• Development and Reproduction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2013

To understand the sex reversal characteristics in the longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus), this study examined the sex reversal and artificial masculinization of wild caught E. bruneus reared in indoor rearing tank after a 17${\alpha}$-methyltestosterone injection. To domesticate a broodstock, 64 wild caught E. bruneus, between 47.0 to 110.0 cm in total length and from 1.5 to 21.4 kg in body weight, were reared in indoor rearing tank (4.0 to 5.0 m wide, and 2.5 to 3.0 m depth) for four years. Seven specimens showed sex reversal from female to male during indoor rearing condition, whose total length and body weights were from 63.0 to 99.0 cm and from 4.4 to 13.2 kg, respectively. After inducing artificial masculinization in 14 female E. bruneus with a 17${\alpha}$-methyltestosterone (2.0 mg/kg BW) implants for 3 years, spermiation occurred in 9 specimens (total length: 54.0 to 68.0 cm, body weight: 2.3 to 4.3 kg). Among the female to male sex reversals, two specimens returned back to being female, whose body weights were 2.8 kg (initially 2.6 kg) and 2.7 kg (initially 2.3 kg). Therefore, this study suggested that E. bruneus (> 3.0 kg) was more effective in masculinizing by 17${\alpha}$-methyltestosterone implants.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated safety and efficacy of a low temperature immunization protocol with NNV in red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara and long tooth grouper, Epinephelus bruneus and seven band grouper, Hyporthodus septemfasciatus. Further, growth rate between immunized and naïve fish was evaluated during the experiment to check side effect of immunization. Three grouper species were immunized by immersion method with live NNV at 10^5.0 TCID₅₀/mL at 16.5℃ for 30 min and reared for 120 days at natural sea water temperature. To evaluate growth rate, total length and wet weight was measured 7 times after immunization. Immunized three grouper species were challenged by intramuscular inoculation with NNV at 10^4.2 TCID₅₀/100 µL/fish. Immunization at low temperature with live NNV did not show any clinical symptoms of infection, mortality and inhibition of growth. After challenge, cumulative mortality of naïve seven band grouper, red spotted grouper, long tooth grouper were 45, 10, 20 %, respectively. However no mortality was observed at immunized groupers. Thus, it was demonstrated that immunization at low temperature with live NNV are able to protect three different species of groupers without inhibition of growth.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2012

Kelp grouper ($Epinephelus$ $bruneus$ Bloch 1793) is a commercially important fish in Korea. In recent years, the catch of kelp grouper in the coastal waters of Korea has significantly declined. Despite its importance, little is known about its genetic diversity and conservation efforts are hampered. In this study, we isolated and characterized 12 microsatellite loci using an enrichment method based on magnetic/biotin capture of microsatellite sequences from a size-selected genomic library. All loci were readily amplified and contained TG/CA denucleotide repeats. To characterize each locus, 30 individuals from a natural E. bruneus population in the coastal waters of Jeju Island, Korea, were genotyped. All loci except three, KEm118, KEm154, and KEm219, were polymorphic, with an average of 8.1 alleles per locus (range 2-18). The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.47 (range 0.19-1.00) and 0.61 (range 0.29-0.92), respectively. A significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed at three loci (KEm134, KEm184, and KEm283). These findings will be useful for effective monitoring and management of genetic variation of kelp grouper as well as for the implementation of a fisheries conservation program.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.636-645
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• 2017

The physiological response of the longtooth grouper, Epinephelus bruneus to low water temperature (LWT) stress while on three different concentrations of dietary vitamin E (1 mg/diet g, 5 mg/diet g, and 10 mg /diet g) were investigated. Plasma cortisol, glucose, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were higher in the control and sham control compared with the vitamin E supplemented groups. The most addition with vitamin E in the diet (10 mg/diet g) showed the lowest levels of cortisol, glucose, and AST. However, plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) showed no significant differences across all experimental conditions (P>0.05). Also the more disposing vitamin E into feeding the better resistance against stress on the LWT was shown through cortisol, glucose, ALT, and AST.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2011

We examined the effects of 17${\alpha}$-methyltestosterone (MT) on growth and induced sex change in the longtooth grouper Epinephelus bruneus. The growth rate for body weight (GRW) and specific growth rate (SGR) of the group injected with MT over 8 weeks were significantly higher than those of the sham-injected control group, the group injected over 4 weeks, and the control group. Of the orally administrated groups, the GRWs of the control group and the group given 1 kg of feed with 2.0 mg of MT were highest and did not significantly differ from one another. For SGR, the treatment groups differed significantly, and the SGR of the control group was higher than those of the other groups (P<0.05). The condition factor (CF) of the group injected over 4 weeks was higher than those injected over 8 weeks, the sham-injected control group over 8 weeks, and the control group. The CF did not significantly differ between the sham-injected control group over 8 weeks and the injected group over 8 weeks, but these two groups differed from the control group (P<0.05). The CFs of the groups given 1 kg of feed with 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg of MT were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The feed efficiency ratio was not significantly affected by MT administration. Most of the experimental groups receiving MT developed many unidentified germ cell cysts and perinucleolus oocytes, although neither spermazoa cells nor sex-changed males were observed in any of the treatments.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.195-200
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• 2013

This study investigated the effects of water temperature, photoperiod and population density on oxygen consumption (OC) in the longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus). OC rate in the longtooth grouper at 15, 20, and $25^{\circ}C$ were $85.9{\pm}6.9$, $107.5{\pm}10.1$, and $164.0{\pm}19.2\;mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}\;h^{-1}$, respectively, indicating a linear increase in OC with water temperature. Photoperiod was regulated in accordance with the light (09:00-21:00 h, L) and dark (21:00-09:00 h, D) phases of the diel cycle (12L/12D), with a water temperature of 15, 20, or $25^{\circ}C$. OC rates during the light and dark phases were $83.8{\pm}5.4$, $88.1{\pm}7.8\;mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}\;h^{-1}$, respectively, at $15^{\circ}C$ and $111.2{\pm}12.3$ and $103.7{\pm}5.7\;mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}\;h^{-1}$ at $20^{\circ}C$. No significant differences were observed between the light and dark phases (P > 0.05). at $25^{\circ}C$ the OC rates were $168.8{\pm}24.3$ and $159.2{\pm}11.4\;mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}\;h^{-1}$ during the light and dark phases, respectively, indicating that OC is higher during daylight than nighttime. OC tates at 55.4, 88.4, 118.8, and 145.1 g $L^{-1}$ were $252.0{\pm}11.6$, $219.0{\pm}8.7$, $206.7{\pm}11.4$, and $208.8{\pm}11.4\;mg\;O_2\;kg^{-1}\;h^{-1}$, respectively, indicating a decrease in OC with increasing population density. However, no significant difference was observed between the values for 118.8 g $L^{-1}$ and 145.1 g $L^{-1}$ (P > 0.05).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

Niphon spinosus, Epinephelus bruneus, and Epinephelus septemfasciatus are involved in the Perciformes Order and Serranidae Family. When E. bruneus and E. septemfasciatus are fully grown, the striped pattern on the body gradually disappears. Therefore, morphological classification of adult fishes is quite difficult to identify the differences to N. spinosus. In this study, we investigate the method to differentiate those using PCR. To design the primers, 16S rRNA region of N. spinosus, E. bruneus, and E. septemfasciatus registered in the GeneBank (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) have been used and for the analysis, Bio Edit ver. 7.0.9.0 was used. As a result, it was design NS-003-F/NS-005-R (136 bp), EB-001-F/EB-002-R (181 bp), and ES-001-F/ES-001-R (123 bp) primers for the differentiation of each 3 different fishes. Therefore, the species-specific primer sets would be a useful tool for scientific and speedy differentiation against the illegal distribution for consumer protection.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 2012

For the gonadal sex management of younger longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus), this work investigated the timing and histological process of ovary differentiation and oocyte development of longtooth grouper larvae and juvenile. Specimens (from 1 to 365 DAH) were collected for gonadal histological study from June 2008 to August 2009. Rearing water temperature was ranged from 20 to $24^{\circ}C$. The primordial germ cells could be observed from 10 to 15 DAH, while undifferentiated gonad occurs from 20 to 50 DAH in longtooth grouper. The initial ovarian phase was 60 to 110 DAH with the formation of ovarian cavity and the increased in size of gonad. The ovarian phase started at 140 DAH with appearance of oogonia. The gonad at 365 DAH appeared to have full of oogonia and primary growth stage oocyte. Formation of ovarian cavity indicates that the ovarian differentiation beginning at 60 DAH in longtooth grouper. The gonads in longtooth grouper differentiated directly into ovaries in all fish examined.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2007

This study examined temperature effect in egg development and hatching of longtooth grouper, Epinephelus bruneus. Fertilized embryos was not growth after morula stage at $15^{\circ}C$, at 18, 21, 24 and $27^{\circ}C$, the required time from fertilized embryos to hatching were 70 h. 30 min., 44 h. 10 min., 29 h. 10 min. and 24 h. 30 min., respectively. The hatching rates at $24^{\circ}C$ were higher than the other conditions and the hatching was not occurred at $15^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that the water temperature range of egg development and hatching was $18{\sim}27^{\circ}C$.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2013

Puberty is the developmental period which animals obtain the ability of reproducing sexually for the first time in life. In commercially important aquaculture fish species, the onset of puberty is a matter of major interest due to controlling of sexual maturation to improve broodstock management. To investigate pubertal characteristics of female longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus), specimens were classified into three groups by the bodyweight, including 1, 2, and 3 kg group. Thereafter, we focused on ovarian development and level changes of endocrine regulation factors (GnRH, GTHs, steroid hormone). In the non-breeding season (April), the levels of endocrine regulation factors showed increasing trends in accordance with bodyweight gaining; nevertheless, the oocytes were growth phase belongs to almost peri-nucleous stages in all groups. In the breeding season (June), the levels of endocrine regulation factors were fluctuated that decreases in levels of sbGnRH and $FSH{\beta}$ mRNA expressions along with serum $E_2$ concentrations in 3 kg of group. However, $LH{\beta}$ mRNA expression levels sustained increasing trends by the bodyweight. Moreover, the oocytes developed that 2 kg and 3 kg groups obtained plentiful vitellogenic oocytes while 1 kg group was still composed with greater part of pre-vitellogenic oocytes. Especially, the oocytes of 3 kg group reached over 450 ${\mu}m$ of diameters that indicating possibility to enter the final maturations. These results suggest that the progress of pubertal development in female E. bruneus could be classify into three phases via bodyweight, including pre-puberty (1 kg), early-puberty (2 kg) and puberty (3 kg).