• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.255-260
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• 2002

The effects of intracellular and extracellular pH on the inwardly rectifying $K^+$ (IRK) channel of the bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were examined using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The IRK current, efficiently blocked by $Ba^{2+}\;(200{\mu}M),$ is the most prominent membrane current in BAECs, which mainly determines the resting membrane potential. The expression of Kir2.1 was observed in BAECs using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Intracellular alkalinization, elicited by the extracellular substitution of NaCl with $NH_4Cl$ (30 mM), significantly augmented the amplitude of IRK current. On the contrary, the amplitude of IRK current was attenuated by the Na-acetate (30 mM)-induced intracellular acidification. The changes in extracellular pH also closely modulated the amplitude of IRK current, which was decreased to $40.2{\pm}1.3%$ of control upon switching the extracellular pH to 4.0 from 7.4. The extracellular pH value for half-maximal inhibition (pK) of IRK current was 5.11. These results demonstrate that the activity of IRK channel in BAECs, probably Kir2.1, was suppressed by proton at both sides of plasma membrane.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.215-231
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• 2002

삼차신경절의 뉴론이 구강악안면영역에서의 촉각, 압각, 온도각 및 통각 등 다양한 감각을 중추신경계로 전달하는 역할을 하는 것은 주지의 사실이다. 이러한 신경전달에 있어서 이온통로는 감각정보를 전달하는데 핵심적인 역할을 수행한다. 이 중 소디움 통로는 활동전위의 발생에 중요하며, 칼슘 통로는 시냅스 전도에 있어서 필수적인 역할을 수행하고, 포타슘 통로는 안정막전압의 유지 및 재분극에 관여한다. 최근에 여러 가지의 이온통로들의 뇌조직내의 분포에 관한 연구가 시작되고 있는데 삼차신경의 일차구심뉴론이 종지하는 삼차신경핵 즉 삼차신경 척수감각핵, 삼차신경 주감각핵, 삼차신경 중뇌핵 및 삼차신경 운동핵에 존재하는 이온통로에 관한 연구는 매우 희소하여 본 연구에서는 횐쥐의 삼차신경 핵에 존재하는 소디움, 칼슘 및 포타슘 이온통로들을 면역조직화학적 방법으로 조사하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. (1) 소디움 통로는 삼차신경 척수감각핵, 삼차신경 주감각핵 및 삼차신경 운동핵 모두에서 강하게 염색되었다. (2) 칼슘 통로는 삼차신경 척수감각핵에서는 N-type 통로가 중등도로 염색되었으며 , P/Q-type 통로는 약하게 염색되었으나 R-type 통로는 거의 염색되지 않았다. 삼차신경 주감각핵에서는 P/Q-type 통로가 매우 약하게 염색되었다. (3) 포타슘 통로는 삼차신경 척수감각핵과 삼차신경 주감각핵에서 inwardly rectifying 포타슘 통로(Kir 2.1)가 중등도로 염색되었고, voltage-gated 포타슘 통로(Kv 4.2)가 약하게 염색되었으며, BKCa는 그 염색 정도가 매우 약하게 나타났다. 이상의 결과를 종합해 볼 때 삼차신경 감각핵에는 소디움 통로의 분포가 가장 많았으며, 칼슘통로에서는 N-type이, 포타슘 통로 중에는 inwardly rectifying 통로(Kir 2.1)가 가장 많이 분포함을 관찰할 수 있었다.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.451-462
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• 2002

삼차신경은 구강악안면영역의 운동 및 감각을 담당하고 있으므로 치과임상에서 매우 중요하다. 삼차신경근 중 삼차신경절에 세포체를 갖는 뉴론은 주로 체성 감각을 전달하는 1차 구심신경으로 악안면영역의 촉각, 압각, 진동감각 온도각 및 통각을 담당한다. 이러한 감각의 전달은 기본적으로 신경세포의 이온통로의 활동에 의존하는데 삼차신경절 세포에 여러 종류의 이온통로가 존재하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 항체 염색법을 이용하여 이온통로가 존재를 확인 하고자 한다. 횐쥐의 삼차신경절로부터 통법에 따라 뉴론을 단일 세포로 분리하고 immunocytochemistry 방법으로 세포를 염색하여 관찰한 바 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 본 실험에서 이온전류의 측정 등으로 관찰된 여러 종류의 이온통로들을 면역 염색법으로 확인하였다. 횐쥐의 삼차신경절 뉴론에서 확인된 이온통로는 소디움통로와 N, P 및 Q-type의 칼슘통로 그리고 BK$_{Ca}$, Kv 4.2 및 Kir 2.1 등의 포타슘통로이었으며 이온통로의 종류에 따라 분포에 차이를 나타내었다.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 1986

In Korea 8 tsutsugamushi disease patients were reported among the United Nations Forces personnel during 1951-54, but the disease was not known among the native Koreans. In Chinhae, patients with fever, chills, headache and rash were observed in every late autumn to early winter for many years, but etiologic diagnosis was not made. In 1985, there were 34 such patients. The authors were able to determine the disease as tsutsugamushi disease by observing the pathognomic eschar in 4 patients and demonstrating antibodies against Proteus OXK and Rickettsia tsutsugamushi antigens in 21 patients. The patients were mostly females of over 30 years of age. It was considered that most of them contracted the infection while doing farm works or picnic at the outskirts of Chinhae city and the adjacent areas. They were treated with chloramphenicol and no fatalities were observed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 1998

$Ca^{2+}-signals$ in endothelial cells are determined by release from intracellular stores and entry through the plasma membrane. In this review, the nature of $Ca^{2+}$ entry and mechanisms of its control are reviewed. The following ion channels play a pivotal role in regulation of the driving force for $Ca^{2+}$ entry: an inwardly rectifying $K^+$ channel, identified as Kir2.1, a big-conductance, $Ca^{2+}-activated$ $K^+$ channel (hslo) and at least two $Cl^-$ channels (a volume regulated $Cl^-$ channel, VRAC, and a $Ca^{2+}$ activated $Cl^-$ channel, CaCC). At least two different types of $Ca^{2+}$-entry channels exist: 1. A typical CRAC-like, highly selective $Ca^{2+}$ channel is described. Current density for this $Ca^{2+}$ entry is approximately 0.1pA/pF at 0 mV and thus 10 times smaller than in Jurkat or mast cells. 2. Another entry pathway for $Ca^{2+}$ entry is a more non-selective channel, which might be regulated by intracellular $Ca^{2+}$. Although detected in endothelial cells, the functional role of trp1,3,4 as possible channel proteins is unclear. Expression of trp3 in macrovascular endothelial cells from bovine pulmonary artery induced non-selective cation channels which are probably not store operated or failed to induce any current. Several features as well as a characterisation of $Ca^{2+}$-oscillations in endothelial cells is also presented.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.337-342
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• 2008

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) represent a potentially valuable cell type for clinical therapeutic applications. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of long-term culturing (up to $10^{th}$ passages) of hBM-MSCs from eight individual amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, focusing on functional ion channels. All hBM-MSCs contain several MSCs markers with no significant differences, whereas the distribution of functional ion channels was shown to be different between cells. Four types of $K^+$ currents, including noise-like $Ca^{+2}$-activated $K^+$ current ($IK_{Ca}$), a transient outward $K^+$ current ($I_{to}$), a delayed rectifier $K^+$ current ($IK_{DR}$), and an inward-rectifier $K^+$ current ($K_{ir}$) were heterogeneously present in these cells, and a TTX-sensitive $Na^+$ current ($I_{Na,TTX}$) was also recorded. In the RT-PCR analysis, Kv1.1,, heag1, Kv4.2, Kir2.1, MaxiK, and hNE-Na were detected. In particular, ($I_{Na,TTX}$) showed a significant passage-dependent increase. This is the first report showing that functional ion channel profiling depend on the cellular passage of hBM-MSCs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.345-355
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• 2014

Mitigating secondary delayed neuronal injury has been a therapeutic strategy for minimizing neurological symptoms after several types of brain injury. Interestingly, secondary neuronal loss appeared to be closely related to functional loss and/or death of astrocytes. In the brain damage induced by agonists of two glutamate receptors, N-ethyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and kainic acid (KA), NMDA induced neuronal death within 3 h, but did not increase further thereafter. However, in the KA-injected brain, neuronal death was not obviously detectable even at injection sites at 3 h, but extensively increased to encompass the entire hemisphere at 7 days. Brain inflammation, a possible cause of secondary neuronal damage, showed little differences between the two models. Importantly, however, astrocyte behavior was completely different. In the NMDA-injected cortex, the loss of glial fibrillary acidic protein-expressing ($GFAP^+$) astrocytes was confined to the injection site until 7 days after the injection, and astrocytes around the damage sites showed extensive gliosis and appeared to isolate the damage sites. In contrast, in the KA-injected brain, $GFAP^+$ astrocytes, like neurons, slowly, but progressively, disappeared across the entire hemisphere. Other markers of astrocytes, including $S100{\beta}$, glutamate transporter EAAT2, the potassium channel Kir4.1 and glutamine synthase, showed patterns similar to that of GFAP in both NMDA- and KA-injected cortexes. More importantly, astrocyte disappearance and/or functional loss preceded neuronal death in the KA-injected brain. Taken together, these results suggest that loss of astrocyte support to neurons may be a critical cause of delayed neuronal death in the injured brain.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2008

OLETF (Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty) rats are characterized by obesity-related insulin resistance, which is a phenotype of type 2 diabetes. Sulfonylurea drugs or benzoic acid derivatives as inhibitors of the ATP-sensitive potassium $(K_{ATP})$ channel are commercially available to treat diabetes. The present study compared sulfonylurea drugs (glimepiride and gliclazide) with one of benzoic acid derivatives (repaglinide) in regard to their long-term effect on ameliorating insulin sensitivity in OLETF rats. Each drug was dissolved and fed with drinking water from 29 weeks of age. On high glucose loading at 45 weeks of age, response of blood glucose recovery was the greatest in the group treated with glimepiride. On immunohistochemistry analysis for the Kir6.2 subunit of $K_{ATP}$ channels, insulin receptor ${\beta}$-subunits, and glucose transporters (GLUT) type 2 and 4 in liver, fat and skeletal muscle tissues, the sulfonylurea drugs (glimepiride and gliclazide) were more effective than repaglinide in recovery from their decreased expressions in OLETF rats. From these results, it seems to be plausible that $K_{ATP}$-channel inhibitors containing sulfonylurea moiety may be much more effective in reducing insulin resistance than those with benzoic acid moiety. In contrast to gliclazide, non-tissue selectivity of glimepiride on $K_{ATP}$ channel inhibition may further strengthen an amelioration of insulin sensitivity unless considering other side effects.