• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.205-211
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• 2011

This study presents physiological rates of oxygen consumption, ammonia excretion, feeding rates, O/N ratio and assimilation efficiency of the blood cockle, Scapharca subcrenata, determined from specimens collected in Yeoja bay on the south coast of Korea. Physiological parameters were measured monthly under static, laboratory controlled conditions with ambient conditions, and measurements were performed seasonally in order to estimate scope for growth and its probable sources of variation. Oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion rates have been increased as temperature increased with the highest value of August, 2008. Feeding rate was the highest during April whereas the lowest was during August which is a period of gametogenesis with minimum biomass of phytoplankton around sampling area. Assimilation efficiency was not significantly different seasonally and O/N ratio decreased during July to August. The scope for growth was negative during high temperature months(July to August), reflecting the high temperature and low feeding rate, and had its highest positive values during spring and autumn. Data on the physiological parameters and scope for growth of Scapharca subcrenata obtained in this study will be used to assess the carrying capacity for blood cockle cultivation.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2004

Annual gametogenic cycle of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from Shi-Heung-Ri beach in Jeju was investigated for the 12 month period from May 2001 to April 2002. Water temperature varied from 10 to 27$^{\circ}C$ and salinity from 27 to 35 psu during the course of study. Most of the clams collected in March were in indifferent or in early developing indicating that clams initiated gametogenesis when water temperature becomes 14 to 15$^{\circ}C$. In early June, most of the clams were in developing, expanding follicles and exhibiting growing oocytes. Fully ripe gonads were observed in clams collected during late June to early August. Spawning clams were observed as early as in early June although the spawning activity reached its maximum in early August. Condition index (CI) was rapidly increased from July to early August and then dropped in late August, indicating that most of clams in Shi-Heung-Ri beach spawn in late summer when water temperature was within a range of 25 to 27$^{\circ}C$.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.261-267
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• 2008

The tendency of metabolism in oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was investigated in relation to the water temperature and salinity. Oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion were measured and O:N ratio were calculated according to the water temperature from February 2007 to September 2008 and body size. The relationship between oxygen consumption and body weight has been examined in C. gigas. The weight-specific oxygen consumption rate (mg $O_2$/g/h) varied inversely with size. Oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion increased with an increase in water temperature. O:N ratio measured in this study ranged from 8 to 40 under ordinary sea water and the ratio was 8 at $25^{\circ}C$ and 16 at $10^{\circ}C$. This indicates that oyster mainly use the protein as the primary catabolic substrate during gametogenesis. Lower O:N ratio in winter suggests that oysters have to meet their energy demand by metabolizing protein to survive in stressful conditions such as low temperature and lack of sufficient food supply. This studies will provide the basic data for oyster culture farm in assessing the carrying capacity and sustainable management.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7553-7558
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• 2014

The Piwi subfamily comprises two argonaute (Ago) family proteins, which are defined by the presence of PAZ and Piwi domains, with well known roles in RNA silencing. Hiwi, a human Piwi subfamily member, has been shown to play essential roles in stem cell self-renewal and gametogenesis. Recently, accumulating reports have indicated that abnormal hiwi expression is associated with poorer prognosis of multiple types of human cancers, including examples in the breast. However, little is known about details of the oncogenic role of hiwi in breast cancers. In present study, we confirmed overexpression of hiwi in breast cancer specimens and breast cancer cell lines at both mRNA and protein levels. Thus both RT-qPCR and Western blot data revealed significantly higher hiwi in intratumor than peritumor specimens, overexpression being associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and histological grade. Hiwi overexpression was also identified in breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, and gain-of-function and loss-of-function strategies were adopted to identify the role of hiwi in the MCF-7 cell growth. Results demonstrated that hiwi expression in MCF-7 cells was significantly up- or down-regulated by the two strategies. We next evaluated the influence of hiwi overexpression or knockdown on the growth of breast cancer cells. Both cell count and colony formation assays confirmed promoting roles of hiwi in MCF-7 cells, which could be inhibited by hiwi specific blockage by siRNAs. In summary, the present study confirmed overexpression of hiwi in breast cancer specimens and breast cancer cell lines, and provided e vidence of promotion by hiwi of cell growth. The results imply an oncogenic role of hiwi in breast cancers.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2006

The gossypol existed in cottonseed meal is a well known antispermatogenic agent which can impair reproductive performances of male fish as well as mammals. Two feeding experiments were conducted to examine a toxic effect of dietary supplementation of cottonseed meal on reproduction in juvenile olive flounder (the first experiment) for 19 weeks and growing olive flounder (the second experiment) for 26 weeks. After each feeding study, females and males were sampled for histological examination in gonads and liver to verify any negative effects by the dietary supplementation of cottonseed and soybean meal on reproduction. After two feeding trial, the gonad somatic index (GSI) of male and female (from the first feeding trial) were not significantly different among all the dietary treatments. The GSI values of female (from the second feeding trial) were not significantly different among all the dietary treatments. However, males fed cottonseed and soybean meal containing diets exhibited significantly lower GSI than that fed the control diet after the second feeding trial. Histological examination of gonads and liver of fish fed cottonseed and soybean meal did not show any negative effects compared to those of fish ffd the control diet. Hepatosomatic index of fish in the first and second feeding trials were not significantly different among all the dietary treatments. The findings in this study suggest that dietary supplementation of cottonseed and soybean meal up to 40% fish meal replacement might not deteriorate the gametogenesis of juvenile and growing olive flounder. However, the supplementation in diets over 30% fish meal replacement might reduce GSI of male in growing olive flounder.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.140-149
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• 2010

We determined the seasonal gonad maturation in Strongylocentrotus nudus sea urchins inhabiting an artificially enhanced seaweed forest along the Samchuk Coast of Korea from April 2006 to March 2007. A total of 30 sea urchins per month were collected from the study area, and gonadosomatic index (GSI), gonad index (GI), egg diameter, and RNA/DNA variation were measured for each specimen. GSI values of female and male urchins achieved maximums of 17.6 and 17.0, respectively, in June. Based on histological studies, maximum GI values occurred in July (4.6 for females and 4.8 for males). A mean ovarian egg diameter of $73.7\;\pm\;14.2\;{\mu}m$ was measured in August; during the main spawning period in September, mean egg diameter reached a maximum of $74.2\;\pm\;17.8\;{\mu}m$. The RNA/DNA ratio and RNA content for both males and females showed a distinct peak during the ripe stage in July, but another peak occurred in the spring season from March to April, when urchins deposit protein into the nutritive phagocytes of immature gonads prior to gametogenesis. The reproductive cycle of S. nudus is divided into five stages: early active (December-May), late active (March-July), ripe (July-September), spent and degenerative (August-November), and inactive (October-February). Our continuous removal of sea urchins from the study area did not influence the reproductive cycle, as populations quickly recovered, and achieved normal gonad development cycle in the site.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 1998.07a
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• pp.12-18
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• 1998

Tremendous progress has been made over the past quarter-century studying the genetics of gametogenesis and the resulting gametes and embryos. Studies merging molecular techniques and conventional cytogenetics are now beginning to bridge the gap between what we have learned about the meiotic process in males and females and what we know of the mitotic chromosomes of zygotes. Numerical abnormalities in sperm, oocytes and embryo can now diagnosed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). "At risk" couples can, therefore, have only unaffected embryos replaced in the sterus and avoid the possibility of terminating a pregnancy that might only be diagnosed as affected later gestation. Single-cell genetic analysis has also provided powerful tools for studying genetic defects arising during early human development. Recent studies of sperms, oocytes and cleavage-stage human embryos have revealed an unexpectedly high incidence. These genetic abnormalities are likely to contribute to early pregnancy loss and have important implications for improving pregnancy rates in infertile couples by assisted reproduction. The widespread use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) awaits further documentatio of safety and accuracy. Other issues also must be addressed. First, the ethical issues regarding germ cell and embryo screening must be addressed including what diseases are serious enough to warrant the procedure. Another concern is the use of this technology for non-genetic disorders such as gender selection. Finally, the experimental nature of these procedure must continually be discussed with patients, and long-term follow-up studies must be undertaken. Development of more accurate and less expensive assays coupled with improved assisted reproductive technology success rates may make PGD a more widely use clinical tool. The future awaits these development.velopment.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2018

We investigated the effect of $CO_2$ exposure on the reproductive process of chameleon goby Tridentiger trigonocephalus. Rearing aquaria were exposed for 90 days to $CO_2$ gas through diffuser connected with pH controller maintaining at pH 7.2 ($156.31{\pm}7.90ppm$) in low treatment, and at pH 6.5 ($274.17{\pm}6.51ppm$) in high treatment. $CO_2$ treatment had no significant effects on survival rates although the value was decreased compared to the controls. In female fish, $CO_2$ treatment had no significant effects on gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI) and condition factor (CF). However, high $CO_2$ treatment decreased HSI and CF in males significantly compared to the controls (P<0.05). The spawning occurrence was 6 times in the low level $CO_2$ treatment, and 4 times in the high level $CO_2$ treatment although only once in the controls. For the histological observations, there was no significant difference in $CO_2$ treatments. However, in male fish, $CO_2$ treatment delayed the formation of sperm from spermatid compared to controls. These results suggest $CO_2$ may disrupt reproductive process by delaying gametogenesis in chameleon goby and it was more sensitive in males.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2002

Gametogenesis, reproductive cycle, egg diameter composition and gonad index of the black-lined limpet, Cellana nigrolineata, were histologically examined. Specimens collected from the rocky intertidal zone of Hamdeok, Jeju from July 1997 to June 1998. The black-lined limpet has an unpaired gonad located at the ventro-anterior part, underneath the visceral mass. The gonad index increased from May when water temperature increased and reached maximum in August. It began to decrease from September thereafter, maintain a low value from January to April. The following reproductive cycle were classified based on the monthly changes of the histological features and sizes of oocytes in the gonad: recovery stage (November to April), active stage (March to June), ripe stage (May to October), spent stage (August to December). Spawning occur once a year between September and October. The black-lined limpet appeared to be gonochorism, neither sex change nor hermaphroditie.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2004

Gametogenesis, changes of gonad bulk index (GBI), monthly variation in oocyte diameter, reproductive cycle and spawning with lunar cycle of the top shell, Trochus niloticus were investigated by histological examination. The specimens were sampled in the coastal waters of Chuuk Island, Micronesia, form November 1999 to September 2000. T. niloticus is a gonochorism, and the female and male were present in an approximately 1:1 ratio (p > 0.05). The ovary contained with the oocyte of yolk stage, the testis composed of the spermatid and spermatozoa at around the year. Monthly GBI were higher at February, March, April and June than the other months. Major spawning occurred between April and May, and June and July but the individuals of partially spawning were presented throughout the year. GBI with lunar cycle were higher at the full moon than the other lunar phase. These results suggest that the spawning occurred between the full moon and last quarter moon.