• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.318-327
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• 2007

This study presents the molecular phylogenetic analysis of Korean Aurelia aurita Linnaeus collected from Yeosu in the southern waters of Korea using nuclear ITS1 region and mitochondrial COI gene sequences. The use of oligonucleotide primers F5 (forward) and R5 (reverse) targeted to ITS1 and LCO1490 (forward) and HCO2198 (reverse) targeted to COI amplified 267 bp and 643 bp fragments, respectively. The shortest genetic distance towards the ITS1 region is estimated at 0.023 when comparing Korean A. aurita to Aurelia sp. collected from California, USA. In particular, Korean and American/Swedish A. aurita were located far away in terms of genetic distance, ranging from 0.393 to 0.395. On the other hand, the genetic distance between Korean and English/Turkish/Swedish/American A. aurita regarding the mitochondrial DNA COI gene ranged from 0.201 to 0.205. However, a sister-ship with Korean and American A. aurita showed an extremely high bootstrap value (100%). The predicted secondary RNA structure of the mitochondrial DNA COI gene showed many different folding structures with a similar energy between Korean and American A. aurita. These results suggest that ITS1 and the mitochondrial DNA COI gene could be used as genetic markers for identification of the biogeographic populations.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.461-471
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• 2017

Population genetic studies of 10 groups of Iksookimia pacifica were conducted to investigate the genetic diversity and population genetic structure across its known range in South Korea. Population DNA sequences of one mitochondrial gene (mtCOI) and three nuclear genes (IRBP, EGR2B, RAG1) were examined in samples collected from ten streams that flow into the East Sea. Both mitochondrial and nuclear sequences exhibited significant differentiation among populations except a few cases. The Bayesian analysis of the multi-locus genotypes inferred from the DNA sequences of nuclear genes clustered the individual fish largely into two geographical groups: a northern group (from Baebong stream to Cheonjin stream) and a southern group (Yangyangnamdae stream to Gangneungnamdae stream). Given that the streams flowing into the East Sea are geographically isolated water systems, such separation of genotypes can be interpreted by the geographical separation of common ancestors into north and south that had colonized South Korea. Since the initial geographical separation of the ancestral population by north and south, the ancestral groups seem to have experienced further differentiation into the current genetic clusters through the physical isolation of streams by the East Sea in each region. It is notable that many individuals in the Jasan stream formed a genetic cluster with those of Yangyangnamdae and Gangneungnamdae streams which are distant from each other. In addition, mitochondrial gene showed low genetic differentiation between some neighboring populations and very low level of genetic diversity in several populations. The present population genetic study will provide valuable information for the conservation and management of the Korean endemic fish species, I. paicifica.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.52
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• pp.337.1-337.14
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• 2018

Background: Mitochondrial heteroplasmy, the co-existence of different mitochondrial polymorphisms within an individual, has various forensic and clinical implications. But there is still no guideline on the application of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) in heteroplasmy detection. We present here some critical issues that should be considered in heteroplasmy studies using MPS. Methods: Among five samples with known innate heteroplasmies, two pairs of mixture were generated for artificial heteroplasmies with target minor allele frequencies (MAFs) ranging from 50% to 1%. Each sample was amplified by two-amplicon method and sequenced by Ion Torrent system. The outcomes of two different analysis tools, Torrent Suite Variant Caller (TVC) and mtDNA-Server (mDS), were compared. Results: All the innate heteroplasmies were detected correctly by both analysis tools. Average MAFs of artificial heteroplasmies correlated well to the target values. The detection rates were almost 90% for high-level heteroplasmies, but decreased for low-level heteroplasmies. TVC generally showed lower detection rates than mDS, which seems to be due to their own computation algorithms which drop out some reference-dominant heteroplasmies. Meanwhile, mDS reported several unintended low-level heteroplasmies which were suggested as nuclear mitochondrial DNA sequences. The average coverage depth of each sample placed on the same chip showed considerable variation. The increase of coverage depth had no effect on the detection rates. Conclusion: In addition to the general accuracy of the MPS application on detecting heteroplasmy, our study indicates that the understanding of the nature of mitochondrial DNA and analysis algorithm would be crucial for appropriate interpretation of MPS results.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.99-107
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• 2015

A natural hybrid of a probable intergeneric mating between the striped shiner Pungtungia herzi and the stone morocco Pseudorasbora parva (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) was captured in the Geumho River, a tributary of the Nakdong River basin in Korea. Morphological characters and DNA sequences were analyzed to verify its hybrid state and identify the parentage of its parent species. The hybrid exhibited a phenotypic intermediacy between the two parent species in the number of vertebrae and the mouth shape. Out of 1,488 base pair (bp) positions of the nuclear recombination activating gene 1 gene (rag1), which has a biparental mode of inheritance, 41-bp substitutions were detected between the two parent species, whereas an electropherogram of the hybrid displayed polymorphic double peaks at all of the base positions, along with one additional one, strongly indicating its hybrid state. Meanwhile, sequence comparison of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mt-cyb) (1,140 bp), which has a maternal mode of inheritance, showed only 5-22-bp differences (97.6-99.5% identities) between the hybrid and Pu. herzi, but as many as 158-168-bp differences (85.2-86.1% identities) between the hybrid and Ps. parva, clearly indicating Pu. herzi as the maternal species. Thus, combined analyses of independent data sets (i.e., morphology and nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences) offered convincing evidence for the hybrid state of a naturally occurring hybrid resulting from intergeneric mating between a female Pu. herzi and a male Ps. parva.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.510-522
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• 2008

To construct the molecular systematics of the genus Megoura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), DNA based-identification was performed using four mitochondrial and three nuclear DNA regions: partial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI), partial tRNA-leucine + cytochrome c oxidase II (tRNA/COII), cytochrome b (CytB), partial 12S rRNA + tRNA-valine + 16S rRNA (12S/16S), elongation factor-1 alpha ($EF1{\alpha}$), and the internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1, ITS2). Pairwise sequence divergences between taxa were compared, and phylogenetic analyses were performed based on each DNA region separately, and the combined datasets. COI, CytB, $EF1{\alpha}$, ITS1, and ITS2 were relatively effective in determining species and resolving their relationships. By contrast, the sequences of tRNA/COII and 12S/16S were not able to separate the closely related species. CytB and $EF1{\alpha}$ gave better resolution with higher average sequence divergences (4.7% for CytB, 5.2% for $EF1{\alpha}$). The sequence divergence of COI (3.0%) was moderate, and those of the two ITS regions (1.8% for ITS1, 2.0% for ITS2) were very low. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by minimum evolution, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. The results indicated that the phylogenetic relationships between Megoura species were associated with their host preferences. Megoura brevipilosa and M. lespedezae living on Lespedeza were closely related, and M. nigra, monophagous on Vicia venosa, was rather different from M. crassicauda, M. litoralis, and M. viciae, which are oligophagous on Lathyrus and Vicia. The three populations of M. crassicauda formed a clade separated from M. litoralis and M. viciae. Nevertheless M. litoralis and M. viciae, which are morphologically similar, were not separated due to negligible sequence divergence. We discuss the phylogenetic relationships of the Megoura, and the usefulness of the seven DNA regions for determining the species level phylogeny of aphids.

• 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.

• ALGAE
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2003

It has been considered that genus Cosmarium including Staurastrum had the problems in grouping by morphological characters. Sequence data for the Cytochrome Oxidase subunit III (coxIII) were employed to compare with taxa of two divisions of this genus, with sections in each, for evaluating the taxonomic stability of these morphological characters. The division and section systems were not coincided with the phylogeny inferred from coxIII sequences, as the previous reports from us using nuclear rDNA ITS and chloroplast rbcL sequence comparisons in this genus. Two taxa of Staurastrum were not placed within a same clade each other, and one taxon of these was grouped in Arthrodesmus clade. Two genera, Cosmarium and Staurastrum, cannot be regarded as monophyletic from this result. Mitochondrial coxIII gene was considered as a useful phylogenetic tool to evaluate evolutionary relationships of desmids as in the case of land plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1028-1038
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• 2005

To elucidate phylogenetic relationships of Phellinus and its related genera, nuclear internal transcribed spacer and mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences from 65 strains were determined and compared. The combined dataset of two sequences increased informative characters and led to the production of trees with higher levels of resolution. Phylogenetic analysis of the combined dataset revealed thirteen evolutionary lineages and several unresolved species that were together subdivided into two large clusters consisting of oligonucleate species and binucleate species. These results coincided with previous cytological, morphological, and molecular studies. It is newly recognized that the Phellinus linteus complex forms a sister clade to Inonotus, and that Fulvifomes is somehow related to Inocutis. The Phellinus linteus complex of dimitic perennial taxa made an independent clade from Inonotus and suggested that hyphal miticity and fruitbody permanence had enough phylogenetic significance to keep the complex within the traditional genus Phellinus. Taxa lacking setae were clustered into Fulvifomes, Phylloporia, Inocutis, and Fomitiporia, and the first three were closely related sister groups, but Fomitiporia was a genus distantly related to them. Several taxa with branched setae were shown among distantly related genera. Molecular evidence indicated that the ancestral nuclear type could be a binucleate feature, and that there might be parallel gains of branched setae and parallel losses of setae in the Hymenochaetales.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.144-147
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• 2022

The polychaete Scolelepis (Scolelepis) sagittaria was originally described from Japanese waters and subsequently reported from Korean waters. In this study, we determined for the first time the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA), and nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) sequences of Korean specimens of S. (S.) sagittaria. We also assessed intraspecific variation in the shape of the prostomium of this species based on an examination of 247 individuals. All materials were collected from intertidal sandy beaches of the Korea Strait. The molecular data and morphological observations reported herein will contribute to gaining a better understanding of the taxonomic relationships among members of the genus Scolelepis.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.349-353
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• 2021

Scolelepis (Parascolelepis) papillosa (Okuda, 1937), originally described from a single incomplete individual from Jeju Island in Korea, was collected from the intertidal sandflats of Soan Island (Jeollanam-do province) in Korea. The examined specimens of S. (P.) papillosa agree well with the original description in having the papillae on the basal sheath of the palps, presence of occipital antenna, absence of notochaetae in chaetiger 1, branchiae completely fused with notopodial postchaetal lamellae at the anterior chaetigers, and neuropodial hooded hooks appearing from chaetiger 16. In this study, the sequences of partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA), and the nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) of the species were determined. We also provide the detailed description and illustrations on this species based on the complete specimens newly collected in this study.