• BMB Reports
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.426-431
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• 2006

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), representing a population of undifferentiated pluripotent cells with both self-renewal and multilineage differentiation characteristics, are capable of spontaneous differentiation into cardiomyocytes. The present study sought to define the kinetic characterization of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) of ESC- and neonatal-derived cardiomyocytes. Spontaneously differentiated cardiomyocytes from embryoid bodies (EBs) derived from mouse ESC line (Royan B1) and neonatal cardiomyocytes were dispersed in a buffer solution. Enzymes were extracted by sonication and centrifugation for kinetic evaluation of LDH and CK with spectrophotometric methods. While a comparison between the kinetic properties of the LDH and CK of both groups revealed not only different Michaelis constants and optimum temperatures for LDH but also different Michaelis constants and optimum pH for CK, the pH profile of LDH and optimum temperature of CK were similar. In defining some kinetic properties of cardiac metabolic enzymes of ESC-derived cardiomyocytes, our results are expected to further facilitate the use of ESCs as an experimental model.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

Fungal biotechnology has been well established in food and healthcare sector, and now being explored for lignocellulosic biorefinery due to their great potential to produce a wide array of extracellular enzymes for nutrient recycling. Due to global warming, environmental pollution, green house gases emission and depleting fossil fuel, fungal enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass refinery become a major focus for utilizing renewal bioresources. Proteomic technologies tender better biological understanding and exposition of cellular mechanism of cell or microbes under particular physiological condition and are very useful in characterizing fungal secretome. Hence, in addition to traditional colorimetric enzyme assay, mass-spectrometry-based quantification methods for profiling lignocellulolytic enzymes have gained increasing popularity over the past five years. Majority of these methods include two dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry, differential stable isotope labeling and label free quantitation. Therefore, in this review, we reviewed more commonly used different proteomic techniques for profiling fungal secretome with a major focus on two dimensional gel electrophoresis, liquid chromatography-based quantitative mass spectrometry for global protein identification and quantification. We also discussed weaknesses and strengths of these methodologies for comprehensive identification and quantification of extracellular proteome.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.155-162
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 낙타유를 유효성분으로 하여 리포좀을 제조하였고, 이를 이용하여 항노화 효능을 갖는 화장품 원료를 개발하고자 다양한 실험을 실시하였다. 제조된 낙타유 리포좀은 피부 섬유아세포에서 collagen과 hyaluronan synthase-3 (HAS-3)의 발현을 증가시키고 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1의 발현을 감소시킬 뿐 아니라 elastase의 활성을 억제하여 주름 개선 기능을 갖는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 자외선으로부터 손상된 세포를 재생시키는 효과를 확인하였다. 이에 따라 낙타유를 함유한 리포좀은 항노화 소재로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제48권8호
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• pp.431-437
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• 2015

Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in cell fate determination, cellular development, cellular self-renewal, tumor progression, and has been linked to developmental disorders and carcinogenesis. Notch1 is activated through interactions with the ligands of neighboring cells, and acts as a transcriptional activator in the nucleus. The Notch1 intracellular domain (Notch1-IC) regulates the expression of target genes related to tumor development and progression. The Notch1 protein undergoes modification after translation by posttranslational modification enzymes. Phosphorylation modification is critical for enzymatic activation, complex formation, degradation, and subcellular localization. According to the nuclear cycle, Notch1-IC is degraded by E3 ligase, FBW7 in the nucleus via phosphorylation-dependent degradation. Here, we summarize the Notch signaling pathway, and resolve to understand the role of phosphorylation in the regulation of Notch signaling as well as to understand its relation to cancer. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(8): 431-437]

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권8호
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• pp.1490-1503
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• 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is the representative chemotherapy drug for colorectal cancer, it has therapeutic limits due to its chemoresistant characteristics. Colorectal cancer cells can develop into cancer stem cells (CSCs) with self-renewal potential, thereby causing malignant tumors. The human gastrointestinal tract contains a complex gut microbiota that is essential for the host's homeostasis. Recently, many studies have reported correlations between gut flora and the onset, progression, and treatment of CRC. The present study confirms that the most representative symbiotic bacteria in humans, Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) supernatant (SN), selectively inhibit the characteristics of 5-FU-resistant colorectal cancer cells (HT-29 and HCT-116). LP SN inhibited the expression of the specific markers CD44, 133, 166, and ALDH1 of CSCs. The combination therapy of LP SN and 5-FU inhibited the survival of CRCs and led to cell death by inducing caspase-3 activity. The combination therapy of LP SN and 5-FU induced an anticancer mechanism by inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling of chemoresistant CRC cells, and reducing the formation and size of colonospheres. In conclusion, our results show that LP SN can enhance the therapeutic effect of 5-FU for colon cancer, and reduce colorectal cancer stem-like cells by reversing the development of resistance to anticancer drugs. This implies that probiotic substances may be useful therapeutic alternatives as biotherapeutics for chemoresistant CRC.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.159-169
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• 2019

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in breast cancer cells have self-renewal ability and differentiation potential. They are also resistant to drugs after chemotherapy. To overcome this resistance, we designed negatively charged 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG)-based liposomes for drug delivery. These liposomes have enhanced the therapeutic effects of a range of antitumor therapies by increasing the cellular uptake and improving drug delivery to targets sites. In this study, we investigated whether DMPG-POPC liposomes, including the neutral lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholin (POPC), can specifically bind to MCF-7 breast cancer cells and increase cellular uptake compared with that by CHOL-POPC liposomes. We also estimated the cytotoxicity of DMPG-POPC liposomes encapsulated with both metformin (Met) and sodium salicylate (Sod) against breast cancer cells and BCSCs compared with that of the free drugs. Our results demonstrated that these dual drug-encapsulated liposomes significantly enhanced the cytotoxic and anti-colony formation abilities compared with individual drug-encapsulated liposomes or free drugs in BCSCs. Overall, our results suggest that DMPG-POPC liposomes containing two drugs (Met + Sod) show promise for synergistic anti-cancer therapy of breast cancer by increasing drug delivery efficiency into breast cancer cells and BCSCs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제29권10호
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• pp.1398-1406
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• 2016

In general, the seminiferous tubule basement membrane (STBM), comprising laminin, collagen IV, perlecan, and entactin, plays an important role in self-renewal and spermatogenesis of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in the testis. However, among the diverse extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins constituting the STBM, the mechanism by which each regulates SSC fate has yet to be revealed. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of various ECM proteins on the maintenance of the undifferentiated state of SSCs in pigs. First, an extracellular signaling-free culture system was optimized, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and transcriptional regulation of SSC-specific genes were analyzed in porcine SSCs (pSSCs) cultured for 1, 3, and 5 days on non-, laminin- and collagen IV-coated Petri dishes in the optimized culture system. The microenvironment consisting of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-supplemented mouse embryonic stem cell culture medium (mESCCM) (GDNF-mESCCM) demonstrated the highest efficiency in the maintenance of AP activity. Moreover, under the established extracellular signaling-free microenvironment, effective maintenance of AP activity and SSC-specific gene expression was detected in pSSCs experiencing laminin-derived signaling. From these results, we believe that laminin can serve as an extracellular niche factor required for the in vitro maintenance of undifferentiated pSSCs in the establishment of the pSSC culture system.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권8호
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• pp.476-485
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• 2023

Gastric cancer stem-like cells (GCSCs) possess stem cell properties, such as self-renewal and tumorigenicity, which are known to induce high chemoresistance and metastasis. These characteristics of GCSCs are further enhanced by autophagy, worsening the prognosis of patients. Currently, the mechanisms involved in the induction of stemness in GCSCs during autophagy remain unclear. In this study, we compared the cellular responses of GCSCs with those of gastric cancer intestinal cells (GCICs) whose stemness is not induced by autophagy. In response to glucose starvation, the levels of β-catenin and stemness-related genes were upregulated in GCSCs, while the levels of β-catenin declined in GCICs. The pattern of deubiquitinase ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L3 (UCH-L3) expression in GCSCs and GCICs was similar to that of β-catenin expression depending on glucose deprivation. We also observed that inhibition of UCH-L3 activity reduced β-catenin protein levels. The interaction between UCH-L3 and β-catenin proteins was confirmed, and it reduced the ubiquitination of β-catenin. Our results suggest that UCH-L3 induces the stabilization of β-catenin, which is required to promote stemness during autophagy activation. Also, UCH-L3 expression was regulated by c-Fos, and the levels of c-Fos increased in response to autophagy activation. In summary, our findings suggest that the inhibition of UCH-L3 during nutrient deprivation could suppress stress resistance of GCSCs and increase the survival rates of gastric cancer patients.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.508-517
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• 2023

In cancer patients, chemo/radio therapy may cause infertility by damaging the spermatogenesis affecting the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). In vitro differentiation of stem cells especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into germ cells has recently been proposed as a new strategy for infertility treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferation and differentiation of SSCs using their co-culture with Sertoli cells and conditioned medium (CM) from adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs). Testicular tissues were separated from 2-7 days old neonate Wistar Rats and after mechanical and enzymatic digestion, the SSCs and Sertoli cells were isolated and cultured in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 1X antibiotic, basic fibroblast growth factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. The cells were treated with the CM from AD-MSCs for 12 days and then the expression level of differentiation-related genes were measured. Also, the expression level of two major spermatogenic markers of DAZL and DDX4 was calculated. Scp3, Dazl, and Prm1 were significantly increased after treatment compared to the control group, whereas no significant difference was observed in Stra8 expression. The immunocytochemistry images showed that DAZL and DDX4 were positive in experimental group comparing with control. Also, western blotting revealed that both DAZL and DDX4 had higher expression in the treated group than the control group, however, no significant difference was observed. In this study, we concluded that the CM obtained from AD-MSCs can be considered as a suitable biological material to induce the differentiation in SSCs.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.468-475
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• 2022

줄기세포와 전구세포 사이의 기능 분석은 여러 조직 특히 혈액에서 잘 확립되어 있다. 특히 조혈줄기세포는 골수 니쉬에서 자가재생능 및 재구성능을 가지고 있으며, 골수 내 기질세포는 조직 기능 조절에 큰 영향을 미친다. 최근 연구에서는 포유동물 줄기세포의 기능은 니쉬 세포 내에서 실험적으로 처음 증명되었고, 특히 미세환경에 의해 종양발생이 가능하다는 증거를 나타내고 있다. 고대에서부터 뼈와 피의 관계는 생체 내 필수불가결인 관계로 진화 과정을 거쳐 포유류의 줄기세포에 대해 최초로 제안되었고, 실험적으로 증명된 니쉬세포를 포함한 미세환경과의 복잡한 상호 관계를 규명하였다. 여러 골수 기질세포는 조혈줄기세포의 기능 조절을 하며, 일부의 기능장애는 골수 이형성 및 백혈병을 유발할 수 있다. 현재까지 여러 기질세포에 대한 맵핑이 되지 않아 현재 많은 연구자들이 단일 분자 수준에서 개개의 기질세포 유형을 파악하는 데이터가 필요하다고 주장하고 있으며 이를 바탕으로 골수 내 조혈줄기세포의 특정 기능을 파악할 수 있다고 볼 수 있다. 따라서 본 총설을 통해 조혈줄기세포 및 미세환경에 대한 이전 연구들의 흥미로운 문제를 논의하고, 조혈줄기세포와 골수 니쉬에 대한 현재 및 새로운 개념을 요약하고자 한다.