• KSBB Journal
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.269-274
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• 2013

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by progressive and selective degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). Because of the versatile nature, stem cells have the potential to repair or replace the degenerated cells. In this review, we discussed stem cell based therapies including the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and genetically engineered cells to produce the neurotrophic factors for the treatment of MND. To achieve this goal, the knowledge of specificity of the cell target, homing and special markers are required.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2013

Electrospun nanofibers are being widely used as a substratum for mammalian cell culture owing to their structural similarity to collagen fibers found in extracellular matrices of mammalian cells and tissues. Especially, development of diverse synthetic polymers has expanded use of electrospun nanofibers for constructing cell culture substrata. Synthetic polymers have several benefits comparing to natural polymer for their structural consistency, low cost, and capability for blending with other polymers or small molecules to enhance their structural integrity or add biological functions. PMGI (polymethylglutarimide) is one of the synthetic polymers that produced a rigid nanofiber that enables incorporation of small molecules, peptides, and gold nanoparticles through co-electrospinning process, during which the materials are fixed without any chemical modifications in the PMGI nanofibers by maintaining their activities. Using the phenomenon of PMGI nanofiber, here I introduce a construction method of a nanofiber substratum having cell-affinity function towards a pluripotent stem cell by incorporating a small molecule in the PMGI nanofiber.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.273-280
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• 2012

Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet composed of carbon atoms only. It has a two-dimensional honeycomb structure with $sp^2$ orbital bonding, which presents some unique properties. Due to large Young's modulus, good electrical conductivity, ability to immobilize several kinds of small molecules and proteins, and biocompatibility of graphene, it has attracted interests inits ability to enhance cell growth and differentiation, followed by recent several studies. We reviewed about the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, and neurogenic differentiation of neuron stem cells, and the ectodermal and mesodermal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells using graphene. Graphene has not only enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells, but also led to the faster differentiation even without any other exogenous signals. Nonetheless, graphene has some cytotoxicities in its amount-response manner, which is critical to regenerative medicine. The cytotoxicities of graphene were compared with those of grapheneoxide and carbon nanotubes.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.33-40
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• 2017

X-chromosome inactivation is one of the most complex events observed in early embryo developments. The epigenetic changes occurred in female X-chromosome is essential to compensate dosages of X-linked genes between males and females. Because of the relevance of the epigenetic process to the normal embryo developments and stem cell studies, X-chromosome inactivation has been focused intensively for last 10 years. Initiation and regulation of the process is managed by diverse factors. Especially, proteins and non-coding RNAs encoded in X-chromosome inactivation center, and a couple of transcription factors have been reported to regulate the event. In this review, we introduce the reported factors, and how they regulate epigenetic inactivation of X-chromosomes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.482-489
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• 2019

Reproductive biotechnology has developed rapidly and is now able to overcome many birth difficulties due to infertility or the transmission of genetic diseases. Here we introduce the next generation of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as mitochondrial replacement technique (MRT) or genetic correction in eggs with micromanipulation. Further, we suggest that the transmission of genetic information from somatic cells to subsequent generations without gametes should be useful for people who suffer from infertility or genetic diseases. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can be converted into germ cells such as sperm or oocytes in the laboratory. Notably, germ cells derived from nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (NT-ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) inherit the full parental genome. The most important issue in this technique is the generation of a haploid chromosome from diploid somatic cells. We hereby examine current science and limitations underpinning these important developments and provide recommendations for moving forward.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.9
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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.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.349-359
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• 2019

After the first research declaring the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in 2007, several attempts have been made to model neurodegenerative disease in vitro during the past decade. Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, which is mainly characterized by motor dysfunction. The formation of unique and filamentous inclusion bodies called Lewy bodies (LBs) is the hallmark of both PD and dementia with LBs. The key pathology in PD is generally considered to be the alpha-synuclein (${\alpha}$-syn) accumulation, although it is still controversial whether this protein aggregation is a cause or consequence of neurodegeneration. In the present work, the recently published researches which recapitulated the ${\alpha}$-syn aggregation phenomena in sporadic and familial PD hiPSC models were reviewed. Furthermore, the advantages and potentials of using patient-derived PD hiPSC with focus on ${\alpha}$-syn aggregation have been discussed.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2023

Chicken embryonic stem (ES) cells have great potential and provide a powerful tool to investigate embryonic development and to manipulate genetic modification in a genome. However, very limited studies are available on the functional characterization and robust expansion of chicken ES cells compared to other species. Here, we have developed a method to generate chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells under pluripotent culture conditions. The chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells were cultivated long-term over several passages of culture without loss of pluripotency in vitro and had the specific expression of key stem cell markers. Furthermore, they showed severe changes in morphology and a significant reduction in pluripotent genes after siRNA-mediated NANOG knockdown. Collectively, these results demonstrate the efficient generation of chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells from EGK stage X blastoderm-derived singularized cells and will facilitate their potential use for various purposes, such as biobanking genetic materials and understanding stemness in the fields of animal biotechnology.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2023

The announcement of the US Environmental Protection Agency that it will stop conducting or funding experimental studies on mammals by 2035 should prioritize ongoing efforts to develop and use alternative toxicity screening methods to animal testing. Toxicity screening is likely to be further developed considering the combination of human-induced pluripotent-stem-cell-derived organ-on-a-chip and multielectrode array (MEA) technologies. We briefly review the current status of MEA technology and MEA-based neuropharmacological drug screening using various cellular model systems. Highlighting the coronavirus disease pandemic, we shortly comment on the importance of early prediction of toxicity by applying artificial intelligence to the development of rapid screening methods.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2023

Kidney disease affects a significant portion of the global population, yet effective therapies are lacking despite advancements in identifying genetic causes. This limitation can be attributed to the absence of adequate in vitro models that accurately mimic human kidney disease, hindering targeted therapeutic development. However, the emergence of human induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and the development of organoids using them have opened up a way to model kidney development and disease in humans, as well as validate the effects of new drugs. To fully leverage their capabilities in these fields, it is crucial for kidney organoids to closely resemble the structure and functionality of adult human kidneys. In this review, we aim to discuss the potential of using human PSCs or adult kidney stem cell-derived kidney organoids to model genetic kidney disease and renal cancer.