• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.829-835
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• 2000

The ptsH and ptsI genes of Lactococus lactis subsp. lactis ATCC 7962 (L. lactis 7962), encoding the general proteins of phosphotransferase system (PTS) components, HPr and enzyme I, respectively, were cloned and characterized. A 1.3 kb PCR product was obtained using a primer set that was hybridized to the internal region of the L. lactis 7962 pts HI genes and then subcloned into a low-copy number vector, pACYC184. The 5' upstream and 3' downstream region from the 1.3 kb fragment were subsequently clone using the chromosome walking method. The complete ptsHI operon was constructed and the nucleotide sequences determined. Two ORFs corresponding to HPr (88 amino acids) and enzyme I (575 amino acids) were located. The ptsHI genes of L. lactis 7962 showed a very high homology (84-90%) with those genes from other Gram-positive bacteria. A primer extension analysis showed that the transcription started at either one of two adjacent bases upstream of the start codon. Using a Northern analysis, two transcripts were detected; the first, a 0.3 kb transcript corresponding to ptsH and the second, a 2 kb transcript corresponding to ptsH and ptsI. The transcription level of ptsH was higher than that of ptsI. The concentration of the ptsH transcript in cells grown on glucose was similar to that in cells grown on lactose, yet higher than that in cells grown on galactose. The ptsI transcript was scarcely detected in cell grown on lactose or galactose. The ptsI transcript was scarcely detected in cells grown on lactose or galactose. The results of a sequence analysis and Northern blot confirmed that the ptsH and ptsI genes of L. lactis 7962 were arranged in an operon like other known ptsHI genes and the expression of the ptsHI genes was regulated at the transcriptional level in response to the carbon source.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.226-232
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• 2019

Among more than 30 viruses infecting strawberry, aphid-transmitted viruses including Strawberry mild yellow edge virus (SMYEV), Strawberry mottle virus (SMoV), Strawberry crinkle virus (SCV), and Strawberry vein banding virus (SVBV) have been considered as the most economically important viruses of strawberry in the world. To determine the incidence of these four viruses in major Korean strawberry cultivars, field surveys were conducted in major production areas during 2018-2019. In our surveys, SMYEV and SMoV were detected with low infection rates of 0.7% and 1.3%, respectively, whereas SCV and SVBV were not detected. No obvious symptoms were observed in the strawberry plants infected by SMYEV or SMoV. Since no sequences of SMoV Korean isolates have been reported, we initially determined nucleotide sequence of the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of seven SMoV isolates obtained during the surveys. The 3' UTR sequences (782 nt) of seven Korean isolates were phylogenetically compared with those of the previously reported SMoV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most Korean isolates are closely related to Canadian isolates and only little evolutionary differentiation occurred among the Koreans isolates. This might be due to the low incidence of SMoV in strawberry in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1916-1927
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• 2018

Corynebacterium glutamicum is an excellent platform for the production of amino acids, and is widely used in the fermentation industry. Most industrial strains are traditionally obtained by repeated processes of random mutation and selection, but the genotype of these strains is often unclear owing to the absence of genomic information. As such, it is difficult to improve the growth and amino acid production of these strains via metabolic engineering. In this study, we generated a complete genome map of an industrial L-valine-producing strain, C. glutamicum XV. In order to establish the relationship between genotypes and physiological characteristics, a comparative genomic analysis was performed to explore the core genome, structural variations, and gene mutations referring to an industrial L-leucine-producing strain, C. glutamicum CP, and the widely used C. glutamicum ATCC 13032. The results indicate that a 36,349 bp repeat sequence in the CP genome contained an additional copy each of lrp and brnFE genes, which benefited the export of L-leucine. However, in XV, the kgd and panB genes were disrupted by nucleotide insertion, which increase the availability of precursors to synthesize L-valine. Moreover, the specific amino acid substitutions in key enzymes increased their activities. Additionally, a novel strategy is proposed to remodel central carbon metabolism and reduce pyruvate consumption without having a negative impact on cell growth by introducing the CP-derived mutant $H^+$/citrate symporter. These results further our understanding regarding the metabolic networks in these strains and help to elucidate the influence of different genotypes on these processes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to identify genetic polymorphisms of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (mtDNA cyt b) gene in Korean black (KB) cattle breed and to analyze the genetic relationship between the KB and other breeds. We determined the complete sequence of the mtDNA cyt b gene in 38 KB cattle. We also analyzed their genetic diversity, and phylogenetic analysis was performed by comparison with Korean cattle (KC, called Hanwoo) and breeds from China and Japan. A nucleotide substitution was detected in the KB cattle, and two haplotypes were defined. In the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree, the haplotypes of KB were located in Bos taurus lineage with those of KC, Japanese black (JB), Yanbian and Zaosheng breeds. However, the haplotypes of Chinese breeds, excluding Yanbian and Zaosheng, were separated into B. taurus and B. indicus lineages. In the NJ tree of breeds based on Dxy genetic distances, Chinese breeds mixed with B. taurus and B. indicus lineages were located between B. indicus and B. taurus lineages. KB was contained within B. taurus lineage and was determined to be genetically more closely related to two Chinese (Yanbian and Zaosheng) breeds than to KC and JB. The haplotype distribution and the results of the phylogenetic analysis suggest that KB and KC have genetic differences in their mtDNA cyt b gene sequences.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2023

This work investigated the viral infection in jujube plants in Korea. A total of 61 samples with the symptoms of putative viral infection were collected from experimental fields and orchards. Thereafter, the samples were subjected to metatranscriptome analysis, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, and nucleotide sequence analysis. These analyses identified the presence of two DNA viruses, jujube-associated badnavirus (JuBV), jujube mosaic-associated virus (JuMaV), and one RNA virus, jujube yellow mottle-associated virus (JYMaV). All samples collected were confirmed to be infected by at least one of the three viruses, with most showed multiple infections. The detection rates of JuBV, JYMaV, and JuMaV were 100%, 90.2%, and 8.2%, respectively. Only three combinations of viral infections were found: 9.8% of samples showed single infection of JuBV, 82.0% showed double infection of JuBV+JYMaV, and 8.2% showed triple infection of JuBV+JYMaV+JuMaV. Sequence analysis of the three viruses showed very high homology with respective virus isolates reported in China. This study is predicted to provide fundamental data to produce virus-free jujube seedlings and represents the first report of JuBV and JuMaV infection in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.197-206
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• 2016

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen of considerable genetic diversity with varying pathogenicity. Initially, we found that the strain M7 was far less pathogenic than the strain Lm850658 though both are serovar 4a strains belonging to the lineage III. Comparative genomic approaches were then attempted to decipher the genetic basis that might govern the strain-dependent pathotypes. There are 2,761 coding sequences of 100% nucleotide identity between the two strains, accounting for 95.7% of the total genes in Lm850658 and 92.7% in M7. Lm850658 contains 33 specific genes, including a novel 20K prophage whereas strain M7 has 130 specific genes, including two large prophages (38K and 44K). To examine the roles of these specific prophages in pathogenicity, the 20K and 38K prophages were deleted from their respective strains. There were virtually no differences of pathogenicity between the deletion mutants and their parent strains, although some putative virulent factors like VirB4 are present in the 20K region or holin-lysin in the 38K region. In silico PCR analysis of 29 listeria genomes show that only strain SLCC2540 has the same 18 bp integration hotspot as Lm850658, whereas the sequence identity of their 20K prophages is very low (21.3%). The 38K and 44K prophages are located in two other different hotspots and are conserved in low virulent strains M7, HCC23, and L99. In conclusion, the 20K and 38K prophages of L. monocytogenes serovar 4a strains Lm850658 and M7 are not related to virulence but contribute to genetic diversity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 2004

To determine evolution and genotype of new chromosomal AmpC $\beta$-lactamases among clinical isolates of Enterobacter species, we performed antibiotic susceptibility testing, pI determination, sequencing, and phy-logenetic analysis using developed expression/secretion vector. Six isolates have shown to produce AmpC $\beta$-lactamases. Six genes of AmpC $\beta$-lactamases that are responsible for the resistance to cephamycins (cefoxitin and cefotetan), amoxicillin, cephalothin, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid were cloned and characterized in pMSG12119. Insert fragment containing the ampC genes was sequenced and found to have an open reading frame coding for 381-amino-acid $\beta$-lactamase. The nucleotide sequence of four ampC genes ($bla_EcloK992004.l$, $bla_EcloK995120.1$, $bla_EcloK99230$, and $bla_EareK9911729$) shared considerable homology with that of chromosomal ampC gene ($bla_EcloMHN1$) of E. cloacae MHN1 (more than 99.6% identity). The sequences of two ampC genes ($bla_EcloK9973$ and $bla_EcloK9914325$) showed close similarity to the chromosomal ampC gene ($bla_EcloQ908R$) of E. clo-acae 908R (99.7% identity). The results from phylogenetic analysis suggested that six ampC genes could be originated from $bla_EcloMHN1$ / or $bla_EcloQ908R$ / MIC patterns and exact pI values of six transformants indicated that the developed expression/secretion vector (pMSG1219) was suitable for the characterization of foreign genes in E. coli strain.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1944-1953
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• 2015

A novel alkaline protease from Streptomyces sp. M30, SapHM, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, with a yield of 15.5% and a specific activity of 29,070 U/mg. Tryptic fragments of the purified SapHM were obtained by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the gene sapHM contained 1,179 bp, corresponding to 392 amino acids with conserved Asp156, His187, and Ser339 residues of alkaline protease. The first 24 amino acid residues were predicted to be a signal peptide, and the molecular mass of the mature peptide was 37.1 kDa based on amino acid sequences and mass spectrometry. Pure SapHM was optimally active at 80℃ in 50 mM glycine-NaOH buffer (pH 9.0), and was broadly stable at 0-50℃ and pH 4.0-9.0. The protease relative activity was increased in the presence of Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Cu²⁺ to 112%, 113%, and 147% of control, respectively. Pure SapHM was also activated by dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, Tween 80, and urea. The activity of the purified enzyme was completely inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating that it is a serine-type protease. The K_m and V_max values were estimated to be 35.7 mg/ml, and 5 × 10⁴ U/mg for casein. Substrate specificity analysis showed that SapH was active on casein, bovine serum albumin, and bovine serum fibrin.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 1995

To understand the molecular structure and pathogenesis mechanism of Korean garlic viruses, we have isolated cDNA clones for garlic viruses. The partial nucleotide sequences of 24 cDNA clones were determined and those of five clones containing poly(A) tail were compared with sequences of other plant viruses. One of these clones, V9, has a primary structure similar to the carlavirus group, suggesting that the clone V9 derived from a part of garlic latent virus (GLV). Northern blot analysis with the clone V9 as a probe demonstrated that GLV genome is 8.5 knt long and has a poly(A) tail. The clone V9 encodes coat protein (CP) of 33 kDa and nucleic acid binding protein of 10 kDa in different reading frame. The hexanucleotide motif, 5'-ACCUAA, which is conserved in the 3' noncoding region arid was proposed to be a cis-acting element involved in the production of negative strand genomic RNA was noticed. Complementary sequence to the hexanucleotide motif, 5'-TTAGGT, is also found in the positive strand of V9 RNA. The putative CP gene was cloned into the pRSET-A expression vector and expressed in E. coli BL21. The expressed recombinant V9CP protein was purified by $Ni^{2+}$ NTA affinity chromatography. The anti-V9CP antibody recognizes 34 kDa polypeptide which could be CP of GLV in infected garlic leaf extract. Immunoblot and Northern blot analysis of various cultivars shows wide occurrence of GLV in Korean garlic plants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4915-4920
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• 2015

Background: : Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease mainly caused by mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene with almost complete penetrance. These colorectal polyps are precancerous lesions that will inevitable develop into colorectal cancer at the median age of 40-year old if total proctocolectomy is not performed. So identification of APC germline mutations has great implications for genetic counseling and management of FAP patients. In this study, we screened APC germline mutations in Chinese FAP patients, in order to find novel mutations and the APC gene germline mutation characteristics of Chinese FAP patients. Materials and Methods: The FAP patients were diagnosed by clinical manifestations, family histories, endoscope and biopsy. Then patients peripheral blood samples were collected, afterwards, genomic DNA was extracted. The mutation analysis of the APC gene was conducted by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing for micromutations and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for large duplications and/or deletions. Results: We found 6 micromutations out of 14 FAP pedigrees, while there were no large duplications and/or deletions found. These germline mutations are c.5432C>T(p. Ser1811Leu), two c.3926_3930delAAAAG (p.Glu1309AspfsX4), c.3921_3924delAAAA (p.Ile1307MetfsX13), c3184_3187delCAAA(p.Gln1061AspfsX59) and c4127_4126delAT (p.Tyr1376LysfsX9), respectively, and all deletion mutations resulted in a premature stop codon. At the same time, we found c.3921_3924delAAAA and two c.3926_3930delAAAAG are located in AAAAG short tandem repeats, c3184_3187delCAAA is located in the CAAA interrupted direct repeats, and c4127_4128 del AT is located in the 5'-CCTGAACA-3', 3'-ACAAGTCC-5 palindromes (inverted repeats) of the APC gene. Furthermore, deletion mutations are mostly located at condon 1309. Conclusions: Though there were no novel mutations found as the pathogenic gene of FAP in this study, we found nucleotide sequence containing short tandem repeats and palindromes (inverted repeats), especially the 5 bp base deletion at codon 1309, are mutations in high incidence area in APC gene,.