• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.264-275
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• 2023

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity. PD is caused by loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra (SN) and therefore, replenishment of DA neurons via stem cell-based therapy is a potential treatment option. Astrocytes are the most abundant non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system and are promising candidates for reprogramming into neuronal cells because they share a common origin with neurons. The ability of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to proliferate and differentiate may overcome the limitations of the reduced viability and function of transplanted cells after cell replacement therapy. Achaete-scute complex homolog-like 1 (Ascl1) is a well-known neuronal-specific factor that induces various cell types such as human and mouse astrocytes and fibroblasts to differentiate into neurons. Nurr1 is involved in the differentiation and maintenance of DA neurons, and decreased Nurr1 expression is known to be a major risk factor for PD. Previous studies have shown that direct conversion of astrocytes into DA neurons and NPCs can be induced by overexpression of Ascl1 and Nurr1 and additional transcription factors genes such as superoxide dismutase 1 and SRY-box 2. Here, we demonstrate that astrocytes isolated from the ventral midbrain, the origin of SN DA neurons, can be effectively converted into DA neurons and NPCs with enhanced viability. In addition, when these NPCs are inducted to differentiate, they exhibit key characteristics of DA neurons. Thus, direct conversion of midbrain astrocytes is a possible cell therapy strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.736-745
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• 2023

Aging is a complex biological process characterized by a gradual decline in cellular and physiological functions. This natural process is associated with age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and hypogonadism, which are significant health concerns among older individuals and can significantly impact their quality of life. Researchers have found that epigenetic markers play a crucial role in regulating aging and age-related diseases. Epigenetic markers are heritable gene expression alterations that do not change in the DNA sequence. This review focuses on the involvement of various epigenetic marks, such as RNA methylation, DNA methylation, and microRNAs (miRNAs), in regulating gene expression patterns associated with age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and hypogonadism. These epigenetic alterations can lead to the dysregulation of specific genes and signaling pathways, contributing to the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, and hypogonadism. Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these epigenetic modifications is essential for both the aging population and individuals seeking ways to promote overall well-being. By gaining deeper insights into how epigenetic marker alteration occurs during aging and age-related diseases, researchers can potentially develop targeted therapeutic strategies to alleviate the impact of these conditions and improve the quality of life for older individuals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2003

Offspring have been produced from somatic cells in a number of species. This biotechnology introduced a new phenomenon in reprogramming and differentiation of somatic cell, namely totipotency. However, birth of oversized calves and perinatal abnormalities such as increased gestation length, lack of spontaneous parturition, higher incidence of dystocia, and reduced perinatal viability of offspring are frequently observed in pregnancies of cloned bovine fetuses. Disturbance of feto-placenta has been proposed as likely causes for abnomal growth. However. Little is known the mechanism responsible for the perinatal problems. Therefore, we focused on gestation length in somatic cell nuclear recipient cows. To solve this issues, placental tissues of control and cloned bovine were obtained by a cesarean section (C-section) before 5 days of paturition. Total RNA from control and cloned bovine placenta was extractd by TRIzol reagent. GeneFishing DEG kits (Seegene) were used to identify differentially expression genes. Total RNA (3 ug) were synthesized by M-MLV reverse transcriptase (200 u/ul) with 10 uM dT-annealing control primer (ACP1) at 42C for 90 min. Then, first-strand cDNA (50 ng) was amplified using the 5 uM arbitary ACP (1-20) and 10 uM dT-ACP2 primers. Some specific expression genes were amplified, Now, we are cloning and sequencing. These finding strongly can be support to solve the problems for parturition delay in nuclear transfer cows, suggest that placenta specific proteins are key indicators for the aberration of gestation and placental function in cows.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.109-120
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• 2023

Background: Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer the immense therapeutic potential in stem cell-based therapy of degenerative disorders. However, clinical trials of human ESCs cause heavy ethical concerns. With the derivation of iPSCs established by reprogramming from adult somatic cells through the transgenic expression of transcription factors, this problems would be able to overcome. In the present study, we tried to differentiate porcine iPSCs (piPSCs) into endothelial cells (ECs) for stem cell-based therapy of vascular diseases. Methods: piPSCs (OSKMNL) were induced to differentiation into ECs in four differentiation media (APEL-2, APEL-2 + 50 ng/mL of VEGF, EBM-2, EBM-2 + 50 ng/mL of VEGF) on cultured plates coated with matrigel^® (1:40 dilution with DMEM/F-12 medium) for 8 days. Differentiation efficiency of these cells were exanimated using qRT-PCR, Immunocytochemistry, Western blotting and FACS. Results: As results, expressions of pluripotency-associated markers (OCT-3/4, SOX2 and NANOG) were higher observed in all porcine differentiated cells derived from piPSCs (OSKMNL) cultured in four differentiation media than piPSCs as the control, whereas endothelial-associated marker (CD-31) in the differentiated cells was not expressed. Conclusions: It can be seen that piPSCs (OSKMNL) were not suitable to differentiate into ECs in the four differentiation media unlike porcine epiblast stem cells (pEpiSCs). Therefore, it would be required to establish a suitable PSCs for differentiating into ECs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.28.1-28.20
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• 2023

Lipid accumulation in macrophages is a prominent phenomenon observed in atherosclerosis. Previously, intimal foamy macrophages (FM) showed decreased inflammatory gene expression compared to intimal non-foamy macrophages (NFM). Since reprogramming of lipid metabolism in macrophages affects immunological functions, lipid profiling of intimal macrophages appears to be important for understanding the phenotypic changes of macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions. While lipidomic analysis has been performed in atherosclerotic aortic tissues and cultured macrophages, direct lipid profiling has not been performed in primary aortic macrophages from atherosclerotic aortas. We utilized nanoflow ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to provide comprehensive lipid profiles of intimal non-foamy and foamy macrophages and adventitial macrophages from Ldlr^-/- mouse aortas. We also analyzed the gene expression of each macrophage type related to lipid metabolism. FM showed increased levels of fatty acids, cholesterol esters, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and sphingomyelin. However, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidic acid, and ceramide levels were decreased in FM compared to those in NFM. Interestingly, FM showed decreased triacylglycerol (TG) levels. Expressions of lipolysis-related genes including Pnpla2 and Lpl were markedly increased but expressions of Lpin2 and Dgat1 related to TG synthesis were decreased in FM. Analysis of transcriptome and lipidome data revealed differences in the regulation of each lipid metabolic pathway in aortic macrophages. These comprehensive lipidomic data could clarify the phenotypes of macrophages in the atherosclerotic aorta.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.145-156
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• 2022

The effect of paternal telomere length on reproductive performance, relationship between paternal and offspring telomere length, and association between paternal telomere length and offspring production performance were investigated in Korean native chickens. Using 22 paternal chickens and 329 offspring, the paternal reproductive performance such as fertility, embryo mortality, and hatchability, as well as the offspring production performance such as survival rate, body weight, and weight gain were analyzed. Telomere length was analyzed through quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization using lymphocytes. No significant differences were observed in fertility, embryo mortality, and hatchability between paternal chicken telomere lengths (P<0.05). These results indicate that paternal telomere length had a weak negative correlation with fertility and embryonic death rate but a weak positive correlation with hatchability. The correlation coefficient between paternal telomere length and offspring survival rate was r=0.17 (P>0.05). The group of offspring with long paternal telomeres showed relatively poor growth performance. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was estimated between paternal telomere length and offspring growth performance (P<0.05). The correlation coefficient between paternal and offspring telomere lengths was r=0.075 (P>0.05). In conclusion, there was a weak association between paternal telomere length and reproductive performance, offspring survival rate, and offspring telomere length, respectively. However, paternal telomere length and offspring growth performance showed a negative relationship. Such results could be due to the re-extension of telomere length by telomere reprogramming in the early embryonic stage and the different degree of telomere shortening between individuals with increasing age after birth.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.261-267
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• 2012

The technique of SCNT is now well established but still remains inefficient. The in vitro development of SCNT embryos is dependent upon numerous factors including the recipient cytoplast and karyoplast. Above all, the metaphase of the second meiotic division (MII) oocytes have typically become the recipient of choice. Generally high level of MPF present in MII oocytes induces the transferred nucleus to enter mitotic division precociously and causes NEBD and PCC, which may be the critical role for nuclear reprogramming. In the present study we investigated the in vitro development and pregnancy of White-Hanwoo SCNT embryos treated with caffeine (a protein kinase phosphatase inhibitor). As results, the treatment of 10 mM caffeine for 6 h significantly increased MPF activity in bovine oocytes but does not affect the developmental competence to the blastocyst stage in bovine SCNT embryos. However, a significant increase in the mean cell number of blastocysts and the frequency of pregnant on 150 days of White-Hanwoo SCNT embryos produced using caffeine treated cytoplasts was observed. These results indicated that the recipient cytoplast treated with caffeine for a short period prior to reconstruction of SCNT embryos is able to increase the frequency of pregnancy in cow.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2011

This study was performed to identify the differentially methylated region (DMR) and to examine the mRNA expression of the imprinted H19 gene in day 35 of SCNT pig fetuses. The fetus and placenta at day 35 of gestation fetuses after natural mating (Control) or of cloned pig by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) were isolated from a uterus. To investigate the mRNA expression and methylation patterns of H19 gene, tissues from fetal liver and placenta including endometrial and extraembryonic tissues were collected. The mRNA expression was evaluated by real-time PCR and methylation pattern was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing method. Bisulfite analyses demonstrated that the differentially methylated region (DMR) was located between -1694 bp to -1338 bp upstream from translation start site of the H19 gene. H19 DMR (-1694 bp to -1338 bp) exhibits a normal mono allelic methylation pattern, and heavily methylated in sperm, but not in oocyte. In contrast to these finding, the analysis of the endometrium and/or extraembryonic tissues from SCNT embryos revealed a complex methylation pattern. The DNA methylation status of DMR Region In porcine H19 gene upstream was hypo methylated in SCNT tissues but hypermethylated in control tissues. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of H19 gene in liver, endometrium, and extraembryonic tissues was significantly higher in SCNT than those of control (p<0.05). These results suggest that the aberrant mRNA expression and the abnormal methylation pattern of imprinted H19 gene might be closely related to the inadequate fetal development of a cloned fetus, contributing to the low efficiency of genomic reprogramming.

• Journal of KIISE:Information Networking
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.215-226
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• 2008

As sensor networks are used in various and dynamic applications, the function of sink-to-sensors reliable multicasting such as for task reprogramming is newly required. NAK-based error recovery schemes have been proposed for energy efficient reliable multicasting. However, these schemes have incompleteness problems such as the last packet loss. This paper introduces an ACK-based error recovery scheme, RM2I(Reliable Multicast with Implicit ACK and Indirect Recovery). It utilizes wireless multicast advantage in which a packet may be delivered to all of its omni-directional neighbor nodes. When a sender overhears a packet which its receiver forwards to the next nodes, it may interpret it as an ACK from the receiver. We call it an Implicit ACK. In Indirect Recovery, when a node receives a packet from neighbor nodes which are not its direct upstream node, it saves and utilizes it for error recovery. Using NS-2 simulator, we have analyzed their effects. We have also compared RM2I with the NAK-based error recovery scheme. In results, RM2I shows comparable performances to the ideal NAK-based scheme, except where Implicit ACK and Indirect Recovery do not occur at the edges of the networks.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.487-495
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• 2007

The objectives of the present study were to initiate cloning of Korean native goat by somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) and to examine whether unovulated (follicular) oocytes can support the same developmental ability of NT embryos as ovulated (oviductal) oocytes after hCG injection in stimulated cycles of the goat. The in vivo-matured and immature oocytes were collected from the oviducts and follicles of superovulated does, respectively, and the immature oocytes were maturated in vitro. Ear skin fibroblasts derived from a 3-yr-old female Korean native goat were used as the donors of nuclei or karyoplasts. Following fusion, activation and in vitro culture to a 2- to 4-cell stage, 49 in vitro-derived and 105 in vivo-derived embryos were transferred to 6 and 17 recipient does, respectively. One doe and three does of the respective groups were identified as pregnant by ultrasonography on day 30 after embryo transfer. However, only one doe, which had received in vivo-derived embryos, delivered a normal female kid of 1.9 kg on d 149. The cloned kid gained more weight than her age-matched females as much as 87% during the first 4 mo after birth (17.7 vs. $9.4{\pm}0.8$ kg) and reached puberty at 6-mo age a few months earlier than normal female does. The telomere length of the kid, which was similar to that of the donor fibroblast at 2-mo age, decreased 8% between 2- and 7-mo ages. Moreover, at 7-mo age, she had 21% shorter telomere than her age-matched goats. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which a cloned animal born with a normal weight exhibited accelerated growth and development. The unusually rapid growth and development of the cloned goat may have resulted from SCNT-associated epigenetic reprogramming involving telomere shortening.