• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.146-158
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• 2010

In order to evaluate the characteristics of sediments and pollution by organic matter and metallic elements in intertidal sediments along the southwestern coast of Korea, we measured various geochemical parameters, including the mean grain size (Mz), water content (WC), ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS), and metallic elements (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Hg, As), in intertidal surface sediments. The Mz of the surface sediments ranged from 2.1 to 8.3$\phi$, indicating that the surface sediments consist of various sedimentary facies, such as sand, slightly gravelly mud, sandy mud, and silt. The IL and COD in surface sediment ranged from 0.8 to 5.5% (mean $2.9\pm1.2%$) and from 3.9 to $13.8\;mgO_2/g{\cdot}dry$ (mean $8.5\pm2.6\;mgO_2/g{\cdot}dry$), respectively, which were lower than the values for surface sediment in areas near fish and shellfish farms or industrial complexes. No AVS was detected at any sampling station, despite various sedimentary facies. Most of metallic elements in surface sediments showed relatively good positive correlations with Mz and IL, which imply that the concentrations of metallic elements are mainly controlled by grain size and the organic matter content. The concentrations of metallic elements, except As, at some stations were considerably lower than those in the Sediment Quality Guideline (Effect Range Low, ERL) proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States. Similarly, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) class indicated that pollution by metallic elements in intertidal surface sediment, except As, was moderate or non-existent. Our results imply that the intertidal surface sediments along the southwestern coast of Korea are not polluted by organic matter and metallic elements and are healthy for benthic organisms.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.452-468
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• 2012

Marine organisms were collected by the stow nets and the stow net on boat fisheries from April 2010 to November 2011 in the Han River Estuary and categorized as 126 species, 61 families, and 5 taxa. The species were consisted with 34 in Crustacea, 5 in Cephalopoda, 79 in Pisces, unidentified jellyfishes in Cnidaria, and Finless porpoise in Mammals. The major species were composed of fish and crustaceans in the Han River Estuary. The dominant species in Crustacea were Chinese ditch prawn (Palaemon gravieri), blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus), Ridgetail prawn (Exopalaemon carinicauda), and mantis crab (Oratosquilla oratoria), and those in Pisces were Korean anchovy (Coilia nasus), and Japanese grenadier anchovy (Coilia mystus). The length structures of the six dominant species have more than one mode in the Han River Estuary. It reflects that the species inhibit during a part of and/or whole lifetime in the Han River Estuary where they utilize as spawning and/or nursery grounds. Freshwater fishes were collected from station D where is the closest location to the Han River stream, and their appearances were well matched with the large amount of freshwater discharge due to flood periods. Principal components analysis (PCA) was carried out with species compositions and showed temporal and spatial differences by the variations of species.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2016

Environmental changes exert harmful effects on organisms inhabiting coastal regions. These changes are also associated with reduced production in aquaculture farms. In this study, we investigated internal and external responses of two Bivalvia species (Crassostrea gigas and Mytilus galloprovincialis) in Gamak Bay under stressful environmental conditions in aquaculture farms. We investigated external responses such as weight, size, and environment exposure time, and analyzed the expression of the HSP70 gene. C. gigas HSP70 gene expression level was significantly high in the C3 aquaculture farm site, but the weight and size of C. gigas were high in the C2 aquaculture farm site. The response of C. gigas HSP70 mRNA was associated with the environmental exposure time in each aquaculture farm. Expression of M. galloprovincialis HSP70 gene was found to be significantly higher in the M2 aquaculture farm site than in the M1 site, whereas the weight of M. galloprovincialis was observed to be higher in the M1 site. The size and environmental exposure time of M. galloprovincialis were similar between M1 and M2 sites. In addition, HSP70 sequences of C. gigas and M. galloprovincialis showed high similarity with that of another marine species. According to our results, there were differences in internal responses following environmental stress in aquaculture farms, with respect to HSP70 gene expression. The results suggest that the HSP70 gene is a useful molecular indicator for monitoring stress responses in Bivalvia species in the field.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.109-109
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• 2002

Detection of protozoan parasites Perkinsus sp. and P. atlanticus was developed in this study using a specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to diagnose the presence of those organisms that causes extensive mortalities of marine shellfishes. The PCR was conducted together with fluid thioglycollate medium (FTM) method and 2 M NaOH lysis method. For the test, Manila clams, Ruditapes philippinarum, were collected from four coastal locations in Korea including Wando Island, Gimnyeong, Sungsan and Sogwipo in Jeju. In addition, trophozites of Perkinsus sp. cultivated in vitro and the granular ark clam, Tegillarca granosa, taken from Gangjin on the south coast of Korea, were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Expected DNA bands were detected in the samples from Wando Island, Sungsan and the in vitro cultured Perkinsus sp. when the probes specific for the genus Perkinsus and P. atlanticus were used. The samples were also positively diagnosed by the FTM and 2 M NaOH methods. In contrast, the Manila clams from Gimnyeong and Sogwipo, and the granular arks clams from Gangjin showed no detectable signs of infection with the PCR, the FTM method and the 2 M NaOH lysis method. On the other hand, being amplified by p. atlanticus specific primer, it is suggested that the protozoan parasite Perkinsus sp. found in the Korean Manila clam is P. atlanticus. Finally the PCR- based assay developed in the present study can be used in detection of Perkinsus infection and discrimination of Peykinsus species in quarantine stations or laboratories due to the high sensitivity and specificity as well as its rapid detection.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2003

Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms and abundant in every ecosystem in the biosphere. They are common in aqueous environments including marine, brackish and fresh waters and in some habitats that lack eukaryotic life such as some hot springs and highly alkaline lakes. Microalgal biotechnology that is focused on the microalgae-based production of a variety of useful materials such as pharmaceutical comfounds, health foods, natural pigments, and biofuels is considered as an important discipline with the development of biotechnology. In addition, the mass cultivation of microalgae can also contribute to improving the environmental quality by reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ which is one of major gases lead to global warming. Consequently, it seems that the microalgae can be used as an efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly source of high-value biomaterials such as chemicals, pigments, energy, etc. and the microalgal biotechnology will most likely represent a larger portion of modern biotechnology.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2012

A major concern regarding the collection and storage of biodiversity information is the inefficiency of conventional taxonomic approaches in dealing with a large number of species. This inefficiency has increased the demand for automated, rapid, and reliable molecular identification systems and large-scale biological databases. DNA-based taxonomic approaches are now arguably a necessity in biodiversity studies. In particular, DNA barcoding using short DNA sequences provides an effective molecular tool for species identification. We constructed a large-scale database system that holds a collection of 5531 barcode sequences from 2429 Korean species. The Korea Barcode of Life database (KBOL, http://koreabarcode.org) is a web-based database system that is used for compiling a high volume of DNA barcode data and identifying unknown biological specimens. With the KBOL system, users can not only link DNA barcodes and biological information but can also undertake conservation activities, including environmental management, monitoring, and detecting significant organisms.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2015

Collagen peptides, which are found at high concentrations in the human body, are present in animal bones and the skin of marine organisms, namely, fish scales. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein of various connective tissues in animals. Furthermore, it is widely used in biomedical material, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and leather industries. Peptides extracted from scales of various fish protect against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced skin damage and photo-aging. However, the protective effects of collagen peptides derived from the scales of Branchiostegus japonicus against UVB exposure are unclear. This study investigated the effects of peptides larger than 1 kDa (high-molecular weight peptides [HMP]) and smaller than 1 kDa (low-molecular weight peptides [LMP]), derived from extracts of B. japonicus scales, against UVB-induced skin damage and photo-aging. These peptides scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals in a dose-dependent manner. In UVB-exposed HaCaT human keratinocytes, LMP inhibited 8-isoprostane generation, a marker of cellular lipid peroxidation. The peptides also suppressed the UVB-induced increase in tyrosinase activity and melanin content in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. In addition, the LMP and HMP treatment suppressed UVB-induced elastase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 activities in the HaCaT cells. These results indicate that peptides derived from B. japonicus scales have antioxidant, antiphoto-aging, and skin-whitening effects.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.414-422
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• 1984

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of polluted Oncheon Stream on the marine organisms in the Suyeong Bay. Water quality and 96 hr acute toxicity to the sea urchin, Hemicentrotns pulcherrimus by recirculation bioassay were examined from Feb. 20 to Apr. 15, 1984. The 96 hr $50\%$ effective concentration($EC_{50}$) on the attachment of the podia of the sea urchin was observed to occur at test concentrations between 40.0 and $51.0\%$ (v/v), and safe concentrations may be assumed to be within 4.0 and $5.1\%$. These values indicate as follows : 1. Oncheon Stream was extremely polluted by oxygen-demanding wastes and synthetic organic compounds from sewage and industrial waste water. 2. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate(LAS) which has not been yet included in water quality standard was discharged above the TLm. 3. Unknown toxicity may be synergy among complex substances. In consideration of the relationship between COD values of Oncheon Stream and dilution water, the effect of toxicity of Oncheon Stream water reached to the area of the Suyeong Bay where the COD value was found to be 12.2 ppm.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.146-150
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• 2017

Length and weight relationship (LWR) for dominant Antarctic fishes was determined in two species of the family Nototheniidae; black rockcod (Notothenia coriiceps) and marbled rockcod (Notothenia rossii). Samples were caught in the offshore sea around King Sejong station located on King George Island, Antarctica in January, 2017. A total of 30 N. coriiceps and 7 N. rossii were caught by fishing rod and hook. Average total length was 266.0 mm for N. coriiceps and 275.4 mm for N. rossii. Average total weight was 283.1g for N. coriiceps and 290 g for N. rossii. In terms of LWR and b value, the results showed that both two species had positive allometries (b>3) in good health. This size information of two dominant Antarctic fishes would be useful for future physiological studies to understand of adaptation mechanism and biological pathway of Antarctic marine organisms.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3785-3791
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• 2012

Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important factors controlling growth in aquatic organisms. Hypoxia is generally defined as dissolved oxygen less than 2.8 mg $O_2/L$ (equivalent to 2 mL $O_2/L$ or 91.4 mM). Therefore, hypoxia zone can cause a serious problem in marine ecosystem. In this study, to investigate embryotoxic (fertilization and embryo development rates) effects of hypoxia on sea urchin Strongylocentrotus nudus were exposed to dissolved oxygen levels of 7.6 mg $O_2/L$ (normoxia) and 1.8 mg $O_2/L$ (hypoxia) for 2 days at $15^{\circ}C$ and 33 ‰. Also, Expression levels of stress related gene (HSP70) and antioxidant related gene (glutathione reductase) in the sea urchins exposed to hypoxia were confirmed by Immunoblotting and RT-PCR analysis. In results, we showed that developmental rates were dramatically reduced in hypoxia condition. Molecular analysis demonstrated that higher HSP70 (5.5 fold) and glutathione reductase gene (2.79 fold) were present in the sea urchin exposed to hypoxia. Our results suggested that hypoxia can cause the abnormal development and elicits a stress and antioxidant response on sea urchin.