본 연구는 한우 개체식별 및 친자감별에 있어 기존의 di-nucleotide repeat microsatellite marker 사용 시 발생했던 stutter로 인한 대립유전자 판별 오류 등의 문제들을 극복하고, 분석결과의 신뢰도와 정확도를 높이기 위해 tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-nucleotide repeat microsatellite 좌위들로 이루어진 새로운 개체식별 마커 13 종(BTRC6_01, BTRC19_02, BTRC11_03, BTRC16_05, BTRC9_07, BPC19_08, BTEC17_09, BPC21_10, BTEC4_11, BPC7_12, BPC1_13, BHXC29_14, BPC1_15)을 개발하였다. 선발된 13개의 좌위를 가지고 소 1,530두에 microsatellite typing을 실시한 결과, 총 61개에 대립유전자가 발견되었으며, 좌위별로 평균 4.69개의 대립유전자를 가지는 것으로 확인되었다. 마커의 다형성과 정보력의 척도인 PIC (Polymorphism Information Contents)값은 0.25(BTRC9_07)~0.59(BTEC17_09)로 나타났으며 BHXC29_14, BPC1_13, BTEC17_09, BTRC16_05, BTRC19_02, BTRC6_01 좌위들은 PIC 0.5 이상 그리고 나머지 좌위들 모두 PIC 0.25 이상의 값을 가지는 것으로 확인되어 마커로서 다형성이 있음이 검증되었다. 개발한 마커를 활용하여 한우(영암, 장흥)와 유럽우 7종 (Brown Swiss, Limousin, Angus, Simmental, Hereford, Charolais, Holstein)의 유전적 특성을 분석하였으며, 총 9개 집단의 Heterozygosity와 FIS (inbreeding coefficient) 값을 측정하였다. 기대이형접합율은 0.451(BS)~0.605(AG) 범위 내로, 한우는 0.532(영암), 0.545(장흥)의 값을 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 한우(영암, 한우)와 7종의 유럽우들 간의 유연관계 분석은 특정 대립유전자 빈도를 근거로 한 유전적 거리의 추정으로 이루어졌다. 한우집단과 Simmental 간의 유전적 거리(0.1848)가 가장 가깝고 비교적으로 Brown Swiss와의 유전적 분포(0.3352)가 가장 먼 것으로 나타났으며, 계통발생학적으로 유전적 분화 양상을 확인함으로써 본 마커의 한우 유전적 다양성 및 유연관계 분석에 활용 가능성을 제시하였다.

Korean Native Pig (KNP) has a uniform black coat color, excellent meat quality, white colored fat, solid fat structure and good marbling. However, its growth performance is low, while the western origin Yorkshire pig has high growth performance. To take advantage of the unique performance of the two pig breeds, we raised crossbreeds (KNP × Yorkshire to make use of the heterotic effect. We then analyzed the liver transcriptome as it plays an important role in fat metabolism. We sampled at two stages: 10 weeks and at 26 weeks. The stages were chosen to correspond to the change in feeding system. A total of 16 pigs (8 from each stage) were sampled and RNA sequencing was performed. The reads were mapped to the reference genome and differential expression analysis was performed with edgeR package. A total of 324 genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed (|log2FC| > 1 & q < 0.01), out of which 180 genes were up-regulated and 144 genes were down-regulated. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the samples clustered according to stages. Functional annotation of significant DEGs (differentially expressed genes) showed that GO terms such as DNA replication, cell division, protein phosphorylation, regulation of signal transduction by p53 class mediator, ribosome, focal adhesion, DNA helicase activity, protein kinase activity etc. were enriched. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DEGs functioned in cell cycle, Ras signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway etc. Twenty-nine transcripts were also part of the DEGs, these were predominantly Cys2His2-like fold group (C2H2) family of zinc fingers. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that there were three highly interconnected clusters, suggesting an enrichment of genes with similar biological function. This study presents the first report of liver tissue specific gene regulation in a cross-bred Korean pig.

Cluster of differentiation (CD) 24 or heat stable antigen 24 (HSA) molecule is a mucin-type glycoprotein attached to the cell surface by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor, promoting adhesive interactions between cells or in extracellular matrix. The aim of this study was to determine the not yet fully identified porcine CD24 gene and protein structure using computational analysis and to validate variants reported in exons of CD24 gene using direct sequencing. A total of 59 samples belonging to Yorkshire, Landrace, Berkshire, Jeju black pig and wild boar were used in the study. Human CD24 mRNA sequences were used as a reference and subjected to BLAST searches to retrieve the orthologous expressed sequence tags (ESTs) or cDNA sequences against NCBI and Ensemble databases. Assembled ESTs and retrieved cDNA sequences for the porcine CD24 gene were used for specific BLAST search to determine its genomic structure. We found porcine CD24 gene to consist of two exons and a relatively long intron. Second exon of porcine CD24 gene had a long 3’ untranslated region (UTR) and was very similar to that of human, mouse, rat, and sheep. The sequence homology of porcine CD24 protein was 65.38-84.62%, when analyzed with amino acid sequences of rat, mouse, human, cattle, and sheep CD24 protein. N-terminal signal sequence, O-glycosylation sites and GPI-anchoring signal sites were also predicted in pig, which showed these motifs to be evolutionary conserved across the species. Variant analysis in exonic regions of porcine CD24 among the multiple breeds showed that only second exon contained eight SNPs and three insertions in a 3’ UTR. Taken together, this study reports putative porcine CD24 gene and its protein structure using in silico approaches, which will be helpful for any further functional studies.

Bropirimine, a class of antineoplastic agents, is known as one of the potent immunomodulators and is currently under clinical development for the treatment of cancer. However, the effect of bropirimine on the cow remains unknown as a therapeutics agent. In this experiment, the effect of bropirimine in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or concanavalin-A (Con-A) was examined. Jugular venous blood was collected from Korean Hanwoo calves and PBMCs were isolated. It was used to study the effect of bropirimine upon stimulation with LPS or Con-A for 72 hours. The expression pro-inflammatory cytokines like Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) and Interferon γ (IFN-γ) were confirmed. Bropirimine significantly inhibited LPS- or Con-A-induced TNF-α and Con-A-induced IFN-γ in dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, Bropirimine inhibited TNF-α and Con-A mRNA expression at the transcription level. These results clearly indicated that bropirimine inhibited LPS or Con-A stimulated up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines in a dose-dependent manner without conspicuous cytotoxicity. The bropirimine has potential to protect cow from LPS or Con-A induced endotoxin shock, possibly through inhibition of the production of proinflammatory cytokines. It suggesting that bropirimine may be a novel therapeutic agent for the prevention of inflammatory diseases. This result revealed specific features of the immune responses depending on the bropirimine compound and would help to knowledge of bovine immunity.

It became possible to perform genomic predictions using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with advancements in genomics technology, not only in human but in livestock as well. There are strong interests in improving economical traits in livestock through identifying causative mutation, genes or predicting genomic breeding values. We present the current status of genome prediction studies for phenotype estimation of economic traits in livestock from various perspectives based on the genomic area. First, we introduce theoretical background of genomic prediction methods and newest development on SNP information. Thanks to develop sequencing technology, multi-omics data can be used to predict phenotypes associated with the economic traits. In particular, many studies show that genomic prediction accuracy of genomic partitioning data based on the biological information is higher than that of commercial SNP chip. Therefore, multi-omics data can be useful for genomic prediction studies. It is also important that researchers should consider factors affecting genomic prediction accuracy such as heritability, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) and marker density, size and structure of reference population. We also introduce genomic prediction studies based on the integration of multi-omics data that shows improvement of prediction accuracy than typical Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (GBLUP) models. We concluded that genomic prediction studies can be expanded to apply social issues, new phenotypes, or precision agriculture such as diseases, climate change, and metabolism including economic traits with multi-omics data using high-throughput technologies.

In this study, we looked into the levels and distribution characteristics of harmful substances found in imported coal ash to identify their possible impacts on the environment and human body in the process of recycling and to develop plans for their proper management. To this end, organic pollutants including heavy metals were analyzed from 19 samples of imported coal ash, and their potential impact on the environment was evaluated. To investigate the characteristics of the heavy metal content in the coal ash, a leaching test was conducted, and the result showed that the heavy metal concentrations in the coal ash were far lower than the permitted levels of hazardous substances in designated waste in Korea. In addition, a content analysis showed that the heavy metal content was lower than the level prescribed in the standards for area II levels of soil contamination. Since coal ash is recycled in cement kilns, levels of Pb, Cu, and Cd in the cement kilns were reviewed and compared against permitted levels of those heavy metals in other alternative fuels. Levels of Pb, Cu, and Cd in the coal ash were comfortably within the acceptable limits by Korean standards, but the level of arsenic was close to the limit. Given the fact that arsenic leached from the coal ash recycling process could have an adverse impact on both the environment and the human body, it is therefore necessary to monitor arsenic leaching from coal ash continuously . Levels of other substances that could be contained in coal ash, such as dioxin, PCBs , and PAHs, were also measured. The measurements showed that the levels of these substances were generally low or undetectable; therefore, the environmental impact of organic pollutants from coal ash recycling was considered insignificant.

For management of hazardous waste, the Ministry of Environment regulates fewer items and has fewer test methodsfor toxic chemicals than developed countries. Regulated items should be expanded in order to strengthen the managementof hazardous waste and comply with international trends. For conducting to quantify the cost and value of the expansion,we estimated the amount of toxic waste and evaluated applicability and economic effects of the expansion of regulateditems to the industry. Through a survey of domestic and foreign studies, we reviewed the substances (e.g. F and Ni) thatare regulated as hazardous chemicals and planed a road-map for gradual expansion of regulated items. The analysis oftreatment cost had been focused on the result of leachate and total content analysis of regulated 7 inorganic materials(Hg, Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Cr+6, and CN) and unregulated 8 inorganic metals (F, Ni, Zn, Se, Sb, Ba, Be, V), and also totalcontent analysis of unregulated 4 organic materials (PAHs, PCDD/DFs, HCB, and PCBs) in Korea. With the result ofcontent concentration of unregulated 8 inorganic metals, we could estimate that they were discharged about 4.644millionton/year from industries in Korea. Also, The amount of waste from oil refining, steel, and casting factory was more than50% of total generated waste in Korea.

This study investigated the prospective increase in the amount of hazardous substances in packing containers. Thestudy's aim was to analyse phthalates, which are regulated for use in food containers in the EU, as well as four heavymetals (Pb, Cd, Hg, and Cr6+) regulated domestically and abroad. Furthermore, we endeavored to confirm the need foradditional regulations for packaging material by analysing PBDEs (Polybrominated diphenyl ethers), a brominated flameretardant that has recently become an issue because of its wide use in plastic packaging. The concentration of the heavymetal, namely Pb, Cd, Hg and Cr6+ in packaging material samples were in ranged from ND to 7.2mg/kg, ND to 0.47mg/kg, ND to 0.07mg/kg, and ND to 5.01mg/kg, respectively. With total concentration of the four heavy metals (ΣPb+Cd+Hg+Cr6+) ranging from ND to 9.14mg/kg, all samples were below the standard threshold (Σ 100mg/kg). Theconcentration of phthalates in packaging samples was less than the standard of all foreign nations of 0.1% (1,000mg/kg). In particular, DEHP, DEHA, and DBP were detected higher in smart phone cases than others; other materials werefound to be at similar levels. The concentration of PBDEs in packaging material samples was detected in the range ofND to 24.2mg/kg, thereby not exceeding the standard of WEEE and RoHS of 0.1% (1,000mg/kg) for electrical appliancesand electronics.

With the changing lifestyle in the so-called IT era, smart phone era and aging society, there have been growing interestsin new types of waste. Under these circumstances, we conducted a survey on discharge of waste, focusing on smallelectrical and electronic waste (e-waste), packaging products, and lifestyle. The survey was carried out on 1,000 ordinarypeople of 19 to 60-something years old in 16 regions by the Random Digit Dialing (RDD) method. For the purchase ofsmall electrical and electronic devices, 42.4% of the respondents answered the most recent product they had bought wasa cell-phone and the most recently discarded item was also cell-phones (17.4%). In general, purchased and discarded smallelectrical and electronic items showed a similar trend. To the question on how to discard their small electrical and electronicdevices, the largest number of respondents (29.3%) answered that they return them to the store where they bought theproduct, and younger generations in their 20s and 30s, unmarried people, and students preferred to throw them intostandard plastic garbage bags. It was found that most frequently used disposable packaging products were in the orderof paper, plastic bags, paper cups, and wooden chopsticks, and take-out food containers were used on average 2.03 timesper month. Also, take-out food containers were more used by men over women, cities over rural areas, and families withthree or more members. In addition, most frequently purchased items via the internet or home shopping were found tobe in the order of clothes, food, cosmetics, and electrical and electronic devices. It is estimated that the wide use of internetis boosting purchase of a variety of items like food and cosmetics as well as clothes.

The brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been used in many household products such as plastics of electronicequipment, furniture, textiles to increase their flame ignition resistance. Among the mixtures of BFRs, polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) have been widely usedas commercial additive during the last decade. This study has been performed to investigate the concentration of BFRsin waste electrical and electronic equipment which has potential threat on environment and human health. We analyzedPBDEs, TBBPA and HBCD in 18 products from 2 TV manufacturing companies, 19 parts from 3 refrigerators, shreddedplastic from recycling center, 3 other plastics from recovery process, and 43 small electronics using heating source. Theconcentration of PBDEs in TVs ranged from 306mg/kg (manufactured since the year of 2000) to 145,027mg/kg(manufactured in 1983~1997). The concentration range of PBDEs in rear housing is greater than those of front cover.The concentration of TBBPA were detected from 30 to 201mg/kg and HBCD was not detected (ND) in all samples ofTV. The PBDEs concentrations in plastics of refrigerator waste were detected from ND to 445mg/kg, the concentrationof PBDEs in upper housing cover is higher than those of other parts. The concentration of PBDEs in small electronicswas not detected in most products but HBCD and TBBPA were detected several hundred ppm in 1mixer and severaldozen of ppm in 1mixer, 1 coffee port and 2 electronic rice cookers, respectively. Based on the concentrationcharacteristics of BFRs in waste electrical and electronic equipment, we will be established the environmentally soundstrategies for the management policies of the waste containing BFRs.

Six lab scale reactors were designed having the height of 1/20 scale of real burial site and each reactors contained aleachate collecting system. Cattle and pigs were buried in these reactors, and leachate was collected to determine theconcentration of antibiotics. Leachate samples were collected periodically over a period of 24 weeks along with the trendof temperature and decomposition degree. Sulfachloropyridazine was detected in the initial leachate (4 and 8 weekssamples) from the cattle 1 and cattle 2 reactors, as 56µg/L and 312µg/L respectively and thereafter it was not detectedin leachate (16~24 weeks samples). Most of the antibiotics concentration were detected higher in leachate released inbetween 4~8 weeks. However, sulfadimidine was detected throughout 24 weeks in cattle 1 reactor, with the range of2.2~17.5µg/L. As a result of comparison with different aqueous environment, improper management of carcass burialsites may result in both surface water and groundwater contamination. To protect public health and to prevent/minimizethe negative impacts of contamination by antibiotics, proper environmental monitoring of leachate before and after carcassdisposal is necessary.

In spite of the government's various efforts to reduce food waste, the food waste in Korea has increased about 3%every year, mainly due to the growing population, number of households, and income. Food waste occurs in the processesof production, transportation, distribution, storage and cooking of food ingredients. However, there has been little reliabledata about how households - a major food waste source - store and treat their food and how much food waste they produce.In this regard, we thought it was important to understand the exact amount and characteristics of food waste fromhouseholds in order to reduce the country's food waste, which is why we monitored kinds, storage periods, treatment,and waste of food consumed in 100 households in the Seoul metropolitan area. Households normally store their foodingredients in refrigerators - on average 33 kinds and 35kg of food are stored - and some of them stayed there for upto 3 years. Moreover, not a small portion of the food is thrown away nearly untouched, mostly because people tend topurchase too much food at one time or they don't know or miss their expiration dates. The amounts of food waste bytype were in the order of vegetable>side dish>frozen food>fruit>seasoning. Also, we suggest effective and realisticmeasures to reduce food waste and promote a more desirable food consumption culture.

In this study, we analyzed Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) contained in TV covers of 15 and refrigerator components of 9 produced in Korea. In the TV front covers, 70 ~ 2,296 mg/kg of PBDEs were detected and in the back covers, the PBDEs detection was as follows: 128,773 ~ 158,104 mg/kg for TVs produced between 1983 ~ 1997, and 42 ~ 41,625 mg/kg between 2000 ~ 2005, which indicates that PBDEs content started to substantially decrease from 2000. When comparing these figures with those from other countries, we found that the front covers of televisions contain lower levels of PBDEs than those produced in Japan and back covers had similar or higher levels. The concentrations of the components of the refrigerator samples ranged from N.D. to 445 mg/kg. By comparing isomer patterns of PBDEs obtained from the products and those reported to be found in the environment, this study estimated distribution characteristics of PBDEs and the correlation between their pollution sources and the environment. The results showed that deca-BDE used in TVs has an impact on the environment, for example, indoor dust and sediment in rivers. We suggest that in order to prevent hazardous substances contained in electrical and electronic products from continuously circulating in the environment, the E-waste should be managed in terms of waste treatment and that the XRF screening method is appropriate to regulate the contents of toxic substances in an economic and effective way.