• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2018

Studies on the interactions of amyloidogenic proteins with trace metals, such as copper, have indicated that the metal ions perform a critical function in the early oligomerization process. Herein, we investigate the effects of Cu(II) ions on the active sequence regions of amyloidogenic proteins using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and collision induced dissociation tandem MS (CID-MS/MS). We chose three amyloidogenic peptides NNQQNY, LYQLEN, and VQIVYK from yeast prion like protein Sup35, insulin chain A, and tau protein, respectively. [Cu-peptide] complexes for all three peptides were observed in the mass spectra. The mass spectra also show that increasing Cu(II) concentrations decrease the population of existing peptide oligomers. The tandem mass spectrum of NNQQNY shows preferential binding for the N-terminal region. All three peptides are likely to appear to be in a Cu-monomer-monomer (Cu-M-M) structure instead of a monomer-Cu-monomer (M-Cu-M) structure.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.185-195
• /
• 2020

Background: The flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus has the widest distribution among mugilid species. Recent studies based on mitochondrial DNA sequences showed that the species comprises at least 14 different groups, three of which occur in the northwest Pacific. We analyzed the otolith microchemistry of M. cephalus at several locations in Korea to improve understanding of migration pattern and population origin. Results: We collected 123 sagittal otoliths from seven locations and determined their concentrations of eight elements (⁷Li, ²⁴Mg, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁵⁷Fe, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶³Cu, ⁸⁸Sr, and ¹³⁸Ba) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Mean otolith elemental ratios differed significantly among the locations. The Sr:Ca, Fe:Ca, and Ba:Ca ratios were significantly higher than others, and useful chemical signatures for investigating the habitat use of M. cephalus populations. We identified five diverse and complicated migration patterns using the otolith data that we collected: estuarine resident (type I), freshwater migrant (type II), estuarine migrant (type III), seawater resident (type IV), and seawater migrant (type V). A canonical discriminant analysis plot revealed separation of two groups (type II in the Yellow Sea vs. other types in remaining locations). Two locations on Jeju Island, despite their close proximity, had fish with quite different migration patterns, corroborating previous molecular studies that distinguished two groups of fishes. Conclusion: We successfully showed that the migration patterns of the Korean mullet varied by location. Only fish from the western sector of Jeju had a unique migration pattern, which is likely confined population in this area. Among the eight otolith elements measured, the Sr:Ca ratio was found to be the best indicator of migration pattern and population origin.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.376-384
• /
• 2021

Agaricus bisporus is a popular edible mushroom that is cultivated worldwide. Due to its secondary homothallic nature, cultivated A. bisporus strains have low genetic diversity, and breeding novel strains is challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of globally collected A. bisporus strains using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Agaricus bisporus strains were divided based on genetic distance-based groups and model-based subpopulations. The major allele frequency (MAF), number of genotypes (NG), number of alleles (NA), observed heterozygosity (HO), expected heterozygosity (HE), and polymorphic information content (PIC) were calculated, and genetic distance, population structure, genetic differentiation, and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were assessed. Strains were divided into two groups by distance-based analysis and into three subpopulations by model-based analysis. Strains in subpopulations POP A and POP B were included in Group I, and strains in subpopulation POP C were included in Group II. Genetic differentiation between strains was 99%. Marker AB-gSSR-1057 in Group II and subpopulation POP C was confirmed to be in HWE. These results will enhance A. bisporus breeding programs and support the protection of genetic resources.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.930-935
• /
• 2004

The present study was aimed to study the effect of aqueous extract of Tinospora cordifolia and autologous plasma on uterine infections. Buffaloes in estrus, 40 days and above postpartum were checked for uterine infections. Animals having uterine infections were randomly divided into three groups of six animals each. Buffaloes in group I, II and III (control) were given intrauterine infusion of aqueous extract of Tinospora cordifolia (3,000 mg total dose), autologous plasma (150 ml) and phosphate buffer saline (150 ml) respectively, in three divided doses, once daily for three consecutive days, starting from the day of estrus. A fourth group (IV) comprising of six buffaloes having no uterine infection was also included in the present study. Buffaloes were inseminated artificially on next estrus following treatment and confirmed for pregnancy 60 days later. Bacterial population in CVM of buffaloes in group I, II and III was significantly (p<0.05) higher than group IV. After treatment there was a significant (p<0.01) reduction in bacterial population in group I (83.496$\pm$7.755%) and group II 80.233$\pm$5.799%) than group in III 7.557$\pm$33.551%) at next estrus. There was non-significant improvement in first service conception rate (CR, 33.33%) and overall conception rate (OCR, 27.27%) in group I, in comparison to group III (first service CR-16.67%; OCR-20.0%). No significant improvement was seen in OCR (22.22%) in-group II also in comparison to group III. The improvement in group I was however, nonsignificantly lower than normal animals of group IV (First service CR-16.67%; OCR-36.33%).

• The korean journal of orthodontics
• /
• v.25 no.6 s.53
• /
• pp.697-704
• /
• 1995

Chicken calvarial bone is known to contain various cell types, but their exact composition is unknown. By characterizing the chicken calvarial bone biochemically, it can be used to study biochemical, histochemical actions of bone cells in general. Calvaria of 18-day-old white leg horn embryo was aseptically dissected and bone cell populations were isolated by sequential enzymatic digestion. Histochemical study for osteoclast-like bone cell. population was performed with tartrate resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) stain and for osteoblast-like bone cell population, alkaline phosphatase(ALP) stain was performed. Biochemical study for osteoblast-like bone cell population was performed using alkaline phosphatase(ALP) assay. Following conclusions were obtained from this study. 1. TRAP positive multi and mononuclear cells were mostly observed in group I and II, indicating that osteoclast-like bone cell population is mostly found in these groups. 2. All the cultured groups showed almost equal ALP activities and were positive for ALP stain, indicating that osteoblast-like bone cell population is evenly dispersed in all culture groups. 3. Experimental group treated with $1,25(OH)_{2}D_3$ showed increase in ALP activity in contrast to the control group, confirming previous studies that $1,25(OH)_{2}D_3$ increases ALP activities in in vitro bone cultures. 4. Results from von Kossa's stain indicated that in vitro bone formation had occured after 3 weeks of culture with beta-glycero phosphate.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.203-208
• /
• 2000

The concentrations of 4 kalosaponins from tissues of Kalopanax septemlobus (Thunb.)Koidz grown in 7 provenances in Korea were determined by HPLC. Kalosaponin contents in plant part were much higher in the inner bark(30.59 mg/g on the dry weight basis) than those of young leaves(22.74 mg/g on the dry weight basis) and root bark(18.02 mg/g on the dry weight basis). A considerable range of variation in the contents was observed among population. The kalosaponin contents in inner bark from each population were highest in the Mt. Barwang (30.37 mg/g on the dry weight basis) followed by Mt. Gariwang, Hanra II, Mangun, Paltan, and Hanra I population. A variation of kalosaponin contents among population may be affected by both environmental and genetic factors. Establishment of selection and propagation of high kalosaponin containing trees can be a good source for the development of valuable forest products.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.167-172
• /
• 2012

Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the receiving water bodies. The present study aims to develop a procedure for Pb (II) removal. This procedure is based on using powdered activated carbon, which was prepared from walnut shells that were generated as plant wastes and modified with potassium carbonate and phosphoric acid as chemical agents. The main parameters, such as effect of pH, effect of sorbent dosage, Pb (II) concentrations, and various contact times influence the sorption process. The experimental results were analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models. The kinetic study of Pb (II) on activated carbon from walnut shells was performed based on pseudo- first order and pseudo- second order equations. The data indicate that the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo- second order rate. The procedure was successfully applied for Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.115-120
• /
• 2012

Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the receiving water bodies. The present study aims to develop a procedure for Pb(II) removal. The study was based on using powdered activated carbon, which was prepared from walnut shells generated as plant wastes and modified with potassium carbonate or phosphoric acid as chemical agents. The main parameters, such as effect of pH, effect of sorbent dosage, Pb(II) concentrations, and various contact times influence the sorption process. The experimental results were analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models. The kinetic study of Pb(II) on activated carbon from walnut shells was performed based on pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order equations. The data indicate that the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second order rate. The procedure was successfully applied for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.234-238
• /
• 2004

This study was designed to investigate, in the Turkish population, the association of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Our study included 249 patients with type II diabetes mellitus (102 men, 147 women) and 214 healthy volunteers as controls (91 men, 123 women). MTHFR C677T genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. No differences were observed in the distribution of MTHFR genotypes or allele frequencies in the cases versus the controls. The frequency of the MTHFR-mutated allele (T) was 31.7% in the type II diabetes mellitus versus 31.1% of the controls. The homozygous mutation (T/T) in the MTHFR gene was identified in 12% of the type II diabetes mellitus versus 9.3% of the controls. Patients with the TT genotype showed a higher prevalence of LVH when compared to patients with the CC and CT genotypes (p = 0.01). The MTHFR gene C677T mutation may be a possible risk factor for the development of LVH in the type II diabetic patients.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.692-703
• /
• 2023

Objective: The main goals of this investigation were to i) assess the population structure and genetic diversity and ii) determine the efficiency of the ongoing breeding program in a closed flock of Angora rabbits through pedigree analysis. Methods: The pedigree records of 6,145 animals, born between 1996 to 2020 at NTRS, ICAR-CSWRI, Garsa were analyzed using ENDOG version 4.8 software package. The genealogical information, genetic conservation index and parameters based on gene origin probabilities were estimated. Results: Analysis revealed that, 99.09% of the kits had both parents recorded in the whole dataset. The completeness levels for the whole pedigree were 99.12%, 97.12%, 90.66%, 82.49%, and 74.11% for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations, respectively, reflecting well-maintained pedigree records. The maximum inbreeding, average inbreeding and relatedness were 36.96%, 8.07%, and 15.82%, respectively. The mean maximum, mean equivalent and mean completed generations were 10.28, 7.91, and 5.51 with 0.85%, 1.19%, and 1.85% increase in inbreeding, respectively. The effective population size estimated from maximum, equivalent and complete generations were 58.50, 27.05, and 42.08, respectively. Only 1.51% of total mating was highly inbred. The effective population size computed via the individual increase in inbreeding was 42.83. The effective numbers of founders (f_e), ancestors (f_a), founder genomes (f_g) and non-founder genomes (f_ng) were 18, 16, 6.22, and 9.50, respectively. The fe/fa ratio was 1.12, indicating occasional bottlenecks had occurred in the population. The six most influential ancestors explained 50% of genes contributed to the gene pool. The average generation interval was 1.51 years and was longer for the sire-offspring pathway. The population lost 8% genetic diversity over time, however, considerable genetic variability still existed in the closed Angora population. Conclusion: This study provides important and practical insights to manage and maintain the genetic variability within the individual flock and the entire population.