• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.135.2-136
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• 2003

To characterize plasmids in Xanthomonu axonopodis pv. glycines, we isolated plasmids pAG1 from the strain AG1 and pXAG81 and PXAG82 from the strain Bra, respectively, and sequenced three plasmids. The size of plasmids, pAG1, pXAG81, and pXAG82 was 15,149-base pairs (bp), 26,727-bp, and 1,496-bp, respectively Fifteen and twenty six possible open reading frames (ORFs) were present in pAG1 and pXAG81, respectively. Only one ORF homologous to a rep gene of Xylella fastidiosa was present in pXAG82. pAG1 contained genes homologous to avrBs3, tnpA, tnpR, repA, htrA, three parA genes, M.XmaI, R.XmaI, and six hypothetical proteins. pXAG81 contained genes homologous to avrBs3, tnpA, tnpR, repA, htrA, two parA genes, pemI, pemK, mobA, mobB, mobC, mobD, mobE, trwB, traF, traH, ISxac2, and eleven hypothetical proteins. Based on DNA sequence analysis, we presume that pXAG81 is a conjugal plasmid. Interestingly, we found 0.5-kb truncated avirulence gene similar to aurXacE3 on the right border of avrBs3 homolgs of pAG1 and pXAG81. Two hundred twenty five isolates were analyzed to find aurBS3 or tra gene homologs by Southern hybridization. The numbers of avrBs3 homolog varied from 3 in AG1 to 8 in AG166. Two hundred seventeen isolates appeared to can conjugative plasmids (pXAG81 type), and thirty eight isolates appeared to carry non-conjugative plamids (pAGl type). This indicated that aurBs3 gene homologs might be spread by conjugation in X. axonopodis pv. glycines.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2024

Since replication of plasmids must be strictly controlled, plasmids that generally perform rolling circle replication generally maintain a constant copy number by strictly controlling the replication initiator Rep at the transcriptional and translational levels. Plasmid pJB01 contains three orfs (copA, repB, repC or repABC) consisting of a single operon. From analysis of amino acid sequence, pJB01 CopA was homologous to the Cops, as a copy number control protein, of other plasmids. When compared with a CopG of pMV158, CopA seems to form the RHH (ribbon-helix-helix) known as a motif of generalized repressor of plasmids. The result of gel mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that the purified fusion CopA protein binds to the operator region of the repABC operon. To examine the functional role of CopA on transcriptional level, 3 point mutants were constructed in coding frame of copA such as CopA R16M, K26R and E50V. The repABC mRNA levels of CopA R16M, K26R and E50V mutants increased 1.84, 1.78 and 2.86 folds more than that of CopA wt, respectively. Furthermore, copy numbers owing to mutations in three copA genes also increased 1.86, 1.68 and 2.89 folds more than that of copA wt, respectively. These results suggest that CopA is the transcriptional repressor, and lowers the copy number of pJB01 by reducing repABC mRNA and then RepB, as a replication initiator.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2016

Acinetobacter species isolates are important opportunistic pathogens and commonly implicated in nosocomial infections. The therapeutic options for treatment of the bacterial infections are limited because the bacteria isolates are usually multidrug resistant (MDR). In the current study, we investigated various carbapenemase genes in 68 Acinetobacter species isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested using the disk diffusion method. Screening of carbapenemase genes was performed via multiplex PCR. In addition, PCR and DNA sequencing were used to identify the carbapenemase genes. Repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (REP-PCR) was also performed to assess the clonality of isolates. In our study, A. baumannii isolates were highly resistant to all agents tested while all non-A. baumannii isolates were susceptible to all agents tested, with the exception of aztreonam and cefotaxime. All 51 A. baumannii isolates contained the $bla_{OXA-51}$ gene and 37 (72.5%) isolates also harbored the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene. In addition, 39 MDR A. baumannii isolates were identified in our study and 37 isolates contained the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene. The 37 MDR strains harboring $bla_{OXA-23}$ showed type I (n=22) or type II (n=15) banding patterns on their REP-PCR profiles. Our results suggest clonal relation and horizontal spreading of MDR A. baumannii isolates containing the $bla_{OXA-23}$ gene at the hospital located in Daejeon. Continuous investigation of antimicrobial resistant determinants and monitoring emergence and dissemination of MDR isolates is required to prevent and control infection and colonization of MDR A. baumannii isolates.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.584-589
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• 2001

One of the cryptic plasmids from the oil degrading bacterium Klebsiella sp. KCL-2, the small plasmid pGD2, has been identified and characterized. This plasmid has a size of 3.6 kb with unknown functions. We constructed the recombinant plasmid pMGD2. The nucleotide sequences of the plasmid were determined and two open reading frames were detected. ORF1 encodes a replication initiator protein (RepA), which has a high degree of homology with the protein of ColE2 plasmid. The product encoded by ORF2 showed a high similarity with the transposase protein of IS5. IS5 is 1195 by long and contains an inverted terminal repetition of 16 bp with one mismatch. Stem-loop structures in the 5'untranslated region of the repA suggest that a putative gene, incA, is located in a complementary strand to the leader region of the repA mRNA.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 2014

Pseudomonas nitroreducens TX1 was isolated from a rice field drainage in Taiwan. The bacterium is of special interest because of its capability to use a group of nonionic surfactants such as alkylphenol polyethoxylates even at high concentrations as a sole carbon source. In this study, a small cryptic circular plasmid, pTX1, was characterized from P. nitroreducens TX1. It is 2,286 bp in length with a GC content of 63.3% and harbors three open reading frames, $Rep_{pTX1}$ and functionally unidentified ORF1 and ORF2. The predicted $rep_{pTX1}$ gene product is homologous to Rep proteins of plasmids belonging to the pC194/pUB110 family, which is predominantly found in Gram-positive bacteria and is known to replicate by the rolling-circle mechanism. The copy number of pTX1 was estimated to be about 150 in each cell. Based on the genetic fingerprints and comparison with other plasmids, it is concluded that pTX1 replicates by a rolling circle mechanism which is rarely found for Pseudomonas plasmids.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1643-1649
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• 2016

The aims of this study were to characterize the molecular epidemiological profiles of CTX-M-producing uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates from a tertiary hospital in Daejeon, Korea, and to investigate the genetic diversity and compare the prevalence of sequence types (STs) in different areas. Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing E. coli strains isolated from urine were analyzed for CTX-M, integrons, and insertion sequence common regions (ISCRs) by PCR and sequencing. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), phylogenetic analysis, and rep-PCR were also used for molecular typing of the isolates. Of 80 CTX-M producers, 31 and 46 expressed CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-14, respectively. MLST analysis indicated that the most prevalent ST was ST131 (n = 34, 42.5%), followed by ST38 (n = 22, 27.5%), ST405 (n = 8, 10.0%), and ST69 (n = 6, 7.5%). Most CTX-M producers harbored class 1 integrons. ST131 strains belonged to phylogenetic group B2 and showed identical rep-PCR patterns, whereas ST69, ST38, and ST405 strains belonged to phylogenetic group D; the ST38 and ST405 strains displayed the same rep-PCR pattern, respectively. ST131 and ST38 isolates showed 21 and 19 distinct types, respectively, by PFGE. In Daejeon, D-ST38 CTX-M-14 producers were relatively more prevalent than in other countries and Korean cities. Our results indicate that CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates belonged mostly to ST131 or ST38 and were more related to hospital-onset than to community-onset infections and that the bla_CTX-M gene may vary according to the ST.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.43-47
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• 2013

This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of ESBL genes and monitor antimicrobial resistance pattern in Escherichia coli, isolated from a hospital and a community. We tested 200 E. coli strains isolated in the hospitals and community in Chungcheong area from January to March 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by using the disk diffusion method. A search for ESBL genes was conducted by PCR amplification, and the genotypes were determined by direct nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified products. An Epidemiologic study was performed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (REP-PCR). The percentage of ESBL-producing isolates was 17% for hospital associated E. coli and 11% for community associated E. coli. The ESBL gene sequencing results showed that the most common ESBL in E. coli was CTX-M-14 (19/28), followed by CTX-M-15 (9/28). The REP-PCR study also showed the genetic diversity, but there was no difference between the hospital and community associated E. coli. In this study, the most common types of class A ESBLs identified were CTX-M in the hospital and the community in Chungcheong area. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates showed diverse clonality.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2013

Plant virus coat (CP) gene-mediated protection is one of the best known approaches to protect against virus resistant transgenic plants. Transgenic N. benthamiana plants containing the CP gene of Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV) were used for the environmental risk assessment of the living modified (LM) plants with plant virus resistance. The most optimal co-infection method of both ZGMMV and CMV (Cucumber mosaic virus) on Non-LM and CP-expressing LM tobacco plants was established and co-infection of CMV and ZGMMV was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To address the effects of LM tobacco plants on the mutation of the virus, in-vitro transcripts of CP and Replicase (Rep) derived from CMV and/or ZGMMV were inoculated onto Non-LM or LM tobacco plants. Mutation frequency of CP and Rep from CMV and ZGMMV was examined through six serial passages in Non-LM and LM tobacco plants. Little actual frequency of mutation was estimated, probably due to the limited number of transgenic plants tested in this study. However, it does not suggest environmental safety of these CP-mediated LM plants. Further study at a larger scale is needed to evaluate the environmental risk associated with the CP-expressing LM plants.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 2010

The Burkholderia cepacia complex isolates causing bacterial fruit rot of apricot were characterized by speciesspecific PCR tests, recA-HaeIII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays, rep-PCR genomic fingerprinting, recA gene sequencing, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. Results indicated that the isolates Bca 0901 and Bca 0902 gave positive amplifications with primers specific for B. vietnamiensis while the two bacterial isolates showed different recA-RFLP and rep-PCR profiles from those of B. vietnamiensis strains. In addition, the two bacterial isolates had a higher proteolytic activity compared with that of the non-pathogenic B. vietnamiensis strains while no cblA and esmR marker genes were detected for the two bacterial isolates and B. vietnamiensis strains. The two bacterial isolates were identified as Burkholderia seminalis based on recA gene sequence analysis and MLST analysis. Overall, this is the first characterization of B. seminalis that cause bacterial fruit rot of apricot.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2016

A small plasmid (pDK4) from the Antarctic marine organism Pseudoalteromonas sp. PAMC 21150, was purified, sequenced and analyzed. pDK4 was determined to be 3,480 bp in length with a G+C content of 41.64% and contains three open reading frames encoding a replication initiation protein (RepA), a conjugative mobilization protein (Mob) and a hypothetical protein. PCR-amplified pDK4 was cloned in high-copy pUC19 to yield the fusion vector pDOC153. The chloramphenicol resistance gene was inserted into pDOC153 to give an ampicillin and chloramphenicol-resistant, Pseudoalteromonas - Escherichia coli shuttle vector (7,216 bp; pDOC155). The TonB-dependent receptor (chi22718_IV ) and exochitinase (chi22718_III ) genes from Arctic marine P. issachenkonii PAMC 22718 were cloned into pDOC155 to produce pDOC158 and pDOC165, respectively. Both vector derivatives were transferred into plasmid-free Pseudoalteromonas sp. PAMC 22137 by the triparental mating method. PCR experiments showed that the genes were stably maintained both in Pseudoalteromonas sp. PAMC 22137 and E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ cells, indicating the potential use of pDOC155 as a new gene transfer system into marine Pseudoalteromonas spp.