• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.994-1000
• /
• 2006

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a sweet herb of the Asteraceae family originally derived from South America. Twenty three bacterial strains and ten yeast strains were isolated from fermented Stevia extract and identified by general taxonomic methods and molecular genetic method. Isolated strains from fermented Stevia extract include ten species of bacteria which belong to five genus and one species of yeast. Based on 16S and 18S rDNA sequence analysis, phylogenetic trees were constructed. Antimicrobial activity of the isolated strains was examined against various bacteria and plant-pathogenic fungi. Among them, Lactobacillus paracasei SB13 showed strong antibacterial activity towards a wide range of bacteria. These results may be useful to develop environmentally friendly microbial agent for soil improvement.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.112-116
• /
• 2016

We encountered an unfamiliar ascomycete fruiting body, fitting characteristics of the genus Kretzschmaria, which features in a stipitate ascigerous stroma with carbonaceous interior and disintegrating perithecia. In this study, we report and characterize a new species of the decaying fungus. Compared to other species, one of the notable features of this specimen (TPML150908-046) is its stromatal size (up to 15 cm). Although TPML150908-046 is morphologically similar to K. milleri and K. sandvicensis, it differs sharply from both species in apical ring size (TPML150908-046, $6.5{\sim}10.5{\mu}m$; K. milleri, $11{\sim}16{\mu}m$) and ascospore width (TPML150908-046, $10.5{\sim}17{\mu}m$; K. sandvicensis, $8.5~11.5{\mu}m$). Phylogenetic trees based on ${\beta}$-tubulin, ITS, and RPB2 sequences showed that our collection clustered with K. sandvicensis, with the respective similarities for these sequences being 95.6%, 91.3%, and 97.7%, signifying it as another species. With these results, we report it as a new species, which we call Kretzschmaria quercicola sp. nov.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.381-388
• /
• 2008

An X-linked skeletal disorder, SEDT (spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda) is a genetic disease characterized by a disproportionately short trunk and short stature caused by mutations in the SEDL gene. This gene is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to human. The yeast SEDL protein ortholog, Trs20p, has been isolated as a member of a large multi-protein complex called the transport protein particle (TRAPP), which is involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport. The interaction between SEDL and partner proteins is important in order to understand the molecular mechanism of SEDL functions. We isolated several SEDL-binding proteins derived from rat cells by an immobilized GST-fusion method. Furthermore, the SEDL-homologue proteins were identified using motif based methods. Common motifs between SEDL-binding proteins and SEDL-homologue proteins were classified into seven types and 78 common motifs were revealed. Sequence similarities were contracted to seven types using phylogenetic trees. In general, types I-III and VI were classified as having the function of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, glycogen phosphorylase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and enolase, respectively, and type IV was found to be functionally related to the GST protein. Types V and VII were found to contribute to TRAPP vesicle trafficking.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.394-401
• /
• 2007

In this study, bacterial communities within the guts of several longicorn beetles were investigated by a culture-dependent method. A total of 142 bacterial strains were isolated from nine species of longicorn beetle, including adults and larvae. A comparison of their partial 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that most of the bacteria constituting the gut communities can typically be found in soil, plants and the intestines of animals, and approximately 10% were proposed as unreported. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the bacterial species comprised 7 phyla, and approximately half were Gammaproteobacteria. Actinobacteria were the second most populous group (19%), followed by Firmicutes (13%) and Alphaproteobacteria (11%). Betaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, and Acidobacteria were minor constituents. The taxonomic compositions of the isolates were variable according to the species of longicorn beetle. Particularly, an abundance of Actinobacteria existed in Moechotypa diphysis and Mesosa hirsute, which eat broadleaf trees; however, no Actinobacteria were isolated from Corymbia rubra and Monochamus alternatus, which are needle-leaf eaters. Considerable proportions of xylanase and pectinase producing bacteria in the guts of the longicorn beetles implied that the bacteria may play an important role in the digestion of woody diets. Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the dominant xylanase producers in the guts of the beetles.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.206-212
• /
• 2004

The genes that are located within the odvp-6e/odv-e56 region of the Choristoneura fumiferana granulovirus (ChfuGV) were identified by sequencing the 11 kb BamHI restriction fragment on the ChfuGV genome. The global GC content that was calculated from the data obtained from this genomic region was 34.96%. The open-reading frames (ORFs), located within the odvp-6e/odv-e56 region, are presented and compared to the equivalent ORFs that are located at the same region in other GVs. This region is composed of 14 ORFs, including three ORFs that are unique to ChfuGV with no obvious homologues in other baculoviruses as well as eleven ORFs with homologues to granuloviral ORFs, such as granulin, CfORF2, pk-1, ie-1, odv-e18, p49, and odvp-6e/odv-e56. In this study, the conceptual products of seven major conserved ORFs (granulin, CfORF2, IE-1, ODV-E18, p49 and ODVP-6E/ODV-E56) were used in order to construct phylogenetic trees. Our results show that granuloviruses can be grouped in 2 distinct groups as follows: Group I; Choristoneura fumiferana granulovirus (ChfuGV), Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV), Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus (PhopGV), and Adoxophyes orana granulovirus (AoGV). Group II; Xestia c-nigrum granulovirus (XcGV), Plutella xylostella granulovirus (PxGV), and Trichoplusia ni granulovirus (TnGV). The ChfuGV conserved proteins are most closely related to those of CpGV, PhopGV, and AoGV. Comparative studies, performed on gene arrangements within this region of genomes, demonstrated that three GVs from group I maintain similar gene arrangements.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.255-262
• /
• 2017

A total of 121 species of lichens belonging to the genus Arthothelium have been described to date, most of which have been found in tropical regions. Here, we describe the discovery of a novel Arthothelium species for the first time in South Korea. Until now, Arthothelium ruanum was the only Arthothelium species reported in South Korea. Among the 113 specimens collected in this study, we identified A. ruanum and a putative new species, Arthothelium punctatum (J. S. Park & J.-S. Hur, sp. nov.). The diagnostic characters of A. punctatum are as follows: apothecia punctate, shortly elongate to branched, small, 0.1-0.2 mm wide, hypothecium hyaline to pale brown and obovate to broadly ellipsoid, muriform ascospores, $29.5-44.6{\times}12.2-18.2{\mu}m$. The new species was found in Mt. Seokbyeong at an altitude of 790 m on smooth bark. Upon phylogenic analysis, the putative new species, A. punctatum, was separated from other Arthothelium species although the specimens analyzed were clustered with Arthoniaceae in phylogenetic trees based on both the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequence and combined mtSSU and nuclear ribosomal large subunit sequences. Our data clearly indicate that this species is a new species belonging to the family Arthoniaceae. To elucidate the taxonomic characteristics of the new species, we provide morphological descriptions and a distribution map.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.267-279
• /
• 2020

Fig mosaic is a viral disease (FMD) that spreads in Palestinian common fig (Ficus carica L.) orchards. Recognizing the economic value of fig plants and the harmful nature of FMD, the disease poses a significant threat to the economy of the fig production in Palestine. We applied the reverse transcription and amplification (RT-PCR) and PCR technique to leaf samples of 77 trees and 14 seedlings of 17 fig cultivars. The samples were collected from orchards in the main fig-growing provinces of the Palestinian West Bank, to assess the prevalence of viruses associated with FMD, and confirm a possible link of symptoms with viruses detected. Four viruses were detected: Fig mosaic virus (FMV), Fig badnavirus-1 (FBV-1), Fig leaf mottle-associated virus 2 (FLMaV-2), and Fig fleck-associated virus (FFkaV). FMV and FBV-1 were found in all tested fig plants (100%), while FLMaV-2 and FFkaV were detected in 61.5% and 33% of the fig samples, respectively. The high incidence of FBV-1 in the newly propagated symptomatic and symptomless seedlings from different cultivars may be an indication that FBV-1 is integrated into the genome of the fig in a cultivar nondiscriminatory manner. Very weak or no association was detected between FMD symptoms severity in the 17 Palestinian fig cultivars with the various viruses' combinations observed (i.e., number of the viruses infecting the plant). These results support the notion that FMD symptom severity expression is likely to be controlled by a combination of FMV infection, cultivars, and environmental factors, rather than the number of viruses infecting the plant.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.25-32
• /
• 2008

The Gold-spotted pond frog, Rana plancyi chosenica, designated as a vulnerable species by IUCN Red list. This species is a typical example facing local population threats and extinction due to human activities in South Korea. A strategic conservation plan for this endangered species is urgently needed. In order to provide information for future conservation planning, accurate information on the genetic diversity and taxonomic status is needed for the establishment of conservation units for this species. In this study, we used a molecular genetic approach using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and control region sequences to find the genetic diversity of gold-spotted pond frogs within South Korea. We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene and control region of 77 individuals from 11 populations in South Korea, and one from Chongqing, China. A total of 15 cytochrome b gene haplotypes and 34 control region haplotypes were identified from Korean gold-spotted pond frogs. Mean sequence diversity among Korean gold-spotted pond frogs was 0.31% (0.0-0.8%) and 0.51% (0.0-1.0%), respectively. Most Korean populations had at least one unique haplotype for each locus. The Taean, Ansan and Cheongwon populations had no haplotypes shared with other populations. There was a sequence divergence between Korean and Chinese gold-spotted pond frogs (1.3% for cyt b; 2.9% for control region). Analysis of genetic distances and phylogenetic trees based on both cytochrome b and control region sequences indicate that the Korean gold-spotted pond frog are genetically differentiated from those in China.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.12
• /
• pp.1871-1880
• /
• 2018

Objective: Recently, there has been an increasing interest in conservation of native genetic resources of chicken on a worldwide basis. Most of the native chicken breeds are threatened by extinction or crossing with ecotypes. Methods: Six Saudi native chicken breeds including black naked neck, brown frizzled, black, black barred, brown and gray were used in the current study. The aim of the current study was to evaluate genetic diversity, relationship and population structure of Saudi native chicken breeds based on 20 microsatellite markers. Results: A total of 172 alleles were detected in Saudi native chicken breeds across all 20 microsatellite loci. The mean number of alleles per breed ranged from 4.35 in gray breed to 5.45 in normally feathered black with an average of 8.6 alleles. All breeds were characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity, with the lowest heterozygosity found in the brown breed (72%) and the greatest in the frizzled and black barred populations (78%). Higher estimate of expected heterozygosity (0.68) was found in both black breeds (normal and naked neck) compared to the other chicken populations. All studied breeds showed no inbreeding within breed (negative inbreeding coefficient [$F_{IS}$]). The phylogenetic relationships of chickens were examined using neighbor-joining trees constructed at the level of breeds and individual samples. The neighbor-joining tree constructed at breed level revealed three main clusters, with naked neck and gray breeds in one cluster, and brown and frizzled in the second cluster leaving black barred in a separate one. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the genetic information derived from the current study can be used as a guide for genetic improvement and conservation in further breeding programs. Our findings indicate that the Saudi native chicken populations have a rich genetic diversity and show a high polymorphism.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.217-228
• /
• 2019

The marine brown algal genus Colpomenia has a worldwide distribution, with five species reported in Korea and Japan. However, no studies to date attempted to identify the number of species and geographical distribution of Colpomenia along Chinese coast. To fill the biodiversity knowledge gap, we analyzed 63 mitochondrial cox3 and 62 mitochondrial atp6 sequences of Colpomenia specimens collected from 30 localities along the Chinese coast. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference trees suggest the presence of at least three Colpomenia species (i.e., C. peregrina, C. claytoniae, and C. sinuosa) in China. C. peregrina and C. claytoniae are documented for the first time. C. sinuosa was only found in the South China Sea and its distribution didn't overlap with that of C. peregrina which was found in the Yellow-Bohai Sea and the East China Sea. C. claytoniae appears to be confined to three isolated islands in the East and the South China Sea, where it occurs in sympatry with, respectively, C. peregrina and C. sinuosa. Future study can focus on comparing eco-physiological differences of Colpomenia species in response to environmental variables and exploring possible genetic hybridization / introgression at inter-specific contact zones.