• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.720-732
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• 2001

Skeletal muscle is of major economic importance since it is finally converted to meat for consumers. The increase in meat production with low costs of production may be achieved by optimizing muscle growth, whereas a high meat quality requires, among other factors, the optimization of intramuscular glycogen and fat stores. Thus, research in energy metabolism aims at controling muscle metabolism, but also liver and adipose tissue metabolism in order to optimize energy partitioning in favour of muscles. Liver is characterized by high anabolic and catabolic rates. Metabolic enzymes are regulated by nutrients through short-term regulation of their activities and long-term regulation of expression of their genes. Consequences of liver metabolic regulation on energy supply to muscles may affect protein deposition (and hence growth) as well as intramuscular energy stores. Adipose tissues are important body reserves of triglycerides, which result from the balance between lipogenesis and lipolysis. Both processes depend on the feeding level and on the nature of nutrients, which indirectly affect energy delivery to muscles. In muscles, the regulation of rate-limiting nutrient transporters, of metabolic enzyme activities and of ATP production, as well as the interactions between nutrients affect free energy availability for muscle growth and modify muscle metabolic characteristics which determine meat quality. The growth of tissues and organs, the number and the characteristics of muscle fibers depend, for a great part, on early events during the fetal life. They include variations in quantitative and qualitative nutrient supply to the fetus, and hence in maternal nutrition. During the postnatal life, muscle growth and characteristics are affected by the age and the genetic type of the animals, the feeding level and the diet composition. The latter determines the nature of available nutrients and the rate of nutrient delivery to tissues, thereby regulating metabolism. Physical activity at pasture also favours the orientation of muscle metabolism, towards the oxidative type. Consequently, breeding systems may be of a great importance during the postnatal life. Research is now directed towards the determination of individual tissue and organ energy requirements, a better knowledge of nutrient partitioning between and within organs and tissues. The discovery of new molecules (e. g. leptin), of new molecular mechanisms and of more powerful techniques (DNA chips) will help to achieve these objectives. The integration of the different levels of knowledge will finally allow scientists to formulate new types of diets adapted to sustain a production of high quality meat with lower costs of production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.292-301
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• 2010

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a pituitary glycoprotein hormone that is encoded by separate alpha- and betasubunit genes. It plays a key role in stimulating and regulating ovarian follicular development and egg production in chicken. FSH signal transduction is mediated by the FSH receptor (FSHR) that exclusively interacts with the beta-subunit of FSH, but characterization of prokaryotic expression of the FSHb gene and its effect on the expression of the FSHR gene in local chickens have received very little attention. In the current study, the cDNA fragment of the FSHb gene from Dagu chicken was amplified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and inserted into the pET-28a (+) vector to construct the pET-28a-FSHb plasmid. After expression of the plasmid in E. coli BL21 (DE3) under inducing conditions, the recombination protein, $FSH{\beta}$ subunit, was purified and injected into the experimental hens and the effect on the mRNA expression levels of the FSHR gene was investigated. Sequence comparison showed that the coding region of the FSHb gene in the local chicken shared 99%-100% homology to published nucleotides in chickens; only one synonymous nucleotide substitution was detected in the region. The encoded amino acids were completely identical with the reported sequence, which confirmed that the sequences of the chicken FSHb gene and the peptides of the $FSH{\beta}$ subunit are highly conserved. This may be due to the critical role of the normal function of the FSHb gene in hormonal specificity and regulation of reproduction. The results of gene expression revealed that a recombinant protein with a molecular weight of about 19 kDa was efficiently expressed and it was identified by Western blotting analysis. After administration of the purified $FSH{\beta}$ protein, significantly higher expression levels were demonstrated in uterus, ovary and oviduct samples (p<0.05). These observations suggested that the expressed $FSH{\beta}$ protein possesses biological activity, and has a potential role in regulation of reproductive physiology in chickens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.554-562
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• 2006

Two lines of mice, M16 selected for rapid growth and a randomly selected control ICR as well as their reciprocal crosses were used to study the effects of genotype on whole-body energetics and intestinal responses to monensin. Six mice, eight weeks of age, from each line or reciprocal cross were assigned to one of two treatments, 1) drinking water containing 20 mmol/L monensin dissolved in 0.5% V/V ethanol, and 2) drinking water containing 0.5% V/V ethanol (control) for two weeks. After 11 days (age of 9 weeks and 4 days), whole-body $O_2$ consumption was measured. At the end of two weeks, jejunal $O_2$ consumption, intestinal tissue composition and histomorphometrics as well as the rate and efficiency of glucose absorption were estimated. In comparison with the control, monensin administration in drinking water resulted in less daily water intake (13.4 vs. 15.5 ml/mouse, p<0.01), less protein to DNA ratio of jejunal mucosa (5.41 vs. 6.01 mg/mg, p<0.05), lower villus width (88 vs. $100{\mu}m$, p<0.05), and less jejunal tissue $O_2$ consumption enhancement by alcohol (7.2 vs. 10.5%, p<0.01) in mice. Other than those changes, monensin had little (p>0.05) effect on variables measured in either line of mice or their reciprocal cross. In contrast, the M16 line, selected for rapid growth, as compared to the ICR controls or the reciprocal crosses, had less initial (pre-monensin treatment) whole-body $O_2$ consumption per gram of body weight (1.68 vs. $2.11-2.34{\mu}mol/min{\cdot}g$ BW, p<0.01) as compared to the ICR and reciprocal crosses. In addition, the M16 mice exhibited greater growth (412 vs. 137-210 mg/d, p<0.05), better feed efficiency (41.7 vs. 19.9-29.3 mg gain/g feed, p<0.05), shorter small intestines adjusted for fasted body weight (1.00 vs. 1.22-1.44 cm/g FBW, p<0.05), wider villi (109 vs. $87-93{\mu}m$, p<0.05), more mature height of enterocytes (28.8 vs. $24.4-25.1{\mu}m$, p<0.05) and a lower rate (91 vs. $133-145{\eta}mol\;glucose/min{\cdot}g$ jejunum, p<0.05) and less energetic efficiency (95 vs. $59-72{\eta}mol$ ATP expended/${\eta}mol$ glucose uptake, p<0.05) of glucose absorption compared to the ICR line and the reciprocal cross. Monensin had little (p>0.05) effect on whole-body $O_2$ consumption and jejunal function, whilst selection for rapid growth resulted in an apparent down-regulation of intestinal function. These data suggest that genetic selection for increased growth does not result in concomitant changes in intestinal function. This asynchrony in the selection for production traits and intestinal function may hinder full phenotypic expression of genotypic growth potential.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.69-75
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• 2017

Dormancy-associated protein (DRM)은 식물의 휴면생리에 관여하는 대표적인 단백질로 거의 모든 식물에 보존되어 있다. 최근 DRM 유전자가 비생물적 스트레스 반응에 관여하는 것으로 알려지면서 이 유전자의 특성구명 연구가 여러 식물에서 이루어지고 있다. 그러나 아직까지 나무에서는 DRM 유전자에 대한 연구가 거의 없는 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 DRM 유전자를 현사시나무(Populus alba ${\times}$ P. glandulosa)에서 분리하여 이를 PagDRM1이라 명명하고, 유전자의 구조와 발현특성을 조사하였다. PagDRM1 유전자는 123개의 아미노산으로 구성된 단백질을 암호화하며, 2개의 영역(Domain I과 Domain II)이 잘 보존되어 있다. PagDRM1은 현사시나무의 염색체에 1 ~ 2 copy가 존재하며, 줄기에서 가장 높게 발현하였고 성숙 잎, 뿌리 및 꽃에서도 높은 발현 수준을 나타내었다. 현탁배양세포의 생장주기에서는 늦은 지수생장기부터 정지기까지 높게 발현하였다. 또한 PagDRM1은 건조와 염 스트레스에 반응하여 발현이 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 식물호르몬 처리에 의해서는 ABA와 GA 처리에 의한 발현 증가를 나타내었다. 따라서 PagDRM1은 식물의 휴면유도 과정에서 중요한 역할을 할 뿐만 아니라 환경 스트레스 내성에도 기여하는 것으로 생각된다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.45-52
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• 2000

Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase(MT-MMP)는 세포막에 부착된 채로 작용하는 단백질 가수분해효소로서 최근들어 정상 및 암세포 등 각종 조직세포의 재구성에 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 RT-PCR 방법을 사용하여 생쥐 난자와 초기배아에서의 MT1-MMP와 MT2-MMP 유전자 발현 양상을 조사하였다. 생후 3주 및 8주된 생쥐의 난소로부터 얻은 미성숙난자와 체외 및 체내에서 성숙시킨 난자에서의 MTl-MMP와 MT2-MMP mRMA의 발현을 조사하였다. 그 결과 미성숙난자와 체외 및 체내에서 성숙시킨 난자 모두에서 MT1-MMP 및 MT2-MMP의 mRNA가 발현되었으나 미성숙난자에서는 매우 약하게 발현되는 것이 관찰되었다. 2세포기 배아, 4세포기 배아, 상실배, 포배 및 탈각한 포배를 대상으로 MT2-MMP mRNA의 발현양상을 조사한 결과 2세포기에서는 발현이 일어나지 않았고 4세포기에 이르러서야 뚜렷한 발현이 관찰되었다. 상실배와 포배에서는 현저히 강한 발현이 관찰되었다. 생쥐의 난소조직에서도 MT1-과 MT2-MMP모두 발현되는 것이 관찰되었는데 각각은 배란을 전후로 한 시기에 상관없이 항상 같은 정도의 mRNA발현을 나타내었다. 생쥐의 수란관조직도 난소조직과 유사하게 배란시기에 상관없이 같은 수준의 MT1-과 MT2-MMP mRNA 발현양상을 보여주었다. 이러한 결과들로 미루어 생쥐 배아에서 발현되는 MT2-MMP는 초기배아의 분화과정에서 중요한 역할을 할 것으로 사료된다. 난소와 수란관의 조직재구성과 관련한 MT1-과 MT2-MMP의 역할은 앞으로 더 연구되어야 할 것이다.

• 한국어병학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.221-227
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• 2007

볼락은 산업적 잠재가치가 높은 어종으로 각광받으면서 양식 가능성에 대한 연구가 일부 진행되어 왔으나, 장내세균에 대한 연구는 미미한 실정이었다. 본 연구에서는 전남 돌산도 연안에서 채집된 자연산 볼락과 양식산 볼락의 장내세균총의 분포와 이들 세균들의 약제 감수성에 대하여 조사하였다. 두 분류의 볼락에서 분리된 균주의 16S rDNA 염기를 바탕으로 장내세균을 동정한 결과, 양식산 볼락의 장내에서는 Photobacterium group, Acinetobacter group과 marine sediment bacteria group이 우점하고 있었고, 자연산 볼락의 장내에서는 Photobacterium group Acinetobacter group, Bacillus group, Shewanella group, Staphylococcus group 및 marine sediment bacteria group이 우점하고 있었다. 자연산과 양식산 볼락의 장내세균의 약제 감수성 결과로는 본 연구에서 사용된 9종의 항균제 중 oxytetracycline와 oxolinic acid는 자연산과 양식산이 비슷한 수준의 감수성 나타냈으나, flumequine, erythromycin, norfloxacin, gentamycin, ofloxacin, enrofloxacin 및 ciprofloxacin은 평균 저지대에서 양식산 볼락의 장내세균이 자연산 볼락의 장내세균 보다 약간 낮은 감수성을 보였으나, 자연산 볼락의 장내세균 또한 감수성 시험 대조균주로 사용한 E. coli ATCC9637 보다 현저하게 낮은 감수성을 보였다. 이는 양식현장에서 사용되고 있는 항균물질이 자연 서식 어류생물군의 장내 세균에도 영향을 미칠 수 있음을 시사한다.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.1383-1392
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• 2003

Apoptosis is a morphologically and biochemically district form of cell death that occurs in many different cell types in a wide variety of organisms. Albizzia julibrissin belonging the family Leguminosae has been used for the treatment of contusion, sore throat, amnesia, and insomnia in oriental traditional medicine. This study investigates whether the water extract of A. julibrissin induce apoptotic cell death in Jurkat T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Jurkat cells were increased inhibitions of cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner by A. julibrissin. This herbal medicine also caused apoptosis as measured by cell morphology and DNA fragmentation. The capability of A. julibrissin to induce apoptosis was associated with proteolytic cleavage of specific target proteins such as poly (ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) and beta-catenin proteins suggesting the possible involvement of caspases. Our result showed that Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels were not changed in all A. julibrissin-treated groups compared to control group. These results suggest that A. julibrissin-mediated apoptosis is independent with Bcl-2 related signaling pathway in this cells. The purpose of the present study is also to investigate the Effect of A. julibrissin on cell cycle progression. Our results showed that G1 checkpoint related gene products (cyclin D1, cyclin dependent kinase 4, retinoblastoma, E2F1) were decreased in their protein levels in a dose-dependent manners after treatment of the extract. These results indicate that the increase of apoptotic cell death by A. julibrissin may be due to the inhibition of cell cycle progression in wild type p53-lacking Jurkat cells.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.86-90
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• 2009

In November 2008, typical powdery mildew symptoms were observed on leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Col-0 plants in a growth room under controlled laboratory conditions at Korea University, Seoul. The disease was characterized by the appearance of white powder-like fungal growth on the surface of infected leaves. As the disease progressed, infected leaves exhibited chlorotic or necrotic brown lesions, and leaf distortion and senescence. Conidiophores of the causal fungus were hyaline, unbranched, 3-4 celled, cylindrical, and $80-115{\times}6-9{\mu}m$ in size. Singly produced conidia (pseudoidium type) were hyaline, oblong to cylindrical or oval in shape, and $26-55{\times}15-20{\mu}m$ in size with a length/width ratio of average 3, angular/rectangular wrinkling of outer wall and no distinct fibrosin bodies. Appressoria on the hyphae were multi-lobed. These structures are typical of the powdery mildew Oidium subgenus Pseudoidium, anamorph of the genus Erysiphe. The measurements of the fungal structures coincided with those of Erysiphe cruciferarum. The phylogenetic analysis using ITS rDNA sequences revealed that the causal fungus Erysiphe sp. KUS-F23994 is identical to E. cruciferarum. The isolated fungus incited powdery mildew symptoms on the inoculated Arabidopsis leaves, which proved Koch's postulates. Taken all data together, we first report the occurrence of powdery mildew disease of A. thaliana caused by Erysiphe cruciferarum in Korea.

• BMB Reports
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.77-81
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• 2005

The monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP3), on chromosome 17q11.2-q12, is a secreted chemokine, which attracts macrophages during inflammation and metastasis. In an effort to discover additional polymorphism(s) in genes whose variant(s) have been implicated in asthma, we scrutinized the genetic polymorphisms in MCP3 to evaluate it as a potential candidate gene for asthma host genetic study. By direct DNA sequencing in twenty-four individuals, we identified four sequence variants within the 3 kb full genome including 1,000bp promoter region of MCP3; one in promoter region (-420T>C), three in intron (+136C>G, +563C>T, +984G>A) respectively. The frequencies of those four SNPs were 0.020 (-420T>C), 0.038 (+136C>G), 0.080 (+563C>T), 0.035 (+984G>A), respectively, in Korean population (n = 598). Haplotypes, their frequencies and linkage disequilibrium coefficients (|D'|) between SNP pairs were estimated. The associations with the risk of asthma, skin-test reactivity and total serum IgE levels were analyzed. Using statistical analyses for association of MCP3 polymorphisms with asthma development and asthma-related phenotypes, no significant signals were detected. In conclusion, we identified four genetic polymorphisms in the important MCP3 gene, but no significant associations of MCP3 variants with asthma phenotypes were detected. MCP3 variation/haplotype information identified in this study will provide valuable information for future association studies of other allergic diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.179-188
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• 2017

White-rot basidiomycetes are the organisms that decompose lignin most efficiently, and Trametes villosa is a promising species for ligninolytic enzyme production. There are several publications on T. villosa applications for lignin degradation regarding the expression and secretion of laccase and manganese peroxidase (MnP) but no reports on the identification and characterization of lignin peroxidase (LiP), a relevant enzyme for the efficient breakdown of lignin. The object of this study was to identify and partially characterize, for the first time, gDNA, mRNA, and the corresponding lignin peroxidase (TvLiP) protein from T. villosa strain CCMB561 from the Brazilian semiarid region. The presence of ligninolytic enzymes produced by this strain grown in inducer media was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by spectrophotometry, qPCR, and dye fading using Remazol Brilliant Blue R. The spectrophotometric analysis showed that LiP activity was higher than that of MnP. The greatest LiP expression as measured by qPCR occurred on the $7^{th}$ day, and the ABSA medium (agar, sugarcane bagasse, and ammonium sulfate) was the best that favored LiP expression. The amplification of the TvLiP gene median region covering approximately 50% of the T. versicolor LPGIV gene (87% identity); the presence of Trp199, Leu115, Asp193, Trp199, and Ala203 in the translated amplicon of the T. villosa mRNA; and the close phylogenetic relationship between TvLiP and T. versicolor LiP all indicate that the target enzyme is a lignin peroxidase. Therefore, T. villosa CCMB561 has great potential for use as a LiP, MnP, and Lac producer for industrial applications.