Embryonic stem (ES) cells proliferate extensively in the undifferentiated state and have the potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types in response to various environmental cues. The generation of functional dopaminergic neurons from ES cells is promising for cell replacement therapy to treat Parkinson's disease. We compared the in vitro differentiation potential of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES, MB03) cells induced with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or retinoic acid (RA). Both types of treatment resulted in similar neural cell differentiation patterns at the terminal differentiation stage, specifically, 75% neurons and 11% glial cells. Additionally, treatment of hES cells with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or transforming growth factor (TGF)- during the terminal differentiation stage led to significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression, compared to control (P<0.05). In contrast, no effect was observed on the rate of mature or glutamic acid decarboxylase-positive neurons. Immunostaining and HPLC analyses revealed the higher levels of TH (20.3%) and dopamine in bFGF and TGF- treated hES cells than in RA or BDNF treated hES cells. The results indicate that TGF- may be successfully used in the bFGF induction protocol to yield higher numbers of functional dopaminergic neurons from hES cells.

Main strategy for a treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), due to a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, is a pharmaceutical supplement of dopamine derivatives or ceil replacement therapy. Both of these protocols have pros and cons; former exhibiting a dramatic relief but causing a severe side effects on long-term prescription and latter also having a proven effectiveness but having availability and ethical problems Embryonic stem (ES) cells have several characteristics suitable for this purpose. To investigate a possibility of using ES cells as a carrier of therapeutic gene(s), human ES (hES, MB03) cells were transfected with cDNAs coding for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in pcDNA3.1 (+) and the transfectants were selected using neomycin (250 ). Expression of TH being confirmed, two of the positive clone (MBTH2 & 8) were second transfected with GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GTPCH 1) in pcDNA3.1 (+)-hyg followed by selection with hygromycin-B (150 ) and RT-PCR confirmation. By immune-cytochemistry, these genetically modified but undifferentiated dual drug-resistant cells were found to express few of the neuronal markers, such as NF200, -tubulin, and MAP2 as well as astroglial marker GFAP. This results suggest that over-production of BH4 by ectopically expressed GTPCH I may be involved in the induction of those markers. Transplantation of the cells into striatum of 6-OHDA- denervated PD animal model relieved symptomatic rotational behaviors of the animals. Immunohistochemical analyses showed the presence of human cells within the striatum of the recipients. These results suggest a possibility of using hES cells as a carrier of therapeutic gene(s).

Recently, human embryonic stem (hES) cells have become very important resources for ES cell basic research, cell replacement therapy, and other medical applications; thus, efficient cryopreservation methods for these cells are needed. This study examined whether a newly developed minimum volume cooling (MVC) vitrification method, which was tested through cryopreservation of sensitive bovine oocytes, can be used for freezing hES cells. Feeder-free cultured hES cell (MB03) colonies were mechanically dissected into several small clumps following enzymatic treatment. We compared the freezing efficiency of a slow-cooling method using a cryo-module (0.4-0.6C/min, 20-30 clumps/vial) and MVC vitrification using a modified 0.5-ml French mini-straw designated as a MVC straw (>/min, 10 clumps/straw) After thawing, in vitro survival of hES cell clumps was higher for MVC-vitrified cells (80.8%, 97/120) than for slow-cooled cells (38.2%, 39/102). Further, the proliferation rate of surviving MVC-vitrified cells was similar to that of control hES cells from 2 weeks after thawing. In addition, vitrified-thawed hES cells demonstrated a normal karyotype, were positively immunostained for surface marker antibodies (AP, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60) and the Oct-4 antibody, and could differentiate into all three embryonic germ layer cells in vitro. This result demonstrates that hES cell clumps can be successfully cryopreserved by a newly developed MVC vitrification method without loss of human cell characteristics.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, derived from preimplantation embryos, are able to differentiate into various types of cells consisting the whole body, or pluripotency. In addition to the plasticity, ES cells are expected to be different from terminally differentiated cells in very many ways, such as patterns of gene expressions, ability and response of the cells in confronting environmental stimulations, metabolism, and growth rate. As a model system to differentiate these two types of cells, human ES (hES, MB03) cells and terminally differentiated cells (HeLa), we examined the ability of these two types of cells in confronting a severe oxidative insult, that is . Ratio of dying cells as determined by the relative amount of dye neutral red entrapped within the cells after the exposures. Cell death rates were not significantly different when either MB03 or HeLa were exposed up to 0.4 mM . However, relative amount of dye entrapped within the cells sharply decreased down to 0.12% in HeLa cells when the cells were exposed to 0.8 mM , while it was approximately 54% in MB03. Pretreatment of cells with BSO (GSH chelator) and measurement of GSH content results suggest that cellular GSH is the major defensive mechanism of hES cells. Induction of apoptosis in hES cell was confirmed by DNA laddering, induction of Bax, and chromatin condensation. In summary, hES cells 1) are extremely resistant to oxidative stress, 2) utilize GSH as a major defensive mechanism. and 3) experience apoptosis upon exposure to oxidative stress.

모유의 뮤신 복합체는 rotavirus에 특이적으로 결합하여 항 바이러스활동을 보여주는 것으로 나타났다. 자연 상태에서의 뮤신은 몇몇 작은 분자들과 복합적으로 연합되어 있는데 70kda의 glycoprotein, butyrophilin, 그리고 glycosylated component, lactadherin을 포함하고 있다. 그중 rotavirus에 가장 높은 결합력과 항바이러스 활동을 나타내는 Lactadherin은 모유의 유단백질의 하나인 뮤신과 결

본 연구에서는 1.7kb 및 3.1kb bovine -casein promoter의 유전자 발현 조절능력을 알아보기 위해 1 7kb 및 3.1kb bovine -casein promoter에 human Type II Collagen 유전자를 연결해서 DNA microinjection으로 형질전환생쥐를 생산하였다. 총 8마리의 founder생쥐(1.7kb collagen : 5마리, 3.1kb collagen 3마리)를 생산하였고 이 founder생쥐와

Human lactoferrin (hLF) is an 80 kDa iron-binding glycoprotein that is expressed in high concentration in milk and in lesser amount in the secondary or specific granules of neutrophils and in plasma, LF is classically considered to be related to the binding, transport, and storage of iron. The transgenic mice carrying the human hLF gene in conjunction with the bovine -casein promoter produced the human hLF in their milk during lactation. To screen transgenic mice, PCR was carried out using chromosomal DNA extracted from tail or toe tissues. In this study, stability of germ line transmission and expression of hLF were monitored up to generation Fl7 of a transgenic line. When female mouse of generation F9 was crossbred with normal male, generation F9 to Fl7 mice showed similar transmission rates (, respectively), implying that the hLF gene can be transmitted stably up to long term generation in the transgenic mice For ELISA analysis, hLF expression levels were determined with an hLF ELISA kit in accordance with the supplier's protocol. Expression levels of human hLF from milk of generation F9 to Fl3 mice were , respectively. These expression levels were lower than that of founder (6.6 mg/) mouse. We concluded that transgenic mice faithfully passed the transgene on their progeny and successively secreted target proteins into their milk through several generations.

Adult stem cells can make identical copies of themselves for long periods of time. They also give rise to many differentiated mature cell types that have characteristic morphology and specialized function. Human adult stem cells are the attractive raw materials for the cell/tissue therapy, however, it is not easy to get from the adult tissues. In the present study, we tried to isolate a cell population derived from human umbilical cord vein which has been discarded after birth. The cells were isolated after treatment of the umbilical vein with collagenase or trypsin. After 3 days of culture, two kinds of cell populations were found consisting of adherent cells with endothelial cell-like and fibroblast-like morphology, respectively. When these cells were subcultured 12 times over a period of 3 months, almost cells appeared uniformly to exhibit fibroblastoid morphology which was different from that of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from human bone marrow The results of RT-PCR analyses showed distinct expression of BMP-4, oct-4, and SCF genes but not of GATA, PAX-6 and Brachyury genes. On immunohistochemical staining, the cells were negative for the von Willebrand factor(vWF), alpha-smooth muscle actin and placental alkaline phosphatase. From these observations, it is suggested that stem-like cells might be present in human umbilical cord vein.

Human umbilical cord blood cells(HUCBC) are rich in mesenchymal progenitor cells, endothelial cell precursors and hematopoietic cells. HUCBC have been used as a source of transplantable stem and progenitor cells. However, little is known about survival and development of HUCBC transplantation in the CNS. Estrogen has a neuroprotective potential against oxidative stress-induced cell death so has an effect on reducing infarct size of ischemic brain. We investigated the potential use of HUCBC as donor cells and tested whether estrogen mediates intravenously infused HUCBC enter and survive in ischemic brain. PKH26 labeled mononuclear fraction of HUCBC were injected into the tail vein of ischemic OVX rat brain with or without -estradiol valerate(EV). Under fluorescence microscopy, labeled cells were observed in the brain section. Significantly more cells were found in the ischemic brain than in the non-ischemic brain. HUCBC transplanted into ischemic brain could migrate and survive. Some of cells have shown neuronal like cells in hippocampus, striatum and cortex tissues. These result suggest that estrogen reduces ischemic damage and increases the migration of human umbilical cord blood cells. This Study was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation(KOSEF) though the Biohealth Products Research Center(BPRC), Inje University, Korea.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have property of self-renewal and can differentiate into the cells of all three primary germ layers. Recently, many growth factors, alteration of culture condition and gene modifications have been used to differentiate mouse and human ES cells into specific cell types. This study was performed to evaluate the differentiation protocol for human ES cells to the endodermal lineage cells. Human ES cells (Miz-hESl ) were cultured on STO feeder layer mitotically inactivated with mitemycin C, and embryoid bodies (EBs) were formed by suspension culture. Differentiation protocol of EBs consisted of three steps: stage I, culture of EBs for 6 days with ITSFn medium; stage II, culture of stage I cells for 8 days with N2 medium ; stage III, culture of stage II cells for 22 days with N2 medium. mRNA levels of the endodermal lineage differentiation genes were analyzed by semi- quantitative RT-PCR. The Oct-4 expression, a marker of the pluripotent state, was detected in undifferentiated human ES cells but progressively decreased after EBs formation. Differentiating human ES cells expressed marker genes of endodermal differentiation and pancreatic islet cells. GATA4, a-fetoprotein, Glut-2, and Ngn3 were expressed in all stages. However, albumin and insulin were expressed in only stage III cells. The human ES cells can be differentiated into endodermal lineage cells by multiple step culture system using various supplements. We are developing the more effective protocols for guided differentiation of human ES cells.

오늘날에는 신체의 시각적 표현이 다양한 범주에서 보여 지고 있고, 컴퓨터 환경이야말로 개별적인 신체의 환경을 뛰어 넘는 커뮤니케이션의 새로운 형태라 말할 수 있다. 사이버 공간에서 몸의 상호 작용의 한 분야로서 게임에서, 캐릭터의 존재와 역할로 커뮤니케이션이 이루어 질 때, 각 캐릭터의 이상적인 신체 표현은 현실을 뛰어 넘는 극적인 아름다움을 표현 한다. 본 논문에서는 미술작품에 나타난 몸의 이미지 표현 방법과 변화과정을 분석하여, 이상적 인간형의 게임캐릭터 창작에 활용할 수 있는 방법을 모색하여 보았다. 캐릭터 제작 기술의 진보는 이미 한계에 이르렀지만, 그리이스시대 이래 현재까지 확립되어 온 신체비 례에 현대적이면서 미래적인 해석을 가미하여, 개성적이고 아름다운 캐릭터 전형을 창조함에 있어서, 이상적 몸의 이미지를 갖춘 캐릭터 창작방법의 바탕을 제시하였다.

기주목(상수리나무, 밤나무, 자작나무, 버드나무)별 겨우살이 ethanol 추출물의 5가지 분획물(hexane fr., chloroform fr., ethyl acetate fr., butanol fr., aqueous fr.)을 이용하여 in vitro에서 사람 면역세포주에 대한 생육활성, 사람 정상 세포주에 대한 세포독성, 사람의 각종 암 세포주에 대한 생육 저해능을 조사하였다. 4종의 한국산 겨우살이 분획물들의 정상세포에 대한 세포독성은 밤나무 겨우살이 chloroform fr.(28%)을 제외한 모든 겨우살이 분획물 0.5mg/ml이하의 농도로 투여시 정상세포에 대한 세포독성이 20%이하로 나타났다. 또한 암세포 생육 저해능의 경우, 폐암 세포주 A549와 위암세포주 AGS에 대하여 상수리나무, 밤나무, 버드나무 겨우살이 분획물에서 80%이상의 생육억제 효과를 보였다. Human B 세포주와 T 세포주에 대한 생육촉진 실험에서, B 세포주에 대하여 상수리나무 겨우살이 hexane fr. buthanol fr., 밤나무 겨우살이 hexane fr., 자작나무 겨우살이 ethyl acetate fr., 버드나무 겨우살이 hexane fr. chloroform fr. ethyl acetate fr.은 배양 3일에서 5일 사이 control에 비하여 약 1.5~3배의 세포 생육촉진을 보였다. T 세포주에 대하여 상수리나무 겨우살이 chloroform fr. ethyl acetate fr., 밤나무 겨우살이 chloroform fr. ethyl acetate fr., 자작나무 겨우살이 hexane fr. chloroform fr. ethyl acetate fr., 버드나무 겨우살이 hexane fr. chloroform fr. ethyl acetate fr.은 배양 3일에서 5일 사이 control에 비하여 약 1.5~2.3배의 세포 생육촉진을 보였다. 한국산 겨우살이 분획물들은 정상세포 대한 독성이 약하고, 면역세포의 생육을 촉진하며, 암세포 생육을 저해하는 효과가 있는 결과로부터 겨우살이는 신체질병에 대한 효과가 기대되며, 앞으로 보다 상세한 연구가 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

대부분의 포유동물에서 수란관내로 배란된 난자는 정자에 의해 수정이 된 후 개체발생을 시작한다. 그러나 수정이 되지 못한 난자들은 난구세포와 함께 수란관내에서 퇴화하여 제거되는데, 그 기작에 대해서는 구체적으로 알려져 있지 않다. 따라서 본 연구는 포유동물의 수란관내 물질이 난자-난구 복합체에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 사람의 난포액과 소의 수란관 조직 추출액을 생쥐의 난자-난구 복합체에 처리하고 난자의 생존율 및 난구세포의 세포자연사(apoptosis)를

It was found that the purified extract from A. gigas Nakai (polysaccharide, M.W., 25 kD) controled differentiating human ES cells. Its optimal supplementation concentration was decided as 0.8 (μg/ml) to efficiently control the differentiation. It also enhanced the cell growth, compared to the control. However, most widely used and commercially available differentiating agent, Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) negatively affected on the cell growth even though it controls the differentiation of ES cells, down to 40-50 % based on morphological observation and telomerase activity. It was presumed that the extract first affected on cell membrane and resulted in controlling signal system, then amplify gene expression of telomere, which enhanced the telomerase activity up to three times compared to the control. LIF only increased the enzyme activity up to two times. It was confirmed that the extract from A. gigas Nakai could be used for substituting currently used differentiation controlling agent, LIF from animal resources as a cheap plant resource and not affecting the cell growth. It can broaden the application of the plants not only to functional foods and their substitutes but also to fine chemicals and most cutting-edge biopharmaceutical medicine.

현재의 게임은 단순한 공학적 산물의 개념을 뛰어넘어 디지털화된 오락문화요 생활문화로 인식되고 있다. 이에 인간의 개인적, 사회적 욕망과 욕구에 대한 정확한 분석은 게임을 디자인하는데 있어서 좀 더 과학적인 근간을 제공해 줄 수 있을 것이다. 인간의 근원적인 욕망과 그에 대한 보상을 위한 활동에 대한 연구는 이미 오래전부터 심리학자들을 중심으로 이루어져 왔다. 이를 바탕으로 플레이어가 게임에서 얻고자하는 바와 그에 대한 보상에 대하여 연구하였다.