• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2013

The monthly variations of blood characteristics and RNA/DNA of black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli, habituated in Geojae costal area were analysed to determine health condition of natural stocks in terms of gonad maturation and spawning season from March 2010 to February 2011. Spawning season determinated by gonadosomatic index is from June to August. RNA/DNA ratio of black sea bream muscle was strongly correlated with spawning season. During the gonad maturation RNA/DNA ratio in dorsal muscle tissue was decreased contrast to rapid increase during spawning season. Blood composition factors increased in terms of gonad maturation are aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, glucose, globulin, alkaline phosphatase and inorganic phosphate. Other blood factors increased during spawning season are alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and lactate dehydrogenase.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.20 no.4 s.51
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• pp.327-332
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• 2005

장기간 노출 시 발암 등 인체 유해성을 갖는 환경유래 내분비장애물질(endocrine disrupting chemicals, EDCs)에 대한 선택적이고 민감한 노출지표를 개발하기 위하여 본 연구에서는 DNA microarray를 이용하였다. 피험자는 아직 특별한 질환을 갖지 않는 18세 이상 연령, 성을 맞춘 EDCs고농도 노출군(N = 16)과 저농도군(N = 16)으로 구성되었다. 노출정도 구분은 10년 이상 거주지가 K산업폐기물 소각장과 2.5 km 반경 내, 외 인지에 따라 고노출군,저노출군으로 구분하였다. 피험자의 말초혈에서 total RNA를 분리, 각 군당 B인씩 pool로 cDNA를 합성하여 oligonucleotide DNA 칩에 적용하였다. 유전자발현의 차이를 GenePixPro 4.0 software를 이용하여 분석하였다. 총 3장의 칩을 이용하여 공통적으로 저노출군보다 고노출군에서 2배 이상 발현의 증가를 보인 유전자는 plasminogen activator(PLAT)등 12종이 관찰되었고, l/2이하로 발현의 감소를 보인 유전자는 kallikrein 3 (KLK3)등 29종이었다. 이 들 유전자는 PLAT등 면역계 반응에 관여하는 유전자 및 apoptosis, transport, G protein, chromatin, 암화, 발생 (development), 대사 등에 관여하는 유전자들이었다. 그러므로 KLK3등 본 연구에서 발굴한 유전자는 향후 확대된 인구에서 본 연구 결과의 확인을 통하여 EDCs특이적 노출지표로써, 나아가 암 등 EDCs관련 질병의 기전 및 병인학을 구명하는데 이용가치가 높다고 사료된다.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.551-554
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• 2011

The production of the sharp-toothed eel by commercial catch off waters of Korea is annually declined after 1978. This study was carried out to obtain the stock management of the sharp-toothed eel using the PCR-aided RFLP method. The mtDNA COI gene was amplified using species-specific primers and PCR product was observed to 700 bp. Amplified DNA fragments were treated with six kinds of restriction enzymes (BaeHI, EcoRI, PstI, Ksp22, HinfI and HaeIII). The treatment of HaeIII showed a distinct PCR product between Yeosu/Jinhae/Jeju/Goseoung and Jangheung/Haenam populations that were observed from 300 to 400 bp in reference to 100 bp molecular marker. However, DNA fragment within populations had an identical pattern. The phylogenetic homology is 82% between two populations inferred from RFLP PCR product pattern using NTsysPC ver. 2.1. The use of HaeIII plays an important role in discriminating populations. It is thought that adults after over-wintering in the southern part of Jeju migrate to the Yeosu, Jinhae and Goseoung regions to spawn instead of to southwestern waters. Individuals within populations showed a relatively active genetic mixing and migration regardless of geography. However, the genetic ancestor of Jangheung and Haenam populations is appeared to be more adjacent to China or Japan than Jeju.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.101-107
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• 2004

To ascertain the effects of hair dyeing application on the DNA damage in human lymphocytes, a mixture of permanent black colored hair dye with the same amount of oxidant containing 6% hydrogen peroxide was used. A hair dyeing with contacting the scalp (conventional dyeing) and a hair dyeing with 3 to 4mm away from the scalp (alternative dyeing) were applied to each If young healthy women. Blood was taken from the brachial vein at two sampling times, just before and 6 hours after the hair dyeing, and tail extent moment(TEM) and tail length (TL) were measured by using a comet assay. After dyeing, TL was significantly increased in both conventional dyeing group and alternative dyeing group compared with before dyeing as an average of 47% and 28%, respectively, and TL for conventional dyeing group was higher than alternative dyeing group as an average of 1.2 fold. After dyeing, TEM was significantly increased in both conventional dyeing group and alternative dyeing group compared with before dyeing as an average of 192% and 76%, respectively, and TEM for conventional dyeing group was significantly higher than alternative dyeing group as an average of 1.7 fold. Therefore, alternative dyeing application was induced to lower lymphocyte DNA damage than conventional dyeing application, and TEM was appeared to be a more sensitive tool for the measurement of lymphocyte DNA damage than TL in this study.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.214-220
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• 2010

Three-dimensional(3D) structure of specific DNA can be changed between two conformations under an external environmental transition such as pH and salt concentration variations. We have experimentally observed the conformational transitions of i-motif DNA using AFM cantilever bioassay. It is shown that pH change of a solvent induces the bending defleciton change of a cantilever functionalized by i-motif DNA. This indicates that cantilever bioassay enables the label-free detection of DNA structural changes upon pH change. It is implied that cantilever bioassay can be a de novo route to quantitatively understand the conformational transitions of biological molecules under environmental changes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.359-369
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• 2016

DNA methylation is emerging as an attractive marker providing investigative leads to solve crimes in forensic genetics. The identification of body fluids that utilizes tissue-specific DNA methylation can contribute to solving crimes by predicting activity related to the evidence material. The age estimation based on DNA methylation is expected to reduce the number of potential suspects, when the DNA profile from the evidence does not match with any known person, including those stored in the forensic database. Moreover, the variation in DNA implicates environmental exposure, such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, thereby suggesting the possibility to be used as a marker for predicting the lifestyle of potential suspect. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of DNA methylation variations and the utility of DNA methylation as a forensic marker for advanced investigative leads from evidence materials.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.489-495
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• 2001

DNA damage by UV and environmental agents are the major cause of genomic instability that needs to be repaired, otherwise it give rise to cancer. Accordingly, mammalian cells operate several DNA repair pathways that are not only responsible for identifying various types of DNA damage but also involved in removing DNA damage. In mammals, nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery is responsible for most, if not all, of the bulky adducts caused by UV and chemical agents. Although most of the proteins involved in NER pathway have been identified, only recently have we begun to gain some insight into the mechanism by which proteins recognize damaged DNA. Binding of Xeroderma pigmentosum group C protein (XPC)-hHR23B complex to damaged DNA is the initial damage recognition step in NER, which leads to the recruitment of XPA and RPA to form a damage recognition complex. Formation of damage recognition complex not only stabilizes low affinity binding of XPA to the damaged DNA, but also induces structural distortion, both of which are likely necessary for the recruitment of TFIIH and two structure-specific endonucleases for dual incision.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.99-102
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• 2003

IARC classified areca quid as a human carcinogen. Areca quid chewed in Taiwan includes Piper betle inflorescence, which contains high concentrations of safrole (15 mg/fresh weight). Safrole is a documented rodent hepatocarcinogen, and chewing areca quid may contribute to human exposure (420 $\mu$m in saliva). The carcinogenicity of safrole is mediated through 1'-hydroxysafrole formation, followed by sulfonation to an unstable sulfate that reacts to form DNA adducts. Using human liver microsomes and Escherichia coli membranes expressing bicistronic human P450s, CYP2E1 and CYP2C9 were identified as the main P450s involved in the activation of safrole. We have demonstrated the presence of stable safrole-dGMP adducts in human oral tissues following areca quid chewing using $^{32}$ P-postlabeling and HPLC mass spectrometry methods. By studying 88 subjects with a known AQ chewing history and 161 matched controls, we have demonstrated that the presence of safrole-DNA adducts in peripheral blood cells was correlated to AQ chewing, and CYP2E1 seemed to play an important role in the modulation of safrole-DNA adduct formation. We have also shown that safrole can form stable safrole-DNA adducts as well as oxidative damages in rodent liver. However, the stable safrole-DNA adducts may represent a more significant initial lesion as compared to the rapidly repaired safrole-induced 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. This oxidative DNA damage is mediated through the formation of hydoryxchavicol, the major safrole metabolite in human urine. Hydroxychavicol may have gone through two-electron oxidation to the o-quinone; then via one-electron reduction to semiquinone radicals to generate oxidative DNA damage. However, these reactive metabolites can be efficiently conjugated by GSH. These data suggest that safrole may contribute to the initiation of oral carcinogenesis through safrole-DNA adduct and not oxidative DNA damage. In addition, CYP2E1 may modulate this adduct formation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2000

Carcinogen-DNA adduct analysis has potential for biomonitoring the earliest effects of exposure to many chemical carcinogens. They are the covalent reaction products of electrophiles and nucleophilic sites on DNA and the initial damage to DNA induced by many carcinogens. So many researchers begin to use them as biomarker for monitoring the earliest exposure of carcinogens and develop the effective analytical techniques about them. Randerath, Gupta and coworkers(1981, 1982) has also developed a $^{32}P$-postlabelling method as one among them. A major project for biomonitoring workers with carcinogen-DNA adducts is to develop non-invasive samples instead of tissues of target organs such as baldder and lung. This study use the exfoliated urothelial cells in urine for examine benzidine-DNA adducts. The content of exfoliated urothelial cells is not enough to significantly measure DNA content with spectrophotometer, and require the another way. So firstly washing the collected cells with PBS and 70% ethanol and centrifuge them for removing the crystals in urine, which block the isolation of DNA adducts. And then, measure the total nucleotide after $^{32}P$-postlabelling for calculating RAL. $[{\gamma}-^{32}P]ATP$ using for $^{32}P$-postlabelling, can synthesize with $[^{32}P]H_3PO_4$, and reagent and enzyme mixture (RM, EM), which is very economic in case of requiring a lot of them. Chromatography was composed of two steps. First step was to separate adduct ones from unadducted nucleotide, and secondary step was separate each adduct, which were performed with 4 kinds of solvents and different directions on TLC. With this procedure, we measure the DNA adducts in exfoliated urothelial cells of workers who were employed in benzidine and benzidine-dye company. RAL of adducts were $89.0{\times}10^7$ and $57.0{\times}10^7$ in them. In conclusion, we can significantly measure the DNA adduct in exfoliated urothelial cells by using the above $^{32}P$-postlabelling procedures, and use them to be biomonitoring workers who exposed carcinogens.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.32-48
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• 2024

Background: Longitudinal connectivity in river systems strongly affects biological components related to ecosystem functioning, thereby playing an important role in shaping local biodiversity and ecosystem health. Environmental DNA (eDNA)-based metabarcoding has an advantage of enabling to sensitively diagnose the presence/absence of species, becoming an efficient/effective approach for studying the community structure of ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to eDNA-based biomonitoring for river systems, particularly for assessing the river longitudinal connectivity. In this study, by using eDNA we analyzed and compared species diversity and composition among artificial barriers to assess the longitudinal connectivity of the fish community along down-, mid- and upstream in the Hotancheon from the Geum River basin. Moreover, we investigated temporal variation in eDNA fish community structure and species diversity according to season. Results: The results of species detected between eDNA and conventional surveys revealed higher sensitivity for eDNA and 61% of species (23/38) detected in both methods. The results showed that eDNA-based fish community structure differs from down-, mid- and upstream, and species diversity decreased from down to upstream regardless of season. We found that there was generally higher species diversity at the study sites in spring (a total number of species across the sites [n] = 29) than in autumn (n = 27). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and heatmap analyses further suggest that there was a tendency for community clusters to form in the down-, mid- and upstream, and seasonal variation in the community structure also existed for the sites. Dominant species in the Hotancheon was Rhynchocypris oxycephalus (26.07%) regardless of season, and subdominant species was Nipponocypris koreanus (16.50%) in spring and Odontobutis platycephala (15.73%) in autumn. Artificial barriers appeared to negatively affect the connectivity of some fish species of high mobility. Conclusions: This study attempts to establish a biological monitoring system by highlighting the versatility and power of eDNA metabarcoding in monitoring native fish community and further evaluating the longitudinal connectivity of river ecosystems. The results of this study suggest that eDNA can be applied to identify fish community structure and species diversity in river systems, although some shortcomings remain still need to be resolved.