• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.312-317
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• 2007

This study was conducted to research the morphological characteristics and analyze the genetic diversity by using RAPD in Calanthe species native to Korea. Nine samples were selected by flower color and 19 morphological characteristics. In the length and width of leaf, dorsal sepal, the lateral sepal, the petal, the central lip, and the lateral lip, C. discolor was the shortest and narrowest, respectively, but C. sieboldii was the longest and the widest, respectively. The flower stalk length was the shortest in C. discolor, and the longest in C. sieboldii. Three variants were the intermediate between C. discolor and C. sieboldii in the above morphological characteristics, but spur length was the longest in C. discolor, the shortest in C. sieboldii, and intermediate in the variants. The ovary length in C. discolor was shortest and C. sieboldii and variants were similar with each other. The flower color of C. discolor were brownish red, the value of CIE Lab was between 40 and 50. The flower color of C. sieboldii was yellowish, the value of CIE Lab was between 110 and 130. And variants had various colors between 50 to 70 in the value of CIE Lab. By analyzing multiple band patterns of PCR products, 154 bands were selected as polymorphic RAPD markers. The analysis of genetic similarity of Calanther species using RAPD showed that C. discolor and C. sieboldii are more distant from each other than variants, and these results demonstrated that genetic position of variants located between C. discolor and C. sieboldii.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.362-367
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• 2007

A total of 5 female elk deer (220 $kg{\pm}10$ kg) were included in a study on the changes in physico-chemical properties of deer meat during storage at $4^{\circ}C$. The deers were exposed to normal pre-slaughter handling and put under anesthesia before slaughtered. The loin and leg cuts were deboned from the carcass after 24hrs slaughter. The samples weighing approximately 300 g were packaged using three packaging methods : Atmospheric packaging(A), Vacuum packaging (V) and Modified atmospheric at packaging (M: 80% $CO_2$ +20% $N_2$)and stored for 3, 7, 11, 15, 20 and 25days at $4^{\circ}$. The ability of moisture maintenance tended to be decreased with the passage of storage time, and that of the meats treated with the vacuum wrapping was lower than that with other wrapping methods. TBARS values of the meats with the regardless of treatments was increased with the passage of storage time, although the values with vacuum wrapping was lowest. VBN values of the meats with the regardless of treatments was also increased with the passage of storage time, although the values with vacuum wrapping was also lowest. The pH values of the meats with the regardless of treatments was also increased with the passage of storage time, although the values with vacuum wrapping was also lowest. For the meat softness, the value of the meats treated with atmospheric packaging was increased with the passage of storage time, but the values with vacuum wrapping and modified atmospheric packaging were respectively decreased. There were no significant differences in luminosity of leg, although loin treated with vacuum wrapping was significantly brighter than that with atmospheric packaging and modified atmospheric packaging. In general, the index of red color of the meats treated with vacuum wrapping was higher than that with atmospheric packaging and modified atmospheric packaging. The index of yellow color tended to be decreased after increment for a time with the passage of storage time, although the value with vacuum wrapping was generally higher than that with other wrapping methods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.366-372
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• 2012

This study was conducted to estimate the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and effective population size using whole genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyped by DNA chip in Hanwoo. Using the blood samples of 35 young bulls born from 2005 to 2008 and their progenies (N=253) in a Hanwoo nucleus population collected from Hanwoo Improvement Center, 51,582 SNPs were genotyped using Bovine SNP50 chips. A total of 40,851 SNPs were used in this study after elimination of SNPs with a missing genotyping rate of over 10 percent and monomorphic SNPs (10,730 SNPs). The total autosomal genome length, measured as the sum of the longest syntenic pairs of SNPs by chromosome, was 2,541.6 Mb (Mega base pairs). The average distances of all adjacent pairs by each BTA ranged from 0.55 to 0.74 cM. Decay of LD showed an exponential trend with physical distance. The means of LD ($r^2$) among syntenic SNP pairs were 0.136 at a range of 0-0.1 Mb in physical distance and 0.06 at a range of 0.1-0.2 Mb. When these results were used for Luo's formula, about 2,000 phenotypic records were found to be required to achieve power > 0.9 to detect 5% QTL in the population of Hanwoo. As a result of estimating effective population size by generation in Hanwoo, the estimated effective population size for the current status was 84 heads and the estimate of effective population size for 50 generations of ancestors was 1,150 heads. The average decreasing rates of effective population size by generation were 9.0% at about five generations and 17.3% at the current generation. The main cause of the rapid decrease in effective population size was considered to be the intensive use of a few prominent sires since the application of artificial insemination technology in Korea. To increase and/or sustain the effective population size, the selection of various proven bulls and mating systems that consider genetic diversity are needed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.407-416
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• 2012

In this study, we purified the extracts from the seeds and the roots of various plant species, including Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens, and then investigated the effects of these extracts on cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes. We found that the extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens more effectively increased the cell growth, as well as promoting the fat accumulation in adipocytes to a greater extent, than other extracts in vitro. Therefore, we made breast packs containing these effective extracts, and then investigated whether they were effective in enhancing the elasticity and volume of women's breasts. The measurements of breast elasticity and size revealed that the breast packs efficiently increased the elasticity and size of women's breasts. Furthermore, evaluation of the questionnaires related to usage of the breast packs indicated great satisfaction in terms of the lift, firmness, and elasticity of breasts. In conclusion, extracts purified from Q. acutissima, C. lanceolata, P. mirifica, P. bambusoides, and S. repens leading to cell growth and fat accumulation in adipocytes can effectively contribute to improving the elasticity and size of women's breasts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1325-1335
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• 2013

Working dogs, such as rescue dogs, military watch dogs, guide dogs, and search dogs, are selected by in-training examination of desired traits, including concentration, possessiveness, and boldness. In recent years, genetic information has been considered to be an important factor for the outstanding abilities of working dogs. To characterize the molecular features of the canine genes related to phenotypes for working dogs, we investigated the 24 previously reported genes (AR, BDNF, DAT, DBH, DGCR2, DRD4, MAOA, MAOB, SLC6A4, TH, TPH2, IFT88, KCNA3, TBR2, TRKB, ACE, GNB1, MSTN, PLCL1, SLC25A22, WFIKKN2, APOE, GRIN2B, and PIK3CG) that were categorized to personality, olfactory sense, and athletic/learning ability. We analyzed the chromosomal location, gene-gene interactions, Gene Ontology, and expression patterns of these genes using bioinformatic tools. In addition, variable numbers of tandem repeat (VNTR) or microsatellite (MS) polymorphism in the AR, MAOA, MAOB, TH, DAT, DBH, and DRD4 genes were reviewed. Taken together, we suggest that the genetic background of the canine genes associated with various working dog behaviors and skill performance attributes could be used for proper selection of superior working dogs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1317-1324
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• 2013

High-molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) have been shown to play a crucial role in determining the processing properties of the wheat grain. We have produced marker-free transgenic rice plants containing a wheat Glu-1Bx7 gene encoding the HMG-GS from the Korean wheat cultivar 'Jokyeong' using the Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation method. The Glu-1Bx7-own promoter was inserted into a binary vector for seed-specific expression of the Glu-1Bx7 gene. Two expression cassettes comprised of separate DNA fragments containing only Glu-1Bx7 and hygromycin phosphotransferase II (HPTII) resistance genes were introduced separately to the Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 strain for co-infection. Each EHA105 strain harboring Glu-1Bx7 or HPTII was infected to rice calli at a 3:1 ratio of Glu-1Bx7 and HPTII, respectively. Then, among 216 hygromycin-resistant $T_0$ plants, we obtained 24 transgenic lines with both Glu-1Bx7 and HPTII genes inserted into the rice genome. We reconfirmed integration of the Glu-1Bx7 gene into the rice genome by Southern blot analysis. Transcripts and proteins of the wheat Glu-1Bx7 were stably expressed in the rice $T_1$ seeds. Finally, the marker-free plants harboring only the Glu-1Bx7 gene were successfully screened at the $T_1$ generation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2013

The present study investigated whether leukemia-maintaining cells reside in a differentiation-resistant fraction using a megakaryocytic differentiation model of K562 cells. Treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) significantly inhibited the colony-forming efficiency of the K562 cells. At a PMA concentration of 1 nM or higher, colony was not formed, but approximately 40% of K562 cells still survived in soft agar. Approximately 70% of colony-forming cells that were isolated following the removal of PMA after exposure to the agent were differentiated after treatment with 10 nM PMA for 3 days. The differentiation rate of the colony-forming cells was gradually increased and reached about 90% 6 weeks after colony isolation, which was comparable to the level of a PMA-treated K562 control. Meanwhile, imatinib-resistant variants from the K562 cells, including K562/R1, K562/R2, and K562/R3 cells, did not show any colony-forming activity, and most imatinib-resistant variants were CD44 positive. After 4 months of culture in drug-free medium, the surface level of CD44 was decreased in comparison with primary imatinib-resistant variants, and a few colonies were formed from K562/R3 cells. In these cells, Bcr-Abl, which was lost in the imatinib-resistant variants, was re-expressed, and the original phenotypes of the K562 cells were partially recovered. These results suggest that leukemia-maintaining cells might reside in a differentiation-resistant population. Differentiation therapy to eliminate leukemia-maintaining cells could be a successful treatment for leukemia if the leukemia-maintaining cells were exposed to a differentiation inducer for a long time and at a high dose.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2013

Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx 6) is a member of the thiol-specific antioxidant protein family, which may play a role in protection against oxidative stress and in regulating phospholipid turnover. The aim of this study was to determine whether a human Prx 6/Luc vector was stably expressed and responded to antioxidants in a lung cell line (NCI-H460). To achieve this, the luciferase signal, hPrx 6 mRNA expression, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured in transfectants with a hPrx 6/Luc plasmid after treatment with four antioxidant extracts, including Korea white ginseng (KWG), Korea red ginseng (KRG), Liriope platyphylla (LP), and red Liriope platyphylla (RLP). First, the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid was successfully constructed with DNA fragments of human Prx 6 promoter, amplified by PCR using genomic DNA isolated from NCI-H460 cells, and cloned into the pTransLucent reporter vector. The orientation and sequencing of the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid were identified with restriction enzyme and automatic sequencing. A luciferase assay revealed significant enhancement of luciferase activity in the four treatment groups compared with a vehicle-treated group, although the ratio of the increase was different within each group. The KRG- and LP-treated groups showed higher activity than the KWG- and RLP-treated groups. Furthermore, the luciferase activity against RLP occurred roughly in a dose-dependent manner. However, the level of endogenous hPrx 6 mRNA did not change in any group treated with the four extracts. The SOD activity was in agreement with the luciferase activity. Therefore, these results indicate that the hPrx 6/Luc vector system may successfully express and respond to antioxidant compounds in NCI-H460 cells. The data also suggest that the Prx 6/Luc vector system may be effectively applied in screening the response of hPrx 6 to antioxidant compounds in transgenic mice.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.317-324
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• 2002

Purpose: The use of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) program has increased for the analysis of brain PET and SPECT images. Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinate is used in SPM program as a standard anatomical framework. While the most researchers look up Talairach atlas to report the localization of the activations detected in SPM program, there is significant disparity between MNI templates and Talairach atlas. That disparity between Talairach and MNI coordinates makes the interpretation of SPM result time consuming, subjective and inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to develop a program to provide objective anatomical information of each x-y-z position in ICBM coordinate. Materials and Methods: Program was designed to provide the anatomical information for the given x-y-z position in MNI coordinate based on the Statistical Probabilistic Anatomical Map (SPAM) images of ICBM. When x-y-z position was given to the program, names of the anatomical structures with non-zero probability and the probabilities that the given position belongs to the structures were tabulated. The program was coded using IDL and JAVA language for 4he easy transplantation to any operating system or platform. Utility of this program was shown by comparing the results of this program to those of SPM program. Preliminary validation study was peformed by applying this program to the analysis of PET brain activation study of human memory in which the anatomical information on the activated areas are previously known. Results: Real time retrieval of probabilistic information with 1 mm spatial resolution was archived using the programs. Validation study showed the relevance of this program: probability that the activated area for memory belonged to hippocampal formation was more than 80%. Conclusion: These programs will be useful for the result interpretation of the image analysis peformed on MNI coordinate, as done in SPM program.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.456-461
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• 2010

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of topophysis, and uniting method of rootstock and scion on rooting and subsequent growth of stenting-propagated cut rose ($Rosa$ $hybrida$ Hort.) in an effort to develop an efficient stenting propagation method for domestic rose cultivars. Four cultivars used in this study were two standard type cultivars 'Sweet Yellow' and 'Hanmaum', and two spray type cultivars 'Chelsi' and 'May'. Scions were grafted on cuttings of a rootstock $Rosa$ $indica$ 'Major'. The stenting-propagated scion-rootstock unions were planted in rockwool cubes ($50{\times}50{\times}50mm$, Delta, Grodan, Denmark) and were placed in a graft-take chamber for five days before being placed on misted greenhouse beds. The rootstock was removed of all leaves and nodes. Both the base of scions and top of stocks were simultaneously cut at a $45^{\circ}$ angle for grafting. Scions were prepared as single node cuttings, each with a five-leaflet leaf. Three positions of topophysis used were 7-9th (top), 4-6th (middle), and 1st-3rd (bottom) nodes from the stem base. Four uniting materials used were tube, tube + parafilm wrap, tube + clothespin, and clothespin. Rooting and growth were affected by the topophysis and cultivar. The best topophysis for rooting was 7-9th (top) nodes in all cultivars. Topophysis affected percent rooting, and number of roots, length of the longest root, and but not weight, shoot length and graft-take. Rooting and growth were affected by the uniting method and cultivar. Tube uniting method generally showed higher percentage graft-take, percent rooting, and number of roots than other methods. However, rootstock and scion union was not complete in this treatment. On the whole, the greatest rooting and subsequent growth of stenting-propagated plants were found in the tube + clothespin method. Except 'Sweet Yellow', rooting and growth were not adequate in the clothespin method. The results suggested that a tube + clothespin method was the most effective, and this method may be used as a substitute to save labor compared to a tube + parafilm wrap method which is currently being used in commercial nurseries.