• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2000

Most space-related life science programs are expensive and time-consuming, requiring international cooperation and resources with trans-disciplinary expertise. A comprehensive future program in "life sciences in space" needs, therefore, well-defined research goals and strategies as well as a sound ground-based program. The first half of this review will describe four key aspects such as the environment in space, previous accomplishments in space (primarily focusing on amphibian embryogenesis), available resources, and recent advances in bioinformatics and biotechnology, whose clear understanding is imperative for defining future directions. The second half of this review will focus on a broad range of interdisciplinary research opportunities currently supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and National Science Foundation (NSF). By listing numerous research topics such as alterations in a diffusion-limited metabolic process, bone loss and skeletal) muscle weakness of astronauts, behavioral and cognitive ability in space, life in extreme environment, etc., we will attempt to suggest future opportunities.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 1988

In order to investigate the role of nuclei and cytoplasm in early embryogenesis, interspecific nuclear transplantation was carried out Nuclei of one species of amphibian was transplanted into enucleated egg of another species. In interspecific hybrids between Rana species, development was arrested before or right after the dorsal lip formation. In intergenetic hybrids between Rana, Xenopus and axolod, developmental arrest took place at late blastula stage. Comparing the developmental capacity of each nudeocytoplasmic hybrid, the more distantly related the species, the earlier does development arrest. The general rule is that nuclear transfers between any amphibian species will form a regulary cleaved late blastula. Two plausible factors relate to limitation of tite developmental capacity of nudeocytaplasmic hybrids. One is an irreversible change in grafted nuclei and another is tunctional incompatibility between the recipient cytoplasm and transplanted nucleus. The later is postulated a more possible cause of the arrestrnent.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.248-260
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• 1987

In order to investigate the importance of the prospective mesodermal and endodermal blastomeres at 32-cell stage in the anis formation, blastomeres were deleted or transplanted into the ventrovegital site of another normal embryo. The results are as follows: When the dorsomesodermal or dorsoendodermal blastomeres were deleted, there was a substantial developmental lesion in the axis structure. However, when the ventromesodermal or ventroendodermal blastomeres were deleted, the formation of an axis structure was nearly normal. The dorsomesodermal or dorsoendodermal blastomeres which were transplanted into the ventral side of the normal 32-cell embryo caused the formation of a secondary body axis, and the capacity of the second axis induction in the dorsomesodermal blastomeres was a little higher than that in the dorsoendodermal blastomeres. These results imply that both the dorsomesodermal and dorsoendodermal blastomeres are involved in the formation of a set of dorsal body structures during early embryogenesis. As well, in order to investigate the axis inducing capacity in the early cleavage embryos, the dorsovegital blastomeres were transplanted into the ventrovegital site at 4-cell, 8-cell and 16-ceIL stage respectively. As a ruts·fIt, a second body axis was formed. Therefore, it seems that the early cleavage embryo as 4-cell stage dorsal blastomeres contain some informations necessary for the axis formation.