• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.547-551
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• 2013

We recently reported a Philyra pisum lectin (PPL) that exerts mitogenic effects on human lymphocytes, and its molecular characterization. The present study provides a more detailed characterization of PPL based on the results from a monosaccharide analysis indicating that PPL is a glycoprotein, and circular dichroism spectra revealing its estimated ${\alpha}$-helix, ${\beta}$-sheet, ${\beta}$-turn, and random coil contents to be 14.0%, 39.6%, 15.8%, and 30.6%, respectively. These contents are quite similar to those of deglycosylated PPL, indicating that glycans do not affect its intact structure. The binding properties to different pathogen-associated molecular patterns were investigated with hemagglutination inhibition assays using lipoteichoic acid from Gram-positive bacteria, lipopolysaccharide from Gram-negative bacteria, and both mannan and ${\beta}$-1,3-glucan from fungi. PPL binds to lipoteichoic acids and mannan, but not to lipopolysaccharides or ${\beta}$-1,3-glucan. PPL exerted no significant antiproliferative effects against human breast or bladder cancer cells. These results indicate that PPL is a glycoprotein with a lipoteichoic acid or mannan-binding specificity and which contains low and high proportions of ${\alpha}$-helix and ${\beta}$-structures, respectively. These properties are inherent to the innate immune system of P. pisum and indicate that PPL could be involved in signal transmission into Gram-positive bacteria or fungi.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and a major cause of dementia in elderly individuals worldwide. Increased deposition of insoluble amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils in the brain is thought be a key neuropathological hallmark of AD. Many recent studies show that natural products such as polyphenolic flavonoids inhibit the formation of insoluble Aβ fibrils and/or destabilize β-sheet-rich Aβ fibrils to form non-cytotoxic aggregates. In the present study, we explored the structure-activity relationship of naturally-occurring biflavonoids on Aβ amyloidogenesis utilizing an in vitro thioflavin T assay with Aβ1-42 peptide which is prone to aggregate more rapidly to fibrils than Aβ1-40 peptide. Among the biflavonoids we tested, we found amentoflavone revealed the most potent effects on inhibiting Aβ1-42 fibrillization (IC₅₀: 0.26 µM), as well as on disassembling preformed Aβ1-42 fibrils (EC₅₀: 0.59 µM). Our structure-activity relationship study suggests that the hydroxyl groups of biflavonoid compounds play an essential role in their molecular interaction with the dynamic process of Aβ1-42 fibrillization. Our atomic force microscopic imaging analysis demonstrates that amentoflavone directly disrupts the fibrillar structure of preformed Aβ1-42 fibrils, resulting in conversion of those fibrils to amorphous Aβ1-42 aggregates. These results indicate that amentoflavone affords the most potent anti-amyloidogenic effects on both inhibition of Aβ1-42 fibrillization and disaggregation of preformed mature Aβ1-42 fibrils.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2019

Acetoin is generated by numerous microorganisms using ${\alpha}$-acetolactate decarboxylase (ALDC) to prevent overacidification of cells and their environment and to store remaining energy. Because acetoin has been used as a safe flavor enhancer in food products, industries have been interested in biotechnological production of acetoin using ALDC. ALDC is a metal-dependent enzyme that produces acetoin from ${\alpha}$-acetolactate through decarboxylation reaction. Here, we report the crystal structure of ALDC from Bacillus subtilis subspecies spizizenii (bssALDC) at $1.7{\AA}$ resolution. bssALDC folds into a two-domain ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ structure where two ${\beta}$-sheets form a central core. bssALDC assembles into a dimer through central hydrophobic interactions and peripheral hydrophilic interactions. bssALDC coordinates a zinc ion using three histidine residues and three water molecules. Based on comparative analyses of ALDC structures and sequences, we propose that the active site of bssALDC includes the zinc ion and its neighboring bssALDC residues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.164-166
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• 2001

To examine the characteristics of the recombinant thin aggregative fimbriae of Salmonella, the AgfA subunit gene was amplified from Salmonella enteritidis using a PCR. The maltose binding protein (MBP)-AgfA fusion protein was overproduced in E. coli and purified. The secondary structure of AgfA was then elucidated from the difference CD spectra. An estimation of the secondary structure of AgfA using the self-consistent method revealed a mostly ${\beta}-sheet$ structure.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 1999

Antheraea pernyi silk powder was prepared by treatment with HCl and NaOH. The degree of hydrolysis of Antheraea pernyi silk fiber was examined. The morphology and structural characteristics of Antheraea pernyi silk powder were investigated by using SEM, FTIR and X-ray diffractometer. As the concentration of HCl and NaOH and tratment temperature increased, in general, the degree of hydrolysis of Antheraea pernyi silk fiber increased. On the other hand, the degree of hydrolysis of Antheraea pernyi treated with 3 N NaOH at 120$^{\circ}C$ for 24 hr was 70 wt%, which was lower than that of 90$^{\circ}C$(83 wt%). The morphology of acid/alkali resistance fraction of Antheraea pernyi silk fibroin was transformed from fiber form to powered one with an increase of hydrolysis. The conformation of Antheraea pernyi silk powder characterized by FT-IR spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer ${\beta}$-sheet and ${\alpha}$-helix structure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.21-21
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• 1996

The hyperthermostable protein, rubredoxin from Pyrococcus furiosus is 53-residue protein with a three-stranded anti-parallel $\beta$-sheet and several loops. To investigate the effect of changes of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions on the structure and dynamic property of P. furiosus rubredoxin, molecular dynamics simulations in water were performed on three mesophilic rubredoxins, P, furiosus rubresoxin, and 5 mutants of P. furiosus rubredoxin. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.62-62
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• 2001

Serpins inhibit target proteases by forming tight acyl complex Via incorporation of the reactive center loop into ${\beta}$-sheet A. Metastability of the serpins control the translocation of the protease from the initial binding site to the opposite pole of the serpin. Recently the crystal structure of a serpin-protease complex revealed that the active site of the protease is distorted.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.328-331
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• 2009

Microstructural evolution of alpha and beta phases during dynamic globularization of near-beta Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy was investigated to determine the optimum processing conditions. The submicrocrystalline alloy sheet with ${\sim}80%$ of high-angle grain boundaries was produced utilizing dynamic globularization at temperature of $600^{\circ}C$, equivalent strain rate of $10^{-1}\;s^{-1}$ and strain of 1.4. The refined structure with the gain size of ${\sim}0.4{\mu}m$ showed 25-60% enhanced mechanical compatibility as compared to those of the conventional mill-annealed or solution treated and aged microstructures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11b
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• pp.269-279
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• 2005

In this study, detectors characteristics for simultaneous counting of alpha and beta ray in a pipe were estimated. The detector were composed of thin ZnS(Ag) scintillator and plastic detector. The scintillator for counting alpha particles has been applied a polymer composite sheet, having a double layer structure of an inorganic scintillator ZnS(Ag) layer adhered onto a polymer sub-layer. The other for counting beta particles used a commercially available plastic scintillator. It was confirmed that the detectors were suitable for counting the in-pipe contamination.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.149-153
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• 2001

To investigate the mode of bactericidal action for antimicrobial peptide, pediocin, synthetic and mutant pediocins were prepared by direct chemical synthesis. Native pediocin was purified from Pedio-coccus acidilactici M and its conformational structure and bactericidal functions were analyzed and compared to synthetic pediocin. Schematic mode of pediocin actions, how pediocin binds on the target cell membrane, penetrates and makes tunnel are proposed. For these purposes, primary and secondary structures of pediocin was analyzed and disulfide bond assignment was also done. The pediocin purified from P. acidilactici M had high effective bactericidal ability against gram positive bacteria, especially Listeria monocytogenes and was very stable at extreme pHs and even at high temperatures such as autoclaving temperature (121$^{\circ}C$). Pediocin was consisted of 44 amino acids with four cysteines. Novel synthetic peptides were achieved by solid phase peptide synthesis(SPPS) method. To explain the function of cysteine in C-terminal region, mutant pediocin, Ped[C24A＋C44A], was synthesized and their structural and biological functions were analyzed. Second mutant pediocin, Ped[KllE], was prepared to explain the function of lysine at 11 of N-terminal part of pediocin, especially loop of $\beta$-sheet, and to predict the initial binding site of pediocin. The native and synthetic pediocins was showed random coil conformation by spectropolarimetry in moderate conditions. This conformation was observed in extreme conditions such as high temperature and low and high pHs, also. Circular dichroism(CD) data also showed the existence of $\beta$-turn structure in N-terminal part both native and synthetic pediocins. A structural model for pediocin predicts that 18 amino acids in the N-terminal part of the peptide assume a three-strand $\beta$-sheet conformation. This random coil in C-terminal part of pediocin was converted to folding structure, helix structure, in nonpolar solvents such as alcohol and TFE. The disulfide bond between $^{9}$ Cys and $^{14}$ Cys was concrete and inevitable, however, evidences of disulfide bond between $^{24}$ Cys and $^{44}$ Cys was not. Data of Ped[C24A＋C44A], pediocin mutant showed that $^{44}$ Cys was required during killing the target cells but not inevitable, since Ped[C24A＋C44A] still have bactericidal activity but much less than native pediocin. Another pediocin mutant, Ped[KllE], had still bactericidal activity, was controversial to propose that positive charge like as $^{11}$ Lys in loop or hinge in bacteriocin bound or helped to binding to microorganism with electrostatic interaction between cell membrane especially teichoic acid and positive amino acid nonspecifically. The conformation of pediocin among native, synthetic and mutant pediocins did not show big difference. The conformations between oxidized and reduced pediocin were almost similar regardless of native or synthetic.