• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-319
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• 2013

A clear understanding on cell voltage-reversal behavior due to local hydrogen starvation in a stack is of paramount importance to operate the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) stably since it affects significantly the cell performance and durability. In the present study, a novel experimental method to simulate the local cell voltage-reversal behavior caused by local hydrogen starvation, which typically occurs only one or several cells out of several hundred cells in a stack of FCV, has been proposed. Contrary to the conventional method of overall fuel starvation, the present method of local hydrogen starvation caused the local cell voltage-reversal behavior in a stack very well. Degradation of both membrane electrode assembly (i.e., pin-hole formation) and gas diffusion layer due to an excessive exothermic heat under voltage-reversal condition was also observed clearly.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.493-498
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• 2015

The fuel cell vehicle is a type of hydrogen vehicle which uses a fuel cell to produce electricity, powering its on-board electric motor. The fuel cell vehicle driving principle is completely different from the internal combustion engine vehicle. In order to ensure the durable quality of the fuel cell vehicle, durability test mode considering the characteristics of the fuel cell must be developed. In this study, we derived the durability test mode profile through collecting and analyzing fuel cell vehicle driving data. Then, the accelerated durability test mode is developed by adding degradation conditions and is experimentally validated to have an acceleration factor of 5~6.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.54-61
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• 2023

Background: Germ cells undergo towards male or female pathways to produce spermatozoa or oocyte respectively which is essential for sexual reproduction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential of trans-differentiation to the multiple cell lineages. Methods: Herein, rat MSCs were isolated from bone marrow and characterized by their morphological features, expression of MSC surface markers, and in vitro differentiation capability. Results: Thereafter, we induced these cells only by retinoic acid supplementation in MSC medium and, could able to show that bone marrow derived MSCs are capable to trans-differentiate into male germ cell-like cells in vitro. We characterized these cells by morphological changes, the expressions of germ cell specific markers by immunophenotyping and molecular biology tools. Further, we quantified these differentiated cells. Conclusions: This study suggests that only Retinoic acid in culture medium could induce bone marrow MSCs to differentiate germ cell-like cells in vitro. This basic method of germ cell generation might be helpful in the prospective applications of this technology.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.84-91
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• 2000

Mycopasma contamination of tissue culture cells easily evades detection and, thus, represents a continous therat to cell biologists. In case where infected cell can not simply be replaced, attempts have to be made to eradicate mycoplacma from the tissue culture cells. A variety of anti-microbial agents have been shown to be toxic to mycoplasma strains ; however, cell associated mycoplasma are often protected from antibiotics at concentrations shown to be effective in vitro. Antibiotic concentrations high enough to be lethal to cell as sociated mycoplasmas frequently are also detrimentrations to the host cells, while moderately increased antibiotic levels tolerated by the host cells often lead to only temporary growth suppression and/or to the emergence of mycoplasma strains resistanct even to high concentrations of the antibiotis applied. Hare, a genetic approach for the elimination of mycoplasma from tissue culture cells that overcomes thens limitations is described. By expression of a selection marker conferring resistance to an otherwise toxic agent, Acholeplasma laidlawii infected BHK-21 cells used as the model system were enabled to temporarily tolerate antibiotic concentrations high enough to be lethal to cell associated mycopalsma while leaving the host cells unharmed. Upon successful mycoplasma eradicated, cultvation of the cured host cells in the absence of the selective agent yielded revertant cell clones that had regained susceptibillity to the toxic agent. Cressation of the selection marker expression was shown to result from the loss of the selection marker DNA, which is a consequence of the fact that the stable and permanent integration of foreign DNA in eucaryotic cell chrosomes is highly inefficient. Thus, the cells were cured from mycoplasma yet remained biochemically unaltered.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2005

Homeotic proteins have pivotal roles during the development of both plant and animals. Many homeotic proteins exert control over cell fate in cells where their genes are not expressed, i.e., in a non-cell autonomous manner. Cell-to-cell communication, which delivers critical information for position-dependent specification of cell fate, is an essential biological process in multicellular organisms. In plants, there are two pathways for intercellular communication that have been identified: the ligand/receptor-mediated apoplastic pathway and the plasmodesmata-mediated symplasmic pathway. Regulatory proteins and RNAs traffic symplasmically via plasmodesmata and play a critical role in intercellular communication. Thus, the non-cell autonomous function of homeotic proteins can be explained by the recent discovery of cell-to-cell trafficking of proteins or RNAs. This article specifically focuses on understanding the intercellular movement of homeodomain proteins, a family of homeotic proteins.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.32-35
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• 1996

Amoving aeration-membrane (MAM) bioreactor was employed for the production of 2$\mu$g/mL of tissue type Plasminogen Activator (tPA)in serum free medium from normal human fibroblast cells. This system could maintain high cell density for long periods of steady state conditions in perfusion cultivation. Under normal operating condition, shear stress was as low as 0.65 dynes/$\textrm{cm}^2$ at the agitation speed of 80 rpm. Even though cell density gradually decreased with increasing agitation speed, tPA production increased linearly with increasing shear stress within a moderate range. This culture system allowed production of 2$\mu$g tPA/mL while maintaining a high cell denisty of 1.0$\times$107 viable cell/mL.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2000

A high cell density culture system for the anchorage dependent CHO cells was developed based on the combination of in removal of ammonium ion and microcarrier culture system, and semi-fed-batch feeding of glucose and glutamine was employed to the developed culture system. The glass bead was selected as an optimum microcarrier in terms of cell growth. An ammonium ion selective zeolite, Phillipsite-Gismondine, was packed in a dialysis menium ion. The semi-fed-batch operation was employer to the novel culture system for the high density cell culture, and the results showed the cell growth was improved by 32% and tPA productivity by 250%.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2010

Asymmetric cell division is a fundamental mechanism for the generation of body axes and cell diversity during early embryogenesis in many organisms. During intrinsically asymmetric divisions, an axis of polarity is established within the cell and the division plane is oriented to ensure the differential segregation of developmental determinants to the daughter cells. Studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have contributed greatly to our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying cell polarity and asymmetric division. However, much remains to be elucidated about the molecular machinery controlling the spatiotemporal distribution of key components. In this review we discuss recent findings that reveal intricate interactions between translational control and targeted proteolysis. These two mechanisms of regulation serve to carefully modulate protein levels and reinforce asymmetries, or to eliminate proteins from certain cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6849-6853
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• 2014

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major impediment to successful chemotherapy of gastric cancer. Our aim was to establish an epirubicin-resistant cell subline (AGS/EPI) and to elucidate the mechanisms involved in acquired EPI resistance. The AGS/EPI cell subline developed by exposing parental AGS cells to stepwise increasing concentrations of EPI demonstrated 2.52-fold resistance relative to the AGS cell line, and mRNA expression of the ATP-dependent drug-efflux pump P-glycoprotein (Pgp), more recently known as ABCB1 protein, was similarly upregulated. An AGS/EPI cell subline could thus be effectively established, and MDR mechanism of these cells was shown to be related to the overexpression of mRNA of the ABCB1 gene.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.305-310
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• 2010

Syndecans, cell surface heparansulfate proteoglycans, have been proposed to act as cell surface receptors and/or coreceptors to play critical roles in multiple cellular functions. However, recent reports suggest that the function of syndecans can be further extended through shedding, a cleavage of extracellular domain. Shedding constitutes an additional level for controlling the function of syndecans, providing a means to attenuate and/or regulate amplitude and duration of syndecan signals by modulating the activity of syndecans as cell surface receptors. Whether these remaining cleavage products are still capable of functioning as cell surface receptors to efficiently transduce signals inside of cells is not clear. However, shedding transforms cell surface receptor syndecans into soluble forms, which, like growth factors, may act as novel ligands to induce cellular responses by association with other cell surface receptors. It is becoming interestingly evident that shed syndecans also contribute significantly to syndecan functions in cancer biology. This review presents current knowledge about syndecan shedding and its functional significance, particularly in the context of cancer.