• Development and Reproduction
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.119-132
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• 2018

GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) is a supreme hormone regulating reproductive activity in most animals. The sequences of amino acid and nucleic acid of GnRH reported up to now are examined from the evolutionary framework of Chordata. All identified GnRH are classified into GnRH1, GnRH2, or GnRH3. In all three forms of GnRH both N-terminal and C-terminal are conserved, which allows for effective binding to their receptors. The three amino acids in the middle of GnRH1 sequence have altered diversely from the primitive Chordata, which is indicative of the adaptation process to the ambient environment. GnRH2 and GnRH3 sequences are well conserved. There are more diverse modifications in the nucleic acids than in amino acid sequence of GnRH1. These variations can result from meiosis, mutation, or epigenetics and indicate that GnRH is the product of natural selection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.493-503
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• 2015

Species composition and bycatch rate of the catches by dredge with bycatch reduction device to reduce bycatch were estimated around Yeongil Bay, Korea at June, 2015. Total catches were collected 31 species as Chordata 10 species, mollusca 8 species, arthropoda 6 species, echinodermata 5 species, sipunculida 1 species, annelida 1 species during the experiment at the Yeongil Bay. The dominant species were Scapharca broughtonii, Callithaca adamsi, and Atrina pectinata and they reached 79.9% of the total catch. The catch rate of Scapharca broughtonii and Callithaca adamsi was 69.6% and 10.4% respectively. The rate of bycatch was 20.1%, consisted with Echinodemata 13.0%, Chordata 3.6%. The catch of ordinary dredge was 27 species 1,307 number 85,052g and that of dredge with escapement device was 21 species 1,690 number 91,648g. In conclusion, the dredge gear with bycatch reduction device has higher catch rate of target species and lower bycatch rate to non-target species than ordinary one.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.261-263
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• 2002

The presence of retinals (retinal and 3,4-didehydroretinal) has been known in the eggs of wide range of oviparous vertebrates, but the biological significance of the egg retinals has yet to be clarified. We here show that retinals are the major components of retinoids in the eggs of all species of chordate animals we examined. The egg retinals were commonly bound to egg yolk proteins, the storage proteins, via a Schiff base linkage. The Schiff base linkage, which protects the reactive aldehyde group, would negate the toxicity of aldehyde, and enable to accumulate much amount of retinals. The retinals in chordate eggs are considered to be the precursor of functional retinoids, such as photoreceptive pigment chromophores and retinoic acid, during development. The results of the present research strongly suggest that retinals in the eggs of oviparous chordates are the common and essential mode of retinoid storage.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.105-107
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• 2000

Cytogenetic features of three ascidian species were studied with specimens obtained from Korean coastal areas. The gonadal tissue was processed in order to obtain mitotic and meiotic chromosomes. The chromosome numbers of Amaroucium pliciferum turned out to be 2n=26 and n=l3 with 2sm, 3st, 8t and Halocynthia roretzi to be 2n=16 and n=8 with 6m, 2t. Diploid number of chromosomes in Dendrodoa aggregata was 64 with 32t. The karyotypes of these Korean ascidians were reported for the first time.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2023

Two pelagic thaliacean tunicates, Pyrosoma atlanticum and Cyclosalpa quadriluminis, with bioluminescent organ, were collected from Jejudo Island and Korea Strait. In this study, the Pyrosomatida, which is holoplanktonic colonial tunicate with ascidiozooids embedded in a common test, and to which P. atlanticum belongs, is reported for the first time in Korea. The Cyclosalpa in the Salpida has a bar-shaped alimentary canal beside the branchial bar in both oozooids and blastozooids. Cyclosalpa quadriluminis is added to make Cyclosalpa species in Korea from four to five (C. affinis, C. bakeri, C. polae, C. sewelli, and C. quadriluminis). As a result of this study, 27 species of thaliaceans have been reported from Korea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.59-75
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• 2012

The species composition of plankton is essential to understand the material and energy cycling within marine ecosystem. It also provides the useful information for understanding the properties of marine environments due to its sensitivity to the physicochemical characteristics and variability of water masses. In this study we adopted metagenomics to evaluate eukaryotic plankton species diversity from coastal waters off Busan. Characteristics of water masses at sampling sites is expected to be very complex due to the mixing of various water masses; Nakdong River runoff, Changjiang diluted water (CDW), South Sea coastal water, and Tsushima warm current. 18S rDNA clone libraries were constructed from surface waters at the three sites off Busan. Clone libraries revealed 94 unique phylotypes from 370 clones; Dinophyceae(42 phylotypes), Ciliophora(15 phylotypes), Bacillariophyta(7 phylotypes), Chlorophyta(2 phylotypes), Haptophyceae(1 phylotype), Metazoa(Arthropoda( 17 phylotypes), Chaetognatha(1 phylotypes), Cnidaria(2 phylotypes), Chordata(1 phylotype)), Rhizaria (Acantharea(2 phylotypes), Polycystinea(1 phylotype)), Telonemida(1 phylotype), Fungi(2 phylotypes). The difference in species diversity at the closely located three sites off Busan may be attributed to the various physicochemical properties of water masses at these sites by the mixture of water masses of various origins. Metagenomic study of species composition may provide useful information for understanding marine ecosystem of coastal waters with various physicochemical properties in the near feature.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.359-363
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• 1999

Urochordates, the most primitive group in phylum Chordata, are mostly sessile as adults although some are free living. Presently, the ancestral stock of urochordates as weir as chordates has been the focus of interest and two conflicting hypotheses have been presented. A free swimming ancestor is one and a sessile, filter feeding ancestor is the other. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships within the urochordates, 22 urochordates and five others as outgroups were used. And we applied neighbor joining, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony methods to partial 18S rDNA sequences. The inferred phylogeny in all analyses indicates that order Aplousobranchia of class Ascidiacea appears to be the most ancestral group among urochordates. But it is not clear for the low bootstrap value. The remaining two orders of ascidians, Phlebobranchia and Stolidobranchia, form monophyletic groups respectively, which are well supported by high bootstrap values. These two orders are closer to classes of Thaliacea and Appendicularia than to the Aplousobranchia. While class Appendicularia is strongly supported by the monophyletic group, the phylogenetic position of class Thaliacea is unclear in this study.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.102-105
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• 2012

Marine organism extracts were prepared from 26 species of Korean indigenous marine organisms, including 25 species belonging in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria and a species belonging to subphylum Urochordata of phylum Chordata, and screened their inhibitory effects against ${\mu}$-calpain. As a result, the thirteen extracts were found to be active in the criteria of $IC_{50}$ < 100 ${\mu}g/ml$. Among them, the MeOH extracts of Plexauroides praelonga and Alveopora japonica showed remarkable ${\mu}$-calpain inhibitory activity with $IC_{50}$ values of $4.62{\pm}0.22$ and $4.82{\pm}0.07{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In addition, chemical investigation of A. japonica led to the isolation of an active compound, hexadecyl tetradecanoate, as a selective cathepsin B inhibitor ($IC_{50}=9.05{\pm}2.45{\mu}M$). This compound was isolated as constituent of A. japonica for the first time in the present study.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.115-120
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• 2001

We came to the conclusion after considering all of information from many kinds of books on the Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor. The result were as follows: 1. Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is originated from the bufonidae of caudata of amphibia of chordata. 2. The form of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is obese, about 12 centimeter long and the color of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is dark brown, black. 3. The charateristics and the tastes of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is cold and spicy and the Guigyung of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is heart and stomach. 4. The significant gredient of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is Bufagin, Steroids, Cinobufotoxin, ${\beta}$-sitosterol, Bufothionine, Bufotenidine, Bufo tenine, Bufalin, Butotalidin Hellebrigenin, Bufochrome. 5. The efficacy of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is pajinggyunhyul(破懲堅血), salgamjok(殺疳積), taehuyol(退虛熱), etc. 6. In direction of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor, one time dosage is 2-3 gram in internal medicine, in external medicine dosage depends on the width. 7. Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor should be cautious in use those who is pregnant, have heart disease, gastritis, gastric ulcer. 8. The side effect of Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor is nausea, vomiting, abdomen discomfort, diarrhea, palpitation, headache, lethargy, etc. 9. Bufobufo gargarizans Cantor could be use in hepatoma, esophgeal cancer, stomach cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer and leukemia.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 2021

The ascidian Halocynthia aurantium (sea peach), a marine invertebrate, belongs to the same genus of the phylum Chordata along with the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi (sea pineapple), which is one of the model animals in the field of developmental biology. The characteristics of development and reproduction of H. aurantium are not yet known in detail. In order to find out the spawning period of H. aurantium, we investigated development of the gonads during the annual reproductive cycle. Testis and ovary were both in the bisexual gonads (ovotestes) of H. aurantium, which is a hermaphrodite like H. roretzi. In H. aurantium, the right gonad was longer and slightly larger than the left gonad throughout the year. In each gonad, the number of the testis gonoducts was slightly higher than that of the ovary gonoducts. These features were similarly observed in H. roretzi. However, the number of the testis gonoducts and the ovary gonoducts in each gonad of H. aurantium was about half that of H. roretzi. The gonads of H. aurantium contracted during the winter and summer seasons. The gonads decreased to the smallest size around February, and then started to increase again in March. The gonads were most developed in September of the year. Therefore, it is estimated that the spawning of H. aurantium begins around this period.