Woongsun Seon

In the dentate gyrus (DG) of the adult mouse hippocampus, a substantial number of new cells are generated daily, but only a subset of these survive and differentiate into mature neurons, whereas the majority undergo programmed cell death (PCD). However, neither the intracellular machinery required for adult stem cell-derived neuronal death nor the biological implications of the significant loss of these newly generated cells have been examined. Several markers for apoptosis failed to reveal cell

Abstract Mitochondrial division is critical for the maintenance and regulation of mitochondrial function, quality and distribution. This process is controlled by cytosolic actin-based constriction machinery and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) on mitochondrial outer membrane (OMM). Although mitochondrial physiology, including oxidative phosphorylation, is also important for efficient mitochondrial division, morphological alterations of the mitochondrial inner-membrane (IMM) have not been clearly

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive loss of motoneurons and degeneration of motor axons. We show that overexpression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the nervous system attenuates motoneuron death and axonal degeneration and prolongs the life span of transgenic mice overexpressing mutated Cu2+/Zn2+ superoxide dismutase 1. HGF prevented induction of caspase-1 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in motoneurons and retai

The relationship between the glassy state in seeds and storage stability was examined, using the glass transition curve and a seed viability database from previous experiments. Storage data for seeds at various water contents were studied by Williams–Landel–Ferry (WLF) kinetics, whereas the glass transition curves of seeds with different storage stability were analysed by the Gordon–Taylor equation in terms of the plasticization effect of water on seed storage stability. It was found that the cr

Mitochondrial functions are essential for the survival and function of neurons. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mitochondrial functions are highly associated with mitochondrial morphology, which is dynamically changed by the balance between fusion and fission. Mitochondrial morphology is primarily controlled by the activation of dynamin-related proteins including dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), which promotes mitochondrial fission. Drp1 activity is regulated by several post-translation

The removal of excess neurons by programmed cell death (PCD) is believed to be critical for the proper development and function of the nervous system. A major role of this neuronal loss is to attain quantitative matching of neurons with their targets and afferents. Because motoneurons (MNs) in Bax knock-out (Bax KO) mice fail to undergo PCD in the face of normal target muscle development, we asked whether the excess rescued neurons in Bax KO mice can develop normally. We observed many small atro

Tissue-clearing techniques have received great attention for volume imaging and for the potential to be applied in optical diagnosis. In principle, tissue clearing is achieved by reducing light scattering through a combination of lipid removal, size change, and matching of the refractive index (RI) between the imaging solution and the tissue. However, the contributions of these major factors in tissue clearing have not been systematically evaluated yet. In this study, we experimentally measured

During the nervous system development, immature neuroblasts have a strong potential to migrate toward their destination. In the adult brain, new neurons are continuously generated in the neurogenic niche located near the ventricle, and the newly generated cells actively migrate toward their destination, olfactory bulb, via highly specialized migratory route called rostral migratory stream (RMS). Neuroblasts in the RMS form chains by their homophilic interactions, and the neuroblasts in chains co