• Applied Microscopy
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.165-176
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• 2005

Studies on molecular plasticity of Bermann glia (BG) after harmaline-induced Purkinje cell (PC) degeneration in the rat cerebellum. The intimate structural relationship between BG and PC, evidenced by the sheathing of the PC dendrites by veil-like process from the BG has been suggestive of the close functional relationship between these two cell types. However, little is known about metabolic couplings between these cells. This study designed to investigate molecular plasticity of BG in the rat cerebellum in which PCs were chemically ablated by harmaline treatment. Immunohistochemical examination reveals that harmaline induced PC degeneration causes a marked glial reaction in the cerebellum with activated BG and microglia aligned in parasagittal stripes within the vermis. In these strips, activated BG were associated with upregulaion of metallotheionein, while GLAST and was down regulated, as compared with nearby intact area where both BG are in contact with PCs. The data from this study demonstrate that BG can change their phenotypic expression when BG loose their contact with PCs. It is conceivable that activated BG may upregulate structural proteins, metallothionein expression to use for their proliferation and hypertrophy; metallothionein expression to cope with oxidative stress induced by PC degeneration and microglial activation. On the contrary, BG may down regulated expression of GLAST because sustained loss of contact with PCs would eliminate the necessity for the cellular machinery involved glutamate metabolism. In conclusion, BG might respond man to death of PCs by undergoing a change in metabolic state. It seems possible that signaling molecules released from PCs regulates the phenotype expression of BG. Also ultrastructures in the organelles of normal PC and BG are distinguished by mitochondrial appearance, and distributed vesicles at the synaptic area in the cytoplasm.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 2017

The red alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla, a species native to the waters of Korea and Japan, has invaded marine coastal areas of Europe and the Americas, thriving in conditions that differ from those of its native habitat. In recent years, G. vermiculophylla has been discovered in the Long Island Sound (LIS) estuary growing alongside the native congener Gracilaria tikvahiae. The goal of this study was to determine whether the two strains of G. vermiculophylla from different regions of the world have evolved genetic differences (i.e., ecotypic differentiation) or if the physiological performance of the strains simply reflects phenotypic plasticity. Two strains of G. vermiculophylla (isolated in Korea and LIS) and a strain of the LIS native G. tikvahiae were grown for four weeks under temperatures ranging from 20 to $34^{\circ}C$ using a temperature gradient table (all other environmental conditions were kept constant). At the end of each week, wet weight of each sample was recorded, and thalli were reduced to the original stocking density of $1gL^{-1}$ (excess biomass was preserved for tissue carbon and nitrogen analysis). Generally, the growth rates of Korean G. vermiculophylla > LIS G. vermiculophylla > G. tikvahiae. After one week of growth G. tikvahiae grew 9.1, 12.0, 9.4, and 0.2% $d^{-1}$, at temperatures of 20, 24, 29, and $34^{\circ}C$, respectively, while G. vermiculophylla (LIS) grew 6.6, 6.2, 5.7, and 3.6% $d^{-1}$. G. vermiculophylla (Korea) grew 15.4, 22.9, 23.2, and 10.1% $d^{-1}$, much higher than the two strains currently inhabiting the LIS. On average, the LIS G. vermiculophylla strain contained 4-5% DW N, while the Korean strain and G. tikvahiae had more modest levels of 2-3% N DW. However, tissue N content declined as temperature increased in LIS and Korean G. vermiculophylla. The non-native haplotype may have evolved genetic differences resulting in lower growth capacity while concentrating significantly more nitrogen, giving the non-native a competitive advantage.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.156-169
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• 2021

Traditional morphological identification difficulties, such as phenotypic plasticity, misidentification of cryptic species, and larval stage species, can be compensated for by using DNA analysis techniques, such as DNA barcoding, in surveying zooplankton populations, including species identification. Recently, the rapid development of DNA sequencing techniques has allowed DNA-based community analysis not only for zooplankton assemblages in various aquatic ecosystems but also for the gut contents of zooplankton that are limited by conventional methods such as visual and microscopic identification. Therefore, the application of DNA sequencing can help understand biological interactions through the analysis of zooplankton food sources. The present paper introduces the major DNA-based approaches in zooplankton research topics, including taxonomic approaches by DNA barcoding, community-level approaches by metabarcoding, and gut content analyses, summarizes the analysis methods, and finally suggests the methodological topics that need to be considered for future applications.