• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제3권5호
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• pp.471-479
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• 1999

The Kv channel activity in vascular smooth muscle cell plays an important role in the regulation of membrane potential and blood vessel tone. It was postulated that increased blood vessel tone in hypertension was associated with alteration of Kv channel and membrane potential. Therefore, using whole cell mode of patch-clamp technique, the membrane potential and the 4-AP-sensitive Kv current in cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells were compared between normotensive rat and one-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt hypertensive rat (lK,lC-GBH rat). Cell capacitance of hypertensive rat was similar to that of normotensive rat. Cell capacitance of normotensive rat and 1K,lC-GBH rat were $20.8{\pm}2.3$ and $19.5{\pm}1.4$ pF, respectively. The resting membrane potentials measured in current clamp mode from normotensive rat and 1K,lC-GBH rat were $-45.9{\pm}1.7$ and $-38.5{\pm}1.6$ mV, respectively. 4-AP (5 mM) caused the resting membrane potential hypopolarize but charybdotoxin $(0.1\;{\mu}M)$ did not cause any change of membrane potential. Component of 4-AP-sensitive Kv current was smaller in 1K,lC-GBH rat than in normotensive rat. The voltage dependence of steady-state activation and inactivation of Kv channel determined by using double-pulse protocol showed no significant difference. These results suggest that 4-AP-sensitive Kv channels playa major role in the regulation of membrane potential in cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells and alterations of 4-AP-sensitive Kv channels would contribute to hypopolarization of membrane potential in 1K,lC-GBH rat.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.52-58
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• 2008

The object of this study is to investigate the effects of intermittent cyclic stretching on the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) seeded onto aligned multi-layered fibrous scaffold. To make multi-layered fibrous scaffold, polyurethane (PU) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were electrospun alternatively, then were immersed into distilled water to extract PEO. Various types of scaffolds were fabricated depending on fiber directions, i.e., aligned or randomly oriented. The direction of stretching was either parallel or vertical to the fiber direction for the aligned scaffolds. The stretching was also applied to the randomly aligned scaffolds. The duration of stretching was 2 min with 15 min resting period. During the stretching, the maximum and minimum strain was adjusted to be 10 and 7%, respectively with the frequency of 1 Hz. The bioactivities of cells on the scaffolds were assessed by quantifying DNA, collagen, and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels. And the cell morphology was observed by staining F-actin. SMCs under parallel stretching to the fiber direction responded more positively than those in other conditions. From the results, we could explain the morphological effect of a substrate on cellular activities. In addition the synergistic effects of substrate and mechanical stimuli effects were confirmed.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2000년도 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.355-356
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• 2000

Three 'stress probe' plasmids were constructed and characterized which utilize a green fluorescent protein (CFP) as a non-invasive reporter to elucidate Escherichia coli cellular stress responses in quiescent or 'resting' cells. Facile detection of cellular stress levels was achieved by fusion of three heat shock stress protein promoter elements, those of the heat shock transcription factor ${\sigma}^{32}$, pretense subunit ClpB, and chaperone DnaK, to the reporter gene $gfp_{uv}$. When perturbed by chemical or physical stress (such as heat shock, nutrient (amino acid) limitation, addition of IPTG, acetic acid, ethanol, phenol, antifoam, and salt (osmotic shock), the E. coli cells produced GFPuv which was easily detected from within the cells as emitted green fluorescence. A temporal and amplitudinal mapping of these responses was performed, demonstrating regions where quantitative delineation of cell stress was afforded.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.51-64
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• 2020

In this study, the mathematical model that describes blood cell development in the bone marrow (i.e., hematopoiesis) has been studied via the Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM). The results from the present work compared very well with the numerical solutions from published literature. This work has shown that the HPM is viable for solving delay differential equations born from hematopoiesis problem. The influence of the proliferating cells loss rate, time delay rate and the phase re-entry rate on the population densities of both the proliferating and resting cells were also determined through the underlined procedure.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 1996년도 정기총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.5-5
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• 1996

In sino-atrial node cells which act as the normal pacemaker of the heart, K conductance in resting state is minimal due to the absence of inward rectifier K channels K conductance only increases when the membrane is depolarized by the activation of the delayed rectifier K current I$\_$k/. In the present study, we investigated the gating mechanism of$\_$k/ using the whole cell patch clamp technique in isolated single sinoatrial cells of the rabbit. (omitted)

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한약학회 2001년도 Proceedings of International Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea
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• pp.109-113
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• 2001

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) has been shown to modulate transactivations by the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR)$\gamma$ and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF$\kappa$B). In this study, the oxLDL signaling pathways involved with the NF$\kappa$B transactivation were investigated by utilizing a reporter construct driven by three upstream NF$\kappa$B binding sites, and various pharmacological inhibitors. OxLDL and its constituent lysophophatidylcholine (lysoPC) induced a rapid and transient increase of intracellular calcium and stimulated the NF-KB transactivation in resting RAW264.7 macrophage cells in an oxidation-dependent manner. The NF$\kappa$B activation by oxLDL or lysoPC was inhibited by protein kinase C inhibitors or an intracellular calcium chelator. Tyrosine kinase or PI3 kinase inhibitors did not block the NF$\kappa$B transactivation. Furthermore, the oxLDL-induced NF$\kappa$B activity was abolished by the PPAR$\gamma$ ligands. When the endocytosis of oxLDL was blocked by cytochalasin B, the NF$\kappa$B transactivation by oxLDL was synergistically increased, while PPAR transactivation was blocked. These results suggest that oxLDL activates NF-$\kappa$B in resting macrophages via protein kinase C- and/or calcium-dependent pathways, which does not involve the endocytic processing of oxLDL. The endocytosis-dependent PPAR$\gamma$ activation by oxLDL may function as an inactivation route of the oxLDL induced NF$\kappa$B signal. Short heterodimer partner (SHP), specifically expressed in liver and a limited number of other tissues, is an unusual orphan nuclear receptor that lacks the conventional DNA-binding domain. In this work, we found that SHP expression is abundant in murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 but suppressed by oxLDL and its constituent I3-HODE, a ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor y. Furthermore, SHP acted as a transcription coactivator of nuclear factor-$\kappa$B (NF$\kappa$B) and was essential for the previously described NF$\kappa$B transactivation by lysoPC, one of the oxLDL constituents. Accordingly, NF$\kappa$B, transcriptionally active in the beginning, became progressively inert in oxLDL-treated RAW 264.7 cells, as oxLDL decreased the SHP expression. Thus, SHP appears to be an important modulatory component to regulate the transcriptional activities of NF$\kappa$B in oxLDL-treated, resting macrophage cells.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 1991

The B-lymphocyte differentiation from committed B-cell progenitors to antibody-secreting cells was discussed. B-cell progenitors derived from hematopoietic stem cells undergo the rearrangement of immunoglobulin(Ig) gene. The earliest cells as B-cell precursors have cytoplasmic Is(${\mu}$ chain). The entire Is molecule is expressed on the surface after synthesis of L chain. The resting B cells(Go stage) stimulated by binding antigen via Ig-receptors are activated(G$_1$ stage) and followed by proliferation(S stage), coupled with further selection(affinity maturation. class switch). The production of antibody against a particular antigen depends on the activation of B cells with surface Is capable of reacting with that antigen. This process does not occur in isolation but is controlled by helper and suppressor T cells and antigen presenting cells(APC). The mechanism of T cell-dependent B-cell response for production of antibody is largely explained by the cell to cell cooperation and soluble helper factors of T cells. 1) The antigen specific B cells and helper T cells are linked by Is-receptors, leading to the delivery of helper signals to the B cells. 2) Helper T cells recognize the processed antigen-derived peptides with the MHC class II molecules(la antigen) and is stimulated to secrete B-cell proliferation and differentiation factors which activate B cells of different antigenic specificity. The two models are shown currently 1) At low antigen concentration, only the antigen-specific B cell binds antigen and presents antigen-derived peptides with la molecules to helper T cells, which are stimulated to secrete cytokines(IL-4, IL-5, etc.) and 2) At high antigen concentration, antigen-derived peptides are presented by specific B cells, by B cells that endocytose the antigens, as well as by APC Cytokines secreted from helper T cells also lead to the activation of B cells and even bystander B cells in the on- vironmment and differentiate them into antibody-secreting plasma cells.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제8권6호
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• pp.322-330
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• 2003

The unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis has recently attracted great inter-est due to its large amounts of ketocarotenoid astaxanthin, 3,3'-dihydroxy-${\beta}$,${\beta}$-carotene-4,4'-dione, widely used commercially as a source of pigment for aquaculture. In the life cycle of H. pluvialis, astaxanthin biosynthesis is associated with a remarkable morphological change from green motile vegetative cells into red immotile cyst cells as the resting stage. In recent years we have studied this morphological process from two aspects: defining conditions governing astaxanthin biosynthesis and questioning the possible function of astaxanthin in protecting algal cells against environmental stress. Astaxanthin accumulation in cysts was induced by a variety of environmental conditions of oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species, intense light, drought, high salinity, and high temperature. In the adaptation to stress, abscisic acid induced by reactive oxygen species, would function as a hormone in algal morphogenesis from veget ative to cyst cells. Furthermore, measurements of both in vitro and in vivo antioxidative activities of astaxanthin clearly demonstrated that tolerance to excessive reactive oxygen species is greater in astaxanthin-rich cysts than in astaxanthin-poor cysts or astaxanthin-less vegetative cells. Therefore, reactive oxygen species are involved in the regulation of both algal morph O-genesis and carotenogenesis, and the accumulated astaxanthin in cysts can function as a protective agent against oxidative stress damage. In this study, the physiological roles of astaxanthin in stress response and cell protection are reviewed.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.240-246
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• 2012

Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in early surveillance against virus infection and cellular transformation, and are also implicated in the control of inflammatory response through their effector functions of direct lysis of target cells and cytokine secretion. NK cell activation toward target cell is determined by the net balance of signals transmitted from diverse activating and inhibitory receptors. A distinct feature of NK cell activation is that stimulation of resting NK cells with single activating receptor on its own cannot mount natural cytotoxicity. Instead, specific pairs of co-activation receptors are required to unleash NK cell activation via synergy- dependent mechanism. Because each co-activation receptor uses distinct signaling modules, NK cell synergy relies on the integration of such disparate signals. This explains why the study of the mechanism underlying NK cell synergy is important and necessary. Recent studies revealed that NK cell synergy depends on the integration of complementary signals converged at a critical checkpoint element but not on simple amplification of the individual signaling to overcome intrinsic activation threshold. This review focuses on the signaling events during NK cells activation and recent advances in the study of NK cell synergy.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.191-196
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• 2002

마늘의 주요 성분인 allicin투여 후 유도되는 사람 말초혈액의 단핵구의 유전자 발현에 미치는allicin의 효과를 규명하였다. DNA microarray를 이용하여, allicin이 chemokines, cytokine, 면역관련 유전자 및 신호전달 관련 유전자의 발현을 유도하는 것을 확인하였다. 반대로 allicin은 Th1 type의 획득면역 관련 유전자의 발현을 억제하였다. 염증세포에 있어서 allicin은 억제효과 및 자극 효과를 동시에 보여주었다. 이는 allicin이 휴지기 세포에서 먼저 증가시킨 특정 유전자의 발현을 이후에 감소시키는 결과를 보여주는 것으로 positive와 negative 효과를 발휘하는 새로운 기전을 제시하는 것이다. Allicin에 대한 광범위하고 새로운 관심을 고려해 볼 때 본 연구에서 보여주는 많은 유전자의 발현 양상은 좀 더 특정적이고 효과적인 치료법을 고안하는 데 유용할 것이다.