• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.749-753
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• 2013

Basically stem cells have characteristics of multi-potency, differentiation into multiple tissue types, and self-renew through proliferation. Recent advances in stem cell biology can make identifying the stem-cell like cells in various mammalian tissues. Stem cells in various tissues can restore damaged tissue. Stem cells from the adult nervous system proliferate to form clonal floating colonies called spheres in vitro, and recent studies have demonstrated sphere formation by cells in the tympanic membrane, vestibular system, spiral ganglion, and partly in the organ of Corti. The presence of stem cells in the ear raises the possibilities for the regeneration of the tympanic membrane & inner ear hair cells & neurons. But the gradual loss of stem cells postnatally in the organ of Corti may correlate with the loss of regenerative capacity and limited hearing restoration. Future strategies using endogenous stem cells in the ear can be the another treatment modality for the patients with intractable inner ear diseases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.731-738
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• 2016

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is important for intestinal barrier function and regulation of tight junction (TJ) proteins, but the intracellular mechanisms of action remain undefined. The purpose of this research was to determine the protective effect of GLP-2 mediated TJ and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stressed IPEC-J2 cells and to test the hypothesis that GLP-2 regulate TJ and TER through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in IPEC-J2 cells. Wortmannin and LY294002 are specific inhibitors of PI3K. The results showed that $100{\mu}g/mL$ LPS stress decreased TER and TJ proteins occludin, claudin-1 and zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO-1) mRNA, proteins expressions (p<0.01) respectively. GLP-2 (100 nmol/L) promote TER and TJ proteins occludin, claudin-1, and zo-1 mRNA, proteins expressions in LPS stressed and normal IPEC-J2 cells (p<0.01) respectively. In normal cells, both wortmannin and LY294002, PI3K inhibitors, prevented the mRNA and protein expressions of Akt and mTOR increase induced by GLP-2 (p<0.01) following with the significant decreasing of occludin, claudin-1, ZO-1 mRNA and proteins expressions and TER (p<0.01). In conclusion, these results indicated that GLP-2 can promote TJ's expression and TER in LPS stressed and normal IPEC-J2 cells and GLP-2 could regulate TJ and TER through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.383-391
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• 2008

The glycans linked to the insect cell-derived glycoproteins are known to differ from those expressed in mammalian cells, partly because of the low level or lack of glycosyltransferase activities. GnT II, GnT IV, GnT V, and ST3Gal IV, which play important roles in the synthesis of tetraantennarytype complex glycan structures in mammalian cells, were overexpressed in Trichoplusia ni cells by using a baculovirus expression vector. The glycosyltransferases, expressed as a fusion form with the IgG-binding domain, were secreted into the culture media and purified using IgG sepharose resin. The enzyme assay, performed using a pyridylaminated-sugar chain as an acceptor, indicated that the purified glycosyltransferases retained their enzyme activities. Human erythropoietin expressed in T. ni cells (rhEPO) was subjected to in vitro glycosylation by using recombinant glycosyltransferases and was converted into complex-type glycan with terminal sialic acid. The presence of Nacetylglucosamine, galactose, and sialic acid on the rhEPO moiety was detected by a lectin blot analysis, and the addition of galactose and sialic acid to rhEPO was confirmed by autoradiography using $UDP-^{14}C-Gal\;and\;CMP-^{14}C-Sia$ as donors. The in vitro glycosylated rhEPO was injected into mice, and the number of reticulocytes among the ed blood cells was counted using FACS. A significant increase in the number of reticulocytes was not observed in the mice injected with in vitro glycosylated rhEPO as compared with those injected with rhEPO.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2009

Nanoparticles are small-scale substances (<100 nm) with unique properties, complex exposure and health risk implications. Aluminum oxide ($Al_2O_3$) nanoparticles (NP) have been widely used as abrasives, wear-resistant coatings on propeller shafts of ships, to increase the specific impulse per weight of composite propellants used in solid rocket fuel and as drug delivery systems to increase solubility. However, recent studies have shown that nano-sized aluminum (10 nm in diameter) can generate adverse effects, such as pulmonary response. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of $Al_2O_3$ NP were investigated using the dye exclusion assay, the comet assay, and the mouse lymphoma thymidine kinase (tk$^{+/-}$) gene mutation assay (MLA). IC$_{20}$ values of $Al_2O_3$ NP in BEAS-2B cells were determined the concentration of 273.44 $\mu$g/mL and 390.63 $\mu$g/mL with and without S-9. However IC$_{20}$ values of $Al_2O_3$ NP were found nontoxic in L5178Y cells both of with and without S-9 fraction. In the comet assay, L5178Y cells and BEAS-2B cells were treated with $Al_2O_3$ NP which significantly increased 2-fold tail moment with and without S-9. Also, the mutant frequencies in the $Al_2O_3$ NP treated L5178Y cells were increased compared to the vehicle controls with S-9. The results of this study indicate that $Al_2O_3$ NP can cause primary DNA damage and cytotoxicity but not mutagenicity in cultured mammalian cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2008

Our previous work confirmed that Sph2/LA1029 was a sphigomyelinase-like hemolyisn of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai. Characteristics of both hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of Sph2 were reported in this paper. Sph2 was a heat-labile neutral hemolysin and had similar hemolytic behavior as the typical sphingomyelinase C of Staphylococcus aureus upon sheep erythrocytes. The cytotoxic activity of Sph2 was shown in mammalian cells such as BALB/C mouse lymphocytes and macrophages, as well as human L-02 liver cells. Transmission electron microscopic observation showed that the Sph2 treated BALB/C mouse lymphocytes were swollen and ruptured with membrane breakage. They also demonstrated condensed chromatin as a high-density area. Cytoskeleton changes were observed via fluorescence confocal microscope in Sph2 treated BALB/C mouse lymphocytes and macrophages, where both cytokine IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 were induced. In addition, typical apoptotic morphological features were observed in Sph2 treated L-02 cells via transmission electron microscope and the percentage of apoptotic cells did increase after the Sph2 treatment detected by flow cytometry. Therefore, Sph2 was likely an apoptosis-inducing factor of human L-02 liver cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.724-729
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• 2023

In this experiment, we aimed to investigate the role of copper in regulating the biosynthesis of a myokine called apelin in mammalian skeletal muscle cells. Our approach involved culturing skeletal muscle cells and subjecting them to treatments with copper sulfate or a copper chelator known as bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCS). We employed standard techniques, such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, to assess the synthesis of apelin at different stages, including transcription, translation, and post-translational modifications. Our findings demonstrated that copper had an inhibitory effect on apelin biosynthesis at all three stages: transcription, translation, and post-translation. However, when we treated the cells with BCS, the biosynthesis of apelin was restored to its original state. This finding suggests that copper is required for the synthesis of apelin in mammalian skeletal muscle cells. This study represents the first documented evidence of the inorganic copper-dependent regulation of apelin biosynthesis, shedding light on potential strategies for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia induced by copper imbalances.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2008

The Glu/$Asp^{7.32}$ residue in extracellular loop 3 of the mammalian type-I gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) interacts with $Arg^8$ of GnRH-I, conferring preferential ligand selectivity for GnRH-I over GnRH-II. Previously, we demonstrated that the residues (Ser and Pro) flanking Glu/$Asp^{7.32}$ also play a role in the differential agonist selectivity of mammalian and non-mammalian GnRHRs. In this study, we examined the differential antagonist selectivity of wild type and mutant GnRHRs in which the Ser and Pro residues were changed. Cetrorelix, a GnRH-I antagonist, and Trptorelix-2, a GnRH-II antagonist, exhibited high selectivity for mammalian type-I and non-mammalian GnRHRs, respectively. The inhibitory activities of the antagonists were dependent on agonist concentration and subtype. Rat GnRHR in which the Ser-Glu-Pro (SEP) motif was changed to Pro-Glu-Val (PEV) or Pro-Glu-Ser (PES) had increased sensitivity to Trptorelix-2 but decreased sensitivity to Cetrorelix. Mutant bullfrog GnRHR-1 with the SEP motif had the reverse antagonist selectivity, with reduced sensitivity to Trptorelix-2 but increased sensitivity to Cetrorelix. These findings indicate that the residues flanking $Glu^{7.32}$ are important for antagonist as well as agonist selectivity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.404-408
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• 2008

The genome of replication-competent BERV ${\gamma}4$ provirus, which is the most abundant ERV family in the bovine genome, was characterized in detail. The BERV ${\gamma}4$ genome showed that BERV ${\gamma}4$ harbors 8576 nucleotides and has the typical 5'-long terminal repeat (LTR)-gag-pro-pol-env-LTR-3' retroviral organization with a long leader region positioned before the gag open reading frame. Multiple sequences analysis showed that the nucleotide difference between 5' and 3' LTRs was 4.2% (mean value 0.042) in average, suggesting that the provirus formed at most 13.3 million years ago. Gag separated by a stop codon from pro-pol in the same reading frame, while env resides in another reading frame lacking of a functional surface domain. According to the current bovine genome sequence assembly, the full-length BERV ${\gamma}4$ provirus sequences were only found in the chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 10, 15, 23, 26, 28, X, and unassigned, although the partial sequences almost evenly distributed in the entire bovine genome. This is the first detailed study describing the genome structure of BERV ${\gamma}4$, the most abundant ERV family present in bovine genome. Combined with our recent reports on characterization of ERVs in bovine, this study will contribute to illuminate ERVs in the cattle of which no information was previously available.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.499-505
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• 1995

Immobilization of anchorage-dependent animal cells was investigated using macroporous gelatin microcarriers developed in our laboratory. For the observation of the distribution of cells in macroporous beads, Vero-6 cells and CHO cells were cuttured and their distribution in macroporous beads was observed using a confocal microscope. In results, the final concentration of Vero-6 cells and CHO cells on macroporous beads was 2-3 times higher than that on commercial solid microcarriers (Cytodex-3). Also, macroporous microcarriers could hold cells in their macropores. Consequently, the pores protected cells against hydrodynamic shear. Based on Kolmogorov eddy length scale, the smaller eddies (80 $\mu $m) showed the detrimental effect on cells in macroporous beads as compared with 160 $\mu $m of eddies in conventional solid microcarriers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.451-454
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• 2005

Introduction of foreign genes into brain cells, such as neurons and astrocytes, is a powerful approach to study the gene function and regulation in the neuroscience field. Calcium phosphate precipitates have been shown to cause cytotoxicity in some mammalian cells and brain cells, thus leading to low transfection efficiency. Here, we describe a retrovirus-mediated gene delivery method to transduce foreign genes into brain cells. In an attempt to achieve higher gene delivery efficiency in these cells, we made several changes to the original method, including (1) use of a new packaging cell line, Phoenix ampho cells, (2) transfection of pMX retroviral DNA, (3) inclusion of 25 mM chloroquine in the transduction, and (4) 3- 5 h incubation of retroviruses with target cells. The results showed that the modified protocol resulted in a range of 40- 60% gene delivery efficiency in neurons and astrocytes. Furthermore, these results suggest the potential of the retrovirus-mediated gene delivery protocol being modified and adapted for other transfection-refractory cell lines and primary cells.