암환자의 생명을 가장 위협하는 암세포의 전이는 숙주와 암세포의 상호작용을 포함하는 여러단계의 연쇄적인 과정이다. 전이의 발생은 하나의 세포나 집단의 암세포가 첫번째 암발생 부위에서 분리되어 국소적으로 침투하고 순환기계에 들어가 다른곳에 흡착 후 다른 장기의 interstitium과 parcnchyma에 입출(extravasate)하게 되며 2차적 colony로서 자라나 stroma나 basement membrine과 같은 생물학적 울타리를 파괴한다. 전이의 각단계에서 암세포는 면역세포의 공격을 피하여야만 한다. 세포의 이동은 태아의 생성(embryonic events), 성장세포의 재조함(remodeling), 상처 치유(wound healing), 맥관형성 (angiogenesis), 면역 방어 (immune defence)의 경우에 아주 중요한 역활을 한다. 정상적인 경우에 세포의 이동은 잘 통제가 되지만 암세포의 이동은 비정상적으로 통제가 되거나 자체내에서 통제가 된다. 암세포는 숙주에서 생산되는 scatter factors, growth factor, extracellular matrix components, 그리고 암세포에서 발생되는 autocrine utility factors를 포함한 여러가지 인자에 의해 영향을 받는다.

mouse chromesome2에 있는 agouti locus는 정상적으로는 털색깔을 조절하는 gene이다. mouse agouti gene은 최근에 cloning 되었고 131 amino acid peptide와 consensus signal peptide를 encode한다고 보고되었다. 이 논문에서 interspecies-DNA hybridization approach를 이용하여 mouse agouti gene의 human homologue를 cloning 하였다. Sequence analysis 결과, 이는 mouse gene에 85% 유사하였고 consensus signal peptide sequence 를 포함하는 132 amino acid를 coding하였다. somatic-cell hybrid mapping pannel과 Fluorescence-in-situ hybridization에 의한 chromosomal mapping을 한 결과, agouti gene은 MODY (maturity onset diabetes of the young), myeloid leukemia locus 등이 위치한 human chromosome 20q 11.2에 mapping 되었다. 성인 tissue로부터 추출한 RNA를 이용한 발현연구에 의하면 human agouti gene은 adipose tissue와 teatis에 발현되었다.

LPS/LOS, the compound found only in gram-negative bacterial outer membrane, plays important roles in bacterial maintenance as well as its pathogenesis. We isolated and characterized several genes required for NTHi 2019 LOS biosynthesis, which encode enzymes required for sugar substrate synthesis or the transfer of substrates to receptor molecules. The htrB gene, however, appears to have more complex role. It has acryltransferase activity as well as various other activity, which may control regulation of LOS biosynthesis as well as its pathogenicity. Evidences supporting the latter come from the observations that the lipid A of the B29 induced significantly less TNF ${\alpha}$ from macrophages than that of the wild type LOS (unpublished data). H. influenzae A2-htrB mutant strain was also significantly less invasive than the wild type strain. The structural similarities of the enterobacterial LPS and the Haemophilus LOS enabled us to isolate the NTHi 2019 genes involved in LOS biosynthesis genes by using the S. typhimurium LPS deep core mutants. While a similar approach has been used for E. coli, this technique for selection of an LPS phenotype has not been applied to nonenterobacterial species. The difficulties inherent in the molecular manipulation of organism such as Neisseria and Haemophilus species make this approach particularly attractive in the identification and cloning LOS genes. Studies on genetic features of LPS/LOS biosynthesis would be useful for understanding bacterial pathogenesis as well as for developing vaccines for these gram-negative pathogenic bacteria.

Platelets from a patient with a mild inherited bleeding disorder and abnormal platelet aggregation and secretion show reduced generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP$_3$), mobilization of intracellular Ca$\^$2+/, and phosphorylation of pleckstrin in response to several G protein mediated agonists, suggesting a possible defect at the level of phospholipase C (PLC) activation. A procedure was developed that allows quantitation of platelet PLC isozymes. After fractionation of platelet extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography, seven, out often known PLC isoforms were detected by immunoblot analysis. The amount of these isoforms in normal platelets decreased in the order PLC-${\gamma}$2 > PLC-${\beta}$2 > PLC-${\beta}$3 > PLC-${\beta}$l > PLC-${\gamma}$ > PLC-$\delta$1 > PLC-${\beta}$4. Compared with normal platelets, platelets from the patient contained approximately one-third the amount of PLC-${\beta}$2, whereas PLC-${\beta}$4 was increased threefold. These results suggest that the impaired platelet function in the patient in response to multiple G protein mediated agonists is attributable to a deficiency of PLC-${\beta}$2. They document for the first time a specific PLC isozyme deficiency in human platelets and provide an unique opportunity to understand the role of different PLC isozymes in normal platelet function.

성장저해는 만성신부전 (chronic renal failure, CRF) 소아환자나 실험동물에게서 나타나는 합병증의 하나로, 그 발생기전이 잘 알려져 있지 않다. 성장저해를 일으키는 원인으로 비내분비적 요인 (metabolic acidosis, renal osteodystrophy, anemia)과 내분비적 요인의 복합적 결과로 생각하나, 비내분비적 요인들은 약물투여로 그 증세를 완화시켜도 성장저해에 대한 궁극적 치료효과는 나타나지 않는다. 따라서 성장 호르몬 (Growth Hormone, GH)이 관여하는 내분비적 요인의 변화에 그 병리기전이 있을 것으로 연구되어 왔다. GH는 직접적 성장 효과와 Insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-I)을 간으로부터 유리시켜 나타나는 간접적 성장효과를 가지고 있다. 그런데 CRF환자의 GH 및 IGF-I 의 혈중 농도는 정상이거나, 흑은 오히려 증가상태에 있음에도 볼구하고 성장저해가 일어나는 것으로 보아, 환자의 말단기관 (end-organ)에 원인을 알 수 없는 저항성 (resistance)이 있다고 규정되어진다.

Taurine, a ${\beta}$-amino acid, plays an important role as a neuromodulator and is necessary for the normal development of the brain. Since de novo synthesis of taurine in the brain is minimal and in vivo studies suggest that taurine does not cross the blood-brain barrier, the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier is likely to play a role in taurine transport between the central nervous system and the systemic circulation. Therefore, we examined in vivo elimination of taurine from the CSF in the rat to characterize in vivo kinetics of elimination for taurine from the CSF is consistent with the in vitro study. Using a stereotaxic device, cannulaes were placed into the lateral ventricle and the cisterna magna of the rat. Radio-labelled taurine and inulin (a marker of CSF flow) were injected into the lateral ventricle, and the concentrations of the labelled compounds in the CSF were monitored for up to 3 hrs in the cisterna magna. The apparent clearance of taurine from CSF was greater than the estimated CSF flow (p<0.005), indicating that there is a clearance process in addition to the CSF flow. Taurine distribution into the choroid plexus was at least 10 fold higher than that found in other brain areas (e.g., cerebellum, olfactory bulb and cortex). When unlabelled taurine was co-administered with radio-labelled taurine, the apparent clearance of the labeled taurine was reduced (p<0.01), suggesting a saturable disposition of taurine from CSF. Distribution of taurine into the choroid plexus, cerebellum, olfactory bulb and cortex was similarly diminished, indicating that the saturable uptake of taurine into these tissues is responsible for the non-linear disposition. A pharmacokinetic model involving first order elimination and saturable distribution described these data adequately. The Michaelis-Menten rate constant estimated from in vivo elimination study is similar to that obtained in the in vitro uptake experiment Collectively, our results demonstrate that taurine is transported in the choroid plexus via a taurine is cleared from the CSF via a saturable process. This process may be functionally relevant to taurine homeostasis in the brain.

Vaccination has been considered to be the most effective way to control infectious diseases. Currently, many vaccines used in humans are live-attenuated or killed microorganisms. Polio, mumps, and measles vaccines are live-attenuated. Killed vaccines include cholera and pertussis vaccines, These conventional vaccines, however, suffer from some problems. In the case of live-attenuated vaccines, reversion to virulence is observed in a small but significant number of clinical cases each year. In killed vaccines, due to the possible hazard to employees working with live pathogens, the cost of preparation is high. Killed vaccines also need to be given in multiple doses, Furthermore, both live-attenuated and killed vaccines have possible presence of cellular materials leading to side effects. Moreover, there are diseases such as malaria and hepatitis for which conventional attenuated and killed vaccines are not available because the pathogens cannot be grown in sufficient amounts to allow the classical methods to be used.

$p70^{s6k}$ lies on a $p21^{ras}$-independent signalling pathway and plays an important role in mitogenesis. Activation is associated with phosphorylation at multiple sites, four of which lie in an autoinhibitory region. The immunosuppressant rapamycin induces $p70^{s6k}$ inactivation through dephosphorylation of a second set of mitogen-induced sites. Here we identify these sites as $T_{229}$, $T_{389}$, and $S_{404}$. $T_{229}$ resides in the "T loop" of the catalytic domain, an essential phosphorylation site in other kinases. However, $p70^{s6k}$ inactivation by rapamycin most closely parallels $T_{389}$ dephosphorylation. Mutation of $T_{389}$ to alanine ablates kinase activity, whereas mutation to glutamic acid confers constitutive kinase activity and rapamycin resistance. indicating an essential role for phosphorylation at this site. $T_{389}$ resides in an unusual hydrophobic motif, not previously noted, between the catalytic and autoinhibitory domains. The importance of this site, and surrounding motif, is emphasized by its conservation in other kinases including homologues of $p70^{s6k}$ derived from such distantly related organisms as yeast and plant.

In order to discover new useful antiinflammatory agent, many new compounds are continually being synthesized and tested. A certain peptide which contains an anisolated glutamic acid has been reported to show considerable biological activities.

${\alpha}$-Melanotropin (Ac-Ser-Tyr- Ser-Met-Glu$\^$5/-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly$\^$10/-Lys-Pro-Val-NH$_2$) is one of the first peptide hormones to be isolated and have its structure determined. It was early recognized to have essentially the same N-terminal tridecapeptide sequence as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) except that the N-terminal was acetylated in the case of ${\alpha}$-MSH but not in the case of ACTH, indicating that their biosyntheses were different (Figure 1). Subsequently it was discovered that ${\alpha}$-MSH and ACTH were derived from the same gene, currently referred to as proopiomelanocortin (POMC). Its original bioactivity was pigmentation, but it also was recognized that it may have activity in the central nervous system, though the precise nature of these central activities have been controversial. The recent cloning and expression of five melanocortin receptors, with the MC3 and MC4 receptors found primarily in the brain and the MC5 receptor (MC5-R) found throughout the body, has provided new impetus to understand the structure-activity relationships of ${\alpha}$-MSH at these receptors. The effects of ${\alpha}$-MSH on pigmentation are mediated by the MC1-R expressed specifically on the surface of melanocytes. Similarly the MC2-R is involved in the regulation of adrenal steroidogenesis by ACTH. However, given the complexity of expression of the MC3, MC4, and MC5 receptors, it has not been possible to identify any simple correlations between these receptors and the reported biological activities of the melanocortin peptides. Consequently, potent and receptor specific agonists and especially antagonists would be extremely valuable tools for the determination of the physiological roles of the MC3, MC4, and MC5 receptors. Though the extensive structure-activity relationships have provided much information on agonist activity related to pigmentary effects, only recently has it been possible to begin to systematically develop potent and selective antagonists.

The cytochrome P450 (P450) proteins have been studied extensively because of their prominent roles as catalysts in the oxidations of drugs, carcinogens, steroids, alkaloids, vitamins, and other important chemicals (Guengerich, 1991). In the past decade the study of these enzymes has been advanced by the cloning of cDNAs and expression of the proteins in several heterologous vector systems. One approach that has been employed in this and other laboratories is expression in bacteria. To date at least 31 different mammalian P450s have been expressed in Escherichia coli-band systems (Guengerich et al., 1996). In most of these cases the N-terminus has been altered to facilitate better expression (Barnes et al., 1991).

Cocaine is a powerful reinforcer that has become a popular drug of abuse in man. CNS effects that are related to the abuse of cocaine include feeling of well-being and euphoria. Brain dopamine systems are thought to mediate reinforcement and it is often assumed that cocaine's inhibition of dopamine uptake is the mechanism underlying its reinforcing effects. With increase in cocaine use among general population in recent years, adverse effects of the drug have occurred in all social strata and age groups. Therefore, it has been recognized that the epidemic of cocaine abuse is a growing major concerning public health. One of the most troubling aspects of cocaine abuse is its use by pregnant women. Drug abuse during pregnancy puts two lives at risk. Cocaine produces toxic effects on the fetus at concerntrations that are apparently nontoxic to the mother. Not only does cocaine cross the placenta via diffusion and via rapid penetration to mucous membranes, due to its high lipid solubility, but cocaine can also be found in breast milk, the effects of the cocaine can persist long after the child is born. Although it is known that prenatal cocaine exposure is associated with developmental risk to the fetus ana newborn, few studies have been conducted to assess the mechanisms whereby either short-term or long-term administration of cocaine can exert its harmful effects on the mother or the child. Therefore, it was our great interest to investigate the pharmacological and neurobehavioral changes in offspring that are prenatally exposed to cocaine.