• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.374-384
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• 1999

Benthic marine algal flora and community structure of Yongho-dong area in Pusan, Korea were investigated seasonally in intertidal and subtidal zones by a quadrat method along 5 transect lines from July 1996 to April 1997. In this area, a total of 99 species including 3 blue-green, 13 green, 26 brown and 57 red algae was found. Among them, 33 taxa, together with dominant Ulva pertusa and Corallina pilulifera, occurred throughout the year. Enteromorpha spp. and Ulva spp. vertically distributed in upper and middle zone, while Simphyocladia latiuscula, Chondria crassicaulis, Corallina pilulifera and Sargassum sup. in lower zones. Biomass per unit area exhibited a wide range of variation, from 1,241 g/$m^2$(spring) to 1,648 g/$m^2$(summer) in fresh weight. Maximum and minimum species diversity were recorded in spring and autumn, respectively. Results of the UPGAM cluster analysis suggest that the examined 5 sites can be divided into two groups, sites exposed to open sea (transects 1, 2, 3) and comparatively sheltered sites (transects 4, 5) faced with the Pusan Harbor. The former group is represented by large brown algae, Sargassum and Hizikia, while Ulva pertusa and Lomentaria species are mainly found in the latter group. A calcareous alga, Corallina pilulifera occurred dominantly in both groups throughout the year. In conclusion, number of species in this area was remarkably reduced as compared to the previous data. This result may suggest probably more change of algal vegetation in future, considering the physical and chemical pollutions loaded in the coastal marine environment of this area.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2017

In the present study, we enhanced the phenolic content of 70% ethanol extracts of Spirogyra sp. (SPE, $260.47{\pm}5.21$ gallic acid equivalent $[GAE]mg\;g^{-1}$), 2.97 times to $774.24{\pm}2.61GAE\;mg\;g^{-1}$ in the ethyl acetate fraction of SPE (SPEE). SPEE was evaluated for its antiradical activity in online high-performance liquid chromatography-ABTS analysis, and the peaks with the highest antiradical activities were identified as gallic acid derivatives containing gallic acid, methyl gallate, and ethyl gallate. Isolation of ethyl gallate from Spirogyra sp. was performed for the first time in this study. In ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), SPEE improved cell viability by 8.22%, and 23.33% and reduced accumulation of cells in the sub-$G_1$ phase by 20.53%, and 32.11% at the concentrations of 50 and $100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. Furthermore, SPEE (50 and $100{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$) reduced reactive oxygen species generation in UVB-irradiated zebrafish by 66.67% and 77.78%. This study suggests a protective activity of gallic acid and its derivatives from Spirogyra sp. against UVB-induced stress responses in both in vitro and in vivo models, suggesting a potential use of SPEE in photoprotection.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2022

Intercellular nutrient and signal transduction are essential to sustaining multicellular organisms and maximizing the benefits of multicellularity. It has long been believed that red algal intercellular transport of macromolecules is prevented by the protein-rich pit plug within pit-connections, the only physical connection between cells. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran and recombinant green fluorescence protein (rGFP) of various molecular sizes were injected into vegetative cells of Griffithsia monilis using a micromanipulator, and intercellular transport of the fluorescent probes was examined. Pit-connections were found to provide intercellular transport of tracers at rates comparable to plasmodesmata in other organisms. The time necessary for the transport to an adjacent cell was dependent on the molecular size and the direction of the transport. Fluorescent dextran of 3 kDa was transported to adjacent cells in 1-2 h after injection and migrated to all cells of the filament within 24 h, but fluorescent dextran of 10-20 kDa took 24 h to transfer to neighboring cells. The migration occurred faster towards adjacent reproductive cells and to apical cells than basally. Fluorescent tracers above 40 kDa and rGFP was not transported to neighboring cells, but accumulated near the pit plug. Our results suggest that pit-connections are conduit for macromolecules between neighboring cells and that these size-specific conduits allow intercellular communication between the vegetative cells of red algae.

• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2012

A novel lectin specific to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine as well as N-acetyl-D-glucosamine was isolated from Bryopsis plumosa and named as BPL-4. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophorese (SDS-PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry data showed that this lectin was a monomeric protein with molecular weight 12.9 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the lectin were determined by Edman degradation and the full cDNA sequence encoding this lectin was obtained using the degenerate primers designed from the amino acid sequence. The size of the cDNA was 414 bp containing single open reading frame (ORF) encoding the lectin precursor. The homology analysis showed that this lectin might belong to H lectin group. BPL-4 showed high sequence similarity (60.6%) to BPL-3, which is a previously reported lectin from the same species. The comparative analysis on the lectin's primary structure showed two conserved domains including one possible active domain of H lectin group.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2005

In this study, we chronicle the establishment of a novel transformation system for the unicellular marine green alga, Dunaliella salina. We introduced the CaMV35S promoter-GUS construct into D. salina with a PDS1000/He micro-particle bombardment system. Forty eight h after transformation, via histochemical staining, we observed the transient expression of GUS in D. salina cells which had been bombarded under rupture-disc pressures of 450 psi and 900 psi. We observed no GUS activity in either the negative or the blank controls. Our findings indicated that the micro-particle bombardment method constituted a feasible approach to the genetic transformation of D. salina. We also conducted tests of the cells' sensitivity to seven antibiotics and one herbicide, and our results suggested that 20 ${\mu}g$/ ml of Basta could inhibit cell growth completely. The bar gene, which encodes for phosphinothricin acetyltransferase and confers herbicide tolerance, was introduced into the cells via the above established method. The results of PCR and PCR-Southern blot analyses indicated that the gene was successfully integrated into the genome of the transformants.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.265-274
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• 2013

The growth, reproduction, gametophyte(G)/tetrasporophyte(T) ratio, and diseases of Chondrus ocellatus populations were examined at 3 sites (Samcheok, Youngduk, Pohang) of East coast and at 2 sites (Hakampo, Manripo) of West coast in between July and August, 2013. Average plant lengths were 6.10~9.69 cm and it was minimum at Manripo and maximum at Pohang population. In general, average plant length and weight of C. ocellatus were greater on East coast than West coast populations. The proportion of vegetative plant was between 26.7~66.7 %, and G/T ratio of total plants including vegetative plants after testing resorcinol method was 3:2 on the East coast where is gametophyte dominant area. However, G/T ratio was 1:1 at Hakampo and 1:2.3 at Manripo representing tetrasporophyte dominance. In the present study, Korean C. ocellatus have various diseases (white colour and green colour), an endophytic alga(Ulvella sp.), and many epiphytic macroalgae and diatoms. Healthy C. ocellatus plants were about 20~40 % in summer population and most of plants had disease. Chondrus ocellatus had a filamentous green alga, endophytic Ulvella sp. which was not identified. The endophyte is easily observed in C. crispus growing in Europe and Canada and it is recognised as a pathogen destroying population and reducing yield of C. crispus. Thus more interest and research on the endophytic algae and disease of C. ocellatus are required.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2016

It is important to design photobioreactor by cheap material for economical microalgal biomass production. In this study, two types of marine photobioreactors (MPBR), made by either polyvinyl chloride (MPBR-PVC) or high density poly ethylene (MPBR-HDPE), are used and performance of these were compared. Tetraselmis sp. KCTC 12236BP is a green marine alga that isolated from Ganghwa Island, Korea, and the strain was used for marine cultivations using MPBR-PVC and MPBR-HDPE. The cultivations were performed three times in the spring season of 2012 using MPBR-PVC and of 2013 using MPBR-HDPE in the coastal area of Young Heung Island. As the results, MPBR-PVC shows higher biomass productivities than MPBR-HDPE, due to its high light transmittance. In the cultivations using MPBR-PVC, the average sea water temperature was $11.5^{\circ}C$ during the first experiment and $16.5^{\circ}C$ during the second and third experiments. Average light intensities during three times for experiments were 407.5, 268.1 and $273.0{\mu}{\cdot}E{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, respectively. The maximum fresh cell weight and average biomass productivity were $1.2g{\cdot}L^{-1}$ and $0.12g{\cdot}L^{-1}{\cdot}day^{-1}$. These results showed that Tetraselmis sp. KCTC12236BP were adapted well with the environmental conditions from ocean, and grow in the MPBR-PVC and MPBR-HDPE.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.274-282
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• 2014

We examined seasonal variation in the structure of marine macroalgal communities at five sites around the Byeonsan Peninsula, Korea, from January to October 2011. Sixty eight species were identified, including 11 green, 17 brown and 40 red algae. Species richness was highest at Gyeokpo (51 species) followed by Sambal (47), Gosapo (34), Byeonsan (33), and Habgoo (18). Seaweed biomass ranged from 12.98 to 145.33 g dry $wt/m^2$, with maximum and minimum biomasses at Gyeokpo and Habgoo, respectively. Sargassum thunbergii was the representative alga species occupying 47.89% of the total biomass. The dominant seaweeds were S. thunbergii, Corallina pilulifera, Ulva spp, Gracilaria vermiculophylla, and Carpopeltis affinis. No distinctive vertical distribution of seaweeds was found because S. thunbergii, Ulva spp, and G. vermiculophylla were all distributed from high to low shore. Community indices were as follows: dominance index (DI), 0.44-0.61; richness index (R), 6.27-10.35; evenness index (J'), 0.38-0.59; and diversity index (H'), 1.48-1.71. Gyeokpo had the most biomass and highest species richness, and the lowest percentage of Ulva species. However, species richness declined at Gyeokpo, from 78 to 51 species within 10 years, implying that eutrophication and sedimentation from Mankyeong and Dongjin rivers have reduced the stability of seaweed communities.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

Codium fragile (Suringar) Hariot, a green alga of the Codiales family, has been reported to have several bioactive properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its antiobesity and whitening effects and their underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the antiobesity and melanogenesis inhibitory effects of C. fragile using methanol extracts of C. fragile (MECF). The results of this study revealed that MECF inhibited the accumulation of lipid droplets and triacylglycerol in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, which was associated with the inhibition of the expression of adipogenesis-related transcription factors, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα), and C/EBPβ, which function as the key regulators of adipogenesis. Also, MECF reduced tyrosinase activity and melanin content in B16F10 cells as well as the expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), TRP-2, and microphthalmia-related transcription factor in the presence of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Taken together, our findings suggest that the extract of C. fragile could be considered a promising functional ingredient for the prevention and treatment of obesity and skin pigmentation in the food and cosmetic industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.211-216
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• 2001

The growth of Selenastrum capricornutum in culture was investigated as a function of ionic copper concentrations to verify the toxicity and physiological variation. In a $Cu^{++}$ excess culture (E: $Cu^{++}$ of $130{\mu}g/l$), the growth rate (K)(0.32) was lower than that of the control culture (C: $Cu^{++}$ of $0.065{\mu}g/l$) (0.61) after 8 days and the exponential growth rate ($R_E$) was also found to be lower in culture E (1.1) than culture C (2.9). On the contrary, the K of S. capricornutum in trace $Cu^{++}$ culture ($T_1$ and $T_2$, 0.72) after 6 days tended to be more increased than culture C (0.68). From 8 to 14 days of culture, the amounts of chlorophyllls a and b were increased in culture C (chlorophyll a, $106->126{\mu}g/g$ dry wt; chlorophyll b, $158->208{\mu}g/g$ dry wt; chlorophyll b were decreased in culture E (chlorophyll a, $309->235{\mu}g/g$ dry wt; chlorophyll b, $405->352{\mu}g/g$ dry wt). The amounts of chlorophylls in ionic copper trace culture ($T_1$ and $T_2$) [(chl a/b) of $T_1$: $384/620\;{\mu}g/g$ dry wt; (chl a/b) of $T^2$:$320/467{\mu}g/g$ dry wt] were increased more than the culture C($260/387{\mu}g/g$ dry wt). Howeveer, when photosynthetic rates were normalized to the dry weight of algae, the control culture continued to showed higher values than the treated culture ($T_1$). An appropriate amount of ionic copper ($T_1:\;26\;{\mu}g/l$) stimulated the grwoth of S. capricornutum than the ionic copper content of $13\;{\mu}g/l$ ($T_2$), while the excess amount of ionic copper ($130\;{\mu}g/l$) resulted in the highest toxicity to the growth of S. capricornutum.