• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.53-59
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• 2016

Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Though the exact causes for epilepsy are unknown, genetic mutations, especially altered gene functions, have been implicated as key causative components of epilepsy. We recently identified a causing gene for the Miles-Carpenter syndrome (MCS). MCS patients have intellectual disability and epilepsy. MCS knockout (KO) zebrafish also show a seizure-like phenotype with hyperactivity of pectoral fin and jaw movement, resulting from loss of GABAergic interneurons. To evaluate MCS KO zebrafish as an epilepsy model, we tested the effects of retigabine, an anticonvulsant drug, on the movement of MCS KO zebrafish.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

In all female mammals, reproductive system is one of the first biological systems to show age-related decline. Female mammals in reproductive aging, though the phenomena is somewhat species-specific, start to show declining fertility and changes of numerous physiological functions. This review will present a current information on the aging of the female reproductive hormonal axis and introduce three useful rodent models for studying this field. Middle age($8{\sim}12$ months old) in female rats and mice is comparable to the stage prior to the entry of menopause in human. In this period pulsatile and surge GnRH secretion from hypothalamus gradually attenuated, then reduced pulsatile and surge LH secretion is followed consequently. This age-related defects in GnRH-LH neuroendocrine axis seem to be highly correlated with the defects in brain signals which modulate the activities of GnRH neuron. Many researchers support the idea which the age-related hypothalamic defects are the main cause of reproductive aging, but some ovarian factors such as inhibin response also could contribute to the induction of reproductive senescence. Some rodent models are quite valuable in studying the reproductive aging. The follitropin receptor knockout(FORKO) mice, both of null and haploinsufficient state, could produce depletion of oocyte/follicle with age. Dioxin/aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AhR) knockout mice also show severe ovarian defects and poor reproductive success early in their life compared to the age-matched normal mice. Further studies on the reproductive aging will be a great help to evaluate the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy(HRT) and to improve the safety of HRT.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.215-223
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• 2010

The construction of transgenic mouse using embryonic stem (ES) cells has been crucial in the functional studies of gene on mouse genome. Gene knockout mice have been powerful for elucidating the function of genes as well as a research model for human diseases. Gene targeting and gene trapping mathods have been the representative technologies for making the knockout mice by using ES cells. Since the gene targeting and the gene trapping methods were independently developed about 20 years ago, it's efficiency and productivity has been improved with a advance of molecular biology. Conventional gene targeting method has been changes to high throughput conditional gene targeting. The combination of the advantage of gene targeting and gene tapping elements allows to extend a spectrum of gene trapping and to improve the efficiency of gene targeting. These advance should be able to produce the mutant with various phenotype to target a certain gene, and in postgenome era they have served as crucial research tools in understanding the functional study of whole genome in mouse.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2005

The hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal hormone axis is centrally controlled by a complex regulatory network of excitatory and inhibitory signals, that is dormant during infantile and juvenile periods and activated at puberty. The kisspeptins are the peptide products of the KiSS-1 gene and the endogenous agonists for the G protein-coupled receptor 54(GPR54). Although KiSS-1 was initially discovered as a metastasis suppressor gene, a recent evidence suggests the KiSS-1/GPR54 system is a key regulator of the reproductive system. Yet the actual role of the KiSS-1/GPR54 system in the neuroendocrine control of gonadotropin secretion remains largely unexplored, the system could be the first missing link in the reproductive hormonal axis. Central or peripheral administration of kisspeptin stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, increasing circulating gonadotropin levels in rodents, sheep, monkey and human models. These effects appear likely to be mediated via the hypothalamic GnRH neuron system, although kisspeptins may have direct effects on the anterior pituitary gland. The loss of function mutations of the GPR54(GPR54-/-) have been associated with lack of puberty onset and idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(IHH). So kisspeptin infusion may provide a novel mechanism for HPG axis manipulation in disorders of the reproductive system.