• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2002

Oval cell is considered as facultative precursor cells for both hepatocytes and biliary cells, as well as origin of hepatocellar and cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC) during carcinogenesis or toxic liver injury. To clarify the cellular origin or differentiation of cholagiocarcinogensis, the fate of carcinogen-induced oval cells was pathologically and phenotypically chased in Syrian golden hamster liver after Clonorchis sinensis (CS) infection which would give rise to a promoting effect. Two week treatment of hamsters with 0.005% diethylnitrosamine (DEN) followed by 2 week treatment of 1% 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) under choline deficient diet resulted in massive proliferation of BrdU labeleed and PCNA positive oval cells showing various distinct morphology, histochemical and immunohistochemical phenotypes for GGT, cytokeratin 19 and OV-6. Oval cells also frequently form ductular-like structures or phenotypically show hepatocyte-like characteristics. After CS infection, the oval cells showed sequential morphological changes to atypicl proliferating bile ductules and all hamsters thereafter developed well differentiated and anaplastic CCC at 16 week after CS infection. In electron microscopy, some bile ductules were constructed by intermediate oval cells and bile ductular cells surrounded by basement membrane. The results of this study strongly suggest that CCC developed in the present study were originated from hepatic stem-like oval cells, supporting the theory of stem cell origin of cancers. In addition, this hamster model would be valuable for the molecular mechanistic study during chemical-triggered cholangiocarcinogenesis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.463-472
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• 2020

Direct reprogramming, also known as a trans-differentiation, is a technique to allow mature cells to be converted into other types of cells without inducing a pluripotent stage. It has been suggested as a major strategy to acquire the desired type of cells in cell-based therapies to repair damaged tissues. Studies related to switching the fate of cells through epigenetic modification have been progressing and they can bypass safety issues raised by the virus-based transfection methods. In this study, a protocol was established to directly convert fully differentiated fibroblasts into diverse mesenchymal-lineage cells, such as osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and ectodermal cells, including neurons, by means of DNA demethylation, immediately followed by culturing in various differentiating media. First, 24 h exposure of 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CN), a well-characterized DNA methyl transferase inhibitor, to NIH-3T3 murine fibroblast cells induced the expression of stem-cell markers, that is, increasing cell plasticity. Next, 5-aza-CN treated fibroblasts were cultured in osteogenic, adipogenic, chondrogenic, and neurogenic media with or without bone morphogenetic protein 2 for a designated period. Differentiation of each desired type of cell was verified by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction/western blot assays for appropriate marker expression and by various staining methods, such as alkaline phosphatase/alizarin red S/oil red O/alcian blue. These proposed procedures allowed easier acquisition of the desired cells without any transgenic modification, using direct reprogramming technology, and thus may help make it more available in the clinical fields of regenerative medicine.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.441-450
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• 2023

β-Catenin (Ctnnb1) has been shown to play critical roles in the development and maintenance of epithelial cells, including the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Ctnnb1 is not only a component of intercellular junctions in the epithelium, it also functions as a transcriptional regulator in the Wnt signaling pathway. To identify which of its functional modalities is critically involved in mouse RPE development and maintenance, we varied Ctnnb1 gene content and activity in mouse RPE lineage cells and tested their impacts on mouse eye development. We found that a Ctnnb1 double mutant (Ctnnb1^dm), which exhibits impaired transcriptional activity, could not replace Ctnnb1 in the RPE, whereas Ctnnb1^Y654E, which has reduced affinity for the junctions, could do so. Expression of the constitutively active Ctnnb1^∆ex3 mutant also suppressed the development of RPE, instead facilitating a ciliary cell fate. However, the post-mitotic or mature RPE was insensitive to the loss, inactivation, or constitutive activation of Ctnnb1. Collectively, our results suggest that Ctnnb1 should be maintained within an optimal range to specify RPE through transcriptional regulation of Wnt target genes in the optic neuroepithelium.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.293-303
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: The physiological oxygen tension in fetal brains (~3%, physioxia) is beneficial for the maintenance of neural stem cells (NSCs). Sensitivity to oxygen varies between NSCs from different fetal brain regions, with midbrain NSCs showing selective susceptibility. Data on Hif-1𝛼/Notch regulatory interactions as well as our observations that Hif-1𝛼 and oxygen affect midbrain NSCs survival and proliferation prompted our investigations on involvement of Notch signalling in physioxia-dependent midbrain NSCs performance. Methods and Results: Here we found that physioxia (3% O₂) compared to normoxia (21% O₂) increased proliferation, maintained stemness by suppression of spontaneous differentiation and supported cell cycle progression. Microarray and qRT-PCR analyses identified significant changes of Notch related genes in midbrain NSCs after long-term (13 days), but not after short-term physioxia (48 hours). Consistently, inhibition of Notch signalling with DAPT increased, but its stimulation with Dll4 decreased spontaneous differentiation into neurons solely under normoxic but not under physioxic conditions. Conclusions: Notch signalling does not influence the fate decision of midbrain NSCs cultured in vitro in physioxia, where other factors like Hif-1𝛼 might be involved. Our findings on how physioxia effects in midbrain NSCs are transduced by alternative signalling might, at least in part, explain their selective susceptibility to oxygen.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.705-712
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• 2014

The early steps of neural development in the vertebrate embryo are regulated by sets of transcription factors that control the induction of proliferative, pluripotent neural precursors, the expansion of neural plate stem cells, and their transition to differentiating neural progenitors. These early events are critical for producing a pool of multipotent cells capable of giving rise to the multitude of neurons and glia that form the central nervous system. In this review we summarize findings from gain- and loss-of-function studies in embryos that detail the gene regulatory network responsible for these early events. We discuss whether this information is likely to be similar in mammalian embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells that are cultured according to protocols designed to produce neurons. The similarities and differences between the embryo and stem cells may provide important guidance to stem cell protocols designed to create immature neural cells for therapeutic uses.

• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.30-30
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• 2003

The present study examined the developmental ability of embryonic stem (ES) cells aggregated with mouse parthenogenetic embryos. Oocytes obtained from superovulated female mouse (BCF1) were treated with 7% ethanol and 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ cytochalasin B (CB) for producing pathenotes and in vitro fertilized with fresh sperm for producing normal embryos. The reporter vector (pNeoEGFP) were inserted into ES cells (129S4/svJae) by electroporation. At the 8-cell stage, in vitro fertilized embryos and pathenotes, which the zona pellucida was removed, were co-cultured with 5~10 ES cells for 4 hr. After in vitro fertilized embryos and parthenotes aggregated with ES cells were incubated to blastocyst stage, and these blastocysts transferred into the uterus of pseudopregnant recipients. The fertilized embryos aggregated with ES cells were successfully developed to offspring, but the parthenotes aggregated with ES cells failed to develop offsprings. However, genomic DNA of ES cells was detected in the pathenogenetic fetus by polymerase chain reactions at 15 day post gestation. In this study, results indicated that parthenotes aggregated with ES cells showed possible development to fetus. In the future, this method may help to produce transgenic chimera from parthenotes aggregated with ES cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.515-522
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• 2015

Notch signaling is a key regulator of neuronal fate during embryonic development, but its function in the adult brain is still largely unknown. Mind bomb-2 (Mib2) is an essential positive regulator of the Notch pathway, which acts in the Notch signal-sending cells. Therefore, genetic deletion of Mib2 in the mouse brain might help understand Notch signaling-mediated cell-cell interactions between neurons and their physiological function. Here we show that deletion of Mib2 in the mouse brain results in impaired hippocampal spatial memory and contextual fear memory. Accordingly, we found impaired hippocampal synaptic plasticity in Mib2 knock-out (KO) mice; however, basal synaptic transmission did not change at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. Using western blot analysis, we found that the level of cleaved Notch1 was lower in Mib2 KO mice than in wild type (WT) littermates after mild foot shock. Taken together, these data suggest that Mib2 plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity and spatial memory through the Notch signaling pathway.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.836-839
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• 2019

A tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue that arises when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should. The cellular decision regarding whether to undergo division or death is made at the restriction (R)-point. Consistent with this, an increasingly large body of evidence indicates that deregulation of the R-point decision-making machinery accompanies the formation of most tumors. Although the R-point decision is literally a matter of life and death for the cell, and thus critical for the health of the organism, it remains unclear how a cell chooses its own fate. Recent work demonstrated that the R-point constitutes a novel oncogene surveillance mechanism operated by R-point-associated complexes of which RUNX3 and BRD2 are the core factors (Rpa-RX3 complexes). Here, we show that not only RUNX3 and BRD2, but also other members of the RUNX and BRD families (RUNX1, RUNX2, BRD3, and BRD4), are involved in R-point regulation.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 2018

Proteins play a key role in many functions such as metabolic activity, differentiation, as cargos and cell fate regulators. It is necessary to know about the markers involved in male fertility in order to develop remedies for the treatment of male infertility. But, the role of the proteins is not limited to particular function in the biological systems. Some of the proteins act as ion channels such as catsper and proteins like Nanos acts as a translational repressor in germ cells and expressed in prenatal period whose role in male fertility is uncertain. Rbm5 is a pre mRNA splicing factor necessary for sperm differentiation whose loss of function results deficit in sperm production. DEFB114 is a beta defensin family protein necessary for sperm motility in LPS challenged mice where as TEX 101 is a plasma membrane specific germ cell protein whose function is not clearly known u to now. Gpr56 is another adhesion protein whose null mutation leads to arrest of production of pups in rats. Amyloid precursor protein role in Alzheimer's disease is already known but it plays an important role in male fertility also but its function is uncertain and has to be considered while targeting APP during the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The study on amyloid precursor protein in male fertility is a novel thing but requires further study in correlation to alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.54 no.1_2
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

The dpp gene originated from the silkworms is an important gene that is well conserved in the genome of humans, cattle, rodents, poultry and Drosophila. The dpp gene belonging to the TGF-beta (Transforming Growth Factor-beta) superfamily is known to play an important role in several developmental stages. The $TGF-{\beta}$ gene family is a genetically well-conserved and playing an important role gene family in various species such as determining cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis and cell fate. In this review, we have confirmed the following studies data. The recent studies on the silkworm dpp gene have confirmed for the first time the biological functions such as promoting osteogenesis activity. In addition, previous data shows that dpp have developmental functions such as morphogenetic materials at the blastophyllum stage, induction of the mesoblast at the late embryonic stage and involved in the proliferation and morphogenesis of imaginal disc in adult development. We found the splice variant of the dpp gene originated from the wildtype silkworm by using comparative genomics. It has provided important data for basic research based on genetics studies of these processes may promote a better understanding of evolution. Silkworm is a medicinal insect and is approved for its safety. It is used as a natural antibiotic for promoting growth as a medical material, a health functional food, and a feed additive. Therefore, it is necessary to present various data to obtain more value of functional insect.