• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.595-600
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• 2011

Pax 6, a member of the paired box (Pax) family, has been implicated in oncogenesis. However, its therapeutic potential has been never examined in breast cancer. To explore the role of Pax6 in breast cancer development, a lentivirus based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) delivery system was used to knockdown Pax6 expression in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells. Effect of Pax6 silencing on breast cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis was analyzed. Pax6-RNAi-lentivirus infection remarkably downregulated the expression levels of Pax6 mRNA and protein in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Accordingly, the cell viability, DNA synthesis, and colony formation were strongly suppressed, and the tumorigenesis in xenograft nude mice was significantly inhibited. Moreover, tumor cells were arrested at G0/G1 phase after Pax6 was knocked down. Pax6 facilitates important regulatory roles in breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor progression, and could serve as a diagnostic marker for clinical investigation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.715-720
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• 2010

We propose an electroosmosis-based air delivery scheme for polymer electrolyte fuel cells and experimentally investigate its feasibility. An electroosmotic pump under a low-frequency AC electric field is used to displace initially a volume of pump working liquids. This working liquid is then pumped into a space enclosed by a flexible membrane and the movement of the membrane delivers air to a fuel cell. We successfully demonstrated the operation of a forced-convection fuel cell using this technique. In this preliminary study, however, the power consumption of the pump exceeds the power generated by the fuel cell. We conclude this paper with a discussion of several ways to reduce the pump-to-fuel cell power ratio.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.398-406
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• 2019

Cancer immunotherapy using gene-modified tumor cells is safe and customized cancer treatment method. In this study, we made gene-modified tumor cells by transferring costimulatory molecules, 4-1BBL and OX40L, into tumor cells using lentivirus vector, and identified anti-cancer effect of gene-modified tumor cells in CT26 mouse colorectal tumor model. We construct pLVX-puro-4-1BBL, -OX40L vector for lentivirus production and optimized the transfection efficiency and transduction efficiency. The transfection efficiency is maximal at DNA:cationic polymer = 1:0.5 and DNA 2 ㎍ for lentivirus production. Then, the lentiviral including 4-1BBL and OX40L was used to deliver CT26 mouse tumor cells to establish optimal delivery conditions according to the amount of virus. The transduction efficiency is maximal at 500 μL volume of lentiviral stock without change in cell shape or growth rate. CT26-4-1BBL, CT26-OX40L significantly inhibited the tumor growth compare with CT26-WT or CT26-β-gal cell line. These data showed the possibility the use of genetically modified tumor cells with costimulatory molecule as cancer immunotherapy agent.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2013

CTLA-4Ig is regarded as an inhibitory agent of the T cell proliferation via blocking the costimulatory signal which is essential for full T cell activation. To improve applicability, we developed the CTLA-4Ig-CTKC in which the c-terminal lysine had been replaced by cysteine through single amino acid change. The single amino acid mutation of c-terminus of CTLA-4Ig was performed by PCR and was checked by in vitro transcription and translation. DNA construct of mutant form was transfected to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by electroporation. The purified proteins were confirmed by Western blot and B7-1 binding assay for their binding ability. The suppressive capacity of CTLA-4Ig-CTKC was evaluated by the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and in the allogeneic pancreatic islet transplantation model. CTLA-4Ig-CTKC maintained binding ability to B7-1 molecule and effectively inhibits T cell proliferation in MLR. In the murine allogeneic pancreatic islet transplantation, short-term treatment of CTLA-4Ig-CTKC prolonged the graft survival over 100 days. CTLA-4Ig-CTKC effectively inhibits immune response both in MLR and in allogeneic islet transplantation model, indicating that single amino acid mutation does not affect the inhibitory function of CTLA-4Ig. CTLA-4Ig-CTKC can be used in vehicle-mediated drug delivery system such as liposome conjugation.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 2012

The Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) of fuel cell, are required to provide both delivery of reactant gases to the catalyst layer and removal of water in either vapor or liquid form in typical PEMFCs. In this study, the fabrication of GDL containing Micro Porous Layer (MPL) made of the slurry of PVDF mixed with carbon black is investigated in detail. Physical properties of GDL containing MPL, such as electrical resistance, gas permeability and microstructure were examined, and the performance of the cell using developed GDL with MPL was evaluated. The results show that MPL with PVDF binder demonstrated uniformly distributed microstructure without large cracks and pores, which resulted in better electrical conductivity. The fuel cell performance test demonstrates that the developed GDL with MPL has a great potential due to enhanced mass transport property due to its porous structure and small pore size.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2022

Cardiovascular disease, especially ischemic heart disease, is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Cardiac repair is one of the most promising strategies to address advanced cardiovascular diseases. Despite moderate improvement in heart function via stem cell therapy, there is no evidence of significant improvement in mortality and morbidity beyond standard therapy. The most salutary effect of stem cell therapy are attributed to the paracrine effects and the stem cell-derived exosomes are known as a major contributor. Hence, exosomes are emerging as a promising therapeutic agent and potent biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, they play a role as cellular cargo and facilitate intercellular communication. However, the clinical use of exosomes is hindered by the absence of a standard operating procedures for exosome isolation and characterization, problems related to yield, and heterogeneity. In addition, the successful clinical application of exosomes requires strategies to optimize cargo, improve targeted delivery, and reduce the elimination of exosomes. In this review, we discuss the basic concept of exosomes and stem cell-derived exosomes in cardiovascular disease, and introduce current efforts to overcome the limitations and maximize the benefit of exosomes including engineered biomimetic exosomes.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.127-133
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• 2007

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy and is a major cause of worldwide cancer mortality. The proto-oncogene c-myb plays an important role in regulation of cell growth and differentiation, and it is expressed at high levels in hematopoietic cells and many other types of cancers. However, the function of c-myb is not well known in OSCC. The present study aimed to reveal the function of c-myb and to test the alternation of cell growth and signaling by c-myb in OSCC. In this study, c-myb and dominant-negatibe myb(DNmyb) were expressed in an adenovirus-mediated gene delivery system to KB cells. The over-expressed c-myb brought increased cellular proliferation compared with control cells. However, DN-myb infected KB cells showed significant reduction of cell growth and enhanced induction of apoptosis to activate PARP and caspase 9. c-myb induced increase of IGF-I, -II and IGF-IR expressions while DN-myb down-regulated these expression. Activation of ERK and Akt/PKB pathway was shown only in c-myb transduced cells. These findings suggest that the role of c-myb in cell growth of oral cancer cells is partially mediated through the modulation of IGFs, ERK and Akt/PKB. From this results, DN-myb is strongly recommended as a curable gene for the treatment of c-myb dependent malignancies such as OSCC.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2019

Objective : Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very serious health problem, usually caused by a trauma and accompanied by elevated levels of inflammation indicators. Stem cell-based therapy is promising some valuable strategies for its functional recovery. Nestin-positive progenitor and/or stem cells (SC) isolated from pancreatic islets (PI) show mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) characteristics. For this reason, we aimed to analyze the effects of rat pancreatic islet derived stem cell (rPI-SC) delivery on functional recovery, as well as the levels of inflammation factors following SCI. Methods : rPI-SCs were isolated, cultured and their MSC characteristics were determined through flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analysis. The experimental rat population was divided into three groups : 1) laminectomy & trauma, 2) laminectomy & trauma & phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and 3) laminectomy+trauma+SCs. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) labelled rPI-SCs were transplanted into the injured rat spinal cord. Their motilities were evaluated with Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) Score. After 4-weeks, spinal cord sections were analyzed for GFP labeled SCs and stained for vimentin, $S100{\beta}$, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proinflammatory (interleukin [IL]-6, transforming growth factor $[TGF]-{\beta}$, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-2, myeloperoxidase [MPO]) and anti-inflammatory (IL-1 receptor antagonis) factors. Results : rPI-SCs were revealed to display MSC characteristics and express neural and glial cell markers including BDNF, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), fibronectin, microtubule associated protein-2a,b (MAP2a,b), ${\beta}3$-tubulin and nestin as well as anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E2 receptor, EP3. The BBB scores showed significant motor recovery in group 3. GFP-labelled cells were localized on the injury site. In addition, decreased proinflammatory factor levels and increased intensity of anti-inflammatory factors were determined. Conclusion : Transplantation of PI-SCs might be an effective strategy to improve functional recovery following spinal cord trauma.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Objective: Estrogen related receptor ${\beta}$ (Esrrb) is a member of the orphan nuclear receptors and may regulate the expression of pluripotencyrelated genes, such as Oct4 and Nanog. Therefore, in the present study, we have developed a method for delivering exogenous ESRRB recombinant protein into embryos by using cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) conjugation and have analyzed their effect on embryonic development. Methods: Mouse oocytes and embryos were obtained from superovulated mice. The expression of Oct4 mRNA and the cell number of inner cell mass (ICM) in the in vitro-derived and in vivo-derived blastocysts were first analyzed by real time-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and differential staining. Then 8-cell embryos were cultured in KSOM media with or without $2{\mu}g/mL$ CPP-ESRRB protein for 24 to 48 hours, followed by checking their integration into embryos during in vitro culture by Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Results: Expression of Oct4 and the cell number of ICM were lower in the in vitro-derived blastocysts than in the in vivo-derived ones (p<0.05). In the blastocysts derived from the CPP-ESRRB-treated group, expression of Oct4 was greater than in the non-treated groups (p<0.05). Although no difference in embryonic development was observed between the treated and non-treated groups, the cell number of ICM was greater in the CPP-ESRRB-treated group. Conclusion: Treatment of CPP-ESRRB during cultivation could increase embryos' expression of Oct4 and the formation rate of the ICM in the blastocyst. Additionally, an exogenous delivery system of CPP-conjugated protein would be a useful tool for improving embryo culture systems.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.381-391
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• 1999

During the last 20 years, transgenic animal technology has provided revolutionary new opportunities in many aspects of agriculture and biotechnology. Several gene delivery systems including pronuclear injection, retroviral vectors, sperm vectors, and somatic cell cloning have developed for making transgenic animals. In the future major improvements in transgenic animal generation will be mainly covered by somatic cell cloning technology. Many factors affecting integration frequency and expression of the transgenes should be overcome to facilitate the industrial applications of transgenic technology. Transgenic animal technology has settled down in some areas of the biotechnology, especially the mass production of valuable human proteins and xenotransplantation. In the 21st century animal biotechnology will further contribute to welfare of human being.