• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.3.1-3.8
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• 2020

Background: The IGF system plays important roles in controlling growth, development, reproduction, and aging of organisms. Methods: To estimate maturation of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, we investigated the expression of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system components and sex-specific genes. To determine the role of the IGF system in the growth and spawning period of female and male oysters, we examined mRNA expression levels of the C. gigas insulin receptor-related receptor (CIR), IGF binding protein complex acid labile subunit (IGFBP_ALS), and molluscan insulin-related peptide (MIP), as well as those of vitellogenin (Vg) and receptor-type guanylate cyclase (Gyc76C) in gonads of C. gigas collected between April and October, when sex can be determined visually in this species. Results: We found that MIP, IGFBP_ALS, and CIR mRNA expression levels were dependent on sex and month and were greater in males than in females. CIR and Vg mRNA expression levels were very similar among females, whereas IGF system components and Gyc76C were very similarly expressed among males. The highest expression values were observed in May, when oysters are mature; CIR and Vg mRNA expression levels were highest in females, and those of MIP, IGFBP_ALS, CIR, and Gyc76C were highest in males. Interestingly, we observed a 1:1 proportion of females to males during this period. Conclusion: Our results suggest that IGF system components, as well as Vg and Gyc76C, are associated with sexual maturation in C. gigas.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2005

This is a subsequent study to our previous finding that Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, gained a so-called upper plateau concentration, around 30,000 ng/g dry weight digestive gland for benzo(a)pyrene, showed reproductive behavior but produced their ensuing reproductive outputs damaged. A serial dilution of sediment elutriates from Jinhae Bay, Korea, where pollution was progressive, were exposed to gametes of the Pacific oyster for 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 min to detail the pollutant effects on very young specimens. There was an apparent critical dilution over which adverse effects are evident. This was $10\%$ of the present sediment elutriate, corresponding to 0.3 ng/g on the basis of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for the oyster. Within the dilution the embryonic development was not influenced by the duration of exposure to its gamete stage. At higher dilutions over the critical dilution, occurrence of abnormality increased dependent on the pollutant dilution and the duration of exposure. Similar trends were also found in larval mortality. However, overall, the chemical toxicity was more significant to morphogenesis than to survival, suggesting a potential recruitment of the pollutants-induced abnormal larvae in the wild population to threaten the population integrity.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.927-937
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• 2021

This study was performed to screen the antimicrobial activities of the extract from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas against skin pathogens and to purify the relevant antibacterial peptide. The acidified extract showed potent antibacterial activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria but showed no activity against Candida albicans and no significant cell toxicity. Among acne-causing pathogens, the acidified extract showed potent antibacterial activity only against Staphylococcus aureus, and its antibacterial activity was completely abolished by treatment with trypsin or chymotrypsin, and was inhibited by salt treatment. The acidified extract showed strong DNA-binding ability but did not show bacterial membrane permeabilizing ability. Based on antimicrobial activity screening and cytotoxic effects, a novel antibacterial peptide was purified from the acidified gill extract using solid-phase extraction, cation-exchange, and reversed-phase HPLC. The resulting peptide had a molecular weight of 4800.8 Da and showed partial sequence homology with the carbonic anhydrase 4 (CA4) protein in the hard-shelled mussel. Overall, we purified a novel antibacterial peptide, named cgCAFLP, which is related to carbonic anhydrase 4 (CA4) protein, against skin pathogens. Our results suggest that the Pacific oyster extract could be used as an additive to control some acne-related skin pathogens (S. aureus).

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.140-145
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• 2006

We measured activities of the ubiquitous tripeptide non-protein thiol (L-${\gamma}$-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine), glutathione (GSH), which is believed to playa fundamental role in detoxifying xenobiotics in biological systems, as a metabolic biomarker for benzo(${\alpha}$)pyrene and Aroclor 1254 exposure in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Reproductive oysters were exposed to the pollutants for 50 days by the algal vectoring method in which the oysters were fed with concentrated standard algal foods grown in culture media containing Aroclor 1254 (0, 5, 50, 500 ng/g) or benzo(${\alpha}$)pyrene (0, 10, 100, 1,000 ng/g). Both pollutants induced maternal GSH activities in 10 days in a dosage-dependent manner (p<0.05), although Aroclor 1254 was stronger. The pollutant-driven GSH elevation persisted for 20 to 30 days depending on the pollutants and concentrations. Thereafter, a drastic decline in the GSH activity was observed due to metabolic failure, after which the oyster GSH remained at low levels throughout the remainder of the experiment. The pollutant exposures influenced maternal reproductive output in terms of fertilization, hatching, and morphology. These results imply that changes in activity of the GST-catalyzing molecule can be used as an oyster biomarker for Aroclor 1254 and benzo(${\alpha}$)pyrene exposure.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 2012

Hemocyte parameters of the wild Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas inhabiting intertidal zones in small bays (Gwangyang and Jinhae Bay) on the southern coast of Korea were evaluated using flow cytometry and neutral red retention (NRR) assay. Morphological features, cell count, mortality, DNA damage, phagocytosis, and lysosomal membrane stability of hemocytes were analyzed. Three types of hemocytes were identified in the oyster hemolymph: granulocytes, hyalinocytes, and blast-like cells. Immune related functions of hemocyte including phagocytosis and lysosomal membrane stability were significantly different among the study areas (P<0.05), while cell count, mortality, and DNA damage of hemocytes were not significantly different. In Gwangyang Bay, phagocytosis of granulocytes and lysosomal membrane stability of oyster hemocytes inhabiting inside bay were significantly lower than those of oyster hemocytes in outside bay (P<0.05), indicating that oysters in inside bay of Gwangyang were relatively suppressed the immunological function in hemocytes. Contrary to Gwangyang Bay, immune parameters of oyster hemocytes in Jinhae Bay not showed the difference between sampling sites. In conclusion, flow cytometry and NRR assay using oyster hemocyte has a powerful tool to investigate the cell level in a short time due to no-preprocessing of material.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2004

Reproductive cycle, the condition index, sex ratio of the Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas were investigated by histological and morphometric data. The specimens were collected in the two oyster farms of Geoje and Namhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, from November 1995 to October 1996. Growth of shell length in two regions was similar, but growth of total weight of the oyster in Namhae was faster than that in Geoje oyster farm. The spawning periods in female and male clams were from July to October in Geoje and from June to October in Namhae oyster farm. Ripe oocytes were approximately 50 m in diameter. The reproductive cycle of in females and males in Geoje and Namhae oyster farms can be divided into five successive stages: early developing, late developing, ripe, partially spawned and spent/inactive. Monthly changes in gonad developmental phases showed somewhat different patterns between female and male clams except for the spawning period. On the whole, however, monthly changes in the gonad developmental phases showed a similar pattern in the same sex. The sex ratios of females to males in Geoje and Namhae oyster farms were not significantly different from a 1:1 sex ratio ($x^2$ = 0.55 (p > 0.05) in Geoje and $x^2$ = 0.27 ( p > 0.05) in Namhae). Artificial induction of maturation by heating of adult oysters (two-year-old) was investigated from 17 January to 18 March in 1996. Maturity at the fixed water temperature group of $20^{\circ}C$ was 80%, it showed the highest maturity of experimental groups cultured for five weeks. The survival (%) of Crassostrea gigas in the raised water temperature experimental groups (15, 20, $25^{\circ}C$) were over 98.5%, as similar to the control group (100%). But, the survival of C. gigas in the fixed water temperature experimental groups (15, 20, 25, $30^{\circ}C$) were decreased with the increase of the water temperatures. In the fixed water temperature experimental group of $30^{\circ}C$, the survival was 51.1%. Base on these results, the fixed water temperature of $20^{\circ}C$ was the best condition for artificial induction of sexual maturation.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2013

This study aims to find out a suitable cryoprotective agent (CPA) for cryopreservation and its optimum concentration in order to conduct planned artificial seed production of Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas and to preserve superior sperm. For this, we tried to understand toxicity and the effect of cryopreservation by CPA type and concentrations first and then looked into cell damage of the sperm after thawing. Toxicity analysis on the sperm of Pacific oyster according to different CPA and immersion time shows that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) comes first when it comes to survival rate and mobility followed by ethylene glycol (EG), glycerol and methanol. To identify the optimum CPA and its level, filtered seawater was used as a diluent before cryopreservation for 30 days. As a result, cryopreserved sperm of Pacific oyster with 15% of DMSO showed the highest survival rate and activation. Also, we observed the cryopreserved and thawed sperm with Scanning electron micrographs by CPAs and concentrations. Consequently, DSMO showed the lowest cell damage followed by EG, methanol, glycerol and the level was 15, 20, 10, 5% respectively. In a nutshell, it is proven that the optimum CPA and its level is 15% of DMSO.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2013

We investigated the growth performance of oysters (initial shell height $57.5{\pm}8.5$ mm) under differing conditions of tidal exposure time and culture rack height in an experiment that commenced in April, 2011. Significant differences were observed in shell height from June 2011, in total weight from August, and in meat weight from September. Fatness tended to decrease during the experimental period, but was not significantly different at the end of the experiment. Significant differences in survival rates were mainly observed from June to August. After September, further changes were not observed in any experimental treatment group. The greatest growth potential ($L_{\infty}$) and survival rate were observed at a sea level of approximately 116 cm. The results indicate that in the study area the use of oyster culture conditions involving 1 or 2 h of tidal exposure and 60 - 70 cm rack height could result in oysters reaching the favored commercial half shell size within 14 months, with > 80% survival.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.481-486
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• 2009

In 2007, 43.5% mortality of the cultured oyster population occurred in Gamak Bay. Mortality rapidly increase in September and peak in October. To prevent future mass-mortality event, we investigated spawning and variation of oyster body composition. The main spawning period of culture oyster occurred from August to September. Condition index and body composition (protein and glycogen) appeared to be influenced by the spawning activity. Condition index and glycogen content in September were lowest (13.5% and 5.6 mg/g, respectively). However, protein, lipid and glycogen contents did not rapidly recover after the spawning activity. The data indicates that mass-mortality of cultured oysters in Gamak Bay may be due to deteriorated health, spawning activity, stress of the high water temperature and decreasing food resources.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.115-119
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• 1999

We investigated the processes of egg and larval developments for aquaculture technique development of seedling production fo the flat oyster, Ostrea denselamellosa. Teo flat oyster of larviparous type was different from the pacific oyser (ovivarous type) because their larvae (trochophore and prodissoconch larvae) in the gill released into the seawater. The process of egg development was observed by artificial fertilization at $25^{\circ}C$, using a dissecting method. The sizes of Unfertilized eggs ranged from 80 to 90 $\mu\textrm{m}$ and fertilized eggs with globule-shape was 90-100 $\mu\textrm{m}$. The Polar body appeared after fertilization and egg cleavage began within 1 hour, reaching the blastula stage after 10 hours. The trochophore in the gill appeared 2-3 days after fertilization and grew to the prodissoconch larvae (130 140 $\mu\textrm{m}$) having a complete shell after 1-2 days. The shell of prodissoconch larvae grew to 205 220 $\mu\textrm{m}$ after 10 hours, and then they became umbo stage larvae showing oval in shape. The velum of umbo stage larvae was degenerated about 17-20 days after fertilization and grew into a pediveliger with a developed foot, at this time, the shell length size was 320 360 $\mu\textrm{m}$.