Balsaeng'gwa Saengsig

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Previously, we showed that a chronic-low-dose nonylphenol (NP) exposure resulted in histological changes with sexually dimorphic pattern in rat adrenal glands. We hypothesized that such structural changes are closely related to the hormonal secretory patterns. To test this hypothesis, we developed the short-term adrenal incubation method, and measured the levels of catecholamines and cortical steroids using the high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively...

A stem cell niche provides an environment that governs stem cell maintenance and division. Thus, the development of a proper niche is of prime importance to stem cell behaviors. Mechanisms of niche development are beginning to be revealed in the Drosophila male gonad. Niche cells are initially dispersed throughout the gonad, then assemble at its apical tip through the anterior migration of posteriorly located niche cells. The molecular mechanisms of this migration and assembly are still poorly understood. Here we show evidence suggesting that Lin28, an RNA-binding protein and regulator of let7 genesis, might be an intrinsic factor for the anterior migration of niche cells...

Although increasing evidence of cause-and-effect relationship between BPA exposure and female reproductive disorders have been suggested through many studies, the precise biochemical and molecular mechanism(s) by which BPA interferes with steroidogenesis in the ovarian cells still remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discover the steroidogenic biomarker(s) associated with BPA treatment in human granulosa cell line, KGN. In this study, our results obtained via the analysis of steroidogenesis-related protein expression in KGN cells using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analyses revealed that the expression levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and aromatase decreased considerably and gradually after BPA treatment in a dose-dependent manner under BPA treatment...

INTS14/VWA9, a component of the integrator complex subunits, plays a pivotal role in regulating the fate of numerous nascent RNAs transcribed by RNA polymerase II, particularly in the biogenesis of small nuclear RNAs and enhancer RNAs. Despite its significance, a comprehensive mutation model for developmental research has been lacking. To address this gap, we aimed to investigate the expression patterns of INTS14 during zebrafish embryonic development. We generated ints14 mutant strains using the CRISPR/Cas9 system...

The epididymal fat is a type of gonadal adipose tissue, which is localized closely to the testis. Even though it has been suggested that the epididymal fat is necessary for maintenance of spermatogenesis in the testis, the influence of epididymal fat on expression of testicular steroidogenic enzymes has not been examined. In the present research, expressional changes of steroidogenic enzymes in the mouse testis after 2 weeks of the surgical partial lipectomy of epididymal fat at different postnatal ages were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis...

Development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is driven by a multistep and long-term process. Because current therapeutic strategies are limited for HCC patients, there are increasing demands for understanding of immunotherapy, which has made technological and conceptual innovations in the treatment of cancer. Here, I discuss HCC immunotherapy in the view of interaction between liver resident cells and immune cells.

Exposure to environmental chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, during the gestational period can have profound adverse effects on several organs in offspring. Bisphenol A (BPA) can infiltrate the human body through food and drinks, and its metabolites can cross both the placental and the blood-brain barriers. In this study, we investigate the effect of gestational exposure to BPA on epigenetic, biochemical, and histological modifications in the uterine tissues of F1 adult offspring rats. Pregnant rats were exposed to BPA from gestational day 8-15, and changes in global DNA methylation in uterine tissues obtained from adult offspring born to the exposed mothers were analyzed...

Environmental factors impact oyster growth, condition, and gonadal development, which is linked to gamete characteristics observed through histology. The reproductive cycle of bivalves is related to energy storage and utilization. Therefore, in this study, the year-round growth change and gonadal development of oysters were observed using histological analysis, and the biochemical composition changes were confirmed. The oysters used in this study are being nurtured in Gadeok-do, and 40 oysters were randomly sampled monthly from March 2021 to February 2022...

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment option for obesity, but its effects on reproductive hormones are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of bariatric surgery on estrogen and progesterone levels in women with obesity. This was a prospective study that included 87 women with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery and 87 control women with obesity who did not. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up periods to measure reproductive hormones and Adiponectin as well as medical history and physical examination for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)...

Pharyngeal pouches are an important epithelial structure controlling facial skeletal development in vertebrates. A series of pouches arise sequentially in the pharyngeal endoderm through collective cell migration followed by rearrangement of pouch-forming cells. While crucial transcription factors and signaling molecules have been identified in pouch formation, a role for Neuropilins (Nrps) in pouch development has not yet been analyzed in any vertebrates. Nrps are cell surface receptors essential for angiogenesis and axon guidance...

Effects of changes in photoperiod on the reproductive events in fish are suggested to be mediated mainly via the action of melatonin (MEL). Changing levels of plasma MEL throughout the day and year are suggested to influence the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis in fish. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of MEL on oocyte maturation and germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in the marine fish, Chaenogobius annularis , in vitro . Oocytes at three different stages (pre-, mid-, and late-vitellogenesis) were incubated with (a) only MEL (5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 pg/mL) and (b) 50 pg/mL of 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17α20βP), maturation-inducing hormone (MIH) of this species, and MEL (4-h incubation before addition of MIH)...

The Ruvb-like AAA ATPase1 (Ruvbl1; also known as Pontin) is an evolutionary conserved protein belonging to the adenosine triphosphates associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+) superfamily of ATPases. Ruvbl1 is a component of various protein supercomplexes and is involved in a variety of cellular activities, including chromatin remodeling, DNA damage repair, and mitotic spindle assembly however, the developmental significance of this protein is unknown and needs detailed investigation. We investigated the developmental significance of Ruvbl1 in multiciliated cells of the Xenopus laevis epidermis since ruvbl1 is expressed in the multiciliated cells and pronephros during X...

We investigated the involvement of autophagy with steroidogenesis in testicular Leydig cells. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-stimulated T production in Leydig cells was not remarkably altered in the presence of an autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Although pretreatment with 3-MA demonstrated a tendency to decrease hCG-induced T production, the differences were significant only at a higher time point of 24 h following hCG. Microtubule associated protein light chain 3 (LC3)-II was detectable in the control cells in all the experiments...

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...

Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) mediates the transfer of polymeric immunoglobulin to protect organisms and is one of the most important mucosal effectors. In this study, the developmental stage- and tissue-specific expression of pIgR were observed before virus inoculation in olive flounder. pIgR was gradually expressed until the formation of immune tissue, exhibiting high expression in the late juvenile period; thereafter, pIgR expression gradually decreased and exhibited high expression in the spleen and skin...

Metformin is the most widely used anti-diabetic drug that helps maintain normal blood glucose levels primarily by suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis in type II diabetic patients. We previously found that metformin induces apoptotic death in H4IIE rat hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Despite its anti-diabetic roles, the effect of metformin on hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) remains unclear. We investigated the effect of metformin on hepatic DNL and apoptotic cell death in H4IIE cells. Metformin treatment stimulated glucose consumption, lactate production, intracellular fat accumulation, and the expressions of lipogenic proteins...

The sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus , is one of the most valuable aquatic species. The color of body wall and appearance are important for the value of sea cucumbers. To examine expression pattern of long-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase ( LCAD ), nuclear distribution C-containing protein 3 ( NUDCD3 ), and receptor tyrosine kinase Tie-1 ( TIE1 ), previously reported as differently expressed genes during the pigmentation of sea cucumber, we analyzed the temporal profiles of LCAD , NUDCD3 , and TIE1 mRNAs in LED-exposed and light-shielded A...