• Title/Summary/Keyword: Aquatic-Animals

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Bio-functions of Marine Carotenoids

  • Hosokawa, Masashi;Okada, Tomoko;Mikami, Nana;Konishi, Izumi;Miyashita, Kazuo
    • Food Science and Biotechnology
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2009
  • Carotenoids being most important pigments among those occurring in nature, have received increased interest owing to their beneficial effects on human health. An effort is made to review marine carotenoids as important bioactive compounds with reference to their presence, chemical, and biofunctional benefits they afford. The potential beneficial effects of marine carotenoids were particularly focused on astaxanthin and fucoxanthin, major marine carotenoids found in marine animals and aquatic plants, respectively. Both carotenoids show strong antioxidant activity which is attributed to quenching singlet oxygen and scavenging free radicals. The potential role of the carotenoids as dietary antioxidants has been suggested as being one of the main mechanism by which they afford their beneficial health effects such as anticancer activity and anti-inflammatory effect. Only recently, antiobesity effect and antidiabetic effect have been noted as specific and novel bio-functions of fucoxanthin. Nutrigenomic study reveals that fucoxanthin induces uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT) mitochondria to lead to oxidation of fatty acids and heat production in WAT. Fucoxanthin improves insulin resistance and decreases blood glucose level, at least in part, through the down-regulation of tumor necrosis factor $\alpha$ ($TNF{\alpha}$) in WAT of animals.

Trypanosoma brucei Infection in Asymptomatic Greater Kudus (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) on a Game Ranch in Zambia

  • Munang'andu, Hetron Mweemba;Siamudaala, Victor;Munyeme, Musso;Nambota, Andrew;Mutoloki, Stephen;Matandiko, Wigganson
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.48 no.1
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    • pp.67-69
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    • 2010
  • Trypomastogotes of Trypanosoma brucei were detected from 4 asymptomatic kudus (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) on a game ranch located approximately 45 km north east of Lusaka, Zambia. Blood smears examined from 14 wildlife species comprising of the impala (Aepyceros melampus), Kafue lechwe (kobus leche kafuensis), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus), warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), puku (Kobus vardoni), zebra (Equus burchelli), waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), wilderbeest (Connochaetes taurinus), hartebeest (Alcephelus lichtensteini), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) showed that only the kudu had T. brucei. Although game ranching has emerged to be a successful ex-situ conservation strategy aimed at saving the declining wildlife population in the National Parks, our findings suggest that it has the potential of aiding the re-distribution of animal diseases. Hence, there is a need for augmenting wildlife conservation with disease control strategies aimed at reducing the risk of disease transmission between wildlife and domestic animals.

Evaluation of the Biological Activities of Marine Bacteria Collected from Jeju Island, Korea, and Isolation of Active Compounds from their Secondary Metabolites

  • Kim, Hyun-Soo;Zhang, Chao;Lee, Ji-Hyeok;Ko, Ju-Young;Kim, Eun-A;Kang, Nalae;Jeon, You-Jin
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.17 no.2
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    • pp.215-222
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    • 2014
  • To explore marine microorganisms with medical potential, we isolated and identified marine bacteria from floats, marine algae, animals, and sponges collected from Jeju Island, Korea. We isolated and identified 21 different strains from the marine samples by 16S rRNA analysis, cultured them in marine broth, and extracted them with ethyl acetate (EtOAc) to collect secondary metabolite fractions. Next, we evaluated their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Among the 21 strains, the secondary metabolite fraction of Bacillus badius had both strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and thus was selected for further experiments. An antioxidant compound detected from the secondary metabolite fraction of B. badius was purified by preparative centrifugal partition chromatography (n-hexane:EtOAc:methanol:water, 4:6:4:6, v/v), and identified as diolmycin A2. Additionally, diolmycin A2 strongly inhibited nitric oxide production. Thus, we successfully identified a significant bioactive compound from B. badius among the bacterial strains collected from Jeju Island.

Recent Insights into Aeromonas salmonicida and Its Bacteriophages in Aquaculture: A Comprehensive Review

  • Park, Seon Young;Han, Jee Eun;Kwon, Hyemin;Park, Se Chang;Kim, Ji Hyung
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.30 no.10
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    • pp.1443-1457
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    • 2020
  • The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic bacteria of fish and shellfish have caused serious concerns in the aquaculture industry, owing to the potential health risks to humans and animals. Among these bacteria, Aeromonas salmonicida, which is one of the most important primary pathogens in salmonids, is responsible for significant economic losses in the global aquaculture industry, especially in salmonid farming because of its severe infectivity and acquisition of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, interest in the use of alternative approaches to prevent and control A. salmonicida infections has increased in recent years, and several applications of bacteriophages (phages) have provided promising results. For several decades, A. salmonicida and phages infecting this fish pathogen have been thoroughly investigated in various research areas including aquaculture. The general overview of phage usage to control bacterial diseases in aquaculture, including the general advantages of this strategy, has been clearly described in previous reviews. Therefore, this review specifically focuses on providing insights into the phages infecting A. salmonicida, from basic research to biotechnological application in aquaculture, as well as recent advances in the study of A. salmonicida.

Molecular Cloning of Seven-band Grouper (Epinephelus septemfasciatus) Growth Hormone cDNA and Its Expression in Escherichia coli

  • Lee Jehee;Munasinghe Helani;Song Choon Bok
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.6 no.3
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    • pp.116-124
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    • 2003
  • Isolation and cloning of seven-band grouper (Epinephelus septemfasciatus) growth hormone cDNA from pituitary gland revealed an open reading frame of 612 bp coding for a pre-growth hormone of 204 amino acids with a 17 amino acid putative signal peptide. Deduced amino acid sequence showed that there was one possible N-glycosylation site at $Asn^{l84}$ and four cysteine residues $(Cys^{52},\;Cys^{160},\;Cys^{177},\;Cys^{185})$ on t e same positions as in some other species where they were involved in the stabilization of the tertiary structure. The seven-band grouper growth hormone (sbgGH) presented a $99.5\%$ amino acid sequence identity with the growth hormone of Epinephelus coioides and contained the conserved hormone domain region. Comparison of growth hormone sequences from evolutionarily diverse species revealed 25 amino acid residues conserved in jawless fishes to modern mammals. It also revealed an evolutionary trend to retain the same polypeptide sequence even in the distantly related animals while allowing alterations to occur in polypeptides of the closely related species. In order to create a recombinant system to produce high levels of the growth hormone, it was expressed in Escherichia coli (BL21) cells. The gel analysis revealed theoretically expected molecular weights for both mature and pre-sbgGHs.

Review of the Korean Vernacular Names of Cetaceans (한반도 근해 고래류의 한국어 일반명에 대한 고찰)

  • Sohn, Hawsun;An, Du Hae;Kim, Doo Nam
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.45 no.5
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    • pp.513-522
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    • 2012
  • This paper reviews the Korean vernacular names of 35 cetacean species found in Korean waters and mentioned in 19 references, including laws, high school textbooks, and books on whales. The vernacular names of 16 species were identical in all sources examined. Some names have their origins in old Korean books, while others have recently entered public awareness through movies, TV programs, and the mass media; some species are frequently studied by researchers. Given the nature of vernacular names, that is, names used by people who live in sympatry with the animals, priority was not given high consideration in this paper. Instead, we carefully investigated the origin, publicity, and rationale of the Korean common names for the 35 species. All of these Korean names are also listed in "The World Cetacea Database (http://www.marinespecies.org/cetacea/)," which contains the most accurate cetacean systematic information on the Web.

Comparative Study on the Fine Structure of Small Cells in the Space of Disse of Various Animal Livers (각종 동물 간소엽내 Disse강의 소세포에 관한 미세구조적 비교 연구)

  • Hwang, Seung-Jun;Shin, Young-Chul
    • Applied Microscopy
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.15-32
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    • 1992
  • This study was an attempt to investigate and compare the fine structure of small cells in the space of Disse of various animal livers. All animal livers contained small cells with or without lipid droplets and the one with lipid droplet seemed to be more developed and show an abundance of activity in function. The fine structure of the small cells observed in the nonmammals was similar to that of Ito cell in the mammal. The electron density of the small cells was similar to that of other cell types in the same animal liver. The cisternal dilation of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus was more predominant in the mammalian Ito cells. In the nonmammalian, aquatic vertebrates, however, lysosomes and filaments are much more abundant in the Ito cell and its abundant cytoplasmic processes rich in filaments were usually extended between the parenchymal cells. The disparity in size of organelles and numbers of lipid droplets in the small cells showed a tendency similar to those of other cell types in the same animal. From these results, it is considered that the small cells in the space of Disse is a Ito cell and the Ito cell without lipid droplets differentiates into the one containing lipid droplets according to the characteristics of the different animals respectively, and that the Ito cells in the mammals are more active in metabolic function, while those in the nonmammalian aquatic vertebrates are abundant in support of parenchyme.

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Protective Effects of Pyropia yezoensis Glycoprotein against Ethanol-induced Chronic Gastric Injury in the Rat (만성적인 에탄올 섭취로 인한 쥐의 위 조직 손상에서 방사무늬 김(Pyropia yezoensis)의 보호효과)

  • Soma, Saeidi;Choi, Jeong Wook;Lee, Min Kyeong;Kim, Young Min;Kim, In Hye;Nam, Taek Jeong
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.47 no.6
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    • pp.765-769
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    • 2014
  • We examined the protective effects of Pyropia yezoensis glycoprotein (PYGP) against ethanol-induced gastric damage. The experimental animals were divided into four groups. They were treated with distilled water (control), ethanol alone (EtOH), ethanol + PYGP 150 mg/kg BW (EtOH+150), or ethanol + PYGP 300 mg/kg BW (EtOH+300). The groups were treated for 4 weeks. We measured mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), the apoptotic signaling pathway, and PARP activity in gastric tissues obtained from the rats. Ethanol consumption increased apoptotic signal activity and ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation. PYGP reduced the apoptotic signaling pathway activity and ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation. Furthermore, PYGP regulated Bcl-2 family expression. In light of these findings, PYGP appears to prevent ethanol-induced gastric injury and oxidative stress.

Metabolic Activity of Desalted Ground Seawater of Jeju in Rat Muscle and Human Liver Cells

  • Kim, Bo-Youn;Lee, Young-Ki;Park, Deok-Bae
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.21-27
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    • 2012
  • Ground seawater in the east area of the volcanic Jeju Island contains abundant minerals. We investigated the metabolic activity of electrodialyzed, desalted ground seawater (EDSW) from Jeju in both cultured cells and animals. The addition of EDSW to the culture medium (up to 20%, v/v) reduced the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase and increased MTT activity in CHO-IR cells. EDSW (10%) promoted insulin-induced glucose consumption in L6 muscle cells as well as the activities of the liver ethanol-metabolizing enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Moreover, EDSW suppressed palmitate-induced intracellular fat accumulation in human hepatoma $HepG_2$ cells. Activities of AMP-stimulated protein kinase and acetyl CoA carboxylase, enzymes that modulate fat metabolism, were altered by EDSW in $HepG_2$ cells toward the suppression of intracellular lipid accumulation. EDSW also suppressed hepatic fat accumulation induced by a high-fat diet in mice. Taken together, EDSW showed beneficial metabolic effects, including the enhancement of ethanol metabolism and insulin-induced glucose consumption, and the suppression of intrahepatic fat accumulation.

Effects of Herbicide on the Environmental Ecosystem in Subtropics

  • Wang, Yei-Shung
    • Korean Journal of Weed Science
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.85-94
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    • 1998
  • Herbicides play a very important role in modern agriculture. However, the herbicide applied to the agricultural field may accumulate in the field, converting the advantages to environment pollution. Many small animals in the ecosystem such as alderfly, earthworm, butterfly, loach, frog, firefly, some birds and aquatic organisms have been known to disappear gradually. In addition, several behavior of herbicides including adsorption by soil, movement by water, photodecomposition, volatilization to air, absorption by plant, metabolism by soil microorganisms and so on, are proceeded while the herbicide remained in the environment. In this review, fate and behavior of herbicides in the environment and their effect on ecosystem after their application are focused on four aspects : the first is the absorption and metabolism of herbicides by plant; the second is the residues of herbicides in soil and water environments: the third is the accumulation and release of herbicides in aquatic organisms and the fourth is the translocation of herbicides in model agricultural ecosystem. Many factors may affect the behavior and fate of herbicides after their application, climatic conditions and soil properties seem to be the most important. Therefore, the fate and behavior of herbicide in Taiwan, located on subtropical region, may differ from those in Korea.

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