• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2008

Few studies on parasitic scutica-like ciliates (SLCs) influencing larval growth and survival during the seed production of the Japanese scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis have been performed in spite of relatively high magnitude of their infectious damage to the larvae. In the mass seed production of the scallop, SLCs were never infectious during D-larval stage which lasted 6 to 7 days. Indeed, the infection first occurred in 2 to 4 days after first umbo-staged larvae. A regular selection of active larvae in swimming behavior kept larval SLC infection low throughout the culture compared to unselected control (P<0.05) in which all the larvae alive were contained. Higher infection frequencies of the unselected control resulted in lower larval survivals and wider range of larval size distribution that drove larval attachment rate lower. To the worse, the nursery spats from the higher SLC infection exhibited a retarded growth and elevated occurrence of abnormal scallop.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.542-544
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• 2002

This study was carried out to evaluate the ciliates Euplotes sp. as a live food for marine fish larvae. The ciliates and the rotifers Brachionus plicatilis, which were cultured with the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the $\omega$-yeast emulsified with cuttle fish liver oil, were supplied to the larvae of flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and grouper Epinephelus akaara. Considering the size difference between the ciliates 68 $\cdot$ 7 $\mu$n and the rotifers 160 $\cdot$ 20 $\mu$n, the rotifers and ciliates were supplied to the larvae tank with the density of 2 inds./mL and 20 inds./mL, respectively. The survival rate and growth in length of the flounder larvae fed on rotifer were significantly higher than those on Euplotes sp.. In grouper larvae which have a small mouth diameter, even the survival rate of the larvae fed on the ciliates was better than that on the rotifers, it was very low less than $20\%$. Therefore, Euplotes sp. seem to be incongruent as a live food for marine fish larvae.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2011

Ciliates are considered one of the most diverse protozoa and play significant roles in ecology. For successful taxonomic study of these microscopic eukaryotes, a staining procedure is necessary, due mainly to intrinsic difficulties in recognizing characteristics from living cells. Although molecular taxonomy has been used to resolve the ambiguities associated with traditional morphology-based taxonomy, extraction of genomic DNA from stained ciliate cells is not available yet. In the present study, we describe a method to extract genomic DNA from a single protargol-impregnated euplotid cell. By using $HgCl_2$ as a fixative and modulating the exposure time of bleach solution in the protargol impregnation, high-quality genomic DNA can successfully be extracted from a stained single cell with minimal loss of morphological integrity. This technique will contribute to the effectiveness of combined approaches of molecular and morphological taxonomy from single ciliate cells.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.251-268
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• 2020

Ciliates are a speciose protozoan group and their diversity is still not well investigated in Korea. From our field surveys, 18 unrecorded ciliate species were collected from a total of nine localities in Korea. The field surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019, and the unrecorded ciliates were found from terrestrial (moss and soil samples) and inland water (river and lagoon samples) habitats. The morphology of these ciliates was studied using the observation of living and silver impregnated (protargol) specimens. The present species belong to five classes as follows: 1) class Spirotrichea - Gonostomum kuehnelti, Quadristicha setigera, Lamtostyla decorata, L. islandica, L. longa, Anteholosticha brachysticha, Pseudobirojimia muscorum; 2) class Litostomatea - Apocoriplites lajacola, Epispathidium amphoriforme, Protospathidium muscicola, Phialinides australis, Paraenchelys wenzeli, Rimaleptus similis; 3) class Nassophorea - Drepanomonas revoluta; 4) class Colpodea - Bryometopus triquetrus; and 5) class Oligohymenophorea - Cyclidium glaucoma, Epistylis pygmaeum, Pseudovorticella vestita. The globular macronuclear nodules of P. vestita were observed for the first time in the Korean population.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.151-157
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• 2015

Recent laboratory studies have documented that mixotrophic dinoflagellates Dinophysis spp. and heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyphysis oxytoxoides share a common prey, i.e. the mixotrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum. Nonetheless, very little is known about the population dynamics and species interactions among these protists in natural environments. To investigate the interactions between the dinoflagellate predators and their ciliate prey in the field, we took the samples twice a day from 26 July to 28 August, 2011 at a fixed station in Masan Bay and analyzed their abundances. During this study, salinity was highly variable, ranging from 5 to 28, due to the periodic input of rainfalls to the sampling station. Water temperature was on average $26.5^{\circ}C$ until 20 August and thereafter was about $21^{\circ}C$ by the end of the sampling period. The ciliate M. rubrum occurred persistently throughout the sampling period, ranging from 13 to $492\;cells\;mL^{-1}$. Cell densities of D. acuminata and O. oxytoxoides ranged from undetectable level to $19,833\;cells\;L^{-1}$ and from undetectable level to $100,333\;cells\;L^{-1}$, respectively. The high abundance of D. acuminata mostly followed the blooming of the ciliate M. rubrum, but it often did not peak even during heavy blooms of the prey, probably due to sensitivity to large salinity fluctuation and also presumably overlapped grazing by other mixotrophic dinoflagellates. The abundance of O. oxytoxoides was detected only when water temperature was lower than $24^{\circ}C$, indicating that water temperature is an important environmental factor to control the population dynamics of the dinoflagellate species.

• ALGAE
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2005

Myrionecta rubra, a mixotrophic ciliate, is a cosmopolitan red tide species which is commonly found in neritic and estuarine waters. M. rubra had long been listed as an “nculturable protist”until 2 different laboratory strains were finally established in 2 research groups at the beginning of this century, enabling us to perform initiative investigation into various aspect of the live M. rubra strains (Gustafson et al. 2000; Yih et al. 2004b; Johnson and Stoecker 2005). Field sampling was carried out on high tide at 2 fixed stations around Kunsan Inner Harbor (St.1 near the Estuarine Weir and St.2 off Kunsan Ferry Station) every other day for 4 months from mid-February 2004 to understand detailed figure of the recurrent spring blooms of M. rubra following the onset of the water gates operation of the Keum River Estuarine Weir on August 1994. With its maximum abundance of 272 cells mL$^{-1}$ in St.1, fluctuation pattern of the M. rubra population at the 2 stations was strikingly similar. Notable growth of M. rubra population started on late April, to cause M. rubra red tides during one month from mid-May in which “xceptionally low salinity days”without its red tide were intermittently inserted. High abundance of M. rubra over 50 cells mL$^{-1}$ was recorded at samples with their water temperature and salinity higher than 15${^{\circ}C}$ and 4.0 psu, respectively. During pre-bloom period when salinity fluctuation is moderate and the water temperature is cooler than 15°C, Skeletonema costatum, a chain-forming centric diatom, was most dominant. Cyanobacterial species such as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Phormidium sp. replaced other dominant phytoplankters on the days with “xceptionally low salinity”even during the main blooming period of M. rubra. To summarize, M. rubra could form spring blooms in Keum River Estuary when the level of salinity fluctuation was more severe than that for the dominant diatom Skeletonema costatum and milder than that for the predominance by freshwater cyanobacteria. Therefore, optimal control of the scale and frequency of freshwater discharges might lead us to partially modify the fluctuation pattern of M. rubra populations as well as the period of spring blooms by M. rubra in Keum River Estuary. Sampling time interval of 2 days for the present study or daily sampling was concluded to be minimally required for the detailed exploration into the spring blooms by M. rubra populations in estuaries with weirs like Keum River Estuary.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 1996

During a study to document more fully the parasitic ciliates of Korean freshwater fishes, we found numerous small ciliates in the gills and skin of crucian carp, Carassius carassius. Cursory examination indicated that the ciliate were very similar with Chilodonella sp. In this study, we described the morphometrics of this ciliate in detail and compared with other species of Chilodonella in the world. Numerous small ciliates were observed in the body surface, fins and gills of infected fish and excessive mucus production were seen in those fish. Sometimes ulcer was observed in the body of moribund fish. From the scrutinized observation of the parasite, it was identified as Chilodonella hexasticha. The parasite was dorsoventrally flattened body, without a notch in the posterior margin, and it measured 30-$45{\mu}m$ long and 15-$30{\mu}m$ wide. In number of kineties, the right band ciliature was 3-5 and the left band ciliature was 3-5. The right ventral ciliary band shaped arch and was longer than the left, straight band. It had a single oval macronucleus, 8-$15{\mu}m$ in diameter, a single micronucleus, 2-$4{\mu}m$ in diameter. The cytopharynx was reinforced by 10-16 conspicuous nematodesmata, which shaped like a tube and curved at its inner end. Two contractile vacuoles, one anteriorly at right and the second posteriorly at left were observed in wet mounts. This parasite reproduced by a simple division at $22{\pm}1^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2009

Scuticociliates Miamiensis avidus (syn. Philasterides dicentrarchi) causes high mortality and bad growth in olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Temperature is an important factor not only for growth of pathogens but also for host immune system in poikilothermal animal. In this study, temperature affecting ciliate growth and pathogenicity against olive flounder were examined. Doubling time for the ciliate growth was 61.82 hours at $5{^{\circ}C}$, 26.32 hours at $10{^{\circ}C}$, 21.14 hours at $15{^{\circ}C}$, 16.86 hours $20{^{\circ}C}$ and 16.21 hours at $25{^{\circ}C}$. Maximum ciliate numbers were similar at $10-20{^{\circ}C}$ at the range of $1.54-1.75{\times}10^{5}$/ ml. Duplicated intraperitoneal injections were conducted with the ciliates by the concentrations of $1{\times}10^{2}$, $1{\times}10^{6}$, $1{\times}10^{4}$and $1{\times}10^{5}$/ fish (average 8.34 cm, 4.33 g) then kept at $10{^{\circ}C}$, $15{^{\circ}C}$ and $20{^{\circ}C}$. Cumulative mortality was low at $10{^{\circ}C}$ and the mortality was increasing at higher water temperatures. In addition, cumulative mortality was higher at higher dose of infections. In conclusion, Scuticocilite M. avidus grew well at higher temperature (at $5{^{\circ}C}$, $10{^{\circ}C}$, $15{^{\circ}C}$ and $25{^{\circ}C}$) in vitro, and olive flounder mortality due to M. avidus was highly water temperature and dose dependent. The results of this study suggest that water temperature control may one of the essential factor to reduce mortality due to M. avidus infection.

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2021

The mixotrophic dinoflagellate Tripos furca causes red tides in the waters of many countries. To understand its population dynamics, mortality due to predation as well as growth rate should be assessed. Prior to the present study, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Noctiluca scintillans, Polykrikos kofoidii, Protoperidinium steinii, and mixotrophic dinoflagellate Fragilidium subglobosum were known to ingest T. furca. However, if other common heterotrophic protists are able to feed on T. furca has not been tested. We explored interactions between T. furca and nine heterotrophic dinoflagellates and one naked ciliate. Furthermore, we investigated the abundance of T. furca and common heterotrophic protists in coastal-offshore waters off Yeosu, southern Korea, on Jul 31, 2020, during its red tide. Among the tested heterotrophic protists, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Aduncodinium glandula, Luciella masanensis, and Pfiesteria piscicida were able to feed on T. furca. However, the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Gyrodiniellum shiwhaense, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium jinhaense, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Oblea rotunda, Oxyrrhis marina, and the naked ciliate Rimostrombidium sp. were unable to feed on it. However, T. furca did not support the growth of A. glandula, L. masanensis, or P. piscicida. Red tides dominated by T. furca prevailed in the South Sea of Korea from Jun 30 to Sep 5, 2020. The maximum abundance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the waters off Yeosu on Jul 31, 2020, was as low as 5.0 cells mL-1, and A. glandula, L. masanensis, and P. piscicida were not detected. Furthermore, the abundances of the known predators F. subglobosum, N. scintillans, P. kofoidii, and Protoperidinium spp. were very low or negligible. Therefore, no or low abundance of effective predators might be partially responsible for the long duration of the T. furca red tides in the South Sea of Korea in 2020.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2016

Heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) are highly toxic to aquatic organisms and human, even at trace concentration. Herein we investigated the effect of Cd on the gene expression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in marine ciliate Euplotes crassus. Seven ABC transporters and one GST genes were partially cloned and sequences, and thereafter, transcriptional modulation of these genes after exposure to Cd for 8 h was investigated using quantitative real time RT- PCR (qRT-PCR). As results, sequence analysis and phylogenetic study revealed that E. crassus ABCs are likely typical ABC transports, in particular, B/C family, and GST gene may be similar to GST theta isoform. A significant increase in the expression of ABCs, except for ABCB21 was observed in a concentration dependent manner after exposure to Cd (0.1 and 0.5 mg/l) for 8 h. The GST mRNA level was the highest at 0.5 mg/l Cd and then reduced until control level. These findings suggest that ABCs and GST may be involved in a protective mechanism against Cd-mediated toxicity in E. crassus.