• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.430-436
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• 2010

In this study, the effects of dibenzocyclooctadiene on seed germination were investigated in pepper. Four $C_{18}$ dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans - schisandrin (1143.7 mg), schisandrin C (317.3 mg), gomisin A (261.4 mg) and gomisin N (213.4 mg) - were isolated from hexane extracts of the fruits of Schisandra chinensis. The molecular structures of the four lignans were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses including 1D NMR experiments, and bi comparing their spectroscopic data with those of previous literatures. Seeds were immersed in $10^{-5}\;M$ schisandrin, $10^{-6}\;M$ schisandrin C and $10^{-7}\;M$ gomisin A and gomisin N for 1 hr and incubated at $25^{\circ}C$ in the dark for germination. Compared to untreated control, treatment with schisandrin C and gomisin A suppressed seed germination at 48 hrs after incubation, whereas treatment with gomisin N increased germination rate at 48 hrs after incubation. The results of the germination activity of the lignans from S. chinensis confirm their potential plant growth role, and the relative natural abundances of these metabolites suggest their potential use as natural plant growth regulators.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.242-251
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to isolate a photosensitizer from Pueraria thunbergiana leaves that induces apoptosis in SK-HEP-1 cells. Column chromatography and thin layer chromatography were used to isolate active compounds from extracts of P. thunbergiana leaves. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by 1D-NMR, 2D-NMR, and FAB-mass spectroscopy. A substance, named M4-3, was purified from the leaves of P. thunbergiana using various chromatography methods, and the absorbance of the substance was measured. The absorbance was highest at 410 nm, suggesting that the M4-3 substance was a different compound from chlorophyll a and b, which absorb at 410, 502, 533, and 607 nm. Further analyses revealed that the M4-3 compound was a $13^2$-hydoxy pheophorbide, a methyl ester with a molecular weight of 662. M4-3 was identified as a derivative compound of pheophorbide, with a structure that magnesium comes away from the porphyrin ring. The results of the analysis of the cytotoxicity of the M4-3 substance against the SK-HEP-1 cells revealed that it inhibited rates of cell growth by 40% and 80% at a concentration of 0.04 ${\mu}M$ and 0.08 ${\mu}M$, respectively. The M4-3 compound was found to be a photosensitizer for cytotoxicity because it was appeared only in light condition as examining activity in different irradiation conditions (light condition and nonlight condition) under the same concentration. Analysis of morphological changes in the cells following cell death induced by exposure to the M4-3 substance reveled representative phenomena of apoptosis (nuclear condensation, vesicle formation, and fragmentation of DNA). The induction of apoptosis was attributed to the compound's photodynamic activity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1644-1650
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to screen the polymorphisms and distribution of each genotype of insertion/ deletion (indel) markers which were found in a preliminary comparative study of bovine genomic sequence databases. Comparative bioinformatic analyses were first performed between the nucleotide sequences of Bovine Genome Project and those of expressed sequence tag (EST) database, and a total of fifty-one species of indel markers were screened. Of these, forty-two indel markers were evaluated, and nine informative indel markers were ultimately selected for population analysis. Nucleotide sequences of each marker were re-sequenced and their polymorphic patterns were typed in six cattle breeds: Holstein, Angus, Charolais, Hereford, and two Korean native cattle breeds (Hanwoo and Jeju Black cattle). Cattle breeds tested in this study showed polymorphic patterns in eight indel markers but not in the Indel-15 marker in Charolais and Holstein. The results of analysis for Jeju Black cattle (JBC) population indicated an observed heterozygosity (Ho) that was highest in HW_G1 (0.600) and the lowest in Indel_29 (0.274). The PIC value was the highest in HW_G4 (0.373) and lowest in Indel_6 (0.305). These polymorphic indel markers will be useful in supplying genetic information for parentage tests and traceability and to develop a molecular breeding system for improvement of animal production in cattle breeds as well as in the JBC population.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2008

Purpose: Transient neurological deterioration (TND) is one of the complications after extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery, and it has been assumed to be caused by postoperative transient hyperperfusion. This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between TND and preoperative and postoperative cerebral perfusion status on brain perfusion SPECT following superficial temporal artery - middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 STA-MCA anastomosis surgeries of 56 patients (mean age: $50{\pm}16$ yrs; M:F=29:27; atherosclerotic disease: 33, moyamoya disease: 27) which were done between September 2003 and July 2006 were enrolled. The resting cerebral perfusion and cerebral vascular reserve (CVR) after acetazolamide challenge were measured before and 10 days after surgery using 99mTc-ethylcysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT. Moreover, the cerebral perfusion was measured on the third postoperative day. With the use of the statistical parametric mapping and probabilistic brain atlas, the counts for the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory were calculated for each image, and statistical analyses were performed. Results: In 6 of 60 cases (10%), TND occurred after surgery. In all patients, the preoperative cerebral perfusion of affected MCA territory was significantly lower than that of contralateral side (p=0.002). The cerebral perfusion on the third and tenth day after surgery was significantly higher than preoperative cerebral perfusion (p=0.001, p=0.02). In TND patients, basal cerebral perfusion and CVR on preoperative SPECT were significantly lower than those of non-TND patients (p=0.01, p=0.05). Further, the increases in cerebral perfusion on the third day after surgery were significant higher than those in other patients (p=0.008). In patients with TND, the cerebral perfusion ratio of affected side to contralateral side on third postoperative day was significantly higher than that of other patients (p=0.002). However, there was no significant difference of the cerebral perfusion ratio on preoperative and tenth postoperative day between patients with TND and other patients. Conclusion: In patients with TND, relative and moderate hyperperfusion was observed in affected side after bypass surgery. These finding may help to understand the pathophysiology of TND.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.292-300
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• 2008

Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate F-18 FDG uptake in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis (PLC) according to CT findings and histology of lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three lung cancer patients with PLC were enrolled in this retrospective study. All the patients had a CT-based diagnosis of PLC. Chest CT findings of PLC were classified on the basis of involvement of axial interstitium. We categorized the involvement of axial interstitium as group 1, and the involvement of peripheral interstitium only as group 2. Visual and semiquantitative analyses by F-18 FDG PET/CT were performed in the PLC lesions. At first, we analyzed the F-18 FDG uptake in the PLC by visual assessment. If abnormal uptake was seen in the PLC, we drew regions of interest in the PLC lesions to obtain the maximum SUVs (maxSUVs). Results: Of the 33 patients, 22 had abnormal F-18 FDG uptake in the visual assessment. There was no significant difference in the frequency of abnormal F-18 FDG uptake between group 1 and group 2 (p=0.17), although the frequency of group 1 tended to be higher than group 2 (15/19 (78.9%) in group 1, 7/14 (50.0%) in group 2). However, group 1 had a higher maxSUV than group 2 (p<0.01, group 1: $2.9{\pm}1.4$, group 2: $1.5{\pm}0.6$). There was no significant difference in the frequency of abnormal F-18 FDG uptake and maxSUV among the histology of the lung cancers. Conclusion: The involvement of axial interstitium in the PLC by lung cancer has a higher maxSUV than the involvement of only peripheral interstitium.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish an efficient screening system to identify melon resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. F. oyxsporum f. sp. melonis GR was isolated from infected melon plants collected at Goryeong and identified as F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis based on morphological characteristics, molecular analyses, and host-specificity tests on cucurbits including melon, oriental melon, cucumber, and watermelon. In addition, the GR isolate was determined as race 1 based on resistance responses of melon differentials to the fungus. To select optimized medium for mass production of inoculum of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis GR, six media were tested. The fungus produced the most spores (microconidia) in V8-juice broth. Resistance degrees to the GR isolate of 22 commercial melon cultivars and 6 rootstocks for melon plants were investigated. All tested rootstocks showed no symptoms of Fusarium wilt. Among the tested melon cultivars, only three cultivars were susceptible and the other cultivars displayed moderate to high resistance to the GR isolate. For further study, six melon cultivars (Redqueen, Summercool, Superseji, Asiapapaya, Eolukpapaya, and Asiahwanggeum) showing different degrees of resistance to the fungus were selected. The development of Fusarium wilt on the cultivars was tested according to several conditions such as plant growth stage, root wounding, dipping period of roots in spore suspension, inoculum concentration, and incubation temperature to develop the disease. On the basis of the test results, we suggest that an efficient screening method for melon plants resistant to F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis is to remove soil from roots of seven-day-old melon seedlings, to dip the seedlings without cutting in s pore s uspension of $3{\times}10^5conidia/mL$ for 30 min, to transplant the inoculated seedlings to plastic pots with horticulture nursery media, and then to cultivate the plants in a growth room at 25 to $28^{\circ}C$ for about 3 weeks with 12-hour light per day.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.118-123
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• 2022

To obtain information on the molecular mechanism underlying the low temperature tolerance of sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam], the proteome expressed in the sweet potato cultivar Xushu 15-1 with high cold storage tolerance and in the cultivar Xushu 15-4 with low cold storage tolerance was analyzed using 2-D and MALDI-TOF/TOF analyses. Compared with the control (without cold treatment), four protein spots were newly expressed in Xushu 15-1. The expression level of one protein spot was higher in Xushu 15-4 than in Xushu 15-1. Spot 2, which was newly expressed in Xushu 15-1, was identified as sporamin. Assessment of the change in protein expression levels over 8 weeks in the storage roots of the two cultivars treated at 4℃ revealed no significant difference in the expression levels in Xushu 15-1 over time. However, in Xushu 15-4, the expression level of one protein spot increased, while those of four spots decreased. Of the proteins with reduced expression levels, spots 7 and 8 were identified as actin and spots 9 and 10 were identified as fructokinase-like proteins. The present results are expected to enhance the understanding of the complex mechanism underlying the low temperature tolerance of sweet potatoes during storage and can be used to identify candidate genes for the development of new varieties of sweet potatoes with improved low temperature tolerance during cold storage in the future.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2022

Six gas samples were collected from coal and coaly shale from core AA-1, which was acquired from the Asem-Asem Basin, southeast Kalimantan, Indonesia. These coalbed gas samples were analyzed for the molecular composition, carbon isotope (δ¹³C_CH4, δ¹³C_C2, and δ¹³C_CO2), hydrogen isotope (δD_CH4), hydrocarbon index (C_HC), and carbon dioxide-methane index (CDMI) to document their origin and methanogenic pathways. Core AA-1 successively consists of lower clastic sedimentary rocks (Sedimentary Unit-1, SU-1) containing coal and coaly shale, and upper limestone (Sedimentary Unit-2, SU-2), unconformably underlain by serpentinized basement interpreted as part of the Cretaceous Meratus subduction complex (MSC). The coal and coaly shale (SU-1) were deposited in a marshes nearby a small-scale river. Compositions of coalbed gases show that methane ranges from 87.35 to 95.29% and ethane ranges from 3.65 to 9.97%. Carbon isotope of coalbed methane (δ¹³C_CH4) ranges from -60.3 to -58.8‰, while hydrogen isotope (δD_CH4) ranges from -252.9 to -252.1‰. Carbon isotope of coalbed ethane (δ¹³C_C2) ranges from -32.8 to -31.2‰, carbon isotope of coalbed carbon dioxide (δ¹³C_CO2) ranges from -8.6 to -6.2‰. The coalbed CO₂ is interpreted to be an abiogenic origin based on a combination of δ¹³C_CO2 and CDMI and could have been transported from underlying CO₂ bearing MSC through faults. The methanogenic pathways of coalbed gases are interpreted to have originated from primary methyl-type fermentation and mixed with CO₂ reduction, affecting thermogenic non-marine coal-type gases based on analyses of isotopic ratios and various indexes.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.226-239
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• 2021

Sebastes minor, Sebastes trivittatus, Sebastes owstoni, and Sebastes steindachneri are indigenous fish species inhabiting the central part of the East Sea, Korea. In order to understand the molecular evolution of these four rockfishes, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of S. minor and S. trivittatus. To further analyze the phylogeny of Sebastes species, the mitogenomes of 16 rockfishes were comparatively investigated. The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) nucleotide sequences of S. minor and S. trivittatus were 16,408 bp and 16,409 bp in length, respectively. A total of 37 genes were found in mtDNA of S. minor and S. trivittatus, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes, which exhibited similar characters with other Sebastes species in the East Sea, Korea. In addition, we detected a conserved motif "ATGTA" in the control region of the four Sebastes species, but no tandem repeat units. Comparative analyses of the congeneric mitochondrial genomes were performed, which showed that control regions were more variable than the concatenated protein-coding genes. As a result of analysing phylogenetic relationships of four Sebastes species by using concatenated nucleotide sequences of 13 protein-coding genes, S. minor, S. trivittatus, S. owstoni and S. steindachneri were clustered into three clades. The phylogenetic tree exhibited that S. minor and S. steindachneri shared a closer relationship, whereas S. trivittatus and S. vulpes formed another distinct clade. Our results contribute to a better understanding of evolutionary patterns of Sebastes species inhabiting the middle East Sea, Korea.