• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.161-166
• /
• 2015

Early growth response (Egr)-1 is a $Cys_2-His_2-type$ zincfinger transcription factor. It has been shown to induce survival and proliferation of immature and mature B cells, respectively, but its role in the differentiation of B cells into plasma cells remains unclear. To examine the effects of Egr-1 deficiency on the activation of B cells, naive B cells from $Egr1^{-/-}$mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates were activated to proliferate and differentiate, and then assayed by FACS. Proportions of cells undergoing proliferation and apoptosis did not differ between $Egr1^{-/-}$ and WT mice. However, $Egr1^{-/-}$ B cells gave rise to fewer plasma cells than WT B cells. Consistently, $Egr1^{-/-}$ mice produced significantly lower titer of antigen-specific IgG than their WT littermates upon immunization. Our results demonstrate that Egr-1 participates in the differentiation program of B cells into plasma cells, while it is dispensable for the proliferation and survival of mature B cells.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.77-91
• /
• 1988

Since the Urechis unicinctus-oocyte grows asynchronously in the body fluid, various oocytes in developmental stages can be prepared from each individual. The oocytes obtained from the coelomic fluid are then classified into five developmental stages according to the fine structural features. The earlier oocytes (${\sim}18{\mu}m$) form cluster and thereafter the oocytes grow singly without a distinct support of somatic cell, such as accessory cell or matrix cell. The yolk granules begin to appear already in the oocyte of cluster stage, however, the typical yolk was observed at the stage IV. Therefore, it was suggested that the yolk deposition is correlated with the coelomic fluid. The mature oocyte measured about $150{\mu}m$ produces the invagination not only on oolemma(indentation) but also on nuclear envelope. After the formation of the indentation, the mature ooytes are stored in storge sacs. The fine structural features were combined in aspect of structural concept of light microscopical observation.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.263-271
• /
• 1998

Oocyte maturation of the swordtail (Kiphophorus hellerii) was investigated by light and electron microscopy. In the ovary of the swordtail, various staged oocytes were observed, Mature oocytes were located in ovarian cortex, meanwhile immature ones were positioned in ovarian medulla. The oocyte was surrounded by several structures or cells such as chorion, follicle cells, follicular theaca and ovarian epithelium, respectively, from the inside toward outside. Growing and maturing oocytes healed numerous microvilli which interconnected the oocyte and the follicle cells to communicate each other. The mature oocyte had the electron dense chorion which appeared to be ultrastructure of two layers and contained pore canals. Oocyte maturation was characterized by not only the enlarged cell size and well differentiated cell organelles, brit also the increases of fat droplets, pinocytotic vesicles and yolk granules.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.136-140
• /
• 2016

Eph receptors and their ligands, ephrins, mediate cell-to-cell contacts in a specific brain region and their bidirectional signaling is implicated in the regulation of apoptosis during early brain development. In this report, we used the alpha(${\alpha}$)-Cre transgenic line to induce ephrin-A5 over-expression in the distal region of the neural retina. Using this double transgenic embryo, we show that the over-expression of ephrin-A5 was responsible for inducing massive apoptosis in both the nasal and temporal retinas. In addition, the number of differentiated retinal neurons with the exception of the bipolar neuron was significantly reduced, whereas the laminar organization of the mature retina remained intact. Consistent with this finding, an analysis of the mature retina revealed that the size of the whole retina-particularly the nasal and temporal regions-is markedly reduced. These results strongly suggest that the level of ephrin-A5 expression plays a role in the regulation of the size of the retinal progenitor pool in the neural retina.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources Conference
• /
• 2004.05a
• /
• pp.362-364
• /
• 2004

지방세포인 murine pre-adipocyte 3T3L1 cell에 분화호르몬 혼합물을 처리하여 mature adipocyte로 분화시켜서 bovine LF을 100 ug 처리하였다. Bovine LF을 처리한 mature adipocyte 3T3L1 cell은 대조구보다 지방세포의 지질방울들의 수와 크기가 작아진 것으로 관찰되었다. LF가 비만마우스의 체중감소에 미치는 영향은 매일 5mg의 LF을 투여구는 대조구와 같은 경향으로 시간이 지남에 따라 체중이 증가 되었으나 매일 10mg의 LF 투여구는 투여 후 10일부터 대조구보다 약 15${\sim}$25% 정도 체중이 감소되었다. Cholesterol은 대조구에서는 138mg/ml이었으나 LF 10mg 투여구에서는 130mg/ml로 감소되었고 혈당량은 대조구에 비해 LF 10mg 투여구에서 약 10% 정도 높았다.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.41-59
• /
• 2022

The emergence of brain organoids as a model system has been a tremendously exciting development in the field of neuroscience. Brain organoids are a gateway to exploring the intricacies of human-specific neurogenesis that have so far eluded the neuroscience community. Regardless, current culture methods have a long way to go in terms of accuracy and reproducibility. To perfectly mimic the human brain, we need to recapitulate the complex in vivo context of the human fetal brain and achieve mature neural circuitry with an intact cytoarchitecture. In this review, we explore the major challenges facing the current brain organoid systems, potential technical breakthroughs to advance brain organoid techniques up to levels similar to an in vivo human developing brain, and the future prospects of this technology.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.41 no.7
• /
• pp.613-621
• /
• 2018

The capacity of differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), which include both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, into cardiomyocytes (CMs) in vitro provides an unlimited resource for human CMs for a wide range of applications such as cell based cardiac repair, cardiac drug toxicology screening, and human cardiac disease modeling. However, their applicability is significantly limited by immature phenotypes. It has been well known that currently available CMs derived from hPSCs (hPSC-CMs) represent immature embryonic or fetal stage CMs and are functionally and structurally different from mature human CMs. To overcome this critical issue, several new approaches aiming to generate more mature hPSC-CMs have been developed. This review describes recent approaches to generate more mature hPSC-CMs including their scientific principles, advantages, and limitations.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.367-374
• /
• 2001

Leaves of two developmental stages of Salsola species, young and mature, were examined to reveal the structural and functional relationships in the photosynthetic tissue using anatomical and ultrastructural criteria. Both young and mature leaves had Kranz anatomy of the Salsolid type with two layers of chlorenchyma on the leaf periphery: an outer layer of palisade mesophyll cells and an inner layer of compact bundle sheath cells with centripetally arranged organelles. The chlorenchyma was continuous in young leaves , while it was discontinuous in mature leaves. The main vascular bundle occupied the central position in the leaf. but the small peripheral vascular bundles were in contact with the chlorenchyma. Structural dimorphism of chloroplasts was obvious in bundle sheath cells of mature leaves exhibiting noticeable grana reduction, whereas mesophyll cell chloroplasts had well developed grana in all cases. Plasmodesmata were less numerous and rather simple in young leaves relative to well-developed secondary plasmodesmata of the later stage. According to the current data, features of two stages of Salsola leaves corresponded to NADP-ME bio-chemical subtype on the basis of photosynthetic cell ultrastructure. Implications of developing such anatomical and ultrastructural data of Sulsola species and biochemical characteristics reported in other C-4 species have been discussed.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.125-131
• /
• 1992

The possible effect of human follicular fluid(hFF) on the growth and development of fertilized oocytes and embryos is important because the fallopian tubes are exposed to FF after follicular rupture and the processes of fertilization and embryo cleavage occur inside the fallopian tubes. Previously, it was suggested that human FF might adversely affect on the development of early mouse embryos. In order to investigate the effect of hFF on the development of embryos, early mouse embryos were cultured in media containing various protein sources as bovine serum albumin(BSA), fetal cord serum(FCS) and FF. And we evaluated the development of early mouse embryos in terms of the morphology, cleavage rate, and cell count of blastcysts. There were no significant differences in the morula and blstocyst formation rates of 2-cell mouse embryos cultured in the media containg three different protein sources and three different concentrations of FF. The blastocyst formation rate of 1-cell mouse embryo cultured in FF group was significantly higher than that cultured in BSA group(P<0.05). The morula and blastocyst formation rates of 2-cell mouse embryos of the group cultured in the media containing FF were comparable with those of other two groups, in addition, the cell count of blastocysts of FF group in the 2-cell embryo culture was higher than those of BSA group and HCS group(P<0.01), and this finding was also noted in 1-cell embryo culture. There was no difference in the morula and blastocyst formation rates of the 2-cell mouse embryos cultured in the media containing different concentrations of FF. These results suggest that mature human follicular fluid has no inhibitory activity on the development of early mouse embryos even in high concentration and may be a good protein source which is positively associated with the development of mouse embryos in vitro especially in 1 cell embryo culture.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.225-231
• /
• 2003

Transgenic mice containing Diphtheria Toxin-A (DT-A) gene fused to proximal lck promoter sequences was used for analysis of DT-A gene expression and thymocyte development. The diphtheria toxin gene was expressed in thymus, spleen and liver of transgenic mice confirmed by RT-PCR and Northern blotting. A FACS analysis with thymocyte cell surface antigens antibodies (CD4 and CD8) showed that the number of peripheral mature single positive thymocytes ($CD4^{+}\;and\;CD8^{+}$ cells) T-cells was severely reduced in transgenic mice compared to that in the non-transgenic littermates. A relative portion of $CD8^{+}$ single positive thymocytes was about 33.2% in transgenic peripheral T-cells while 50.6% in wild type. Reduction of $CD4^{+}$ cell numbers in transgenic mice was observed (5.9% in transgenic versus 10.3% in non-transgenic). The data from analysis of these transgenic mice indicate that the proximal lck promoter regulated the expression of DT-A gene at high level in developing thymocytes and the DT-A disrupted developing thymocytes in transgenic mice.