• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.272-274
• /
• 2002

The anterior brain vesicle of ascidian larvae contains two distinct pigment cells. Ultrastructure of these pigment cells has been shown that the anterior pigment cell is an otolith for perception of gravity and the posterior pigment cell is an ocellus for light reception. The larva has remarkably simple central nervous system (CNS) composed of about 330 cells. We focused to study neural networks of visual systems. In the present paper, we report the whole structure of the photoreceptors of the ascidian larva visualized by an antibody against arrestin. Visual arrestin is the key protein for the termination of phototransduction and one of the abundant proteins in photoreceptors. Recently, we cloned an arrestin homologue gene, Ci-arr and the expression of Ci-arr was found to be restricted to the photoreceptors in the ocellus. To study the whole structure of the photoreceptors in the larva, we prepared an antibody against Ci-Arr. It is found that anti Ci-Arr antibody specifically stains the photoreceptors, including the cell bodies, the axons, and the nerve terminals. The photoreceptor cell bodies lies in row outside the pigment cup which penetrate the pigment cell and is continuous with the outer segments of the photoreceptor cell, inside the concavity of the pigments. The axons form bundle into a single tract. The tract extends toward the midline, where the nerve terminals diverge and seem to form synapses

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제48권9호
• /
• pp.525-530
• /
• 2015

Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays a pathogenic role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is thus a potential target for the development of therapeutics for this disease. Here, we demonstrated that Wnt5a antagonized β-catenin response transcription (CRT) induced with Wnt3a by promoting β-catenin phosphorylation at Ser33/Ser37/Thr41 and its subsequent degradation in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Wnt5a decreased the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which was up-regulated by Wnt3a. Furthermore, Wnt5a increased E-cadherin expression and decreased cell migration by down-regulating Snail expression, thereby abrogating the Wnt3a-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human RPE cells. Our findings suggest that Wnt5a suppresses the pathogenic effects of canonical Wnt signaling in human RPE cells by promoting β-catenin phosphorylation and degradation. Therefore, Wnt5a has significant therapeutic potential for the treatment of AMD. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 525-530]

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.71-86
• /
• 1997

상처치유과정중 관상어류 피부 색소체계의 재분화경로를 규명하기 위하여 외부 색채가 화려한 담수산 금붕어 (Carassius auratus L.)를 실험재료로 하여 피부의 일정부위에 인위적인 상처를 유도한 후, 시간 경과에 따른 조직과 색소 체계의 치유과정을 고배율의 투과 전자현미경으로 관찰하였다. 금붕어 피부 색소세포는 정상조직에서 황색소세포, 백색소세포 그리고 혹색소세포 등 세 종류의 진피성 색소세포로 이루어져 있었다. 황색소세포에는 pterinosome과 carotenoid vesicle 등 두 종류의 색소과립이 분포되어 있었고, 백색소세포와 혹색소세포에는 무정형 색소결정인 leucosome과 전자밀도가 높은 구형의 색소과립인 melamosome이 각각 함유되어 있었다. 초기 상처치유반응은 상처 유도직 후에 표면 손상부위로 전이되는 상피세포와 혈구세포에 의하여 수행되었다. 상처 유도후 $5\sim7$일이 경과된 조직의 표본에서는 조면소포체가 특이하게 발달되어 진피성 색소세포의 공통 원기로 추정되는 세포의 출현이 확인되었다. 또한 재생된 조직내에서 재분화된 색소세포는 상처유도 후 3주가 경과된 표본에서 처음 관찰되었다. 색소과립의 재분화 경로는 세포 내에서의 색소과립 형성 과정과 마찬가지로 색소세포내에 잘 발달된 조면소포체와 골지체를 경유한 후, 분비소포의 형태로 생성림이 확인되었다. 그리고 재분화된 색소세포로 유입되는 색소 원기물질은 음세포과립을 통하여 수송되었는데, 특히 조면소포체가 풍부한 원기세포와 연접된 색소세포의 원형질막에서 매우 활발한 물질의 수송이 관찰되었다. 한편, 각 색소세포의 일차적인 재분화과정은 상처 유도후 4주가 경과되어 피부 상처가 치유되는 시점을 전후하여 완료되었으나, 재분화된 색소세포의 수나 분포밀도는 충분한 체색발현을 위한 상태에 비해 크게 미달되는 것으로 분석되었다. 따라서 특별한 환경의 변화가 없는 한, 상처유도 이전의 색소체계와 동일한 상태로의 복구에는 적어도 3개월 이상이 소요되는 것으로 확인되었다.

• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.341-343
• /
• 2002

Bacteriochlorophyll(BChl)-c containing species of green sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Chlorobium (ChI.) vibrioforme, which has BChl-d mainly, was detected. We obtained colonies on agar plates by spreading the liquid culture of ChI. vibrioforme f. sp. thiosulfatophilum strain NCIB 8327 which contained the high ratio of BChl-c/BChl-d, and transferred each colony into a new liquid medium. These cultures after growing were found to be classified into two categories. One possessed BChl-d as a light-harvesting pigment and the other did BChl-c. No colonies examined here contained both BChls-d and c. Therefore, the presence of both BChls-d and c in our cultures of ChI. vibrioforme was ascribed to the coexistence of two different cells which had BChl-d and c as the chlorosomal pigment, respectively. The change of pigment composition observed in our liquid cultures can be thus explained by the difference of growth rates between two kinds of cells.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• 제28권4호
• /
• pp.503-512
• /
• 1998

Fine structure of the cutaneous pigments in the black widow spider, Latrodectus mactans are studied with light and electron microscopes. The cutaneous pigments are only observed in epidermal layer just beneath the cuticle. These pigments are compactly distributed around the spinnerets which located at caudal area of the abdomen. According to the fine structural characteristics of the pigment granules, two main types of guanine pigment granules-carotenoid vesicles and reflecting platelets - are observed in the cytoplasm of the epidermal cells. Morphological features of these pigment granules are characterized as the electron dense carotenoid vesicles and the electron lucent reflecting platelets. Marginal electron density of the carotenoid vesicle is different from that of internal region, whereas the reflecting platelets have laminated crystalline granules. Typiral structures of these pigment granules are very similar to those of invertebrate's chromatophores, especially erythrophores and iridophores. Moreover differentiation of these pigment granules are also originated from the small vesicles of Golgi complexes similarly to those of cutaneous chromatophores.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제38권4호
• /
• pp.216-221
• /
• 2011

Objective: To differentiate the human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in the defined culture condition and determine its therapeutic potential for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. Methods: The embryoid bodies were formed from hESCs and attached on the matrigel coated culture dishes. The neural structures consisting neural precursors were selected and expanded to form rosette structures. The mechanically isolated neural rosettes were differentiated into pigmented cells in the media comprised of N2 and B27. Expression profiles of markers related to RPE development were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining. Dissociated putative RPE cells ($10^5$ cells/5 ${\mu}L$) were transplanted into the subretinal space of rat retinal degeneration model induced by intravenous sodium iodate injection. Animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after transplantation, and immnohistochemistry study was performed to verify the survival of the transplanted cells. Results: The putative RPE cells derived from hESC showed characteristics of the human RPE cells morphologically and expressed molecular markers and associated with RPE fate. Grafted RPE cells were found to survive in the subretinal space up to 4 weeks after transplantation, and the expression of RPE markers was confirmed with immunohistochemistry. Conclusion: Transplanted RPE cells derived from hESC in the defined culture condition successfully survived and migrated within subretinal space of rat retinal degeneration model. These results support the feasibility of the hESC derived RPE cells for cell-based therapies for retinal degenerative disease.

• 한국어류학회지
• /
• 제22권2호
• /
• pp.96-104
• /
• 2010

멸조위기종인 묵납자루 Acheilognathus signifer의 종복원을 위한 인공수정을 실시하는 과정에서눈과 피부의 색소발현이 결여된 백색증 개체가 출현하였다. 정상 묵납자루와 백색증 개체간 색소발현과 형태의 차이여부를 알아보기 위하여 몸통, 지느러미 눈 등 총 10개 부위에 대한 조직학적 검사를 실시하였다. 그 결과 정상 묵납자루의 경우, 멜라닌세포는 빛에 쉽게 노출되는 등부위와 상미병부, 맥락막-망막색소상피층 및 홍채에서 다량으로 분포하였다. 반면에 백색증 개체에서는 멜라닌세포가 등 부위와 등지느러미, 그리고 꼬리지느러미에서 아주 소량으로 분포하고 있었으며 눈의 맥락막-망막색소상피층 및 홍채에서는 색소결핍 현상이 뚜렷하게 관찰되었다.

• 식물조직배양학회지
• /
• 제21권2호
• /
• pp.77-84
• /
• 1994

꽃기린 현탁배양에 의한 화청소의 생산에 미치는 탄소원 의 역할을 규명하고 이들 배양세포를 생물반응기를 이용하여 대량배양을 시도하였으며 생성된 색소의 분리 및 동정을 행하였다. 세포의 생장은 3% sucrose농도에서 양호하였으나 단위세포무게당 색소함량은 sucrose의 농도가 3%에서 9%로 증가함에 따라 증진되었다. sucros는 배양 1일 후부터 glucose와 fructose로 분해되지 시작하며, 고농도로 공급된 sucrose는 배지의 삼투압제로 작용하여 색소의 형성을 촉진하였다. 생물반응기 배양의 경우, 기포발생형 생물반응 기가 세포의 손상을 방지하 양호한 생육상을 나타내어 적합하였고 접종농도를 증가시킴으로서 총 색소의 함량은 감소하였으나 배양기간이 1/2로 단축되었으며 색소의 1일 생산성도 증가되는 효과를 나타내었다. 기포발생형 생물반응기를 이용한 색소생산량은 2.2 mg/L/day를 나타내었다. 한편, 배양세포로부터 생성된 주된 화청소는 cyanidin-3-glucoside로 추정되었다.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• 제13권1호
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 2022

Drug self-delivery systems can easily realize combination drug therapy and avoid carrier-induced toxicity and immunogenicity because they do not need non-therapeutic carrier materials. So, designing appropriate drug self-delivery systems for specific diseases can settle most of the problems existing in traditional drug delivery systems. Retinal pigment epithelium is very important for the homeostasis of retina. However, it is vulnerable to oxidative damage and difficult to repair. Worse still, the antioxidants can hardly reach the retina by non-invasive administration routes due to the ocular barriers. Herein, the targeted group (folic acid) and antioxidant (melatonin) have been grafted on the surface of ZnO quantum dots to fabricate a new kind of drug self-delivery systems as a protectant via eyedrops. In this study, the negative nanoparticles with size ranging in 4~6 nm were successfully synthesized. They could easily and precisely deliver drugs to retinal pigment epithelium via eyedrops. And they realized acid degradation to controlled release of melatonin and zinc in retinal pigment epithelium cells. Consequently, the structure of retinal pigment epithelium cells were stabilized according to the expression of ZO-1 and β-catenin. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of retinal pigment epithelium were enhanced both in health mice and photic injury mice. Therefore, such new drug self-delivery systems have great potential both in prevention and treatment of oxidative damage induced retinal diseases.

• KIEE International Transactions on Electrophysics and Applications
• /
• 제4C권4호
• /
• pp.160-164
• /
• 2004

In this study, we demonstrate for the first time a bio-inspired Cell-Microsystem to manipulate and detect living cells. Cultured retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) was directed to grow in a pre-defined Cell-Microsystem. The three-dimensional micropillars of 5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in height and diameter of the Cell-Microsystem were fabricated. Inhibited DNA synthesis and transformed cell morphology were observed throughout the culture period. The demonstration of manipulating and detecting living cells by the surface topography is a new approach, and it will be very useful for the future design of cell-based biosensors and bioactuators.