• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2018

Ocean warming can have significant negative impacts on population genetic diversity, local endemism and geographical distribution of a wide range of marine organisms. Thus, the identification of conservation units with high risk of extinction becomes an imperative task to assess, monitor, and manage marine biodiversity for policy-makers. Here, we surveyed population structure and genetic variation of the red seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla along the coast of China using genome-based amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) scanning. Regardless of analysis methods used, AFLP consistently revealed a south to north genetic isolation. Populations at the southern coast of China showed unique genetic variation and much greater allelic richness, heterozygosity, and average genetic diversity than the northern. In particular, we identified a geographical barrier that may hinder genetic exchange between the two lineages. Consequently, the characterized genetic lineage at the southern coast of China likely resulted from the interplay of post-glacial persistence of ancestral diversity, geographical isolation and local adaptation. In particular, the southern populations are indispensable components to explore evolutionary genetics and historical biogeography of G. vermiculophylla in the northwestern Pacific, and the unique diversity also has important conservation value in terms of projected climate warming.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.219-229
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• 2020

Objective: Considering the physiological and clinical importance of leptin receptor (LEPR) in regulating obesity and the fact that porcine LEPR expression is not known to be controlled by lncRNAs and miRNAs, we aim to characterize this gene as a potential target of SSC-miR-323 and the lncRNA TCONS_00010987. Methods: Bioinformatics analyses revealed that lncRNA TCONS_00010987 and LEPR have SSC-miR-323-binding sites and that LEPR might be a target of lncRNA TCONS_00010987 based on cis prediction. Wild-type and mutant TCONS_00010987-target sequence fragments and wild-type and mutant LEPR 3'-UTR fragments were generated and cloned into pmiRRB-REPORT^TM-Control vectors to construct respective recombinant plasmids. HEK293T cells were co-transfected with the SSC-miR-323 mimics or a negative control with constructs harboring the corresponding binding sites and relative luciferase activities were determined. Tissue expression patterns of lncRNA TCONS_00010987, SSC-miR-323, and LEPR in Anqing six-end-white (AQ, the obese breed) and Large White (LW, the lean breed) pigs were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction; backfat expression of LEPR protein was detected by western blotting. Results: Target gene fragments were successfully cloned, and the four recombinant vectors were constructed. Compared to the negative control, SSC-miR-323 mimics significantly inhibited luciferase activity from the wild-type TCONS_00010987-target sequence and wild-type LEPR-3'-UTR (p<0.01 for both) but not from the mutant TCONS_00010987-target sequence and mutant LEPR-3'-UTR (p>0.05 for both). Backfat expression levels of TCONS_00010987 and LEPR in AQ pigs were significantly higher than those in LW pigs (p<0.01), whereas levels of SSC-miR-323 in AQ pigs were significantly lower than those in LW pigs (p<0.05). LEPR protein levels in the backfat tissues of AQ pigs were markedly higher than those in LW pigs (p<0.01). Conclusion: LEPR is a potential target of SSC-miR-323, and TCONS_00010987 might act as a sponge for SSC-miR-323 to regulate LEPR expression.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.912-918
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• 2020

The Korean native black goat (Capra hircus coreanae) is the goat species to be officially registered in Korea under the Food and Agriculture Organization. The object of this study is to establish a set of microsatellite (MS) markers for the individual identification and parentage verification of goats. In this study, we analyzed alleles of MS markers in crosses between Korean native black goats and crossbred goats (n=304 animals), and, based on the diversity of alleles for each marker, we selected 11 MS markers for individual identification and parentage verification. Using these 11 MS markers, the probabilities of different individuals with the same genotype being found within random and half-sib mating populations were 5.58×10^-10 and 1.15×10^-7, respectively. The parentage verification accuracy was 0.999996 when information about the parents was available and 0.999833 with no information. Thus, even given the total rearing population of 576,150 animals in South Korea, we concluded that these markers could be used for the individual identification and parentage verification of goats. Moreover, by analyzing the genetic relationships between the four lines of Korean native black goats and the crossbred goats, we verified the genetic characteristics of Korean native black goats, confirming their conservation value as a unique genetic resource.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.76 no.3
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• pp.295-302
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• 1987

Korea is a small country with extremely high population density. Industrialization of the nation resulted GNP per capita of over 2,000$ in 1986 with an inevitable by-product, high level of pollution in many areas. Forest land is now acknowledged as not only a wood production site but also an origin of much more important intangible values, water and clean air, soil conservation, and recreational and scenic values. Mostly devastated forest land from Korean War has been recovered under the strong afforestation drive from the government. The first Forest Development Plan was mostly reforestation phase and the second Forest Development Plan is foundation establishment phase. The third and later Plans are to enlarge economical forest and to maintain sustatined yield phase. Forestry administration as well as forest research certainly played a great role in successful accomplishment of two Forest Development Plans. For effective planning and accomplishment of the third Forest Development Plan close cooperation among policy makers, forest managers and research workers are mostly required.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2004

For long-term conservation of germ plasm, somatic embryos of sweet potato are important because shoot tips are not amenable to liquid nitrogen storage. Somatic embryos from different genotypes were used for induction of somatic embryogenesis in a large number of genotypes. Somatic embryogenesis was induced on 2,4-D medium in all the 11 genotypes, collected from geographically distinct locations. Genetic fidelity of the regenerated plants was confirmed by morphological and RAPD markers.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2006

The present study is the first report of molecular variations in different accessions of Rauvolfia tetraphylla L.f, a medicinally important plant collected from seven locations of Andhra Pradesh, India. Molecular analysis was carried out using RAPD markers. Out of the 40 primers screened from OPA and OPC Kts, a total of 205 scorable polymorphic markers out of 397 total markers were generated. Polymorphism of 51.6% was found with 3 unique markers. Levels of genetic diversity within accessions i.e., the genetic distance ranged from 0.816-0.932. Cluster analysis based on Dice coefficient showed two major groups indicating that mostly in cross-pollinated plants, high levels of differentiation among accessions exists independent of geographical distance. Hence the results of the present study can be seen as a starting point for future researches on the population and evolutionary genetics of this species. Understanding such variation would also facilitate their use in various conservational management practices, rootstock breeding and hybridisation programmes.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.435-440
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• 2017

The author performed PCR-based genetic platform to measure the hierarchical dendrogram of Euclidean genetic distances of Korean scallop populations (KSP), particularly for Chlamys farreri, which was further compared with those of the Chinese scallop populations (CSP), by employing the with specifically designed oligonucleotide primer sets. The scallop is economically and ecologically very important bivalves in South Korea. Relatively, individuals of KSP population were fairly distantly related to that of CSP population, as shown in the hierarchical dendrogram of Euclidean genetic distances. Comparatively, individuals of KSP population were fairly distantly related to that of CSP population. Thus analysis of genetic difference between scallop populations could provide important statistics for fishery and aquaculture. Overall the results showed specific and/or conserved genetic loci between scallop populations. Information on the genetic distance of the bivalve would be helpful to understand scallop expansion or conservation in the coastal regions of South Korea. Specific markers developed by the author will be useful for the analysis of scallop population genetics and distribution in coastal region.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2017

Mammals in Korea have been studied in various fields such as animal science, veterinary medicine, laboratory animal science, ecology, and genetics. As the importance of biodiversity has been emphasized recently, conservation and management of mammals have attracted much public attention. However, in spite of such an increase in scientific research and public interest, it is still difficult to find a report or summary to grasp the trend of mammalian research in Korea. The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data for future plans of the detailed research area and the related policies by grasping the research trends of mammals in Korea. Using text-ming and co-word analysis, we analyzed 392 mammalian research papers published in Korean national journals as of 2015. Our results showed that the number of mammalian research papers published in Korea has gradually increased and that the research target species have also become increasingly diverse. The major research areas identified through text-mining and co-word analysis are (1) evolution/phylogenetics/genetics, (2) environmental science/ecology, (3) embryology/reproductive biology/cell biology, (4) veterinary medicine related to parasites, (5) parasitology related to rodents, (6) bacteriology/virology, (7) anatomy/cell biology/laboratory animal science, (8) veterinary science related to morphology and anatomy, (9) animal science, (10) marine mammalogy, and (11) Chiroptera (bat) research. Environmental science/ecology has been the most active field among the 11 research areas in recent times, and the proportion of research has increased sharply compared to the past. Environmental science/ecology is the core of biodiversity conservation, and as the importance of biodiversity has been emphasized in recent years, researchers' interest in mammal ecology appears to have increased. We expect that the results of this study will be useful for future research plan and related policies on mammals in Korea.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.198-206
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• 2020

Food and agricultural production sector, especially livestock production is vital for Mongolia's economic and social development. Domestic sheep play key roles for Mongolians, providing food (meat, milk) and raw materials (wool, sheepskin), but genetic diversity, origin of sheep populations in Mongolia have not been well studied. Studies of population genetic diversity is important research field in conservation and restoration of animal breeds and genetic resources. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate genetic characteristics and estimate origin through the analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region D-loop and Cytochrome b of Mongolian indigenous sheep (Mongolian native, Orkhon and Altanbulag) and one Europe sheep (Suffolk). As a result of there were found, 220 SNPs (Single nucleotide polymorphism) in the D-loop region, 28 SNPs in the Cytochrome B region, furthermore, 77 Haplotypes. The nucleotide diversity was only found in D-loop region (n = 0.0184). Phylogenetic analysis showed that 3 (A, B, and C) of 5 haplogroups of sheep have been identified in our research. Haplogroup C was only found in Mongolian indigenous sheep. Haplogroup D and E were not observed. As a result of haplogroups, haplogroup A was dominant (n = 46 of 94 sheeps), followed by haplogroup B (n = 36) and haplogroup C (n = 12). Sequence analysis showed that T deletion, insertion and heteroplasmy in D-loop region occurred at a high rate in Mongolian indigenous sheep population (T insertion = 47, T deletion = 83). The heteroplasmy, which has never been found in Mongolian sheep, has been newly discovered in this study. As a result, the Mongolian sheep varieties, which mainly derived from Asia, were in hybridization with European sheep varieties.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1185-1198
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• 2018

The nucleosomal organization of chromatin using histone proteins is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic nuclei, with the major exception of dinoflagellates. Although a number of recent genomic and transcriptomic analyses have detected numerous histone genes in dinoflagellates, little is known about their expression. Here in, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern of histone genes under nutritional stress, and an attempt was made to detect histone expression at the protein level in Alexandrium pacificum. The presence of histones at the mRNA level was confirmed in this study by the amplification, cloning, and sequencing of 10 different genes. Relative expression profiling of these genes under different growth conditions was determined with real-time PCR and revealed considerable levels of histone transcription in nutritionally stressed cells. We were unable to detect the expression of histones at the protein level even after immunodetection and analysis using mass spectrometry, although a histone-like protein was detected as a major nuclear component. A. pacificum expresses multiple variants of histone, and protein sequences revealed both conservation and divergence with respect to other eukaryotes. We concluded that A. pacificum maintained an active transcription of histone genes within the cell, and enhanced expression of histone genes in nutritional stress strongly suggest that histones have functional significance in dinoflagellates, although expression at the protein level was below our current detection limits, which suggests a limited role of histones in DNA packaging. Finally, the plausible regulation of histone expression at the gene and protein levels in A. pacificum is discussed.