• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.141-148
• /
• 2011

This feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of various additives on growth performance, hematological parameters, fatty acid composition, gene expression and histopathological changes in juvenile olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Eleven isonitrogenous (49% crude protein) and isolipidic (10% crude lipid) experimental diets were formulated: no additives (Con); 5% kelp meal (Ke); 10% krill meal (Kr); 1% garlic powder (Ga); 1% citrus meal (Ci); 3% onion powder (On); 1% ginger powder (Gi); 1% mugwort powder (Mu); 1% licorice powder (Li); 1% wasabi powder (Wa); and a mixture (Mix) of these additives. Three replicate groups of juvenile flounder (average weight of 8.5 g) were fed one of the experimental diets to visual satiety twice a day for 15 weeks. The dietary inclusion of additives did not affect survival, weight gain, specific growth rate feed efficiency, daily feed intake, daily protein intake, protein efficiency ratio, hepatosomatic index and visceralsomatic index of the fish. Plasma triglyceride levels were significantly lower in fish fed the Ke, Ga, On, Gi, Mu, Li, and Mix diets than in fish fed the control diet. Plasma glucose, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and total cholesterol did not differ among dietary treatments. No significant difference was observed in fatty acid composition and lipid content of the dorsal muscle in fish fed the experimental diets. Myosin gene expression did not differ significantly among treatments after 5 weeks but was significantly lower in fish fed the Kr, Ci, Li, and Mix diets than in control group after 15 weeks. Histopathological analysis showed mild gill hyperplasia and mild necrosis of liver parenchymal cells in several individuals of each experimental group. These conditions were also observed in the control group and were not thought to be related to the inclusion of feed additives. The present findings indicate that the dietary inclusion of additives did not affect growth performance, fatty acid composition, gene expression, and histopathological changes in juvenile flounder. However, plasma triglyceride content may be reduced by supplementation with 5% kelp meal, 3% onion powder, 1% garlic powder, 1% ginger powder, 1% mugwort powder, and the additive mixture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1852-1859
• /
• 2019

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus, belonging to the genus Alphavirus of the Togaviridae family. It causes multiple symptoms, including headache, fever, severe joint and muscle pain, and arthralgia. Since CHIKV was first isolated in Tanzania in 1952, there have been multiple outbreaks of chikungunya fever. However, its pathogenesis and mechanisms of viral immune evasion have been poorly understood. In addition, the exact roles of individual CHIKV genes on the host innate immune response remain largely unknown. To investigate if CHIKV-encoded genes modulate the type I interferon (IFN) response, each and every CHIKV gene was screened for its effects on the induction of the IFN-β promoter. Here we report that CHIKV nsP2, E2 and E1 strongly suppressed activation of the IFN-β promoter induced by the MDA5/RIG-I receptor signaling pathway, suggesting that nsP2, E2, and E1 are the major antagonists against induction of IFN-β. Delineation of underlying mechanisms of CHIKV-mediated inhibition of the IFN-β pathway may help develop virus-specific therapeutics and vaccines.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.576-582
• /
• 2008

Nervous system development takes place after positional information has been established along the dorsal-ventral (D/V) axis. The initial subdivision provided by a gradient of nuclear dorsal protein is maintained by the zygotic genes expressed along the D/V axis. In this study, an investigation was conducted to determine the range of Dpp function in repressing the expression of eagle (eg) that is present in intermediate neuroblasts defective (ind) and muscle specific homeobox (msh) gene domain. eg is expressed in neuroblast (NB) 2-4, 3-3 and 6-4 of the msh domain, and NB7-3 of the ind domain at the embryonic stage 11. In decapentaplegic (dpp) loss-of-function mutant embryos, eg was ectopically expressed in the dorsal region, while in dpp gain-of-function mutants produced by sog or sca-GAL4/UAS-dpp, eg was repressed by Dpp. It is worthy of note that Dpp produced from sim;;dpp embryos showed that Dpp could function at long range. However, Dpp produced from en-GAL4/UAS-dpp or wg-GAL4/UAS-dpp primarily acted at short-range. This result demonstrated that this discrepancy seems to be due to the repression of Dpp to EGFR signaling in sim;;dpp embryos. Taken together, these results suggest that Dpp signaling works at short-range, but can function indirectly at long-range by way of repression of EGFR signaling during embryonic neurogenesis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.1659-1664
• /
• 2001

Several studies have been done regarding carcass traits and growth in pigs. Recently, these have progressed to examine increases in economic traits, including meat quality and meat quantity, by using candidate genes. One of them is the pituitary-specific protein PIT-1, a member of the POU (Pit-Oct-Unc) family of transcription factors playing an important regulatory role in developmental processes. In addition, muscle development is known to be regulated in part by growth factors and cytokines locally produced. Therefore, studies were performed to analyze PIT-1 genotypes and serum cytokines (IGF-I, IGF-II, TGF-${\beta}1$, EGF, cortisol, DHEA-S, IL-2, and IL-6) in castrated male pigs for their possible involvement in the development of carcass traits. The genotypes of PIT-1 gene were analyzed by PCR-RFLP with MspI restriction enzyme. But, only CD and DD genotypes, not CC genotype, have been detected. Based on PIT-1 genotyping, a significant difference in EGF expression beween CD type (78.8 ng/ml) and DD type (46.0 ng/ml) was detected (p<0.05), whereas other cytokines did not show any statistical significance depending on PIT-1 genotypes. Collectively, these results suggest the possibility that EGF could affect the formation of carcass traits.

• Journal of fish pathology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.295-301
• /
• 2013

Ferritin is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays an important role in iron storage and detoxification. In this study, the gene encoding a ferritin H subunit homologue (RbFH) was cloned from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus) and analyzed at the expression. The full-length ferritin H cDNA was 1162 bp long and contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 531 bp that encoded 177 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 20.8 kDa. The 5' UTR was 297 bp in length, and the 3' UTR 298 bp, and preceded by a 5'-untranslated region that contains a putative Iron Regulatory Element (IRE). The deduced amino acid sequence of RbFH shares extensive sequence identities with the H ferritins of a number of fish species and contains the ferroxidase center that is preserved in ferritin H subunits. Examination of tissue specific expression indicated that RbFH expression was most abundant in PBLs, RBC, liver and muscle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.7
• /
• pp.855-862
• /
• 2010

Among the known interferon-induced antiviral mechanisms, the Mx pathway is one of the most powerful pathways. The Mx protein has direct antiviral activity and inhibits a wide range of viruses by blocking an early stage of the viral replication cycle. Cloning, characterization, and expression of Mx in vivo and in vitro have been conducted. The chicken Mx gene spans 21 kb and is made up of 14 exons and 13 introns, of which the promoter region was analyzed. The real-time PCR results showed that Mx expression was increased in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) after 12- and 24-h induction with polyI: C. Induction of Mx expression by poly I: C in vivo revealed tissue-specific patterns among the chicken tissues tested. A trace expression of Mx was detected in healthy chicken liver tissues from adult chickens without inducement; the expression levels in the liver, heart, and gizzard were higher than in the muscle and kidney. This is the first report to demonstrate the expression of a glutathione-S-transferase-tagged-Mx fusion protein of 75 KDa, as well as the biological activity tested by SDS-PAGE and western blotting.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.116-121
• /
• 2018

Background: Black ginseng (BG) has greatly enhanced pharmacological activities relative to white or red ginseng. However, the effect and molecular mechanism of BG on muscle growth has not yet been examined. In this study, we investigated whether BG could regulate myoblast differentiation and myotube hypertrophy. Methods: BG-treated C2C12 myoblasts were differentiated, followed by immunoblotting for myogenic regulators, immunostaining for a muscle marker, myosin heavy chain or immunoprecipitation analysis for myogenic transcription factors. Results: BG treatment of C2C12 cells resulted in the activation of Akt, thereby enhancing hetero-dimerization of MyoD and E proteins, which in turn promoted muscle-specific gene expression and myoblast differentiation. BG-treated myoblasts formed larger multinucleated myotubes with increased diameter and thickness, accompanied by enhanced Akt/mTOR/p70S6K activation. Furthermore, the BG treatment of human rhabdomyosarcoma cells restored myogenic differentiation. Conclusion: BG enhances myoblast differentiation and myotube hypertrophy by activating Akt/mTOR/p70S6k axis. Thus, our study demonstrates that BG has promising potential to treat or prevent muscle loss related to aging or other pathological conditions, such as diabetes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.1334-1341
• /
• 2007

This study identified hepatic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) affecting the marbling of muscle. Most dietary nutrients bypass the liver and produce plasma lipoproteins. These plasma lipoproteins transport free fatty acids to the target tissue, adipose tissue and muscle. We examined hepatic genes differentially expressed in a differential-display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (ddRT-PCR) analysis comparing high- and low-marbled Hanwoo steers. Using 60 arbitrary primers, we found 13 candidate genes that were upregulated and five candidate genes that were downregulated in the livers of high-marbled Hanwoo steers compared to low-marbled individuals. A BLAST search for the 18 DEGs revealed that 14 were well characterized, while four were not annotated. We examined four DEGs: ATP synthase F0, complement component CD, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3) and phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein (PEBP). Of these, only two genes (complement component CD and IGFBP3) were differentially expressed at p<0.05 between the livers of high- and low-marbled individuals. The mean mRNA levels of the PEBP and ATP synthase F0 genes did not differ significantly between the livers of high- and low-marbled individuals. Moreover, these DEGs showed very high inter-individual variation in expression. These informative DEGs were assigned to the bovine chromosome in a BLAST search of MS marker subsets and the bovine genome sequence. Genes related to energy metabolism (ATP synthase F0, ketohexokinase, electron-transfer flavoprotein-ubiquinone oxidoreductase and NADH hydrogenase) were assigned to BTA 1, 11, 17, and 22, respectively. Syntaxin, IGFBP3, decorin, the bax inhibitor gene and the PEBP gene were assigned to BTA 3, 4, 5, 5, and 17, respectively. In this study, the in silico physical maps provided information on the specific location of candidate genes associated with economic traits in cattle.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1214-1222
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Pueraria lobate-root based combination supplementation containing Rehmannia glutinosa and exercise on histone modification in ovariectomized rat hindlimb skeletal muscle. Sixty rats were fed with high fat diet and randomly assigned into the following groups for 8 weeks: 1)HSV; High fat+Sedentary+Vehicle, 2)HSP; High fat+Sedentary+PR, 3)HSH; High fat+Sedentary+Estradiol, 4)HEV; High fat+Ex+Vehicle, 5)HEP; High fat+Ex+PR, 6)HEH; High fat+Ex+Estradiol. Exercise consisted of low intensity treadmill exercise(1-4th wk:15 m/min for 30 min, 5-8th wk: 18 m/min for 40 min, 5 times/week). The result of this study showed that exercise and Pueraria and Rehmannia glutinosa intake suppressed weight gain. Furthermore, exercise and Pueraria and Rehmannia glutinosa intake increased muscle mass. This study observed H3K9 acetylation and demethylation in plantaris muscle in exercised group, but no difference in soleus muscle. To test whether the decrease in HDAC4, HDAC5 and G9a mRNA levels after exercise and Pueraria/Rehmannia glutinosa intake, HDAC4, HDAC5 and G9a mRNA levels were determined by real-time PCR. Only exercise induced HDAC5 and G9a mRNA reduction in plantaris muscle, but not in soleus muscle. In conclusion, these data demonstrates that exercise and Pueraria/Rehmannia glutinosa intake effect on body compositions. These changes are regulated by epigenetic modifications, such as histone acetylation and methylation. Future studies should focus on gene-specific epigenetics and other epigenetic mechanism for Pueraria/Rehmannia glutinosa intake.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.343-351
• /
• 2001

This study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and nitric oxide (NO) as a regulator of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. VSMC was primarily cultured from rat aorta and confirmed by the immunocytochemistry with anti-smooth muscle myosin antibody. The number of viable VSMCs were counted, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured to assess the degree of cell death. Concentrations of nitrite in the culture medium were measured as an indicator of NO production. LPS was introduced into the medium to induce the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in VSMC, and Western blot for iNOS protein and RT-PCR for iNOS mRNA were performed to confirm the presence of iNOS. Inhibitors of iNOS and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and L-arginine were employed to observe the action of LPS on the iNOS-NO-cGMP signalling pathway. LPS and SNP decreased number of VSMCs and increased the nitrite concentration in the culture medium, but there was no significant change in LDH activity. A cell permeable cGMP derivative, 8-Bromo-cGMP, decreased the number of VSMCs with no significant change in LDH activity. L-arginine, an NO substrate, alone tended to reduce cell count without affecting nitrite concentration or LDH level. Aminoguanidine, an iNOS specific inhibitor, inhibited LPS-induced reduction of cell numbers and reduced the nitrite concentration in the culture medium. LY 83583, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, suppressed the inhibitory actions of LPS and SNP on VSMC proliferation. LPS increased amounts of iNOS protein and iNOS mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that LPS inhibits the VSMC proliferation via production of NO by inducing iNOS gene expression. The cGMP which is produced by subsequent activation of guanylate cyclase would be a major mediator in the inhibitory action of iNOS-NO signalling on VSMC proliferation.