• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.163-169
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• 2013

Cryopreservation of poultry semen has been reported, but preservation of female genetic material has not been possible because of the unique anatomical and physiological characteristics of the avian egg. Thus an alternative strategy for conservation of oviparous species of animals must be developed. Recent technological developments for producing germline chimeras by the transfer of primordial germ cells (PGCs) into recipient embryos has enabled the conservation and retrieval of chicken genetic resources in their complete form. In the present study, fertilized eggs were incubated for about 5.5 days to obtain embryos at stage 28. The whole embryo was collected from the germinal gonad using a fine glass micro pipette under a microscope. The PGCs were then purified using MACS method. Two commercially available cryoprotectants (A and B) were used to preserve the PGCs, and EG were used as a control. The average recovery rate of PGCs after thawing was 35.5% and 60.5% with the A and B treatments, respectively. There was no significant difference between B treatments and control, which showed an average recovery rate of 52.8%. However, the recovery rate obtained using A cryoprotectant (35.5%) was significantly lower than using treatment control and B. The average viability of the PGCs after thawing were 77.9% and 77.4% for cryoprotectants A and B, respectively, and the control were was 81.6%. There was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments and control. It was concluded that all of the available cryoprotectants examined in this study could be used for preservation of PGCs from embryos. Further experiments to produce germline chimera from PGCs preserved using this techniques are strongly recommended.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.195-207
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• 2006

Stem cells are the primordial, initial cells which usually divide asymmetrically giving rise to on the one hand self-renewals and on the other hand progenitor cells with potential for differentiation. Zygote (fertilized egg), with totipotency, deserves the top-ranking stem cell - he totipotent stem cell (TSC). Both the ICM (inner cell mass) taken from the 6 days-old human blastocyst and ESC (embryonic stem cell) derived from the in vitro cultured ICM have slightly less potency for differentiation than the zygote, and are termed pluripotent stem cells. Stem cells in the tissues and organs of fetus, infant, and adult have highly reduced potency and committed to produce only progenitor cells for particular tissues. These tissue-specific stem cells are called multipotent stem cells. These tissue-specific/committed multipotent stem cells, when placed in altered environment other than their original niche, can yield cells characteristic of the altered environment. These findings are certainly of potential interest from the clinical, therapeutic perspective. The controversial terminology 'somatic stem cell plasticity' coined by the stem cell community seems to have been proved true. Followings are some of the recent knowledges related to the stem cell. Just as the tissues of our body have their own multipotent stem cells, cancerous tumor has undifferentiated cells known as cancer stem cell (CSC). Each time CSC cleaves, it makes two daughter cells with different fate. One is endowed with immortality, the remarkable ability to divide indefinitely, while the other progeny cell divides occasionally but lives forever. In the cancer tumor, CSC is minority being as few as 3-5% of the tumor mass but it is the culprit behind the tumor-malignancy, metastasis, and recurrence of cancer. CSC is like a master print. As long as the original exists, copies can be made and the disease can persist. If the CSC is destroyed, cancer tumor can't grow. In the decades-long cancer therapy, efforts were focused on the reducing of the bulk of cancerous growth. How cancer therapy is changing to destroy the origin of tumor, the CSC. The next generation of treatments should be to recognize and target the root cause of cancerous growth, the CSC, rather than the reducing of the bulk of tumor, Now the strategy is to find a way to identify and isolate the stem cells. The surfaces of normal as well as the cancer stem cells are studded with proteins. In leukaemia stem cell, for example, protein CD 34 is identified. In the new treatment of cancer disease it is needed to look for protein unique to the CSC. Blocking the stem cell's source of nutrients might be another effective strategy. The mystery of sternness of stem cells has begun to be deciphered. ESC can replicate indefinitely and yet retains the potential to turn into any kind of differentiated cells. Polycomb group protein such as Suz 12 repress most of the regulatory genes which, activated, are turned to be developmental genes. These protein molecules keep the ESC in an undifferentiated state. Many of the regulator genes silenced by polycomb proteins are also occupied by such ESC transcription factors as Oct 4, Sox 2, and Nanog. Both polycomb and transcription factor proteins seem to cooperate to keep the ESC in an undifferentiated state, pluripotent, and self-renewable. A normal prion protein (PrP) is found throughout the body from blood to the brain. Prion diseases such as mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) are caused when a normal prion protein misfolds to give rise to PrP$^{SC}$ and assault brain tissue. Why has human body kept such a deadly and enigmatic protein? Although our body has preserved the prion protein, prion diseases are of rare occurrence. Deadly prion diseases have been intensively studied, but normal prion problems are not. Very few facts on the benefit of prion proteins have been known so far. It was found that PrP was hugely expressed on the stem cell surface of bone marrow and on the cells of neural progenitor, PrP seems to have some function in cell maturation and facilitate the division of stem cells and their self-renewal. PrP also might help guide the decision of neural progenitor cell to become a neuron.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2000

The embryonic and larval development of Chelon lauvergnii (Eydoux & Souleyet) was surveyed by incubating artificially inseminated eggs with parent fishes obtained at Kang-wha island in the mid-western coastal area of Korea on June, 1997. The fertilized eggs were transparent, spherical in shape, measuring 0.95~1.08 mm in diameter, having a large oil globule, and their perivitelline space narrow, and began to hatch at 40 hrs. in water temperature $22{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. The newly hatched larvae were 2.35~2.68 mm in total length with 23 myomeres, anus opened, mouth closed, preanal length 58.7~61.6% of total length, oil globule located in posterior end of yolk sac. Melanophores, branch in shape, were distributed mainly along the ventro-lateral region of trunk part and a few on the anterior end of caudal part and surface of oil globule. The larvae measuring 3.08~3.36 mm in total length absorbed yolk material completely in 3 days after hatching, in which air bladder began to appear and mouth opened. In 8 days after hatching, the larva was measured 5.09 mm in total length, its posterior end of notochord began to flex upward and the caudal fin rays differentiated as 7, finfold of the second dorsal and anal fins appeared. In this time, melanophores, branch in shape, were concentrated in the anterior half region of the caudal part and a few also distributed on the top of head, snout region, ventral margin of lower jaw and isthmus region. In 12 days after hatching, the larva measuring 8.48 mm in total length completed all the fins (D. IV-9; P1. 16; P2. I, 5; A. II, 9) and reached to the juvenile stage. Melanophores, in this time, were distributed on the mid-lateral region of the caudal part in enlargment than before and a few also found in the dorso-lateral region of the trunk part, and in the cheek region.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2013

The spawning behavior, development of eggs and larvae of the Five striped damselfish, Abudefduf vaigiensis were studied. The Five striped damselfish were caught at Dolsan Island, Yeosusi, Jeollanamdo from May in 2011. As a result of observation, male fish attracted female after cleaning the rock. Female left after spawning and male protected their eggs until they had hatched out. The fertilized eggs were elliptical in shape (mean long diameter: 1.06 mm; mean short diameter: 0.55 mm) and transparent. Larvae hatched at 53 hrs after fertilization in $24.5{\sim}26.5^{\circ}C$(mean $25.0^{\circ}C$). The newly hatched larvae were 2.55~2.86 mm (mean 2.71 mm, n=10) in total length and their mouth and anus were already opened. They began to eat rotifer and transformed to postlarva stage. 3 days after hatching postlarva was measured 2.74~2.97mm(mean 2.84 mm, n=10) in total length. 10 days after hatching postlarva was measured 3.85~4.20mm(mean 4.00 mm, n=10) in total length with dosal fin rays IV-5; ventral fin rays I-3; caudal fin rays 1~2.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.532-537
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• 2011

'Seolgaeng' is a new Japonica rice variety developed from an 'Ilpumbyeo' mutant line, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) treatment on fertilized egg cell, by a rice breeding team of National Crop Experiment Station, Rural Development Administration in 2001. This variety has about 134 days of growth duration from transplanting to harvesting in central plain area of Korea, a good semi-elect plant type and resistant to lodging with strong culm. The number of panicles/hill of 'Seolgaeng' is more than that of 'Hwaseongbyeo'. The milled rice appearance of this cultivar is an opaque, but it has amylose content (19.3%) similar to 'Hwaseongbyeo'. It is superior to hypae formation of Aspergillus orzyae in the making of fermented rice and amount of pigmentation in fermented rice by Monascus anka that of 'Ilpumbyeo'. This variety showed slow leaf senescence and considerable resistance to viviparous germination. It is moderately resistant to leaf blast and susceptible to bacterial blight, virus disease and insect pests. The yield performance of this rice cultivar is about 5.27 MT/ha in milled rice in local adaptability test for three years from 1999 to 2001). 'Seolgaeng' is adaptable to central and southern plain areas of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.252-256
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• 2010

'Honong' is a new japonica rice variety developed and registered by the rice breeding team of Department of Rice and Winter Cereal Crop, NICS, RDA in 2009. This variety was derived from mutagen MNU (N-methyl-N-nitrosourea) treatment on fertilized egg cells of Unbong31. This variety has about 126 days growth duration from transplanting to harvesting in west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea. It has 79 cm in culm length and is tolerant to lodging. In reaction to biotic and abiotic stresses, it show resistance to blast, bacterial blight pathogen races from $K_1$ to $K_3$ and stripe virus, but susceptible to other major diseases and insect pests. The milled rice of 'Honong' exhibits translucent, relatively clear non-glutinous endosperm and medium short grain. It has higher amylose content (20.3%) and lower protein content (6.3%), and good palatability of cooked rice compared with Nampyeong. The milled rice yield performance of this variety is about 5.44MT/ha in local adaptability test for three years. 'Honong' would be adaptable to west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea.