• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.592-598
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• 2019

Objective: Autophagy is a bulk degradation system for intracellular proteins which contributes to skeletal muscle homeostasis, according to previous studies in humans and rodents. However, there is a lack of information on the physiological role of autophagy in the skeletal muscle of meat animals. This study was planned as a pilot study to investigate changes in expression of two major autophagy-related genes, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain $3{\beta}$ (MAP1LC3B) and autophagy related 7 (ATG7) in fattening beef cattle, and to compare them with skeletal muscle growth. Methods: Six castrated Japanese Black cattle (initial body weight: $503{\pm}20kg$) were enrolled in this study and fattened for 7 months. Three skeletal muscles, M. longissimus, M. gluteus medius, and M. semimembranosus, were collected by needle biopsy three times during the observation period, and mRNA levels of MAP1LC3B and ATG7 were determined by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression levels of genes associated with the ubiquitin-proteasome system, another proteolytic mechanism, were also analyzed for comparison with autophagy-related genes. In addition, ultrasonic scanning was repeatedly performed to measure M. longissimus area as an index of muscle growth. Results: Our results showed that both MAP1LC3B and ATG7 expression increased over the observation period in all three skeletal muscles. Interestingly, the increase in expression of these two genes in M. longissimus was highly correlated with ultrasonic M. longissimus area and body weight. On the other hand, the expression of genes associated with the ubiquitin-proteasome system was unchanged during the same period. Conclusion: These findings suggest that autophagy plays an important role in the growth of skeletal muscle of fattening beef cattle and imply that autophagic activity affects meat productivity.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.230-233
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• 2016

Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is the non-random association between the loci and it could give us a preliminary insight into the genetic history of the population. In the present study LD patterns and effective population size (Ne) of three Korean cattle breeds along with Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian cattle were compared using the bovine Illumina SNP50 panel. The effective population size (Ne) is the number of breeding individuals in a population and is particularly important as it determines the rate at which genetic variation is lost. The genotype data in our study comprised a total of 129 samples, varying from 4 to 39 samples. After quality control there were ~29,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for which $r^2$ value was calculated. Average distance between SNP pairs was 1.14 Mb across all breeds. Average $r^2$ between adjacent SNP pairs ranged between was 0.1 for Yanbian to 0.3 for Qinchuan. Effective population size of the breeds based on $r^2$ varied from 16 in Hainan to 226 in Yanbian. Amongst the Korean native breeds effective population size of Brindle Hanwoo was the least with Ne = 59 and Brown Hanwoo was the highest with Ne = 83. The effective population size of the Korean cattle breeds has been decreasing alarmingly over the past generations. We suggest appropriate measures to be taken to prevent these local breeds in their native tracts.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.265-272
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• 2008

The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β(C/EBPβ), a member of the leucine zipper DNA-binding protein of transcription factor, plays a crucial role in the control of early phases of adipocyte differentiation. In this studies, we report the identification, characterization, and expression of the Korean native cattle C/EBPβ gene. The Korean native cattle and black cattle C/EBPβ cDNA includes a 1047bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 348 amino acids. The C/EBPβ cDNA sequence of the Korean native cattle and black cattle shows high conservation with the corresponding amino acid sequences reported in other species. The distribution of C/EBPβ mRNA in various tissues of Korean native cattle aged 26 months was investigated using Northern Blot analysis. The C/EBPβ expression was detected in adipose tissue, lung, sirloin while expression was not detected in heart, kidney, small intestine, colon, and liver. However, we are analyzed polymorphism of bZIP domain in the C/EBPβ gene. A polymorphism was not identified at this position.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.629-634
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• 1992

Seventeen Japanese Black steers were used to evaluate the influence of slaughter weight (550 kg, 600 kg or 650 kg), sire (two sires), concentrate feeding (barley or corn) and muscle (six muscles) on the following characteristics: pH value, cooking loss, shear value, moisture and crude fat contents. Crude fat contents were higher, and moisture content and shear values were lower in muscles from the large slaughter weight group 650 kg than those from other slaughter weight groups. Cooking loss, shear value, moisture and crude fat contents differed between sires. Corn feeding increased crude fat content in muscle compared to barley feeding. Muscles containing a large amount of intramuscular fat showed lower shear values and less cooking loss than those containing a small amount of intramuscular fat.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.301-305
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• 2016

In order to determine the effect of various hosts on feeding performance of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, we used 3 mammalian species as hosts, cattle (Qinchuan), sheep (Tan), and rabbits (Japanese white rabbit) for infesting ticks. Five hundreds of R. microplus larvae were exposed to each animal (3 animals/host species). Tick recoveries were 11.0%, 0.47%, and 5.5% from cattle, sheep, and rabbits, respectively. The averages of tick feeding periods were not significantly different on cattle, sheep, and rabbits, 28.8, 25.3, and 26.7 days, respectively. The average weights of individual engorged female from cattle, sheep, and rabbits were 312.5, 219.1, and 130.2 mg, respectively and those of egg mass weights each to 85.0, 96.6, and 17.8 mg. The highest egg hatching rate was in the ticks from cattle (96.0%), followed by those from rabbits (83.0%) and sheep (19.2%). These data suggest that rabbits could be as an alternative host to cultivate R. microplus for evaluating vaccines and chemical and biological medicines against the tick in the laboratory, although the biological parameters of ticks were less than those from cattle.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 2005

The nitrogen (N) balance in Korea during 1985-1997 was calculated according to the surface balance method of the PARCOM guidelines and compared with Japanese N balance. The some differences were founded in the coefficients used on calculating N balance in two nations. Of the important parameters, which can make a big difference in balance, N input by organic fertilizers was not included in Korea different with Japanese, due to absence of reliable statistics and then made lower the input. Nitrogen destruction rate from livestock manure was adjusted differently with 15% in Korea but 28% in Japan. There was some difference in the conversion factors of livestock number into manure N quantity in two nations, but the gap was ignoble scale except beef cattle. Our manure N production rate of beef cattle might be evaluated to be so lower than Japanese. Biological N fixation by pulses was very higher in Korea than in Japan but scarcely affect the increase of total N input, due to small cultivation area. In contrast, N fixation rate by free-living organisms in Korean and Japanese wet paddies showed the big difference with 7.6 and $37.0kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$, respectively, and therefore $29.4kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ of nitrogen was estimated to be more inputted in Japan. Although there are many points to be more specified and improved, still, Korean N balance was very high with $250-257kg\;ha^{-1}$ in the mid of 1990s, which was the second highest level in OECD countries and furthermore increased continuously during the investigation. In contrast in Japan, which has similar fanning system with Korea, N balance was lower with $130-158kg\;ha^{-1}$ and has decreased continuously since 1993. This high N balance was mainly due to a high usage of chemical fertilizers in our intensive fanning system and the fast increment of livestock feeding. Therefore, the more active action to decrease chemical fertilizer utilization and reduce livestock feeding density is required in the government and farmer sides.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.167-172
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• 1998

한국 및 일본을 포함한 동아시아 지역에 벡터 매개성 바이러스에 의한 소 질병으로 인하여 경제적 손실이 몇년을 주기로 극심하게 나타나고 있다. 그러나 본 질병의 정확한 역학에 대하여는 아직까지 확실한 연구가 되어 있지 않은 상태이다. 본 연구에서는 벡터 매개성 질병에 대한 역학을 좀더 명확하게 밝히기 위하여, 일본 열도중 가장 멀리 떨어져 있으며, 아열대 지역에 속하는 오끼나와 섬에서 사육되고 있으면서 백신접종을 받지 않은 소(Japanese black cattle)를 대상으로 하여 1988년도부터 1992년도에 걸쳐 벡터 매개성 바이러스군에 대한 중화항체가를 측정하고 분석하였다. 소의 유행성 바이러스(bovine ephemeral virus)에 대한 항체 양성율은 연도 및 계절별로 크게 변화를 보였고, Ibaraki virus에 대한 항체양성율은 그 어느 다른 계절보다도 5월에 높은 항체가를 보였으며, Akabane virus에 대한 항체 양성율은 이바라키 바이러스에 대한 항체 양성율과 유사한 수준으로 나타났다. 한편 Chuzan virus에 대한 항체양성율은 계절적인 변화가 심하지 않은 것으로 나타났다.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1828-1832
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• 2018

Objective: Environmental change is one of the stressful events in livestock production. Change in environment disturbs cow behavior and cows require several days to regain a stable behavioral pattern. Sleeping posture (SP) and lying posture (LP) have been used as indicators for animal that are relaxed and well-acclimated to their environment. The aim of this study was to examine the time required by Japanese black cows for stabilization of SP and LP after moving into new environment. Methods: Seven pregnant Japanese black cows were used. Cows were moved into new tie-stall shed and their sleeping and lying posture measured 17 times during 35 experimental days. Both SP and LP were detected by accelerometer fixed on middle occipital and hip-cross, respectively. Daily total time, frequency, and average bout of both SP and LP were calculated. Results: Daily SP time was the shortest on day 1 and increased to the highest on day 3. It then decreased until day 9, after that stabilized about 65 min/d till the end of experiment. Daily LP time changed in same manner as daily SP time. The average SP bout was the longest on day 1, and then decreased to stable level on day 7. On the other hand, the average LP bout was the shortest on day 1, and it increased to stable level on day 7. Conclusion: These results showed that pregnant Japanese black cows needed 1 week to stabilize their SP. However, there were different change patterns between the average SP and LP bout, even though the change pattern of daily SP and LP time were similar.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.1043-1061
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• 2018

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content in skeletal muscle including the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM), also known as marbling fat, is one of the most important factors determining beef quality in several countries including Korea, Japan, Australia, and the United States. Genetics and breed, management, and nutrition affect IMF deposition. Japanese Black cattle breed has the highest IMF content in the world, and Korean cattle (also called Hanwoo) the second highest. Here, we review results of research on genetic factors (breed and sex differences and heritability) that affect IMF deposition. Cattle management factors are also important for IMF deposition. Castration of bulls increases IMF deposition in most cattle breeds. The effects of several management factors, including weaning age, castration, slaughter weight and age, and environmental conditions on IMF deposition are also reviewed. Nutritional factors, including fat metabolism, digestion and absorption of feed, glucose/starch availability, and vitamin A, D, and C levels are important for IMF deposition. Manipulating IMF deposition through developmental programming via metabolic imprinting is a recently proposed nutritional method to change potential IMF deposition during the fetal and neonatal periods in rodents and domestic animals. Application of fetal nutritional programming to increase IMF deposition of progeny in later life is reviewed. The coordination of several factors affects IMF deposition. Thus, a combination of several strategies may be needed to manipulate IMF deposition, depending on the consumer's beef preference. In particular, stage-specific feeding programs with concentrate-based diets developed by Japan and Korea are described in this article.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.317-331
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• 1990

Chromosomes of gonadal tissues from Fasciola spp, Eurytrema pancreaticum and Calicophoron calicophorum occurred Korean cattle were egamined using modified air-drying method. To compare their phenotype with three different genotypes among Fasciola spp, the adult and egg si2e were measured since they have been known as important taxonomical characters. The results obtained were as followed; Cattle liver fluke, Fasciola spp were classified into three types based on their chromosomal complements such as individual with 2o chromosome(diploid), 30 chromosome(triploid) and 20/30 mosaic constitution(mixoploid). The propotions of appearance of three types were 40.00%, 54.29% and 5.71%, respectively. The frequency of three types in type I which was regarded as F gigantica were 58.82% for diploid, 35.29% for triploid and 5.88% for mixoploid, but in type II which was regarded as F hepatica were 72.2% for triploid, 22.22% for diploid and 5.56% for mixoploid. Egg length of triploid forms was significantly larger than that of diploid forms and egg size of mixoploid forms was similiar to that of triploid forms. Worm size of triploid forms was larger than that of diploid forms and was more similar to that of mixoploid forms, but the statistical data were not significant. Diploid chromosome consisted of one pair of metacentric chromosome(m), four pairs of submetacentric chromosomes(sm), five pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes(st), while triploid chromosome consisted of one pair of metacentric chromosome, seven pairs of submetacen.tric chromosomes, one pair of subtelocentric chromosome and telocentric chromosome(t), respectively. In mixoploid chromosome, constitution of the chromosomes of diploid or triploid cell was consistent with that of diploid or triploid. Chromosomes of gonadal tissues from pancreatic fluke, Eurytrema pancreaticum consisted of 13 pairs of homologs(2n=26, n=13). The mitotic and meiotic divisions were observed frequently. In the mitotic metaphase, Karyotype consisted of five pairs of metacentric chromosomes, four pairs of submetacentric chromosomes, three pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes and one pair of telocentric chromosome. Chromosomes of gonadal tissues from stomach fluke, Calicvphoron calicophorum consisted of 9 pairs of homologs(2n=18, n=9). The meiotic divisions was frequently observed, but mitotic divisions was rare. In the mitotic metaphase, Karyotype consisted of two pairs of metacentric chromosomes, three pairs of submetacentric chromosomes and four pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. Karyotype of Calicophoron calicophorum differed from that of Japanese C calicophorum which was similar to that of Paramphistomum cervi of Korean cattle. Though that of Calicophoron calicophorum of Korean cattle was similar to that of Paramphistomum explanatum of Korean cattle, that have been recognized to be a different species of fluke.