• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.603-609
• /
• 2011

Telomeres are special structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Vertebrate telomeres consist of tandem repeats of conserved TTAGGG sequence and associated proteins. Birds are interesting models for molecular studies on aging and cellular senescence because of their slow aging rates and longer life spans for their body size. In this longitudinal study, we explored the possibility of using telomeres as an age-marker to predict age in Single Comb White Leghorn layer chickens. We quantified the relative amount of telomeric DNA in isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes by the Quantitative Fluorescence in situ Hybridization technique on interphase nuclei (IQ FISH) using telomere-specific DNA probes. We found that the amount of telomeric DNA (ATD) reduced significantly with an increase in chronological age of the chicken. Especially, the telomere shortening rates are greatly increased in growing individuals compared to laying and old-aged individuals. Therefore, using the ATD values obtained by IQ FISH we established the possibility of age prediction in chickens based on the telomere theory of aging. By regression analysis of the ATD values at each age interval, we formulated an equation to predict the age of chickens. In conclusion, the telomeric DNA values by IQ FISH analyses can be used as an effective age-marker in predicting the chronological age of chickens. The study has implications in the breeding and population genetics of poultry, especially the reproductive potential.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2009

A vitellogenin cDNA was cloned from the bumblebee Bombus ignitus. The cDNA encoding B. ignitus vitellogenin (BiVg) is 5473 bases long with an open reading frame of 1773 amino acid residues. BiVg possesses two consensus (RXXR/S) cleavage sites and has the conserved DGXR and GL/ICG motif near its C-terminus. The deduced amino acid sequence of BiVg cDNA showed significant similarity with hymenopteran Vgs (51% identity to Apis mellifera Vg, and $33{\sim}36%$ to other insect Vgs). The BiVg cDNA was expressed as a 200-kDa polypeptide in baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells. Northern and Western blot analyses showed the expression of BiVg in fat bodies of pupae and adults. In queens, the expression of BiVg was first detected in late pupal stage fat bodies, and secreted BiVg was also observed in late pupal stage hemolymph.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.449-463
• /
• 2013

DNA barcoding is becoming a widely applied tool to accurately discriminate red algae. We tested the effectiveness of DNA barcoding for identification and discovery of Champia species in Korea and clarified the phylogenetic relationships using the plastid rbcL gene. As results, we described four species of Champia such as C. inkyua sp. nov., C. recta Noda, C. bifida Okamura, and C. expansa Yendo. A new species, C. inkyua, is characterized by entangled thallus, terete and irregular branches, hooked apices, and longitudinal filaments running throughout the frond periphery only. Longitudinal filaments were composed of a complete cell with two half cells between diaphragms in the cavity. C. recta and C. bifida were reinstated with previously used names of C. parvula and C. compressa, respectively. C. recta is the first recorded species from Korea and is characterized by an erect thallus, terete and irregular branches, and straight apices. C. bifida is characterized by compressed thallus, pinnate or alternate branches, and bifid apices. C. expansa is characterized by flabellate thallus and dichotomous branches. Molecular analyses of COI and rbcL genes revealed sufficient sequence divergence to warrant species recognition in the genus Champia.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.42 no.7
• /
• pp.439-443
• /
• 2009

Dehydrins are group II, late embryogenesis abundant proteins that act putatively as chaperones in stressed plants. To elucidate the function of dehydrins in poplar, we isolated the $SK_2$-type dehydrin gene Podhn from Populus alba $\times$ P. tremula var. glandulosa suspension cells and analyzed its expression following treatments of abiotic stress, wounding and plant growth regulator. Sequence homology and phylogenetic analyses indicate Podhn encodes an acidic dehydrin (pI 5.14, 277 amino acids, predicted size 25.6 kDa) containing two lysine-rich "K-segments" and a 7-serine residue "S-segment", both characteristic of $SK_2$-type dehydrins. Southern blots show Podhn genes form a small gene family in poplar. Podhn was expressed in all tissues examined under unstressed conditions, but most strongly in cell suspensions (especially in the stationary phase). Drought, salt, cold and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) treatments enhanced Podhn expression, while wounding and jasmonic acid caused its reduction. Therefore, Podhn might be involved in ABA or stress response.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.91-97
• /
• 2005

The brown algal family Chordariaceae sensu lato is a focus of taxonomy because recent studies suggest a broad concept of the family, including genera formerly classified in the Dictyosiphonales. Using morphology, plastid rbcL and nrDNA ITS sequences, we evaluated relationships of the monotyic genus Soranthera (S. ulvoidea), which has been classified in the Punctariaceae. The species occurs in Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Baja California. Thalli are globose to lobed, hollow, 3-5 cm in diameter, and covered with evenly distributed sori. However, two forms within the species are recognized: f. ulvoidea for globose forms and f. difformis for lobed forms. Plastid rbcL and nuclear ITS region sequences were newly determined in samples of S. ulvoidea from the Pacific coast of the North America. We found little variations in the ITS sequences among samples of S. ulvoidea from five different locations and in the rbcL region from two different locations. These results do not support previous classification of f. ulvoidea and f. difformis within the species. All analyses of our rbcL sequence dataset show that Soranthera was placed in the Chordariaceae s.l., but more related to Botrytella than Punctaria and Asperococcus.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.343-348
• /
• 2007

Starch contents play important roles in determining the fruit quality. Stawberry accumulates starch in the early stages and then mobilized into soluble sugars during fruit ripening. To date the molecular studies on the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), a key enzyme of starch biosynthesis, were not reported. cDNAs encoding small (FagpS) and large (FagpL1 and FaspL2) AGPase subunits were isolated from strawberry (Fragaria ${\times}$ ananassa Duch. cv. Niyobou). Both FagpS and FagpL1 cDNAs have open reading frames deriving 55-58 kDa polypeptides, where FagpL2 contains a partial fragment. Sequence analyses showed that FagpS has a glutamate-threonine-cysteine-leucine (ETCL) instead of a glutamine-threonine-cysteine-leucine (QTCL) motif found in all the dicot plants except for Citrus. In fruits, FagpS and FagpL1 were expressed in all stages with a little change in the amounts of transcripts. In the case of FagpL2, we were not able to detect any signal from all stages of fruit development and all tissues except for very a weak signal from the leaf. The results indicate that FagpL1 and FagpL2 show ubiquitous and leaf-specific expression patterns, respectively. The studies suggest that the starch contents in strawberry might be controlled by the expression of AGPase gene at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels during fruit development.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.6-11
• /
• 2002

An isolate of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), PaFMl-CMV causing malformation on the fruit of paprika (Capsicum annuum var, grossum) was characterized based on biological reactions, serological relationships, and partial nucleotide sequence analyses. PaFMl-CMV was distinguishable from other isolates of CMYI Mf-(subgroup I) and LS-CMV (subgroup II), in terms of its reactions to some host plants. Polyclonal antibody against PaFMl-CMV showed homologous antigenic relationship with LS-CMV, however, the antibody formed a spur between PaFMl- and Mf-CMV, In the comparison of molecular size of dsRNAs of PaFMl-CMV with Mf- and LS-CMV, PaFMl-CMV had a slightly smaller RNAl and larger RNA2, RNA3, and RNA4. When the CDNA product of PaFMl-CMV coat protein (CP) gene was digested with some restriction enzymes, the fragment pattern was identical with that of LS-CMV The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of PaFMl-CMV CP gene were 99.5% and 98.6% identical with LS-CMV respectively. The data indicate that PaFMl-CMV belongs to subgroup II of CMV, which is the first report in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.369-373
• /
• 2016

The 2 species of the genus Anoplocephala (Anoplocephalidae), A. perfoliata and A. magna, are among the most important equine cestode parasites. However, there is little information about their differences at the molecular level. The present study revealed that the mitochondrial (mt) genome of A. magna was 13,759 bp in size and 700 bp shorter than that of A. perfoliata. The 2 species includes 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA, and 12 protein-coding genes each. The size of each of the 36 genes was the same as that of A. perfoliata, except for cox1, rrnL, trnC, trnS2(UCN), trnG, trnH, trnQ, and trnP. In the full mitochondrial genome, the sequence similarity was 87.1%. The divergence in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of individual protein-coding genes ranged from 11.1% to 16% and 6.8% to 16.4%, respectively. The 2 non-coding regions of the mt genome of A. magna were 199 bp and 271 bp in length, while the equivalent regions in A. perfoliata were 875 bp and 276 bp, respectively. The results of this study support the proposal that A. magna and A. perfoliata are separate species, consistent with previous morphological analyses.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.1016-1023
• /
• 2008

Lichens are predominant and important components of flora in the terrestrial ecosystem of Antarctica. However, relatively few researches on the phylogenetic position of Antarctic lichen-forming fungi have been accomplished. In this study, partial sequences of nuclear large subunit rDNAs from 50 Antarctic specimens were obtained and the phylogeny was reconstructed. Antarctic lichen species were distributed in 4 orders, including the monophyletic order Agyrales, paraphyletic orders Pertusariales and Teloschistales, and polyphyletic order Lecanorales. Species diversity was highest in the order Lecanorales, followed by Teloschistales and Pertusariales. Based on the phylogeny and sequence similarity analyses, it is proposed that the taxonomy of Stereocaulon alpinum, Physcia caesia, Usnea aurantiacoatra, and Cladonia species should be revised by careful examination of their phenotypic and molecular characteristics. Six species known to be endemic to Antarctica, Catillaria corymbosa, Himantormia lugubris, Leptogium puberulum, Pertusaria pertusa, Rhizoplaca aspidophora, and Umbilicaria antarctica, formed unique lineages, implying independent origins in the Antarctic area.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.253-261
• /
• 2020

Carex splendentissima U. Kang & J. M. Chung, endemic to the Korean peninsula, is characterized by staminate terminal spikes and glabrous elliptic perigynia. Based on its broad leaves, androgynous spikes, and tri-stigmatic features, the species has been placed in Carex sect. Siderostictae Franch. ex Ohwi, an East Asian section and a basal group in the genus. To clarify the monophyly and phylogenetic position of the species, a molecular study using the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal DNA and chloroplast DNA (trnL-F) data was conducted. The DNA sequence data of ten taxa in sect. Siderostictae and closely related taxa (two taxa in sect. Surculosae) with outgroups were analyzed based on maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood (ML) criteria. In the analyses, C. splendentissima was monophyletic and placed within the Siderostictae clade (sect. Siderostictae + two species of sect. Surculosae), forming a clade with C. ciliatomarginata and C. pachygyna (endemic to Japan). The clade (C. splendentissima + C. ciliatomarginata + C. pachygyna) shows evidence of diploidy. Furthermore, C. splendentissima is a sister to C. ciliatomarginata in the ML tree, and the two taxa have staminate terminal spikes. This study also updates the distribution of C. splendentissima and provides keys to the four Korean taxa in sect. Siderostictae. To conserve the endemic species C. splendentissima, further research on its genetic and ecological features should be conducted at the population level.