• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.415-424
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• 2012

Four species of ophichthid leptocephali were identified using 12S rDNA sequences, and their morphological descriptions were first provided based on six individuals (S1-S3,M1, and E1-E2) collected from the East Sea and the Korea Strait between September 2008 and October 2010. Mitochondrial 12S rDNA 859-861 base pairs of ophichthid leptocephali were compared with those of 16 ophichthids adult and 2 outgroups (Anguilla japonica and Conger myriaster). Leptocephali of S1 and E1 were very closely clustered with adult of Scolecenchelys borealis (D=0.002) and Echelus uropterus (D=0.000), respectively. However, leptocephali of S2-S3 andM1 were slightly far clustered with leptocephalus of S1 (D=0.006) and adult of Muraenichthys gymnopterus (0.034), respectively. We believe that S1 and E1 are S. borealis and E. uropterus, respectively, in which the former is unrecorded species in Korea. However, S2-S3 and M1 may be undescribed species belonging to genus Scolecenchelys and Muraenichthys, respectively, because total numbers of myomeres for S2-S3 (148-158) and M1 (151) were not consistent with total numbers of vertebrae or distribution for any adult of Scolecenchelys spp. and Muraenichthys spp. in the world. We propose the new Korean name 'Dong-hae-mul-baem' for S. borealis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.1393-1400
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• 2018

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the haplotype diversity and population dynamics in cattle populations of Ethiopia. Methods: We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 76 animals from five indigenous and one Holstein Friesian${\times}$Barka cross bred cattle populations. Results: In the sequence analysis, 18 haplotypes were generated from 18 segregating sites and the average haplotype and nucleotide diversities were $0.7540{\pm}0.043$ and $0.0010{\pm}0.000$, respectively. The population differentiation analysis shows a weak population structure (4.55%) among the populations studied. Majority of the variation (95.45%) is observed by within populations. The overall average pair-wise distance ($F_{ST}$) was 0.049539 with the highest ($F_{ST}=0.1245$) and the lowest ($F_{ST}=0.011$) $F_{ST}$ distances observed between Boran and Abigar, and Sheko and Abigar from the indigenous cattle, respectively. The phylogenetic network analysis revealed that all the haplotypes detected clustered together with the Bos taurus cattle and converged to a haplogroup. No haplotype in Ethiopian cattle was observed clustered with the reference Bos indicus group. The mismatch distribution analysis indicates a single population expansion event among the cattle populations. Conclusion: Overall, high haplotype variability was observed among Ethiopian cattle populations and they share a common ancestor with Bos taurus.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 2009

Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense was first described by Yamane in 1986 but the taxonomical features have been obscure due to lack of critical morphologic criteria in its larval and adult stages. In Korea, this tapeworm had long been known as Diphyllobothrium latum. In this study, we observed 62 specimens collected from Korean residents and analyzed them by morphological features and nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cox1 gene as well as the ITS1 region. Adult tapeworms were examined after carmine or trichrome stain. Longitudinal sections of the gravid proglottids showed an obtuse angle of about 150 degree between the cirrus sac and seminal vesicle. This angle is known as a major differential point compared with that of D. latum. Nucleotide sequence differences between D. latum and the specimens from Koreans represented 17.3% in mitochondrial DNA cox1 gene. Sequence divergence of ITS1 among 4 Korean isolates was 0.3% and similarity was 99.7% with D. nihonkaiense and D. klebanovskii. All of the Korean specimens analyzed in this study were identified as being D. nihonkaiense (n = 62). We propose its Korean name as "Dong-hae-gin-chon-chung" which means 'long tapeworm of the East Sea' for this newly analyzed diphyllobothriid tapeworm in Korea.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2013

In this study, we used flow a cytometric assay to evaluate plasma membrane integrity and mitochondrial activity in post-thawed sperm that was supplemented with ginsenoside-$Rg_1$. Varying concentrations of ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ (0, 25, 50 and $100{\mu}M/ml$) were used in the extender during cryopreservation to protect the DNA of thawed sperm, thereby increasing the viability and motility rate as evaluated using a computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) method. The results derived from CASA were used to compare the fresh, control, and ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ groups. Sperm motility and the number of progressively motile sperm were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the $50{\mu}M/ml$ ginsenoside-Rg1 group ($61.0{\pm}4.65%$) than in the control ($46.6{\pm}7.02%$), $25{\mu}M/ml$ ($46.2{\pm}4.76%$), and $100{\mu}M/ml$ ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ ($52.0{\pm}1.90%$) groups. However, the velocity distribution of post-thawed sperm did not differ significantly. Membrane integrity and MMP staining as revealed using flow cytometry were significantly (p<0.05) higher ($91.6{\pm}0.82%$) in the $50{\mu}M/ml$ ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ group than in the other groups. Here, we report that ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ affects the motility and viability of boar spermatozoa. Moreover, ginsenoside-$Rg_1$ can be used as a protective additive for the suppression of intracellular mitochondrial oxidative stress caused by cryopreservation.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.309-315
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• 2009

Molecular markers developed from the flanking sequences of two cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)-associated genes, orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$, have been used for marker-assisted selection of CMS in pepper. However, in practice, the presence of orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$ at substoichiometric levels even in maintainer lines hampers reliable selection of plants containing the CMS gene. In this study, we developed a novel CMS-specific molecular marker, accD-U, for reliable determination of CMS lines in pepper, and used the newly and previously developed markers to determine the cytoplasm types of pepper breeding lines and germplasms. This marker was developed from a deletion in a chloroplast-derived sequence in the mitochondrial genome of a CMS pepper line. CMS pepper lines could be unambiguously determined by presence or absence of the accD-U marker band. Application of orf456, ${\Psi}atp6-2$and accD-U to various pepper breeding lines and germplasms revealed that accD-U is the most reliable CMS selection marker. A wide distribution of orf456, but not ${\Psi}atp6-2$, in germplasms suggests that the pepper cytoplasm containing both orf456 and ${\Psi}atp6-2$ has been selected as CMS cytoplasm from cytoplasm containing only orf456. Furthermore, factors other than orf456 may be required for the regulation of male sterility in pepper.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.391-397
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• 2005

Molecular identification techniques are used where morphological characters are not useful for distinguishing species that resemble each other closely. The example studied here is the Adoxophyes species complex, in which A. orana (Fischer von $R{\ddot{o}}sslerstamm$) is officially the only known Korean species in the genus Adoxophyes (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). However there have been suspicions that at least two types of A. orana exist in Korea based on the distribution and range of the host, with A. orana attacking apples and peaches, and another Adoxophyes sp. attacking tea and pears. The latter is presumed to be A. honmai (Yasuda), but the two have remained confused because of their extreme morphological similarity, despite several Asian studies of pheromonal and morphological characteristics. To confirm the occurrence of an Adoxophyes species other than A. orana in Korea, we compared 940 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene from 16 samples of Adoxophyes and found that there is a second Adoxophyes species different from A. orana. Comparison of the different sequences to that of Japanese A. honmai confirmed that they belong to the latter. From the sequence difference between the two Korean species, we were able to develop new PCR primer sets that distinguish them. This molecular identification technique with no enzyme digestion or sequencing step is a convenient and rapid way of differentiating between species that are hard to distinguish morphologically.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.259-267
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• 1998

A deletion of one out of the two copies of 9-bp repeat sequence (CCCCCTCTA), between the cytochrome oxidase II and Iysine tranfer RNA (COII/$tRNA^{Lys}$) genes in human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used as a polymorphic anthropological marker for people of east Asian origin, and to lesser extent, Pacific and African populations. We searched for the 9-bp deletion of the intergenic COII/$tRNA^{Lys}$ Lys region in two Korean populations (175 from Seoul and 38 from Cheju) and examine the distibution of this deletion in world populations. The 9-bp deletion was detected directly by electrophoresis of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified nucleotide(nt) 8211-8310 mtDNA fragment. The frequencies of the 9-bp deletion were significantly different between the Seoul (16%) and Cheju (8%) populations. Examination of data from the world populations suggests a geographic gradient. The frequency reaches its highest values in some Pacific island populations and decreases along the southeast Asia-Siberia transect. In spite of this geographic gradient, Mongoloid populations including Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Mongolian populations were relatively homo-geneous with regard to the 9-bp deletion type of the intergenic COII/$tRNA^{Lys}$ region. These results indicate Koreans are genetically related to northeast Asian populations, and have a maternal mongoloid ancestry. Therefore, the 9-bp deletion of the intergenic COII/$tRNA^{Lys}$ region will provide significant information to elucidate the historical patterns of migration of the Mongoloids.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.558-566
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• 2017

Regular monitoring on experimental animal management found the fluctuation of ART outcome, which showed a necessity to explore whether superovulation treatment is responsible for such unexpected outcome. This study was subsequently conducted to examine whether superovulation treatment can preserve ultrastructural integrity and developmental competence of oocytes following oocyte activation and embryo culture. A randomized study using mouse model was designed and in vitro development (experiment 1), ultrastructural morphology (experiment 2) and functional integrity of the oocytes (experiment 3) retrieved after PMSG/hCG injection (superovulation group) or not (natural ovulation; control group) were evaluated. In experiment 1, more oocytes were retrieved following superovulation than following natural ovulation, but natural ovulation yielded higher (p < 0.0563) maturation rate than superovulation. The capacity of mature oocytes to form pronucleus and to develop into blastocysts in vitro was similar. In experiment 2, a notable (p < 0.0186) increase in mitochondrial deformity, characterized by the formation of vacuolated mitochondria, was detected in the superovulation group. Multivesicular body formation was also increased, whereas early endosome formation was significantly decreased. No obvious changes in other microorganelles, however, were detected, which included the formation and distribution of mitochondria, cortical granules, microvilli, and smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum. In experiment 3, significant decreases in mitochondrial activity, ATP production and dextran uptake were detected in the superovulation group. In conclusion, superovulation treatment may change both maturational status and functional and ultrastuctural integrity of oocytes. Superovulation effect on preimplantation development can be discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2021

Mitochondrial NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) produces NADPH, which is known to inhibit mitochondrial oxidative stress. Ureteral obstruction induces kidney inflammation and fibrosis via oxidative stress. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of IDH2 in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney inflammation using IDH2 gene deleted mice (IDH2-/-). Eight- to 10-week-old female IDH2-/- mice and wild type (IDH2+/+) littermates were subjected to UUO and kidneys were harvested 5 days after UUO. IDH2 was not detected in the kidneys of IDH2-/- mice, while UUO decreased IDH2 in IDH2+/+ mice. UUO increased the expressions of markers of oxidative stress in both IDH2+/+ and IDH2-/- mice, and these changes were greater in IDH2-/- mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Bone marrow-derived macrophages of IDH2-/- mice showed a more migrating phenotype with greater ruffle formation and Rac1 distribution than that of IDH2+/+ mice. Correspondently, UUO-induced infiltration of monocytes/macrophages was greater in IDH2-/- mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that IDH2 plays a protective role against UUO-induced inflammation through inhibition of oxidative stress and macrophage infiltration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1615-1623
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• 2021

Picropodophyllotoxin (PPT), an epimer of podophyllotoxin, is derived from the roots of Podophyllum hexandrum and exerts various biological effects, including anti-proliferation activity. However, the effect of PPT on colorectal cancer cells and the associated cellular mechanisms have not been studied. In the present study, we explored the anticancer activity of PPT and its underlying mechanisms in HCT116 cells. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to monitor cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell cycle distribution, the induction of apoptosis, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), assess the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), and multi-caspase activity. Western blot assays were performed to detect the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, apoptosis-related proteins, and p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). We found that PPT induced apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and ROS in the HCT116 cell line. In addition, PPT enhanced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, which regulates apoptosis and PPT-induced apoptosis. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was inhibited by an antioxidant agent (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, NAC) and a p38 inhibitor (SB203580). PPT induced depolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane and caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was attenuated by exposure to Z-VAD-FMK. Overall, these data indicate that PPT induced G1 arrest and apoptosis via ROS generation and activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.