• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.240-249
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• 2021

Phenotypic plasticity is a rapid response mechanism that enables organisms to acclimate and survive in changing environments. The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) survives and thrives in different and even introduced habitats, thereby indicating its high phenotypic plasticity. However, the underpinnings of the high plasticity of E. sinensis have not been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we conducted an integrated gut microbiome and muscle metabolome analysis on E. sinensis collected from three different environments, namely, an artificial pond, Yangcheng Lake, and Yangtze River, to uncover the mechanism of its high phenotypic plasticity. Our study presents three divergent gut microbiotas and muscle metabolic profiles that corresponded to the three environments. The composition and diversity of the core gut microbiota (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes, and Firmicutes) varied among the different environments while the metabolites associated with amino acids, fatty acids, and terpene compounds displayed significantly different concentration levels. The results revealed that the gut microbiome community and muscle metabolome were significantly affected by the habitat environments. Our findings indicate the high phenotypic plasticity in terms of gut microbiome and muscle metabolome of E. sinensis when it faces environmental changes, which would also facilitate its acclimation and adaptation to diverse and even introduced environments.

• ALGAE
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.243-251
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• 2011

Environmental conditions can influence the morphology of local biota through phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. Macroalgal morphologies are often associated with wave-exposure conditions. We investigated the relationship between morphology and wave exposure in two common endemic subtidal macroalgae, Carpophyllum angustifolium and C. maschalocarpum, from the East Cape of New Zealand. Morphological comparisons were made between individuals from two sites and four different wave-exposure zones, as defined by fetch and barnacle composition. Of the seven morphological traits measured in C. angustifolium, only total length varied, and individuals were longer in more wave-exposed environments between the two exposure zones where the species were found. In contrast, total length, stipe thickness and vesicle presence all varied significantly between exposure zones in C. maschalocarpum. C. maschalocarpum specimens were shorter with thinner stipes, and fewer individuals had vesicles in the more wave-exposed zones. Morphological traits of both species also varied between sites, suggesting that other influences are important for determining species morphology. Further study is needed to investigate the role of phenotypic plasticity and genetic variability for driving morphological variation in C. angustifolium and C. maschalocarpum.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.5.1-5.28
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• 2023

Th cell lineage determination and functional specialization are tightly linked to the activation of lineage-determining transcription factors (TFs) that bind cis-regulatory elements. These lineage-determining TFs act in concert with multiple layers of transcriptional regulators to alter the epigenetic landscape, including DNA methylation, histone modification and threedimensional chromosome architecture, in order to facilitate the specific Th gene expression programs that allow for phenotypic diversification. Accumulating evidence indicates that Th cell differentiation is not as rigid as classically held; rather, extensive phenotypic plasticity is an inherent feature of T cell lineages. Recent studies have begun to uncover the epigenetic programs that mechanistically govern T cell subset specification and immunological memory. Advances in next generation sequencing technologies have allowed global transcriptomic and epigenomic interrogation of CD4+ Th cells that extends previous findings focusing on individual loci. In this review, we provide an overview of recent genome-wide insights into the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of CD4+ T cell-mediated adaptive immunity and discuss the implications for disease as well as immunotherapies.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.78-87
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• 2021

Background: To understand shade and wind effects on seedling traits of common reed (Phragmites australis), we conducted a mesocosm experiment manipulating day length (10 h daytime a day as open canopy conditions or 6 h daytime a day as partially closed canopy conditions) and wind speed (0 m/s as windless conditions or 4 m/s as windy conditions). Results: Most values of functional traits of leaf blades, culms, and biomass production of P. australis were higher under long day length. In particular, we found sole positive effects of long day length in several functional traits such as internode and leaf blade lengths and the values of above-ground dry weight (DW), rhizome DW, and total DW. Wind-induced effects on functional traits were different depending on functional traits. Wind contributed to relatively low values of chlorophyll contents, angles between leaf blades, mean culm height, and maximum culm height. In contrast, wind contributed to relatively high values of culm density and below-ground DW. Conclusions: Although wind appeared to inhibit the vertical growth of P. australis through physiological and morphological changes in leaf blades, it seemed that P. australis might compensate the inhibited vertical growth with increased horizontal growth such as more numerous culms, indicating a highly adaptive characteristic of P. australis in terms of phenotypic plasticity under windy environments.

• 한국작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국작물학회 2017년도 9th Asian Crop Science Association conference
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• pp.321-321
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• 2017

Water availability in rainfed lowlands (RFL) is strongly affected by climate change. In RFL, rice plants are exposed to soil moisture fluctuations (SMF) but rarely to simple progressive drought as widely believed. Typical RFL field is characterized by a about 5-cm thick high bulk density hardpan layer underneath the cultivated layer at about 20 cm depth that impedes deep root development. Root system has the ability to develop in response to changes in SMF, known as phenotypic plasticity. We hypothesized that genotypes that can adapt to RFL have root plasticity. The roots can sharply respond to re-wetting after drought period and thus penetrate the hardpan layer when the hardpan is wet and so becomes relatively soft, and thus access water under the hardpan. This study aimed to identify CSSLs derived from a cross between Sasanishiki and Habataki which adapted to such RFL conditions. We used 39 CSSLs together with the parent Sasanishiki, which were grown in hydroponics and pot under transient soil moisture stresses (drought and then rewatering), and compared with continuously well-watered (WW) (control) up to 14 days after sowing (DAS), and 20 DAS, respectively. Based on the results of hydroponics and pot experiments, we selected a few lines, which were grown in the soil-filled rootbox with artificial hardpan layer and without artificial hardpan. For the rootbox without artificial hardpan, plants were grown under WW and transient soil moisture stresses for 49 DAS. While the rootbox with artificial hardpan, the plants were grown under WW (control) and SMF (WW up to 21 DAS, 1st drought (22-36 DAS), rewatering (37-44 DAS), and followed by 2nd drought (45-58 DAS)). Among the 39 CSSLs, only CSSL439 (SL39) consistently showed significantly higher shoot dry weight (SDW) than Sasanishiki under transient soil moisture stress conditions as well as SMF conditions in all the experiments. Furthermore, under WW, SL39 consistently showed no significant differences from Sasanishiki in shoot and root growth in most of traits examined. SL39 showed significantly greater total root length (TRL) than Sasanishiki under transient soil moisture stress, which is considered as phenotypic plasticity in response to rewatering after drought period. Such plastic root development was the key trait that effectively contributed to root elongation and branching during the rewatering period and consequently enhanced the root to penetrate hardpan layer when the soil penetration resistance at hardpan layer reduced. In addition, using the rootbox with artificial hardpan layer ($1.7g\;cm^{-3}$, heavily compacted), SL39 showed greater root system development than Sasanishiki under SMF, which was expressed in its significantly higher TRL, total nodal RL, and total lateral RL at hardpan layer as well as at below the hardpan layer. These results prove that SL39 has plasticity that enables its root systems to penetrate hardpan layer in response to rewatering. Under SMF, such root plasticity contributed to its higher gs and Pn.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.22.1-22.21
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• 2020

In the progression of atherosclerosis, macrophages are the key immune cells for foam cell formation. During hyperlipidemic condition, phagocytic cells such as monocytes and macrophages uptake oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs) accumulated in subintimal space, and lipid droplets are accumulated in their cytosols. In this review, we discussed the characteristics and phenotypic changes of macrophages in atherosclerosis and the effect of cytosolic lipid accumulation on macrophage phenotype. Due to macrophage plasticity, the inflammatory phenotypes triggered by oxLDL can be re-programmed by cytosolic lipid accumulation, showing downregulation of NF-κB activation followed by activation of anti-inflammatory genes, leading to tissue repair and homeostasis. We also discuss about various in vivo and in vitro models for atherosclerosis research and next generation sequencing technologies for foam cell gene expression profiling. Analysis of the phenotypic changes of macrophages during the progression of atherosclerosis with adequate approach may lead to exact understandings of the cellular mechanisms and hint therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

• 한국작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국작물학회 2017년도 9th Asian Crop Science Association conference
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• pp.328-328
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• 2017

Drought is a major limiting factor that reduces rice production and occurs often especially under recent climate change. Plants have the ability to alter their developmental morphology in response to changing environment, which is known as phenotypic plasticity. In our previous studies, we found that one chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL50 derived from Nipponbare and Kasalath crosses) showed no differences in shoot and root growth as compared with the recurrent genotype, Nipponbare under non-stress condition but showed greater growth responses compared with Nipponbare under mild drought stress condition. We hypothesized that reducing root respiration as metabolic cost, which may be largely a consequence of aerenchyma formation would be one of the key mechanisms for root plasticity expression. This study aimed to evaluate the root respiration and aerenchyma formation under various soil moisture conditions among genotypes with different root plasticity. CSSL50 together with Nipponbare and Kasalath were grown under waterlogged conditions (Control) and mild drought stress conditions (20% of soil moisture content) in a plastic pot ($11cm{\times}14cm$, ${\varphi}{\times}H$) and PVC tube ($3cm{\times}30cm$, ${\varphi}{\times}H$). Root respiration rate was measured with infrared gas analyzer (IRGA, GMP343, Vaisala, Finland) with a closed static chamber system. There was no significant difference between genotypes in control for shoot and root growth as well as root respiration rate. In contrast, all the genotypes increased their root respiration rates in response to mild drought stress. However, CSSL50 showed lower root respiration rate than Nipponbare, which was associated by higher root aerenchyma formation that was estimated based on internal gas space (porosity) under mild drought stress conditions. Furthermore, there were significant negative correlations between root length and root respiration rate. These results imply that reducing the metabolic cost (= root respiration rate) is a key mechanism for root plasticity expression, which CSSL50 showed under mild drought.

• 아시안잔디학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.127-136
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• 2001

잔디밭에 문제시되는 1년생 화본과 잡초인 바랭이(Digitaria sp.)의 종내 및 종간 변이성을 D. ischaemum과 D. Sanguinalis의 5개 지역종을 대상으로 생육상과 포장조건에서 알아보았다. 포장실험결과 D. sanguinalis와 D. ischaemum의 종내 또는 종간의 잎의 길이와 폭 등을 포함한 형태적 형질에 관련된 유의한 변이성이 관찰되었다. 하지만, 표현형적 변이성에는 실질적 차이는 인정되지 않아 포장조건에서 최초발아시기는 종간 또는 지역종에 관계없이 동일하였다. 4가지의 주야간 온도 차이(25/$25^{\circ}C$, 27.5S/22.5$^{\circ}C$, 30/2$0^{\circ}C$, 15/35$^{\circ}C$)로 조절된 생육상 조건의 실험에서 각 바랭이 종의 발아소요일수에 관한 종간 또는 종내의 변이성은 없었다. 따라서, 잔디밭에서 효율적인 바랭이 방제를 위해 특정지역에서 최초 발아시기에 관련된 예측모델은 타 지역에도 동일하게 적용 가능할 것으로 생각된다.

• ALGAE
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.253-263
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• 2011

Phenotypic plasticity was examined in the economically and ecologically important brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum in southwestern Nova Scotia, considering specifically how nutrient loading affected its vegetative and reproductive features. To determine this, we examined morphometric changes in A. nodosum from two sites receiving direct effluent impacts from a land-based finfish aquaculture facility and from two control sites, approximately 2 km away from the aquaculture facility in opposite directions. Fronds from test sites were significantly younger than from control sites (5 y vs. 8 y); however, fronds from farm sites were significantly larger (219 g vs. 90 g) because of their higher growth rates. Thalli from farm sites had greater reproductive potential, as shown by numbers of receptacle initials (797 initials vs. 281 initials). These results suggest limited nutrient inflows from land-based aquaculture may positively affect adjacent Ascophyllum populations by inducing higher growth rates. We conclude that the coordination of effluent management from land-based aquaculture with natural resource harvesting of A. nodosum may be beneficial. Further study is necessary to determine the limits of nutrient loading for this potentially beneficial outcome.

• 한국환경생태학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.342-347
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• 2012

본 연구는 한국산 도롱뇽 유생(Hynobius leechii)을 대상으로 간접적인 카니발리즘 경험이 표현형에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지 알아보기 위하여 2011년 3월부터 4월까지 수행되었다. 우리는 유생의 생활사 초반에 개체 주변에서 발생하는 동종의 카니발리즘(간접적인 카니발리즘 경험)을 통하여 나타날 수 있는 폴리페니즘에 대하여 조사하였으며, 폴리페니즘의 발생 요인을 알아보기 위하여 간접적인 카니발리즘을 경험하는 그룹과 그렇지 아니한 그룹으로 나누어 실험하였다. 두 그룹의 도롱뇽 유생의 머리 중 가장 넓은 곳의 길이(LHW), 눈이 있는 부분의 길이(HWE), 코끝부터 항문(SVL)까지의 길이를 측정하였다. 또한 HWE를 LHW로 나누어 비율을 구한 후 통계처리를 하였다. 그 결과 유생의 생활사초반에 간접적인 카니발리즘에 노출될 경우 그렇지 못한 그룹보다 머리크기의 비율(HWE/LHW)이 의미 있게 증가하는 것을 볼 수 있었다. 이러한 결과를 통하여 도롱뇽유생은 주변의 다른 개체들로부터 전달되는 화학신호에 민감하게 반응하는 것을 알 수 있었다.