Molecular analysis of endogenous avian leukosis/sarcoma virus genomes in Korean chicken embryos

Since the status of endogenous avian leucosis/sarcoma virus (ALSV) infections in Korean broiler chickens is unclear, this study examined embryonated eggs obtained from broiler farms and Korean native chicken breeds in Korea using PCR with the primer sets specific for endogenous ALSVs. The PCR assays detected the genomes of EAV, ev, ev/J and ART-CH belonging to the endogenous ALSV from all embryos tested. Phylogenetically, the Korean EAV genomes were more closely related to the prototype EAV-0 than to the other prototype, E51. The Korean ART-CH elements clustered together but were distinct from the prototype ART-CH clones, 5 and 14. Although there was comparatively little divergence in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the Korean ev and ev/J genomes compared with the other known ev and ev/J genomes, the Korean genomes had phylogenetically distinct branches. From these results, endogenous genomes are quite prevalent in Korean broiler chickens. In addition, the endogenous genomes circulating in Korean broiler chickens are genetically different from the other known endogenous genomes. These results are expected to provide useful information for the control and establishment of a surveillance system for endogenous ALSVs in Korea.     

Evaluation of waterlogging tolerance with the degree of foliar senescence at early vegetative stage of maize (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis> L.)

Maize is highly susceptible to waterlogging, which is becoming one of worldwide abiotic threats in many agricultural areas. This study was evaluated to establish the screening method and to find tolerant maize genotypes. Six Korean maize inbred lines were subjected to waterlogging at V3 for 15 days using a big size pot with single maize plant (big pot method) and a box containing 31 maize plants at a time (box method). The degree of foliar senescence and the number of senescent leaves were better indicators for selecting waterlogging tolerant maize genotypes than SPAD value and plant height. The degree of foliar senescence revealed that KS124, KS140, and KS141 are tolerant, and KS85 is susceptible to waterlogging at the early growth stage. These responses of foliar senescence were in clear accordance with those of plant grain yield, which was supported by stress tolerance index for grain yield. The box method also showed the similar response of foliar senescence to the big pot method. Therefore, this box method based on foliar senescence may be simple and efficient for large-scale screening of maize germplasm against waterlogging stress. It was concluded that foliar senescence can be a good indicator for selecting tolerant maize genotypes against waterlogging at the early growth stage.     

Metabolite profiling of Angelica gigas from different geographical origins using 1H NMR and UPLC-MS analyses

Angelica gigas obtained from different geographical regions was characterized using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) followed by multivariate data analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots from (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS data sets showed a clear distinction among A. gigas from three different regions in Korea. The major metabolites that contributed to the discrimination factor were primary metabolites including acetate, choline, citrate, 1,3-dimethylurate, fumarate, glucose, histamine, lactose, malate, N-acetylglutamate, succinate, and valine and secondary metabolites including decursin, decursinol, nodakenin, marmesin, 7-hydroxy-6-(2R-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-ethyl)coumarin in A. gigas roots. The results demonstrate that (1)H NMR and UPLC-MS-based metabolic profiling coupled with chemometric analysis can be used to discriminate the geographical origins of various herbal medicines and to identify primary and secondary metabolites responsible for discrimination.     

Protein Profiling from Hormone-Induced Tetraploid Roots in Platycodon grandiflorum

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - The root of Platycodon grandiflorum is used as traditional oriental medicine in Asian countries since ancient times to treat bronchitis, tonsillitis,...     

Prediction and measurement of residual stresses in injection molded parts

Residual stresses were predicted by a flow analysis in the mold cavity and residual stress distribution in the injection molded product was measured. Flow field was analyzed by the hybrid FEM/FDM method, using the Hele Shaw approximation. The Modified Cross model was used to determine the dependence of the viscosity on the temperature and the shear rate. The specific volume of the polymer melt which varies with the pressure and temperature fields was calculated by the Tait’s state equation. Flow analysis results such as pressure, temperature, and the location of the liquid-solid interface were used as the input of the stress analysis. In order to calculate more accurate gap-wise temperature field, a coordinate transformation technique was used. The residual stress distribution in the gap-wise direction was predicted in two cases, the free quenching and the constrained quenching, under the assumption that the shrinkage of the injection molded product occurs within the mold cavity and that the solid polymer is elastic. Effects of the initial flow rate, packing pressure, and mold temperature on the residual stress distribution was discussed. Experimental results were also obtained by the layer removal method for molded polypropylene.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Carbocyclic Analogues of Pachastrissamine

A series of carbocyclic analogues of naturally-occurring marine sphingolipid pachastrissamine were prepared and biologically evaluated. The analogues were efficiently synthesized via a tandem enyne/diene-ene metathesis reaction as a key step. We found that the analogue 4b exhibited comparable cytotoxicity and more potent inhibitory activity against sphingosine kinases, compared to pachastrissamine. Molecular modeling studies were conducted to provide more detailed insight into the binding mode of 4b in sphingosine kinase. In our docking model, pachastrissamine and 4b were able to effectively bind to the binding pocket of sphingosine kinase 1 as co-crystalized sphingosine. However, 4b showed a hydrophobic interaction with Phe192, which suggests that it contributes to its increased inhibitory activity against sphingosine kinase 1.     

Hydrophilic and flexible polyurethane foams using sodium alginate as polyol: Effects of PEG molecular weight and cross-linking agent content on water absorbency

Hydrophilic and flexible polyurethane foams were prepared using sodium alginate as a polyol, and characterized by optical microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, density measurements, volume swelling, and water absorbency. Optical microscopy revealed that the resulting cells were closed with round and elongated shapes. FT-IR confirmed that the urethane linkages were formed between the isocyanate and sodium-alginate. As an indirect measurement of porosity, the apparent density indicated an initial decrease followed by an increase with increasing glycerin content. The volume-swelling ratio was initially constant, followed by a gradual decrease with glycerin content. The volume swelling ratio increased with PEG molecular weight. The water absorbency initially increased, followed by a decrease with increasing glycerin content. The correlation-ships between water absorbency, density, and volume-swelling ratio indicated that the absorbency was predominantly influenced by density when the PEG molecular weight was low and was greatly affected by the volume-swelling ratio when the PEG molecular weight was relatively high.     

Evaluation of Physiological Functionalities and Anti-inflammatory Activity on <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> Cultured Adventitious Root of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Platycodon grandiflorum</Emphasis>

This study was executed to evaluate the phenolic content, DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging rate, nitrite scavenging rate, and anti-inflammatory activity from in vitro cultured adventitious root extract of different Platycodon grandiflorum(PG) variety. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content showed the highest amount in adventitious root extract of tetraploid PG, and followed by green petal, double petal and diploid PG extract. The DPPH radical scavenging activity showed that the increase was proportional to the concentration, especially, the scavenging activity at a concentration of 10 mg mL^-1 was higher than 80%. The ABTS radical scavenging activity was not significantly different among the PG varieties at the concentration of 5 mg mL^-1 or more, and generally showed high scavenging activity. The nitrite scavenging activity was affected by pH, at pH of 1.2, the scavenging effect of all of the extracts tested observed higher than that of the other two pH ranges. The cytotoxicity of PG extract at various concentrations, the survival rate of RAW 264.7 cell was more than 90% at a concentration of 200 μg mL^-1 or less, and it was confirmed that the macrophage cell showed little toxicity. After PG extract pretreatment at 50, 100, and 200 μg mL^-1, LPS-treated experimental group significantly inhibited NO production in a dose-dependent manner. The dose-response trends followed quadratic regressions in all PG varieties. The PG extracts showed a considerable range of influence on cytokine secretion. The effect of adventitious root extracts of PG against inflammatory mediators TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β production showed the most significant anti-inflammatory activity.