• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2005

Leptin, the product of the obesity (ob) gene, is synthesized in adipocytes or fat cells and has been implicated in the regulation of food intake, energy balance and body composition in mammals. Therefore, the leptin gene could be a candidate gene controlling fat deposition, meat quality and carcass traits in cattle. In this study the microsatellite genotypes for leptin gene were determined and their effects on carcass traits and meat quality were estimated in Korean cattle. Six different microsatellite alleles within leptin gene were identified and gene frequencies of 173, 177, 184, 186, 190 and 192 bp alleles were 0.012, 0.308, 0.067, 0.260, 0.342 and 0.016, respectively. The microsatellite marker of the leptin gene showed a significant association with the carcass percentage (CP) and marbling score (MS). Animals with genotypes 192/192 and 177/184 had higher CP than animals with other genotypes. Animals with genotypes 184/192 and 177/184 had higher MS compared with animals with other genotypes. Thus, the results suggest that the 177, 184 and 192 bp alleles may be associated with increased carcass percentage and intramuscular fat levels. No associations were found between the microsatellite genotypes of the leptin gene and other carcass traits such as carcass weight (CW), backfat thickness (BF) and M. longissimus dorsi area (LDA). In conclusion, the microsatellite markers of the leptin gene may be useful for marker-assisted selection of carcass traits and meat quality in Korean cattle.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.327-331
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• 2001

There is a critical developmental period during which brain sexual differentiation proceeds irreversibly under the influence of gonadal hormone. Recently, kinesin superfamily-associated protein 3 (KAP3) gene expressed during the 'critical period' of rat brain differentiation was identified by us (Choi and Lee, 1999). KAP3 functions as a microtubule-based motor that transports membranous organelles anterogradely in cells, including neurons (Yamazaki et al., 1996). mRNA level of KAP3 gene markedly increased before the initiation of puberty. Neonatal treatment of estrogen clearly inhibited the prepubertal increase in KAP3 mRNA level (Choi and Lee, 1999). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as endocrine disruptors (EDs) on the expression of KAP3 gene during the 'critical period' of rat brain development. In our data, PCBs significantly decreased the expression of KAP3 gene in the fetal (day 17) and the neonatal (day 6 after birth in) male and female rat brains. The body weight and the breeding ability were significantly decreased in the PCBs-exposed rats compared with the control. These results showed that PCBs affect the transcriptional level of brain sexual differentiation related gene, KAP3, in the fetal and the neonatal rat brains. The maternal exposure to the PCBs may lead to toxic response in embryonic brain sexual differentiation and breeding ability after sexual maturation. This study indicates that KAP3 gene may be useful as a gene marker to analyze the molecular mechanism of toxic response in the animal brain development and sexual maturation exposed to PCBs.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1331-1339
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• 2013

The lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene can be considered a functional candidate gene that regulates fatty acid composition. Oh etc (2013) investigated the relationship between unsaturated fatty acids and five novel SNPs, and had confirmed that three polymorphic SNPs (c.322G>A, c.329A>T and c.1591G>A) were associated with fatty acid composition. We have used generalized linear model for adjusted environmental effects and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method to identify gene-gene interaction effect of statistical model in general. We applied the MDR method on the identify major interaction effects of exonic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LPL gene for economic traits in Korean cattles population.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.937-942
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects on growth and muscle development during the growing period of the sex-linked dwarf gene in the background of a Taiwan Country chicken strain, L2, selected for egg production. Eight crossbred males, heterozygous for the DW*DW mutation, were each backcrossed to six females of the L2 strain to produce two genotypes of BC females, either normal (DW*N+/-) or dwarf (DW*DW/-). The experiment included 251 normal and 207 dwarf pullets. The effect of the dwarf gene on body weight and shank length was highly significant from 2 weeks of age. The reduction of body weight by the dwarf gene reached 34.8% and 37.4% as compared to normal sibs at 16 and 20 weeks of age, respectively. Parameters of the growth curve were estimated: the age at inflection (TI) was higher in normal pullets (66.9 days) than in dwarf pullets (61.2 days). A significant effect of the dwarf gene on single muscle fiber cross-section area was found from 12 weeks of age onwards, whereas the dwarf gene had no effect on the total number of muscle fibers. Comparing the effect of the dwarf gene on shank length at different ages revealed an earlier effect on skeleton growth, observed from 2 weeks of age, than on muscle development, which was affected from 8 to 12 weeks of age.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.391-398
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• 2000

Leptin, the product of the ob gene, is a small peptide molecule synthesized by white adipocytes with an important role in the regulation of body fat and food intake. Based on the evidence that synthesis of leptin is regulated by female sex hormone, estrogen, this present study was investigated whether sex hormone precursor DHEA, can regulate obese gene expression in lean and genetically obese (ob/ob) mice. Antiobesity activity of DHEA was evaluated by determining body weight, food consumption, epididymal fat weight and serum levels of cholesterol and triglyceride in ICR, C57BL/6J, and ob/ob mice. The treatment of C57BL/6J lean and obese mice with a diet containing 0.3% and 0.6% DHEA resulted in lowered rates of weight gain in comparison to non-treated mice, although much greater response was found in the obese mice. All other concentrations of DHEA (0.015%, 0.06%, 0.15%, 0.3%) except the highest one(0.6%) showed no significant effects on weight gain in ICR mice. Food consumption was significantly decreased in all mice treated with 0.6% DHEA, whereas it was not decreased in ICR mice at lower concentrations than 0.6% DHEA. DHEA decreased significantly epididymal adipose tissue weight and serum triglyceride levels dose dependently in lean and obese mice. However serum cholesterol levels were decreased at lower concentrations than 0.15% DHEA and increased at concentrations of 0.3% and 0.6% DHEA in lean and obese mice. These increases in serum cholestrol levels at high concentrations of DHEA might result from the fact that DHEA has a cholesterol moiety thereby interfered the assay system. As an approach to elucidate the mechanism for antiobesity activity of DHEA, we examined mRNA levels of obese gene in the adipocyte and obese gene product (leptin) in the serum. The results showed that DHEA did not affect obese gene expression in ICR and C57BL/6J mice. Therefore, we concluded that antiobesity activity of DHEA was not modulated by obese gene expression.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2002

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is the enzyme that controls no devo fatty acid biogynthesis, and this enzyme catalyzes the carboxylation pathway of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene expression was regulated by nutritional and hormonal status. The present study was performed to identify the regulation mechanism of ACC gene promoter I. The fragments of ACC promoter I -1.2-kb region wert recombined to pGL3-Basic vector with luciferase as a reporter gene. The primary hepatocytes from the rat were used to investigate the hormonal regulation of ACC promoter I activity. ACC PI (-1.2)/Luc plasmid was trtransferred into primary hepatocytes using lipofectin. Activity of luciferase was increased two-fold by 10-9M, three-fold by 10-8M, 10-6M, 3.5-fold by 10-6M, and 4.5-fold by 10-7M insulin treatment, respectively. In the presence of dexamethasone (1 $\mu$M), the effects of insulin increased about 1.5-fold, showing the additional effects of dexamethasone. Moreover, the activity of luciferase increased with insulin+dexamethasone, insulin+T3, dexamethasone+T3, and dexamethasone+insulin+T3 treatment approximately 6-, 4-, 6.5-, and 10-fold, respectively. Therefore it can be postulated that 1) these hormones coordinately regulate acetyl-CoA caroxylase gene expression via regulation of promoter activity, 2) the -1.2-kb region of ACC promoter I may have the response element sequences for insulin, dexamethasone, and T3.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.271-274
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• 1995

Glycolate oxidase is one of the key enzymes in the pathway of photorespiration. In this study we investigated the effects of light on the expression of the spinach glycolate oxidase gene. Continuous exposure to white light resulted in a gradual increase in the steady-state level of glycolate oxidase mRNA within a time period of 2~24 h in both etiolated and dark-adapted green seedlings. A short white light pulse also increased the level of glycolate oxidase mRNA in etiolated seedlings. The mRNA level reached a maximum at 6~8 h after the pulse and decreased by 24 h after the pulse. The induction patterns of the glycolate oxidase gene by white light appeared similar to those of the rbcS gene, indicating that a common or coordinating regulatory system may be involved in the expression of the glycolate oxidase and rbcS genes. A red light pulse induced an increase in the amount of glycolate oxidase mRNA and this effect was reversed by a subsequent far-red light pulse, suggesting that the expression of the glycolate oxidase gene is regulated by phytochrome.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.228-233
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• 2008

Effects of chaperones on mRNA stability and gene expression were studied in order to develop an efficient Escherichia coli expression system that can maximize gene expression. The stability of mRNA was modulated by introducing various secondary structures at the 5'-end of mRNA. Four vector systems providing different 5'-end structures were constructed, and genes encoding GFPuv and endoxylanase were cloned into the four vector systems. Primer extension assay revealed different mRNA half-lives depending on the 5'-end secondary structures of mRNA. In addition to the stem-loop structure at the 5'-end of mRNA, coexpression of dnaK-dnaJ-grpE or groEL-groES, representative heat-shock genes in E. coli, increased the mRNA stability and the level of gene expression further, even though the degree of stabilization was varied. Our work suggests that some of the heat-shock proteins can function as mRNA stabilizers as well s protein chaperones.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.822-829
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• 2011

Evidence shows that probiotic bacteria can undergo substantial structural and morphological changes in response to environmental stresses, including antibiotics. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of penicillin G (0.015, 0.03, and 0.06 mg/l) on the morphology and adhesion of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, including the colony morphotype, biofilm production, hydrophobicity, $H_2_O2$ formation, S-layer structure, and slpA gene expression. Whereas only smooth colonies grew in the presence of penicillin, rough and smooth colony types were observed in the control group. L. acidophilus ATCC 4356 was found to be hydrophobic under normal conditions, yet its hydrophobicity decreased in the presence of the antibiotic. No biofilm was produced by the bacterium, despite testing a variety of different culture conditions; however, treatment with penicillin G (0.015-0.06 mg/l) significantly decreased its production of $H_2_O_2$ formation and altered the S-layer protein structure and slpA gene expression. The S-protein expression decreased with 0.015 mg/l penicillin G, yet increased with 0.03 and 0.06 mg/l penicillin G. In addition, the slpA gene expression decreased in the presence of 0.015 mg/l of the antibiotic. In conclusion, penicillin G was able to alter the S-layer protein production, slpA gene expression, and certain physicochemical properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2010

Background : At high glucose levels in $\beta$-cells, cell viability and insulin secretion are decreased by glucotoxicity. Sopyung-tang(SPT) had an effect on blood glucose level decrease and antioxidant enzyme activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Objectives : This study performed a series of experiment to verify the effects of SPT extract on the cell viability, antioxidant enzyme activities, insulin secretion and insulin mRNA expression at hyperglycemic states of RIN-m5F. Methods : After treatment at various concentrations of SPT added to the RIN-m5F cells, cell viability by MTT assay, free radical-scavenging activity, SOD activity and insulin secretion were measured. Additionally, insulin-related gene expression was measured using real-time RT-PCR. Results : Compared to the control group, SPT extract showed considerable effects on RIN-m5F cell viability, DPPH radical-scavenging activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, insulin secretion and insulin-related gene expression. Conclusions : This study showed that SPT extract has an effect on $\beta$-cell cell viability, insulin secretion and insulin-related gene expression. Thus, SPT extract may be used for treatment of diabetes and its complications. Further mechanism studies of SPT seem to be necessary on the glucotoxicity and oxidative stress.