• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.64-67
• /
• 1994

Crown rot was found find tomatoes growing on a rockwool culture system in a glasshouse at Dongkwangyang in 1992. The disease occurred on the stem of 'Trust' tomato plants with 3~4 cluster of flowers. Infected plants showed stem girdling and necrosis at or slightly above the rockwool line. Internal tissues of crown and stem including cortex, vascular bundle, and pith became decayed resulting in a chocolate-brown discoloration extending no more than 10~15 cm above the crown. Diseased tomato plants with the similar symptoms were found at Ansung and Taejon where tomatoes were grown on either rockwool or soil in plastic greenhouses. The size of macroconidia of Fusarium isolated from a diseased plant was 26.0~41.6$\times$2.9~4.7${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, and microconidia were formed on short monophialide and the size was 3.6~12.5$\times$2.9~3.6 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. Morphological characteristics and inoculation tests indicated that the causal organism of the disease was Fusarium oxysporum.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.44 no.8
• /
• pp.541-548
• /
• 2021

The discovery of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) at the turn of the century opened the door to a new generation of regenerative medicine research. Among PSCs, the donors available for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are greatest, providing a potentially universal cell source for all types of cell therapies including cancer immunotherapies using natural killer (NK cells). Unlike primary NK cells, those prepared from iPSCs can be prepared with a homogeneous quality and are easily modified to exert a desired response to tumor cells. There already exist several protocols to genetically modify and differentiate iPSCs into NK cells, and each has its own advantages with regards to immunotherapies. In this short review, we detail the benefits of using iPSCs in NK cell immunotherapies and discuss the challenges that must be overcome before this approach becomes mainstream in the clinic.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.43-48
• /
• 2003

Understanding the process of carcinogenesis will involve both the accumulation of many scientific facts derived from molecular, biochemical, cellular, physiological, whole animal experiments and epidemiological studies, as well as from conceptual understanding as to how to order and integrate those facts. From decades of cancer research, a number of the "hallmarks of cancer" have been identified, as well as their attendant concepts, including oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, cell cycle biochemistry, hypotheses of metastasis, angiogenesis, etc. While all these "hallmarks" are well known, two important concepts, with their associated scientific observations, have been generally ignored by many in the cancer research field. The objective of the short review is to highlight the concept of the role of human adult pluri-potent stem cells as "target cells" for the carcinogenic process and the concept of the role of gap junctional intercellular communication in the multi-stage, multi-mechanism process of carcinogenesis. With these two concepts, an attempt has been made to integrate the other well-known concepts, such as the multi-stage, multi-mechanisn or the "initiation/promotion/progression" hypothesis; the stem cell theory of carcinogenesis; the oncogene/tumor suppression theory and the mutation/epigenetic theories of carcinogenesis. This new "integrative" theory tries to explain the well-known "hallmarks" of cancers, including the observation that cancer cells lack either heterologous or homologous gap junctional intercellular communication whereas normal human adult stem cells do not have expressed or functional gap junctional intercellular communication. On the other hand, their normal differentiated, non-stem cell derivatives do express connexins and express gap junctional intercellular communication during their differentiation. Examination of the roles of chemical tumor promoters, oncogenes, connexin knock-out mice and roles of genetically-engineered tumor and normal cells with connexin and anti-sense connexin genes, respectively, seems to provide evidence which is consistent with the roles of both stem cells and gap junctional communication playing a major role in carcinogenesis. The integrative hypothesis provides new strategies for chemoprevention and chemotherapy which focuses on modulating connexin gene expression or gap junctional intercellular communication in the premalignant and malignant cells, respectively.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.37-48
• /
• 1991

Rice plants are subjected to various forces such as natural force of wind and mechanical force of cultivating machines. Rheological behavior of the rice stem can be expressed in terms of three variables : stress, relaxation and time. The objectives of this study are to examine stress relaxation, creep and recovery characteristics on the rice stem in case of axial and radial loading. Stress relaxation with time was studied on three levels of loading rate and on four levels of applied stress. The results were summarized as follows : 1. The hysterisis losses of the rice stem distinctly observed at the radial compression in comparison with axial compression. The hysterisis loss implied that the stem to absorbed energy without being deformed beyond the yield point. 2. Ageneralized Maxwell model consisting of three elements gave a good description of the relaxation behavior of the rice stem. Rate of loading was more significant on the observed relaxation behavior within the short relaxation time, but there were little influences of rate of loading on the relaxation time. 3. The stress relaxation intensity and the residual stress increased in magnitude as the applied stress increased, but the relaxation time was little affected by the applied stress. 4. The coefficients of the stress relaxation model showed much differences in the radial compression and the axial compression, especially the higher relaxation stress of the third element was observed in the radial compression. 5. The behaviors of rice stem in creep and recovery test also might be represented by a four element Burger's model. But the coefficients of the creep model were different from those of the recovery model. 6. The steady-state phenomena of creep appeared at the stress larger than 20 MPa in Samkang and 1.8 MPa in Whajin. 7. The elastic modulus of the stem showed the range from 40 to 60 MPa. It could be considered, as a result, the rice stems had viscoelastic properties.

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

• Journal of Plant Biology
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.29-34
• /
• 1993

Observation was made on early ontogeny of vascular cambium in the cotyledonary node of Pinus koraiensis seedling in order to clarify the cambial ontogeny of the node which was hardly elongated. In transverse view, the derivatives by the early periclinal divisions at the outer region of the procambial strands differentiated to protophloem with establishing a certain degree of radial seriations. Later, some cells in the central region of the procambial strands begin divide periclinally, eventually the cells, differentiate gradually to the vascular cambium. In tangential view, early procambium is consisted of homogeneous short cells with transverse end walls which are tansformed into the long cells and short cells gradually. The long cells continue intrusive growth and the short cells repeat transverse division. Finally, the long and short cells differentiated to cambial fusiform initials and ray initials respectively. In tangential section, the differentiation pattern of cambial initials resembles that of the stem of Ginkgo biloba. But in transverse view, the characteristics in the origin of vascular cambium of the cotyledonary node resembles that of root. The vascular cambium in cotyledonary node is completed after eleven prophylls were formed.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.234-240
• /
• 1996

A double-stranded RNA binding factor (RBF), characterized as an inhibitor of PKR kinase in our previous study, was evaluated for its RNA binding specificities by RNA gel electrophoretic mobility shift analysis and membrane filter binding assay, RBF displayed affinities for a broad range of RNAs including viral RNAs and synthetic RNAs consiting of stem and loop structures. GC-rich RNA stem helices as short as 11 bp are suggested to represent the minimal binding motif for RBF. RBF binding to all the natural RNAs tested was reversible by poly(I): poly(C) addition, but E. coli 5S RNA was inefficient.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.336-343
• /
• 2023

Lung cancer is one of the cancers with high mortality and incidence rates worldwide. Although, various anticancer research efforts are underway to completely treat cancer, the challenge against it remains in the inability to eliminate cancer stem cells (CSCs), leading to difficulties in curing the cancer and resulting in recurrence. As a result, there is a growing interest in the discovery of new biomarkers and therapeutic molecules that can simultaneously target both cancer cells and CSCs. From this point of view, we focused on fibronectin leucine rich transmembrane protein 3 (FLRT3), one of the genes known to be present in human lung cells and the discovery from our previous cancer proteomic analysis study. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of FLRT3 as a specific therapeutic biomarker for lung cancer and Lung Cancer-derived-Stem Cells (LCSC). Also, to estimate the biological function of FLRT3 in cancer and LCSC, short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was generated and showed the ability of the decreased-cell migration and cell proliferation of lung cancer through ERK signaling pathway when FLRT3 was knock-downed. In conclusion, our study is the first to report that FLRT3 has the potential as therapeutic biomarker for the treatment of lung cancer and LCSC.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.23-27
• /
• 2010

The control of stem length is most important external quality aspect in cut chrysanthemum. The present work in conducted in growth chamber and aims at investigating the effect of light intensity on the photosynthesis capacity and stem elongation in cut chrysanthemum. To evaluate the effect, different level of assimilation lighting (LEDs) was given to canopy level 60, 100, 140, and $180mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, individually, under short-day conditions, and the light treatments were initiated from 7days after planting. There was a positive linear-regression relationship between the light intensity and the net assimilation rate. On the other hand, there was not significant difference in flower buds induction. The growth of stem length, leaf area, and dry weight was increased by increasing the light intensity, whereas the plants grown under 140 and $180mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ was not differences in those of growth. It indicates that the increased net assimilation rate is not continually coincided with the maximized growth in cut chrysanthemum. It might be considered that the optimal light intensity for stem elongation of cut chrysanthemum is $140mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ under short-day condition.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.30-36
• /
• 2013

Red-ripe 'Betatiny' jujube-shaped cherry tomato fruits via stem maintenance or stem removal were stored at $20^{\circ}C$ for 12 days. Their quality and microbial safety parameters like their respiration rate, weight loss, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), firmness, hue value, aerobic microflora, coliform, yeast and mold count, and decay were evaluated during their storage. The jujube-shaped cherry tomato fruits whose stems were removed lost less weight than the fruits whose stems were maintained during their 12 days of storage. The stem removal lowered the respiration more significantly than the stem maintenance, and the formation of novel tissues at the stem scar that resulted from the stem removal was observed morphologically. The SSC, TA and hue value of the skin color decreased after eight storage days, but showed no difference between the stem maintenance and removal. The stem had higher microbial counts like aerobic microflora, coliform, and yeast and mold counts. The stem maintenance showed a short shelf-life because molds grew on the attached stem after five storage days. The shelf-life of the jujube-shaped cherry tomato fruits whose stems were removed was about eight days, but that of the fruits whose stems were maintained and that were stored at $20^{\circ}C$ was only about six days.