Phytic acid (PA) is a naturallu occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate that is present in substantial amounts in almost all plants and mammalian cells. Recently PA has received much attention for its role in anticancer activity. We investigated the preventive effect of PA on the formation of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF), a preneoplastic lesion, induced by azoxymethane (AOM). After acclimation for one week, six-week old male ICR mice were fed on the AIN-93G purified diet and PA (0.5% or 2% PA in water) for 8 weeks. The animals were treated with azoxymethane (AOM, 10 mg/kg b.w.) three times (0, 1, and 2 weeks) to induce colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF). After sacrifice, the total numbers of aberrant crypts (AC) and ACF in colonic mucosa were counted after staining with methylene blue. Blood and serum were analyzed with a blood cell differential counter and an automatic serum analyzer. AOM treatment without PA induced the total numbers of 85.7 ± 12.9 and 115.2 ± 19.9, respectively. PA at the dose of 2% AC/colon by PA at the dose of 0.5% were 73.4 ± 12.9 and 115.2 ± 19.9, respectively. PA at the dose of 2% significantly decreased the ACF and AC numbers to 56.5 ± 14.6 and 95.4 ± 17.2, respectively (p＜0.01). PA at the doses of 0.5 and 2% decreased the numbers of ACF and AC/colon in a dose-dependent manner. Although some parameters in blood counts and serum chemistry were changed compared with the control, no specific toxicity was found. Theses findings suggest that phytic acid can be a chemopreventive agent for colon carcinogenesis resulting from inhibition of the development of ACF in ICR mice.

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) and H19 genes are mutually imprinted genes which may be responsible for abnormalities in the cloned fetuses and offspring. This study was performed to identify putative differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of porcine H19 locus and to explore its genomic imprinting in in vitro fertilized (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transferred (SCNT) embryos. Based on mice genomic data, we identified DMRs on H19 and found porcine H19 DMRs that included three CTCF binding sites. Methylation patterns in IVF and SCNT embryos at the 2-, 4-, 8～16-cells and blastocyst stages were analyzed by BS (Bisulfite Sequencing)-PCR. The CpGs in CTCF1 was significantly unmethylated in the 2-cell stage IVF embryos. However, the 4- (29.1%) and 8～16-cell (68.2%) and blastocyst (48.2%) stages showed higher methylation levels (p<0.01). On the other hand, SCNT embryos were unmethylayted (0～2%) at all stages of development. The CpGs in CTCF2 showed almost unmethylation levels at the 2-, 4- and 8～16-cell and blastocyst stages of development in both IVF (0～14.1%) and SCNT (0～6.4%) embryos. At all stages of development, CTCF3 was unmethylated in IVF (0～17.3%) and SCNT (0～1.2%) embryos except at the blastocyst stage (54.5%) of IVF embryos. In conclusion, porcine SCNT embryos showed an aberrant methylation pattern comprised to IVF embryos. Therefore, we suggest that the aberrant methylation pattern of H19 loci may be a reason for increased abnormal fetus after embryo transfer of porcine SCNT embryos.

Two unrecorded alien plants, Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. and M. indicus (L.) All. (Leguminosae) were found in Korea. M. officinalis is native to Eurasia and widely distributed in agricultural regions throughout the world. M. indicus is native to Mediterranean and Southwestern Europe, and naturalized in temperate regions all over the world. These species are morphologically similar to M. suaveolens (Jeon-dong-ssa-ri). However, M. officinalis is distinguished from M. suaveolens by transverse nerved legumes, definite ovary stalks, and five to eight number of ovules in ovary. M. indicus is also distinguished from M. suaveolens by smaller size of flowers, broadly triangular calyx teeth, globose legumes, and minutely papillose seeds. The local name of M. officinalis and M. indicus were given as “Ju-reumjeon- dong-ssa-ri” and “Jom-jeon-dong-ssa-ri” based on transverse nerved legumes and overall smaller size than M. suaveolens, respectively. The descriptions on morphological characters and photographs at the habitat of M. officinalis and M. indicus are provided.

Background : The organic matter content of land clearing or soil brought from an other place is very low, less than 0.5%. However, the organic matter content of natural habitat soil and leader farmhouse soil was two to three times higher than that of general farmhouse soil. As a result, the yield of Gastrodia elata was higher than that of general farmhouse. Therefore, this experiment was carried out to investigate the yield of G. elata according to the application of green manure crops (GMCs). Methods and Results : This experiment was carried out in a soil with organic matter content of 0.5% in rain shelter greenhouse. The kind of GMCs are corn, Sudan grass, sorghum and oats, and the throughputs per 10 a were 2,000 ㎏, 2,200 ㎏, 1,500 ㎏ and 700 ㎏ of each. The soil preparation was carried out after treated of GMCs at least one month before G. elata was formally planted. As the results of these experiment, organic matter content in soils increased 4 - 5 times compared with before treatment. As a result, the yield of G. elata increased by 21 - 41% in all treatments of GMCs. In addition, there was 2 - 5% more G. elata of good merchantable quality. However, the soil temperature in the summer season period of 2016 (7.1 - 8.31) was 1.2 - 1.6℃ higher than the previous year. The day when the outside temperature was above 30℃ was 41 days. It doubled from the previous year. Soil moisture content showed similar tendency according to treatments. As a result, 20 - 30% of high temperature damage and 20 - 50% of putrefaction occurred, and the total yield also decreased by 20 - 30% compared to normal year. Conclusion : In conclusion, some organic matter is needed for cultivation of G. elata. Therefore, it is considered that it would be better to keep the organic matter content at 2 - 3% when the destination are managed, and to use corn or Sudan grass as the GMCs.

Olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) is a most important aquaculture species in Korea. Like most marine fishes, olive flounders are stomachless at first feeding and aquired gastric function during the metamorphosis, so food was mainly digested by pancreatic enzyme from first feeding to premetamorphosis. However, comprehensive analysis of pancreatic and gastric digestive enzyme of olive flounder at early developmental period is still unclear. In the expression study of pancreatic and gastric digestive enzyme by real-time PCR at early developmental stage, pancreatic enzyme such as chymotrypsinogen 2, preproelastase 2 and 4, pancreatic protein somatomedin-B domain (PPSB) mRNA expression were initiated at first feeding and strongly expressed in the pancreas developmental stage, while gastric digestive enzyme signal was not at all detected during same period. Although, trypsinogens were secreted from pancreas and have similar amino acid sequence, trypsinogen 3 expression induction was detected both pancreas and stomach developmental stage, while trypsinogen 2 expression was significantly increased only post-metamorphosis period. Pepsinogen mRNA expression was only detected at metamorphosis according to stomach differentiation. Lipid digestive enzyme, lipase and intestine fatty acid binding protein 1 (I-FABP 1), were already reached a certain level at beginning of hatching and more increased during early developmental stage and then gradually decreased before metamorphosis. These results suggested that feed ingestion of olive flounder was exclusive charged by pancreatic digestive enyme, lipid digestive enzyme and trypsinogen 3 from first feeding and then fully swiched by gastric digestive enzyme and trypsinogen 2 from metamorphosis period.

Abiotic stress is the major limiting factor of forage crops growth and yields. The objective of this work was to study the stress tolerance and regeneration capability of transgenic forage crops carrying a MsHSP23 gene, encoding a alfalfa mitochondrial sHSP protein. The expression of the MsHSP23 gene was confirmed in bacteria, recombinant mHSP23 conferred tolerance to salinity and arsenic stress. Furthermore, mHSP23 was cloned in a plant expressing vector and transformed into forage crops such as alfalfa, tall fescue and bent grass. The transgenic plants exhibited enhanced tolerance to salinity and arsenic stress conditions. In comparison to wild type plants, transgenic plants were exhibited significantly lower electrolyte leakage. Moreover, the transgenic plants had superior germination rates when placed on medium containing arsenic. Taken together, these overexpression results imply that mHSP23 plays an important role in salinity and arsenic stress tolerance in transgenic forage crops. This approach could be useful to develop stress-tolerant plants including forage crops.

The excessive and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers in the past has brought serious soil and other environmental problems so alternatives over this agrochemical are being searched. Our study focuses on the effects of expanded rice hull inoculated with selected beneficial microorganisms on growth (through agronomic characters), yield and yield components, and grain quality indices of rice. Results showed that favorable effects of different expanded rice hull preparations were not readily apparent at vegetative stage and only treatments with supplemental chemical fertilizer application were comparable with the conventional practice. Expanded rice hull combined with 50% rate of chemical fertilizer exhibited a significantly higher yield (6,471 kg ha-1) over conventional practice (5,719 kg ha-1). Good milling quality indices were observed in treatments having 50% chemical fertilizers plus alternatives from expanded rice hull. Finally, we demonstrated that chemical fertilizer rate can potentially be reduced into 50% if combined with expanded rice hull, and show even better output than chemical fertilizer alone.