강경태 교수

Something to sprout about: The developmental acceleration of hippocampal neurons occurred on well-packed structures of silica beads with diameters over 200 nm (see picture; scale bar: 5 μm, inset scale bar: 1 μm). The neurons sensed the size differences of the nanostructures and altered their behaviors, thus implying that nanotopographical stimuli are one of the important features for guiding neurites during neural developments in vivo. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are publ

The electrode-specific formation of polydopamine films is achieved by applying positive voltage to the target electrodes at pH 6.0. The functionalization of the films is simultaneously carried out by co-depositing dopamine with molecules of interest onto the electrode.

The study of inorganic nanozymes to overcome the disadvantages of bio-enzymes, such as the requirement of optimized reaction conditions and lack of durability against environmental factors, is one of the most significant research topics at present. In this work, we comprehensively analyzed the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of Ir-based nanoparticles, the biological and nanozymatic potentials of which have not yet been explored. These particles were synthesized by the galvanic replacement of

Biochemistry has been broadly defined as “chemistry of molecules included or related to living systems”, but is becoming increasingly hard to be distinguished from other related fields. Targets of its studies evolve rapidly; some newly emerge, disappear, combine, or resurface themselves with a fresh viewpoint. Methodologies for biochemistry have been extremely diversified, thanks particularly to those adopted from molecular biology, synthetic chemistry, and biophysics. Therefore, this paper adop

Neurite outgrowth is an important preceding step for the development of nerve systems. Given that the in vivo environments of neurons consist of numerous hierarchical micro/nanotopographies, there have been many efforts to investigate the relationship between neuronal behaviors and surface topography. The acceleration of neurite outgrowth was recently reported on surfaces with a periodic nanotopography, but the biological mechanism has not yet been elucidated. In this work, the initial neurite d

Determining small molecule-target protein interaction is essential for the chemical proteomics. One of the most important keys to explore biological system in chemical proteomics field is finding first-class molecular tools. Chemical probes can provide great spatiotemporal control to elucidate biological functions of proteins as well as for interrogating biological pathways. The invention of bioorthogonal chemistry has revolutionized the field of chemical biology by providing superior chemical t

Axon collateral branches, as a key structural motif of neurons, allow neurons to integrate information from highly interconnected, divergent networks by establishing terminal boutons. Although physical cues are generally known to have a comprehensive range of effects on neuronal development, their involvement in axonal branching remains elusive. Herein, it is demonstrated that the nanopillar arrays significantly increase the number of axon collateral branches and also promote their growth. Immun

In this work, we report that high-density, vertically grown silicon nanowires (vg-SiNWs) direct a new in vitro developmental pathway of primary hippocampal neurons. Neurons on vg-SiNWs formed a single, extremely elongated major neurite earlier than minor neurites, which led to accelerated polarization. Additionally, the development of lamellipodia, which generally occurs on 2D culture coverslips, was absent on vg-SiNWs. The results indicate that surface topography is an important factor that inf

This paper describes a one-step, chemical-free method to generate micropatterned in vitro neuronal networks on chemically unmodified reduced graphene oxide. The suggested method relies on infrared-based photothermal reduction of graphene oxide, which concurrently leads to the formation of submicrometer-scale surface roughness that promotes neuronal adhesion and guides neurite outgrowth. A commercially available laser source (LightScribe DVD drive) controlled by a computer software can be used to

The posttranslational modification of neural cell-adhesion molecule (NCAM) with polysialic acid (PSA) and the spatiotemporal distribution of PSA-NCAM play an important role in the neuronal development. In this work, we developed a tissue-based strategy for metabolically incorporating an unnatural monosaccharide, peracetylated N-azidoacetyl-D-mannosamine, in the sialic acid biochemical pathway to present N-azidoacetyl sialic acid to PSA-NCAM. Although significant neurotoxicity was observed in the

Abstract Reaction of 1,2-benzodithiole-3-thione with N,N′-dialkyl-1,2-ethanedianiine afforded o-thioquinone methides with a ketene aminal group (6) in high yields. Two similar thionaphthoquinone methides were also prepared. o-Thioquinone methide derived from N,N′-dimethyl-o-phenylenediamine was prepared from 3-chloro-1,2-benzodithiol-3-ylium chloride (10). These compounds were found to exist as a monomer of a considerable betaine nature. Reactions of 6a (N,N′-dimethyl derivative) with dimethyl a

In this study, we report that height-controlled vertically etched silicon nano-column arrays (vSNAs) induce strong growth cone-to-substrate coupling and accelerate In vitroneurite development while preserving the essential features of initial neurite formation. Large-scale preparation of vSNAs with flat head morphology enabled the generation of well-controlled topographical stimulation without cellular impalement. A systematic analysis on topography-induced variations on cellular morphology and