• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.49-53
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• 2009

We conducted a histological analysis to investigate the influence of nutritional changes on melano-macrophages (MMs) accumulation in the kidney of sub-adult rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). Four experimental groups were established (initial control, control, fed and starved), and fed commercial feed amounting to 1-3% of their body weight for 2 weeks prior to initiation of experiments. Kidney MMs with dark brown pigment were randomly observed in the kidneys of starved fish, increasing rapidly after 4 weeks, while deposition levels remained low throughout the experiment in the control and fed groups. These results suggest that catabolic tissue breakdown is a major factor contributing to the formation of pigments within MMs. Results also suggest that the degree of MMs deposition in the kidney can be used as alternative indicators in identifying starvation in wild and cultured rock bream.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 1987

This study was investigated and analyzed the physiological reaction mechanisms and the factors of the chlorophyll bleaching phenomenon on leaf burning-disease of the Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). Chlorophyll bleaching phenomenon was mainly caused by the photooxidation of singlet oxygen and the autooxidation of hydrogen peroxide($H_2O_2$) accumulation resulted from inactivation of catalase and peroxidase. Chlorophyll bleaching phenomenon was remarkably accelerated by addition of saponin.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1105-1110
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• 2015

Phleichrome, a pigment produced by the phytopathogenic fungus Cladosporium phlei, is a fungal perylenequinone whose photodynamic activity has been studied intensively. To determine the biological function of phleichrome and to engineer a strain with enhanced production of phleichrome, we identified the gene responsible for the synthesis of phleichrome. Structural comparison of phleichrome with other fungal perylenequinones suggested that phleichrome is synthesized via polyketide pathway. We recently identified four different polyketide synthase (PKS) genes encompassing three major clades of fungal PKSs that differ with respect to reducing conditions for the polyketide product. Based on in silico analysis of cloned genes, we hypothesized that the non-reducing PKS gene, Cppks1, is involved in phleichrome biosynthesis. Increased accumulation of Cppks1 transcript was observed in response to supplementation with the application of synthetic inducer cyclo-(${_L}-Pro-{_L}-Phe$). In addition, heterologous expression of the Cppks1 gene in Cryphonectria parasitica resulted in the production of phleichrome. These results provide convincing evidence that the Cppks1 gene is responsible for the biosynthesis of phleichrome.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1453-1459
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• 2019

Zeaxanthin is an important pigment in the photo-protection mechanism of microalgae. However, zeaxanthin epoxidase, an enzyme involved in the accumulation and conversion of zeaxanthin, has not been extensively studied in microalgae. In this work, we report the expression pattern of zeaxanthin epoxidase in Dunaliella tertiolecta (DtZEP) at different light and diverse salinity conditions. To confirm the responsiveness to light conditions, the ZEP expression pattern was investigated in photoperiodic (16 h of light and 8 h of dark) and continuous (24 h of light and 0 h of dark) light conditions. mRNA expression levels in photoperiodic conditions fluctuated along with the light/dark cycle, whereas those in continuous light remained unchanged. In varying salinity conditions, the highest mRNA and protein levels were detected in cells cultured in 1.5 M NaCl, and ZEP expression levels in cells shifted from 0.6 M NaCl to 1.5 M NaCl increased gradually. These results show that mRNA expression of DtZEP responds rapidly to the light/dark cycle or increased salinity, whereas changes in protein synthesis do not occur within a short period. Taken together, we show that DtZEP gene expression responds rapidly to light irradiation and hyperosmotic stress. In addition, ZEP expression patterns in light or salinity conditions are similar to those of higher plants, even though the habitat of D. tertiolecta is different.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.8
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• pp.101-111
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• 1967

Daily doses of phenylmercuric acetate arranged in $30{\gamma}\;(group\;I)$, 3{\gamma}\;(group\;II)$ and $0.3{\gamma}\;(group\;III)$ were administered respectively to rabbits for 90 days. The chief histopathological changes in the organs and the analytical data on mercury residues in the excretion and liver were as follows. 1. Kidney: In group I, severe degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were occurred in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and severe cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were observed in the proximal straight tubules. There were many hyaline casts in the collecting tubules. In group II, moderate degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and moderate cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were encountered in the proximal straight tubules. A little numbers of hyaline casts were located in the lumen of collecting tubules. In group III, slight degree of cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted and straight tubules. 2. Liver: In group I, cloudy swelling, fatty changes and coagulative necrosis were observed in the central zone of hepatic lobules. Dissociation of hepatic cell cords was encountered. Hyperplsia of hepatic cells were remarkable in group II. No Pathological changes were observed in group III. 3. Spleen: Deposition of hemosiderin pigment was prominant in group I and small amount of the pigment was observed in group II. There were no pathological changes in group III. 4. Adrenal, colon and heart: No pathological changes were detected in all 3 groups. 5. In an average about 76.5% of mercury was excreted from group I, 85.4% from group II and 79.8% from group III. 6. Mercury content in the liver was 0.0348 g in group I, 0.00378 g and 0.00066 g in group II and group III respectively. 7. In general, as to increased mercury doses the concentration of mercury accumulation in the liver became higher, how·ever, the accumulation quantity against a total amount of mercury doses showed an adverse trend. In other word, the quantity of mercury accumulation was not increased proportionately by higher dose of mercury.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1323-1334
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• 2010

The effect of nitric oxide (NO) on antioxidant system and protective mechanism against oxidative stress under UV-B radiation was investigated in leaves of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings during 3 days growth period. UV-B irradiation caused a decrease of leaf biomass including leaf length, width and weight during growth. Application of NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), significantly alleviated UV-B stress induced growth suppression. NO donor permitted the survival of more green leaf tissue preventing chlorophyll content reduction and of higher quantum yield for photosystem II than in non-treated controls under UV-B stress, suggesting that NO has protective effect on chloroplast membrane in maize leaves. Flavonoids and anthocyanin, UV-B absorbing compounds, were significantly accumulated in the maize leaves upon UV-B exposure. Moreover, the increase of these compounds was intensified in the NO treated seedlings. UV-B treatment resulted in lipid peroxidation and induced accumulation of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) in maize leaves, while NO donor prevented UV-B induced increase in the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and $H_2O_2$. These results demonstrate that NO serves as antioxidant agent able to scavenge $H_2O_2$ to protect plant cells from oxidative damage. The activities of two antioxidant enzymes that scavenge reactive oxygen species, catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in maize leaves in the presence of NO donor under UV-B stress were higher than those under UV-B stress alone. Application of 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4, 4, 5, 5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3- oxide (PTIO), a specific NO scavenger, to the maize leaves arrested NO donor mediated protective effect on leaf growth, photosynthetic pigment and free radical scavenging activity. However, PTIO had little effect on maize leaves under UV-B stress compared with that of UV-B stress alone. $N^{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine (LNNA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), significantly increased $H_2O_2$ and MDA accumulation and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities in maize leaves under UV-B stress. This demonstrates that NOS inhibitor LNNA has opposite effects on oxidative resistance. From these results it is suggested that NO might act as a signal in activating active oxygen scavenging system that protects plants from oxidative stress induced by UV-B radiation and thus confer UV-B tolerance.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.393-408
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• 1996

The effect of various levels of ascidian tunic extracts and carophyll pink on the growth rate, pigmentation, lipid and total cholesterol accumulation, and fatty acid compositions were studied in kuruma prawn, Penaeus japonicus. The kuruma prawn was fed the purified diets with or without ascidian tunic extract and carophyll pink at the levels of 100, 200, and 400 ppm for 8 weeks. In the experiment diet with ascidian tunic extracts or carophyll pink, the values of daily growth rate were ranged between $1.065\;to\;1.292%$, compared with control group. The content of astaxanthin in kuruma prawn was not significantly affected by the feeding levels of tunic extracts. Feeding of the tunic extracts, on the other hand, increased the kuruma prawn lipid and total cholesterol content, and pigment deposition in concentration-dependent manners without influencing the free astaxanthin concentration of prawn flesh and heads between two feeding groups(200 and 400 ppm). And it was also demonstrated that the dietary astaxanthin was deposited in kuruma prawn body tissue mainly as astaxanthin esters. The results suggest that the best feeding strategy for pigmentation in kuruma prawns is the diets with ascidian tunic extracts at the level of 4g/kg feed (200 ppm) for 8 weeks.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Poultry Science Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.9-27
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• 2003

This study was performed to measure the effect of carotenoid polarity on absorption and Pigmentation in blood, muscle, and skin of laying hens. Carotenoids used in this study and Polarity were ${\beta}$-8-Apo-carotenoic acid ethyl ester(ACAEE) ＞ astaxanthin ＞ canthaxanthin ＞ ${\beta}$-carotene. The chickens used in this study were 61∼78 weeks old ISA brown laying hens. Experiment #1 was designed to measure the effect of carotenoid level on the accumulation of carotenoids in carcass of laying hens after feeding for 6 weeks. D-carotene was accumulated in skin only at a detectable level when it was fed at 300 mg/kg feed. The skin was pigmented as yellow when it was measured by colorimeter. The concentration of ${\beta}$-carotene in blood was proportional to that in the feed. Pigmentation of muscle by 9-carotene was not effective. Canthaxanthin significantly increased redness of the skin(p＜0.05). However, canthaxanthin did not pigment muscle. The level of canthaxanthin in the blood and skin increased as the concentration in feed increased. ACAEE at 200 and 300 mg/kg feed significantly increased yellowness of the skin(p＜0.05). At all levels of ACAEE used($\geq$50 mg/kg feed) the b values of colorimeter increased. With increases in the contents of ACAEE, the concentration of ACAEE in the blood and skin increased. Compared to ${\beta}$-carotene, ACAEE and canthaxanthin were absorbed 9- and 3-fold more into the blood, respectively. The concentration of ACAEE and canthaxanthin in the skin was 1/10 of those in the blood. The lower were the concentrations of carotenoids in the feed, the higher were the absorption rates(from feed to blood and from blood to skin) The results indicated that the higher was the polarity of carotenoids, the more effective were the absorption and pigmentation. In experiment #2, the effect of carotenoid levels of feed on the accumulation of carotenoids in each body part of laying hens was determined. The colorimeter values for redness and yellowness significantly increased when canthaxanthin was fed at $\geq$50 mg/kg feed(p＜0.05). Breast and thigh were not affected by feeding of canthaxanthin at the levels used. The L values of muscle but not the a and b values were significantly affected by feeding at $\geq$200 mg/kg feed for wings and breasts, respectively. The yellowness of skin and muscle significantly increased when ACAEE was fed at $\geq$ 100 and $\geq$ 200 mg/kg feed, respectively(p＜0.05).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Red yeast rice has been extensively used as food and traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asian countries. It is produced by the fermentation of a particular yeast (in general, Monascus purpureus) as rice and various cereals (barley, soybean, etc.). Monascus sp. produces many secondary metabolites during its growth, including pigments, monacolins, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Some metabolites―specifically, monacolin K, γ-aminobutyric acid, dimerumic acid, and monascus pigments―have been reported to lower cholesterol and blood pressure while showing anti-obesity effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of ethanol extract from red yeast barley (RYB) fermented with Monascus sp. BHN-MK 2 on 3T3-L1 cells. The anti-obesity effects of RYB extract were examined: its lipid accumulation inhibitory effect was tested by Oil Red O staining, and obesity-related mRNA expression levels were tested by real-time RT-PCR in MDI stimulated 3T3-L1 cells. The intracellular lipid content of MDI-stimulated 3T3-L1 cells decreased significantly to 5.04%, 12.24%, and 23.52% in response to 200, 400, and 800 ㎍/ml RYB, respectively. Moreovers, we evaluated that RYB extract significantly downregulated the expression of C/EBPα, SREBP-1, and PPAR-γ gene in a dose-dependent manner. As a result, red yeast barley ethanol extracts exerted the strongest anti-obesity effects. Also, the results indicate that red yeast barley could be used as a functional anti-obesity food material.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.165-176
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• 1984

The cutaneous erythrophore differentiation from larvae to adult in bombina orientalis-the Korean fire bellied toad-is discussed electron microscopically to reveal the structural changes of carotenoid vesicles and pterinosomes in the process of erythrophore differentiation. Typical structure of adult erythrophores distributed beneath the basement membrane is composed much carotenoid vesicles and a small quantity of pterinosomes. Marginal electron density of these carotenoid vesicles is higher than those of internal regions and pterinosomes have many concentric lamellae. The very first differentiated erythrophores are apeared before and after the foreleg developing stage of metamorphosis and red ventral color is just appeared about $1\\sim2$ weeks after metamorphosis. About 1 year after metamorphosis, external body color of the young toad is similar to adult but the morphology of pigment granules observed in these erythrophores differs from that of adult in structure and electron density. At this stage, the differentiated level of pterinosomes is not remarkable and the accumulation state of carotenoid pigments in erythrophores is also relatively low.