• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.426-431
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• 2015

This study examined the effect of calcium (AC) extracted from salt fermented anchovy Engraulis japonicus on osteoporosis in ovariectomized (OVX) SD female rats. After AC treatment for 8 weeks, the body weight of the OVX-AC group decreased, while the weight of the OVX group (control) increased 43.9%. The blood osteocalcin, calcium, and ALP levels were examined as physiological markers for osteoporosis. The concentrations of all markers were elevated in the OVX-AC group compared to the OVX group. Thus, anchovy calcium is useful as an organic calcium supplement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1036-1046
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• 2015

Extracts from Asian medicinal herbs are known to be successful therapeutic agents against cancer. In this study, the effects of three types of herbal extracts on anti-tumor growth were examined. Among the three types of herbal extracts, H9 showed stronger anti-tumor growth effects than H5 and H11 in vivo. To find the molecular mechanism by which H9 inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cell lines, the levels of apoptotic markers were examined. Proapoptotic markers, including cleaved PARP and cleaved caspases 3 and 9, were increased, whereas the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 was decreased by H9 treatment. Next, the combined effect of H9 with the chemotherapeutic drugs doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) on tumor growth was examined using 4T1-tumor-bearing mice. The combined treatment of H9 with AC did not show additive or synergetic anti-tumor growth effects. However, when tumor-bearing mice were co-treated with H9 and the targeted anti-tumor drug trastuzumab, a delay in tumor growth was observed. The combined treatment of H9 and trastuzumab caused an increase of natural killer (NK) cells and a decrease of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Taken together, H9 induces the apoptotic death of tumor cells while increasing anti-tumor immune activity through the enhancement of NK activity and diminishment of MDSC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.146-146
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• 2017

The pod shattering or dehiscence is essential for the propagation of pod-bearing plant species in the wild, but it causes significant yield losses during harvest of domesticated crop plants. Identifying novel molecular makers, which are linked to seed-shattering genes, is needed to employ the molecular marker-assisted selection for efficiently developing shattering-resistant soybean varieties. In this study, a genetic linkage map was constructed using 115 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) developed from crosses between the pod shattering susceptible variety, Keunol, and resistant variety, Sinpaldal. A 180 K Axiom(R) SoyaSNPs data and pod shattering data from two environments in 2001 and 2015 were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for pod shattering. A major QTL was identified between two flanking single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, AX-90320801 and AX-90306327 on chromosome 16 with 1.3 cM interval, 857 kb of physical range. In sequence, genotype distribution analysis was conducted using extreme phenotype RILs. This could narrow down the QTL down to 153 kb on the physical map and was designated as qPDH1-KS with 6 annotated gene models. All exons within qPDH1-KS were sequenced and the 6 polymorphic SNPs affecting the amino acid sequence were identified. To develop universally available molecular markers, 38 Korean soybean cultivars were investigated by the association study using the 6 identified SNPs. Only two SNPswere strongly associated with the pod shattering. These two identified SNPs will help to identify the pod shattering responsible gene and to develop pod shattering-resistant soybean plants using marker-assisted selection.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.41-41
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• 2014

Agaricus bisporus, commonly known as the button mushroom, is the most widely cultivated species of edible fungi. Low frequency of recombination ratio and homokaryotic or monokaryotic spore on meiotic basidia form obstacles for breeding programs. Since the first hybrid varieties for white button mushrooms were released in Europe, new varieties released afterwards were either identical of very similar to these first hybrids on morphologies. Therefore, different DNA markers have been used to define unique varieties of A. bisporus strains. Aim of this study is to assess the genetic diversity of different A. bisporus strains in Korea. Twelve UFP (Universal fungal primer, JK BioTech. Ltd), 12 simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and 30 SSR primers were used to assess genetic diversity of monokaryotic and dikaryotic Agaricus bisporus strains including other 19 Agaricus spp. Of them, four UFP, four SSR primers, $(GA)_8T$, $(AG)_8YC$, $(GA)_8C$ and $(CTC)_6$ and seven SSR markers produced PCR polymorphic bands between the Agaricus species or within A. bisporus strains. PCR polymorphic bands were inputted for UPGMA cluster analysis. Forty five strains of A. bisporus are genetically clustered into 6 groups, showing coefficient similarity from 0.75 to 0.9 among them. In addition, genetic variations of monokaryotic and dikaryotic Agaricus bisporus strains were partially detected by PCR technologies of this study. The varieties, Saea, saedo, Saejeong and Saeyeon that have recently been developed in Korea were involved in the same group with closely genetic relationship of coefficient similarity over 0.96, whereas, other strains were genetically related to A. bisporus strains that were introduced from USA, Eroupe and Chinese.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.107-116
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• 2019

The global obesity epidemic and associated metabolic diseases require alternative biological targets for new therapeutic strategies. In this study, we show that a phytochemical sulfuretin suppressed adipocyte differentiation of preadipocytes and administration of sulfuretin to high fat diet-fed obese mice prevented obesity and increased insulin sensitivity. These effects were associated with a suppressed expression of inflammatory markers, induced expression of adiponectin, and increased levels of phosphorylated ERK and AKT. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of sulfuretin in adipocytes, we performed microarray analysis and identified activating transcription factor 3 (Atf3) as a sulfuretin-responsive gene. Sulfuretin elevated Atf3 mRNA and protein levels in white adipose tissue and adipocytes. Consistently, deficiency of Atf3 promoted lipid accumulation and the expression of adipocyte markers. Sulfuretin's but not resveratrol's anti-adipogenic effects were diminished in Atf3 deficient cells, indicating that Atf3 is an essential factor in the effects of sulfuretin. These results highlight the usefulness of sulfuretin as a new anti-obesity intervention for the prevention of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

Objectives : This study was conducted to identify the original Sinomini Caulis et Rhizoma plant among Stephania tetrandra, Cocculus trilobus, and Aristolochiae fangchi to develop the genetic marker for Sinomini Caulis et Rhizoma. Methods : Sinomenium acutum was identified by the classification and identification committee of the National Center for Standardization of Herbal Medicines. The chloroplast ndhF gene was amplified. We performed sequences alignment analysis of Sinomenium acutum, Stephania tetrandra, C. trilobus, and A. fangchi using BioEdit program. The SFR markers designed were consisted of SF01, SR04, and SR05 primers. Results : Many variations of Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma are currently commercialized as herbal medicine. We compared the base sequences of the ndhF intergenic space of chloroplast DNA with Sinomenium acutum, Stephania tetrandra, C. trilobus, and A. fangchi. According to the results, it showed that the nucleotide variations were seen in 30 genes of four species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 4 species were classified into five groups based on an inter-group divergence in nucleotide sequence of 9%. We developed SFR marker nucleotides enough to authenticate respective species and confirmed its application on the band size at 419 base pair. These sequence differences at corresponding positions were available genetic markers to identity the Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma. Conclusions : Base on these results, the ndhF region was effective in distinguishing Sinomini Caulis et Rhizoma The SFR genetic marker was useful for identifying Sinomini Caulis et Rhizoma with other species.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2009

In maize, knowledge of genetic diversity and genetic relationships among elite inbred lines is an significant impact on the selection of parental lines for hybrid varieties. Genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 11 parental inbred lines of Korean waxy and normal corn varieties were analyzed using 50 SSR markers distributed over the whole genome. A total of 171 allele bands were detected with an average of 3.4 alleles per locus. Number of allele bands per locus ranged from two to six and gene diversity varied from 0.165 to 0.900 with an average of 0.596 depending on the SSR loci. The cluster tree recognized three major groups with 61.6% genetic similarity. Group I includes 7 inbred lines (KL103, HW1, HW4, HW6, HW7, HW8, HW9), with similarity coefficients of between 0.616 and 0.730. Group II includes 2 inbred lines (HF1, HF2), with similarity coefficients of 0.959. Group III includes 2 inbred lines (HW3, HW5), with similarity coefficients of 0.713. The present study indicates that the SSR markers chosen for this analysis are effective for the assessment of genetic diversity and genetic relationships among 11 parental inbred lines.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), a traditional herbal medicine, has been used to treat a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., paralysis and stroke) and skin problems (e.g., atopic dermatitis and eczema) in oriental medicine. This study was designed to investigate whether GEB extract inhibits melanogenesis activity in murine B16F10 melanoma. MATERIALS/METHOD: Murine B16F10 cells were treated with 0-5 mg/mL of GEB extract or $400{\mu}g/mL$ arbutin (a positive control) for 72 h after treatment with/without 200 nM alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (${\alpha}$-MSH) for 24 h. Melanin concentration, tyrosinase activity, mRNA levels, and protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (Trp)1, and Trp2 were analyzed in ${\alpha}$-MSH-untreated and ${\alpha}$-MSH-treated B16F10 cells. RESULTS: Treatment with 200 nM ${\alpha}$-MSH induced almost 2-fold melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity along with increased mRNA levels and protein expression of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1 and Trp2. Irrespective of ${\alpha}$-MSH stimulation, GEB extract at doses of 0.5-5 mg/mL inhibited all these markers for skin whitening in a dose-dependent manner. While lower doses (0.5-1 mg/mL) of GEB extract generally had a tendency to decrease melanogenesis, tyrosinase activity, and mRNA levels and protein expression of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1, and Trp2, higher doses (2-5 mg/mL) significantly inhibited all these markers in ${\alpha}$-MSH-treated B16F10 cells in a dose-dependent manner. These inhibitory effects of the GEB extract at higher concentrations were similar to those of $400{\mu}g/mL$ arbutin, a well-known depigmenting agent. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that GEB displays dose-dependent inhibition of melanin synthesis through the suppression of tyrosinase activity as well as molecular levels of MITF, tyrosinase, Trp1, and Trp2 in murine B16F10 melanoma. Therefore, GEB may be an effective and natural skin-whitening agent for application in the cosmetic industry.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1225-1229
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• 2008

A total of 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers on bovine chromosome 5 were used for allelic association tests with phenotypic characteristics in Hanwoo. The data analyzed in this study were collected from 326 steers. Chi-square tests were performed to compare the frequencies of individual alleles between the high and the low breeding value groups. The following breeding values were analyzed for QTL effects. The frequency of allele 239 of DIK2828 showed a significant difference between the high and the low breeding value groups in the breeding value of marbling score (MSBV). The allele 279 of BMC1009 was found to show significant differences in allelic distribution for the breeding value of cold carcass weight (CWBV) and the breeding value of backfat thickness (BFBV) and allele 285 showed significant differences in allelic distribution for CWBV, BFBV, and MSBV. The allele 200 of DIK4329 showed significant differences in allelic distributions for the breeding values of longissimus muscle area (LMABV) and BFBV. In this study, we identified the QTL for carcass traits at around 20 (DIK2828), 41 (BMC1009) and 95 (DIK4329) cM in chromosome 5. The results provided a useful reference for further positional candidate gene research and marker-assisted selection for fat metabolism and carcass traits.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2009

To evaluate the involvement of translation initiation factors eIF4E and eIFiso4E in Chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV) infection in pepper, we conducted a genetic analysis using a segregating population derived from a cross between Capsicum annuum 'Dempsey' containing an elF4E mutation ($pvr1^2$) and C. annuum 'Perennial' containing an elFiso4E mutation (pvr6). C. annuum 'Dempsey' was susceptible and C. annuum 'Perennial' was resistant to ChiVMV. All $F_1$ plants showed resistance, and $F_2$ individuals segregated in a resistant-susceptible ratio of 166:21, indicating that many resistance loci were involved. Seventy-five $F_2$ and 329 $F_3$ plants of 17 families were genotyped with $pvr1^2$ and pvr6 allele-specific markers, and the genotype data were compared with observed resistance to viral infection. All plants containing homozygous genotypes of both $pvr1^2$ and pvr6 were resistant to ChiVMV, demonstrating that simultaneous mutations in elF4E and eIFiso4E confer resistance to ChiVMV in pepper. Genotype analysis of $F_2$ plants revealed that all plants containing homozygous genotypes of both $pvr1^2$ and pvr6 showed resistance to ChiVMV. In protein-protein interaction experiments, ChiVMV viral genome-linked protein (VPg) interacted with both eIF4E and eIFiso4E. Silencing of elF4E and eIFiso4E in the VIGS experiment showed reduction in ChiVMV accumulation. These results demonstrated that ChiVMV can use both eIF4E and eIFiso4E for replication, making simultaneous mutations in eIF4E and eIFiso4E necessary to prevent ChiVMV infection in pepper.