• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2000

연구목적: 포유류의 착상은 배아가 모체의 자궁벽에 매몰되는 현상으로 부착과 침투 과정을 거쳐 진행되며, 이 과정은 스테로이드 호르몬, 성장인자, 세포점착분자, 그리고 cytokine 등의 상호작용으로 이루어진다. 이 시기에 Interleukin-1 (IL-1)과 leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) 등이 발현되는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 실험에서는 이들의 발현이 착상과정에 어떠한 역할을 하는지 그 상관관계를 알아보고자 하였다. 재료 및 방법: 착상 전후의 배아와 자궁내막세포에서 LIF 유전자의 발현양상과 $IL-1{\beta}$와 IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra)를 처리한 LIF 유전자의 발현양상을 역전사중합효소연쇄반응 (RT-PCR)을 통해 비교하였다. 결과: 배아에서의 LIF 유전자 발현은 in vivo와 in vitro 모두에서 상실기와 포배기에 발현되었고, 자궁내막에서는 임신 1일과 4일째에 발현되었는데, 상실기보다는 포배기에, 그리고 임신 1일보다는 착상시기인 4일째의 자궁내막세포에서 발현양이 많은 것으로 나타났다. 자궁내막세포를 배양한 경우 LIF 유전자는 in vivo에서의 발현양상과 동일하게 임신 1일과 4일에 발현되었으며, 배양액에 $IL-1{\beta}$(500pgml)를 처리하였을 경우 LIF 유전자가 초기 임신 (1~5일) 중 발현되는 것으로 나타났다. 2-세포기 배아의 배양시에 $IL-1{\beta}$를 처리한 경우 8-세포기부터 LIF 유전자가 발현되었으며, 또한 IL-1ea(60 ng/ml)를 배양액에 첨가하였을 경우에는 임신1일째 자궁내막에서는 LIF 유전자가 발현되지 않은 반면, 임신 4일째의 자궁내막세포와 상실기, 포배기 배아 모두에서 LIF 유전자 발현이 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 결론: 이러한 결과는 착상 전후 배아와 자궁내막세포에서 IL-1에 의해 LIF 유전자 발현이 조절되며, 그 결과 착상에 영향을 줄 수 있다는 것을 의미한다. 또한 배아와 자궁내막세포에서 IL-1이 LIF 유전자 발현에 영향을 주는 것으로 보아 착상을 위해 IL-1과 LIF의 상호작용이 중요한 요인이라는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2003

Sperrnatogenesis, the process by which the male germ-line stem cells(GSCs; type A spermatogonia) divide and differentiate to produce the mature spermatozoa, occurs in the seminiferous tubules of the testis. The GSCs proliferate actively to produce two types of cells: other GSCs and differentiating spermatogonia. GSCs have unipotentcy, devoted solely to the generation of sperm. The function of GSCs has broad implications for development, disease, and evolution. Spermatogenesis is fundamental for propagation of species and the defects of this system can result in infertility or disease. The ability to identify, isolate, culture, and alter GSCs will allow powerful new approaches in animal transgenesis and human gene therapy relating to infertility. Until recently, research on stem cells in the testis has been limited because of technical difficulties in isolating and identifying these cell populations. Here, we were trying to find out optimal conditions for in vitro culture of GSCs for identifying and isolating GSCs. We collected mouse GSCs from 3-days old mouse by two-step enzyme digestion method. GSCs were plated and grown on mouse embryonic fibroblasts in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 15％ fatal bovine serum, 10 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 1％ non-essential amino acids, 1 ng/$m\ell$ bFGF, 10 $\mu$M forskolin, 1500 U/$m\ell$ human recombinant leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Over a period 3∼5 days, GSCs gave rise to large multicellular colonies resembling those of mouse pluripotent stem cells. After 5th passages, cells within the colonies continued to be alkaline phosphatase and Oct-4 positive and tested positive against a panel of two immunological markers(Integrin $\alpha$ 6 and Integrin $\beta$ 1) that have been recognized generally to characterize GSCs. SSEA-1, SSEA-3, and SSEA-4 also showed positive signals. Based on our data, these GSCs-derived cultures meet the criteria for GSCs itself and even other pluripotent stem cells. We reported here the establishment of in vitro cultures from mouse male GSCs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.1662-1667
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• 2011

Anthocyanins belong to a group of flavonoid compounds and are well known for their various health beneficial effects, which include antioxidative activities. Among them, the major anthocyanins isolated from seed coat of black soybean (Glycine max L.) were previously characterized as glycosides containing glucopyranose. Asthma is an allergic disease that is strongly associated with various immune cells, including basophils and mast cells. Eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells play important roles in allergic asthma through the release of inflammatory mediators such as asthma-specific T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokines and subsequent amplification of asthma symptoms via degranulation. Rat basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells are the most common in vitro models for evaluating allergic reactions. In this study, we examined the effects of anthocyanin from seed coat of black soybean on antigen-stimulated degranulation and Th2 cytokine production in RBL-2H3 cells. Cell degranulation was evaluated by measuring the release of ${\beta}$-hexosaminidase. ${\beta}$-Hexosaminidase release and Th2 cytokine production in RBL-2H3 cells was much higher upon stimulation with IgE-antigen complex than those in untreated control cells. Anthocyanins significantly suppressed IgE-antigen complex-induced degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells and inhibited IgE-antigen complex-mediated interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) production in RBL-2H3 cells. These findings suggest that anthocyanins from seed coat of black soybean effectively inhibit allergic reactions and may have beneficial effects against allergic asthma.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2002

Objective: In order to acquire the technique for the establishment of human embryonic stem cells (ESe) derived from the human frozen-thawed embryos produced in IVF-ET program, this study was performed to establish mouse ESC derived from the in vitro fertilized embryos. Materials and Methods: After Fl hybrid (C57BL female $\times$ CBA mael) female mice were superovulated with PMSG and hCG treatment, their oocytes were retrieved and inseminated, and the fertilized embryos were cultured for 96-120 hours until the expected stages of blastocysts were obtained. To isolate the inner cell mass (ICM), either the blastocysts were treated with immunosurgery, or the whole embryos were cultured for 4 days. Isolated ICMs were then cultured onto STO feeder cell layer, and the resultant ICM colonies were subcultured with trypsin-EDTA treatment. During the subculture process, ESC-like cell colonies were observed with phase contrast microscopy. To identify ESC in the subcultured ESC-like cell colonies, alkaline phosphatase activity and Oct-4 (octamer-binding transcription factor-4) expression were examined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively. To examine the spontaneous differentiation, ESC-like cell colonies were cultured without STO feeder cell layer and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Results: Seven ESC-like cell lines were established from ICMs isolated from the in vitro fertilized embryos. According to the developmental stage, the growth of ICMs isolated from the expanded blastocysts was significantly better than that of ICMs isolated from the hatched blastocysts (80.3% vs. 58.7%, p<0.05). ESC-like cell colonies were only obtained from ICMs of expanded blastocysts. However, the ICMs isolated from the embryos treated with immunosurgery were poorly grown and frequently differentiated during the culture process. The established ESC-like cell colonies were positively stained with alkaline phosphatase and expressed Oct-4, and their morphology resembled that observed in the previously reported mouse ESC. In addition, following the extended in vitro culture process, they maintained their expression of cell surface markers characteristic of the pluripotent stem cells such as alkaline phosphatase and Oct-4. When cultured without STO feeder cell layer and LIF, they were spontaneously differentiated into the various types of cells. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the establishment of mouse ESC can be successfully derived from the in vitro fertilized embryos. The established ESC-like cells expressed the cell surface markers characteristic of the pluripotent stem cells and spontaneously differentiated into the various types of cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2006

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether embryonic stem (ES) cells can be established from isolated blastomeres of mouse embryos. Methods: Blastomeres were separated from mouse (C57Bl/6J) 2- or 4-cell embryos. Isolated blastomeres or whole 4-cell embryos were co-cultured with mitosis-arrested STO feeder cells in DMEM supplemented with recombinant murine leukemia inhibitory factor and ES-qualified fetal bovine serum. After the tentative ES cell lines were maintained from isolated blastomeres or whole embryos, some of them were frozen and the others were sub-cultured continually. Characteristics of tentative ES cell lines as were evaluated for specific genes expressions with immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. Results: One ES cell line (3.0%) was established from isolated blastomere of 2-cell embryo and one cell line (4.0%) from isolated two blastomeres of 4-cell embryo. And five cell lines (16.7%) were established from whole 4-cell embryos. Both cell lines from isolated blastomere and whole embryo expressed mouse ES cell specific markers such as SSEA-1, Oct-4 and alkaline phosphatase. Marker genes of three germ layers were expressed from embryoid bodies of both cell lines. Conclusion: This study suggests that mouse ES cells could be established from isolated blastomeres, although the efficiency is lower than whole embryos. This animal model could be applied to establishment of autologous human ES cells from biopsied blastomeres of preimplantation embryos in human IVF-ET program.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on the derivation of mouse ES cells from isolated blastomeres. Two-cell stage mouse embryos were obtained from superovulated BDF1 female mice. Collected embryos were cultured to blastocyst stage in culture medium supplemented with 0, 1,000, 2,500 or 5,000 U/mL of LIF. Cultured blastocysts were examined by counting the number of cells in the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) using differential staining method. When 2-cell embryos were cultured with 2,500 U/ml of LIF, the cell numbers of ICM significantly increased in comparing with those of the control($21.0{\pm}4.0$ vs. $15.9{\pm}5.0$, P<0.01) and 1,000 U/mL of LIF-containing group ($21.0{\pm}4.0$ vs. $16.6{\pm}4.9$, P<0.05). We used an ES cell establishment medium with 20% Knockout Serum Replacement and 0.01 mg/mL ACTH instead of fetal bovine serum. Establishing efficacy of ES cell lines were the highest in 2,500 U/mL of LIF-containing group as 36.7% (11/30). This culture medium was applied to the culture of isolated blastomeres and to derivate ES cell lines. Three ES cell lines (21.4%) from isolated blastomeres of 2-cell stage embryos were established. In further experiments, we could establish one ES cell line (4.0%) from single blastomere of 4-cell stage embryo. The subcultured ES cells and their embryoid bodies were characterized by analyzing gene expression for undifferentiation and differentiation marker gene using immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. In conclusion, LIF supplementation in culture medium could increase the cell number in ICM of blastocysts and support derivation of ES cell lines from isolated blastomeres.