Transplantation of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells for acute thoracolumbar disc disease with no deep pain perception in dogs

Thirty-four dogs with no deep pain perception due to acute thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease underwent decompression surgery within 1 week of diagnosis. All dogs underwent hemilaminectomy. Adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) were transplanted into the injured spinal cord parenchyma for the AD-MSCs transplant dogs. Long-term outcome was evaluated at the end of the follow-up period (> 6 months). AD-MSCs combination treatment showed better recovery outcomes compared to decompression surgery alone. These results indicate that this stem cell therapy is a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome the limitations of treatment for spinal cord injury in clinical medicine.     

QTL mapping and associated marker selection for the efficacy of green plant regeneration in anther culture of rice

Anther culturability of rice is a quantitative trait controlled by nuclear‐encoded genes. The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and associated marker selection for anther culturability is important for increasing the efficiency of green plant regeneration from microspores. QTL associated with the capacity for green plant regeneration in anther culture of rice were mapped on chromosomes 3 and 10 using 164 recombinant inbred (RI) lines from a cross between ‘Milyang 23’ and ‘Gihobyeo’. The quantitative trait locus located on chromosome 10 was detected repeatedly when three anther culture methods were applied and was tightly linked to the markers, RG323, RG241 and RZ400. Associations between these markers and the efficacy of green plant regeneration in 43 rice cultivars and two F₂ populations, ‘MG RI036’/‘Milyang 23’, and ‘MG RI036’;/‘IR 36’ were analysed. One of these markers, RZ400, was able to identify effectively genotypes with good (> 10.0%) and poor (< 3.0%) regenerability, based on the marker genotypes in the cultivars and two F₂ populations. This marker enables the screening of rice germplasm for anther culturability and introgression into elite lines in breeding programmes.     

Selection of Tolerant Plants and Their Arrangement to Restore a Forest Ecosystem Damaged by Air Pollution

Plants tolerant to polluted environments were selected, based on several criteria, to restore a coastal forest ecosystem severely damaged by air pollutants discharged from an industrial complex. In addition, a restoration plan was prepared synthesizing these results and the diagnostic ecological indicators in the area for which restoration is required. Pollution-tolerant plants of 11 tree and subtree species, 10 herb species and one shrub species were selected from field surveys in the vicinity of two representative industrial complexes in Korea, Ulsan and Yeocheon. Nine species were selected for tolerance to SO₂ fumigation and six species were selected for tolerance to Al³⁺. Growth and photosynthetic responses of sample plants transplanted into polluted and unpolluted sites showed that 15 species out of the 26 sample plants showed a disposition for tolerance. Most of these are endemic plants and they are composed of diverse species in structure and function. This result implies that these tolerant species could play important roles in the restoration of the study area, which has several specific features. On the other hand, results from transplant tests indicate that a field survey is the most reasonable method for selection of tolerant plants to restore a pollution-damaged ecosystem, as was shown in another restoration program. Results of ecological analysis on vegetation map indicate that the spatial range within the first ridge is the sector for which restoration is required. This sector was classified into four zones on the basis of topographic conditions: lower and upper slopes of both slopes facing and opposite the pollution source. Guidelines for soil amelioration and arrangement of tolerant plants were prepared considering the degree of vegetation degradation, leaf damage of major plant species and soil pollution in each zone under the restoration plan.     

Anti-inflammatory inhibition of endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression by flavone derivatives

Endothelial expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAM) including VCAM-1, E-selectin, and PECAM-1 plays a leading role in atherosclerosis. Phenolic flavones have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory property. This study examines whether 3',4'-dimethoxy-7-hydroxyflavone (methoxyflavone) and 2',3',7-trihydroxyflavone (hydroxyflavone) inhibited monocyte adhesion to TNF-alpha-activated endothelium via reduction of CAM expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In stimulated HUVEC the expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin was enhanced with increasing mRNA levels. Methoxyflavone markedly interfered with the THP-1 monocyte adhesion to TNF-alpha-stimulated HUVEC. At concentrations of > or =25 microM, methoxyflavone blocked the induction of VCAM-1 but not that of E-selectin on the activated HUVEC. Immunocytochemical staining showed that methoxyflavone modestly inhibited PECAM-1 expression induced by TNF-alpha. In contrast, hydroxyflavone minimally inhibited TNF-alpha-stimulated E-selectin expression without affecting VCAM-1 level. The inhibitory effect of methoxyflavone on THP-1 adhesion to HUVEC appears to be greater than that of hydroxyflavone, most likely due to a greater inhibition of CAM expression. Thus, some flavone derivatives containing methoxy groups may have therapeutic potential attenuating inflammatory response-related atherosclerosis.     

2-fluoroabscisic acid analogues: their synthesis and biological activities

Fluorine was introduced into the 2-position of the side chain of abscisic acid (ABA) analogues by Wittig reaction of alpha-ionone derivatives with ethyl triethylphosphono-2-fluoroacetate. The effects of the fluorinated analogues were evaluated on inhibition of cress seed germination and inhibition of gibberellin-inducible alpha-amylase induction in embryoless barley half-seeds. (2E, 4E)-2-Fluoro-5-(1'-hydroxy-2',6', 6'-trimethyl-2'-cyclohexen-1'-yl)-3-methyl-2,4-pentadienoic acid (5b) showed potent inhibitory activity at the same level as ABA in the cress seed germination test, and 5b also inhibited gibberellin-inducible alpha-amylase induction at 4 x 10(-)(6), 3 times the concentration of ABA (1 x 10(-)(6)) for 50% inhibition of alpha-amylase production. 5b also showed dehydrin induction activity. These results indicate that fluorinated ABA analogues mimic ABA action and can be a lead for a plant growth regulator which regulates plant growth or protects plants from environmental stresses.     

Function of rhodopsin in temperature discrimination in Drosophila

Many animals, including the fruit fly, are sensitive to small differences in ambient temperature. The ability of Drosophila larvae to choose their ideal temperature (18°C) over other comfortable temperatures (19° to 24°C) depends on a thermosensory signaling pathway that includes a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein), a phospholipase C, and the transient receptor potential TRPA1 channel. We report that mutation of the gene (ninaE) encoding a classical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), Drosophila rhodopsin, eliminates thermotactic discrimination in the comfortable temperature range. This role for rhodopsin in thermotaxis toward 18°C was light-independent. Introduction of mouse melanopsin restored normal thermotactic behavior in ninaE mutant larvae. We propose that rhodopsins represent a class of evolutionarily conserved GPCRs that are required for initiating thermosensory signaling cascades.     

Electrically driven single-cell photonic crystal laser

We report the experimental demonstration of an electrically driven, single-mode, low threshold current (approximately 260 microA) photonic band gap laser operating at room temperature. The electrical current pulse is injected through a sub-micrometer-sized semiconductor wire at the center of the mode with minimal degradation of the quality factor. The actual mode of interest operates in a nondegenerate monopole mode, as evidenced through the comparison of the measurement with the computation based on the actual fabricated structural parameters. As a small step toward a thresholdless laser or a single photon source, this wavelength-size photonic crystal laser may be of interest to photonic crystals, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and quantum information communities.     

Comparison of 1-deoxynojirimycin and aqueous mulberry leaf extract with emphasis on postprandial hypoglycemic effects: in vivo and in vitro studies

Carbohydrate digestion by α-glucosidase and subsequent glucose uptake at the brush border are critical for postprandial blood glucose control. Any specific inhibitors are useful as hyperglycemia modulating agents. In this study, it was postulated that an array of active components in mulberry leaf extract (MLE) may provide higher potency in inhibiting intestinal glucose absorption compared to the single component 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), which is recognized as a promising inhibitor of intestinal glucose absorption. Both MLE and DNJ were active in inhibiting α-glucosidase. However, in Caco-2 cells, only MLE showed significant inhibition of 2-deoxyglucose uptake, whereas DNJ was ineffective. For glucose loading, co-administration of MLE resulted in potent inhibitions of glucose responses compared to those by DNJ in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, but this was not found for maltose loading. These novel findings add evidence that the unabsorbed phytochemicals in MLE compete with glucose for intestinal glucose transporters, but DNJ itself does not. We also evaluated the timing of MLE consumption. By administering MLE for 30 min before glucose loading, the incremental area under the curve (IAUC) was significantly lowered in the rats, as compared to a simultaneously administered group. Similarly, cellular glucose uptake was significantly reduced in Caco-2 cells following pretreatment.     

Aerosol delivery of kinase-deficient Akt1 attenuates Clara cell injury induced by naphthalene in the lungs of dual luciferase mice

Conventional lung cancer therapies are associated with poor survival rates; therefore, new approaches such as gene therapy are required for treating cancer. Gene therapies for treating lung cancer patients can involve several approaches. Among these, aerosol gene delivery is a potentially more effective approach. In this study, Akt1 kinase-deficient (KD) and wild-type (WT) Akt1 were delivered to the lungs of CMV-LucR-cMyc-IRES-LucF dual reporter mice through a nose only inhalation system using glucosylated polyethylenimine and naphthalene was administrated to the mice via intraperitoneal injection. Aerosol delivery of Akt1 WT and naphthalene treatment increased protein levels of downstream substrates of Akt signaling pathway while aerosol delivery of Akt1 KD did not. Our results showed that naphthalene affected extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) protein levels, ERK-related signaling, and induced Clara cell injury. However, Clara cell injury induced by naphthalene was considerably attenuated in mice exposed to Akt1 KD. Furthermore, a dual luciferase activity assay showed that aerosol delivery of Akt1 WT and naphthalene treatment enhanced cap-dependent protein translation, while reduced cap-dependent protein translation was observed after delivering Akt1 KD. These studies demonstrated that our aerosol delivery is compatible for in vivo gene delivery.