• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.227-231
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• 1998

The teleosts represent ancient real-bony vertebrates in phylogeny and resemble major genetic patterns to higher vertebrates. In the present study, we have defined the single family of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) from flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), compared to the prototype of IGFs observed in the Agnathan hagfish. In flounder, IGFs are clearly diverged into two major types including type I and II, and they are structurally similar by displaying a multidomain structure consisting of five functional regions as previously found in other vertebrates. However, flIGF-I appears to be more basic (pI 8.03) than the flIGF-II (pI 5.34) in the fully processed form for the B to D domain region. The flIGF-I seems to contain an evolutionary conserved Asn-linked glycosylation in E domain, which is not found in flIGF­II. The most interesting feature is that flIGF-II appeared to be structurally close to hagfish IGF in secondary structures, particularly in Band D domains. This could tell us an idea on the molecular divergence of IGFs from the Agnatha to teleosts during the vertebrate phylogeny. It also support, in part, a notion regarding on how IGF-II is appeared as more embryonic during development. Nonetheless, the biologically active B to D domain region of flIGF-II shows significant sequence homology of $65.6\%$ to flIGF-Is and contains the evolutionary conserved insulin-family signature, as well as a reserved recognition site (Lys) in D domain, necessary to generate proteolytic cleavage for E-peptide. A significant structural difference was found in E domain in which flIGF-I possesses two potential alternative splicing donor site at $Val^{17,\;24}$ of E domain. Therefore, it seems so far that IGF-I sorely produces spliced variants due to the spliced E-peptide moiety while IGF-II appears to be maintained in a single type during evolution. IGF-II, however, may be also possible to transcribe unidentified variants, depending on the physiological conditions of tissues in vertebrates in vivo.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.353-357
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• 2008

LRR family proteins play important roles in a variety of physiological processes. To facilitate their production and crystallization, we have invented a novel method termed "Hybrid LRR Technique". Using this technique, the first crystal structures of three TLR family proteins could be determined. In this review, design principles and application of the technique to protein crystallization will be summarized. For crystallization of TLRs, hagfish VLR receptors were chosen as the fusion partners and the TLR and the VLR fragments were fused at the conserved LxxLxLxxN motif to minimize local structural incompatibility. TLR-VLR hybridization did not disturb structures and functions of the target TLR proteins. The Hybrid LRR Technique is a general technique that can be applied to structural studies of other LRR proteins. It may also have broader application in biochemical and medical application of LRR proteins by modifying them without compromising their structural integrity.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.127-142
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• 1992

A feeding experiment was carried out to investigate the availability and feasibility of fish processing by-products as a substitute for frozen round fish in moist pellet diets for flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. A control diet was prepared by incorporating $50{\%}$ frozen horse mackerel and $50{\%}$ commercial binder feed. In test diets the frozen horse mackerel of the control diet was replaced with either tuna scrap, tuna viscera, flatfish offal, deskinned hagfish, or tuna viscera ($20{\%}$) with frozen horse mackerel ($30{\%}$). Eighty flounders, 13.4 g in mean body weight, were stocked in 12 aquaria ($250\;{\ell}$ each) and fed six experimental diets for the first 28-day experiment. For the second 23-day experiment, forty flounders,44.8 g in mean body weight, were stocked and fed the same experimental diets. All treatments were duplicated. There were no significant differences in growth, feed efficiency and nutrient utilization among fish fed experimental diets containing either frozen horse mackerel, deskinned hagfigh, flatfish offal or tuna viscera with frozen horse mackerel. However, the feeding performances of fish fed experimental diets containing tuna scrap or tuna viscera were significantly lower than those of the control diet (P<0.05). There were no significant differences among the treatments on the proximate analysis values of the whole body. However, the crude lipid content of liver of the fish fed the experimental diet containing tuna scrap was significantly lower than that of the others. The results indicate that deskinned hagfish, and flatfish offal could be successfully substituted for frozen fish portion of moist pellet diets for flounder, but tuna viscera could only be partially substituted.