A progressive muscle atrophy is strongly associated with aging, resulting in lower quality of life in elderly individuals. This study was conducted to determine relative hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations in the rabbit model of the sciatic nerve transection injury using non-invasive diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS). From the 2nd week to the end of the experiment after sciatic nerve injury, a total muscle mass in nerve injured-group (NI group) significantly reduced compared with that in the normal group (p<0.001). During the capillary occlusion after nerve injury, the deoxy-hemoglobin (Hb-R) concentration in NI group significantly increased compared to that in the normal group at the 2nd and 3rd week after sciatic nerve injury (p<0.05). During the capillary release after nerve injury, the oxy-hemoglobin (Hb-O2) concentration in NI group significantly decreased at the 1st and 3rd week, and Hb-R significantly increased at 2nd week, compared to those in the normal group (p<0.05). Histological changes in the gastrocnemius muscle of NI group observed that clear fat filled spaces at the periphery of muscle fibers and angular fibers. From the results of this study, non-invasive DOS could be used to measure changes of Hb concentrations in muscles.

Using recombinant DNA technology, the vector system containing minimal fragment of a bacterial hemoglobin gene (vgb) was constructed. When this vector was inserted into Escherichia coli, the growth of the host was significantly improved in both viable cell counts and absorbance measurement, compared to that of the wild type strain. In addition, by minimizing the size of bacterial hemoglobin in the vector, the ability of vgb in growth improvement was augmented, due to the reduction of metabolic burden from the maintenance and replication of the plasmid. By using this system, it is expected that the growth of microorganisms can be improved even in the hypoxic condition.

Truncated hemoglobins (trHbs) constitute a familkrof small oxygen-binding heme proteins distributed in eubacteria, cyanobacteria, protozoa, and plants. Three distinct types of trHbs (HbN, HbO and HbP) have been identified within the mycobacterial genome. The soluble trHb of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune is localized on the cytoplasmic face of the cell membrane and is expressed only under anaerobic conditions. In addition, the gene encoding trHb is coexpressed with genes of the nitrogen fixation complex. The trHb of the unicellular green alga C. eugametos is induced in response to active photosynthesis and is localized, in part, along the chloroplast thylakoid membranes. Yeast II hybridization screening was performed using TatrHb as a bait protein to elucidate putative role of TatrHb. cDNA Library for Yeast II hybridization screening was constructed with mRNA from young seedling treated 0% oxygen for 48 hours. 12 positive clones were selected by colony PCR and sequenced. Among them, 4 clones are related in photosynthesis and show highly homologe to Hordeum vulgare chloroplast photosystem I PSK-I subunit mRNA (393 bp), Zea mays photosystem II subunit PsbS1 mRNA (900 bp), Triticum aestivum ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase(RubisCo) large subunit mRNA (1434 bp), Triticum aestivum ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit mRNA (525 bp).