• Title/Summary/Keyword: population biology

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The Butterfly Community in Is. Guleopdo, Korea and the Dominance of the Endangered Species Argynnis nerippe (굴업도의 나비군집과 멸종위기종 왕은점표범나비의 우점현상)

  • Kim, Sung-Soo;Lee, Cheol-Min;Kwon, Tae-Sung
    • Korean journal of applied entomology
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    • v.50 no.2
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    • pp.115-123
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    • 2011
  • Although Guleopdo is small island of only $1.71\;km^2$, the endangered butterfly species, Argynnis nerippe, is abundant there. This study was carried out to estimate the abundance of A. nerippe in Guleopdo, using quadrate, mark-recapture, and line-transect methods. Although the study was insufficient, the population size was estimated at 4,467 to 6,700 larvae and approx. 1,000 adults. A. nerippe was the most abundant among butterfly species in Guleopdo, and it comprised 32% of the total butterflies. A total of 28 butterfly species were observed in this study, and 3 species of these species were migrating species. When the abundance of A. nerippe throughout the country during the period from 1938 to 2010 was studied, we found that it decreased abruptly in the 2000s. Presently, A. nerippe inhabits a few locations in the mid-northern region and western islands. The relatively high numbers of A. nerippe in Guleopdo was due to conservation of natural grasslands and grazing of livestock, which provides adequate habitat for this species.

Characterizations of Cell Lineage Markers in the Bone Marrow Cells of Recloned GFP Pigs for Possible Use of Stem Cell Population

  • Park, Kwang-Wook;Choi, Sung-Sik;Lee, Dong-Ho;Lee, Hwang;Choi, Seung-Kyu;Park, Chang-Sik;Lee, Sang-Ho
    • Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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    • v.35 no.1
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    • pp.23-31
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    • 2011
  • Two piglets and one juvenile pig were used to investigate closely what types of cells express green fluorescent protein (GFP) and if any, whether the GFP-tagged cells could be used for stem cell transplantation research as a middle-sized animal model in bone marrow cells of recloned GFP pigs. Bone marrow cells were recovered from the tibia, and further analyzed with various cell lineage markers to determine which cell lineage is concurrently expressing visible GFP in each individual animal. In the three animals, visible GFP were observed only in proportions of the plated cells immediately after collection, showing 41, 2 and 91% of bone marrow cells in clones #1, 2 and 3, respectively. The intensity of the visible GFP expression was variable even in an individual clone depending on cell sizes and types. The overall intensities of GFP expression were also different among the individual clones from very weak, weak to strong. Upon culture for 14 days in vitro (14DIV), some cell types showed intensive GFP expression throughout the cells; in particular, in cytoskeletons and the nucleus, on the other hand. Others are shown to be diffused GFP expression patterns only in the cytoplasm. Finally, characterization of stem cell lineage markers was carried out only in the clone #3 who showed intensive GFP expression. SSEA-1, SSEA-3, CD34, nestin and GFAP were expressed in proportions of the GFP expressing cells, but not all of them, suggesting that GFP expression occur in various cell lineages. These results indicate that targeted insertion of GFP gene should be pursued as in mouse approach to be useful for stem cell research. Furthermore, cell- or tissue-specific promoter should also be used if GFP pig is going to be meaningful for a model for stem cell transplantation.

In vivo Imaging Flow Cytometer (세포 이미징 기능을 겸비한 생체 유세포 분석기)

  • Lee, Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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    • v.5 no.1
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    • pp.9-11
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    • 2007
  • We introduce an in vivo imaging flow cytometer, which provides fluorescence images simultaneously with quantitative information on the cell population of interest in a live animal. As fluorescent cells pass through the slit of light focused across a blood vessel, the excited fluorescence is confocally detected. This cell signal triggers a strobe beam and a high sensitivity CCD camera that captures a snap-shot image of the cell as it moves down-stream from the slit. We demonstrate that the majority of signal peaks detected in the in vivo flow cytometer arise from individual cells. The instrument's capability to image circulating T cells and measure their speed in the blood vessel in real time in vivo is demonstrated. The cell signal irradiance variation, clustering percentage, and potential applications in biology and medicine are discussed.

Isolation of Differentially Expressed Genes in Chondrocytes Treated with Methylprednisolone by Subtractive Hybridization

  • Kim, Ji-Hee;Kang, Soon-Min;Suh, Jin-Soo;Kim, Chong-Rak
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.8 no.3
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    • pp.195-202
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    • 2002
  • Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, involves the destabilization of the normal balance between the degradation and the synthesis of articular cartilage and subchondral bone within a joint. As articular cartilage degrades over time, its smooth surface roughens and bone-against-bone contact ensues, producing the inflammation response symptomatic of this 'wear and tear' disease. Although a variety of genetic, developmental, metabolic, and traumatic factors may initiate the development of osteoarthritis, its symptoms (joint pain, stiffness, and curtailed function) typically evolve slowly, and patients experience periods of relative calm alternation with episodes of inflammation and pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology characterized by chronic synovitis and cartilage destruction, affect 1% of the total population. Cartilage is a specialized connective tissue in which the chondrocytes occupy only 5% of the volume. Cartilage is particularly rich in extracellular matrix, with matrix making up 90% of the dry weight of the tissue chondrocytes have cell processes that extend a short distance into the matrix, but do not touch other cells thus in cartilage, cell-matrix interactions are essential for the maintenance of the extracellular matrix. In this study, subtractive hybridization method was utilized to detect genes differentially expressed in chondrocytes treated with methylprednisolone. We have isolated 57 genes that expressed differentially in the chondreocytes by methylprednisolone. 13 clones of them were analyzed with sequencing and their homologies were searched. 8 cDNAS included KIAA 0368, upregulated during skeletal muscle growth 5 (usmg 5), ribosomal protein S 18 (RPS 18), skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor, radial spoke protein 3 (RSP 3), ribosomal protein QM, ribosomal protein L37a (RPL37A), cytochrome coxidase subunit VIII (COX8).

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Studies on the Production and Utilization of Rhizobium Inoculants for Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) I. Preparation and seletion of carriers for Rhizobium inoculants (Alfalfa 근류균접종제 생산 및 이용에 관한 연구 I. 근류균제 생산을 위한 담체제조 및 선발)

  • Choi, Gi-Jun;Park, Geun-Je;Heu, Hoon;Lim, Young-Chul;Park, Byung-Hoon
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.245-252
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    • 1995
  • To select a carrier as Rhizobiwn inoculants for alfalfa, severeal Rhizobium inoculants were produced by adding or not sub-materials($CaCO_3$ and sucrose) to main materials(organic or inorganic materials). The root nodule bacteria, Rhizobium meliloti 1061 distributed from KAIST, and Vemal alfalfa was used in this experiment. The Rhizobium populations and inoculation effects of the Rhizobium inoculants produced in several materials were scrutinized at laboratory and greenhouse in Livestock Experiment Station, RDA from 1993 to 1994. Moisture contents of the caniers were varied from 32 to 50% on dry weight basis according to material characteristics and the pH ranges of these were varied from pH 4.56 to 10.06 according to raw material characteristics and preparations. Initial Rhizobium numbers of the carriers were higher in organic material-inoculants than in inorganic, and among the inoculants, the inoculant made of Bentonite+Vermiculite(l:3 w/w) was excellent because of high rhizobium population($7.8~8.3\times10^8/g$ inoculant) and high rhizobium reappearance of inoculant in severed different production time. The root nodules of the alfalfa inoculated with different inoculants were fast formed in the fermented sawdust with cattle dung (FSC) inoculant, and bentonite(B)+vermiculite(V) than others. Plant length of alfalfa was differentiated on 15 days after inoculation but was not nearly different between higher inoculants than rhizobium number $10^7/g$ inoculant. Total dry matter of alfalfa was yielded by 20.65, 20.34mg per pot in FSC + sucrose 0.5% and B + V + sucrose 1% inoculants respectively that were higher inoculation effect by 17 times compared with non-inoculation, 1.2 mg per pot.

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Induction of Apoptosis in the HepG2 Cells by HY53, a Novel Natural Compound Isolated from Bauhinia forficata

  • Lim Hae-Young;Lim Yoong-Ho;Cho Youl-Hee;Lee Chul-Hoon
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.16 no.8
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    • pp.1262-1268
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    • 2006
  • In the search for a novel cytotoxic substance from medicinal plants, HY53 ($C_{17}H_{32}O_2N_2$; molecular weight 296) was isolated from the leaves of Pata de Vaca (Bauhinia forficata). The growth of the HepG2 cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when treated with 0.07 to 0.40 mM HY53 for 24 h (IC$_{50}$: 0.13 mM). Furthermore, nuclear DAPI staining revealed the typical nuclear features of apoptosis in the HepG2 cells exposed to 0.27 mM HY53, whereas a flow cytometric analysis of the HepG2 cells using propidium iodide showed that the apoptotic cell population increased gradually from 8% at 0 mM to 23% at 0.14 mM and 45% at 0.40 mM after being exposed to each concentration of HY53 for 24 h. Moreover, a TUNEL assay also exhibited the apoptotic induction of the HepG2 cells treated with HY53. To obtain further information on the HY53-induced apoptosis, the expression level of certain apoptosis-associated proteins was examined using a Western blot analysis. Treatment of the HepG2 cells with HY53 resulted in the activation of caspase-3, and subsequent proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Consequently, the results confirmed that the apoptosis in the HepG2 cells was induced by HY53 and the involvement of caspase-3-mediated PARP cleavage in the apoptotic process.

Genetic Polymorphism of Plasma Vitamin D-Binding Protein (Gc) in Some Asian Sheep

  • Tsunoda, K.;Doge, K.;Hasnath, M.A.;Rajbhandary, H.B.;Xu, W.;Zhanchiv, T.;Chau, B.L.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.11 no.3
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    • pp.318-322
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    • 1998
  • Using polyacrylamide-gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunoblotting, genetic polymorphism of plasma vitamin D-binding protein (Gc) was examined in Asian sheep. The Gc polymorphism was revealed in the Khalkhas sheep of Mongolia, consisting of F, S and W variants, and the Yunnan native sheep of China, consisting of F and S variants. In particular, W was a new variant. The V variant detected in European sheep up to now was not observed in these sheep. The Bhyanglung, Baruwal, Kagi and Lampuchhre sheep of Nepal and local sheep of Bangladesh and Vietnam were monomorphic for the S variant. Family data and population genetic data supported the hypothesis that these variants were controlled by codominant alleles. In these Asian sheep, distribution of the $Gc^s$ allele was predominant (0.9571-1) and was seen as well in European sheep (Suffolk, Corriedale, Cheviot and Finnish Landrace) raised in Japan. $Gc^w$ allele was detected only in the Khalkhas sheep with the low frequency of 0.0025. The $Gc^v$ allele was detected in the Suffolk and Corriedale sheep (0.0080 and 0.0682), but not in any of the Asian sheep studied.

Inhibition of Cell-Cycle Progression in Human Promyelocytic Leukemia HL-60 Cells by MCS-C2, Novel Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor

  • Kim, Min-Kyoung;Cho, Youl-Hee;Kim, Jung-Mogg;Chun, Moon-Woo;Lee, Seung-Ki;Lim, Yoong-Ho;Lee, Chul-Hoon
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.607-612
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    • 2003
  • To elucidate the action mechanism of MCS-C2, a novel analogue of toyocamycin and sangivamycin, its effect on the expression of cell cycle-related proteins in the human myelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 was examined using Western blotting and a flow cytometric analysis. MCS-C2, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, was found to inhibit cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and inhibits cell cycle progression by inducing the arrest at G1 and G2/M phases, in HL-60 cells. The flow cytometric analysis revealed an appreciable arrest of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle after treatment with MCS-C2. The HL-60 cell population increased gradually from 13% at 0 h, to 28% at 12 h in the G2/M phase, after exposure to $2{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that MCS-C2 induced the cell cycle arrest at G1 phase through the inhibition of pRb phosphorylation. Hypophosphorylated pRb accumulated after treatment with $5{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2 for 12 h, whereas, the level of hyperphosphorylated pRb was reduced. Thus, treatment of the cell with MCS-C2 suppressed the hyperphosphorylated form of pRb with a commensurate increase in the hypophosphorylated form.

Effects of α-Linolenic Acid and Bovine Serum Albumin on Frozen-thawed Boar Sperm Quality during Cryopreservation

  • Lee, Won-Hee;Hwangbo, Yong;Lee, Sang-Hee;Cheong, Hee-Tae;Yang, Boo-Keun;Park, Choon-Keun
    • Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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    • v.40 no.4
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    • pp.33-37
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    • 2016
  • This study was conducted to evaluate effect of ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid (ALA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) on viability, acrosome reaction and mitochondrial intact in frozen-thawed boar sperm. The boar semen was collected by gloved-hand method and cryopreserved using freezing extender containing 3 ng/mL ALA and/or $20\;{\mu}g/mL$ BSA. Cryo-preserved boar sperms were thawed in $37^{\circ}C$ water-bath for 45 sec to analysis. Viability, acrosome reaction, and mitochondrial intact were analyzed using flow cytometry. In results, viability of frozen-thawed boar sperm was significantly higher in only ALA+BSA supplement group than control group (p<0.05), whereas there was no difference either in ALA or BSA supplement. However, acrosome reacted sperm in both of live and all sperm population were significantly decreased in all treatment groups than control (p<0.05). Interestingly, mitochondrial intact of boar sperm was enhanced in ALA and ALA+BSA groups compared with control (p<0.05). In this study, we showed that supplementation of ALA and BSA in freezing extender enhanced the sperm viability, mitochondrial intact and decrease acrosomal membrane damage. In conclusion, our findings suggest that quality of frozen-thawed sperm in mammalians could improve by using of ALA and BSA.

Emerging Genomics Technologies in Nutritional Sciences: Applications to obesity and hypertension research

  • Mouss, Naima-Moustaid;Sumithra Urs;Kim, Suyeon;Heo, Young-Ran
    • Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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    • 2002.05a
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    • pp.29-41
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    • 2002
  • While the sequencing of several genomes was underway, several advanced techniques in genetics, molecular biology and protein chemistry emerged. Within the nutritional sciences, while the focus on nutrition education, epidemiology and public health aspects remains essential; it is crucial to incorporate the new advances in gene and protein discovery in nutritional studies. Nutrition is a discipline that has always integrated social, biochemical and physiological sciences from the studies at the molecule level to studies at the population level. For this reason, nutritionists are in a prime position to readily incorporate the current genomics approaches in nutrition research, All the available analytical techniques can and should be used in modern nutritional sciences. These include genetics, genomics, proteomics and metabolomics which also require integration and use of bioinformatics and computational methods for data analysis and management. These applications will be briefly reviewed with a primary focus on what the genomics and genetics approaches offer to nutritionists. We will use one of our research focus areas to illustrate uses of some of these applications in obesity-hypertension research. Our central hypothesis is that adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that plays a major role in obesity and related hypertension. We are primarily studying the renin angiotensin system (RAS). We provide evidence from our own studies and others for the paracrine as well as endocrine role of adipocyte-derived angiotensin II in adipocyte gene expression, adiposity and blood pressure regulation. Both cell culture studies as well as knockout and transgenic mice models are used to test our hypothesis. Genomics and proteomics technologies are currently developed to complement our physiological and molecular studies on the RAS and for a fine analysis of this system and its function in health and disease.

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