• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.128-133
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• 2012

Objectives : Located on chromosome 10q22-q23, the human neuregulin 3 (NRG3) is suggested as a strong positional and functional candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Several case-control studies examining the association between polymorphisms on NRG3 gene with schizophrenia and/or its traits (such as delusion) have been reported recently in cohorts of Han Chinese, Ashkenazi Jews, Australians, white Americans of Western European ancestry and Koreans. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of one SNP in exon 9 (rs2295933) of NRG3 gene with the risk of schizophrenia in a Korean population. Methods : Using TaqMan assay, rs2295933 in the exon 9 of NRG3 was genotyped in 435 patients with schizophrenia as cases and 393 unrelated healthy individuals as controls. Differences in frequency distributions were analyzed using logistic regression models following various modes of genetic inheritance and controlling for age and sex as covariates. Results : Subsequent analysis revealed that the frequency distribution of rs2295933 of NRG3 was not different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls of Korean ethnicity. Conclusions : This study does not support the role of NRG3 in schizophrenia in a Korean population.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.243-248
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• 2012

This study was conducted to find a useful marker for gene polymorphism analysis using Microsatellite marker (MS marker) in Gyeongju Donggyeong dog. Twenty three MS marker analyzed the genetic features of DNA using 100 Gyeongju Donggyeong dogs in Gyeongju area. It was performed multiplex PCR with 3 set primer divided 9, 10 and 4 by analysis of conditions among MS markers. The results were calculated heterozygosity, polymorphic information content (PIC), allele frequency and number of allele at each locus using Microsatellite Toolkit software and Cervus 3.0 program. Total 148 alleles were genotyped to determine and average 6.43 alleles was detected. FH3381 had the highest of 15 alleles and FH2834 had the lowest of 2 alleles. Expected heterozygosity had a wide range from 0.282 to 0.876 and had average value of 0.6496. Also, Observed heterozygosity had a more wide range from 0.200 to 0.950 and had average value of 0.6404. PIC had range from 0.262 to 0.859 and average PIC was calculated 0.606. Especially, FH2998 represented the highest rate of observed heterozygosity of 0.950 and FH3381 represented the highest rate of expected heterozygosity of 0.876 and PIC of 0.859. The use of these markers was considered to be useful to study genetic traits of Gyeongju Donggyeong dog.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1239-1244
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• 2009

This study was conducted to clarify the genetic relationship between Calanthe discolor, C. sieboldii and variants, and the cause of flower color variations by using a molecular linkage map and a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for flower and lip color in Calanthe species native to Korea. Twenty plants were included in three C. discolor and three C. sieboldii, and fourteen variants were obtained from their habitat, Jeju-do in Korea. The flowers of C. discolor were brownish red, the values of Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) Lab were between 40 and 50. The flowers of C. sieboldii were yellowish, the values of CIE Lab were between 110 and 130. The variants had various mixed colors that were thought to have originated from natural hybridization between C. discolor and C. sieboldii, and the values of CIE Lab were between 50 and 70. The colors of the lips were usually divided into white and yellow. C. discolor had a white lip, C. sieboldii had a yellow one, and the variants had a white to yellow one. The CIE Lab value of each color was 90 in white and 110 to 120 in yellow lips. A molecular linkage mapping was constructed based on the segregation of 154 RAPD markers using a MAPL program. Sixteen linkage groups containing 66 markers were established. It covered a total map distance of 220.4 cM. The distance between adjacent markers ranged from 0 to 6.6 cM, with an average distance of 3.3 cM. These markers are thought to be closely associated with flower and lip color expression. Among the 16 molecular linkage groups, 3 QTLs had flower color trait loci and 1 QTL had lip color trait loci.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.4
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• pp.619-625
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the variation of fruit, seed and germination characteristics among populations of Serrateleaf Pearlbush (Exochorda serratifolia S. Moore) distributed in Korea. Fruits collected from 96 trees in five natural populations and their five fruit, seven seed and three germination characteristics were analyzed. In 14 characteristics except for mean germination time, there were significant differences among populations and among individuals within population. Generally, fruit and seed characteristics showed higher values among population in total variance component. Coefficients of variations in weight of fruit (27.0%), length/thickness of seed (28.1%) and germination rate (52.5%) were relatively high compared to other traits. In seed germination behaviors, germination percentage, mean germination time and germination rate showed 62.9%, 64.0 days and 0.40 ea./day, respectively. As a result of simple correlation analysis, mean germination time showed a significant positive correlation with seed thickness, germination rate showed a significant positive correlation with height of parent tree and latitude, respectively. Also, latitude showed a positive correlation with fruit weight. The populations close geographically did not show the tendency of clustering into the same group. The results of principal component analysis showed that the first for principal components (PC's) explained 63.0% of the total variation. Primary 3 principal components appeared to be major variables because of the loading contribution of 97.0%.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.598-602
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• 2004

The Tongcheng pig breed is a famous Chinese indigenous breed. The Ministry of Agriculture of China has filed it as 1 of 19 national key conservation breeds selected from more than 100 Chinese indigenous pig breeds in 2000. In order to improve the reproductive performance, it has been intensively selected to increase the litter size for about 10 years. The population randomly sampled from conservation nucleus of eight families in the Tongcheng pigs was genotyped for identification of their estrogen receptor locus polymorphisms with the PCR-RFLPs method. Only AB heterozygotes and BB homozygotes were detected, and $X^2$ test demonstrated that the locus was in disequilibrium at a significant level (p<0.05). In the present paper, the litter sizes in different parities were regarded as different traits. Holistic status of other unspecific and unidentified genes was estimated by using the statistical methods. Coefficients of kurtosis and skewness showed that the litter size still presented segregating characteristic in the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th parities. Analysis of homogeneity of variance between families confirmed the results for the 5th, 7th and 8th parities. The heritability of litter size for the 1st to 10th parities was estimated with paternal half-sib model and individual estimated breeding values (EBVs) were evaluated by a single trait animal model as well. We found that the averages of EBVs for litter size in each parity did not differ significantly between genotypes, despite the significant difference for original phenotype records in the 3rd, 4th and 5th parities (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The results may be explained by the deduction that the polymorphisms of ESR locus are no longer the important genetic base of litter size variation when the frequency of allele B accumulated in the experience of selection procedure, and further conferring that there exist special genes associated with litter size in the recent Tongcheng pigs population can be made.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.135-140
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• 2016

Purpose: Galactose is metabolized to galactose-1-phosphate by galactokinase (GALK), galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) and UDP-galactose-4-epimerase (GALE), and galactosemia occurs when each enzyme is deficient. In Korea, unlike foreign countries, classic galactosemia is rare and transient galactosemia due to GALK hyperactivity is reported, but studies on frequency, clinical significance, and genetic variation are lacking. In this study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients with galactosemia due to GALK hyperactivity. Methods: We investigated 85 patients who had an elevated galactose level in the neonatal screening test without deficiency of enzymes at Department of Pediatrics, Seoul & Bucheon Soonchunhyang University Hospital from January 2008 to June 2016. We investigated the level of galactose, galactose-1-phosphate, GALK and duration of galactose normalization, and analyzed the correlation between GALK elevation and galactose, galactose-1-phosphate and duration of galactose normalization. And the levels of galactose, galactose-1-phosphate, and duration of galactose normalization were compared between the galactose-free formula feeding group and non-feeding group. Results: Mean age of visit was $26.7{\pm}16.1days$. Duration of galactose normalization was $35.3{\pm}20.5days$. Mean galactose level was $18.5{\pm}7.3mg/dL$ in the neonatal screening and follow-up galactose level in serum was $2.3{\pm}5.4mg/dL$. The mean value of galactose-1-phosphate was $6.0{\pm}4.7mg/dL$ and the mean GALK level was $3.84{\pm}1.28{\mu}mol/Hr/gHb$. There was no significant correlation between GALK levels and galactose levels in the neonatal screening test (P=0.351), and we analyzed the correlation between GALK levels and follow-up galactose levels in serum, there was no significant correlation (P=0.101). There was a significant correlation between GALK levels and galactose-1-phosphate (P=0.015), and the correlation between GALK levels and duration of galactose normalization was not statistically significant (P=0.176). 49% of the patients were fed galactose-free formula, and 45% were not. Galactose and galactose-1-phosphate levels in the neonatal screening test were statistically significantly higher (P=0.004, 0.034) in using galactose-free formula group. Duration of galactose normalization was not related to the use of galactose-free formula (P=0.266, 0.249). Conclusion: Galactosemia due to GALK hyperactivity seems to be a temporary phenomenon and may not require galactose restriction. More research is needed on the role of the nuclear protein, racial traits and genetic variations in Korean patients.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.42-44
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• 2008

Bacterial biofilms are analogous to multi-cellular organisms or to clonal communities of higher organisms. In this respect, it can be demonstrated that biofilms display the type of genetic variation associated with macroorganisms. The formation of genetic variants from biofilms is the result of internally produced and regulated signals and the appearance of these variants coincides with dispersal from the biofilm. Moreover, the generation of such variation, has similar outcomes for the bacterial community, where diversification of phenotypic traits ensures that the bacterial community optimizes its chances of success when dispersing or surviving when challenged with environmental stress. These observations increase the complexity with which we view bacteria and also suggest that microbial systems can serve as models for the testing of eukaryotic ecological theories.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.98-107
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• 2017

A DNA profile database was constructed to investigate the genetic relatedness of 72 germplasm samples of Pyrus and related cultivars using microsatellite markers. Three P. pyrifolia, four P. commus, and one P. betulifolia cultivars with different morphological traits were screened using 387 pairs of microsatellite primers. A core set of 11 primer pairs was selected to obtain 133 polymorphic amplified fragments meeting three criteria: high polymorphism information contents (PIC), high repeatability, and distinct allele patterns. The number of alleles per locus ranged between 4 and 22. Average PIC was 0.743 (range: 0.557 - 0.879). Cluster analysis using the unweighted pair - group method with arithmetical average (UPGMA) separated the 72 pear cultivars and germplasm samples into four major groups: Chinese, European pears, and a cluster of 55 Asian pears that could be reclassify into two subcluster, I - $1^{st}$ and II - $2^{nd}$, according to pedigree information. Almost all of the cultivars were discriminated by 11 microsatellite marker genotypes. The microsatellite DNA profile database may be utilized as tool to verify distinctness, uniformity, and stability between candidate cultivar, and to verify in the distinctness of existing cultivars.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2008

Rapid canopy closure (RCC) is one of the physiological attributes that may enhance genetic yield potential of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a growing season. Crop growth before canopy closure could be described by an exponential equation of $y\;=\;{\alpha}{\cdot}{\exp}({\beta}{\cdot}t)$ where $\alpha$ is the crop leaf area index (LAI) or shoot dry weight (DW), t is the thermal time, $\beta$ is the LAI or DW at the beginning of the exponential growth and is the relative growth rate of LAI ($m^2m^{-2}^{\circ}C^{-1}$) or DW($gg^{-2}^{\circ}C^{-1}$). Field experiment using 22 cultivars revealed that the exponential growth phase before canopy closure can be divided into two sections; an earlier section during which crop dry weight and LAI of varieties are highly dependent on $\alpha$ and a second section where crop dry weight and LAI are highly dependent on $\beta$. Grain weight had significantly positive correlation with $\alpha$ parameter and dry weight and LAI during early exponential phase. The parameter $\beta$ of the exponential growth curve had positive and significant correlation with the LAI and dry weight during the late exponential growth phase, grain number per unit area, and grain yield. There was genotypic difference for RCC parameters, $\alpha$ and $\beta$, indicating the possibility of genetic improvement for these traits.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the variation of fruit and seed morphology among populations and among individuals within population of Sorbus commixta Hedl. distributed in Korea. Fruits collected from 42 trees in six natural populations and their six fruit and four seed characteristics were analyzed. In all characteristics, there were significant differences among populations and among individuals within populations. Especially, number of fruits per fruit-bearing branch and number of seeds per fruit showed higher values among populations in total variance component. Coefficients of variation in the number of fruits per fruit-bearing branch and seed weight are relatively high (42.0~75.3%) compared to other traits (11.9~32.1%). As a result of simple correlation analysis, the number of fruits per fruit-bearing branch showed a significant positive correlation with latitude but showed a negative correlation with longitude. According to cluster analysis, geographically close populations showed the tendency of clustering into the same group. Three principal components (PC) were deduced from principal component analysis, which explain the 87% of total variance of fruit and seed characteristics. The highest contribution was seed length and seed weight in PC1, fruit width and seed index in PC2 and fruit length and number of fruits per fruit-bearing branch in PC3.