• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2022

Stem cell-based therapy is a promising approach for treating a variety of disorders, including acute brain insults and neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), circular membrane fragments (30 nm-1 ㎛) that are shed from the cell surface, carrying several therapeutic molecules such as proteins and microRNAs. Because EV-based therapy is superior to cell therapy in terms of scalable production, biodistribution, and safety profiles, it can be used to treat brain diseases as an alternative to stem cell therapy. This review presents evidences evaluating the role of stem cell-derived EVs in stroke, traumatic brain injury, and degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson' disease. In addition, stem cell-derived EVs have better profiles in biocompatibility, immunogenicity, and safety than those of small chemical and macromolecules. The advantages and disadvantages of EVs compared with other strategies are discussed. Even though EVs obtained from native stem cells have potential in the treatment of brain diseases, the successful clinical application is limited by the short half-life, limited targeting, rapid clearance after application, and insufficient payload. We discuss the strategies to enhance the efficacy of EV therapeutics. Finally, EV therapies have yet to be approved by the regulatory authorities. Major issues are discussed together with relevant advances in the clinical application of EV therapeutics.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.16.1-16.11
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• 2020

Silk is produced by a variety of insects, but only silk made by terrestrial arthropods has been examined in detail. To fill the gap, this study was designed to understand the silk spinning system of aquatic insect. The larvae of caddis flies, Hydatophylax nigrovittatus produce silk through a pair of labial silk glands and use raw silk to protect themselves in the aquatic environment. The result of this study clearly shows that although silk fibers are made under aquatic conditions, the cellular silk production system is quite similar to that of terrestrial arthropods. Typically, silk production in caddisworm has been achieved by two independent processes in the silk glands. This includes the synthesis of silk fibroin in the posterior region, the production of adhesive glycoproteins in the anterior region, which are ultimately accumulated into functional silk dope and converted to a silk ribbon coated with gluey substances. At the cellular level, each substance of fibroin and glycoprotein is specifically synthesized at different locations, and then transported from the rough ER to the Golgi apparatus as transport vesicles, respectively. Thereafter, the secretory vesicles gradually increase in size by vesicular fusion, forming larger secretory granules containing specific proteins. It was found that these granules eventually migrate to the apical membrane and are exocytosed into the lumen by a mechanism of merocrine secretion.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.12.1-12.17
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• 2024

Exosomes are double phospholipid membrane vesicles that are synthesized and secreted by a variety of cells, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, immune cells, are extracellular vesicles. Recent studies have revealed that exosomes can play a significant role in under both physiological and pathological conditions. They have been implicated in regulation of inflammatory responses, immune response, angiogenesis, tissue repair, and antioxidant activities, particularly in modulating immunity in autoimmune diseases (AIDs). Moreover, variations in the expression of exosome-related substances, such as miRNA and proteins, may not only offer valuable perspectives for the early warning, and prognostic assessment of various AIDs, but may also serve as novel markers for disease diagnosis. This article examines the impact of exosomes on the development of AIDs and explores their potential for therapeutic application.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.757-763
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• 2023

In this study, we examine whether a change in the protein levels for FOP in Ankyrin repeat and SAM domain-containing protein 1A (ANKS1A)-deficient ependymal cells affects the intraflagellar transport (IFT) protein transport system in the multicilia. Three distinct abnormalities are observed in the multicilia of ANKS1A-deficient ependymal cells. First, there were a greater number of IFT88-positive trains along the cilia from ANKS1A deficiency. The results are similar to each isolated cilium as well. Second, each isolated cilium contains a significant increase in the number of extracellular vesicles (ECVs) due to the lack of ANKS1A. Third, Van Gogh-like 2 (Vangl2), a ciliary membrane protein, is abundantly detected along the cilia and in the ECVs attached to them for ANKS1A-deficient cells. We also use primary ependymal culture systems to obtain the ECVs released from the multicilia. Consequently, we find that ECVs from ANKS1A-deficient cells contain more IFT machinery and Vangl2. These results indicate that ANKS1A deficiency increases the entry of the protein transport machinery into the multicilia and as a result of these abnormal protein transports, excessive ECVs form along the cilia. We conclude that ependymal cells make use of the ECV-based disposal system in order to eliminate excessively transported proteins from basal bodies.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.525-530
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• 2013

Multidrug resistance 3 (MDR3) is expressed on the canalicular membrane of the hepatocytes and plays an important role in protecting the liver from bile acids. Altered ABCB4 gene expression can lead to a rare hepatic disease, low phospholipid-associated cholelithiasis (LPAC). In this study, we characterized 3 ABCB4 mutations in LPAC patients using various in vitro assay systems. We first measured the ability of each mutant to transport paclitaxel and then the mechanisms by which these mutations might change MDR3 transport activity were determined using immunoblotting, cell surface protein biotinylation, and immunofluorescence. Through a membrane vesicular transport assay, we observed that the uptake of paclitaxel was significantly reduced in membrane vesicles expressing 2 ABCB4 mutations, F165I and S320F. Both mutants showed significantly decreased total and cell surface MDR3 expression. These data suggest two missense mutations of ABCB4 may alter function of MDR3 and ultimately can be determined as LPAC-causing mutations.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.379-390
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• 2016

When a multinucleate cell of Bryopsis plumosa was collapsed by a physical wounding, the extruded protoplasm aggregated into numerous protoplasmic masses in sea water. A polysaccharide envelope which initially covered the protoplasmic mass was peeled off when a cell membrane developed on the surface of protoplast in 12 h after the wounding. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the protoplasmic mass began to form a continuous cell membrane at 6 h after the wounding. The newly generated cell membrane repeated collapse and rebuilding process several times until cell wall developed on the surface. Golgi bodies with numerous vesicles accumulated at the peripheral region of the rebuilding cell at 24 h after the wounding when the cell wall began to develop. Several layers of cell wall with distinctive electron density developed within 48-72 h after the wounding. Proteome profile changed dramatically at each stage of cell rebuilding process. Most proteins, which were up-regulated during the early stage of cell rebuilding disappeared or reduced significantly by 24-48 h. About 70-80% of protein spots detected at 48 h after the wounding were newly appeared ones. The expression pattern of 29 representative proteins was analyzed and the internal amino acid sequences were obtained using mass spectrometry. Our results showed that a massive shift of gene expression occurs during the cell-rebuilding process of B. plumosa.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.403-411
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• 1997

To elucidate the mechanism of gentamicin induced renal dysfunction, renal functions and activities of various proximal tubular transport systems were studied in gentamicin-treated rats (Fisher 344). Gentamicin nephrotoxicity was induced by injecting gentamicin sulfate subcutaneously at a dose of 100 $mg/kg{\cdot}day$ for 7 days. The gentamicin injection resulted in a marked polyuria, hyposthenuria, proteinuria, glycosuria, aminoaciduria, phosphaturia, natriuresis, and kaliuresis, characteristics of aminoglycoside nephropathy. Such renal functional changes occurred in the face of reduced GFR, thus tubular transport functions appeared to be impaired. The polyuria and hyposthenuria were partly associated with a mild osmotic diuresis, but mostly attributed to a reduction in free water reabsorption. In renal cortical brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from gentamicin-treated rats, the $Na^+$ gradient dependent transport of glucose, alanine, phosphate and succinate was significantly attenuated with no changes in $Na^+-independent$ transport and the membrane permeability to $Na^+$. These results indicate that gentamicin treatment induces a defect in free water reabsorption in the distal nephron and impairs various $Na^+-cotransport$ systems in the proximal tubular brush-border membranes, leading to polyuria, hyposthenuria, and increased urinary excretion of $Na^+$ and other solutes.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Mature spermatozoa of dark chub Zacco temmincki (Temminck and Schlegel), were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The spermatozoa have a spherical, homogeneously electron-dense nucleus with an axial nuclear fossa containing two laterally oriented centrioles. The centrioles, which are arranged at about a $120^{\circ}$ angle to each other, have the 9+2 microtubule structure typical of flagella. The mature spermatozoon is of the primitive anacrosomal aquasperm type. The nuclear envelope is strongly undulated and contains nuclear vacuoles of different sizes and positions. The midpiece contains six or more mitochondria and encircles the basal body of the flagellum with an axoneme covered by the plasma membrane. Cytoplasmic vesicles lie between the axonemal doublets and the plasma membrane, and encircle the anterior part of the tail. The plasma membrane of the flagellum extends laterally and forms a pair of side fins. The species showed minor differences in number and structure of mitochondria, the angle between centrioles, and total length and occurrence of the fins. These characters, especially the side fins, appear to be apomorphic and useful for determining phylogenetic relationships at the genus or family level.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1271-1279
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• 2009

To develop low endotoxic and multi-immunogenic outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), a deletion mutant of the msbB gene in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) was used as a source of low endotoxic OMV, and an expression vector of the canine parvovirus (CPV) VP2 epitope fused to the bacterial OmpA protein was constructed and transformed into the Salmonella ${\Delta}msbB$ mutant. In a lethality test, BALB/c mice injected intraperitoneally with the Salmonella ${\Delta}msbB$ mutant survived for 7 days, whereas mice injected intraperitoneally with the wild type survived for 3 days. Moreover, all mice inoculated orally with the ${\Delta}msbB$ mutant survived for 30 days, but 80% of mice inoculated orally with the wild type survived. The OmpA::CPV VP2 epitope fusion protein was expressed successfully and associated with the outer membrane and OMV fractions from the mutant S. Typhimurium transformed with the fusion protein-expressing vector. In immunogenicity tests, sera obtained from the mice immunized with either the Salmonella msbB mutant or its OMVs containing the OmpA::CPV VP2 epitope showed bactericidal activities against wild-type S. Typhimurium and contained specific antibodies to the CPV VP2 epitope. In the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay as a measurement of CPV-neutralizing activity in the immune sera, there was an 8-fold increase of HI titer in the OMV-immunized group compared with the control. These results suggested that the CPV-neutralizing antibody response was raised by immunization with OMV containing the OmpA::CPV VP2 epitope, as well as the protective immune response against S. Typhimurium in BALB/c mice.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.103-114
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• 1992

Selective quenching of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) by trinitrophenyl groups was utilized to examine the transbilayer fluidity domains of the model membranes of total lipids (SPMVTL) and phospholipids (SPMVPL) extracted from synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles. At $37^{\circ}C$, all anisotropy (r), limiting anisotropy $(r_{\infty})$, and order parameter (S) values of DPH in the SPMVTL were larger than those in SPMVPL. The anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the inner monolayer were 0.025, 0.033, and 0.070, respectively, greater than calculated for the outer monolayer of SPMVTL. In SPMVPL, the anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the inner monolayer were 0.014, 0.018, and 0.047, respectively, greater than calculated for the outer monolayer. Selective quenching of DPH by trinitrophenyl groups was also utilized to examine the effects of barbiturates on the transbilayer fluidity domains of SPMVTL and SPMVPL. Barbiturates did not affect the anisotropy of DPH in the transbilayer domains of SPMVTL. In contrast, barbiturates increased the fluorescence anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the SPMVPL in a dose-dependent manner. Barbiturates showed a greater ordering effect on the outer monolayer as compared to the inner monolayer of SPMVPL. Hence, it has been demonstrated for the first time that the Sheetz-Singer hypothesis (1974) may be valid for phospholipid model membranes.