• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2020

Chrysosplenium grayanum Maxim. (Series Nepalensia), which had been known to be restricted to Japan, was newly discovered from Mt. Cheongtae in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from Japan and herbarium specimens. Chrysosplenium grayanum is clearly distinguished from the remaining taxa of the genus Chrysosplenium by having glabrous plant body, opposite leaves, cylindrical papillae with roundish head at the tip on the smooth seed surface, and four stamens. Molecular sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions, chloroplast rbcL and matK genes strongly supported that this previously unknown Chrysosplenium species from Korea is C. grayanum. Taking the molecular and the morphological evidence into consideration, it is clear that newly discovered Chrysosplenium population in Korea is conspecific with the widely distributed C. grayanum in Japan. In this paper, we provide a description, illustration, and photo images of Chrysosplenium grayanum from Korea and also a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2016

DNA sequences of nrITS regions obtained from 49 accessions representing 12 species and one variety within the section Adonanthe of the genus Adonis were analyzed to test the previous intra-sectional classification system and to determine their phylogenetic relationships. The results showed that the seven accessions of A. amurensis Regel et Radde included in the present study did not form a monophyletic group, as some of the accessions showed a close relationship with the Japanese endemic species A. ramosa Franch., which implies that the current species delimitation and identification of A. amurensis is problematic. Adonis pseudoamurensis W. T. Wang, which is frequently misidentified as A. ramosa in Korea, formed a segregated group, which suggests that they should not be considered as conspecific taxa. Accessions from A. shikokuensis Nishikawa et Koji Ito, A. multiflora Nishikawa et Koji Ito, and A. pseudoamurensis formed a clade, but monophyly of each species was not evident. The nrITS data did not support the classification system proposed by Wang, who classified sect. Adonanthe into four series, as most of these were found to be either polyphyletic or paraphyletic.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1372-1380
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• 2013

Different endophytic fungi isolated from Himalayan Yew plants were tested for their ability to produce taxol. The BAPT gene (C-13 phenylpropanoid side chain-CoA acetyl transferase) involved in the taxol biosynthetic pathway was used as a molecular marker to screen taxol-producing endophytic fungi. Taxol extracted from fungal strain TBPJ-B was identified by HPLC and MS analysis. Strain TBPJ-B was identified as Fusarium redolens based on the morphology and internal transcribed spacer region of nrDNA analysis. HPLC quantification of fungal taxol showed that F. redolens was capable of producing $66{\mu}g/l$ of taxol in fermentation broth. The antitumour activity of the fungal taxol was tested by potato disc tumor induction assay using Agrobacterium tumefaciens as the tumor induction agent. The present study results showed that PCR amplification of genes involved in taxol biosynthesis is an efficient and reliable method for prescreening taxol-producing fungi. We are reporting for the first time the production of taxol by F. redolens from Taxus baccata L. subsp. wallichiana (Zucc.) Pilger. This study offers important information and a new source for the production of the important anticancer drug taxol by endophytic fungus fermentation.

• ALGAE
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-48
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• 2006

The genus Martensia (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) is characterized by thalli composed of one to several blades that consist of proximal membranous sections and distal latticework. Nerves or veins are absent in the membranous sections. The life cycle of Martensia is accomplished by isomorphic alternation of generations. The gametophytes of Martensia are dioecious, and the male and female gametangial plants are morphologically similar. The type species of Martensia is M. elegans Hering. In this study, nine species were confirmed to occur in the subtidal regions of Jeju Island, Korea: M. albida sp. nov., M. australis Harvey, M. bibarii Y. Lee, M. elegans Hering, M. flammifolia sp. nov, M. fragilis Harvey, M. jejuensis Y. Lee, M. palmata Y. Lee, and M. projecta Y. Lee. Three of these, M. australis, M. fragilis, and M. elegans, are new records in the flora of Korea. The results of molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 region in the nrDNA showed that M. elegans is identical to M. australis, and M. fragilis coincides with M. bibarii. It may be a less effective tool for the species discrimination in Martensia.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.355-367
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• 2019

Arthonia dokdoensis sp. nov., a lichenicolous fungus from the subcosmopolitan Arthonia molendoi complex growing on crustose thalli of species of the genus Orientophila (subfamily Xanthorioideae, Teloschistaceae), as well as the lichen species Rufoplaca toktoana sp. nov. (subfamily Caloplacoideae, Teloschistaceae) similar to Rufoplaca kaernefeltiana, both from Dokdo Islands, Republic of Korea, are described, illustrated, and compared with closely related taxa. In the phylogenetic tree of the Arthoniaceae based on 12S mtSSU and RPB2 gene sequences, the phylogenetic position of the A. dokdoensis and the relationship with the A. molendoi group are illustrated, while the position of the newly described R. toktoana is confirmed by phylogenetic tree based on ITS nrDNA data.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.495-500
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• 2020

Leaf spot on lemon balm is frequently observed in Korea, causing considerable damage to crops. In 2014 and 2015, the occurrence of leaf spot was observed in several production greenhouses at Suwon, Gongju, and Namwon in Korea. Symptoms on lower leaves initially developed as small, distinct, discolored lesions, which enlarged progressively turning into dark brown, angular spots surrounded by purplish-brown margins. Based on the morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of actin (ACT), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S nrDNA (LSU), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), the fungus associated with the lemon balm leaf spot was determined as Septoria melissae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of lemon balm leaf spot caused by S. melissae in Asia as well as in Korea.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.26
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• pp.10.1-10.7
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• 2011

Objects: Chironomus riparius, a non-biting midge (Chironomidae, Diptera), is extensively used as a model organism in aquatic ecotoxicological studies, and considering the potential of C. riparius larvae as a bio-monitoring species, little is known about its genome sequences. This study reports the results of an Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) sequencing project conducted on C. riparius larvae using 454 pyrosequencing. Method: To gain a better understanding of C. riparius transcriptome, we generated ESTs database of C.ripairus using pyrosequencing method. Results: Sequencing runs, using normalized cDNA collections from fourth instar larvae, yielded 20,020 expressed sequence tags, which were assembled into 8,565 contigs and 11,455 singletons. Sequence analysis was performed by BlastX search against the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide (nr) and uniprot protein database. Based on the gene ontology classifications, 24% (E-value${\leq}1^{-5}$) of the sequences had known gene functions, 24% had unknown functions and 52% of sequences did not match any known sequences in the existing database. Sequence comparison revealed 81% of the genes have homologous genes among other insects belonging to the order Diptera providing tools for comparative genome analyses. Targeted searches using these annotations identified genes associated with essential metabolic pathways, signaling pathways, detoxification of toxic metabolites and stress response genes of ecotoxicological interest. Conclusions: The results obtained from this study would eventually make ecotoxicogenomics possible in a truly environmentally relevant species, such as, C. riparius.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.413-421
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• 2019

Purpose: Astragalus membranaceus (AM) is an important traditional medicinal herb. Pharmacological research has indicated that AM has various physiological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, anticancer, hypolipidemic, antihyperglycemic, and hepatoprotective activities. The bioactive substances responsible for the physiological activities in AM, including many antioxidant substances, change during the roasting process. This study investigated and compared the changes in the antioxidant constituents of AM caused by roasting. Methods: DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) and $ABTS^+$ (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) radical scavenging activities and their total phenolic content (TPC) were measured. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was performed to confirm any changes in the isoflavonoids of roasted AM (R-AM),. The cell viability of UVB-induced HDF (Human dermal fibroblast) cells treated with AM and R-AM extracts was investigated. The comet assay was used to examine the inhibitory effects of R-AM extracts on DNA damage caused by oxidative stress. Results: The DPPH and $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activities were $564.6{\pm}20.9$ and $108.2{\pm}3.1$ ($IC_{50}$ value) respectively, from the 2R-AM. The total phenol content was $47.80{\pm}1.40mg$ GAE/g from the 1R-AM. The values of calycosin and formononetin, which are the known isoflavonoid constituents of AM, were $778.58{\pm}2.72$ and $726.80{\pm}3.45{\mu}g/g$ respectively, from the 2R-AM. Treatment of the HDF cells with R-AM ($50{\sim}200{\mu}g/mL$) did not affect the cell viability. Furthermore, the R-AM extracts effectively protected against UVB-induced DNA damage. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that R-AM increases its isoflavonoid constituents and protects against UVB-induced DNA damage in HDF cells.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.314-325
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• 2016

Multiple changes of the photosynthesis pathway are independent evolutionary events occurring in the phylogeny of flowering plants, and such changes have occurred more than five times in Cyperaceae. In the tribe Cypereae, the C4 photosynthetic pathway appeared only once and is regarded as a synapomorphy of the C4 plants within this tribe. The morphological delimitation of genera within Cypereae does not correspond to their molecular phylogenetic relationships. In this study, the molecular phylogeny was compared with the photosynthetic pathways of Korean Cypereae (18 species of Cyperus, 1 species of Kyllinga, and 1 species of Lipocarpha). The photosynthetic pathways were determined by observing the leaf anatomy. The phylogenetic analysis was performed using three DNA regions (nrITS, rbcL, and trnL-F). According to the position of the photosynthetic tissue, 4 species (C. difformis, C. flaccidus, C. haspan, and C. tenuispica) and 16 species (14 Cyperus species, K. brevifolia var. leiolepis, and L. microcephala) were confirmed as C3 and C4 plants, respectively. Tribe Cypereae was divided into the CYPERUS and FICINIA clades, and all species of Korean Cypereae plants belonged to the CYPERUS clade in the phylogenetic analysis. Within the CYPERUS clade, C4 plants were monophyletic but their phylogenetic relationships were unclear. The genera Kyllinga and Lipocarpha were not supported as an independent genus in either case because they were nested by the Cyperus species in the molecular phylogenetic trees in the present and in previous studies. To determine the classification within the CYPERUS clade, a detailed morphological study and a molecular phylogenetic analysis at a high resolution will be necessary.