• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2019

Cell therapeutic agents for treating degenerative brain diseases using neural stem cells are actively being developed. However, few systems have been developed to monitor in real time whether the transplanted neural stem cells are actually differentiated into neurons. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a technology capable of specifically monitoring neuronal differentiation in vivo. In this study, we established a system that expresses cell membrane-targeting red fluorescent protein under control of the Synapsin promoter in order to specifically monitor differentiation from neural stem cells into neurons. In order to overcome the weak expression level of the tissue-specific promoter system, the partial 5' UTR sequence of Creb was added for efficient expression of the cell surface-specific antigen. This system was able to track functional neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells transplanted in vivo, which will help improve stem cell therapies.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.446-453
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• 1990

In order to investigate the retinoic acid indticed-differentiation of F9 teratocarcinoma stem cell, we have analyzed the change of cell morphology and laminin expression after exposure to retinoic add and cyclic AMP. It is shown that undifferentiated F9 stem cells grow as closely packed colonies, and it is difficult to distinguish cell-cell boundaries. After retinoic add and dibutyryl cyclic AMP treatment, F9 cells assume a flat morphology characterized by perinuclear granules and arrest growth. According to Northern blot analysis, laminin expression was increased markedly after retinoic acid treatment. Laminin Bi gene expression was increased at least 30-fold and laminin B2 gene expression was increased approximately 20-fold during differentiation process. Employing immunofluoresence analysis, it was proved that the synthesis of laminin protein was low level in F9 stem cell whereas it became high level in retinoic acid treated F9 cell and the laminin protein was largely accumulated in the cell surface. Our results suggest that induction of laminin Bi and B2 genes m F9 cells is retinoic acid-mediated control, and morphological change and differentiation of F9 cells might be associated with laminin gene expression.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.806-813
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• 2015

Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA), which encodes the lysosomal enzyme glucosylceramidase (GCase). Deficiency in GCase leads to characteristic visceral pathology and lethal neurological manifestations in some patients. Investigations into neurogenesis have suggested that neurodegenerative disorders, such as GD, could be overcome or at least ameliorated by the generation of new neurons. Bone marrowderived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are potential candidates for use in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders because of their ability to promote neurogenesis. Our objective was to examine the mechanism of neurogenesis by BM-MSCs in GD. We found that neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from a neuronopathic GD model exhibited decreased ability for self-renewal and neuronal differentiation. Co-culture of GBA-deficient NSCs with BM-MSCs resulted in an enhanced capacity for self-renewal, and an increased ability for differentiation into neurons or oligodendrocytes. Enhanced proliferation and neuronal differentiation of GBA-deficient NSCs was associated with elevated release of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) from BM-MSCs. Our findings suggest that soluble M-CSF derived from BM-MSCs can modulate GBA-deficient NSCs, resulting in their improved proliferation and neuronal differentiation.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2009

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a rare population of undifferentiated cells that have the capacity of self renewal and the ability to differentiate into mesodermal phenotypes, including osteocytes, chondrocytes, and adipocytes in vitro. Recently, MSCs have been shown to reside within the connective tissue of most organs, and their surface phenotype has been well analyzed. Many reports showed that transplanted MSCs enhanced regeneration as well as functional improvement of damaged organs and tissues. The wide differentiation plasticity of MSCs was expected to contribute to their demonstrated efficacy in a wide variety of experimental animal models and in human clinical trials. However, new findings suggest that the ability of MSCs to alter the tissue microenvironment via secretion of soluble factors may contribute more significantly than their capacity for differentiation in tissue repair. This review describes what is known about the cellular characteristics and differentiation potential of MSCs, which represent a promising stem cell population for further applications in regenerative medicine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.380-388
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• 2018

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple nervous system cell types. During embryonic development, the concentrations of soluble biological molecules have a critical role in controlling cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis. In an effort to find optimal culture conditions for the generation of desired cell types in vitro, we used a microfluidic chip-generated growth factor gradient system. In the current study, NSCs in the microfluidic device remained healthy during the entire period of cell culture, and proliferated and differentiated in response to the concentration gradient of growth factors (epithermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor). We also showed that overexpression of ASCL1 in NSCs increased neuronal differentiation depending on the concentration gradient of growth factors generated in the microfluidic gradient chip. The microfluidic system allowed us to study concentration-dependent effects of growth factors within a single device, while a traditional system requires multiple independent cultures using fixed growth factor concentrations. Our study suggests that the microfluidic gradient-generating chip is a powerful tool for determining the optimal culture conditions.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2013

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have enormous potential in the biomedical sciences because they can grow continuously and differentiate into any kind of cell in the body. However, for future application in regenerative medicine, it is still a challenge to control the differentiation of PSCs without using genetic materials. To control the differentiation of PSCs, small molecules might be the best substitute for genetic materials considering the following advantages: small size, which enables penetration of plasma membrane; easy-to-modify structure; and low chance of genetic recombination in treated cells. Herein, we introduce small molecules that induce the neuroectodermal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The small molecules were identified via ESC-based consecutive screenings of small-molecule libraries composed of 324 natural compounds or 93 selected drugs. The natural compounds discovered in the first screening were used to select 93 structurally similar drugs out of 1,200 approved drugs. In the second screening, among the 93 compounds, we found 4 drugs that induced the neuroectodermal differentiation of ESCs. These drugs were progesteroneor corticoid-derivatives. Our results suggest that small molecules targeting the progesterone receptor or glucocorticoid receptor could be used as chemical tools to induce the differentiation of PSCs into a specific germ lineage.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the differentiation potential of stem cells and their immunophenotype from 3 different sources. Methods: Our study involved three stem cell sources-subacromial bursal tissue, bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood. We obtained the subacromial bursal tissue and bone marrow from the patients undergoing shoulder surgery. After collecting the sample, we applied specific induction media for neurogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation. Also, flow-cytometry analysis was done to reveal the cell surface antigens. Results: We obtained 100% (8 cases) neural and adipogenic differentiation, but 62.5% (5 of 8 cases) osseous differentiation among the subacromial bursal tissue group. Bone marrow derived cells showed 100% neural (6 cases) and adipogenic (5 cases) differentiation, but 80% (4 of 5 cases) osseous differentiation. Umbilical cord blood derived cells revealed 97% (65 of 67 cases) neural, 53.7% (29 of 54 cases) adipogenic and 68.4% (39 of 57 cases) osseous differentiation. Immunophenotype analysis revealed that surface markers of bone marrow, subacromial bursal cell and umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells are different from each other. Conclusions: Mesenchymal stem cells are potential agents in regenerative medicine and are characterized by expression of surface markers and by their differentiation potential. Our study with stem cells from subacromial bursal tissue, bone marrow and umbilical cord discovered that each stem cell has unique differentiation potential and function based on its origin. Various stem cells show multi-lineage differentiations in vitro which can be correlated to in vivo conditions.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.263-271
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• 2009

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most cause of death around the world and fields of interest for cardiac stem cells. Also, current use of terminally differentiated adult cardiomyocytes for CVDs has limited regenerative capacity therefore any significant cell loss may result in the development of progressive heart failure. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from blastocyst-stage embryos spontaneously have ability to differentiate via embryo-like aggregates (endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm) in vitro into various cell types including cardiomyocyte. However, most effective molecule or optimized condition which can induce cardiac differentiation of hESCs is rarely studied. In this study, we developed both spontaneous and inductive cardiomyocyte-like cells differentiation from hESCs by treatment of induced-factors, 5-azacytidine, BMP-4 and cardiogenol C. On the one hand, spontaneous and inductive cardiomyocyte-like cells showed that cardiac markers are expressed for further analysis by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Interestingly, BMP-4 greatly improved homogeneous population of the cardiomyocyte-like cells from hESCs CHA15 and H09. In conclusion, we verified that spontaneously differentiated cells showed cardiac specific markers which characterize cardiac cells, treated extrinsic factors can manage cellular signals and found that hESCs can undergo differentiation into cardiomyocytes better than spontaneous group. This finding offers an insight into the inductive factor of differentiated cardiomyocytes and provides some helpful information that may offer the potential of cardiomyocytes derived from hESCs using extrinsic factors.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.133-141
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• 2008

Stem cells have self-renewal capacity, long-term viability, and multiline age potential. Adult bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are progenitors of skeletal tissue components and can differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and myoblasts in vitro and undergo differentiation in vivo. However, the clinical use of BMSCs has presented problems, including pain, morbidity, and low cell number upon harvest. Recent studies have identified a putative stem cell population within the adipose tissue. Human adipose tissue contains pluripotent stem cells simillar to bone marrow-derived stem cells that can differentiate toward the osteogenic, adipogenic, myogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. Human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ATSCs) could be proposed as an alternative source of adult bone marrow stem cells, and could be obtained in large quantities, under local anesthesia, with minimal discomfort. Human adipose tissue obtained by liposuction was processed to obtain ATSCs. In this study, we compared the osteogenic differentiation of ATSCs in a specific osteogenic induction medium with that in a non-osteogenic medium. ATSCs were incubated in an osteogenic medium for 28 days to induce osteogenesis respectively. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by von Kossa and alkaline phosphatase staining. Expression of osteocyte specific bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, collagen type I and alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenic protein 2, bone morphogenic protein 6 was confirmed by RT-PCR. ATSCs incubated in the osteogenic medium were stained positively for von Kossa and alkaline phosphatase staining. Expression of osteocyte specific genes was also detected. Since this cell population can be easily identified through fluorescence microscopy, it may be an ideal source of ATSCs for further experiments on stem cell biology and tissue engineering. The present results show that ADSCs have an ability to differentiate into osteoblasts. In the present study, we extend this approach to characterize adipose tissue-derived stem cells.

• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
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• 2002.06a
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• pp.18-18
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• 2002

This study was to investigate the effect of neurotrophic factors on neural cell differentiation in vitro derived from human embryonic stem (hES, MB03) cells. For neural progenitor cell formation derived from hES cells, we produced embryoid bodies (EB: for 5 days, without mitogen) from hES cells and then neurospheres (for 7 - 10 days, 20 ng/㎖ of bFGF added N2 medium) from EB. And then finally for the differentiation into mature neuron cells, neural progenitor cells were cultured in ⅰ) N2 medium (without bFGF), ⅱ) N2 supplemented with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, 5ng/㎖) or ⅲ) N2 supplemented with platelet derived growth factor-bb (PDGF-bb, 20ng/㎖) for 2 weeks. (omitted)