• Title/Summary/Keyword: Biophysics

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The Putative Sigma (YlaC) and Anti-Sigma Factors (YlaD) from Bacillus subtilis

  • Ryu, Han-Bong;Tsogbadrakh. M;Sa-Ouk kang
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 2001.06a
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    • pp.51-51
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    • 2001
  • Two open reading frame designated as ylaC and ylaD in the Bacillus subtilis genomic sequencing project, were cloned using pRB374 vector which is shuttle vector in E. coli and B. subtilis. YlaC and YlaD have the sequence homology to SigX and SigW to YbbM, respectively, which are known to be ECF sigmaand anti-sigma factor, respectively.(omitted)

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Inhibition of Acetylcholine-activated $K^+$ Current by Chelerythrine and Bisindolylmaleimide I in Atrial Myocytes from the Mice

  • Hana Cho;Youm, Jae-Boum;Earm, Yung-E;Ho, Won-Kyung
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 2001.06a
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    • pp.54-54
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    • 2001
  • The effects of protein kinase C inhibitors, chelerythrine and bisindolylmaleimide I, on acetylcholine activated $K^{+}$ currents ( $I_{KACh}$) were examined in atrial myocytes of mice using patch clamp technique. Chelerythrine and bisindolylmaleimide I inhibited $I_{KACh}$ in reversible and dose-dependent manners. Half maximal effective concentrations were 0.49 $\pm$ 0.01 $\mu$M for chelerythrine and 98.69 $\pm$ 12.68 nM for bisindolylmaleimide I.(omitted)

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Increase of Large Conductance $Ca^{2+}$-Activated $K^+$(Maxi-K) Channel Activities by Nitric Oxide (NO) is due to Destabilizing the Long Closure State

  • Shin, Jung-Hoon;Sungkwon Chung;Park, Eun-Joo;Uhm, Dae-Yong;Suh, Chang-Kook
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1997.07a
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    • pp.24-24
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    • 1997
  • We have investigated whether NO affects the activities of the rat brain Maxi- K channels reconstituted into the lipid bilayer. In order to introduce NO, we utilized an antibiotic, streptozotocin (STZ), which releases NO upon illumination. While adding STZ itself did not affect the channel activity, turning on the light in the presence of STZ induced an increase in the open probability (Po) of the channel.(omitted)

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The Effect of Methanol on the Structural Parameters of Neuronal Membrane Lipid Bilayers

  • Joo, Hyung-Jin;Ahn, Shin-Ho;Lee, Hang-Rae;Jung, Sung-Woo;Choi, Chang-Won;Kim, Min-Seok;Bae, Moon-Kyoung;Chung, In-Kyo;Bae, Soo-Kyoung;Jang, Hye-Ock;Yun, Il
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.16 no.4
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    • pp.255-264
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    • 2012
  • The structures of the intact synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMVs) isolated from bovine cerebral cortexs, and the outer and the inner monolayer separately, were evaluated with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) as fluorescent reporters and trinitrophenyl groups as quenching agents. The methanol increased bulk rotational and lateral mobilities of SPMVs lipid bilayers. The methanol increased the rotational and lateral mobilities of the outer monolayers more than of the inner monolayers. n-(9-Anthroyloxy)stearic acid (n-AS) were used to evaluate the effect of the methanol on the rotational mobility at the 16, 12, 9, 6, and 2 position of aliphatic chains present in phospholipids of the SPMVs outer monolayers. The methanol decreased the anisotropy of the 16-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitic acid (16-AP), 12-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (12-AS), 9-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (9-AS), and 6-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (6-AS) in the SPMVs outer monolayer but it increased the anisotropy of 2-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (2-AS) in the monolayers. The magnitude of the increased rotational mobility by the methanol was in the order at the position of 16, 12, 9, and 6 of aliphatic chains in phospholipids of the outer monolayers. Furthermore, the methanol increased annular lipid fluidity and also caused membrane proteins to cluster. The important finding is that was far greater increase by methanol in annular lipid fluidity than increase in lateral and rotational mobilities by the methanol. Methanol alters the stereo or dynamics of the proteins in the lipid bilayers by combining with lipids, especially with the annular lipids. In conclusion, the present data suggest that methanol, in additions to its direct interaction with proteins, concurrently interacts with membrane lipids, fluidizing the membrane, and thus inducing conformational changes of proteins known to be intimately associated with membranes lipids.

Evidence for Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) as an Excitatory Neurotransmitter in Guinea-Pig Gastric Antrum

  • Kang, Tong-Mook;Xu, Wenxie;Kim, Sung-Joon;Ahn, Seung-Cheol;Kim, Young-Chul;So, In-Suk;Park, Myoung-Kyu;Uhm, Dae-Yong;Kim, Ki-Whan
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.165-174
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    • 1999
  • We explore the question of whether adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter in guinea-pig gastric smooth muscle. In an organ bath system, isometric force of the circular smooth muscle of guinea-pig gastric antrum was measured in the presence of atropine and guanethidine. Under electrical field stimulation (EFS) at high frequencies (>20 Hz), NO-mediated relaxation during EFS was followed by a strong contraction after the cessation of EFS (a 'rebound-contraction'). Exogenous ATP mimicked the rebound-contraction. A known $P_{2Y}-purinoceptor$ antagonist, reactive blue 2 (RB-2), blocked the rebound-contraction while selective desensitization of $P_{2Y}-purinoceptor$ with ${\alpha},{\beta}-MeATP$ did not affect it. ATP and 2-MeSATP induced smooth muscle contraction, which was effectively blocked by RB-2 and suramin, a nonselective $P_2-purinoceptor$ antagonist. Particularly, in the presence of RB-2, exogenous ATP and 2-MeSATP inhibited spontaneous phasic contractions, suggesting the existence of different populations of purinoceptors. Both the rebound-contraction and the agonist-induced contraction were not inhibited by indomethacin. The rank orders of agonists' potency were 2-MeSATP > ATP ${ge}$ UTP for contraction and ${\alpha},{\beta}-MeATP\;{\ge}\;{\beta},{\gamma}-MeATP$ for inhibition of the phasic contraction, that accord with the commonly accepted rank order of the classical $P_{2Y}-purinoceptor$ subtypes. Electrical activities of smooth muscles were only slightly influenced by ATP and 2-MeSATP, whereas ${\alpha},{\beta}-MeATP$ attenuated slow waves with membrane hyperpolarization. From the above results, it is suggested that ATP acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, which mediates the rebound-contraction via $P_{2Y}-purinoceptor$ in guinea-pig gastric antrum.

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Effects of Systemic and Focal Hypoxia on the Activities of Rostral Ventrolateral Medullary Neurons in Cats

  • Yan, Hai-Dun;Kim, Charn;Kim, Ji-Mok;Lim, Won-Il;Kim, Sang-Jeong;Kim, Jun
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.105-116
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    • 1996
  • Rendering the brain ischemic would evoke the cerebral ischemic reflex which is characterized by an arterial pressor response, apnea and bradycardia. Since the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is known to play a key role in the maintenance of normal cardiopulmonary activity, during the cerebral ischemic reflex some cardiac related cells should be excited and respiration related cells inhibited. In this context, the responses of RVLM neurons to systemie and focal hypoxia were analyzed in the present study. Twenty-five adult cats of either sex were anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$ and the single neuronal activities were identified from RVLM area. For the induction of focal hypoxia in the recording site, sodium cyanide was applied iontophoretically and for systemic hypoxia the animal was ventilated with nitrogen gas for a twenty-second period. Cellular activities were analyzed in terms of their discharge pattern and responses to the hypoxia by using post-stimulus time and single-pass time histograms. Of eighteen cardiac related cells recorded from the RVLM area, twelve cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide and of twenty-five respiration related cells, fourteen cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide. Remaining cells were either inhibited or unaffected. Eight of fifteen cells tested with iontophoresed sodium lactate were excited and remaining seven cells were inhibited. Systemic hypoxia induced by nitrogen gas inhalation elevated the arterial blood pressure, but excited, inhibited or unaffected the single neuronal activities. Some cells showed initial excitation followed by inhibition during the systemic hypoxia. Bilateral vagotomy resulted in a decrease of arterial pressor response to the systemic hypoxia, and a slight decrease in the rhythmicity related to cardiac and/or respiratory rhythms. The single neuronal responses to either systemic or focal hypoxia were not affected qualitatively by vagotomy. From the above results, it was concluded that the majority of the cardiac- and respiration- related neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla be excited by hypoxia, not through the mediation of peripheral chemoreceptors, and along with the remaining inhibited cells, all these cells be involved in the mediation of cerebral ischemic reflex.

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Effects of t-Butyl Hydrogen Peroxide on the Maxi-K Channels of Rat Brain

  • Shin, Jung-Hoon;Suh, Chang-Kook
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1998.06a
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    • pp.33-33
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    • 1998
  • Oxidation and reduction of amino acid residues in proteins affect their functional properties. Especially, redox modulation of ion channel activities has been reported in number of ion channel proteins. In this study, we investigated the effects of tertiary-butyl hydrogen peroxide (tBHP) on the large-conductance Ca$\^$2+/ -activated K$\^$+/(Maxi-K) channel of rat brain using lipid bilayer reconstitution technique.(omitted)

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Characterization of the Active Site of Ascorbyl Free Radical Reductase Purified from Pleurotus ostreatus

  • Yu, Seong-Woon;Kang, Sa-Ouk
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1998.06a
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    • pp.25-25
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    • 1998
  • Ascorbyl free radical reductase was purified from the white rot fungus, Pleurotus ostreatus. The enzyme contained FMN as a prosthetic group, which was reduced by NADH and reoxidized by ascorbyl free radical. Reduction of ascorbyl free radical by the enzyme was observed by EPR spectroscopy.(omitted)

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PROTEIN-CROSS-LINKING BY METHYLGLYOXAL

  • Lee, Cheolju;Kang, Sa-Ouk
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1996.07a
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    • pp.46-46
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    • 1996
  • To elucidate the mechanism for the cross-linking reaction in the glycation or Maillard reaction, we studied the reaction between proteins, and a three-carbon ${\alpha}$-ketoaldehyde, methylglyoxal. When Cu, Zn-SOD was incubated with 200 mM of methylglyoxal, the peroxidase activity as well as the superoxide dismutase activity was reduced. This reduction is accompanied by the decrease of the anion binding affinity of the enzyme. (omitted)

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NITRIC OXIDE (NO) DIRECTLY ACTIVATES CALCIUM-ACTIVATED POTASSIUM CHANNELS FROM RAT BRAIN RECONSTITUTED INTO PLANAR LIPID BILAYER

  • Shin, Jung-Hoon;Suh, Chang-Kook;Sungkwon Chung;Uhm, Dae-Yong
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1996.07a
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    • pp.35-35
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    • 1996
  • Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to have many roles in vivo ranging from the neurotransmitter in brain to the relaxant in smooth muscles. Recently, using inside-out patches, Bolotina et al. (1) showed that relaxing effect of NO is aortic smooth muscle is through direct activation of Ca2+-activated K+ channels (maxi-K), resulting in hyperpolarization. (omitted)

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