• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1680-1687
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• 2020

Fungal endophytes are symbiotic microorganisms that are often found in asymptomatic plants. This study describes the genetic diversity of the fungal endophytes isolated from the roots of plants sampled from the west coast of Korea. Five halophytic plant species, Limonium tetragonum, Suaeda australis, Suaeda maritima, Suaeda glauca Bunge, and Phragmites australis, were collected from a salt marsh in Gochang and used to isolate and identify culturable, root-associated endophytic fungi. The fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 was used as the DNA barcode for the classification of these specimens. In total, 156 isolates of the fungal strains were identified and categorized into 23 genera and two phyla (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), with Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes as the predominant classes. The genus Alternaria accounted for the largest number of strains, followed by Cladosporium and Fusarium. The highest diversity index was obtained from the endophytic fungal group associated with the plant P. australis. Waito-C rice seedlings were treated with the fungal culture filtrates to analyze their plant growth-promoting capacity. A bioassay of the Sm-3-7-5 fungal strain isolated from S. maritima confirmed that it had the highest plant growth-promoting capacity. Molecular identification of the Sm-3-7-5 strain revealed that it belongs to Alternaria alternata and is a producer of gibberellins. These findings provided a fundamental basis for understanding the symbiotic interactions between plants and fungi.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2000

Although most persons infected with Helicobacter pylori harbor a single strain of the organism, multiple strain colonization in the same patient is also occasionally reported in developed countries. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of multiple strain colonization in Korean patients and to detect the cagA, iceA1, and babA status of H. pylori isolated from the antrum and body of the stomach. H. pylori was obtained from 35 patients from the antrum and body of the stomach. The genomic diversity of H. pylori was determined by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. The status of cagA, iceA1, and babA genes of H. pylori was assessed by polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers. Clearly different diversity patterns were identified among the isolates from 35 individual patients. Eighteen (51.4%) patients had a single strain of H. pylori. Eight (22.9%) and nine (25.7%) patients had subtypically (one or two bands difference) and typically (clearly different pattern) different strains of H. pylori in the antrum and body, respectively. Among the 70 isolates of H. pylori from 35 patients, the positive rates of 349-bp and 208-bp cagA gene fragments and the iceA1 gene were 68/70 (97.1%), 68/70 (97.1%), and 58/70 (82.9%), respectively. However, the babA gene was found in 22/66 cases (31.4%). In five out of 18 patients with a single strain, the genetic status of cagA, iceA1, and babA varied between the isolates from the antrum and the body. In 8/17 patients with sub typically or typically different strains, the gene status differed between antrum and body isolates. The prevalence of co-colonization with typically or subtypically different strains is high in Korea, and sub-clones with different pathogenic gene status exist within strains of identical RAPD patterns.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2007

In order to search for specific genotypes related to this unique phenotype, we used whole genomic DNA microarray to characterize the genomic diversity of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains isolated from clinical patients in China. The open reading frame (ORF) fragments on our microarray were generated by PCR using gene-specific primers. Genomic DNA of H. pylori 26695 and J99 were used as templates. Thirty-four H. pylori isolates were obtained from patients in Shanghai. Results were judged based on In(x) transformed and normalized Cy3/Cy5 ratios. Our microarray included 1882 DNA fragments corresponding to 1636 ORFs of both sequenced H. pylori strains. Cluster analysis, revealed two diverse regions in the H. pylori genome that were not present in other isolates. Among the 1636 genes, 1091 (66.7%) were common to all H. pylori strains, representing the functional core of the genome. Most of the genes found in the H. pylori functional core were responsible for metabolism, cellular processes, transcription and biosynthesis of amino acids, functions that are essential to H. pylori's growth and colonization in its host. In contrast, 522 (31.9%) genes were strain-specific genes that were missing from at least one strain of H. pylori. Strain-specific genes primarily included restriction modification system components, transposase genes, hypothetical proteins and outer membrane proteins. These strain-specific genes may aid the bacteria under specific circumstances during their long-term infection in genetically diverse hosts. Our results suggest 34 H. pylori clinical strains have extensive genomic diversity. Core genes and strain-specific genes both play essential roles in H. pylori propagation and pathogenesis. Our microarray experiment may help select relatively significant genes for further research on the pathogenicity of H. pylori and development of a vaccine for H. pylori.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1355-1359
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• 2004

Japanese Black cattle of Hyogo prefecture (Tajima strain) are famous for its ability to produce high-quality meat and have been maintained as a closed system for more than 80 years. In order to assess the usefulness of microsatellite markers in closed cattle populations, and evaluate the genetic structure of the Tajima strain, we analyzed representative dams of the Tajima strain comprised of the substrains Nakadoi and Kinosaki. Genetic variability analyses indicated low genetic diversity in the Tajima strain. In addition, a recent genetic bottleneck, which could be accounted for by the high level of inbreeding, was detected in both substrains. In phylogenetic analyses, relationship coefficients and genetic distances between individuals were calculated using pedigree and microsatellite information. Two phylogenetic trees were constructed from microsatellite and pedigree information using the UPGMA method. Both trees illustrated that most individuals were distinguished clearly on the basis of the two substrains, although in the microsatellite tree some individuals appeared in clusters of different substrains. Comparing the two phylogenetic trees revealed good consistency between the microsatellite analysis tree and the pedigree information. The correlation coefficient between genetic distances derived from microsatellite and pedigree information was 0.686 with a high significance level (p<0.001). These results indicated that microsatellite information may provide data substantially equivalent to pedigree information even in unusually inbred herds of cattle, and suggested that microsatellite markers may be useful in revealing genetic structure without accurate or complete pedigree nformation. Japanese Black cattle of Hyogo prefecture (Tajima strain) are famous for its ability to produce high-quality meat and have been maintained as a closed system for more than 80 years. In order to assess the usefulness of microsatellite markers in closed cattle populations, and evaluate the genetic structure of the Tajima strain, we analyzed representative dams of the Tajima strain comprised of the substrains Nakadoi and Kinosaki. Genetic variability analyses indicated low genetic diversity in the Tajima strain. In addition, a recent genetic bottleneck, which could be accounted for by the high level of inbreeding, was detected in both substrains. In phylogenetic analyses, relationship coefficients and genetic distances between individuals were calculated using pedigree and microsatellite information. Two phylogenetic trees were constructed from microsatellite and pedigree information using the UPGMA method. Both trees illustrated that most individuals were distinguished clearly on the basis of the two substrains, although in the microsatellite tree some individuals appeared in clusters of different substrains. Comparing the two phylogenetic trees revealed good consistency between the microsatellite analysis tree and the pedigree information. The correlation coefficient between genetic distances derived from microsatellite and pedigree information was 0.686 with a high significance level (p<0.001). These results indicated that microsatellite information may provide data substantially equivalent to pedigree information even in unusually inbred herds of cattle, and suggested that microsatellite markers may be useful in revealing genetic structure without accurate or complete pedigree information.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.295-298
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• 2012

Genetic diversity among Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum isolates from Prunus mume in Korea and Japan was investigated by comparative sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The strains included 24 field isolates recovered from P. mume in Korea along with seven Japanese strains. Two strains isolated from P. salicina in Japan, one strain from P. avium in the United Kingdom, and the pathotype strain were also used for comparison with their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences were sequenced in all 35 strains, and three sequence types, designated types I, II and III, were identified. Eleven strains consisting of five Korean isolates, five Japanese strains, and one strain from the United Kingdom belonged to type I, whereas the pathotype strain and another 19 Korean isolates belonged to type III. Another four Japanese strains belonged to type II. Type I showed 98.9% sequence homology with type III. Type I and II had only two heterogeneous bases. The 16S rRNA sequence types were correlated with the races of P. syringae pv. morsprunorum. Type I and II strains belonged to race 1, whereas type III isolates were included in race 2. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene from P. syringae pv. morsprunorum were useful in identifying the races and can further be used for epidemiological surveillance of this pathogen.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.204-209
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• 2020

In 2019, as a subset study to discover indigenous yeast species in Korea, a total of 20 yeast species were isolated from soil samples collected in Pochoen-si. Among them, eight strains were unreported species. From the high 26S rRNA gene sequence similarity and formation of a robust phylogenetic clade with the closest species, it was determined that each strain belonged to independent and predefined yeast species. The 20 strains were assigned to the genera Aureobasidium (1 strain) and Meyerozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Ascomycota and Cystofilobasidium (2 strains), Filobasidium (1 strain), Naganishia (2 strains), Bullera (3 strains), Leucosporidium (9 strains) and Sampaiozyma (1 strain) of the phylum Basidiomycota. There is no official report of the following species in Korea: Leucosporidium creatinivorum (4 strains), Leucosporidium escuderoi(2 strains), Leucosporidium golubevii(1 strain) and Leucosporidium intermedium (2 strains). Basic biochemical characteristics, colony and cell morphology are also described in the species description section.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.519-532
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• 1999

Helicobacter pylori is a causative agent of type B gastritis and plays a central role in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal ulcer and gastric cancer. To elucidate the host-parasite relationship of the H. pylori infection on the basis of molecular biology, we tried to evaluate the genomic diversity of H. pylori. An ordered overlapping bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of a Korean isolate, H. pylori 51 was constructed to set up a genomic map. A circular physical map was constructed by aligning ApaI, NotI and SfiI-digested chromosomal DNA. When the physical map of H. pylori 51 was compared to that of unrelated strain, H. pylori 26695, completely different restriction patterns were shown. Fifteen known genes were mapped on the chromosome of H. pylori 51 and the genetic map was compared with those of strain 26695 and J99, of which the entire genomic sequences were reported. There were some variability in the gene location as well as gene order among three strains. For further analysis on the genomic diversity of H. pylori, when comparing the genomic structure of 150 H. pylori Korean isolates with one another, genomic macrodiversity of H. pylori was characterized by several features: whether or not susceptible to restriction digestion of the chromsome, variation in chromosomal restriction fingerprint and/or high frequency of gene rearrangement. We also examined the extent of allelic variation in nucleotide or deduced amino acid sequences at the individual gene level. fucT, cagA and vacA were confirmed to carry regions of high variation in nucleotide sequence among strains. The plasticity zone and strain-specific genes of H. pylori 51 were analyzed and compared with the former two genomic sequences. It should be noted that the H. pylori 51-specific sequences were dispersed on the chromosome, not congregated in the plasticity zone unlike J99- or 26695-specific genes, suggesting the high frequency of gene rearrangement in H. pylori genome. The genome of H. pylori 51 shows differences in the overall genomic organization, gene order, and even in the nucleotide sequences among the H. pylori strains, which are far greater than the differences reported on the genomic diversity of H. pylori.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 1997

Genetic diversity of forty-four strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria from diverse geographic origins was investigated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) of genomic DNA. One hundred and thirty-seven amplified fragments were produced by polymerase chain reaction with a set of 14 random primers, and the sizes of amplified DNA fragments ranged approximately from 0.3 to 3.2 kb. Cluster analysis of genetic similarity among the strains generated the dendrogram that clearly separated all strains from each other. The 44 strains of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria were classified into 4 major genomic DNA RAPD groups and 15 subgroups at the genetic similarity of 0.60 and 0.92, respectively. The strains from foreign countries formed discrete subgroups, but the United States strain 87-77 clustered closely with some of Korean strains together. Thirty-nine Korean strains were classified into 11 subgroups, and especially Masan strain Ms93-1 clustered distinctly far from the other Korean strains. RAPD polymorphism suggests strongly the occurrence of genetic differentiation of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria and the existence of genetically distinctive subgroups among the populations in Korea.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2002

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is a recently developed PCR-based high resolution fingerprinting method that is able to generate complex banding patterns which can be used to delineate intraspecific genetic relationships among bacteria. In this study, we have modified and evaluated a PCR-based technique, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis, for use in fingerprinting strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) analysis was used to perform strain identification of Staphylococus aureus. By careful selection of AFLP primers, it was possible to obtain reproducible and sensitive identification to strain level. AFLP fingerprinting of 5 reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 65 strains of Staphylococcus aureus that were isolated from food sources of different area and diverse genomic types of Staphylococcus aureus were recognized. As a result of this study, we found that the AFLP patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Seoul, Taejeon and Gwang-Ju indicated the close relation with genetic similarity. The main purpose of this study was to find an alternative and reliable fingerprinting method to study the overall genetic diversity, using Staphylococcus aureus species as an example, and observed if the method can be successfully applied to all staphylococcal species.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.102-111
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• 2016

Olive culture is very important in the Mediterranean Basin. A severe outbreak of Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) caused by Xylella fastidiosa infection was first noticed in 2013 on olive trees in the southern part of Apulia region (Lecce province, southern Italy). Studies were carried out for detection and diversity evaluation of the Apulian strain of Xylella fastidiosa. The presence of the pathogen in olive samples was detected by PCR amplifying the 16S rDNA, gyrase B subunit (gyrB) and HL hypothetical protein genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) assessment was performed to genotype X. fastidiosa. Twelve SNPs were recorded over gyrB and six SNPs were found for HL gene. Less variations were detected on 16S rDNA gene. Only gyrB and HL provided sufficient information for dividing the Apulian X. fastidiosa olive strains into subspecies. Using HL nucleotide sequences was possible to separate X. fastidiosa into subspecies pauca and fastidiosa. Whereas, nucleotide variation present on gyrB gene allowed separation of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca from the other subspecies multiplex and fastidiosa. The X. fastidiosa strain from Apulia region was included into the subspecies pauca based on three genes phylogenetic analyses.