The sugar beet cyst nematode (SBCN), Heterodera schachtii is a well known pathogen on Chinese cabbage in thehighland fields of Korea. However, recent reports have shown a coexistence of SBCN with the clover cyst nematode,H. trifolii in Korea. This study aimed at detailing and reviewing morphological and molecular characteristics conceivablyessential in differentiating the two nematode species. A comparison of morphometric measurements of both infective juvenilesand vulval cones of cysts showed significant differences between the two cyst nematodes. Indeed, using assorted cystsfrom field populations for molecular analysis resulted into a mixture of bands after gel electrophoresis, indicating a combinationof the two species. Thus, this study confirms the coexistence of the two species on Chinese cabbage fields in Korea.

Aphidius colemani has been used as commercially available natural enemies for the aphid control. However, some siblingspecies are difficult to distinguish their morphology even though they have different parasitic characteristics. Recentlywe identified overwintering parasitoids inside the aphid mummies at the pepper greenhouse in Yecheon. The nucleotidesequence analysis identified as A. transcaspicus which is morphologically similar with A. colemani. Those genetic differencesof COI and ITS2 sequences were 4.36-4.84% and 2.65-5.84%, respectively. While A. colemani is useful for the controlof Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae, A. transcaspicus parasitize various species belongs to the genera Hyalopterus, Melanaphisand Rhopalosiphum. Thus, precise diagnosis of natural enemies is required for the successful pest control.

Biological activities of bombolitins from Bombus ardens, B. consobrinus, B. terrestris and B. ussurensis (bombolitinsA, C, T and U, respectively) were examined using hemolytic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-tumor activity assays.Among the four bombolitins tested, bombolitin T showed the highest hemolytic and anti-tumor activities. All bombolitinsexhibited strong anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities, and bombolitin A specifically possessed the highest anti-microbialactivity against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. Circular dichroism spectrometry analysis revealed that allfour bombolitins had over 61.7% and 45.5% of α-helicity in 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate and 50% trifluoroethanolbuffers, respectively, which form lipid-membrane-mimicking environments. Bombolitin T showed the lowest IC50 valuesof 8.5 μM and 8.8 μM against SK-OV-3 and NIH-OVCAR-3 cell lines, respectively, after 72 h of treatment, but itsrelative hemolytic activity at a concentration of 200 μM was 2.3-fold higher than that of 0.1% Triton X-100. Thisstudy provides new information on the biological and molecular properties of venom peptides of bumblebees. However,further studies on reducing cytotoxicity of bombolitins are needed for designing selective anti-tumor peptides.

The mosquito is a dangerous disease vector, which transfers various diseases like dengue virus, Zika virus and malaria.This study used an alternative way of mosquito repellent agents rather than chemical repellents such as DEET. We haveemployed a novel emitters of ultra-sonic sounds, which showed repellent effects to mosquito behaviors that avoid ultra-sonicsounds. Using NGS analysis after ultrasonic treatment, we found that some subsets of sensory and other related geneswere affected, indicating that ultrasonic sounds affects gene expression associated with host finding behaviors in Aedesaegypti. Additionally, we performed electrophysiological recording and behavior assay testing repellency in a chamberin Culex pipiens, which is the most common species in Korea.

Molecular genetic approaches have advantages in investigating various physiological aspects of mushrooms. We have been engaged in developing genetic transformation system mainly in wood rot mushrooms. In this presentation, our recent trials to accelerate mushroom science beyond the post-genomic era will be presented. They include development of research tools both in forward and reverse genetics; a transfection system and its utilization in gene expression signal analysis in the selective white rot fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, multiple gene targeting system in Pleurotus ostreatus and Coprinopsis cinerea, which was used to do knock-out or knock-in of reporter constructs on the chromosome of these fungi, and a “powered” forward genetics combined with genome information was used to identify new gene responsible for lignin-degradation in P. ostreatus. They may contribute to elucidate uncovered molecular mechanisms in unique processes in the mushrooms and to make them as a new industrial tool in the next era. Furthermore, our recent results in on-going genome editing experiments will be also reported.

소수성 유기실리콘 그룹에 친수성 극성 그룹이 결합되어 있는 유기실리콘 계면활성제는 유 기실리콘의 독특한 특성으로 인하여 낮은 계면장력, 윤활성, 퍼짐성, 발수성, 열 안정성, 화학적 안정성 때문에 폴리우레탄 폼, 건설재료, 화장품, 페인트잉크, 농약 등 많은 산업분야에 사용되고 있다. 특히 소수기로 저분자 실록산을 가지고 있는 유기실리콘 계면활성제는 낮은 표면장력과 우수한 습윤/퍼짐성 때문에 super wetter/super spreader로서 활용되고 있으나 가수분해가 되는 취약한 단점도 가지고 있다. 저분자 실록산 계면활성제의 기능향상과 단점개선 등 응용분야에서의 요구사항을 반영하기 위하여 다양 한 화학구조를 가진 저분자 실록산 계면활성제들이 개발되고 있다. 본 총설에서는 반응성 테트라실록산 과 다이실록산의 합성방법, 반응성 테트라실록산 또는 다이실록산을 친수성 그룹과 결합시키는 규소수소 화반응 같은 주요 합성방법, 그리고 폴리에테르, 카보하이드레이트, 제미니, 볼라 타입 등 구조를 가지는 테트라실록산 계면활성제와 다이실록산 계면활성제들의 합성방법을 논의한다.

오리엔탈과실파리(Bactrocera dorsalis)는 주요 검역 대상으로 지정된 해충이다. 이 해충에 대한 고감도 모니터링과 진단 기술이 초기 방역 처리에 요구된다. 본 연구는 오리엔탈과실파리를 유인하여 치사시킬 목적으로 메틸유제놀과 생물농약을 혼합한 왁스형 방출기를 제작하였다. 본 연구는 또한 5종의 주요 검역 과실파리(오리엔탈과실파리, 오이과실파리, 퀸즐랜드과실파리, 말레이시아과실파리, 지중해과실파리)에 대한 PCR 진단프라이머를 개발하였다. 이상의 모니터링용 왁스방출기과 분자진단기술을 말레이시아 코타키나발루 지역에서 실증 시험하였다.

The mushroom species Cordyceps militaris has been studied and cultivated as a medicinal mushroom due to its multiple valuable biological and pharmaceutical activities. For breeding new strains of C. militaris, multiplex PCR assays were performed using primers specific for its mating type genes, MAT1-1 and MAT1-2. Mating types and mating status were confirmed, as evidenced by DNA bands at 233-bp and 191-bp for MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 respectively. The novel 'Dowonhongcho 2ho’ was developed through mating; they were found to possess high-quality fruiting bodies when grown in artificial media. The stromata of the new strain were club-shaped, with a bright orange-red color, and measured 7.1 cm in length. They had an average cordycepin content of 0.33%. Compared to 'Dowonhongcho,' the new strain had a 7% higher yield, as well as firm fruiting bodies. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth was 20~25°C, and the optimum temperature for stroma development was 18~22 °C. The fruiting bodies developed after 49.1 days from inoculation. The use of mating type molecular markers improved the breeding efficiency of the new strain 'Dowonhongcho 2ho.’ Thus, they may be valuable for artificial cultivation and industrial-scale production of C. militaris with excellent characteristics.

연료전지용 전해질막의 성능에 있어서 가장 중요한 요소는 수소이온이 전해질막 내부에 형성된 수화채널을 따라 서 얼마나 빨리 전달될 수 있느냐이다. 여기에는 수화채널의 모폴로지 및 수소이온의 확산도 등이 매우 중요한 요소가 되는 데, 이를 규명하기 위하여 다양한 분자동역학 전산모사 연구가 진행되고 있다. 분자동역학 계산에 있어서 각 원자의 움직임 및 상호작용을 미리 변수화 시켜 놓은 force-field는 필수 요소 중 하나로서, 본 연구에서는 이러한 force-field의 종류가 전해 질막 전산모사에 미치는 영향을 분석하기 위하여, 다양한 force-field를 이용하여 연료전지용 전해질막의 수소이온 확산도를 계산하였다. 이 과정에서 non-bonding interaction을 결정하는 전하 값이 수화채널 모폴로지 형성에 매우 중요한 역할을 한다 는 것이 밝혀졌으며, COMPASS force-field가 가장 정확한 수소이온 확산도 값을 얻음으로써 연료전지용 전해질막의 전산모 사에 있어서 가장 적절한 force-field일 것으로 판단된다. 이러한 force-field의 적절한 선정은 최종 분자 구조 뿐만 아니라 수 소이온 확산도에도 큰 영향을 주는 것을 알 수 있었으며, 연료전지용 전해질막 전산모사 수행 시에는 이러한 부분을 충분히 감안하여 force-field를 선택하여야 할 것이다.

For preliminary molecular typing, PCR-based fingerprinting using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is the method of choice. In this study, 14 bacterial strains were isolated from different Korean food sources, identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and characterized through RAPD-PCR. Two PCR primers (239 and KAY3) generated a total of 130 RAPD bands, 14 distinct PCR profiles, 10 polymorphic bands, one monomorphic band, and four unique bands. Dendrogram-based analysis with primer 239 showed that all 14 strains could be divided into seven clades out of which clade VII had the maximum of seven. In contrast, dendrogram analysis with the primer KAY3 divided the 14 L. citreum strains into four clades out of which clade IV consisted of a maximum of 10 strains out of 14. This research identified and characterized bacterial populations associated with different Korean foods. The proposed RAPD-PCR method, based on sequence amplification, could easily identify and discriminate the lactic acid bacteria species at the strain-specific level and could be used as a highly reliable genomic fingerprinting tool.

For preliminary molecular typing, PCR-based fingerprinting using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is the method of choice. In this study, 14 bacterial strains were isolated from different Korean food sources, identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and characterized through RAPD-PCR. Two PCR primers (239 and KAY3) generated a total of 130 RAPD bands, 14 distinct PCR profiles, 10 polymorphic bands, one monomorphic band, and four unique bands. Dendrogram-based analysis with primer 239 showed that all 14 strains could be divided into seven clades out of which clade VII had the maximum of seven. In contrast, dendrogram analysis with the primer KAY3 divided the 14 L. citreum strains into four clades out of which clade IV consisted of a maximum of 10 strains out of 14. This research identified and characterized bacterial populations associated with different Korean foods. The proposed RAPD-PCR method, based on sequence amplification, could easily identify and discriminate the lactic acid bacteria species at the strain-specific level and could be used as a highly reliable genomic fingerprinting tool.

Imidazolium group을 도입한 Poly (ether ether ketone)(PEEK)를 합성하였다. 합성된 고분자를 필름으로 제조해 기체 특성평가를 진행하였다. 결과로 Diffusivity, Solubility, Permeability를 구하였다. 실험을 통해 얻은 결과 값들을 이론상의 결과와 비교하기 위하여 Molecular Dynamics simulation을 다루어 비교 분석을 하였다. 본 실험에서는 MD simulation을 이용해 cell을 modeling하는 작업을 중심적으로 나타내었다.

증류에 의한 올레핀/파라핀 분리는 끓는점이 유사하여 에너지 소모가 높기 때문에, 분리막을 이용한 연구가 많이 진행 중이다. 특히 CMS 분리막은 sieving separation에 의한 투과/분리 성능이 우수하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 중공사형 α-alumina 지지체에 γ-alumina 중간층을 형성한 후 Matrimid로 코팅하여 열분해함으로써 높은 기계적 강도와 충진 밀도를 갖는 중공사형 CMS 복합막을 제조하였다. 제조된 CMS 분리막은 20 - 35 GPU 프로필렌 투과도와 10 이상의 프로필렌/프로판 분리도를 보였다. 이 연구는 2014년 정부(미래창조과학부)의 재원으로 국가과학 기술연구회 융합연구단 사업(No. CRC-14-01-KRICT)의 지원을 받아 수행된 연구입니다.

Fermented food consists of a variety of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that are also used in the industry as starter cultures. This genus comprises of different species that find importance as a preservatives in food like meat and sausages. Likewise, Lactobacillus brevis has been recognized as GRAS and is a potential probiotic strain extensively being used on an industrial scale. Since such bacteria are directly related to human health, there has been a need to identify and characterize them on the molecular level. In this study, LAB was identified and characterized from various fermented food samples available in South Korea. Two types to PCR-based molecular typing methods were used to analyze the 13 Lactobacillus brevis isolates, of which one was based on difference in the banding patterns originated on agarose gel and the other was related to the sequence analyses of various housekeeping genes in the particular strain. The former rep-PCR technique used three primers namely, REP, ERIC and (GTG)5 that amplified repetitive sequences in the genome and provided characteristic fingerprint profile for each isolate. This clustered the strains in 3 groups with the help of UPGMA method of clustering distinguishing between closely related strains. However, the latter multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) technique provided definite identification of the strains. A set of 7 housekeeping genes were determined as groEL, gyrB, rpoA, rpoB, pheS, recA and dnaK. These genes were amplified and sequenced and were subjected to comparative analysis. Discrete allelic profiles and 13 sequence types (STs) were resolved and minimum spanning tree (MST) was constructed, revealing the genetic relatedness among the isolates. On comparing the results from both the techniques, MLST proved to generate accurate and precise fingerprints owing to the sequence analysis of conserved genes thus providing a scope for research in the monitoring related species.

In the present study, a severe outbreak of Sclerotium rot on Korean melon(Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa Makino) observed in Jinju, Korea in August of 2014 and 2015 is reported. The fruit rot disease on the surface of Korean melon fruit appeared as water soaked lesion followed by the development of large rotten areas with abundant white mycelial growth. Abundant white mycelial mats with globoid and white to brown sclerotia(1-3 mm) were also developed on stems near the soil line, and infected plants withered. The fungal pathogen was isolated on potato dextrose agar(PDA) and formed white colonies with numerous sclerotia on PDA. The sclerotia were globoid in shape, 1-3 mm in size, and white to brown in color. The mycelium formed typical clamp connection. These measurements and taxonomic characteristics were most similar to those of Sclerotium. DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the complete internal transcribed spacer rRNA gene region confirmed that the fungal isolates were Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo. Koch’s postulates were supported by pathogenicity tests conducted on fruit. Based on mycological characteristics, pathogenicity tests, and molecular identification, the fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a Sclerotium rot caused by S. rolfsii on Korean melon in Korea.