• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.385-391
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• 2006

Heterotrimeric GTP binding proteins (G proteins) mediate signals generated by neurotransmitters and hormones Among G proteins, Go is found in a large quantity in brain and growth cone membranes of neurons. In spite of its abundance in neurons, the role of Go is not fully understood. In our previous study, we identified promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) as an interacting partner of alpha subunit of Go ($Go{\alpha}$) and confirmed their interaction employing several biochemical assays. To date, it is reported that PLZF functioned as a cell growth suppressor and a transcription repressor. To determine effect of $Go{\alpha}$ and PLZF interaction on the cellular function of PLZF, we performed luciferase reporter gene assay and BrdU incorporation assay. Co-expression of $Go{\alpha}$ and PLZF synergistically increased the effect of PLZF alone. These results suggest that $Go{\alpha}$ may act as cellular activator of PLZF. This novel feature of Go may provide insights into understanding diverse role of Go-coupled receptor as well as its cellular actions.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.407-413
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• 2004

Heterotrimeric GTP binding proteins (G proteins) transduce signals of a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters. Go is one of the most abundant G proteins in the brain and classified as the Gi/Go family due to their sequence homology to Gi proteins. While the Gi proteins inhibit adenylyl cyclase and decrease the intracellular cAMP concentration, the functions of Go is not clearly understood despite their sequence homology to Gi. The promeylocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) is a DNA binding transcription factor and is expressed highly in central nervous system (CNS). Several studies reported that PLZF may be involved in regulation segmentation/differentiation during CNS development. Here, I report that the alpha subunit of Go (Go ) interacts with PLZF. The interaction between Goa and PLZF was verified by using GST pulldown assay and co-immunoprecipitation. Our findings indicate that Goa could modulate gene expression via interaction with PLZF during neuronal or brain development.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.468-476
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• 2016

PLZF-expressing invariant natural killer T cells and CD4 T cells are unique subsets of innate T cells. Both are selected via thymocyte-thymocyte interaction, and they contribute to the generation of activated/memory-like CD4 and CD8 T cells in the thymus via the production of IL-4. Here, we investigated whether $PLZF^+$ innate T cells also affect the development and function of $Foxp3^+$ regulatory CD4 T cells. Flow cytometry analysis of the thymus and spleen from both CIITA transgenic C57BL/6 and wild-type BALB/c mice, which have abundant $PLZF^+$ CD4 T cells and invariant natural killer T cells, respectively, revealed that $Foxp3^+$ T cells in these mice exhibited a $CD103^+$ activated/memorylike phenotype. The frequency of $CD103^+$ regulatory T cells was considerably decreased in $PLZF^+$ cell-deficient $CIITA^{Tg}Plzf^{lu/lu}$ and $BALB/c.CD1d^{-/-}$ mice as well as in an IL-4-deficient background, such as in $CIITA^{Tg}IL-4^{-/-}$ and $BALB/c.IL-4^{-/-}$ mice, indicating that the acquisition of an activated/ memory-like phenotype was dependent on $PLZF^+$ innate T cells and IL-4. Using fetal thymic organ culture, we further demonstrated that IL-4 in concert with TGF-${\beta}$ enhanced the acquisition of the activated/memory-like phenotype of regulatory T cells. In functional aspects, the activated/ memory-like phenotype of Treg cells was directly related to their suppressive function; regulatory T cells of $CIITA^{Tg}PIV^{-/-}$ mice more efficiently suppressed ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation compared with their counterparts from wild-type mice. All of these findings suggest that $PLZF^+$ innate T cells also augmented the generation of activated/memory-like regulation via IL-4 production.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.143-148
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• 2013

Spermatogenesis is initiated from spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) that has an ability of self-renewal and unipotency to generate differentiating germ cells. The objective of this study is to develop the simple method for derivation of SSCs using non-sorting of both spermatogonia and feeder cells. Simply uncapsulated mouse testes were treated with enzymes followed by surgical mincing, and single cells were cultured in stempro-$34^{TM}$ cell culture media at $37^{\circ}C$. After 5 days of culture, aciniform of SSC colony was observed, and showed a strong alkaline phosphatase activity. Molecular characterization of mouse SSCs showed that most of the mouse SSC markers such as integrin ${\alpha}6$ and ${\beta}1$, CD9 and Stra8. In addition, pluripotency embryonic stem cell (ESC) marker Oct4 were expressed, however Sox2 expression was lowered. Interestingly, expression of SSC markers such as Vasa, Dazl and PLZF were stronger than mouse ESC (mESC). This data suggest that generated mouse SSCs (mSSCs) in this study has at least similar biomarkers expression to mESC and mSSCs derived from other study. Immunocytochemistry using whole mSSC colony also confirmed that mSSCs generated from this study expressed SSC specific biomarkers such as c-kit, Thy1, Vasa and Dazl. In conclusion, mSSCs from 5 days old mouse testes were successfully established without sorting of spermatogonia, and this cells expressed both mESC and SSC specific biomarkers. This simple derivation method for mSSCs may facilitate the study of spermatogenesis.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.75-81
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• 2018

Objective: Recapitulation of the spermatogenesis process in vitro is a tool for studying the biology of germ cells, and may lead to promising therapeutic strategies in the future. In this study, we attempted to transdifferentiate Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) into male germ cells using all-trans retinoic acid and Sertoli cell-conditioned medium. Methods: Human WJ-MSCs were propagated by the explant culture method, and cells at the second passage were induced with differentiation medium containing all-trans retinoic acid for 2 weeks. Putative germ cells were cultured with Sertoli cell-conditioned medium at $36^{\circ}C$ for 3 more weeks. Results: The gene expression profile was consistent with the stage-specific development of germ cells. The expression of Oct4 and Plzf (early germ cell markers) was diminished, while Stra8 (a premeiotic marker), Scp3 (a meiotic marker), and Acr and Prm1 (postmeiotic markers) were upregulated during the induction period. In morphological studies, approximately 5% of the cells were secondary spermatocytes that had completed two stages of acrosome formation (the Golgi phase and the cap phase). A few spermatid-like cells that had undergone the initial stage of tail formation were also noted. Conclusion: Human WJ-MSCs can be transdifferentiated into more advanced stages of germ cells by a simple two-step induction protocol using retinoic acid and Sertoli cell-conditioned medium.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.67-75
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• 2011

The faulty regulation of imprinting gene lead to the abnormal development of reconstructed embryo after nuclear transfer. However, the correlation between the imprinting status of donor cell and preimplantation stage of embryo development is not yet clear. In this study, to determine this correlation, we used the porcine spermatogonial stem cell (pSSC) and fetal fibroblast (pFF) as donor cells. As the results, the isolated cells with laminin matrix selection strongly expressed the GFR ${\alpha}$-1 and PLZF genes of SSCs specific markers. The pSSCs were maintained to 12 passages and positive for the pluripotent marker including OCT4, SSEA1 and NANOG. The methylation analysis of H19 DMR of pSSCs revealed that the zinc finger protein binding sites CTCF3 of H19 DMRs displayed an androgenic imprinting pattern (92.7%). Also, to investigate the reprogramming potential of pSSCs as donor cell, we compared the development rate and methylation status of H19 gene between the reconstructed embryos from pFF and pSSC. This result showed no significant differences of the development rate between the pFFs ($11.2{\pm}0.8%$) and SSCs ($13.3{\pm}1.1%$). However, interestingly, while the CTCF3 methylation status of pFF-NT blastocyst was decreased (36.3%), and the CTCF3 methylation status of pSSC-NT blastocyst was maintained. Therefore, this result suggested that the genomic imprinting status of pSSCs is more effective than that of normal somatic cells for the normal development because the maintenance of imprinting pattern is very important in early embryo stage.

• 한국동물생명공학회지
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.289-296
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• 2020

Spermatogonial stem cells are self-renewal and differentiate into sperm in post-pubertal mammals. There exists a balance between the self-renewal and differentiation in the testes. Spermatogonial stem cells make up only 0.03% of testicular cells in adult mice. These cells maintain sperm production by differentiating after puberty. Therefore, analyzing the expression of genes associated with spermatogenesis is critical for understanding differentiation. The present study aimed to establish the postnatal period of cells in relation to spermatogenesis. To study the expression of differentiated and undifferentiated marker genes in enriched spermatogonial stem cells, in vitro culture was performed and cells from pup (6-8-day-old) and adult (4-months-old) testicular tissues were isolated. As a result, undifferentiated genes, Pax7, Plzf, GFRa1, Etv5 and Bcl6b, were highly increased in cultured spermaotogonial stem cells compared with pup and adult testicular cells. On the other hands, differentiated gene, c-kit was highly increased in adult testicular cells, Also Stra8 gene was highly increased in pup and adult testicular cells. This study provides a better understanding of spermatogenesis-associated gene expression during postnatal periods.

• 현장농수산연구지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.5-13
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• 2020

생체 조직 내에서 표지인자의 발견은 해당 세포의 특성과 기능을 이해하는 데 매우 중요하다. 기존에 밝혀진 돼지 정원세포의 표지인자로는 PGP9.5, PLZF, NANOG, SSEA1 등의 단백질이 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 최근 새로이 발굴된 돼지 정원세포 표지인자인 IGFBPs 의 기능을 분석하기 위해 IGFBPs 의 발현과 이를 조절하는 단백질인 PAPP-A 단백질의 발현을 5일령 돼지 정소에서 확인하였다. IGFBP 2, 3, 4, 6 의 발현이 돼지 정원세포 특이적으로 높게 나타났으며 PAPP-A의 발현은 세르톨리세포 특이적으로 나타났다. PAPP-A 의 발현을 PGP9.5, GATA4 등의 표지 인자와 함께 확인해 본 결과 PGP9.5를 발현하는 정원세포에서는 발현하지 않았으며, 세정관 내의 세르톨리세포 특이적으로 발현하였다. 이러한 사실로 미루어 볼 때 세르톨리세포에서 발현하는 PAPP-A 단백질은 정원세포에서 발현하는 IGFBPs 의 조절을 통하여 알려진 바와 같이 IGF axis 를 통해 정소내 세포들의 발달 및 분화를 조절할 것으로 판단된다.