• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.84-88
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• 2023

Because multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET) in cattle includes several benefits such as wide spreading of genetically superior offspring for long distance, this biotechnological method has been widely applied to Hanwoo. When the recipients are not stayed close after embryo recovery from donor, the embryos are moved to other farms via several vehicles (car, train, and airplane). However, air travel induces lesser oxygen level, increased vibration, lower air pressure, higher noise, and increased exposure of cosmic radiation to living things than ground level. It was still unknown that fresh embryos obtained from multiple ovulation of Hanwoo could maintain their fertility after being transported via air plane, the present case report introduced a clinical case of MOET in Hanwoo after shipping fresh embryos via air transportation. The donor was multi-ovulated via follicle-stimulating hormone series of injection, which was followed by a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone injection and artificial insemination twice. The embryos were recovered by the uterine flushing, packed in ministraws, transported to recipients for 6 h including 1 h air flight, and then transferred to the synchronized recipients. During pregnancy diagnosis of early gestation period, 5 of 7 recipients (71.4%) presented no heat signs and showed fetal sacs with fluid under transrectal ultrasonography. After normal gestation period, all recipients naturally delivered healthy calves (male n = 2 and female n = 3) without abortion, stillbirth, and premature birth. The present case report indicated that transportation of fresh embryos for MOET via domestic flight in Korea did not affect to their fertility.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.177-182
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the variation of growth characteristics and reproductive physiology in cloned Hanwoo male calves during growing stage. The hematological parameters, body weight, and plasma hormonal levels, birth to 12 months, were analyzed in the cloned calves (n=3). Differences among treatment means were determined by a student t-test. A probability of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The hematological parameters, such as white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet, were not different in both normal and cloned calves. The difference of body weight, however, was significantly higher in the cloned calves, $5{\sim}6$ months (p<0.05) and $7{\sim}12$ months (p<0.01), than that of the comparators, respectively. The plasma IGF-1 level was statistically significant in the cloned calves, $5{\sim}10$ months, compared to that of the normal calves (p<0.05). However, the plasma testosterone level was not different in both normal and clone calves according to growing stage. Taken together, the cloned Hanwoo male calves are growing faster and maintaining a normal reproductive physiology.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.75-84
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• 2018

The cryopreservation has been extensively applied in many cells including spermatozoa (semen) during past several decades. Especially, the canine spermatozoa cryopreservation has contributed on generation of progeny of rare/genetically valuable dog breeds, genome resource banking and transportation of male germplasm at a distant place. However, severe and irreversible damages to the spermatozoa during cryopreservation procedures such as the thermal shock (cold shock), formation of intracellular ice crystals, osmotic shock, stress of cryoprotectants and generator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been addressed. According as a number of researches have been conducted to overcome these problems and to advance cryopreservation technique, several analytical methods have been employed to evaluate the quality of the fresh or cryopreserved canine spermatozoa in regards to the motility, morphology, integrity of membrane and DNA, mitochondrial activity, ROS generation, binding affinity to oocytes, in vitro fertilization potential and fertility potential by artificial insemination. Because the study designs with certain application of analytical methods are selective and varied depending on each experimental objective and laboratory condition, it is necessary to establish the normal reference data of the fresh or cryopreserved canine spermatozoa for each analytical method to monitor experimental procedure, to translate raw data and to discuss results. Here, we reviewed the recent articles to introduce various analytical methods for the canine spermatozoa as well as to establish the normal reference data for each analytical method in the fresh or cryopreserved canine spermatozoa, based on the results of the previous articles. We hope that this review contributes to the advancement of cryobiology in canine spermatozoa.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.189-196
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• 1997

The ultrastrucures of Xenopus otic vesicle from normal embryo (st. 43) and induced otic vesicle from animal cap assay with Activin A were compared. Activin A was applied to the presumptive ectoderm at various concentrations for three days at $20^{\circ}C$. The results were almost identical to the reference studies, but it was found that the otic vesicle was induced at the concentration of 10 ng/ml in to)v rate. This otic vesicle may be secondarily induced by the neural tissue showed commonly at the concentration of 10 ng/ml. Otoliths were observed as three or four-axis crystaline bodies in the lumen of otic vesicle. In electron micrograph of the normal embryo, two kinds of microvilli were observed on the apical position of hair cells. One was small and common, the other was large-sized and sparsely distributed. In both cell of otic vesicle, mitochondria, golgi apparatus and multivesicular body were rich, so, they showed a lot of similarities in ultrastructure. However, the otolith was not found and microvilli were overexpressed in the otic vesicle induced by Activin A.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.273-279
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• 2010

Follicular cystic follicles (FCFs) show delayed regression with persistent follicle growth. However, the mechanism by which follicles are persistently grown remains unclear. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are drug-metabolizing and detoxification enzymes that are involved in the intracellular transport and metabolism of steroid hormones. In this study, a proteomic analysis was performed to identify whether GST expression is changed in bovine FCFs and to predict the interactions between GST and other proteins. Normal follicles and FCFs were classified based on their sizes (5 to 10 mm and 25 mm). In bovine follicles, GST mu 1 (GSTM1) was detected as a differentially expressed protein (DEP) and significantly up-regulated in FCFs compared to normal follicles (p<0.05). Consistent with the proteomic results, semi-quantitative PCR data and western blot analysis revealed an up-regulation of GSTM1 in FCFs. Expression levels of aromatase and dehydrogenase proteins were changed in FCFs. These results show that the up-regulation of GSTM1 that is observed in bovine FCFs is likely to be responsible for the persistent follicle growth in FCFs as the activity of aromatase and the dehydrogenases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2012

Somatic embryogenesis is one of good examples of the basic research for plant embryo development as well as an important technique for plant biotechnology such as medicinally important plants. Single embryos develop into normal plantlets with shoots and roots. Therefore, direct single embryogenesis derived from single cells is highly important for normal plant regeneration. Here we demonstrate that the cyclic secondary somatic embryogenesis in Panax ginseng Meyer is a permanent source of embryogenic material that can be used for genetic manipulations. Secondary somatic embryos were originated directly from the primary somatic embryos on hormone-free Murashige and Skoog medium, and proliferated further in a cyclic manner. EM medium (one third of modified MS medium [MS medium containing half amount of NH4NO3 and KNO3] with 2% to 3% sucrose) favored further development of proliferated secondary somatic embryos into plantlets with root system. The plantlets developed into plants with well-developed taproots in half-strength Schenk and Hildebrandt basal medium supplemented with 0.5% activated charcoal.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.209-213
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• 2004

Ligusticum chuanxiong is receiving much attentions as one of the important medicinal crops with the increasement of the crude drug demands. This study was conducted to obtain the basic informations of breeding of Ligusticum chuanxiong. Embryological characteristics were examined to elucidate the process of male and female gametophytic development and fertilization. Meiosis and nucleus division of megaspore and microspore were proceeded normally. With regard to the formation of female gametophyte, only a half of female gametophyte developed to normal egg apparatus. While another 50% showed abnormal egg apparatus with poly-nuclei or non-nuclei ovule. The pollens developed from the micros pore were formed more than 90 % of normal pollen. It was difficult to observe fertilization because ovule tissue was very compact and cell was extremely tiny, but could be easely observed proembryo and embryo formation. Only 30 percent developed into proembryo and subsequently into embryo, and the others were degenerated.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2011

The faulty regulation of imprinting gene lead to the abnormal development of reconstructed embryo after nuclear transfer. However, the correlation between the imprinting status of donor cell and preimplantation stage of embryo development is not yet clear. In this study, to determine this correlation, we used the porcine spermatogonial stem cell (pSSC) and fetal fibroblast (pFF) as donor cells. As the results, the isolated cells with laminin matrix selection strongly expressed the GFR ${\alpha}$-1 and PLZF genes of SSCs specific markers. The pSSCs were maintained to 12 passages and positive for the pluripotent marker including OCT4, SSEA1 and NANOG. The methylation analysis of H19 DMR of pSSCs revealed that the zinc finger protein binding sites CTCF3 of H19 DMRs displayed an androgenic imprinting pattern (92.7%). Also, to investigate the reprogramming potential of pSSCs as donor cell, we compared the development rate and methylation status of H19 gene between the reconstructed embryos from pFF and pSSC. This result showed no significant differences of the development rate between the pFFs ($11.2{\pm}0.8%$) and SSCs ($13.3{\pm}1.1%$). However, interestingly, while the CTCF3 methylation status of pFF-NT blastocyst was decreased (36.3%), and the CTCF3 methylation status of pSSC-NT blastocyst was maintained. Therefore, this result suggested that the genomic imprinting status of pSSCs is more effective than that of normal somatic cells for the normal development because the maintenance of imprinting pattern is very important in early embryo stage.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 1995

When cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA alone or 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D and 0.5 mg/L BA, immature zygotic embryos of Stewartia koreana formed embryogenic calli and somatic embryos. In investigate effect of sucrose concentration on somatic embryo development, embryogenic calli were transferred to MS basal medium containing 1.5,3, 6 or 9% sucrose. The greatest frequency of somatic embryos was obtained on medium containing 6% sucrose. However addition of 1.5 or 9% sucrose to medium inhibited somatic embryo germination and development into normal plantlet After 5 weeks of hardening culture on medium containing 6% sucrose, somatic embryos were transferred to half strangth MS medium supplemented with 0.1% charcol, wherein these embryo developed into the normal plantlets.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.345-349
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• 1997

Somatic embryos were induced through embryogenic callus derived from immature zygotic embryo culture of native Prunus yedoensis in Mt. Halla and regenerated into plantlets successfully. Embryogenic callus was induced most effectively on MS medium with 1.0 mg/L 2, 4-D and 0.1 mg/L BAP at an efficiency of approximately 60% using 45 day-old zygotic embryos after full blooming. Globular somatic embryos were induced from embryogenic callus on MS medium with 1.0 mg/L 2, 4-D and 0.1 mg/L BAP and these globular embryos developed to heart-shaped and cotyledonary embryos on hormone-free MS medium. Normal somatic embryos germinated 49% on 1/2 MS medium and the plants regenerated from the somatic embryos were morphologically normal.