• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.33-37
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• 2012

Differential capacity of the parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells (PESCs) is still under controversy and the mechanisms of its neural induction are yet poorly understood. Here we demonstrated neural lineage induction of PESCs by addition of insulin-like growth factor-2 (Igf2), which is an important factor for embryo organ development and a paternally expressed imprinting gene. Murine PESCs were aggregated to embryoid bodies (EBs) by suspension culture under the leukemia inhibitory factor-free condition for 4 days. To test the effect of exogenous Igf2, 30 ng/ml of Igf2 was supplemented to EBs induction medium. Then neural induction was carried out with serum-free medium containing insulin, transferrin, selenium, and fibronectin complex (ITSFn) for 12 days. Normal murine embryonic stem cells derived from fertilized embryos (ESCs) were used as the control group. Neural potential of differentiated PESCs and ESCs were analyzed by immunofluorescent labeling and real-time PCR assay (Nestin, neural progenitor marker; Tuj1, neuronal cell marker; GFAP, glial cell marker). The differentiated cells from both ESC and PESC showed heterogeneous population of Nestin, Tuj1, and GFAP positive cells. In terms of the level of gene expression, PESC showed 4 times higher level of GFAP expression than ESCs. After exposure to Igf2, the expression level of GFAP decreased both in derivatives of PESCs and ESCs. Interestingly, the expression level of $Tuj1$ increased only in ESCs, not in PESCs. The results show that IGF2 is a positive effector for suppressing over-expressed glial differentiation during neural induction of PESCs and for promoting neuronal differentiation of ESCs, while exogenous Igf2 could not accelerate the neuronal differentiation of PESCs. Although exogenous Igf2 promotes neuronal differentiation of normal ESCs, expression of endogenous $Igf2$ may be critical for initiating neuronal differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. The findings may contribute to understanding of the relationship between imprinting mechanism and neural differentiation and its application to neural tissue repair in the future.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.170-177
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• 2002

The herb, Chrysanthemum zawadskii var, latilobum commonly known as Gu-Jul-Cho in Korea, used in traditional medicine to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, cough, common cold, pharyngitis, bladder-related disorders, gastroenteric disorders, and hypertension. Linarin is the main active compound and the biological mechanisms of its activity are unclear. It is believed that effects of this herb may be exerted through the pluripotent effectors of linarin due to its ability to treat a variety of afflictions. In this study, the effects of linarin on the mouse macrophages cell line, RAW 264.7, were investigated. It was found that linarin could activate macrophages by producing cytokines. Monocytes and tissue macrophages produce at least two groups of protein mediators of inflammation, interleukin 1 (IL-1 ) and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Recent studies have shown that TNF and IL-1 modulate the inflammatory function of endothelial cells, leukocytes, and fibroblasts. $TNF-{\alpha}$ production by macrophages treated with linarin occured in a dose dependent manner However, IL-1 production was largely unaffected by this natural product. This study demonstrated the ability of linarin to activate macrophages both directly and indirectly. Linarin also affect both cytosine production and nitric oxide inhibition, in addition to the expression of some surface molecules. Nitric oxide (NO), derived from L-argin-ine, is produced by two forms(constitutive and inducible) of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The NO produced in large amounts by inducible NOS is known to be responsible for the vasodilation and hypotension observed in septic shock. Linarin was found to inhibit NO production in the LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Linarin may be a useful candidate as a new drug for treating endotoxemia and the inflammation accompanied by NO overproduction. The linarin-treated total Iymphocytes exhibited cytotoxicity in a dose dependent manner between $20{\;}{\mu}g/ml{\;}and{\;}40{\;}{\mu}g/ml$. These results suggest that linarin may function through macrophage activation.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2009년도 제38회 동계학술대회 초록집
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• pp.44-45
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• 2010

We are currently conducting studies on culturing and biocompatibility assessment of various cells such as neural stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells(IPS cells) on carbon nanotube (CNT), on nerve regeneration electrodes, and on silicon wafers with a focus on developing nerve integrated CNT based bio devices for interfacing with living organisms, in order to develop brain-machine interfaces (BMI). In addition, we are carried out the chemical modification of carbon nanotube (mainly SWCNTs)-based bio-nanosensors by the plasma ion irradiation (plasma activation) method, and provide a characteristic evaluation of a bio-nanosensor using bovine serum albumin (BSA)/anti-BSA binding and oligonucleotide hybridization. On the other hand, the researches in the case of "novel plasma" have been widely conducted in the fields of chemistry, solid physics, and nanomaterial science. From the above-mentioned background, we are conducting basic experiments on direct irradiation of body tissues and cells using a micro-spot atmospheric pressure plasma source. The device is a coaxial structure having a tungsten wire installed inside a glass capillary, and a grounded ring electrode wrapped on the outside. The conditions of plasma generation are as follows: applied voltage: 5-9 kV, frequency: 1-3 kHz, helium (He) gas flow: 1-1.5 L/min, and plasma irradiation time: 1-300 sec. The experiment was conducted by preparing a culture medium containing mouse fibroblasts (NIH3T3) on a culture dish. A culture dish irradiated with plasma was introduced into a $CO_2$-incubator. The small animals used in the experiment involving plasma irradiation into living tissue were rat, rabbit, and pick and are deeply anesthetized with the gas anesthesia. According to the dependency of cell numbers against the plasma irradiation time, when only He gas was flowed, the growth of cells was inhibited as the floatation of cells caused by gas agitation inside the culture was promoted. On the other hand, there was no floatation of cells and healthy growth was observed when plasma was irradiated. Furthermore, in an experiment testing the effects of plasma irradiation on rats that were artificially given burn wounds, no evidence of electric shock injuries was found in the irradiated areas. In fact, the observed evidence of healing and improvements of the burn wounds suggested the presence of healing effects due to the growth factors in the tissues. Therefore, it appears that the interaction due to ion/radicalcollisions causes a substantial effect on the proliferation of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF) that are present in the cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.267-275
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• 2023

Cardiotoxicity, particularly drug-induced Torsades de Pointes (TdP), is a concern in drug safety assessment. The recent establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (human iPSC-CMs) has become an attractive human-based platform for predicting cardiotoxicity. Moreover, electrophysiological assessment of multiple cardiac ion channel blocks is emerging as an important parameter to recapitulate proarrhythmic cardiotoxicity. Therefore, we aimed to establish a novel in vitro multiple cardiac ion channel screening-based method using human iPSC-CMs to predict the drug-induced arrhythmogenic risk. To explain the cellular mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of three representative TdP high- (sotalol), intermediate- (chlorpromazine), and low-risk (mexiletine) drugs, and their effects on the cardiac action potential (AP) waveform and voltage-gated ion channels were explored using human iPSC-CMs. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we investigated the effects of cardioactive channel inhibitors on the electrophysiological profile of human iPSC-CMs before evaluating the cardiotoxicity of these drugs. In human iPSC-CMs, sotalol prolonged the AP duration and reduced the total amplitude (TA) via selective inhibition of I_Kr and I_Na currents, which are associated with an increased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. In contrast, chlorpromazine did not affect the TA; however, it slightly increased AP duration via balanced inhibition of I_Kr and I_Ca currents. Moreover, mexiletine did not affect the TA, yet slightly reduced the AP duration via dominant inhibition of I_Ca currents, which are associated with a decreased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. Based on these results, we suggest that human iPSC-CMs can be extended to other preclinical protocols and can supplement drug safety assessments.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.215-233
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: MYC, also known as an oncogenic reprogramming factor, is a multifunctional transcription factor that maintains induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Although MYC is frequently upregulated in various cancers and is correlated with a poor prognosis, MYC is downregulated and correlated with a good prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. MYC and two other MYC family genes, MYCN and MYCL, have similar structures and could contribute to tumorigenic conversion both in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Results: We systematically investigated whether MYC family genes act as prognostic factors in various human cancers. We first evaluated alterations in the expression of MYC family genes in various cancers using the Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and their mutation and copy number alterations using the TCGA database with cBioPortal. Then, we investigated the association between the expression of MYC family genes and the prognosis of cancer patients using various prognosis databases. Multivariate analysis also confirmed that co-expression of MYC/MYCL/MYCN was significantly associated with the prognosis of lung, gastric, liver, and breast cancers. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MYC family can function not only as an oncogene but also as a tumor suppressor gene in various cancers, which could be used to develop a novel approach to cancer treatment.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.326-341
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that leads to the progressive destruction of articular cartilage. Current clinical therapeutic strategies are moderately effective at relieving OA-associated pain but cannot induce chondrocyte differentiation or achieve cartilage regeneration. We investigated the ability of wedelolactone, a biologically active natural product that occurs in Eclipta alba (false daisy), to promote chondrogenic differentiation. Methods and Results: Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence staining assays were used to evaluate the effects of wedelolactone on the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). RNA sequencing, microRNA (miRNA) sequencing, and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analyses were performed to explore the mechanism by which wedelolactone promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. We found that wedelolactone facilitates the chondrogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs and rat bone-marrow MSCs. Moreover, the forkhead box O (FOXO) signaling pathway was upregulated by wedelolactone during chondrogenic differentiation, and a FOXO1 inhibitor attenuated the effect of wedelolactone on chondrocyte differentiation. We determined that wedelolactone reduces enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)-mediated histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation of the promoter region of FOXO1 to upregulate its transcription. Additionally, we found that wedelolactone represses miR-1271-5p expression, and that miR-1271-5p post-transcriptionally suppresses the expression of FOXO1 that is dependent on the binding of miR-1271-5p to the FOXO1 3'-untranscribed region. Conclusions: These results indicate that wedelolactone suppresses the activity of EZH2 to facilitate the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs by activating the FOXO1 signaling pathway. Wedelolactone may therefore improve cartilage regeneration in diseases characterized by inflammatory tissue destruction, such as OA.

• 대한영상의학회지
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• 제85권3호
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• pp.654-660
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• 2024

원발성 악성 섬유성 조직구종은 요로, 특히 방광에서 흔하게 발생하지 않는 중간엽 유래의 악성 종양이다. 방광암의 대부분을 차지하는 요로 상피암과는 달리, 악성 섬유성 조직구종은 점막 고유층, 고유근층, 장막층으로 구성된 방광 벽의 요로 상피 하부에서 발생한다. 조직학적 기원은 섬유아세포와 조직구 세포가 부분적으로 분화된 저분화 중간엽 줄기세포에서 발생하는 것으로 추정된다. 영상의학적으로는 요로 상피암에서 흔히 볼 수 있는 유두상 성장 패턴을 보이지 않아 '비유두상 종양'으로 알려져 있으며, 흔히 고유근층 이상의 침범을 보이고 괴사를 동반하지 않는 거대 종괴의 형태로 진단된다. 이 드문 악성 종양의 예후는 다양한 병리학적 인자에 의해 결정되지만, 일반적으로 불량한 예후와 높은 국소 재발률을 보인다. 또한 무통성 혈뇨를 주로 호소하는 요로 상피암 환자와 달리 주변 장기를 압박하여 비특이적인 하복부 통증이 나타날 수 있어 진단에 어려움이 있을 수 있다. 저자들은 혈뇨 없이 하복부 통증을 주 증상으로 내원하여 방광의 원발성 악성 섬유성 조직구종으로 진단된 후 빠른 치료를 시작하였음에도 매우 공격적인 임상 경과를 보였던 증례를 보고하고자 한다.

• 대한소아치과학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-17
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• 1997

백서 태자 두개관을 효소처리하여 얻은 조골세포 유사세포군의 증식능 및 골결절의 형성에 미치는 dexamethasone의 영향과 형성된 골결절의 조직학적 형태 관찰을 위하여, 12 well 배양접시의 각 well 당 $4{\times}10^4cell$ 을 접종하였으며, 30일간 표준배양액으로만 배양한 군, 표준배양액에 ascorbic acid와 Na-${\beta}$-glycerophosphate를 첨가한 군, 그리고 각각에 dexa methasone을 첨가한 군등 4군으로 분리 배양하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. 골세포의 증식율은 표준용액으로 배양한 군에 비해 dexamethasone 을 단독으로 투여한 군에서 약간 증가하는 경향을 보였으나 통계적인 유의성은 없었다 (p<0.05). 2. 골세포의 증식율은 ascorbic acid 에 의해 영향을 많이 받았으며, 특히 ascorbic acid와 dexamethasone을 동시에 투여했을때 더욱 현저히 세포증식율이 감소됨을 볼 수 있었다(p<0.05). 3. 배양 초기에는 세포들이 주로 섬유아세포 양으로 나타났으나, 밀생상태에 이르면서 점차 다각형 형태로 바뀌었다. 4. 배양 9일후 지방세포와 연골세포들이 관찰되었으며, 이들은 모두 dexamethasone이 첨가된 군에서 발견되었다. 5. 골결절은 ascorbic acid와 Na-${\beta}$-glycerophosphate가 첨가된 군에서만 형성되었으며, dexamethasone 을 병용첨가한 군에서 광화된 골결절이 현저히 증가됨을 관찰할 수 있었다. 6. 골결절 형성이 되지 않은 부위의 세포들은 평면형상을 이루고 있었으나, 골결절 부위를 덮고있는 세포들은 많은 세포돌기를 가진 조골세포양 세포들로 나타났으며, ascorbic acid, Na-${\beta}$-glycerophosphate 그리고 dexamethasone 을 첨가한 군에서는 침상의 돌기를 가진 광화물질들이 다발의 교원섬유들 사이에 현저히 많이 존재하였으며, 골결절 내부에는 매몰된 골세포(osteocyte)양 세포들이 관찰되었다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.87-95
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• 2008

만능성 인간 배아줄기세포로부터 확립된 신경줄기세포 또는 신경전구세포는 퇴행성 신경질환 세포치료제로 이용될 수 있는 다양한 종류의 신경세포로 분화 유도될 수 있다. 하지만, 인간 배아줄기세포로부터 신경세포를 생산하기 위한 기술은 아직 많은 장애를 가지고 있다. 인간 배아줄기세포 유래 신경전구세포에서 특징적으로 나타나는 신경관 유사로제트에 대한 이해는 인간 배아줄기세포 신경 분화의 효율을 높이는데 유용한 정보를 제공할 것으로 사료된다. 일반적으로 신경로제트(neural rosette)는 분화 중인 배아체를 부착 배양함으로써 유도하지만, 이 방법은 시간이 걸리고 복잡하다는 단점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 신경로제트가 부착배양을 하지 않고 부유배양으로 형성될 수 있는지 조사하였다. 우선적으로, 배아체 형성 및 신경분화에 인간 배아줄기세포 클럼프(clump) 크기가 영향을 주는지를 조사하였고, 사방 $500\;{\mu}m$ 크기의 인간 배아줄기세포 클럼프가 신경 분화 유도에 가장 효과적임을 확인하였다. 로제트 형성을 유도하기 위해, 사방 $500\;{\mu}m$ 크기의 인간 배아줄기세포 클럼프를 1주일 동안 EB 배양배지에 부유 배양함으로써 균일한 크기의 배아체를 얻은 후, NES 배양 배지에서 부가적으로 $1{\sim}2$주 동안 계속 부유 배양한 결과, $7{\sim}10$일 사이에 신경관 유사 로제트가 형성됨을 확인하였다. 로제트 형성 세포의 신경전구세포로서 특성은 RT-PCR과 면역형광염색법을 이용한 신경전구세포 특이적 마커(vimentivi, nestin, MSI1, MSI2, Sox1, Tuj1) 발현을 통해 확인하였다. 또한, 성장인자를 제외한 NES 배양 배지에서 신경로제트를 $2{\sim}6$주 동안 지속적으로 배양하면 성숙 신경세포로의 말단 분화가 유도됨을 확인하였다. 신경세포 특이적 마커(Tuj1, MAP2, GABA)와 신경아교 특이적 마커($S100{\beta}$, GFAP)는 $2{\sim}3$주 또는 4주 후에 각각 발현이 유도됨을 확인하였고, 희소 돌기아교 특이적 마커(O1과 CNPase)는 $5{\sim}6$주 후에 발현이 증가함을 확인하였다. 본 연구결과는 신경로제트가 부유 배양시스템에서 성공적으로 형성됨을 보여주고 있으며, 이는 인간 배아줄기세포의 신경 분화를 이해하고, 신경전구세포 유도 과정을 단순화하는데 효과적으로 이용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

• 식물조직배양학회지
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.423-428
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• 2000

In 1997 when cloned sheep Dolly and soon after Polly were born, it had become head-line news because in the former the nucleus that gave rise to the lamb came from cells of six-year-old adult sheep and in the latter case a foreign gene was inserted into the donor nucleus to make the cloned sheep produce human protein, factor IX, in e milk. In the last few years, once the realm of science fiction, cloned mammals especially in livestock have become almost commonplace. What the press accounts often fail to convey, however, is that behind every success lie hundreds of failures. Many of the nuclear-transferred egg cells fail to undergo normal cell divisions. Even when an embryo does successfully implant in the womb, pregnancy often ends in miscarriage. A significant fraction of the animals that are born die shortly after birth and some of those that survived have serious developmental abnormalities. Efficiency remains at less than one % out of some hundred attempts to clone an animal. These facts show that something is fundamentally wrong and enormous hurdles must be overcome before cloning becomes practical. Cloning researchers now tent to put aside their effort to create live animals in order to probe the fundamental questions on cell biology including stem cells, the questions of whether the hereditary material in the nucleus of each cell remains intact throughout development, and how transferred nucleus is reprogrammed exactly like the zygotic nucleus. Stem cells are defined as those cells which can divide to produce a daughter cell like themselves (self-renewal) as well as a daughter cell that will give rise to specific differentiated cells (cell-differentiation). Multicellular organisms are formed from a single totipotent stem cell commonly called fertilized egg or zygote. As this cell and its progeny undergo cell divisions the potency of the stem cells in each tissue and organ become gradually restricted in the order of totipotent, pluripotent, and multipotent. The differentiation potential of multipotent stem cells in each tissue has been thought to be limited to cell lineages present in the organ from which they were derived. Recent studies, however, revealed that multipotent stem cells derived from adult tissues have much wider differentiation potential than was previously thought. These cells can differentiate into developmentally unrelated cell types, such as nerve stem cell into blood cells or muscle stem cell into brain cells. Neural stem cells isolated from the adult forebrain were recently shown to be capable of repopulating the hematopoietic system and produce blood cells in irradiated condition. In plants although the term$\boxDr$ stem cell$\boxUl$is not used, some cells in the second layer of tunica at the apical meristem of shoot, some nucellar cells surrounding the embryo sac, and initial cells of adventive buds are considered to be equivalent to the totipotent stem cells of mammals. The telomere ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes cannot be replicated because the RNA primer at the end of a completed lagging strand cannot be replaced with DNA, causing 5' end gap. A chromosome would be shortened by the length of RNA primer with every cycle of DNA replication and cell division. Essential genes located near the ends of chromosomes would inevitably be deleted by end-shortening, thereby killing the descendants of the original cells. Telomeric DNA has an unusual sequence consisting of up to 1,000 or more tandem repeat of a simple sequence. For example, chromosome of mammal including human has the repeating telomeric sequence of TTAGGG and that of higher plant is TTTAGGG. This non-genic tandem repeat prevents the death of cell despite the continued shortening of chromosome length. In contrast with the somatic cells germ line cells have the mechanism to fill-up the 5' end gap of telomere, thus maintaining the original length of chromosome. Cem line cells exhibit active enzyme telomerase which functions to maintain the stable length of telomere. Some of the cloned animals are reported prematurely getting old. It has to be ascertained whether the multipotent stem cells in the tissues of adult mammals have the original telomeres or shortened telomeres.