• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.152-158
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• 2010

Melanin concentrating hormone is a neuropeptide highly expressed in the brain that regulates several physiological functions mediated by receptors in the G-protein coupled receptor family, especially plays an important role in the complex regulation of energy balance and body weight mediated by the melanin concentrating hormone receptor subtype 1 (MCH1). Compelling pharmacological evidence implicating MCH1 signaling in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure has generated a great deal of interest by pharmaceutical companies as MCH1 antagonists may have potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Although fluorescence-based calcium mobilization assay platform has been one of the most widely accepted tools for receptor research and drug discovery, fluorescence interference and shallow assay window limit their application in high throughput screening and have led to a growing interest in alternative, luminescence-based technologies. Herein, a luminescence-based functional assay system for the MCH1 receptor was developed and validated with the mitochondrial targeted aequorin. Aequorin based functional assay system for MCH1 presented excellent Z' factor (0.8983) and high signal-to-noise ratio (141.9). The nonpeptide MCH1 receptor antagonist, SNAP 7941 and GSK 803430, exhibited $IC_{50}$ values of 0.62 ${\pm}$ 0.11 and 12.29 ${\pm}$ 2.31 nM with excellent correlation coefficient. These results suggest that the aequorin based assay system for MCH1 is a strong alternative to the traditional GPCR related tools such as radioligand binding experiments and fluorescence functional determinations for the compound screening and receptor research.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.70-74
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• 2003

The heterogeneous bioluminescence immunoassay for digoxin was developed using photoprotein, native aequorin as a label and the site-directed immobilization technique based on avidin/biotin interaction. Aequorin is a bioluminescence protein, originally isolated from the jellyfish Aequoria Victoria and an attractive label in analytical applications because of sensitive detection due to virtually no background bioluminescent signal. Digoxin is a cardioactive drug, and its therapeutic level in serum is at low concentration with very narrow therapeutic index. The aequorin-digoxigenin conjugates were synthesized by the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester method and characterized in terms of bioluminescent residual activity. The resulting dose-response curve shows that the detection limit is $1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-10}\;M$ and a dynamic range is three orders of magnitude, which was obtained by $1.0\;{times}\;10^{-10}\;M$ conjugate and 0.9 μg/mL anti-digoxin antibody. Three structurally similar molecules to digoxin were examined for their cross-reactivity. None of these three compounds showed any crossreactivity with digoxin antibody employed in this study. Standard amounts of digoxin corresponding to the therapeutic range were spiked into the each serum solution. Study of the serum matrix effect indicated that correlation coefficient shows good agreement between luminescence light intensity between in buffer and in serum.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.60-67
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• 2010

A sensitive competitive heterogeneous bioluminescence immunoassay for serotonin was developed using photoprotein, aequorin as a label for the first time with the optimal assay conditions; especially, serotoninavidin conjugate was prepared by Mannich reaction and the synthetic process of serotonin-avidin conjugate was optimized by controlling the initial molar ratios of serotonin, formaldehyde and avidin (1:12,000:25). The developed bioluminescence immunoassay for serotonin showed good sensitivity (LOD of 0.68 ng/mL) with wide area of dynamic range ($5.0{\times}10^{-10}\;M\sim5.0{\times}10^{-7}\;M$). (cf. the range for serotonin in human blood serum is $151{\pm}45\;ng$/mL). In addition, cross-reactivity studies demonstrated that 5-methoxytryptamine showed some cross-reactivity (28.0%), whereas 3-methylindole, melatonin and 5-hydroxylindole-3-acetic acid showed no crossreactivity, and good recoveries were obtained in serum. Thus, this developed method provides a good tool to monitor serotonin in serum.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.407-412
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• 2006

Bioluminescence single-site immunometric assay for methamphetamine (MA) using the native aequorin, a photoprotein, as a signal generator was developed for the first time. MA is a potent sympathomimetic amine with stimulant effects on the central nervous system. MA abuse induces hallucinations and, thus, may cause a serious social problem. The single-site immunometric MA assay was optimized and its dose-response behavior was examined. The dose-response curve shows that the detection limit is 1.1 ${\times}$ $10^{-10}$ M and a dynamic range is four orders of magnitude with 15 $\mu$g/mL BSA-MA conjugate and 1.0 ${\times}$ $10^{-8}$ M anti-MA antibody-biotin conjugate. In order to evaluate this assay, the structurally similar compounds, amphetamine, ephedrine, norephedrine, benzphetamine and N-4-(aminobutyl)methamphetamine were examined for their crossreactivity. None of these five compounds showed any cross-reactivity. Additionally, an artificial urine solution spiked with MA was analyzed by the MA assay, and the result of the analysis demonstrated the usefulness of the present assay for the determination of MA in urine.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.640-647
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• 2016

By minimizing fluorescence interference phenomena, aequorin-based luminescence technology can provide a relatively sensitive detection platform with integration of $G{\alpha}16$ protein in order to track internal calcium mobilization by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). In this type of cell-based functional assay format, it is essential to optimize the transfection process of a receptor and $G{\alpha}16$ protein. For this study, corticotropin releasing factor receptor subtype 2(CRF2) was set as a model system to generate three stable cells with CRF2 and $G{\alpha}16$ in addition to transiently transfected cells under three different conditions. Agonist (sauvagine) and antagonist (K41498) responses in those cells were analyzed to develop the optimum transfection process. As a result, the effective signal ratio in the dose response experiments of sauvagine and K41498 were at least 10-fold higher (z'=0.77) in CRF2-$G{\alpha}16$ stable cells. For the transient transfection cells, stable expression of $G{\alpha}16$ prior to the CRF2 represented a two-fold higher signal (z'=0.84) than the other cases of transient transfection. In conclusion, for the utilization of transient transfection processes to develop a cell-based GPCR functional assay system, it is suggested to introduce various target receptors after stable expression of $G{\alpha}16$ protein.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.7575-7581
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• 2015

Corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF), one of the stress driven neuropeptides, was widely proposed to influence hair loss and re-growth. For the development of receptor antagonists, the screening system based on intracellular calcium signal process was developed and optimized. The aequorin parental cells were transfected with CRF1 receptor and alpha 16 promiscuous G protein cDNA to establish HEK293a16/hCRF1, a stable cell line for the human CRF1 receptor. In HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells, the range of sauvagine dose response was 12-fold higher($EC_{50}:15.21{\pm}1.83nM$) than in the transiently expressed cells, hence essential conditions for the antagonist screening experiments such as the robust signals and high solvent tolerance were secured. The standard antagonists for the CRF1 receptor, antalarmin and CP154526, resulted $IC_{50}$ values of $414.1{\pm}5.5$ and $290.7{\pm}1.9nM$, respectively. Similar results were presented with frozen HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells. Finally, our HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells with the aequorin based cellular functional assay can be a model system for the development of functional cosmetics and modulators that can have a clinical efficacy on hair re-growth.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.281-284
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• 2014

In this study, twenty-one oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins were isolated from a methanol extract of the roots of Pulsatilla koreana. Antagonistic activities were measured in these compounds by the aequorin based cellular functional assay system for the corticotropin releasing factor receptor (CRF1). Of them, compounds 7 - 10 showed the highest degree of CRF1 inhibition further at the concentration of $10{\mu}M$. Moreover, by the analysis based on the structure-activity relationship of isolated saponins, a sugar chain at C-3 and a carboxyl group at C-28, as well as a methyl group at C-23 seems to be key functional elements. To our knowledge, this is the first report on CRF1 inhibition of saponins from P. koreana.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1992.05a
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• pp.33-33
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• 1992

항혈전성 약물로서 그의 항 혈소판 작용력은 dipyridamole보다 강하나 심혈관계 등에 대한 부작용이 적어 clinical efficiency가 유의하게 높은 약물개발에 대한 연구는 임상적 응용성 뿐 아니라, 혈소판-응고기전의 규명에 기여할 것으로 사료되는 바 본 연구에서는 cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase(PDE-I)들의 항혈소판 작용을 검토하여 그들의 혈관 내피세포와 혈관평활 근세포의 중식에 대한 영향을 항혈소판성 작용을 보이며 혈관세포들의 증식에 없어서는 안되는 spermine의 그것과 비교 검색하였다. Johnson 등(1985)의 방법에 따라서 제조한 aequorin부하-가토혈소판의 thrombin(0.25 units: TB)에 대한 응집반응에서, pyridazinone 유도체인 KR30075, sodium nitroprusside(SNP), imazodan, isobutylmethylxanthine(IBMX), rolipram, 및 spermine의 응집억제성 $IC_{50}$/ (M)은 각각 2.21 $\times$ $10^{-7}$, 1.26 $\times$ $10^{-6}$, 6.96 $\times$ $10^{-6}$, 7.78 $\times$ $10^{-6}$, 8.11 $\times$ $10^{-4}$, 및 4.28 $\times$ $10^{-3}$ M으로써 이들은 TB-응고반응에 동반되는 혈소판 [Ca$^{++}$]$_{i}$-증가에 대한 각각의 $IC_{50}$/과 차이를 보이지 않았으며, 유의한 상관성을 보였다.