• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.7
• /
• pp.958-963
• /
• 2006

The effect of ginsenosides (GS) on germ cell proliferation was evaluated with a chicken ovarian germ-somatic cell coculture model and the mechanism involving protein kinase C (PKC) pathway was investigated. Ovarian cells were cultured in serum-free McCoy's 5A medium and challenged with GS alone or in combinations with PKC activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, PMA) or inhibitor ($H_7$) for 48 h. The number of germ cells was counted and the proliferating cells were identified by immunocytochemistry of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results showed that GS significantly increased germ cell proliferation and this stimulating effect was further increased by PMA, but inhibited by H7, in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, GS-elevated PCNA expression and the PCNA -labeling index of germ cells displayed similar changes with the increased numbers of germ cells. These results indicated that GS stimulated proliferation of ovarian germ cells with involvement of the PKC-mediated system.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.641-649
• /
• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of wheat germ on medium flour using falling number and RVA tests, as well as farinogram and rheofermentometer analyses. The wheat germ was added to the medium flour on a 3, 5, and 7% basis. Falling numbers increased with increasing amounts of wheat germ. Analysis of the RVA characteristics showed that the wheat germ additions did not have significant effects on the initial pasting temperature. In the farinogram, water absorption decreased with an increasing amount of wheat germ. Also, development time was longest in the control group and shortest in the group with the highest addition of wheat germ. The results of the effects of added wheat germ on fermentation by rheofermentometer analysis showed that the H'm value reached a maximum height at 3%. Finally, the volume of $CO_2$ lost was increased whereas the retention coefficient was decreased.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.10
• /
• pp.1583-1588
• /
• 2015

The large intestine is a home for trillions of microbiota, which confer many benefits on the host, including production of vitamins, absorption of nutrients, pathogen displacement, and development of the immune system. For several decades, germ-free animals have been used to study the interaction between the host and its microbiota. This minireview describes the technical aspects for establishing and maintaining germ-free animals and highlights the advantages and disadvantages for germ-free animals as experimental models.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.330-335
• /
• 2004

Changes in functional constituents of rice germ prepared using three different heat pretreatments: roasting, steaming and microwave heating, were determined and compared with those of non-treated rice germ. The yield of rice germ oil increased generally and then decreased with increasing time for all three heat pretreatments, although the yields of rice germ oil varied among the three heat pretreatments. There were no major differences in fatty acid compositions among the rice germ oils subjected to the three different heat pretreatments. Levels of $\alpha$-tocopherol in rice germ oil increased up to about 1.5 times at 3 min of roasting and microwave heating, compared to control, and then decreased with increasing treatment time, but $\alpha$­tocopherol concentrations in rice germ oil gradually decreased with increasing steaming time. The contents of three phytosterols ($\beta$-sitosterol, stigmasterol and ergosterol) decreased progressively with increases in roasting and steaming time, while concentrations of the three phytosterols increased up to - 15$\%$ with 3 min of microwave process as compared to control, and then decreased thereafter. Levels of $\gamma$-oryzanol in rice germ oil decreased gradually with increasing time during all three different heat pretreatments. However, levels of $\gamma$ -aminobutyric acid (GABA) in rice germ decreased gradually with increasing roasting time, while those of GABA increased greatly up to about 2 times after 10 min of steaming process, and then decreased slowly thereafter. During microwave heating, the contents of GABA increased at 3 min of treatment time and then decreased. These results suggest that microwave heating may be the most suitable processing method to preserve functional constituents in rice germ.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.262-270
• /
• 2009

This study investigates the difference of sanghwabyung by adding different ratios of wheat germ. Aw, color value SEM and the sensory characteristics were analyzed and compared by SAS package. Aw of sanghwabyung was decreased with the increment of the additional content of wheat germ. L of sanghwabyung showed the lower values, a increased and b decreased, as the content of wheat germ increased. In the test of sensory characteristics, sanghwabyung with 7% wheat germ had the highest score in crust color, crumb color and wheat germ flavor. In the test of consumers' preference, sanghwabyung with 5% wheat germ had the highest score in odor, taste, and overall acceptability.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.590-594
• /
• 2008

brc-2, an ortholog of BRCA2 in Caenorhabditis elegans, is essential in the maintenance of genetic integrity. In C. elegans, cellular location correlates with meiotic progression, and transgene-induced cosuppression is observed in the germ line but not in somatic cells. We used these unique features to dissect the role of brc-2 in the germ line from that in somatic cells. In situ hybridization of wild type animals revealed that brc-2 gene expression was higher in oocytes than in other germline cells, and was barely detectable in mitotic cells. In contrast, germ cells containing multicopies of the brc-2 transgene showed no significant in situ hybridization signal at any oogenesis stage, confirming that brc-2 expression was functionally cosuppressed in the transgenic germ line. RAD-51 foci formation in response to DNA damage was abrogated in brc-2-cosuppressed germ cells, whereas wild-type germ cells showed strong RAD-51 foci formation. These germ cells exhibited massive chromosome fragmentation and decompaction instead of six bivalent chromosomes in diakinesis. Accordingly, lethality was observed after the early stage of germline development. These results suggest that brc-2 plays essential roles in chromosome integrity in early prophase, and therefore is crucial in meiotic progression and embryonic survival.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.302-309
• /
• 2021

This study examined the quality characteristics of yanggaeng with rice germ; it was incorporated into yanggaeng at different levels (containing 5% rice germ, 10% rice germ, 15% rice germ, and 20% rice germ) based on the total weight of red bean extracts. For analyzing the quality characteristics of yanggaeng, moisture content, hardness, color, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, reducing sugar, and vitamin E were determined. There was no significant difference in the moisture content and hardness except in the control. For color, lightness and yellowness of yanggaeng increased as the concentration of the powder was increased, whereas there was no significant difference in redness. As the rice germ powder was increased, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity increased significantly, whereas reducing sugar decreased. Especially, total vitamin E, including isomers, increased as the concentration of the powder increased from 0.41 mg/100 g to 4.03 mg/100 g. Therefore, it could be possible to develop processed products with functional snack for yanggaeng prepared by adding 10% rice germ.

• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
• /
• 2002.06a
• /
• pp.4-4
• /
• 2002

Male germ cell apoptosis has been extensively explored in rodent. In contrast, very little is known about their susceptibility to apoptosis stimuli of developing germ cell stages at the time when germ cell depletion after busulfan treatment occurs. Furthermore, it is still unanswered how spermatogonial stem cells are resistant to busulfan treatment. Spontaneous apoptosis of germ cells was observed in the testis of adult mice and experimentally induced busulfan treated mice increased this apoptosis to such an extent that there was a decrease in the weight of the testis. (omitted)

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.75-81
• /
• 2018

Objective: Recapitulation of the spermatogenesis process in vitro is a tool for studying the biology of germ cells, and may lead to promising therapeutic strategies in the future. In this study, we attempted to transdifferentiate Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) into male germ cells using all-trans retinoic acid and Sertoli cell-conditioned medium. Methods: Human WJ-MSCs were propagated by the explant culture method, and cells at the second passage were induced with differentiation medium containing all-trans retinoic acid for 2 weeks. Putative germ cells were cultured with Sertoli cell-conditioned medium at $36^{\circ}C$ for 3 more weeks. Results: The gene expression profile was consistent with the stage-specific development of germ cells. The expression of Oct4 and Plzf (early germ cell markers) was diminished, while Stra8 (a premeiotic marker), Scp3 (a meiotic marker), and Acr and Prm1 (postmeiotic markers) were upregulated during the induction period. In morphological studies, approximately 5% of the cells were secondary spermatocytes that had completed two stages of acrosome formation (the Golgi phase and the cap phase). A few spermatid-like cells that had undergone the initial stage of tail formation were also noted. Conclusion: Human WJ-MSCs can be transdifferentiated into more advanced stages of germ cells by a simple two-step induction protocol using retinoic acid and Sertoli cell-conditioned medium.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.241-243
• /
• 1998

The chemical composition of rice germ, a by product of rice milling, was analyzed and its oil stability was evaluated by acid value and Rancimat method during storage. The predominent components of the germ were carbohydrate (36.5%). crude lipid (21.6%) and crude protein (18.7%). The time taken to double the acid value was 2 days for common rice germ, while it took 31 days to increase 1.15 times for rice germ dried at $80^{\circ}C$ for 6 hours. Induction periods of the lipid oxidation from common or dry germ stored at different temperature were not significantly different.