• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.208-214
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• 1995

The effects of various 2, 4-D-degradative plasmids on the axenic growth patterns, the degradation phenotypes, and the competitiveness of different host bacteria were evaluated in liquid cultures; the organisms and plasmids used were Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134/pJP4, Alcaligenes paradoxus/p2811, Pseudomonas pickettii/p712, pJP4, and p712 or p 2811 exhibited very different restriction fragment profiles in restriction endonuclease digests. These plasmids were transferred to the recipients (P. cepacia and Alcaligenes JMP228) at relatively high frequencies ranging from 8.9 $\times$ 10$^3$ to 1.6 $\times$ 10$^5$ per donar cell. In the axenic liquid cultures the fast-growing strains, such as P. pseudomallei/p745 and P. cepacia/pJP4, exhibited short lag periods, high specific growth rates, and high relative fitness coefficients, while the slow-growing strains, such as P. pickettii/p712 and A. paradoxus/p2811, had long lag periods, low specific growth rates, and low relative fitness coefficients. Depending on the type of plasmid containing the genes for the 2, 4-D pathway, some transconjugants exhibited intermediate grwoth patterns between the fast-growing strains and the slow-growing strains. The plasmid and plasmid-host interactions determined specific growth rate and lag time, respectively, which were shown to be principal determinants of competitiveness among the strains, but relative fitness coefficient derived from the axenic culture was not always predictive for the mixed culture condition.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권6호
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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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• 제33권11호
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• pp.1420-1427
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• 2023

The forkhead domain genes are important for development and morphogenesis in fungi. Six forkhead genes fkhA-fkhF have been found in the genome of the model filamentous Ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. To identify the fkh gene(s) associated with fungal development, we examined mRNA levels of these six genes and found that the level of fkhB and fkhD mRNA was significantly elevated during asexual development and in conidia. To investigate the roles of FkhB and FkhD, we generated fkhB and fkhD deletion mutants and complemented strains and investigated their phenotypes. The deletion of fkhB, but not fkhD, affected fungal growth and both sexual and asexual development. The fkhB deletion mutant exhibited decreased colony size with distinctly pigmented (reddish) asexual spores and a significantly lower number of conidia compared with these features in the wild type (WT), although the level of sterigmatocystin was unaffected by the absence of fkhB. Furthermore, the fkhB deletion mutant produced sexual fruiting bodies (cleistothecia) smaller than those of WT, implying that the fkhB gene is involved in both asexual and sexual development. In addition, fkhB deletion reduced fungal tolerance to heat stress and decreased trehalose accumulation in conidia. Overall, these results suggest that fkhB plays a key role in proper fungal growth, development, and conidial stress tolerance in A. nidulans.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.653-660
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• 2002

소의 흰 반점 관련 후보유전자로 c-KIT receptor 유전자를 선정하여, c-KIT receptor 유전자내의 변이를 탐색하고 변이가 흰반점 표현형과 연관성이 있는지를 분석하였다. 한우, Angus, Brown Swiss, Charolais, Hereford, Hols- tein, Limousin 및 Simmental 등 8개 품종의 DNA 시료를 사용하여 c-KIT receptor 유전자의 intron 6번 영역에서 다형성을 조사하고 분석하였다. c-KIT receptor 유전자의 intron 6번 영역에서는 4개의 염기치환이 발견되어, MspⅠ, BsrBⅠ 및 NdeⅠ 제한효소를 이용하여 PCR- RFLP 분석을 실시하였다. Intron 6번을 포함하는 영역의 PCR 산물 크기는 2,440 bp 이었다. MspⅠ다형성은 PCR-RFLP 분석 결과 3개의 대립유전자가 존재하였으며, 한우품종에서는 3개의 대립유전자 모두가 발견되었고, CC 형태의 유전자형을 제외한 5개의 유전자형 (AA, AB, AC, BC 및 BB)을 확인하였다. Angus, Brown Swiss, Hereford, Holstein 및 Simmental 품종에서는 A 대립유전자만을 갖는 것으로 조사되었고, 한우는 44%만 AA 유전자형을 나타내었다. BsrBⅠ 다형성은 2개의 대립유전자로서 3개의 유전자형이 나타나는 것을 확인하였으며, Charo- lais 및 Hereford 품종이 다른 소 품종에 비하여 A 대립유전자의 빈도가 높게 나타났다. NdeⅠ다형성을 분석한 결과 Brown Swiss 품종에서는 NdeⅠ에 의해 절단되는 형태인 A 대립유전자만 관찰되었으며, Holstein 품종은 92%, Simmental 품종은 72%가 절단되는 형태를 나타내어, 모색이 흰색을 띠는 소 품종에서 절단되는 형태가 많았다. 소 c-KIT receptor 유전자의 intron 6번 영역에서 확인된 4개의 염기치환은 품종에 따라 다른 빈도를 보였으나, 이들 염기치환과 흰 반점과의 연관성에 대한 증거는 발견하지 못하였다. 그러므로 소의 흰 반점과 c-KIT receptor 유전자 내의 변이와의 관련성은 다른 영역에 대한 추가적인 분석과, 이미 보고된 다른 모색관련 유전자의 다형성과의 연관성 분석 등과 같은 연구가 필요한 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.199-209
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• 2018

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are increasingly been recognized as the chemical mediators of mold interactions, shaping their community dynamics, growth, and metabolism. Herein, we selectively examined the time-correlated (0 D-11 D, where D = incubation days) effects of intraspecies VOC-mediated interactions (VMI) on Aspergillus oryzae KCCM 60345 (S1), following co-cultivation with partner strain A. oryzae KACC 44967 (S2), in a specially designed twin plate assembly. The comparative evaluation of $S1_{VMI}$ (S1 subjected to VMI with S2) and its control ($S1_{Con}$) showed a notable disparity in their radial growth ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, protease activity ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 3-5 D, amylase activity ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 3-5 D, and antioxidant levels ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 3 D. Furthermore, we observed a distinct clustering pattern for gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry datasets from 5 D extracts of $S1_{VMI}$ and $S1_{Con}$ in principle component analysis (PC1: 30.85%; PC2: 10.31%) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) (PLS1: 30.77; PLS2: 10.15%). Overall, 43 significantly discriminant metabolites were determined for engendering the metabolic variance based on the PLS-DA model (VIP > 0.7, p < 0.05). In general, a marked disparity in the relative abundance of amino acids ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, organic acids ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, and kojic acid ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 5-7 D were observed. Examining the headspace VOCs shared between S1 and S2 in the twin plate for 5 D incubated samples, we observed the relatively higher abundance of C-8 VOCs (1-octen-3-ol, (5Z)-octa-1,5-dien-3-ol, 3-octanone, 1-octen-3-ol acetate) having known semiochemical functions. The present study potentially illuminates the effects of VMI on commercially important A. oryzae's growth and biochemical phenotypes with subtle details of altered metabolomes.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.184-190
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• 2003

군집을 이루어 생활을 하는 세균류의 하나인 M. xanthus의 csgA 유전자는 세포 표면 단백질을 암호화하는데 이 단백질은 M. xanthus의 자실체 및 포자 형성을 수반하는 발생 (development)에 필수적이다. csgA 돌연변이들은 정상적인 성장을 보이지만, 발생 과정에서 자실체 및 포자 형성이 불가능하다. 또한, CsgA 세포간 기인한 신호 전달체계에 의해서 유발되는 CsgA 특이적 유전자들의 발현이 없거나 감소한다. socD500돌연변이는, csgA 돌연변이체로부터 자실체 혹은 포자 형성을 회복하게 해주는 2차 돌연변이 중의 하나로서, csgA 돌연변이체의 포자 형성을 회복하도록 한다. socD500에 의한 포자 형성은 영양원의 고갈 및 자실체의 형성이 없이도, 단순히 성장 온도를 $32^{\circ}C$에서 $15^{\circ}C$로 낮추는 것이 의해서 이루어진다. 이런 과정을 거쳐 형성된 포자의 구조를 전자현미경으로 관찰한 결과 정상 포자와는 다르게 단지 얇은 여러 겹의 막들이 존재하였다. 또한 socD500 돌연변이체에서 10개의 CsgA 특이적 유전자들의 발현율을 측정한 결과, 자실체 형성을 수반하는 정상적인 발생시에만 발현하는 ΩDK4506 및 ΩDK4406 유전자들이 $15^{\circ}C$에서 높게 발현되는 것으로 나타났다. 이 결과는 socD500은 CsgA에 특이적인 신호 전달체계에 관련된 일부 유전자들의 발현을 조절하는 역할에 관련되었다는 것을 알 수가 있었다.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.72-79
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• 2016

It has long been known that nutritional and environmental influences during the early developmental period affect the biological mechanisms which determine animal metabolism. This phenomenon, termed 'metabolic imprinting', can cause subtle but long-lasting responses to prenatal and postnatal nutrition and even be passed onto the next generation. A large amount of research data shows that nutrient availability, in terms of quantity as well as quality, during the early developing stages can decrease the number of newborn piglets and their body weight and increase their susceptibility to death before weaning. However, investigation of potential mechanisms of 'the metabolic imprinting' effect have been scant. Therefore, it remains unknown which factors are responsible for embryonic and early postnatal nutrition and which factors are major determinants of body weight and number of new born piglets. Intrauterine undernutrition, for example, was studied using a rat model providing dams 50% restricted nutrients during pregnancy and the results showed significant decreases in birth weight of newborns. This response may be a characteristic of a subset of modulations in embryonic development which is caused by the metabolic imprinting. Underlying mechanisms of intrauterine undernutrition and growth retardation can be explained in part by epigenetics. Epigenetics modulate animal phenotypes without changes in DNA sequences. Epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation, chromatin modification and small non-coding RNA-associated gene silencing. Precise mechanisms must be identified at the morphologic, cellular, and molecular levels by using interdisciplinary nutrigenomics approaches to increase pig production. Experimental approaches for explaining these potential mechanisms will be discussed in this review.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.38-44
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• 2006

A simple and easy modification of AST by disk diffusion was tested for the detection of induced clindamycin resistant Staphylococci and their antimicrobial susceptibility at the same time. The incidence of inducible clindamycin resistant staphylococci in blood culture and their MIC characterization at Seoul National University Hospital was analyzed by an AST contained disk approximation test (D-zone test) and Etest, respectively. Of the total 309 staphylococcal isolates, 139 (45%) isolates presented constitutive resistance to ERY and CLI (ERY-R, CLI-R phenotype), and 59 were ERY-I/R and CLI-S phenotypes. Of the 59 isolates, 19 (32%) isolates were inducible resistant to CLI. The incidence was higher in S. aureus (66.7%) than coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS, 26.0%). Especially, methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRSA, 100%; MRCNS, 45.5%) presented higher inducibility than methicillin susceptible (MSSA, 50%; MSCNS, 20%). For most of the inducible clindamycin resistant staphylococci (15 of 19 isolates), their ERY MIC were high (>$128_{\mu}g/mL$) and were methicillin resistant. The remaining 4 isolates were methicillin susceptible and their ERY MIC were of intermediate concentrations ($1-4_{\mu}g/mL$). We concluded that suscetibility testing of staphylococci, especially methicillin resistant, should include the D-zone test.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.267-276
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• 2014

Exposures to lead (Pb) are associated with neurological problems including psychiatric disorders and impaired learning and memory. Pb can be absorbed by iron transporters, which are up-regulated in hereditary hemochromatosis, an iron overload disorder in which increased iron deposition in various parenchymal organs promote metal-induced oxidative damage. While dysfunction in HFE (High Fe) gene is the major cause of hemochromatosis, the transport and toxicity of Pb in Hfe-related hemochromatosis are largely unknown. To elucidate the relationship between HFE gene dysfunction and Pb absorption, H67D knock-in Hfe-mutant and wild-type mice were given drinking water containing Pb 1.6 mg/ml ad libitum for 6 weeks and examined for behavioral phenotypes using the nestlet-shredding and marble-burying tests. Latency to nestlet-shredding in Pb-treated wild-type mice was prolonged compared with non-exposed wild-types (p < 0.001), whereas Pb exposure did not alter shredding latency in Hfe-mutant mice. In the marble-burying test, Hfe-mutant mice showed an increased number of marbles buried compared with wild-type mice (p = 0.002), indicating more repetitive behavior upon Hfe mutation. Importantly, Pb-exposed wild-type mice buried more marbles than non-exposed wild-types, whereas the number of marbles buried by Hfe-mutant mice did not change whether or not exposed to Pb. These results suggest that Hfe mutation could normalize Pb-induced behavioral alteration. To explore the mechanism of repetitive behavior caused by Pb, western blot analysis was conducted for proteins involved in brain dopamine metabolism. The levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter increased upon Pb exposure in both genotypes, whereas Hfe-mutant mice displayed down-regulation of the dopamine transporter and dopamine D1 receptor with D2 receptor elevated. Taken together, our data support the idea that both Pb exposure and Hfe mutation increase repetitive behavior in mice and further suggest that these behavioral changes could be associated with altered dopaminergic neurotransmission, providing a therapeutic basis for psychiatric disorders caused by Pb toxicity.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.135-140
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• 2013

Objective: To evaluate correlations between serum anti-M${\ddot{u}}$llerian hormone (AMH) levels, phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity, and metabolic parameters in patients with PCOS. Methods: A total of 175 patients with PCOS were diagnosed according to the Rotterdam Consensus were included. Exclusion criteria were age over 40, FSH>25 mIU/mL, and 17a-OHP>1.5 ng/mL. The Phenotypes of PCOS were divided into a severe form (oligo-anovulation, ANOV/hyperandrogenism/polycystic ovary morphology [PCOM]; n=59) and a mild form without HA (ANOV/PCOM, n=105). The serum AMH levels were classified into 3 groups (<5 vs. 5-10 vs. >10 ng/mL). Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ${\geq}25kg/m^2$ (n=34). Results: The mean age was $25.9{\pm}5.7$ year and mean AMH level was $10.1{\pm}5.4$ ng/mL. The BMI ($kg/m^2$) was higher in group 1 ($24.2{\pm}6.3$) than in group 2 ($21.9{\pm}4.3$, p=0.046) or group 3 ($21.6{\pm}3.3$, p=0.019). There was no difference among the three groups in age, menstrual interval, antral follicle counts, androgens, or other metabolic parameters. The obesity group showed significantly lower AMH ($7.7{\pm}3.9$ ng/mL vs. $10.7{\pm}5.6$ ng/mL), p=0.004) and low-density lipoprotein levels ($93.1{\pm}21.2$ mg/dL vs. $107.5{\pm}39.3$ mg/dL, p=0.031), and showed higher total T ($0.74{\pm}0.59$ L vs. $0.47{\pm}0.36$ ng/mL, p=0.001), free T ($2.01{\pm}1.9$ vs. $1.04{\pm}0.8$ pg/mL, p=0.0001), and free androgen index ($6.2{\pm}7.9$ vs. $3.5{\pm}3.0$, p=0.003). After controlling for age factors and BMI, the serum AMH levles did not show any significant correlations with other hormonal or metabolic parmeters. Conclusion: For PCOS patients under the age 40, serum AMH is not negatively correlated with age. High serum AMH levels can not predict the phenotype of PCOS and metabolic disturbances in PCOS patients in the non-obese group. Further study might be needed to define the relation more clearly.