• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.290-293
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• 2005

A known monoalkyl glycerol ether, ($\pm$)-1-nonadecyloxy-2,3-propanediol (1) was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of a soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea as a weakly cytotoxic constituent against four human cancer cell lines, A549, HT-29, HT-1080, and SNU-638. In addition, a known ceramide, (28,3R,4E,8E)-N-hexadecanoyl-2-amino-4,8-octadecadiene-1 ,3-diol (2), was also isolated as an inactive constituent. This is the first report on the isolation of the compounds 1 and 2 from the octocoral, Dendronephthya species.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.327-332
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• 2008

Soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea (Verrill, 1864) is a conspicuous species dominating shallow sea waters of Jejudo Island, Korea. Recently its whole mitochondrial genome sequencing was completed by us and the sequence information provided an opportunity to test the age of Octocorallia and time of evolutionary separation between some representative orders of the subclass Octocorallia. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on 13 mitochondrial protein encoding genes revealed a polyphyletic relationship among octocorallians representing two orders (Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea) and four families (Alcyoniidae, Nephtheidae, Briareidae, and Gorgoniidae). Estimates of divergence times among octocorallians indicate that the first splitting might occur around end of or after Cretaceous period (50-79 million years ago (Ma)). The age is relatively young compared to the long history of stony sea corals (>240 Ma). Taken together our result suggests a possible relatively recent radiating evolution at least in the order Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea. Molecular dating and phylogenetic analysis based on much broader taxon sampling and many genes might give an insight into this interesting hypothesis.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.32.1-32.7
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• 2017

Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that extract of soft coral Dendronephthya gigantea (SCDE) had strong anti-inflammatory activities. However, the direct effects of SCDE on anti-inflammatory activities in vivo model remained to be determined. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of SCDE using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated zebrafish model. We also investigated whether SCDE has toxic effects in zebrafish model. The survival, heart beat rate, and developmental abnormalities were no significant change in the zebrafish embryos exposed to at a concentration below $100{\mu}g/ml$ of SCDE. However, lethal toxicity was caused after exposure to 200 and $400{\mu}g/ml$ of SCDE. Treating zebrafish model with LPS treatment significantly increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) generation. However, SCDE inhibited this LPS-stimulated ROS and NO generation in a dose-dependent manner. These results show that SCDE alleviated inflammation by inhibiting the ROS and NO generation induced by LPS treatment. In addition, SCDE has a protective effect against the cell damage induced by LPS exposure in zebrafish embryos. This outcome could explain the profound anti-inflammatory effect of SCDE both in vitro as well as in vivo, suggesting that the SCDE might be a strong anti-inflammatory agent.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.197-201
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• 2010

We sequenced the whole mitochondrial genome of Dendronephthya gigantea (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Nephteidae), the first mitochondrial genome sequence report in the Family Nephtheidae. The mitochondrial genome of D. gigantea was 18,842 bp in length, and contained 14 protein coding genes (atp6 and 8, cox1-3, cytb, nd1-6 and 4L, and msh1), two ribosomal RNAs, and only one transfer RNA. The gene content and gene order is identical to other octocorals sequenced to date. The portion of the noncoding regions is slightly larger than the other octocorals (5.08% compared to average 3.98%). We expect that the information of gene content, gene order, codon usage, noncoding region and protein coding gene sequence could be used in the further analysis of anthozoan phylogeny.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2000

The genus Dendronephthya, generally known as soft corals, is reported as an abundant and variable taxon. They mostly distribute in warmer waters of the Undo-Pacific Ocean region including Korea. In spite of their abundance and ecological importance as habitats of marine organisms, there are difficulties in the study of their identification and systematics because they have morphological variabilities and limited taxonomec characters. To resolve the problems, we attempted to elucidate the genetic relationships in the genus Dendronephthya by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. This study was based on eight dendronephthian species and one Alcyoniidae species, Alcyonium gracillimum, as an outgroup. The results from all analysis suggest that they could be classified into four groups by the growth form and the anthocodial grades as follows: the first one,D. putteri and D. suensoni with the divaricate form and VI grade; the second one,D. sp.1 and D. sp.2 with the divaricate form and III or IV grade; the third one, D. gigantea and D. aurea being closer than D. spinifera with the glomerate form and III grade; the last one, D. castanea related to D. gigantea rather than D. putteri with the umbellate form and IV grade. Moreover, the divaricate form was separated from the group of the glomerate and umbellate form. At the intraspecies level, the types of the D. castanea, D. gigantea and D. spinifera were separated depending on the feature of spicules in the polyp head, and the coloration could not influence genetic variation. From this study, we can confirm that their morphological characters are compatible with the genetic variation, also RAPD analysis is a very useful method for resolving the systematic relationships of den-deonephthians.

• 한국해양학회지:바다
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.342-347
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• 2008

큰수지맨드라미의 사망률과 성장률에 관한 연구를 제주도 문섬에서 2003년 2월부터 2004년 10월까지 진행하였다. 수심 15 m에 서식하는 큰수지맨드라미 48개체를 형광 플래깅 테이프로 표시했으며, 이들을 1년 6개월 동안 약2개월 간격으로 모니터링 하였다. 연구기간동안 2개월 단위의 평균 사망률은 50.4%로 나타났으며, 여름 태풍 발생시점인 2003년 8-10월에는 84.6%로 최대치를 나타내었다. 개체크기에 따른 사망률 양상에서는 등급 I(${\leq}$10 cm) 개체들의 사망률이 등급 II(10 cm-20 cm)와 등급 III(>20 cm)보다 높게 나타났다. 각 계절에 따른 성장률의 차이가 뚜렷하게 나타나지는 않았으나 가을-겨울시기의 길이 성장률이 다른 시기보다 상대적으로 높게 나타났다. 전체 조사기간 동안의 평균 길이성장률은 2개월 동안 3 cm씩 성장하는 것으로 확인 되었으며, 2003년 8-10월에는 6.4 cm로 최대치를 보였다. 한편 직경의 성장은 2개월 동안 평균 0.3 cm가 증가하였으며, 2004년 4-6월에 1.4 cm로 최대치를 나타내었다. 제주도의 큰수지맨드라미 개체군은 매년 여름 태풍에 큰 영향을 받아 높은 사망률을 보이지만, 이후 어린개체들의 높은 가입률과 빠른 성장을 통하여 개체군을 유지하는 것으로 연구되었다.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.135-144
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• 2012

$Dendronephthya$ $castanea$ Utinomi, 1952 is a member of the family Nephtheidae, and dominates shallow waters adjacent to the southern part of Jejudo Island, Korea. This species is a gonochoric internal brooder with a sex ratio of 1:1, and releases planulae around the time of the full and new moon from July to September, when the seawater temperature peaks. The gametogenic cycle is annual, and oogenesis (12 months) is longer than spermatogenesis (4-5 months). No difference in reproductive features including sexuality, sex ratio, gametogenesis and gametogenic cycles was found between the sympatric species $D.$ $castanea$ and $D.$ $gigantea$, and there was no temporal reproductive isolation. Investigation of the morphological taxonomy and molecular biology of these species indicates that they have very similar or identical traits, suggesting an absence of speciation and a need for taxonomic reclassification.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.319-324
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• 2000

Species boundaries among the Alcyonacean soft coral, the genus Dendronephthya, are often obscured by inter- and intraspecific morphological variations. In the present study, we attempted to infer the genetic relationships of eight dendronephthians based on their molecular characters, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA, and then compared this result together with the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data from our previous investigation. Dendronephthya. putteri and D. suensoni formed a divaricate form - VI grade specific clade, whereas D. castanea, D. gigantea, D. aurea and D. spinifera, formed a umbellate and glomerate form - IV and III grade specific clade. Therefore, we confirmed that the main characters the growth form and the anthocodial grade and formula, are important in identification of the species in dendronephthians despite some problems. Also, the relationships of the growth form are clarified as the glomerate form is much closer to the umbellate form than to the divaricate form based on two sets of independent molecular data. However, we cannot determine the molecular markers which limit the species boundaries among this genus with ITS sequences.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제21권9호
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• pp.21.1-21.8
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• 2018

In the present study, we first evaluated the melanin inhibitory effect of four crude 70% ethanol extracts separated from soft corals abundantly growing along the seawaters of Jeju Island, South Korea, including Dendronephthya castanea (DC), Dendronephthya gigantea (DG), Dendronephthya puetteri (DP), and Dendronephthya spinulosa (DS). Among the four ethanol extracts, the ethanol extract of DP (DPE) did not possess any cytotoxic effect on B16F10 cells. However, all other three extracts showed a cytotoxic effect. Also, DPE reduced the melanin content and the cellular tyrosinase activity without cytotoxicity, compared to the ${\alpha}-MSH$-stimulated B16F10 cells. Specifically, DPE downregulated the expression levels of tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor by activating the ERK signaling cascade in ${\alpha}-MSH$-stimulated B16F10 cells. Interestingly, the melanin inhibitory effect of DPE was abolished by the co-treatment of PD98059, an ERK inhibitor. According to these results, we suggest that DPE has whitening capacity with the melanin inhibitory effects by activating ERK signaling and could be used as a potential natural melanin inhibitor for cosmeceutical products.

• 한국패류학회지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.215-228
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• 2008

제주도 문섬 주변해역에서 2007년 6월부터 12월까지 해양환경특성 및 저서 무척추동물의 군집구조를 파악하기 위해 조사 하였다. 평균 수온과 염분은 각각 $19.6^{\circ}C$, 34.03 psu로써 비교적 안정된 수괴를 형성하고 있었다. DO는 6.42-8.14 mg/L(평균 7.37 mg/L), COD는 0.27-0.64 mg/L(평균 0.44 mg/L), SPM은 1.98-6.86 mg/L(평균 3.07 mg/L)의 범위를 나타내어 환경기준 중 해역환경 I 등급 이내의 양호한 환경을 나타냈다. 식물플랑크톤 chlorophyll a량의 분포는 0.40-1.09 mg/L(평균 0.69 mg/L)의 범위로써 6월에 비해 12월에 높게 나타났다. 영양염류의 평균 농도는 DTN의 경우 0.073-0.264 mg/L(평균 0.15 mg/L), DTP의 경우 0.004-0.011 mg/L(평균 0.01 mg/L), $SiO_2$의 경우 0.039-0.464 mg/L(평균 0.23 mg/L)의 범위로 육상 유입에 의해 문섬 주변에서의 농도 변화가 높게 나타났다. 조사기간 중 총 112 종의 저서동물이 채집되었는데, 연체동물이 40 종(36.0%)이였으며, 이 중 복족류가 19.8%로 가장 우점하였고, 자포동물은 33 종(28.8%), 해면동물은 13 종(11.7%), 절지동물은 8 종(7.2%)이 나타났고, 기타 동물은 17 종(15.3%)으로 조사되었다. 조사해역의 개체 밀도와 생물량은 각각 4,340 개체/$m^2$, $53,107.8\;gwwt/m^2$로 자포동물 중 산호충류가 개체수와 생체량에서 우점하였다. 주요 우점종은 Dendronephthya gigantea, Scleronephthya gracillimum, Anthoplexaura dimorpha, Dendronephthya castanea, Thecocarpus niger, Dendronephthya spinulosa, Dendronephthya putteri, Acabaria bicolor로 주로 산호충류에서 높은 우점율을 나타냈다. 계절별 출현양상의 경우 자포동물 및 연체동물의 하계에 개체수 및 생체량이 증가하다 동계로 갈수록 높아지는 경향을 보였다. 정점별 종다양도(H'), 균등도(E') 및 풍부도(R) 지수의 범위는 각각 2.715-3.413, 0.758-0.851, 5.202-8.720 로 M1에서 가장 낮았고, M2에서 높게 나타났다.