• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2006

Telomeres are essential for chromosome stability and are related with cell senescence, apoptosis and cancer. Even though telomere length and telomerase activity have been studied extensively, very little is known to analyze the telomere dynamics in chicken cells. This study was carried out to analyze the telomere distribution and telomerase activity of Korean Native Chicken cells along with aging. The cells were collected from brain, heart, liver, kidney and germinal tissues during physiological stages. Telomere distribution was analyzed by Quantitative-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (Q-FISH) techniques using the chicken telomeric DNA probe. Telomerase activity was performed by Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP) assay. In results, the telomeres of chicken were found at the ends of all chromosomes with the interstitial telomeres on chromosomes 1, 2 and 3. The amount of telomeres on chicken cells was decreased along with aging in most tissues. Furthermore, the telomere quantity was significantly different among tissues. The relative amount of telomeres in proliferous cells such as testis cells had much more than those of liver, brain, heart, blood and kidney cells. The telomerase activity was down-regulated in cells of brain, heart and liver tissues. Whereas gonadal cells showed a constitutive activity of telomerase during all stage of life. In conclusions, the telomere quantity and telomerase activity in chicken are closely relate to cell proliferation and tissue specificity during developmental stages and aging. There is also closely correlated between the amounts of telomeric DNA and telomerase activity in chicken tissues.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.547-554
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• 2004

Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures at the ends of chromosomes consisting of tandem repeat sequences of . (TTAGGG)n. Telomeres serve as guardians of the genome, protect individual chromosomes within the nucleus, and help in meiotic pairing of homologous chromosomes. To investigate the telomere distributions of cattle and pig chromosomes, fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) was carried out on metaphase spreads of in vitro fibroblast cultures from Holstein and Landrace using a human telomeric DNA repeat probe. Results indicate that the distinct double spots on both ends of chromosomes of cattle and pigs were observed. In cattle, there was a random variation in the intensity of telomere signals among chromosomes. In pigs, an interstitial telomeric signal was observed on the chromosome 6q1 of all the cells examined. According to quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization(Q-FISH) analysis, some chromosomes had consistently much more telorneres at one end of chromosomes. In general, both species had consistently much more telomeres at q-end than p-end on most of chromosomes. The relative amount of telomeres on bovine chromosomes was higher than that on pig chromosomes. In additions, Y chromosome had the highest relative amount of telorneres in cattle and pigs.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.177-189
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• 2016

This study was conducted to verify the relationships between the expression values of stress-related markers and their production performances in 25 strains of Korean domestic chicken breeds. For stress response markers, the amount of telomeric DNA; expression levels of heat shock protein (HSP)-70, $HSP-90{\alpha}$, and $HSP-90{\beta}$; and comet scores were analyzed. Production performances were measured by the survival rate, body weights, days at first egg laying, egg weight and hen housed egg production. The results showed that the production traits and values of stress-related markers showed significant differences between strains. In general, the stress response of pure bred chickens with heavy weights was relatively high, while that of hybrid chickens with light weights was relatively low. The correlation coefficients between telomere contents and body weights showed that there were weak negative relationships. However, the correlations of telomere content with the survival rate and egg production were weakly positive after 20 weeks old. The expression levels of HSP genes and DNA damage rate (comet scores) were positively correlated to body weight, but were negatively correlated to the survival rate and egg production. The results implied that increasing body weight was associated with increasing HSPs expression and the DNA damage rate was associated with decreasing telomere content. In addition, increasing HSPs expression and the DNA damage rate decreased the survival rate and egg production, but the relationships with the telomere content was the reverse. Correlations among the stress-related markers showed that there were significant correlation coefficients between all of the marker values. HSPs expression was negatively correlated to the telomere content, while it was positively correlated to the DNA damage rate. There was a highly negative correlation between the telomere content and DNA damage rate. In conclusion, increasing the HSP values and DNA damage rate can promote telomere reduction, which led to a decrease in disease resistance and robustness of the chicken. Thus, increasing the stress response was verified to adversely affect the laying performance and viability of chickens.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 2009

Objective: This study was carried out to analyze the amount of telomeric DNA and telomerase activity in early bovine embryos. Methods: The amount of telomeric DNA in early bovine embryos at the 8 cell, morula and blastocyst stages was analyzed by Quantitative Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (Q-FISH) technique using a bovine telomeric DNA probe. Telomerase activity was analyzed by Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP assay). Results: The relative amount of telomeric DNA in early bovine embryos was gradually increased from 8 cell to blastocyst stage. It was not significantly associated with the grade of embryo quality. While telomerase activity was detected in the early bovine embryos at these stages, it significantly increased at morula stage and showed maximum activity at the blastocyst stage. Conclusion: The amount of telomeric DNA and the telomerase activity of bovine embryos increase during the progression of early embryogenesis, suggesting a positive correlation between telomeric DNA and telomerase activity. The telomerase activity seems to increase to maintain the levels of telomeric DNA through embryo development which are required for extensive cell division.

• Journal of Scientific & Technological Knowledge Infrastructure
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• s.23
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• pp.73-75
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• 2006

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.267-274
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• 2008

There are many kinds of anti-oxidant materials in natural plant resources. The Siberian ginseng and Eucommia are well known as anti-oxidant and medicinal plants. To investigate the effect of their anti-oxidant-like activity on telomere quantity and egg quality, diets containing Siberian ginseng leaf and Eucommia leaf at 0.5% and 1% were given Hyline Brown commercial laying hens during two periods of age: 20 to 30 wks and 60 to 70 wks. The amount of telomere in lymphocyte, liver, ovary, heart and lung was analyzed by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization using telomeric DNA probe. Egg weight, albumin height, Haugh unit, egg yolk color, egg shell color, egg shell thickness, egg shell weight and egg shell density were measured to analyze egg quality. The chickens consuming diets Siberian ginseng and Eucommia had higher telomeric DNA in lymphocytes than control chickens in younger layers whereas no significant differences were detected in all target cells analyzed from older layers. Egg quality was increased in younger hens with dietary supplementation as determined by egg weight, albumin height and Haugh unit but there were no effects in older hens. These results imply that dietary supplementation of Siberian ginseng and Eucommia in layers improves bio-activity and egg quality at early laying stage.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.77-88
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• 2016

To establish a new synthetic Korean meat chicken breed, we tested $5{\times}5$ diallel cross mating experiment with domestic chicken breeds. Comparing stress responses among diallel crossed chicken breeds, we analyzed telomere length, DNA damage and expressions of heat shock protein genes (HSPs) as the markers of the stress response. The telomere length was measured by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization on the nuclei of lymphocytes. The expression levels of HSP-70, $HSP-90{\alpha}$ and $HSP-90{\beta}$ genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in lymphocytes. The DNA damage rate of lymphocytes was quantified by the comet assay known as the single cell gel electrophoresis. In results, there were significant differences in the values of the stress markers such as telomere length, HSPs and DNA damage rate, and also were significant differences in viabilities and body weights among the $5{\times}5$ diallel crossed chicken breeds. The telomere shortening rate, expression values of HSPs and DNA damage rate were significant low in W and Y crossed chickens compare to the others, but GG pure breed showed the highest values in the 25 crossed chickens. Estimating correlation coefficient, the survival rate positively correlated to telomere length, but negatively correlated to the expression levels of HSP-70, $HSP-90{\alpha}$, $HSP-90{\beta}$ genes and to the value of % DNA in tail as DNA damage rate. The expression levels of HSP-70, $HSP-90{\alpha}$ and $HSP-90{\beta}$ genes of dead chickens had significantly higher than those of survival chickens. According to the results on the stress marker analysis, it would be considered that the crossed breeds had more stress resistant than the pure breeds, and the crossed chickens with a light strain such as W or Y were relatively resistant to stress, but the crossed chickens with a heavy strain such as G, H, F were susceptible to stress.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.305-313
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of housing systems on the productivity and physiological response as stress indicators in White Leghorn chickens. The chickens subjected to the conventional cages had a significantly lower viability, hen-housed egg production, egg weight and body weight compared with those to the floor pens. However, the hens housed in the conventional cages had a shorter day of the first egg and a greater egg quality compared with those housed in the floor pens. In addition, this study was also investigated to identify biological markers for assessing the physiological response of chickens under stress conditions. As biological markers, the amount of telomeric DNA was analyzed by quantitative fluorescent in situ hybridization on the nuclei of cells. The DNA damage rate of lymphocytes was also quantified by the comet assay. The amount of telomeric DNA of the lymphocytes, kidney and spleen was significantly higher in the chickens under floor pens than those under conventional cages. The DNA damage also increased in chickens raised under conventional cages, as compared to the chickens under floor pens. As results, we conclude that the chickens housed in conventional cages have a greater stressful status than those housed in floor pens.

• Health and Mission
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• s.1
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• pp.12-20
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• 2004

복제된 동물이나 인간은 각종 기형이나 조기사망을 설령 극복해다 할지라도 필연적으로 조로에 빠질 수 밖에 없다. "텔로미어(telomere)"라는 각 염색체의 끝부분에 있는 특수한 염기서열에 따라 각 종자에 따른 수명은 이미 세포 안에 각인된 채 태어나기 때문에 이것이 어떻게 조작되고 변형된다 해도, 운명처럼 따라다니는 시간의 한계를 거스를 수 없는 것이다.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.235-242
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• 2022

Purpose: To investigate associations of perceived stress level, serum cortisol level, and telomere length of community-dwelling adults in Korea. Methods: Data of a total of 135 community-dwelling adults aged over 40 years living in D metropolitan city from December 2020 to March 2021 were collected. Perceived stress level over the past month were measured using the Perceived Stress Score. Serum cortisol level was analyzed using a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Telomere length was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The statistical package SPSS 23.0 was used to perform Chi-square test, independent t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis. Results: There was no association between perceived stress and serum cortisol level (r = .07, p= .402). Serum cortisol level was not significantly associated with telomere length either (r = -.15, p= .081). However, the higher the perceived stress level, the shorter the telomere length (r= -.29, p= .001). Conclusion: These results suggest that perceived stress might induce physiological stress, which might partially affect gene biology. Further longitudinal research is needed to investigate the effect of perceived stress on telomere length. Intervention for relieving stress should be included in stabilizing the genetic environment of adults.