• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.684-691
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• 2003

This study was designed to investigate the effects of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb et Zucc) needle extract on membrane fluidity (MF), basal and induced oxygen radical (BOR and IOR), lipid peroxide(LPO) and oxidized protein (OP) as an oxidative stress, and lipofuscin(LF) in liver membranes of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were fed basic diets (control) and experimental diets (EtOAc-25, EtOAc-50 and EtOAc-100) for 45days. MFs were significantly increased (about 10%) in mitochondria of EtOAc-100 group compared with control group. BOR and IOR formations in mitochondria were significantly inhibited (about 12∼18% and 9 ∼l2%, respectively) in EtOAc-50 and EtOAc-100 groups, while BOR and IOR formations in microsomes were significantly inhibited (about 9∼l3% and 18∼19%, respectively) compared with control group. LPO levels were significantly inhibited (about 10% and 12∼13%, respectively) in mitochondria of EtOAc-100 and microsomes of EtOAc-50 and EtOAc-100 groups, whereas OP levels were significantly inhibited (about 13∼14%) in mitochondria of EtOAc-50 and EtOAc.-100 groups compared with control group. LF formations were significantly inhibited (about 10∼14%) in these three EtOAc groups. These results suggest that ethyl acetate fraction of pine needle may play an effective role in attenuating an oxidative stress and increasing a membrane fluidity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1397-1405
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• 2018

Mitochondria have multiple functions in cells: providing chemical energy, storing cellular $Ca^{2+}$, generating reactive oxygen species, and regulating apoptosis. Through these functions, mitochondria are also involved in the maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation of stem/progenitor cells. In the brain, the subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the neurogenic regions that contains neural stem cells (NSCs) throughout a lifetime. However, reports on the role of mitochondria in SVZ NSCs are scarce. Here, we show that rotenone, a complex I inhibitor of mitochondria, inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of SVZ NSCs in different ways. In proliferating NSCs, rotenone decreases mitosis as measured through phosphorylated histone H3 detection; moreover, apoptosis is not induced by rotenone at 50 nM. In differentiating NSCs, rotenone blocks neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis while glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes are not affected. Interestingly, in this study there were more cells in the differentiating NSCs treated with rotenone for 4-6 days than in the vehicle control group which was a different effect from the reduced number of cells in the proliferating NSCs. We examined both apoptosis and mitosis and found that rotenone decreased apoptosis as detected by staining cleaved caspase-3 but did not affect mitosis. Our results suggest that functional mitochondria are necessary in both the proliferation and differentiation of SVZ NSCs. Furthermore, mitochondria might be involved in the mitosis and apoptosis that occur during those processes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.240-244
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• 2006

We present a fast and simple protocol for purification of mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA, and RNA from small amounts of tomato leaves. This method uses a high ionic strength medium to isolate mitochondria and extract mitochondrial DNA and RNA from a single preparation and is easily adaptable to other plant species. Mitochondria was confirmed by MitoTracker. The mitochondrial DNA was not contaminated by plastid DNA, was successfully used for PCR. Similarly, the isolated mitochondrial RNA was not contaminated only slightly contaminated (leaves) by plastid RNA. RNA prepared according to our method was acceptable for RT-PCR analysis

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.719-724
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• 2009

Recent studies have revealed that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) disturbance is involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders, contributing to the activation of the ER stress-mediated apoptotic pathway. Therefore, we investigated here the molecular mechanisms underlying the ER-mitochondria axis, focusing on calcium as a potential mediator of cell death signals. Using NT2 cells treated with brefeldin A or tunicamycin, we observed that ER stress induces changes in the mitochondrial function, impairing mitochondrial membrane potential and distressing mitochondrial respiratory chain complex Moreover, stress stimuli at ER level evoked calcium fluxes between ER and mitochondria. Under these conditions, ER stress activated the unfolded protein response by an overexpression of GRP78, and also caspase-4 and-2, both involved upstream of caspase-9. Our findings show that ER and mitochondria interconnection plays a prominent role in the induction of neuronal cell death under particular stress circumstances.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.305-311
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• 2016

Mitochondria-targeted vitamin E (MVE) is designed to accumulate within mitochondria and is applied to decrease mitochondrial oxidative damage. However, the protective effects of MVE in skin cells have not been identified. We investigated the protective effect of MVE against UVB in dermal fibroblasts and immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). In addition, we studied the wound-healing effect of MVE in animal models. We found that MVE increased the proliferation and survival of fibroblasts at low concentration (i.e., nM ranges). In addition, MVE increased collagen production and downregulated matrix metalloproteinase1. MVE also increased the proliferation and survival of HaCaT cells. UVB increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in fibroblasts and HaCaT cells, while MVE decreased ROS production at low concentration. In an animal experiment, MVE accelerated wound healing from laser-induced skin damage. These results collectively suggest that low dose MVE protects skin from UVB irradiation. Therefore, MVE can be developed as a cosmetic raw material.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.125-137
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• 2013

Promising evidence suggests that amyloid beta peptide ($A{\beta}$), a key mediator in age-dependent neuronal and cerebrovascular degeneration, activates death signalling processes leading to neuronal as well as non-neuronal cell death in the central nervous system. A major cellular event in $A{\beta}$-induced apoptosis of non-neuronal cells, including cerebral endothelial cells, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, is mitochondrial dysfunction. The apoptosis signalling cascade upstream of mitochondria entails $A{\beta}$ activation of neutral sphingomyelinase, resulting in the release of ceramide from membrane sphingomyelin. Ceramide then activates protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a member in the ceramide-activated protein phosphatase (CAPP) family. PP2A dephosphorylation of Akt and FKHRL1 plays a pivotal role in $A{\beta}$-induced Bad translocation to mitochondria and transactivation of Bim. Bad and Bim are pro-apoptotic proteins that cause mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by excessive ROS formation, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, and release of mitochondrial apoptotic proteins including cytochrome c, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), endonuclease G and Smac. The cellular events activated by $A{\beta}$ to induce death of non-neuronal cells are complex. Understanding these apoptosis signalling processes will aid in the development of more effective strategies to slow down age-dependent cerebrovascular degeneration caused by progressive cerebrovascular $A{\beta}$ deposition.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.556-559
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• 2006

The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulates mitochondrial functions during cell death by modulating the efflux of death-promoting proteins such as cytochrome c and endonuclease G. Upon the binding of death ligands to their receptors, caspase-8 cleaves Bid, a BH3-only protein, into tBid that causes the mitochondrial damages resulting in the release of cytochrome c and endonuclease G. Also, another BH3-only protein, hNoxa, has been shown to induce the efflux of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Whether the efflux proteins from the mitochondria in response to tBid or hNoxa are the same or different, however, has not been addressed. We have demonstrated that endonuclease G activities are not detectable among the proteins released from isolated mitochondria by hNoxa but are detectable in that by tBid. These results suggest that the efflux of proteins from the mitochondria are differentially modulated by tBid and hNoxa.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.214-219
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• 2017

Mitochondria play pivotal roles in the ATP production, apoptosis and generation of reactive oxygen species. Although dynamic regulation of mitochondria morphology is a critical step to maintain cellular homeostasis, the regulatory mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. In this study, we identified miR-200a-3p as a novel regulator of mitochondrial dynamics by targeting mitochondrial fission factor (MFF). We demonstrated that the ectopic expression of miR-200a-3p enhanced mitochondrial elongation, mitochondrial ATP synthesis, mitochondrial membrane potential and oxygen consumption rate. These results indicate that miR-200a-3p positively regulates mitochondrial elongation by downregulating MFF expression.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2003

Ultrastructure of germ cell during gametogenesis of surf clam, Spisula sachalinensis were investigated by electron microscopic observations. Oogonia are oval in shape and 5-6 ${\mu}m$ in diameter. They contain a large nucleus and have several mitochondria in the cytoplasm. Vitellogenic oocytes grew attached by a stalk to the germinal epithelium in the ovarian sac and their cytoplasm contained many yolk granules, lipid granules and mitochondria. Mature oocytes measuring 50-60 ${\mu}m$ in diameter have a nucleus containing an electron dense nucleolus, and a lots of yolk granules, lipid granules, mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum and cortical granules were present in the cytoplasm. The surface of the plasma membrane in mature oocytes was formed of microvilli approximately 1.5 ${\mu}m$ long and enveloped in the vitelline layer. Spematogonia are oval in shape and about 5 ${\mu}m$ in diameter. Sprmatogonia develop into spermatocyte, spermatid and spermatozoon. The spermatozoon consisted of the head, midpiece and tail. The sperm head with diameter of about 1.5 ${\mu}m$ was ovoid, and contained the nucleus which consisted of acrosome. The four mitochondria encircled the centrosome in midpiece. The flagellum measuring about 40 ${\mu}m$ long had the classical 9+2 axoneme structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.172-172
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• 2012

Non-thermal plasma has attracted medical researchers, since they showed higher apoptosis rate in cancer cells than normal cells. However, it is hard to conclude general cancer cell specific effect because comparison between normal and cancer cell activities after plasma treatment have not been reported yet. This research proposes a comparison of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma effect on three normal cells lines and three cancer cells lines. We measured cell number, mitochondria activity (MTS assay) and amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for three days. The results show that the number of cancer cells decreased more than normal cells following of exposure time. On the other hand, mitochondria activities and amounts of H2O2 increased following of exposure time. In addition, we found that DBD plasma exposure on cell suspension in media and media only illustrated no difference in mitochondria activity, H2O2 quantity, and cell number. Thus, we can confirm higher apoptosis rate in cancer cells which is related to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by DBD plasma. The related molecular mechanisms were investigated further.