• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

The hydrolysis of biomass to fermentable sugar (saccharification) and to oligosaccharide is an essential process in biotechnology including biorefinery and biofood. Various macroalgae are commercially cultivated in several Asian countries as a useful resource for food and agar production. Agar is a major component of the cell walls of red algae that can be hydrolyzed by agarase. Agarases are classified into ${\alpha}$-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.158) and ${\beta}$-agarase (E.C. 3.2.1.81) according to the cleavage pattern and grouped in the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family (GH-16, GH-58, GH-86, GH-96, and GH-118) based on the amino acid sequences of the proteins. Agarases have been isolated from various bacteria found in seawater and marine sediments. To increase productivity of the enzyme, a research on recombinant enzymes has been done. The application of recombinant agarase can be possible in the various filed such as energy, food, cosmetics, medical and so on. This paper reviews the source, biochemical characteristics and production system of recombinant agarases for further study.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 2020

Pythium species are ubiquitous organisms known to be pathogens to terrestrial plants and marine algae. While several Pythium species (hereafter, Pythium) are described as pathogens to marine red algae, little is known about the pathogenicity of Pythium on marine green algae. A strain of a Pythium was isolated from a taxonomically unresolved filamentous Ulva collected in an intertidal area of Oslo fjord. Its pathogenicity to a euryhaline Ulva intestinalis collected in the same area was subsequently tested under salinities of 0, 15, and 30 parts per thousand (ppt). The Pythium isolate readily infected U. intestinalis and decimated the filaments at 0 ppt. Mycelium survived on U. intestinalis filaments for at least 2 weeks at 15 and 30 ppt, but the infection did not progress. Sporulation was not observed in the infected algal filaments at any salinity. Conversely, Pythium sporulated on infected grass pieces at 0, 15, and 30 ppt. High salinity retarded sporulation, but did not prevent it. Our Pythium isolate produced filamentous non-inflated sporangia. The sexual stage was never observed and phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer suggest this isolate belongs to the clade B2. We conclude that the Pythium found in the Oslo fjord was a pathogen of U. intestinalis under low salinity.

• ALGAE
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2024

Red macroalga Pyropia yezoensis is a high valuable cultivated marine crop. Its acclimation to cold stress is especially important for long cultivation period across winter in coasts of warm temperate zone in East Asia. In this study, the response of P. yezoensis thalli to low temperature was analyzed on physiology and transcriptome level, to explore its acclimation mechanism to cold stress. The results showed that the practical photosynthesis activity (indicated by Φ_PSII and qP) was depressed and pigment allophycocyanin content was decreased during the cold stress of 48 h. However, the F_v/F_m and non-photochemical quenching increased significantly after 24 h, and the average growth rate of thalli also rebounded from 24 to 48 h, indicating a certain extent of acclimation to cold stress. On transcriptionally, the low temperature promoted the expression of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism, while genes related to photosynthetic system were depressed. The increased expression of DEGs involved in ribosomal biogenesis and lipid metabolism which could accelerate protein synthesis and enhance the degree of fatty acid unsaturation, might help P. yezoensis thallus cells to cope with cold stress. Further co-expression network analysis revealed differential expression trends along with stress time, and corresponding hub genes play important roles in the systemic acquired acclimation to cold stress. This study provides basic mechanisms of P. yezoensis acclimation to cold temperature and may aid in exploration of functional genes for genetic breeding of economic macroalgae.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.26.1-26.8
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• 2018

Inclusion effect of soybean meal (SBM) and fermented SBM (FSM) in extruded pellet for juvenile abalone (Haliotis discus) was compared in abalone farm. Dietary inclusion effect of the combined macroalgae (MA) (Undaria pinnatifida and Hizikia fusiforme) and a single Saccharina japonica on abalone was also compared. Three thousand six hundred juvenile abalone were purchased from a private hatchery and acclimated to the experimental conditions for 2 weeks. Six 5-ton flow-through raceway tanks were used, and abalone were randomly distributed into tanks (n = 600 per tank). Three experimental diets were prepared in duplicate. Fish meal, FSM, corn gluten meal, and shrimp meal and wheat flour and dextrin were used as the protein and carbohydrate sources, respectively, in the FSM diet. MA was also included in the FSM diet. FSM and MA in the FSM diet were substituted with SBM at the expense of wheat flour and S. japonica, referred to as the SBM and SJ diets. The experimental diets were pelletized by an extruded pelleter. Water stability of nutrients in the experimental diets was monitored at 12, 24, and 48 h after seawater immersion. The experimental diets were fed to abalone once a day to satiation with a little leftover for 120 days. The retained crude protein and lipid and ash content of the extruded pellets were changed over all period of time. Weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) of abalone fed the SBM diet were greater than those of abalone fed the FSM and SJ diets. Weight gain and SGR of abalone fed the SJ diet were also greater than those of abalone fed the FSM diet. The longest shell length, widest shell width, highest shell height, and greatest soft body weight were obtained in abalone fed the SBM diet, followed by the SJ and FSM diets. Proximates of the soft body of abalone were not different among the experimental diets. In conclusion, SBM was a superior protein source to FSM in extruded pellet for growth performance of abalone. Dietary inclusion of a single S. japonica was superior to the combined inclusion of U. pinnatifida and H. fusiforme in the production of abalone.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2022

Genetic diversity and distribution patterns of marine macroalgae are increasingly being documented in Southeast Asia. These studies show that there can be significant levels of genetic diversity and isolation between populations on either side of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Bostrychia tenellla is a common filamentous red seaweed in the region and the entity is represented by at least two cryptic species. Despite being highly diverse and widespread, genetic variation and population structure of this species complex remains understudied, especially around the Thai-Malay Peninsula. We analyzed genetic diversity and inferred the phylogeographic pattern of specimens identified as B. tenella using the plastid RuBisCo spacer from samples from the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Our genetic analysis confirmed the occurrence of the two cryptic B. tenella species (B and C) along both coasts. Cryptic species B was more common in the area and displayed higher genetic diversity than species C. Historical demographic analyses indicated a stable population for species B, but more recent population expansion for species C. Our analyses also revealed that both cryptic species from the Andaman Sea possessed higher genetic diversity than those of the Gulf of Thailand. We also detected moderate to high levels of gene flow and weak phylogeographic structure of cryptic species B between the two coasts. In contrast, phylogeographic analysis showed genetic differences between populations of both cryptic species within the Andaman Sea. Overall, these results suggest that cryptic B. tenella species around Thai-Malay Peninsula may have undergone different demography histories, and their patterns of genetic diversity and phylogeography were likely caused by geological history and regional sea surface current circulation in the area.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.99-111
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• 2021

Occurrence of epiphytic dinoflagellates (EPDs) in coastal waters off Jeju was first reported in 2011 based on 45 substrate samples from 24 macroalgal species. When re-analyzing, the extreme heterogeneous distribution of whole and genus-specific EPDs was reconfirmed across the sampling stations and substrate macroalgal species, as well as even across substrate samples of the same species. Abundance maximum of an EPD genus (cells g-wwt^-1) at a fixed surface-to-volume ratio (SA/V ratio) of the macroalgal species increased as the SA/V ratio increased up to 500 (cm² cm^-3). However, the abundance maximum of Ostreopsis further increased even in the MG2 (morphological group 2) macroalgae with the SA/V ratios over 500. The number of substrate macroalgal species on the plane of the MG and sampling station was more or less evenly scattered than the average EPD abundance, which was primarily driven by Gambierdiscus and Ostreopsis. Of the total EPD abundance of the five stations, 90.6% were represented by the two most common and abundant genera, Gambierdiscus and Ostreopsis, each accounting for 41.6% and 49.0%. Spatially, 95.9% of the total EPD abundance was found in St. 4 and St. 5, of which St. 4 with higher water temperature had more Ostreopsis spp. (31.8%), and St. 5 with higher salinity had more Gambierdiscus spp. (27.3%). Thus, the environmental transition to favorable T-S condition to MG2, the thin filamentous macroalgal group with very high SA/V ratios, is thus likely to support further success in EPD genera led by Ostreopsis in the coastal waters of Jeju.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.284-289
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• 1999

A 15-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of formulated diet or macroalgae (Undaria pinnatifida) on the survival, growth and body composition of juvenile abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) under the different rearing environmental conditions (four shelter types and two water temperatures). Water temperature was maintained to $16.4^{\circ}C$ by heated and $13.7^{\circ}C$ by not heated natural sea water. The survival rate, weight gain and shell growth of abalone were affected by diet and water temperature (P<0.001). Survival rate of abalone fed the formulated diets was higher than that of abalone fed the Undaria pinnatifida at natural sea water (P<0.05), but this value was not influenced within abalone stocked at heated sea water in each shelter group (P>0.05). Weight and shell growth of abalone fed the formulated diets were significantly higher than those of abalone fed the Undaria pinnatifida at each temperature or shelter (P<0.05). Moisture, lipid and ash contents of the soft body were mainly affected by feeding diet than temperature or shelter (P<0.05). This study indicate that formulated diet used in this experiment could improve the growth of abalone independent of water temperature or shelter. and heated water could show a better growth of abalone in winter season.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.89-92
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• 2006

To enhance our understanding of immunological stimulating effects through the pathway by which nitric oxide (NO) activity and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) enzyme activity from the marine algae, Ulva lactuca, we have investigated NO activity by using mouse RAW264.7 cell line. And ALP enzyme activity performed by spleen of ICR mouse. The results showed that NO activity of the $H_2O$ fraction is the most effective than activities of other solvent fractions.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.267-280
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• 2013

The marine algal flora of the Keret Archipelago ($66^{\circ}$ N, $33^{\circ}$ E) in the White Sea, Russia was investigated during 2008. Over 250 algal records from more than 15 islands and several sites on the adjoining mainland produced a total of 62 algal species. This raised the total from 56 to 88 species of Chlorophyta (23 species), Phaeophyceae (31 species), Rhodophyta (33 species), and Tribophyceae (1 species) of which seven were new records or verifications of ambiguous records for the White Sea and 11 species are new for the Keret Archipelago. The new or confirmed records included species of Blidingia, Eugomontia, Prasiola, Rosenvingiella, and Ulothrix (Chlorophyta), Acrochaetium, Colaconema (Rhodophyta), and Vaucheria (Tribophyceae). Five species of flowering plants (Aster, Plantago, Triglochin, and Zostera) were associated with the macrophytic algal vegetation of the region. Five fucoid algae in Pelvetia, Fucus, and Ascophyllum provide a picture of a temperate flora. Regardless, the overall species richness is consistent with an arctic nature to the flora. This discrepancy is attributed to the 'filter' provided by the Barents Sea of the Arctic Ocean for post-glacial colonization of the White Sea.

• ALGAE
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.301-310
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• 2008

The marine benthic algal flora and biomass of Chuja Island, southern coast of Korea, was investigated. The collections of intertidal marine algae were made at two sites, Yecho of Hachujado and Hupo of Sangchujado, from October 2006 to July 2007. A total of 162 species, including 15 green, 47 brown and 100 red algae, were identified in this study. The occurrence of species according to season was abundant during spring to summer and less in autumn. The vertical distribution of intertidal zone in Chujado was characterized by Gloiopeltis spp., Myelophycus simplex, Ishige okamurae, Chondrus ocellatus, Grateloupia elliptica, Hizikia fusiformis and Sargassum spp. The average biomass of macroalgae was measured as 400 g wet wt m$^{-2}$. The dominant species based on the biomass were Sargassum yezoense, S. coreanum and Hizikia fusiformis. ESG II (ecological state group) as an opportunistic species, including sheet form, filamentous form, and coarsely branched form, occurred 85.8% in the intertidal seaweeds. These results provide a baseline for future monitoring studies in the Chuja Island.