• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 1993

Intramolecular excimer formation with the fluorescent probe 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) was used to investigate the effects of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, 1-heptanol, 1-octanol, 1-nonanol and 1-decanol on the lateral diffusion of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles isolated from bovine cerebral cortex (SPMV). The n-alkanols increased the excimer to monomer fluorescence intensity ratio (I'/I) of Py-3-Py in the SPMV. In a dose-dependent manner, n-alkanols increased lateral diffusion of hydrocarbon region of bulk (inner+outer monolayers) SPMV lipid bilayers, and the potencies of n-alkanols up to l-nonanol increased with carbon chain length. It appears that the potencies in bilayer fluidization due to the lateral diffusion increase by 1 order of magnitude as the carbon chain length increases by two carbon atoms. The cut-off phenomenon was reached at 1-decanol, where further increase in hydrocarbon length resulted in a decrease in pharmacological activity.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.381-385
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• 1996

Rat ventricles respond with a biphasic positive inotropic effect to ouabain, low-dose and high-dose effects but rat atria with only a monophasic high dose effect. In an effect to understand the difference in response to ouabain of two tissues between rat atria and ventricles the levels of the $a_{2}$ -isoform of the $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase which has higher affinity for ouabain than the $a_{1}$-iso-form were determined by a $[^{3}H]$ouabain binding assay. The yield of protein per gram wet weight was about 47 mg for atria and 100 mg for ventricles. The $K_{d}$ values of ouabain for the high-affinity ouabain binding site $(a_{2} -isoform)$ were nearly the same (230 nM) in the atria and ventricles. However, the numbers of the $a_{2}$-isoform $(B_{max})$ per mg protein were approximately half in the atria. When the binding data were expressed in unit per gram tissue wet weight, the numbers of $a_{2}$ -isoform in the atria was about 25% of that in the ventricles. THese results demonstrate that the $a_{2}$ -isoform of the $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase in the rat atria could be detected by $[^{3}H]$ouabain binding assay and the levels of this isoform are too low to show the low-dose effect of ouabain.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2002

The structural aspects of ervatamin B have been studied in different types of alcohol. This alcohol did not affect the structure or activity of ervatamin B under neutral conditions. At a low pH (3.0), different kinds of alcohol have different effects. Interestingly, at a certain concentration of non-fluorinated, aliphatic, monohydric alcohol, a conformational switch from the predominantly $\alpha$-helical to $\beta$-sheeted state is observed with a complete loss of tertiary structure and proteolytic activity. This is contrary to the observation that alcohol induces mostly the $\alpha$helical structure in proteins. The O-state of ervatamin B in 50% methanol at pH 3.0 has enhanced the stability towards GuHCl denaturation and shows a biphasic transition. This suggests the presence of two structural parts with different stabilities that unfold in steps. The thermal unfolding of ervatamin B in the O-state is also biphasic, which confirms the presence of two domains in the enzyme structure that unfold sequentially. The differential stabilization of the structural parts may also be a reflection of the differential stabilization of local conformations in methanol. Thermal unfolding of ervatamin B in the absence of alcohol is cooperative, both at neutral and low pH, and can be fitted to a two state model. However, at pH 2.0 the calorimetric profiles show two peaks, which indicates the presence of two structural domains in the enzyme with different thermal stabilities that are denatured more or less independently. With an increase in pH to 3.0 and 4.0, the shape of the DSC profiles change, and the two peaks converge to a predominant single peak. However, the ratio of van't Hoff enthalpy to calorimetric enthalpy is approximated to 2.0, indicating non-cooperativity in thermal unfolding.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-154
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• 2002

The structural and functional aspects of ervatamin B were studied in solution. Ervatamin B belongs to the $\alpha+\beta$ class of proteins. The intrinsic fluorescence emission maximum of the enzyme was at 350 nm under neutral conditions, and at 355 nm under denaturing conditions. Between pH 1.0-2.5 the enzyme exists in a partially unfolded state with minimum or no tertiary structure, and no proteolytic activity. At still lower pH, the enzyme regains substantial secondary structure, which is predominantly $\beta$-sheet conformation and shows a strong binding to 8-anilino-1-napthalene-sulfonic acid (ANS). In the presence of salt, the enzyme attains a similar state directly from the native state. Under neutral conditions, the enzyme was stable in urea, while the guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) induced equilibrium unfolding was cooperative. The GuHCl induced unfolding transition curves at pH 3.0 and 4.0 were non-coincidental, indicating the presence of intermediates in the unfolding pathway. This was substantiated by strong ANS binding that was observed at low concentrations of GuHCl at both pH 3.0 and 4.0. The urea induced transition curves at pH 3.0 were, however, coincidental, but non-cooperative. This indicates that the different structural units of the enzyme unfold in steps through intermediates. This observation is further supported by two emission maxima in ANS binding assay during urea denaturation. Hence, denaturant induced equilibrium unfolding pathway of ervatamin B, which differs from the acid induced unfolding pathway, is not a simple two-state transition but involves intermediates which probably accumulate at different stages of protein folding and hence adds a new dimension to the unfolding pathway of plant proteases of the papain superfamily.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.108-115
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• 1999

An improvement of methods in fibroin hydrolysates preparat significantly enlarges their applications to practical use. Acidic hydrolysis by hydrohloric acid is one of the methods for silk fibroin depolymeriza6tion. A low yield of final product and long time of the process are the demerits of this method. Possibility of preparation of water-soluble silk hydrolysates with more yield and less expenses is investigated in this study. Such possibility is occurred with the increasing tratment temperature and simultaneously decreasing treatment time, concentration of hydrochoric acid respectively, the concentration of sodium hydroxide used for neutraliza6tion of hydolysates after hydrolysis. Colour is decreased in this case and a small amount of activated, too. Protection of hydrolysates against precipitation after neutraliza6tion, and separation and during concentrating process is the other merit of this method. Creamy-coloured insoluble silk powder is the remainder of hydrolyzed fibroin. This is the only the immobiliza6tion of enzymes and other physiological active substances. Fine particles of this powder can be used as additives for artificial diets and cultural media, as well as raw materials for polymer membranes, etc.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.2410-2414
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• 2020

Heavy ions have a high potential for destroying deep tumors that carry the highest dose at the peak of Bragg. The peak caused by a single-energy carbon beam is too narrow, which requires special measures for improvement. Here, carbon-12 (¹²C) ion with different energies has been used as a source for calculating the dose distribution in the water phantom, soft tissue and bone by the code of Monte Carlobased FLUKA code. By increasing the energy of the initial beam, the amount of absorbed dose at Bragg peak in all three targets decreased, but the trend for this reduction was less severe in bone. While the maximum absorbed dose per bone-mass unit in energy of 200 MeV/u was about 30% less than the maximum absorbed dose per unit mass of water or soft tissue, it was merely 2.4% less than soft tissue in 400 MeV/u. The simulation result showed a good agreement with experimental data at GSI Darmstadt facility of biophysics group by 0.15 cm average accuracy in Bragg peak positioning. From 200 to 400 MeV/u incident energy, the Bragg peak location increased about 18 cm in soft tissue. Correspondingly, the bone and soft tissue revealed a reduction dose ratio by 2.9 and 1.9. Induced neutrons did not contribute more than 1.8% to the total energy deposited in the water phantom. Also during ¹²C ion bombardment, secondary fragments showed 76% and 24% of primary 200 and 400 MeV/u, respectively, were present at the Bragg-peak position. The combined treatment of carbon ions with neutron or electron beams may be more effective in local dose delivery and also treating malignant tumors.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.92-102
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• 2014

The crystal structure of the title compounds with both coumarin and sulfonamide moieties were examined. These two groups have very special for their pharmaceutical and medicinal properties have been determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. In the title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with unit cell dimension a = 28.633(3) ${\AA}$, b= 9.3215(7) ${\AA}$ and c= 24.590(2) ${\AA}$ [alpha & gamma=$90^{\circ}$ beta= $115.976(3)^{\circ}$]. In the structure The S1 atom shows a distorted tetrahedral geometry, with O1-S1-O2 [119.74 $(2)^{\circ}$] and N1-S1-C5 [$105.57(1)^{\circ}$] angles deviating from ideal tetrahedral values are attributed to the Thrope-Ingold effect. The sum of bond angles around N1 ($316.2(1)^{\circ}$) indicates that N1 is in sp2 hybridization. The Pyridine ring adopts boat conformation and pyran rings adopt a sofa conformation. The carboxylate group of atoms were disordered over two positions with site occupancy factors 0.598 (9):0.402 (9). Crystal structure and packing is stabilized by $C-H{\ldots}O$ intra and inter molecular hydrogen bond interactions.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 1995

This study was designed to test whether or not 1) ischemia-reperfusion attenuates endothelium-dependent relaxation of coronary arteries and 2) preconditioning protects the arterial endothelium from ischemia-reperfusion injury. In anesthetized open chest rabbits, branches of the left circumflex artery were exposed to different combinations of the experimental conditions; ischemia (15 minutes), ischemia (15 minutes)-reperfusion (10 minutes), preconditioning ischemia, and pre-conditioning fellowed by ischemia-reperfusion. Preconditioning consisted of 3 occlusions of 2-min duration, each followed by n 5-min reperfusion. Rings of the artery exposed to the experimental condition and of normal left anterior descending coronary artery were prepared and suspended for isometric force measurement in organ chambers containing Krebs Ringer bicarbonate solution. The rings were contracted with 29.6 mM KCI. Ischemia alone did not attenuate endothelium-dependent relaxation by acetylcholine. However, ischemia-reperfusion significantly impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation. Endothelium-independent relaxation by sodium nitroprusside was not impaired by ischemia-reperfusion and the constrictive response to acetylcholine was not altered in reperfused rings without endothelium, compared with control rings. Arterial rings exposed to preconditioning followed by ischemia-reperfusion exhibited impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation by acetyl-choline. However, although preconditioning not fellowed by ischemia-reperfusion, attenuated endothelium-dependent relaxation at low concentrations of acetylcholine, the magnitude of the impairment by preconditioning followed by ischemia-reperfusion was significantly less than that of the impairment by ischemia-reperfusion alone. These data demonstrate that ischemia-reperfusion significantly attenuates endothelium-dependent relaxation by producing endothelial dysfunction and preconditioning Protects the endothelium of coronary arteries from ischemia-reperfusion injury.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2004

It is known that Bacillus subtilis glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS) mischarges E. coli $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ with glutamate in vitro. It has also been established that the expression of B. subtilis GluRS in Escherichia coli results in the death of the host cell. To ascertain whether E. coli growth inhibition caused by B. subtilis GluRS synthesis is a consequence of Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ formation, we constructed an in vivo test system, in which B. subtilis GluRS gene expression is controlled by IPTG. Such a system permits the investigation of factors affecting E. coli growth. Expression of E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) also amelio-rated growth inhibition, presumably by competitively preventing $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ misacylation. However, when amounts of up to 10 mM L-glutamine, the cognate amino acid for acylation of $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$, were added to the growth medium, cell growth was unaffected. Overexpression of the B. subtilis gatCAB gene encoding Glu-$tRNA^{Gln}$ amidotransferase (Glu-AdT) rescued cells from toxic effects caused by the formation of the mis-charging GluRS. This result indicates that B. subtilis Glu-AdT recognizes the mischarged E. coli Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$, and converts it to the cognate Gln-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ species. B. subtilis GluRS-dependent Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ formation may cause growth inhibition in the transformed E. coli strain, possibly due to abnormal protein synthesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.529-533
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• 1999

In addition to catalyzing the synthesis of dextran from sucrose as a primary reaction, dextransucrase also catalyzes the transfer of glucose from sucrose to other carbohydrates that are present or are added to the reaction digest. We have synthesized new glucans having new structures and new characteristics, by transferring D-glucose of sucrose to $\alpha$-cellulose and by using the constitutive dextransucrase obtained from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-742CBM. The final reaction products were composed of soluble- and insoluble-glucans. The yields of soluble- and insoluble-glucans were theoretically 21% $\pm$ 2.2 and 68% $\pm$ 5.1, respectively. The remainder of the reaction products was recovered as a mixture of olgiosaccharides that could not be precipitated by 67%(v/v) ethanol. Treating the modified glucans with endo-dextranase and/or cellulase, oligosaccharides were produced that were not formed from the hydrolysis of native cellulose or B-742CBM dextran. The modification of the cellulose was confirmed by methylation and acid hydrolysis of the soluble-and insoluble-glucan. Both (1->4) and(1->6) glycosidic linkages were found in both of the glucans.