• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.644-651
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• 2021

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is a fish pathogen responsible for causing enormous economic loss to the aquaculture industry not only in Korea but worldwide. Thus, it is necessary to identify natural compounds that can be used to control the spread of VHSV. In this study, the anti-VHSV activities of five catechol derivatives, i.e., catechol, pyrogallol, 3-methyl catechol, veratrole, and 3-methyl veratrole-extracted from green tea-were assessed. The antiviral activities of these derivatives were found to be dependent on their structure, i.e., the hydroxyl or methoxyl group and their substituent groups-on the benzene ring. Catechol, pyrogallol, and 3-methyl catechol exhibited relatively high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities than veratrole, and 3-methyl veratrole. Moreover, 3-methyl catechol harboring a methyl substituent group increased the viability of the virus-infected cells and resulted in a 2.86 log reduction in the gene copies of VHSV N (per mL) in real-time PCR analysis. In conclusion, the catechol derivatives harboring hydroxyl groups in their benzene ring exhibited higher antioxidant activities than those harboring the methoxyl groups. However, catechol derivatives with a methyl group at the 3'-position of the benzene ring exhibited higher antiviral activity than those harboring a hydroxyl group. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the relationship between the structure and the anti-VHSV activity of catechol derivatives.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2022

Single-cycle viruses generated by reverse genetic technology are replication-incompetent viruses due to the elimination of gene(s) essential for viral replication, which provides a way to overcome the safety problem in attenuated viruses. Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a major pathogen causing severe damage in cultured salmonid species. In the present study, we generated a single-cycle IHNV lacking the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain in the G gene (rIHNV-GΔTM) and evaluated the prophylactic potential of rIHNV-GΔTM in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). To produce rIHNV-GΔTM, IHNV G protein-expressing Epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells were established. However, as the efficiency of rIHNV-GΔTM production in EPC cell clones was not high, fish were immunized with a low-tittered single-cycle virus (1.5 × 10² PFU/fish). Despite the low dose, the single-cycle IHNV induced significant protection in rainbow trout against IHNV infection, suggesting high immunogenicity of rIHNV-GΔTM. No significant difference in serum ELISA titers against IHNV between the rIHNV-GΔTM immunized group and the control group suggests that the immunized dose of rIHNV-GΔTM might be too low to induce significant humoral adaptive immune responses in rainbow trout. The involvement of adaptive cellular immunity or innate immunity in the present significantly higher protection by the immunization with rIHNV-GΔTM should be further investigated to know the protection mechanism.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2022

Since viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) was first reported in European rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the 1930s, it has caused high prices in freshwater and saltwater fish around the world, causing enormous economic damage to the aquaculture industry. We have been seeking required countermeasures against viruses because of economic damage to the aquaculture industry. However, commercial vaccines have the limitations of being costly to use in farms and being effective to only one pathogen. The aquaculture industry these days is taking on new alternatives to vaccines, antibiotics and chemicals. In this study, the suitability of antiviral effects against VHSV was evaluated in vitro for various plant extracts to judge their effectiveness. Atriplex gmelinii, Ixeris repens, Arctium lappa, and Sargassum coreanum were tested to know the correlation between the amount of virus and the concentration of extract investigates if these extracts have antiviral effects. Virus and extracts at various concentrations were inoculated simultaneously as 1:1 ratio into EPC cell lines. There are no antiviral effects with Atriplex gmelinii, Ixeris repens and Arctium lappa. Extract of Sargassum coreanum only has the antiviral activity in a dose-dependent manner. These results show that extract of Sargassum coreanum can be used in aquaculture industry as an antiviral materials.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.297-305
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• 2011

A trap identification system for isolating functional sequences to allow the constitutive expression of foreign protein from Edwardsiella tarda was developed. Using the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter-based trap system, various functional sequences to drive heterologous expression of the GFP were selectable in Escherichia coli host. However from the bioinformatic sequence analysis, all the segments predicted as regulatory regions were not native promoters actually existing upstream of endogenous E. tarda genes. Instead, a number of non-authentic sequences, possibly resulted from the random shuffling and/or intermolecular ligation were also proven to be able to display a potent GFP expression in the recombinant E. coli. Further analysis with selected clones showed that both authentic and non-authentic sequences could function in as a constitutive promoter, leading quite a consistent and stable GFP expression after repetitive subcultures. Microscopic examination also confirmed the uniform pattern of GFP expression in every host bacterium. Semi-quantitative assay of GFP showed that there was no clear relationship between expression levels and organizational features of the promoters trapped. Functional promoter-like elements achieved in the present study could be a good starting material for multivalent genetic engineering of E. tarda in order to produce recombinant vaccines in a cost-effective fashion.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.911-916
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• 2012

Recently, antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in the environment are emerging as pollutants, since these genetic contaminants can eventually be transferred to human pathogens. The aim of this study was to develop the experimental model of antibiotic resistant gene (ARG) plasmid transfer as a function of various environmental conditions. For this purpose, the multi drug resistant plasmid pB10, which is known to be originally isolated from a wastewater treatment plant, was selected as a model transfer plasmid and Escherichia coli $DH5{\alpha}$ containing pB10 was used as a model donor. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen, was selected as the recipient for the conjugation experiment. When the donor and recipient were exposed to various stressors including antibiotics and heavy metal as a function of the concentrations (10, 100 and, 1000 ppb), statistically increased plasmid transfer rate was observed at a concentration of 10 ppb of tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole compared to control (no antibiotic exposure). Accordingly, the developed experimental ARG model by various stressor is a promising tool for evaluating the dissemination of ARGs by micro-contaminants in aquatic environment.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2021

With the recent isolation of a new betanodavirus in shellfish, Korean Shellfish Nervous Necrosis Virus (KSNNV), it has also been identified the reassortant KSNNV of two RNA segments, in which one segment is KSNNV genotype but the other one is known genotype. In this study, we confirmed that the ressortant KSNNVs obtained in previous screening study of our laboratory for betanodaviruses in shellfish were KS/RGNNV and RG/KSNNV type by performing two consecutive multiplex RT-PCR on each RNA1 and RNA2 segment (R1- and R2-discriminative multiplex two-step RT-PCR, respectively) to determine the genotype of each segment based on the size of amplicon. In the pathogenicity analysis, none of the reassortants induced specific external symptoms or mortality of VNN, but viruses of 2 × 10⁴~10⁵ copies/mg or more were detected at 14 days after injection (10⁷ copies/fish) in brain tissues of 4 species except for crucian carp and common carp among the 6 species of juvenile fish used. In addition, the histopathological features of weak but distinct vacuole formation were also found in the brain of these infected fish, but no difference was found between the two reassortants KS/RGNNV-KG and RG/KSNNV-CM.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.121-128
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• 2022

Recent studies revealed that histone proteins are involved in innate immune responses during pathogen invasion as well as DNA packing. This study characterized the histone genes (H2A.V) of sevenband groupers and analyzed gene expression in NNV-infected sevenband groupers. The open reading frame (ORF) of H2A.V is 387 bp which encoded 128 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of H2A.V harbor a highly conserved domain for H2A/H2B/H3 and H2A_C binding domain. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that H2A.V had a high gene expression level in the brain and blood after being NNV-infected. An increase in extracellular histone protein in the blood has been identified as a biomarker for vascular function in humans. More research is required to understand histone's immune response at the protein level or in aquatic animals.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2007

Vibrio harveyi, one of the major causal agent of vibriosis, affects a diverse range of marine vertebrates and invertebrates over a wide geographical area. The organism is synonymous with Vibrio carchariae, which is also known as a fish pathogen. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of the pathogenic non-luminous V. harveyi and the luminous V. harveyi. And V. harveyi isolates were examined the pathogenicity to the black rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli. Both strains of V. harveyi showed haemolytic activity, and the survival rate of non-luminous V. harveyi FR 2 was higher than other strains in the skin, gut mucus and fresh serum of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus and black rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli, respectively. The virulence of non-luminous V. harveyi FR 2 was higher than that of luminous V. harveyi VIB 391 in the intraperitoneally infected black rockfish. In conclusion, the present study revealed that the pathogenicity of V. harveyi FR 2 isolated from marine fish was higher than that of V. harveyi VIB 391 isolated from shrimp for black rockfish. It was suggested that the pathogenicity of V. harveyi on the black rockfish was related with bacterial luminescense.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2014

Propolis is a beehive product with a very complex chemical composition, widely used in folk medicine because of its several therapeutic activities. This study was conducted to measure the efficacy of propolis on non-specific defense reactions, specific immune response, and protection levels against pathogen challenge with Streptococcus iniae. in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the phagocytic activity and NBT assay of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) were evaluated in a various propolis extractsconcentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 150, 250 and $500{\mu}g/ml$). The optimal concentration showing activation of propolis extracts was determined to $100{\mu}g/ml$. In vivo, they were divided into four groups (PBS, propoli extractss, vaccine, propolis extracts + vaccine) in vivo. Fish were received i.p. injection of either PBS or propolis extracts, and in the presence or absence of formalin inactivated S. iniae ($1{\times}10^8$ CFU/fish), respectively. The level of haematocrit is not affected among experimental groups. The phagocytic activity and the NBT reduction activities of head kidney phagocyte were markedly (p<0.05)augmented in the propolis extracts groups than in the PBS-control group, respectively. The level of serum lysozyme activity was significantly (p<0.05) increased in the propolis extracts treated groups than in the PBS-control group. The agglutinin titer was significantly (p<0.05) enhanced in the vaccine+propolis extracts group than in the vaccine group, but there was no difference between PBS-control and propolis treated group. The results of the present study suggest that propolis extracts seems to be a promising compounds of non-specific immune stimulator, also being able to use a good adjuvant.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2006

The pathogenicity and infection route of the Scuticociliate, Philasterdies dicentrarchi, were investigated with the 3 and 5 cm-group of juvenile flounders, Paralichthys olivaceus. The infection rates of 3 cm-group were 40% four days post infection (D.P.I.) and increased to be 90.1% 24 D.P.I., whereas those of 5 cm-group were 20% 8 D.P.I., 42% 16 D.P.I., and 81% 24 D.P.I. The results showed there were several infection routes to internal organs Olive flounder. The first route was started with the infection at the soft part of caudal fin and later reached at fin ray and muscle tissue; the second one was started from lips and mouth tissue of upper jaw and later the pathogen could be observed at either muscle tissue or eyeball and brain; the third one was begun at caudal fin and later the pathogen reached at brain tissu'e through spiral cord; the fourth one was started with the infections at abdominal cavity and anus. P. dicentrarchi infected to brain tissue was first observed 14 D.P.I in 3 cm-group and 20 D.P.I. in 5 cm-group of the juvenile flounder. This indicated that the brain infection of P. dicentrarchi might occur faster in small-sized flounder than large-sized one.