• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.191-202
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• 2006

In addition to the removal of dying or dead lutein cells by phagocytosis in many species, macrophages exert both luteotropic effect during maturation period and luteolytic effect during degenerative period via mediating autocrine/paracrine actions of self-producing cytokines in the corpus luteum. In this experiment, immunohistochemical and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies were performed to observe the morphologic changes of luteal macrophages during luteolysis. A small number of macrophages and low immunoreactivity were present at the mature stage. The number of macrophages and immunoreactivity gradually increased along the advance of luteolysis. Two subtypes of macrophages could be observed through TEM observation. One type of macrophage located between the large lutein cells contained no lipid droplets in their cytoplasm at mature stage. The other type of macrophage located near the blood vessels contained many lipid droplets in their cytoplasm during luteolysis. Particularly, no phagocytic macrophages were observed, which suggested the macrophages in the porcine corpus luteum did not involve in the phagocytotic elimination of dying lutein cells.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 1999

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) play an important regulatory role in premplantation embryonic development. To study the role of IGF-1 during premplantation embryonic development in mouse, the presence of mRNA transcripts for IGF-1 and IGF-lR in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos was examined. In this study, the transcripts of IGF-1 was detected in oocytes using primers for IGF-1. The PCR products were identified by Msp I restriction enzyme digest. We revealed that the transcripts of IGF-1 and IGF-1R were presented in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The highest mRNA levels in GV stage oocytes were decreased at 4- or 8-cell stage and then reincreased upto blastocyst. The presence of IGF-1 and IGF-lR in GV-oocytes suggests that the transcripts in the early stage embryos were derived from maternal genome. Additionally, the presence of IGF-1 and IGF-lR in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos suggests that IGF-1 plays an autocrine role during preimplantation embryonic development through IGF-lR as a signalling pathway.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.494-498
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• 2007

Pleiotrophin or osteoblast-specific factor 1(HOSF-1) is a growth-associated protein present in bone matrix. This study was designed to study pleiotrophin expression in osteoblastic cells. Pleiotrophin was expressed by osteoblast-like cell line. Pleiotrophin expression increased following the proliferative phase and was minimal at the terminal phases of the induced differentiation of cultured MC3T3-E1 cells. Pleiotrophin expression represents another autocrine factor that may contribute to the physiologic control of induced bone formation. In this study, induced osteogenesis will be examined in the context of the osteoblast expression of and regulation by PTN. I hypothesized that PDGF-BB stimulation of PTN expression represents an important paracrine signal during the induced osteogenesis associated with periodontal and implant surgeries. The possible mediation by PTN of anabolic effects attributed to PDGF-BB stimulation was examined in cell culture models of osteoblast differentiation. These studies will contribute fundamental insights to osteoblast biology and insights regarding the potential use of factors such as PTN in the clinical environment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 1999

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)s are believed to one of several growth factors that play an adjunctive role in ovarian follicular development. These factors circulate bound to a family of IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)s. It is known that circulating IGFBPs are involved in the transport of IGFs to tissues and modulate IGFs actions at local tissue. The purposes of this study were to evaluate changes in serum IGFBPs profiles during normal ovulatory menstrual cylce and to compare serum IGFBPs profiles in periovulatory phase of between normal ovulatory menstrual cylce and controlled hyperstimulated cycle. Fasting blood samples were obtained from 15 normal healthy women throughout normal ovulatory menstural cyle and on the day of aspiration of oocyte from 10 patients undergoing ovarian hyperstimuation for in vito fertilization-embryo transfer. Serum IGFBP-1 - IGFBP-4 were measured by western ligand blot and immunoprecipitation. Serum $17{\beta}$-estradiol was determined by radioimmunoassay. Type and molecular weight of serum IGFBP did not changed during normal ovulatory menstural cycle. No significant variation in the relative proportion and level of each IGFBP was found throughout normal ovulatory menstural cyle. Also, the relative proportion and level of each IGFBP did not correlated with serum $17{\beta}$-estradiol level. There was no significant difference in the relative proportion and level of each serum IGFBP between on the day of ovulation in normal ovulatory menstrual cylce and on the day of aspiration of oocyte in controlled hyperstimulated cycle. Our data indicate that IGFBPs have regulatory functions in ovary through an paracrine and autocrine rather than endocrine mechanism during normal ovulatory menstural cycle.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.275-279
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• 2002

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an important autocrine growth factor and also a survival factor for keratinocytes. NGF may act in the hyperproliferative condition, psoriasis. Clinically, the combination of psoralen and UVA (PUVA) has been used in the treatment of a wide variety of cutaneous disorders, such as psoriasis and vitiligo. However, the precise therapeutic mechanism of PUVA on the dermatologic diseases remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the expression of NGF in cultured keratinocytes is influenced by PUVA. Thus, normal human keratinocytes were isolated from neonatal foreskin, and the third to fifth-passaged cells were used in this study. The cells were exposed to various doses of UVA (30, 60, 120 $mJ/cm^2)$ after adding 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) to examine the expression of NGF mRNA. The RNA and protein of the cells were extracted at various time points (1, 8, 24 hours) after UVA irradiation to examine the expression of NGF mRNA and production of NGF protein. In keratinocytes, there were no differences in the expression of NGF mRNA between the different doses of UVA irradiation, however, the expression of NGF mRNA in UVA and PUVA groups tended to increase as the time increased. The expression of NGF mRNA was the highest in PUVA group, followed by UVA group and the lowest in 8-MOP group. The expressions of NGF protein at 1 and 8 hours after UVA irradiation were lower in the PUVA group than in the other groups. This study showed that the expression level of NGF protein in keratinocytes was relatively lower in the PUVA groups than in the other groups, suggesting that the therapeutic mechanism of PUVA in psoriasis is related to the decrease of NGF protein.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.43-45
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• 2016

Whole body energy balance is achieved through the coordinated regulation of energy intake and energy expenditure in various tissues including liver, muscle and adipose tissues. A positive energy imbalance by excessive energy intake or insufficient energy expenditure results in obesity and related metabolic diseases. Although there have been many obesity treatment trials aimed at the reduction of energy intake, these strategies have achieved only limited success because of their associated adverse effects. Serotonin is among those traditional pharmacological targets for anti-obesity treatment because central 5-HT functions as an anorexigenic neurotransmitter in the brain. Thus, there have been many trials aimed at increasing the activity of 5-HT in the central nervous system, and some of the developed methods are already used in the clinical setting as anti-obesity drugs. However, recent studies suggest the new functions of peripheral serotonin in energy homeostasis ranging from the endocrine regulation by gut-derived serotonin to the autocrine/paracrine regulation by adipocyte-derived serotonin. Pharmacological inhibition of 5-HT synthesis leads to inhibition of lipogenesis in epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT), induction of browning in inguinal WAT and activation of adaptive thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Fat specific Tph1 knock-out (Tph1 FKO) mice exhibit similar phenotypes as mice with pharmacological inhibition of 5-HT synthesis, suggesting the localized effects of 5-HT in adipose tissues. In addition, Htr3a KO mice exhibit increased energy expenditure in BAT and Htr2a KO mice exhibit the decreased lipid accumulation in WAT. These data suggest the clinical significance of the peripheral serotonergic system as a new therapeutic target for anti-obesity treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.844-854
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• 2022

Helicobacter pylori, a group 1 carcinogen, colonizes the stomach and affects the development of stomach diseases. Progranulin (PGRN) is an autocrine growth factor that regulates multiple cellular processes and plays a tumorigenic role in many tissues. Nevertheless, the mechanism of action of PGRN in gastric cancer caused by H. pylori infection remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of PGRN in cell cycle progression and the cell proliferation induced by H. pylori infection. We found that the increased PGRN was positively associated with CDK4 expression in gastric cancer tissue. PGRN was upregulated by H. pylori infection, thereby promoting cell proliferation, and that enhanced level of proliferation was reduced by PGRN inhibitor. CDK4, a target gene of PGRN, is a cyclin-dependent kinase that binds to cyclin D to promote cell cycle progression, which was upregulated by H. pylori infection. We also showed that knockdown of CDK4 reduced the higher cell cycle progression caused by upregulated PGRN. Moreover, when the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway (which is promoted by PGRN) was blocked, the upregulation of CDK4 mediated by PGRN was reduced. These results reveal the potential mechanism by which PGRN plays a major role through CDK4 in the pathological mechanism of H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.936-948
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• 2024

The Conical 9 well dish (C9 well dish) is characterized by a decreasing cross-sectional area towards the base. This design was hypothesized to enhance embryonic development by emulating the in vivo physical environment through density modulation. Comparative analyses revealed no significant difference in nuclear maturation rates between the C9 well dish and the 5-well dish. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was lower in the C9 well dish compared to the 5-well dish; however, this difference was not statistically significant. On the second day of in vitro culture, the cleavage rate in the C9 well dish was 4.66% higher, although not statistically significant, and the rates of blastocyst development were similar across both dishes. No significant differences were observed in the intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH) and ROS, as well as in the total cell number within the blastocysts between the dish types. The expression of mitogen-related factors, TGFα and IGF-1, in the blastocysts was consistent between the dishes. However, PDGFβ expression was significantly lower in the C9 well dish compared to the 35 mm petri dish. Similarly, the expression of the apoptosis factor Bax/Bcl2l2 showed no significant differences between the two dishes. Despite the marked difference in PDGFβ expression, its impact on blastocyst formation appeared negligible. The study also confirmed the feasibility of culturing a small number of oocytes per donor, collected via Ovum Pick-Up (OPU), with reduced volumes of culture medium and mineral oil, thus offering economic advantages. In conclusion, the present study indicates that the C9 well dish is effective for in vitro development of a small quantity of oocytes and embryos, presenting it as a viable alternative to traditional cell culture dishes.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.193-207
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• 1990

Transforming growth factor ${\beta}(TGF-{\beta})$ is a multifunctional polypeptide with diverse effects on the proliferation, differentiation and other functions in many cell types. $TGF-{\beta}$ is highly abundant in bone matrix and induces divergent responses in many aspects of bone cell metabolism . Several lines of investigation indicate that matrix-associated $TGF-{\beta}$ is the products of bone cells themselves. However, exact bone cell type reponsible for the production of $TGF-{\beta}$ is still in controversy, The present study was undertaken to determine the cellular origin of matrix-associated $TGF-{\beta}$ and to assess how different bone cells respond to $TGF-{\beta}$. As a prerequisite for this, 5 bone cell populations of distinct phenotype were isolated from fetal calvaria with sequential enzyme digestion protocol and biochemical characterization. Calvarial cell populations released in early stage showed fibroblastic features whereas populations relesed later was enriched with osteoblast-like cell as judged by their acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, cAMP responsiveness to parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and prostaglandin $E_2$ and collagen synthesis rate. By polyacylamide gel and immunoblot analysis of bone and calvarial cell extracts, presence of $TGF-{\beta}$ in bone tissues and production of $TGF-{\beta}$ by bone cells were confirmed again. Subsequent analysis of calvarial cell extracts prepared as individual population revealed that all calvarial cell populations synthesize $TGF-{\beta}$. Exogenously added $TGF-{\beta}$ induced biphasic response upon bone cell proliferation under serum-free condition. In osteoblastic cell populations, it was stimulatory whereas inhibitory in fibroblastic cell populations. In contrast, collagen and noncollagen protein synthesis of all calvarial cell populations were stimulated by $TGF-{\beta}$. Enhancement of protein synthesis was found to be more general rather than specific for collagen synthesis. In addition, effects of $TGF-{\beta}$ on protein synthesis were independent to its effects on cell proliferation. In summary, production of $TGF-{\beta}$ by bone cells and differential actions on various cell populations observed in this study suggest that $TGF-{\beta}$ may play an important role in the regulation of bone metabolism by modulating the specific cellular functions in autocrine and paracrine fashion.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.31 no.1 s.84
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• pp.121-136
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• 2001

This study was performed to analyse the expression of VEGF and it's receptor(VEGFR) in the tension side of the periodontal ligament following orthodontic tooth movement. Upper first molars of Sprague-Dawley rats were moved medially using closed coil spring for 1, 2, 24 hours and 3, 7, 14 days. H&E staining, immunohistochemical staining and in situ hybridization methods were used to analyse the change of the expression of VEGF and VEGFR. The results from this study were as follows : 1. Following tensional force, periodontal ligament showed elongation of fibers, compression and congestion of vessels and regional hemorrhage. These tissue changes were recovered within 3 days of force application. New bone formation was seen after 3 days of force application and continued for the remaining experimental periods. 2. Following tensional force, VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression was increased in the periodontal ligament cells, osteoblasts and cementoblasts. This change was followed by increased vasculature in the periodontal ligament. 3. After 3 days of tensional force, VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression was confined mainly to the osteopaths and the periodontal ligament cells adjacent to the alveolar bone. After 2 weeks of force application, VEGF and VEGF mRNA expression was reduced to the level of control sample. 4. VEGFRs(Flt-1, Flk-1) showed similar expression pattern and it's expression was mainly seen in the endothelial cells and osteoblasts. Following tensional force VEGFR expression was increased in the endothelial cells and osteoblasts. In conclusion, in the tension side of the penodontal ligament, ligament cells, osteoblast and cementoblast showed increased expression of VEGF & VEGF mRNA. It preceded the increase of vasculature and new bone formation. The increased expression of VEGF mRNA in cementoblast may induce periodontal vessels, which distribute mainly the bone side half of periodontal ligament, grow in the direction of tensional force. Increased expression of VEGFR & VEGFR mRNA not only in endothelial cell but in osteoblast, osteocyte and periodontal cells showed VEGF acts not only in paracrine manner but in autocrine one.