• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.211-216
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• 2008

TREK (TWIK-RElated $K^+$ channels) and TRAAK (TWIK-Related Arachidonic acid Activated $K^+$ channels) were expressed in COS-7 cells, and the channel activities were recorded from inside-out membrane patches using holding potential of - 40 mV in symmetrical 150 mM $K^+$ solution. Intracellular application of an oxidizing agent, 5,5'-dithio-bis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), markedly decreased the activity of the TREK2, and the activity was partially reversed by the reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT). In order to examine the possibility that the target sites for the oxidizing agents might be located in the C-terminus of TREK2, two chimeras were constructed: TREK2 (1-383)/TASK3C and TREK2 (1-353)/TASK3C. The channel activity in the TREK2 (1-383)/TASK3C chimera was still inhibited by DTNB, but not in the TREK2 (1-353)/TASK3C chimera. These results indicate that TREK2 is inhibited by oxidation, and that the target site for oxidation is located between the amino acid residues 353 and 383 in the C-terminus of the TREK2 protein.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 1997

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) was partially purified from Escherichia coli MF2000/pTATX containing Arabidopsis thaliana ALS gene. The partially purified ALS was examined for its sensitivity toward various modifying reagents such as iodoacetic acid, iodoacetamide, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), p-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB), and phenylglyoxal. It was found that PCMB inhibited the enzyme activity most strongly followed by DTNB and NEM. Since iodoacetic acid did not compete with substrate pyruvate, it appeared that cysteine is not involved in the substrate binding site. On the other hand, the substrate protected the enzyme partly from inactivation by phenylglyoxal, which might indicate interaction of arginine residue with the substrate. The partially purified enzyme was inhibited by end products, valine and isoleucine, but not by leucine. However, the ALS modified with PCMB led to potentiate the feedback inhibition of all end products. Additionally, derivatives of pyrimidyl sulfur benzoate, a candidate for a new herbicide for ALS, were examined for their inhibitory effects.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2006

SH group modifying chemicals were used to characterize the eight cysteine residues of cabbage PLD. 5,5-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate)(DTNB) was used to titrate the SH group of cysteine residues . Based on the optical density at 412nm due to the reduced DTNB, 4 SH groups are found to be present in a native PLD while 8 SH groups in the denatured PLD whose tertiary structure was perturbed by 8M urea. The results imply that among the 8 cysteine residues of PLD, the half(4) are exposed on the surface whereas the other half are present at the interior of the enzyme tertiary structure. The PLD was inactivated by SH modifying reagents such as p-chloromercuribenzoate(PCMB), iodoacetate, iodoacetamide, and N-ethylmaleimide. At the addition of dithiothreitol(DTT) only the PCMB inhibited PLD activity was recovered reversibly. The micro-environment of the exposed SH group of cysteine residues was examined with various disulfide compounds with different functional groups and we found that anionic or neutral disulfides appear to be more effective than the positively charged cystamine for inactivating the PLD activity. The effect of redox state of cysteine residues on the PLD activity was further explored with H2O2. The oxidation of SH groups by H2O2 inhibited the PLD activity more than 70%, which was mostly recovered by DTT. From these results, we could confirm chemically that all the cysteine residues of PLD are present as in their reduced SH forms and the 4 SH groups exposed on the surface of the enzyme may play important roles in the regulation of PLD activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1406-1411
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• 2012

5,5'-Dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) was selected as an electron transfer mediator and was covalently immobilized onto high porosity carbon cloth to employ as a working electrode in an electrochemical $NAD^+$-regeneration process, which was coupled to an enzymatic reaction. The voltammetric behavior of DTNB attached to carbon cloth resembled that of DTNB in buffered aqueous solution, and the electrocatalytic anodic current grew continuously upon addition of NADH at different concentrations, indicating that DTNB is immobilized to carbon cloth effectively and the immobilized DTNB is active as a soluble one. The bioelectrocatalytic $NAD^+$ regeneration was coupled to the conversion of L-glutamate into ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate by L-glutamate dehydrogenase within the same microreactor. The conversion at 3 mM monosodium glutamate was very rapid, up to 12 h, to result in 90%, and then slow up to 24 h, showing 94%, followed by slight decrease. Low conversion was shown when substrate concentration exceeding 4 mM was tested, suggesting that L-glutamate dehydrogenase is inhibited by ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate. However, our electrochemical $NAD^+$ regeneration procedure looks advantageous over the enzymatic procedure using NADH oxidase, from the viewpoint of reaction time to completion.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.483-489
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• 1998

We carried out the expression and characterization of yeast thioredoxin system including thioredexin 1 (Trx1), Trx2, thioredoxin reductase (TR), and a novel thioredoxin (Trx3), which was reported in the data base of Saccharomyces genome. The Trx1, 2 and TR were expressed as soluble proteins in E. coli and the sizes of purified proteins were equal to the reported their molecular weights. The expressed Trx3 was found in both soluble fraction and precipitate. The size of Trx3 purified from soluble fraction of E. coli crude extracts was estimated as 14 kDa on SDS-PAGE instead of 18 kDa for Trx3 in precipitate. N-terminal amino acid sequence of the small size of purified Trx3 from soluble fraction was analyzed as FQSSYTS which is correspond to the sequence from 20 to 26 for Trx3. Trx3 together with thioredoxin reductase and NADPH was able to reduce the disulfide bridge of insulin and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB). Trx3 stimulated the antioxidant effect of thioredoxin peroxidase 1 (TPx1) which inhibited inactivation of glutamine synthetase (GS) in dithiothreitol (DTT) containing metal catalyzed oxidation system. The stimulation effect of Trx3 was 10% of the effect of either Trx1 or Trx2. In addition, Trx3 could reduce the disulfide of TPx to thiol, so that the TPx had thioredoxin dependant peroxidase activity. In western blotting analysis, antibodies against purified Trx3 did not cross-react with crude extracts of yeast, purified Trx1, and Trx2 proteins. But, in PCR reaction using the cDNA library of yeast as a template, gene encoding of trx3 was amplified.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 2003

The dibucaine number (DN) was determined for serum cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8, SChE) in plasma samples. The ones with a DN of 79-82 were used, because they had the "usual" SChE variant. The enzyme was assayed colorimetrically by the reaction of 5,5'-dithiobis-[2-nitrobenzoic acid] (DTNB) with the free sulfhydryl groups of thiocholine that were produced by the enzyme reaction with butrylthiocholine (BuTch) or acetylthiocholine (AcTch) substrates, and measured at 412 nm. Dibucaine, a quaternary ammonium compound, inhibited SChE to a minimum within 2 min in a reversible manner. The inhibition was very potent. It had an $IC_{50}$ of $5.3\;{\mu}M$ with BuTch or $3.8\;{\mu}M$ with AcTch. The inhibition was competitive with respect to BuTch with a $K_i$ of $1.3\;{\mu}M$ and a linear-mixed type (competitive/noncompetitive) with respect to AcTch with inhibition constants, $K_i$ and $K_I$ of 0.66 and $2.5\;{\mu}M$, respectively. Dibucaine possesses a butoxy side chain that is similar to the butryl group of BuTch and longer by an ethylene group from AcTch. This may account for the difference in inhibition behavior. It may also suggest the existence of an additional binding site, other than the anionic binding site, and of a hydrophobic nature.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.899-902
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• 2005

Peptide assimilation by Helicobacter pylori was investigated using L-phenylalanyl-3-thia-phenylalanine (PSP) as a detector peptide; the release of thiophenol upon enzymatic hydrolysis of PSP was spectrophotometrically detected with the aid of 5,5'-dithiobis[2-nitrobenzoic acid] (DTNB). By adding PSP to whole-cell suspension, thiophenol was produced progressively, resembling that found in Esherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. Interestingly, the rate of thiophenol production by H pylori in particular was markedly reduced when cells were pretreated with trypsin, indicating surface exhibition of peptidase. According to the competitive spectrophotometry using alanyl-peptides, H pylori did not appear to assimilate PSP through the peptide transport system. No discernible PSP assimilation could be ascertained in H pylori cells, unless provided with some additives necessary for peptidase activity, such as $Ni^{2+}\;or\;Mg^{2+}$ and an appropriate concentration of potassium or ammonium salts. These observations strongly suggest that, regardless of a presumptive peptide transport system, peptide assimilation of H. plori appears to be highly dependent upon milieu conditions, due to unique peptidase exhibition on the cell surface.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2003

Cytoplasmic $\alpha$-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from fruit-bat-breast muscle was purified by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The specific activity of the purified enzyme was approximately 120 units/mg of protein. The apparent molecular weight of the native enzyme, as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 was $59,500{\pm}650$ daltons; its subunit size was estimated to be $35,700{\pm}140$ by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The true Michaelis-Menten constants for all substrates at pH 7.5 were $3.9{\pm}0.7\;mM$, $0.65{\pm}0.05\;mM$, $0.26{\pm}0.06\;mM$, and $0.005{\pm}0.0004\;mM$ for L-glycerol-3-phosphate, $NAD^+$, DHAP, and NADH, respectively. The true Michaelis-Menten constants at pH 10.0 were $2.30{\pm}0.21\;mM$ and $0.20{\pm}0.01\;mM$ for L-glycerol-3-phosphate and $NAD^+$, respectively. The turnover number, $k_{cat}$, of the forward reaction was $1.9{\pm}0.2{\times}10^4\;s^{-1}$. The treatment of the enzyme with 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) under denaturing conditions indicated that there were a total of eight cysteine residues, while only two of these residues were reactive towards DTNB in the native enzyme. The overall results of the in vitro experiments suggest that $\alpha$-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of the fruit bat preferentially catalyses the reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to glycerol-3-phosphate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 1980

A detailed procedure was described for the isolation of cratine kinase (ATP-Creatine phosphotransferase, E. C. 2. 7. 3. 2.) from the muscle of the snake Bungarus fasciatus. The original isolation procedure of Kuby et al. for the rabbit muscle enzyme has been modified and extended to include a chromatographic step. The properties of the enzyme have been investigated and kinetic constants for the reverse reactions determined as the followings: 1) A molecular weight of the enzyme was determined by gel filteration on Sephadex G-100 and by electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide was 86,000. 2) Two reactive sulphydryl groups were detected with dithiobis nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB). 3) The nucleotide substrate specificity in the reverse reaction was determined as ADP*2'-dADP＞GDP＞XDP＞UDP with magnesium as the activating metal ion. 4) The order of the metal specificity in the reverse reaction Mg>Mn>$Ca{\sim}Co$ was determined with ADP as substrate. 5) A detailed kinetic analysis was carried out in the reverse direction with $MaADP^-$ as the nucleotide substrate. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies($MaADP^{2-}$ competitive with respect to MgADP- and noncompetitive with respect to $N-phosphorycreatine^{2-}$ ; Creatine competitive with respect to $N-phosphorycreatine^{2-}$ and noncompetitive with respect to Ma $ADP^-)$ indicated that the reaction obeyed a sequential mechanism of the rapid equilibrium random type.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.117-123
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• 2008

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are toxic agents that may be involved in various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies indicate that ROS can act as modulators of neuronal activity, and are critically involved in persistent pain primarily through spinal mechanisms. In the present study, whole cell patch clamp recordings were carried out to investigate the effects of tert-buthyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), an ROS, on neuronal excitability and the mechanisms underlying changes of membrane excitability. In current clamp condition, application of t-BuOOH caused a reversible membrane depolarization and firing activity in substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons. When slices were pretreated with phenyl-N-tert-buthylnitrone (PBN) and ascorbate, ROS scavengers, t-BuOOH failed to induce membrane depolarization. However, isoascorbate did not prevent t-BuOOH-induced depolarization, suggesting that the site of ROS action is intracellular. The t-BuOOH-induced depolarization was not blocked by pretreatment with dithiothreitol (DTT), a sulfhydryl-reducing agent. The membrane-impermeant thiol oxidant 5,5-dithiobis 2-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) failed to induce membrane depolarization, suggesting that the changes of neuronal excitability by t-BuOOH are not caused by the modification of extrathiol group. The t-BuOOH-induced depolarization was suppressed by the phospholipase C (PLC) blocker U-73122 and inositol triphosphate ($IP_3$) receptor antagonist 2-aminoethoxydiphenylbolate (APB), and after depletion of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ pool by thapsigargin. These data suggest that ROS generated by peripheral nerve injury can induce central sensitization in spinal cord, and t-BuOOH-induced depolarization may be regulated by intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ store mainly via $PLC-IP_3$ pathway.