• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권9호
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• pp.617-627
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• 2019

Brain organoids are an exciting new technology with the potential to significantly change our understanding of the development and disorders of the human brain. With step-by-step differentiation protocols, three-dimensional neural tissues are self-organized from pluripotent stem cells, and recapitulate the major millstones of human brain development in vitro. Recent studies have shown that brain organoids can mimic the spatiotemporal dynamicity of neurogenesis, the formation of regional neural circuitry, and the integration of glial cells into a neural network. This suggests that brain organoids could serve as a representative model system to study the human brain. In this review, we will overview the development of brain organoid technology, its current progress and applications, and future prospects of this technology.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.1310-1316
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• 2012

Novel antibacterial oxazolidinones bearing pyrrolidinone ring system at the C-5 side chain were synthesized and their in vitro antibacterial activities were evaluated. Most of the synthesized oxazolidinones showed good antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested.

• 한국생명과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생명과학회 2007년도 제48회 학술심포지움 및 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.83.2-83.2
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• 2007

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• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권spc8호
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• pp.3063-3073
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• 2011

The synthesis and biological evaluation of 1-heteroarylmethyl 1,4-diazepane derivatives as potential T-type calcium channel blockers is described. In this study, we have identified the compound 21i exhibiting the most potent T-type calcium channel blocking activity with $IC_{50}$ value of 0.20 ${\mu}M$, which is superior to that of mibefradil.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제33권11호
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• pp.3887-3888
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• 2012

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권11호
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• pp.739-746
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• 2019

Significant knowledge about the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been gained in the last century; however, the understanding of its causes of onset remains limited. Late-onset AD is observed in about 95% of patients, and APOE4-encoding apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) is strongly associated with these cases. As an apolipoprotein, the function of ApoE in brain cholesterol transport has been extensively studied and widely appreciated. Development of new technologies such as human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tools have enabled us to develop human brain model systems in vitro and readily manipulate genomic information. In the context of these advances, recent studies provide strong evidence that abnormal cholesterol metabolism by ApoE4 could be linked to AD-associated pathology. In this review, we discuss novel discoveries in brain cholesterol dysregulation by ApoE4. We further elaborate cell type-specific roles in cholesterol regulation of four major brain cell types, neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes, and how its dysregulation can be linked to AD pathology.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.119-125
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• 2006

The rat is an accepted model for studying human psychiatric/neurological disorders. We provide a protocol for total soluble protein extraction using trichloroacetic acid/acetone (TCA/A) from rat (female) whole brain, 10 brain regions and the pituitary gland, and show that two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE) using precast immobilized pH (4-7) gradient (IPG) strip gels (13 cm) in the first dimension yields clean silver nitrate stained protein profiles. Though TCA/A precipitation may not be "ideal", the important choice here is the selection of an appropriate lysis buffer (LB) for solubilizing precipitated proteins. Our results reveal enrichment of protein spots by use of individual brain regions rather than whole brain, as well as the presence of differentially expressed spots in their proteomes. Thus individual brain regions provide improved protein coverage and are better suited for differential protein detection. Moreover, using a phosphoprotein-specific dye, ingel detection of phosphoproteins was demonstrated. Representative high-resolution silver nitrate stained proteome profiles of rat whole brain total soluble protein are presented. Shortcomings apart (failure to separate membrane proteins), gel-based proteomics remains a viable option, and 2-DGE is the method of choice for generating high-resolution proteome maps of rat brain and brain regions.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.100005.1-100005.15
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• 2024

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with a complex genetic basis, presenting both in familial and sporadic forms. The hexanucleotide (G₄C₂) repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene, which triggers distinct pathogenic mechanisms, has been identified as a major contributor to familial and sporadic Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases. Animal models have proven pivotal in understanding these mechanisms; however, discrepancies between models due to variable transgene sequence, expression levels, and toxicity profiles complicate the translation of findings. Herein, we provide a systematic comparison of 7 publicly available Drosophila transgenes modeling the G₄C₂ expansion under uniform conditions, evaluating variations in their toxicity profiles. Further, we tested 3 previously characterized disease-modifying drugs in selected lines to uncover discrepancies among the tested strains. Our study not only deepens our understanding of the C9orf72 G₄C₂ mutations but also presents a framework for comparing constructs with minute structural differences. This work may be used to inform experimental designs to better model disease mechanisms and help guide the development of targeted interventions for neurodegenerative diseases, thus bridging the gap between model-based research and therapeutic application.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제35권8호
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• pp.2304-2310
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• 2014

The synthesis and in vivo evaluation of 5-methoxy-2-(phenylethynyl)quinoline (MPEQ) 3 as a potential mGluR5 selective radioligand is described. We have identified MPEQ 3 exhibiting the analgesic effect in the neuropathic pain animal model. The effect of mGluR5 on neuronal activity in rat brain was evaluated through FDG/PET imaging in the presence of MPEQ 3. In addition, the PET study of [$^{11}C$]MPEQ 3 proved that accumulation of [$^{11}C$]MPEQ 3 in rat brain was correlated to the localization of the mGluR5.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.373-380
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• 2018

Synapses and neural circuits form with exquisite specificity during brain development to allow the precise and appropriate flow of neural information. Although this property of synapses and neural circuits has been extensively investigated for more than a century, molecular mechanisms underlying this property are only recently being unveiled. Recent studies highlight several classes of cell-surface proteins as organizing hubs in building structural and functional architectures of specific synapses and neural circuits. In the present minireview, we discuss recent findings on various synapse organizers that confer the distinct properties of specific synapse types and neural circuit architectures in mammalian brains, with a particular focus on the hippocampus and cerebellum.