignment analysis of the amino acid sequences translated from the corresponding DNA sequences in the region of RPA1 of the metalaxyl-sensitive (n=5), moderately resistant (n=2), and resistant isolates (n=6). Furthermore, investigation of the RPA1 expression among these representative isolates (n=3, each group) indicated that RPA1 expression may not be involved in the regulation of P. palmivora resistance to metalaxyl. Based on this line of evidence, there was no detected relationship regarding metalaxyl resistance and P. palmivora RPA1.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2001

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used for various food fermentation. With the recent advances in modern biotechnology, a variety of bio-products with the high economic values have been produced using microorganisms. For molecular cloning and expression studies on the gene of interest, E. coli has been widely used mainly because vector systems are fully developed. Most plasmid vectors currently used for E, coli carry antibiotic-resistant markers. As it is generally believed that the antibiotic resistance markers are potentially transferred to other bacteria, application of the plasmid vectors carrying antibiotic resistance genes as selection markers should be avoided, especially for human consump-tion. By contrast, as LAB have some desirable traits such that the they are GRAS(generally recognized as safe), able to secrete gene products out of cell, and their low protease activities, they are regarded as an ideal organism for the genetic manipulation, including cloning and expression of homologous and heterologous genes. However, the vec-tor systems established for LAB are stil insufficient to over-produce gene products, stably, limiting the use of these organisms for industrial applications. For a past decade, the two popular plasmid vectors, pAM$\beta$1 of Streptococcus faecalis and pGK12 theB. subtilis-E. coli shuttle vector derived from pWV01 of Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris wg 2, were most widely used to construct efficient chimeric vectors to be stably maintained in many industrial strains of LAB. Currently, non-antibiotic markers such as nisin resistance($Nis^{r}$ ) are explored for selecting recombi-nant clone. In addition, a gene encoding S-layer protein, slp/A, on bacterial cell wall was successfully recombined with the proper LAB vectors LAB vectors for excretion of the heterologous gene product from LAB Many food-grade host vec-tor systems were successfully developed, which allowed stable integration of multiple plasmid copies in the vec-mosome of LAB. More recently, an integration vector system based on the site-specific integration apparatus of temperate lactococcal bacteriophage, containing the integrase gene(int) and phage attachment site(attP), was pub-lished. In conclusion, when various vector system, which are maintain stably and expressed strongly in LAB, are developed, lost of such food products as enzymes, pharmaceuticals, bioactive food ingredients for human consump-tion would be produced at a full scale in LAB.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 1999

In order to protect fungal diseases, leaf disc explants of Solanum tuberosum cultivar, Belchip, was infected with an Agrobacterium MP90 strain containing chimeric gene construct, consisting of antibiotic resistance and chitinase gene driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, for transformation. Regenerated multiple shoots were selected on a medium containing kanamycin and carbenicillin after exposure to Agrobacterium. The presence and integration of the npt II and chitinase gene were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Northern blot analysis indicated that the genes coding for the enzyme could be expressed in potato plants. The chitinase activity of transgenic potato plants was higher than the control potato.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.230-234
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• 2003

The Bacillus subtilis YvaE protein, the small multidrug resistance (SMR) family (TC #2.A. 7.1), is shown to catalyze efflux of multiple cationic drugs including many disinfectants, when it was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. When the yvaD gene was coexpressed with yvaE gene, the yvaD protein, encoded within a single operon with the yvaE gene, is shown to counteract the action ofYvaE. By ethidium efflux analysis, the cells harvoring a vector with yvaE gene showed a rapid ethidium efflux, compared with the control cells. These results clearly suggest that YvaE mediates drug export from the cell cytoplasm.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.484-493
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• 2012

BolA protein homologs are widely distributed in nature. In this report, we have studied for the first time YrbA, the only BolA homolog present in Escherichia coli, which we have renamed ibaG. We have constructed single and multiple ibaG mutants, and overexpressed ibaG in wild-type strains, in order to characterize this gene. The ibaG phenotypes are different from the bolA-associated round morphologies or growth profiles. Interestingly, ibaG and bolA single-and double-deletion mutants grow faster and have higher viabilities in rich media, whereas the overexpressed strains are significantly growth impaired. However, the mutant strains have lower viabilities than the wild type in the late stationary phase, indicating that both bolA and ibaG are important for survival in difficult growth conditions. bolA, as a transcription factor, binds to some promoters, but ibaG does not interact with the same DNA regions. We have determined that ibaG is transcribed in an operon with the murA gene, involved in the synthesis of peptidoglycan precursors. ibaG was also seen to change its mRNA expression pattern in response to acidic stress. ibaG may thus represent a new gene involved in cell resistance against acid stress.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.116-119
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• 2007

The antimicrobial susceptibility and antibiotic resistance patterns of 67 eae positive Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigs were investigated by disc diffusion method. Sixty-seven E. coli isolated from pigs showed susceptibility to Ceftiofur (98.5%), Lincomycin+Spectinomycin (74.6%), Danofloxacin (73.1%), Enrofloxacin (64.2%), and Neomycin (41.8%). However, the multiple resistance patterns were also seen in eae+E. coli isolates. Neomycin+Tylosin+Penicillin+Tetracycline, Tylosin+Penicillin+Tetracycline, and Neomycin+Tylosin+Danofloxacin+Penicillin+Tetracycline+Enrofloxacinwere the most prevalent patterns of multiple antibiotic resistance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2014

Gastric cancer is highly invasive, aggressively malignant, and amongst the most prevalent of all forms of cancer. Despite improved management strategies, early stage diagnosis of gastric cancer and accurate prognostic assessment is still lacking. Several recent reports have indicated that the pathogenesis of gastric cancer involves complex molecular mechanisms and multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Functional inactivation of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog) has been detected in multiple cases of gastric cancer, and already shown to be closely linked to the development, progression and prognosis of the disease. Inactivation of PTEN can be attributed to gene mutation, loss of heterozygosity, promoter hypermethylation, microRNA- mediated regulation of gene expression, and post-translational phosphorylation. PTEN is also involved in mechanisms regulating tumor resistance to chemotherapy. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of PTEN and its roles in gastric cancer, and emphasizes its potential benefits in early diagnosis and gene therapy-based treatment strategies.