Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequently occurring malignant brain tumor in adults and is characterized by a high degree of vascularization. Glioblastoma cells communicate with their microenvironment and stimulate blood vessel formation to support tumor progression. It has previously been reported that isolinderalactone induces apoptosis in GBM cells and suppresses the growth of glioblastoma xenograft tumors in vivo. Furthermore, isolinderalactone has been shown to inhibit the hypoxia‑driven upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in U‑87 GBM cells and strongly reduce VEGF‑triggered angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, the direct angiogenic effect of GBM and the effect of isolinderalactone on tumor angiogenesis were investigated. Culture supernatants were obtained from U‑87 cells under normoxic or hypoxic conditions to provide normoxic conditioned medium (NCM) and hypoxic conditioned medium (HCM) respectively. The NCM and HCM were each used to treat to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), and their effects were observed using wounding migration and tube formation assays. HCM increased the migration and capillary‑like tube formation of HBMECs when compared with NCM, and treatment with isolinderalactone suppressed the HCM‑driven angiogenesis in vitro. Additionally, isolinderalactone decreased HCM‑triggered angiogenic sprouting in HBMECs in a 3D microfluidic device after the application of an HCM‑containing interstitial fluid flow. Furthermore, isolinderalactone strongly reduced HCM‑triggered angiogenesis in an in vivo Matrigel plug assay in mice. These findings provide evidence of angiogenesis inhibition by isolinderalactone, and demonstrate the anti-angiogenic effect of isolinderalactone against the direct angiogenic effect of GBM tumor cells.

Characteristics of Fish Community Structure before the Dam Operation in the Naeseong Stream, Korea Benthic fish;Dam;Fish community;Monitoring;Sand-bed stream; The Naeseong Stream as a tributary of Nakdong River has conserved the unique structure and function of a typical sand-bed stream ecosystem. However, it is expected to change the stream bed environments and then the fish fauna in the downstream of the dam after the operation of the Yeongju Dam from 2016. We collected fishes and investigated their habitat environments from 2014 to 2016 in the downstream of the Yeongju Dam under construction in order to monitor changes in habitat environment, fauna and community structure of fishes in the Naeseong Stream. The size of the bed materials increased immediately downstream of the Yeongju Dam under construction. Before the operation of the Yeongju Dam, Zacco platypus was dominated and Opsarichthys uncirostris amurensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Hemibarbus longirostris and Pseudogobio esocinus were sub-dominated according to the different sampling sites. Hemibarbus labeo, H. longirostris, Pseudogobio esocinus, Gobiobotia nakdongensis, Cobitis hankugensis and Leiocassis ussuriensis were found as a psammophilous fish specific to sand stream in the Naeseong Stream. At the downstream of the dam, the fish community was classified into a group of gravel-bed fishes such as Microphysogobio yaluensis, Coreoleuciscus splendidus and Coreoperca herzi and a group of sand-bed fishes such as Hemibarbus labeo, Cobitis hankugensis and Gobiobotia nakdongensis. These fish communities gradually tended to change from sand-bed fish community to gravel-bed fish community during the construction of the Yeongju Dam. Therefore, it is necessary to collect the baseline data for the stream ecosystem conservation in the sandy stream by continuously monitoring changes in the environment and fish in the downstream of the Youngju Dam.

The plant communities within reservoir drawdown zones are ecologically important as they provide a range of ecosystem services such as stabilizing the shoreline, improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity, and mitigating climate change. The aim of the study was therefore to identify the major environmental factors affecting these plant communities within the drawdown zone of the Soyangho Reservoir in South Korea, which experiences a monsoonal climate, and thereafter to (1) elucidate the plant species responses and (2) compare the soil seedbank composition along main environmental gradients. Two main environmental gradients affecting the plant community structure were identified within the drawdown zone; these were a vertical and longitudinal gradient. On the vertical dimension, a hydrological gradient of flood/exposure, the annual-dominated plant community near the water edge changed to a perennial-dominated community at the highest elevation. On the longitudinal dimension from the dam to the upstream, plant species composition changed from an upland forest-edge community to a lowland riverine community, and this was correlated with slope degree, soil particle size, and soil moisture content. Simultaneously, the composition of the soil seedbank was separated along the vertical gradient of the drawdown zone, with mainly annuals near the water edge and some perennials at higher elevations. The species composition similarity between the seedbank and extant vegetation was greater in the annual communities at low elevation than in the perennial communities at higher elevation. The structures of plant community and soil seedbank in the drawdown zone of a monsoonal riverine reservoir were changed first along the vertical and secondly along the longitudinal gradients. The soil seedbank could play an important role on the vegetation regeneration after the disturbances of flood/exposure in the drawdown zone. These results indicate that it is important to understand the vertical and longitudinal environmental gradients affecting shoreline plant community structure and the role of soil seedbanks on the rapid vegetation regeneration for conserving and restoring the drawdown zone of a monsoonal reservoir.

Bupleurum latissimum is a narrowly endemic and endangered plant, restricted to only two small populations on steep cliffs of a small island, Ulleung Island, inKorea. The genetic diversity and population differentiation in the two remnant populations of the species were investigated using RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) analysis. The Nei's gene diversities were 0.146 in the smaller population of 45 individuals, and 0.151 in the larger population of 61 individuals. The geneticvariation was not significantly different between these two populations. Genetic diversity within populations was not low considering the very small size of populations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed higher variation with in populations (65.9%) than genetic differentiation between them (34.1%). B. latissimum revealed higher population differentiation than other outbreeding species. The differentiation of the populations corresponded to low gene flow (N_em = 0.482). The cluster and principal coordination analyses provide strong support for high population differentiation, showing that all individuals of the two populations have built up population‐specific clusters. Although gene flow between the two populations ofß. latissimum was limited, they have preserved relatively high levels of genetic variation.