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Trends and Prospects of Microalgae used for Food (식품에 이용되는 미세조류와 이를 이용한 식품 연구개발 동향 및 전망)

  • Kwak, Ho Seok;Kim, Ji Soo;Lee, Ja Hyun;Sung, Dong Eun
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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    • v.36 no.1
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    • pp.66-75
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    • 2021
  • Microalgae are unicellular microorganisms inhabiting various ecosystems of the world, including marine and freshwater systems and extreme environments. Only a few species have been actively used as food. Microalgae are attracting attention as a means of biological CO2 reduction because they play an important role in absorbing atmospheric CO2 through their rapid growth by photosynthesis in water. Besides, microalgae are considered to be an eco-friendly energy source because they can rapidly produce biomass containing a large quantum of lipids that can be converted into biodiesel. Several microalgae, such as Chlorella spp., Spirulina spp. and Haematococcus spp. have already been commercialized as functional health supplements because they contain diverse nutrients including proteins, vitamins, minerals, and functional substances such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), β-glucan, phycocyanin, astaxanthin, etc. Moreover, they have the potential to be used as food materials that can address the protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) which may occur in the future due to population growth. They can be added to various foods in the form of powder or liquid extract for enhancing the quality characteristics of the foods. In this review, we analyzed several microalgae which can be used as food additives and summarized their characteristics and functions that suggest the possibility of a role for microalgae as future food.

Molecular Detection and Genetic Diversity of Blastocystis in Korean Dogs

  • Suh, Sangsu;Lee, Haeseung;Seo, Min-Goo;Kim, Kyoo-Tae;Eo, Kyung-Yeon;Kwon, Young-Sam;Park, SangJoon;Kwon, Oh-Deog;Kim, Tae-Hwan;Kwak, Dongmi
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.60 no.4
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    • pp.289-293
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    • 2022
  • Blastocystis is a genus of unicellular heterokont parasites belonging to a group of organisms known as Stramenopiles, which includes algae, diatoms, and water molds. Blastocystis includes several species that habitat in the gastrointestinal tracts of organisms as diverse as humans, farm animals, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and cockroaches. It is important to public health and distributed globally, but its prevalence in dogs in Korea has not been reported to date. Here, we collected 787 canine fecal samples and assessed Blastocystis infection by age, sex, region, season, and diarrhea symptoms. We determined Blastocystis subtypes using phylogenetic analyses based on 18S rRNA gene sequences. We identified, 10 Blastocystis positive samples (1.3%). A higher proportion of infected dogs was asymptomatic; however, infection rates did not significantly differ according to region, age, sex, and season. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Blastocystis sp. identified belonged to 4 subtypes (STs), ST1, ST5, ST10, and ST14, thus revealed the genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. in dogs Korean. This is first report on the presence of Blastocystis sp. in dogs Korean. This study revealed a lower infection rate than expected and differed from previous studies in STs. Further studies are warranted to observe the national infection status of Blastocystis in dogs and the genetic characteristics of this genus.

The description of Haematococcus privus sp. nov. (Chlorophyceae, Chlamydomonadales) from North America

  • Mark A. Buchheim;Ashley Silver;Haley Johnson;Richard Portman;Matthew B. Toomey
    • ALGAE
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    • v.38 no.1
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    • pp.1-22
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    • 2023
  • An enormous body of research is focused on finding ways to commercialize carotenoids produced by the unicellular green alga, Haematococcus, often without the benefit of a sound phylogenetic assessment. Evidence of cryptic diversity in the genus means that comparing results of pigment studies may be confounded by the absence of a phylogenetic framework. Moreover, previous work has identified unnamed strains that are likely candidates for species status. We reconstructed the phylogeny of an expanded sampling of Haematococcus isolates utilizing data from nuclear ribosomal markers (18S rRNA gene, 26S rRNA gene, internal transcribed spacer [ITS]-1, 5.8S rRNA gene, and ITS-2) and the rbcL gene. In addition, we gathered morphological, ultrastructural and pigment data from key isolates of Haematococcus. Our expanded data and taxon sampling support the concept of a new species, H. privus, found exclusively in North America. Despite overlap in numerous morphological traits, results indicate that ratios of protoplast length to width and akinete diameter may be useful for discriminating Haematococcus lineages. High growth rate and robust astaxanthin yield indicate that H. rubicundus (SAG 34-1c) is worthy of additional scrutiny as a pigment source. With the description of H. privus, the evidence supports the existence of at least five, species-level lineages in the genus. Our phylogenetic assessment provides the tools to frame future pigment investigations of Haematococcus in an updated evolutionary context. In addition, our investigation highlighted open questions regarding polyploidy and sexuality in Haematococcus which demonstrate that much remains to be discovered about this green flagellate.

Ramipedicella gen. nov. (Ralfsiales, Phaeophyceae): a new crustose brown algal genus including two species, Ramipedicella miniloba sp. nov. and Ramipedicella longicellularis comb. nov.

  • Antony Otinga Oteng'o;Boo Yeon Won;Tae Oh Cho
    • ALGAE
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    • v.39 no.2
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    • pp.97-108
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    • 2024
  • The Ralfsiaceae family, part of the Ralfsiales order and consisting of crustose brown algae, includes five genera: Analipus, Endoplura, Fissipedicella, Heteroralfsia, and Ralfsia. In this study, a novel crustose genus named Ramipedicella gen. nov. is introduced within the Ralfsiaceae based on molecular and morphological analyses. Phylogenetic analyses using both concatenated dataset (rbcL + COI-5P genes) and rbcL indicate that the crustose brown algae that we collected from Korea and Russia form a unique grouping within the Ralfsiaceae. This grouping is strongly supported by both bootstrap analysis and Bayesian posterior probabilities. The genetic differences in the rbcL and COI-5P sequences between Ramipedicella and other genera within Ralfsiaceae range from 6.7 to 9.3% for rbcL and from 15.5 to 20.8% for COI-5P. Ramipedicella is characterized by crustose thalli having new crusts growing on top of old ones with a hypothallial basal layer and erect perithallial filaments, long cells with width-to-length ratio of 1 : 1-16, single chloroplast per cell, plurangia with one to several sterile cells, one to several unangia produced from unicellular stalks or from the lateral-basal region to the paraphyses, and unangia arising sequencially in irregularly branched specialized filaments. Ramipedicella, the recently identified genus, comprises two distinct species. Ramipedicella miniloba, the type species, is distinguished by crusts with small lobes, numerous hair tufts, plurangia terminated by 1-4 sterile cells, and large oblong unangia. Ramipedicella longicellularis is identified by generally smooth crusts, absence of phaeophycean hairs, plurangia terminated by 1-2 apical sterile cells, and smaller mostly oblanceolate unangia.

Peltaster fructicola: Undescribed Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck Species on Apple Fruit in Korea

  • Jun-Woo Choi;Seong-Keun Lim;Seo-Ryeong Lee;Chang-Gi Back;In-Kyu Kang;Seung-Yeol Lee;Hee-Young Jung
    • The Korean Journal of Mycology
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    • v.52 no.2
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    • pp.145-153
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    • 2024
  • While investigation of the fungal diseases on apples collected from Cheongsong-gun and Bonghwa-gun in Gyeongbuk province, Korea, between August and September 2023 isolated five fungal strains from fruits with sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) disease. The strains were designated as KNUF-23-CS02, KNUF-23-CS-06, KNUF-23-CS12, KNUF-23-BH01, and KNUF-23-BH03. When grown on potato dextrose agar and 2% water agar, the cultural characteristics of the strains were similar to those previously reported characteristics of Peltaster fructicola Pf001. The strains produced monoblastic, hyaline conidiogenous cells; the conidia were hyaline, unicellular, cylindrical to ovoidal, and 3.5-7×1.7-3.9 and 4.0-6.6×1.8-3.2 μm in size on synthetic nutrient-poor agar or water agars, respectively. Secondary conidia production by microcyclic conidiation and budding was observed. The KNUF-23-BH03 strain was shown to cause SBFS symptoms similar to those observed on the apples in the pathogenicity test. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on the isolated species sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region, nuclear large ribosomal DNA subunit, and mitochondrial small ribosomal RNA subunit gene. The five strains were clustered with Peltaster fructicola Pf001. Based on the cultural and morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, the five strains were identified as Peltaster fructicola, which has not been previously reported in Korea.

Taxonomic significance of the leaf micromorphology in the tribe Sorbarieae (Spiraeoideae: Rosaceae) (쉬땅나무족(조팝나무아과: 장미과) 잎표피 미세형태학적 형질의 분류학적 유용성)

  • Song, Jun-Ho;Hong, Suk-Pyo
    • Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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    • v.46 no.2
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    • pp.199-212
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    • 2016
  • A comparative study of leaf epidermal microstructures in the tribe Sorbarieae (Adenostoma: 3 spp., Chamaebatiaria: 1 sp., Sorbaria: 11 spp., Spiraeanthus: 1 sp.) including related genera Gillenia (2 spp.) and Lyonothamnus (2 spp.) was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to evaluate their significance in taxonomy. The leaves of Adenostoma, Chamaebatiaria, and Spiraeanthus were amphistomatic, whereas Gillenia, Lyonothamnus, and Sorbaria were hypostomatic. The size range of the guard cells is $7.84-48.7{\times}5.86-38.6{\mu}m$; the smallest one was found in Sorbaria tomentosa var. tomentosa ($7.84-11.8{\times}6.84-10.5{\mu}m$), while the largest measured example was Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium ($30.3-48.7{\times}18.8-38.6{\mu}m$). Anomocytic stomata complex were the most frequent type (rarely cyclocytic), with usually both anomocytic and actinocytic types occurring in one leaf. On the surfaces, both the adaxial and abaxial anticlinal walls of the subsidiary cells vary (e.g., straight/curved, undulate, sinuate). Four types (unicellular non-glandular trichome, stellate, glandular trichome, pustular glandular trichome) of trichomes are found in the leaves. The epicuticular wax can be divided two types: membraneous platelets (Lyonothamnus) and platelets (Sorbaria arborea var. arborea, S. arborea var. subtomentosa, S. kirilowii, S. tomentosa var. tomentosa, Spiraeanthus schrenkianus). The trichome diversity (in particular, stellate, gland) and the existence of epicuticular wax may have taxonomic significance, although the leaf epidermal micromorphological characteristics do not provide synapomorphy in this tribe. These leaf micromorphological features are most likely better understood in the Sorbarieae when used in conjunction with external morphological characters.

Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Green Alga Chlamydomonas (수염녹두말속(Chlamydomonas) 단세포 녹조의 유성생식)

  • Lee, Kyu Bae
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.100-121
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    • 2017
  • The sexual reproduction of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas is reviewed for a comprehensive understanding of the complex processes. The sexual life cycle of C. reinhardtii is distinguished into five main stages: gametogenesis, gamete activation, cell fusion, zygote maturation, and meiosis and germination. Gametogenesis is induced by nitrogen starvation in the environment. C. reinhardtii has two mating types: mating type plus ($mt^+$) and mating type minus ($mt^-$), controlled by a single complex mating type locus ($MT^+$ or $MT^-$) on linkage group VI. In the early gametogenesis agglutinins are synthesized. The $mt^+$ and $mt^-$ agglutinins are encoded by the autosomal genes SAG1 (Sexual AGglutination1) and SAD1 (Sexual ADhesion1), respectively. The agglutinins are responsible for the flagellar adhesion of the two mating type of gametes. The flagellar adhesion initiates a cAMP mediated signal transduction pathways and activates the flagellar tips. In response to the cAMP signal, mating structures between two flagella are activated. The $mt^+$ and $mt^-$ gamete-specific fusion proteins, Fus1 and Hap2/Gcs1, are present on the plasma membrane of the two mating structures. Contact of the two mating structures leads to develop a fertilization tubule forming a cytoplasmic bridge between the two gametes. Upon fusion of nuclei and chloroplasts of $mt^+$ and $mt^-$ cells, the zygotes become zygospores. It is notable that the young zygote shows uniparental inheritance of chloroplast DNA from the $mt^+$ parent and mitochondrial DNA from the $mt^-$ parent. Under the favorable conditions, the zygospores divide meiotically and germinate and then new haploid progenies, vegetative cells, are released.

Role of Citrate Synthase in Acetate Utilization and Protection from Stress-Induced Apoptosis

  • Lee, Yong-Joo;Kang, Hong-Yong;Maeng, Pil Jae
    • Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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    • 2008.05a
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    • pp.39-41
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    • 2008
  • The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been shown to contain three isoforms of citrate synthase (CS). The mitochondrial CS, Cit1, catalyzes the first reaction of the TCA cycle, i.e., condensation of acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate to form citrate [1]. The peroxisomal CS, Cit2, participates in the glyoxylate cycle [2]. The third CS is a minor mitochondrial isofunctional enzyme, Cit3, and related to glycerol metabolism. However, the level of its intracellular activity is low and insufficient for metabolic needs of cells [3]. It has been reported that ${\Delta}cit1$ strain is not able to grow with acetate as a sole carbon source on either rich or minimal medium and that it shows a lag in attaining parental growth rates on nonfermentable carbon sources [2, 4, 5]. Cells of ${\Delta}cit2$, on the other hand, have similar growth phenotype as wild-type on various carbon sources. Thus, the biochemical basis of carbon metabolism in the yeast cells with deletion of CIT1 or CIT2 gene has not been clearly addressed yet. In the present study, we focused our efforts on understanding the function of Cit2 in utilizing $C_2$ carbon sources and then found that ${\Delta}cit1$ cells can grow on minimal medium containing $C_2$ carbon sources, such as acetate. We also analyzed that the characteristics of mutant strains defective in each of the genes encoding the enzymes involved in TCA and glyoxylate cycles and membrane carriers for metabolite transport. Our results suggest that citrate produced by peroxisomal CS can be utilized via glyoxylate cycle, and moreover that the glyoxylate cycle by itself functions as a fully competent metabolic pathway for acetate utilization in S. cerevisiae. We also studied the relationship between Cit1 and apoptosis in S. cerevisiae [6]. In multicellular organisms, apoptosis is a highly regulated process of cell death that allows a cell to self-degrade in order for the body to eliminate potentially threatening or undesired cells, and thus is a crucial event for common defense mechanisms and in development [7]. The process of cellular suicide is also present in unicellular organisms such as yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [8]. When unicellular organisms are exposed to harsh conditions, apoptosis may serve as a defense mechanism for the preservation of cell populations through the sacrifice of some members of a population to promote the survival of others [9]. Apoptosis in S. cerevisiae shows some typical features of mammalian apoptosis such as flipping of phosphatidylserine, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation and margination, and DNA cleavage [10]. Yeast cells with ${\Delta}cit1$ deletion showed a temperature-sensitive growth phenotype, and displayed a rapid loss in viability associated with typical apoptotic hallmarks, i.e., ROS accumulation, nuclear fragmentation, DNA breakage, and phosphatidylserine translocation, when exposed to heat stress. Upon long-term cultivation, ${\Delta}cit1$ cells showed increased potentials for both aging-induced apoptosis and adaptive regrowth. Activation of the metacaspase Yca1 was detected during heat- or aging-induced apoptosis in ${\Delta}cit1$ cells, and accordingly, deletion of YCA1 suppressed the apoptotic phenotype caused by ${\Delta}cit1$ mutation. Cells with ${\Delta}cit1$ deletion showed higher tendency toward glutathione (GSH) depletion and subsequent ROS accumulation than the wild-type, which was rescued by exogenous GSH, glutamate, or glutathione disulfide (GSSG). Beside Cit1, other enzymes of TCA cycle and glutamate dehydrogenases (GDHs) were found to be involved in stress-induced apoptosis. Deletion of the genes encoding the TCA cycle enzymes and one of the three GDHs, Gdh3, caused increased sensitivity to heat stress. These results lead us to conclude that GSH deficiency in ${\Delta}cit1$ cells is caused by an insufficient supply of glutamate necessary for biosynthesis of GSH rather than the depletion of reducing power required for reduction of GSSG to GSH.

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The systematic implications of leaf micromorphological characteristics in the tribe Neillieae (Spiraeoideae, Rosaceae) (나도국수나무족(장미과) 잎 표피 미세형태학적 형질의 계통학적 유용성)

  • Song, Jun-Ho;Hong, Suk-Pyo
    • Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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    • v.47 no.3
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    • pp.222-235
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    • 2017
  • A comparative study of the leaf epidermal micromorphology in the tribe Neillieae (Neillia: 4 species, 4 varieties; Physocarpus: 5 species; Stephanandra: 2 species) was carried out using scanning electron microscopy in order to evaluate the taxonomic and systematic implications of these characteristics. The leaves of the genera Neillia and Stephanandra were hypostomatic, whereas those of P. monogynus, P. opulifolius were amphistomatic. The range of the size of the stomata is $12.02-34.39{\times}10.76-27.13{\mu}m$; the smallest was found in N. thyrsiflora (average $13.98{\times}12.43{\mu}m$; $L{\times}W$), while the largest was measured in N. gracilis (average $26.82{\times}20.67{\mu}m$; $L{\times}W$). Paracytic stomata complexes are only found in N. affinis, and the anomocytic type was most commonly found. The papillate epidermal cell type was only observed on the abaxial surfaces of P. insularis. Platelet epicuticular waxes were found on the adaxial surfaces of N. affinis and S. tanakae. Four types (unicellular non-glandular, two- to five-armed, stellate, and glandular) of trichomes were found on the leaves. Stellates were observed in all species of Physocarpus except for P. insularis. Consequently, leaf epidermal micromorphological characteristics (e.g., the presence of papillate epidermal cells and stellate, and stomata complexes) may have high taxonomic and systematic value in Neillieae. Our results strongly support previous molecular phylogenetic and palynological hypotheses that Stephanandra and Neillia are a single genus and that Physocarpus insularis should be considered as a member of Spiraea.

Characterization of Chlorella Vulgaris Mutants Generated by EMS (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate) (EMS (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate) 처리에 의한 Chlorella Vulgaris 변이주 생성 및 특성 분석)

  • Kim, Ok Ju;Lee, Jae-Hwa
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.265-269
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    • 2015
  • Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) is a spherical unicellular green algae and the diameter ranges from 2 to $10{\mu}m$. C. vulgaris possess nutritional excellence because it contains various functional materials including high protein contents, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and chlorella growth factor (CGF). In order to study effects of mutagen, ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) was used as a chemical mutagen and some mutants could be obtained. We named 2 type mutants as E14 and E24 obtained after treating with EMS. In the cell growth, growth patterns of mutants were similar to those of the wild type. Chlorophyll contents of E14 and E24 increased up to 99 and 52%, respectively compared to those of the wild type. The carotenoid content of E14 increased to 7%, but the value of E24 decreased 5% compared to that of the wild type. For the lipid contents E24 increased to 23%, while E14 decreased 12% when compared to those of the wild type. As a result, there is no difference between the mutants and wild type in the cell growth, but considering that mutants contains more physiological materials than those of the wild type, we can expect the mutants of C. vulgaris could be used as important high added-value materials.