• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.315-328
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• 2021

Fusarium and Rhizoctonia genera are important pathogens of many field crops worldwide. They are constantly evolving and expanding their host range. Selecting resistant cultivars is an effective strategy to break their infection cycles. To this end, we screened a collection of Medicago truncatula accessions against Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Rhizoctonia solani strains isolated from different plant species. Despite the small collection, a biodiversity in the disease response of M. truncatula accessions ranging from resistant phenotypes to highly susceptible ones was observed. A17 showed relative resistance to all fungal strains with the lowest disease incidence and ratings while TN1.11 was among the susceptible accessions. As an initiation of the characterization of resistance mechanisms, the antioxidant enzymes' activities, at the early stages of infections, were compared between these contrasting accessions. Our results showed an increment of the antioxidant activities within A17 plants in leaves and roots. We also analyzed the responses of a population of recombinant inbred lines derived from the crossing of A17 and TN1.11 to the infection with the same fungal strains. The broad-sense heritability of measured traits ranged from 0.87 to 0.95, from 0.72 to 0.96, and from 0.14 to 0.85 under control, F. oxysporum, and R. solani conditions, respectively. This high estimated heritability underlines the importance of further molecular analysis of the observed resistance to identify selection markers that could be incorporated into a breeding program and thus improving soil-borne pathogens resistance in crops.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2021

An aquariid nematode, Desportesius invaginatus, was found in the proventriculus of an Egretta garzetta and a Bubulcus ibis from Chuncheon in the Republic of Korea. The worms were identified by light and scanning electron microscopy based on important taxonomic characteristics (body length, esophagus length, cordons, spicules, caudal alae of males, position of the vulva) and then phylogenetically analyzed using the 18S rRNA encoding gene. The nematodes were characterized by a body length of 7.0-8.0 mm in males and 10.2-13.1 mm in females, and two pairs of cordons recurrent in the anterior direction, and cordons were anastomosed by a longitudinal cuticular ridge that externally delimits a longitudinal canal. The widest cuticular plates of cordons bears over 20 posterior spines. The length of the spicules in males was also significantly different. The right spicule measured 742-821 (794) ㎛ in length and 40-45 (42) ㎛ in width, and the left spicule measured 493-556 (541) ㎛ in length and 11-13 (12) ㎛ in width. The caudal alae of males are inflated and vesicular in appearance. The vulva was situated at 56-71 (58.3) ㎛ from the posterior extremity. Although the 18S rRNA sequences of worms were similar to the Synhimantus species, some genetic divergences were observed in comparison. In this study, the worms were recognized with genus Desportesius because genus Desportesius was considered a subgenus of Synhimantus. This is the first record of D. invaginatus in the Republic of Korea.

• Nano
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.1850127.1-1850127.13
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• 2018

Bi metal deposited on $Bi_2MoO_6$ composite photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized via a simple reduction method at room temperature with using $NaBH_4$ as the reducing agent. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was evaluated by degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and bisphenol A (BPA) solution under visible light. The rate constant of $Bi/Bi_2MoO_6$ composite to RhB is 10.8 times that of $Bi_2MoO_6$, and the degradation rate constant of BPA is 6.9 times of that of $Bi_2MoO_6$. Nitrogen absorption-desorption isotherm proved that the increase of specific surface area is one of the reasons for the improvement of photocatalytic degradation activity of $Bi/Bi_2MoO_6$ composites. The higher charge transfer efficiency of $Bi/Bi_2MoO_6$ is found through the characterization of the photocurrent and impedance, which are attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect produced by the introduction of the metal Bi monomer in the composite. Free radical capture experiments proved that cavitation is the main active species. Based on the above conclusions, a possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation is proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.952-961
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• 2019

Chlorella spp. are green algae that are found across wide-ranging habitats from deserts to arctic regions, with various strains having adapted to survive under diverse environmental conditions. In this study, two novel Chlorella strains (ABC-002, ABC-008) were isolated from a freshwater lake in South Korea during the winter season and examined for possible use in the biofuel production process. The comparison of ABC-002 and ABC-008 strains with Chlorella vulgaris UTEX265 under two different temperatures ($10^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$) revealed their cold-tolerant phenotypes as well as high biomass yields. The maximum quantum yields of UTEX25, ABC-002, and ABC-008 at $10^{\circ}C$ were 0.5594, 0.6747, and 0.7150, respectively, providing evidence of the relatively higher cold-resistance capabilities of these two strains. Furthermore, both the biomass yields and lipid content of the two novel strains were found to be higher than those of UTEX265; the overall lipid productivities of ABC-002 and ABC-008 were 1.7 ~ 2.8 fold and 1.6 ~ 4.2 fold higher compared to that of UTEX265, respectively. Thus, the high biomass and lipid productivity over a wide range of temperatures indicate that C. vulgaris ABC-002 and ABC-008 are promising candidates for applications in biofuel productions via outdoor biomass cultivation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.244-255
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• 2019

Xylose isomerase (XI; E.C. 5.3.1.5) catalyzes the isomerization of xylose to xylulose, which can be used to produce bioethanol through fermentation. Therefore, XI has recently gained attention as a key catalyst in the bioenergy industry. Here, we identified, purified, and characterized a XI (PbXI) from the psychrophilic soil microorganism, Paenibacillus sp. R4. Surprisingly, activity assay results showed that PbXI is not a cold-active enzyme, but displays optimal activity at $60^{\circ}C$. We solved the crystal structure of PbXI at $1.94-{\AA}$ resolution to investigate the origin of its thermostability. The PbXI structure shows a $({\beta}/{\alpha})_8$-barrel fold with tight tetrameric interactions and it has three divalent metal ions (CaI, CaII, and CaIII). Two metal ions (CaI and CaII) located in the active site are known to be involved in the enzymatic reaction. The third metal ion (CaIII), located near the ${\beta}4-{\alpha}6$ loop region, was newly identified and is thought to be important for the stability of PbXI. Compared with previously determined thermostable and mesophilic XI structures, the ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop structures near the substrate binding pocket of PbXI were remarkably different. Site-directed mutagenesis studies suggested that the flexible ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop region is essential for PbXI activity. Our findings provide valuable insights that can be applied in protein engineering to generate low-temperature purpose-specific XI enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.248-257
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• 2019

In this study, we isolated about 70 bacterial strains from terrestrial and marine environments in Jeju island, and finally, total 21 strains were obtained based on the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis. These isolated strains were classified into 16 genera of 5 classes and were identified as an unrecorded species in the Republic of Korea. As a result of the substrate utilization and capability for polymer degradation, the physiological phenotypes for acid resistance and halophilic bacteria were observed to be distinct from each other, except for some acid resistance strains. This study might provide basic information on utilization for indigenous microorganisms.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.158-164
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• 2019

Molecular characterization of different genotypes reveals accurate information about the degree of genetic diversity that helps to develop a proper breeding program. In this study, a total of 30 EST-based simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers derived from trumpet lily (Lilium longiflorum) were used across 11 native lily species for their genetic relationship. Among these 30 markers, 24 SSR markers that showed polymorphism were used for evaluation of diversity spectrum. The allelic number at per locus ranged from 1 at SSR2 locus to 34 alleles at SSR15 locus, with an average of 11.25 alleles across 24 loci observed. The polymorphic information content, PIC, values ranged from 0.0523 for SSR9 to 0.9919 for SSR2 in all 24 loci with an average of 0.3827. The allelic frequency at every locus ranged from 0.81% at SSR2 locus to 99.6% at SSR14 locus. The pairwise genetic dissimilarity coefficient revealed the highest genetic distance with a value of 81.7% was in between L. dauricum and L. amabile. A relatively closer genetic distance was found between L. lancifolium and L. dauricum, L. maximowiczii and L. concolor, L. maximowiczii and L. distichum (Jeju), L. tsingtauense and L. callosum, L. cernuum and L. distichum (Jeju ecotype), of which dissimilarity coefficient was 50.0%. The molecular fingerprinting based on microsatellite marker could serve boldly to recognize genetically distant accessions and to sort morphologically close as well as duplicate accessions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1052-1061
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• 2019

Objective: This study was conducted to identify duck liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) and demonstrate its antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. Methods: Tissue samples were collected from 6 to 8-week-old Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus), total RNA was extracted, and cDNA was synthesized. To confirm the duck LEAP-2 transcript expression levels, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted. Two kinds of peptides (a linear peptide and a disulfide-type peptide) were synthesized to compare the antimicrobial activity. Then, antimicrobial activity assay and fluorescence microscopic analysis were conducted to demonstrate duck LEAP-2 bactericidal activity. Results: The duck LEAP-2 peptide sequence showed high identity with those of other avian species (>85%), as well as more than 55% of identity with mammalian sequences. LEAP-2 mRNA was highly expressed in the liver with duodenum next, and then followed by lung, spleen, bursa and jejunum and was the lowest in the muscle. Both of LEAP-2 peptides efficiently killed bacteria, although the disulfide-type LEAP-2 showed more powerful bactericidal activity. Also, gram-positive bacteria was more susceptible to duck LEAP-2 than gram-negative bacteria. Using microscopy, we confirmed that LEAP-2 peptides could kill bacteria by disrupting the bacterial cell envelope. Conclusion: Duck LEAP-2 showed its antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Disulfide bonds were important for the powerful killing effect by disrupting the bacterial cell envelope. Therefore, duck LEAP-2 can be used for effective antibiotics alternatives.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.939-948
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• 2019

Objective: Extension and Agouti loci play a key role for proportions of eumelanin and pheomelanin in determining coat color in several species, including goat. Mongolian goats exhibit diverse types of coat color phenotypes. In this study, investigation of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) coding region in different coat colors in Mongolian goats was performed to ascertain the presence of the extension allele. Methods: A total of 105 goat samples representing three goat breeds were collected for this study from middle Mongolia. A 938 base pair (bp) long coding region of the MC1R gene was sequenced for three different breeds with different coat colors (Gobi Gurwan Saikhan: complete black, Zalaa Jinstiin Tsagaan: complete white, Mongolian native goat: admixture of different of coat colors). The genotypes of these goats were obtained from analyzing and comparing the sequencing results. Results: A total of seven haplotypes defined by five substitution were identified. The five single nucleotide polymorphisms included two synonymous mutations (c.183C>T and c.489G>A) and three missense (non-synonymous) mutations (c.676A>G, c.748T>G, and c.770T>A). Comparison of genotypes frequencies of two common missense mutions using chi-sqaure ($x^2$) test revealed significant differences between coat color groups (p<0.001). A logistic regression analysis additionally suggested highly significant association between genotypes and variation of black versus white uniform combination. Alternatively, most investigated goats (60.4%) belonged to H2 (TGAGT) haplotype. Conclusion: According to the findings obtained in this study on the investigated coat colors, mutations in MC1R gene may have the crucial role for determining eumelanin and pheomelanin phenotypes. Due to the complication of coat color phenotype, more detailed investigation needed.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2021

The genome sequence of various Flammulina species has recently been reported, thereby revealing a diverse genetic repertoire. In this study, we identified laccase genes and analyzed their structural characteristics in Flammulina elastica (F. elastica) genome. Through genome analysis and bioinformatics approaches, three laccase genes (Fe-lac1, -lac2, and -lac3) were identified, ranging from 1,548 to 1,602 bp in length. These genes contained a copper ion-binding region with ten histidine residues and one cysteine residue and a disulfide bond-forming region with four cysteine residues. Full-length cDNA sequencing analysis revealed that laccase genes contain 12 to 16 introns and signal peptides between 17 and 22 bp in the N-terminus. Structural characterization of the laccase genes identified in this study should help in better understanding the biomass decomposition of F. elastica.