Marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum producing paralytic shellfish toxins is responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). To investigate its temporal distributions in Chinhae Bay where PSP occurs annually, SYBR GreenⅠ based A. minutum-specific real-time PCR probe was developed on the LSU rDNA region. Assay specificity and sensitivity were tested against related species, and its specificity was further confirmed by sequencing of field-derived samples. Ten months field survey in 2008 (a total 100 surface water samples) by using the real-time PCR probe showed that A. minutum was detected at very low densities of 1-4 cells L-1 in May and June being spring in Chinhae Bay, Korea.

Early studies claimed that heterotrophic dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida and related genera may produce a putative water-soluble toxin that causes death of fish and other marine animals. Several methods were tested to visualize plate morphology of Cryptoperidiniopsis brodyi and Pfiesteria piscicida. Cellulose plates of cells were exposed and visualized by a membrane stripping method using Triton X-100. While calcofluor M2R white stain could readily bind to the thecal plates, details of the plate tabulation were difficult to observe. Fixation with osmium tetroxide (OsO4) produced well preserved cells with little morphological distortion, but thecal plates could not be visualized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation using the membrane stripping method showed distinctive plate tabulations between C. brodyi and P. piscicida suggesting that this method is a useful tool for morphological identification of lightly armored dinoflagellates.

Pfiesteria and Pfiesteria-like organisms were reported to be linked to major fish kills (involving well over a billion fish) in North Carolina and Maryland estuaries on the U.S. east coast during the 1990s. Occurrences of these species have been recently reported from Korean waters including Chinhae Bay and the coast of Yeosu. In this study, the life cycle of Cryptoperidiniopsis brodyi and Pfiesteria piscicida were examined using DAPI staining. Their excystment and growth were stimulated directly by the addition of prey cells such as Rhodiminas salina. Amoeboid stages in C. brodyi and P. piscicida were never observed in culture, even after addition of filter-sterile fish mucus and tissue. The dominant life cycle stages consisted of motile flagellated zoospores and cysts. A typical dinoflagellate life cycle was demonstrated by direct observation and DAPI staining.

To examine whether salt stress would alter or not contractility of isolated rat aorta, under anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital(50 mg Kg-1 i.p.), male Sprague Dawley rats(300-330 g) were subjected to 0, 50, and 150 mM of sodium chloride at 37℃ for 60 min. where as the sham group was left at modified Krebs-bicarbonate solution. To measure contractile response of vascular ring preparation isolated from rat was determined in organ bath and was recorded on physiograph connected to isometric transducer. And the strip was checked for expression of heat shock protein(Hsp) by Western blotting. One, three and eight hours later, we measured vascular contractility of isolated rat aorta treated with KCl, phenylephrine from organ bath study. The dose-vascular responses of potassium chloride and phenylephrine showed a little augmentation by NaCl concentration in the strips exposed to NaCl for 8 hours. And the response of relaxation induced by nitroprusside and acetylcholine was not influenced by NaCl stress in isolated aorta ring for 8 hours, respectively. Expression pattern of Hsp 70 of vascular muscle in isolated rat aorta showed a little increase in 150 mM NaCl group at 8 hours after NaCl treatment but not at 3 hours, and Hsp 60 expression of rat aorta was markedly increased in 50 mM NaCl group at 8 hours after NaCl treatment. Taken together, NaCl induced dose- and time dependent accumulation of the Hsp but not affected contraction of rat aorta. These data suggest that short term high salt stress was not sufficient to induce hypertension of rat aorta..

In order to examine if arsenic, one of environmental stresses, contributes to hypertension as one of cardiovascular pathological factors, this study was performed in vivo and in vitro, using intacted or pithed rats and aorta ring preparation, respectively. And also the relationship between expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 90 and vasoactives-induced contractile response was elucidated. To measure blood pressure, the carotid arterial pressure was recorded on physiograph(Grass Co. 79E) connected to strain gauge. On the other hand, contractile response of vascular ring preparation isolated from rat was determined in organ bath and was recorded on physiograph connected to isometric transducer. And HSP was detacted by Western blotting whole cell lysis. Preganglionic nerve stimulation was increased by 26.0% in arterial pressure of rat treated with arsenic. Vascular contractile response was monitored and HSP were measured by Western blotting of whole lysis prepared from samples exposed with 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mM of arsenic for 8 hours. The dose-vascular responses of potassium chloride were augmented by increasing dose of arsenic in the strips exposed to arsenic for 8 hours, and were not augmented for 1, 3, 5 hours. And the response of relaxation of rat aorta induced by histamine was not influenced by arsenic stress. The increase of HSP 90 expression in rat aorta was pronounced at 8 hours after 4 mM of arsenic treatment, but HSP 60 expression was not. Arsenic stress not only increased the expression of HSP 90 in the rat aorta, but also augmented contractions to potassium chloride. These results indicated that arsenic stress was sufficient to induce heat shock protein 90, resulting in increased vascular contractility in rat aorta.

Effects of aluminium(Al), soil pH and calcium(Ca) on growth response and heavy metal accumulation and regulation of nitrogen fixation in Melilotus suaveolens seedlings, a biennial legume plant dominating in the disturbed area, were quantitatively analyzed during the growing periods. Accumulation of metals in each organ of M. suaveolens was increased with the lowering of pH. Al contents in leaf and root treated with 30ppm Al at pH 4.2 on the 28th day after treatment were 8 and 11 folds higher than those of control, while the contents with 100ppm Al were 21 and 24 folds as compared to control. The significent inhibition in Al contents was induced by 100ppm Al and Ca at pH 6.5. Increased metals inhibited height at pH 4.2 and the growth inhibition due to Al was reversed by the addition of Ca, suggesting that growth correlates to the pH value. Chlorophyll contents in leaves increased during growth stage were inhibited by Al treatments. The biomass was decreased with the lowering of pH and the increase of concentrations. 100ppm Ca treatment resulted in 5.1-5.9% increase of the biomass as compared to that of 100ppm Al. Specific nitrogen fixation activities in nodules in the 100ppm Al at pH 4.2 and pH 6.5 were reduced to 35. 2% and 52.2% of control, on the 28th day after treatment, while the combination of Al and Ca induced inhibition of activities to 4.6% and 69.9% of control, respectively. Total amount of nitrogen fixation was reduced by 10% as compared to control with the treatment of 100ppm Al at pH 4.2 due to the inhibition of nodule formation. However the stimulative effect of nodule formation was enhanced by the combination of 100ppm Al and Ca and lowering of pH.