• BMB Reports
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.54-58
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• 2000

Recent research results regarding the very long chain transmembrane ${\alpha},{\omega}-dicarboxylic$ components in the membrane of extremophilic eubacteria, such as Sarcina ventriculi, Thennotoga maritima, and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus have raised interesting questions concerning the physical and biochemical function on these components in the membrane. In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of these acids which reside in the bilayer membrane, 580 ps molecular dynamic simulations at 300 K were performed for two model systems. These systems were the bilayer with regular chain (C16:0 or C18:1) fatty acid methyl esters and the fatty acid bilayer containing very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acid methyl esters (${\alpha},{\omega}-15,16-dimethyltriacotane-dioate$ dimethyl ester; C32:0). Our analyses indicate that very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids have a noticeable influence on the bilayer dynamics at a sub-nanosecond time scale. The center-ofmass mean-squared-displacement (MSD) of regular chain fatty acids adjacent to the very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids decreased, the long-axis order parameter increased, and the reorientational motions of methylene groups were slowed along the hydrocarbon chains. These results indicate that the very long chain transmembrane dicarboxylic acids reduce the molecular order of the whole bilayer membrane.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제19권10호
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• pp.1047-1054
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• 1998

We present the results of molecular dynamics simulations for three different systems of bilayers of long-chain alkyl thiol [S(CH2)15CH3] molecules on an solid-solid interface using the extended collapsed atom model for the chain-molecule. It is found that there exist two possible transitions: a continuous transition characterized by a change in molecular interaction between sites of different chain molecules with increasing area per molecule and a sudden transition from an ordered lattice-like state to a liquid-like state due to the lack of interactions between sites of chain molecules on different surfaces with increasing distance between two solid surfaces. The third system displays a smooth change in probability distribution characterized by the increment of gauche structure in the near-tail part of the chain with increasing area per molecule. The analyses of energetic results and chain conformation results demonstrate the characteristic change of chain structure of each system.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제27권8호
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• pp.1154-1158
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• 2006

Anomalously high ionic mobilities of H+ and $OH^-$ are owing to the transfer of $H^+$ by the Grotthus chain mechanism. Molecular dynamics simulations for the system of 215 water including $OH^-$ ion at 298.15 K using the OSS2 model [J. Chem. Phys. 109, 5547 (1998)] as a dissociable water model with the use of Ewald summation were carried out in order to study the dynamics of $OH^-$ in water. The calculated ionic mobility of $OH^-$ is in good agreement with the experimental result and the Grotthus chain mechanism is fully understood.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.828-832
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• 2012

We performed replica exchange molecular dynamics (REMD) simulations of the tripzip2 peptide (betahairpin) using the GB implicit and TI3P explicit solvation models. By comparing the resulting free energy surfaces of these two solvation model, we found that the GB solvation model produced a distorted free energy map, but the explicit solvation model yielded a reasonable free energy landscape with a precise location of the native structure in its global free energy minimum state. Our result showed that in particular, the GB solvation model failed to describe the tryptophan packing of trpzip2, leading to a distorted free energy landscape. When the GB solvation model is replaced with the explicit solvation model, the distortion of free energy shape disappears with the native-like structure in the lowest free energy minimum state and the experimentally observed tryptophan packing is precisely recovered. This finding indicates that the main source of this problem is due to artifact of the GB solvation model. Therefore, further efforts to refine this model are needed for better predictions of various aromatic side chain packing forms in proteins.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.44-49
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• 1982

Dynamic and equilibrium structures of a polymer chain immersed in solvent molecules have been investigated by a molecular dynamic method. The calculation employs the Lennard-Jones potential function to represent the interactions between two solvent molecules (SS) and between a constituent particle (monomer unit) of the polymer chain and a solvent molecule (CS) as well as between two non-nearest neighbor constituent particles of the polymer chain (CC), while the chemical bond for nearest neighbor constituent particles was chosen to follow a harmonic oscillator potential law. The correlation function for the SS, CS and CC pairs, the end-to-end distance square and the radius of gyration square were calculated by varying the chain length (= 5, 10, 15, 20). The computed end-to-end distance square and the radius of gyration square were found to be in a fairly good agreement with the corresponding results from the random-flight model. Unlike earlier works, the present simulation rsesult shows that the autocorrelation function of radius of gyration square decays slower than that of the end-to-end distance square.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.501-509
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• 1997

In recent papers[Bull. Kor. Chem. Soc. 1996, 17, 735; ibid 1997, 18, 478] we reported results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for the thermodynamic, structural, and dynamic properties of liquid normal alkanes, from n-butane to n-heptadecane, using three different models. Two of the three classes of models are collapsed atomic models while the third class is an atomistically detailed model. In the present paper we present results of MD simulations for the corresponding properties of liquid branched-chain alkanes using the same models. The thermodynamic property reflects that the intermolecular interactions become weaker as the shape of the molecule tends to approach that of a sphere and the surface area decreases with branching. Not like observed in the straight-chain alkanes, the structural properties of model Ⅲ from the site-site radial distribution function, the distribution functions of the average end-to-end distance and the root-mean-squared radii of gyration are not much different from those of models Ⅰ and Ⅱ. The branching effect on the self diffusion of liquid alkanes is well predicted from our MD simulation results but not on the viscosity and thermal conductivity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제17권8호
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• pp.700-706
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• 1996

We present the results of molecular dynamics simulations of monolayers of long-chain alkyl thiol [S(CH2)15CH3] molecules on an air-solid interface using the extended collapsed atom model for the chain-molecule and a gold surface for the solid surface. Several molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on monolayers with areas per molecule ranging from 18.30 to 32.10 Å2/molecule. It is found that there exist three possible transitions: a continuous transition characterized by a change in molecular configuration without change in lattice structure, a sudden transition characterized by the distinct lattice defects and perfect islands, and a third transition characterized by the appearance of a random, liquid-like state. The analysis of probability distributions of the segments shows that the structure of the chain-molecules at the air-solid interface is completely different from that at the air-water interface in the view of the degree of overlap of the probability distributions of the neighbor segments. The calculated diffusion coefficients of the chain-molecules on the monolayers seem to be not directly related to any one of the three transitions. However, the large diffusion of the molecules enhanced by the increment of the area per molecule may induce the second transition.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제24권11호
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• pp.1590-1598
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• 2003

In this paper we have presented the results for viscosity and self-diffusion constants of model systems for four liquid n-alkanes ($C_{12}, C_{20}, C_{32}, and C_{44}$) in a canonical ensemble at several temperatures using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The small chains of these n-alkanes are clearly $<{R_{ee}}^2>/6<{R_g}^2>>1$, which leads to the conclusion that the liquid n-alkanes over the whole temperatures considered are far away from the Rouse regime. Calculated viscosity ${\eta}$ and self-diffusion constants D are comparable with experimental results and the temperature dependence of both ${\eta}$ and D is suitably described by the Arrhenius plot. The behavior of both activation energies, $E_{\eta}$ and $E_D$, with increasing chain length indicates that the activation energies approach asymptotic values as n increases to the higher value, which is experimentally observed. Two calculated monomeric friction constants ${\zeta}$ and ${\zeta}_D$ give a correct qualitative trend: decrease with increasing temperature and increase with increasing chain length n. Comparison of the time auto-correlation functions of the end-to-end vector calculated from the Rouse model for n-dodecane ($C_{12}$) at 273 K and for n-tetratetracontane ($C_{44}$) at 473 K with those extracted directly from our MD simulations confirms that the short chain n-alkanes considered in this study are far away from the Rouse regime.

• BMB Reports
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• 제56권7호
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• pp.404-409
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• 2023

This study investigates the relationship between cancer cachexia and the gut microbiota, focusing on the influence of cancer on microbial composition. Lewis lung cancer cell allografts were used to induce cachexia in mice, and body and muscle weight changes were monitored. Fecal samples were collected for targeted metabolomic analysis for short chain fatty acids and microbiome analysis. The cachexia group exhibited lower alpha diversity and distinct beta diversity in gut microbiota, compared to the control group. Differential abundance analysis revealed higher Bifidobacterium and Romboutsia, but lower Streptococcus abundance in the cachexia group. Additionally, lower proportions of acetate and butyrate were observed in the cachexia group. The study observed that the impact of cancer cachexia on gut microbiota and their generated metabolites was significant, indicating a host-to-gut microbiota axis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제22권8호
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• pp.847-849
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• 2001

The OSS2(Ojame-Shavitt-Singer 2)[L. Ojame et al., J. Chem. Phys. 109, 5547 (1998)] model as a dissociable water model is examined in order to study the dynamics of H+ in water. MD simulations for 216 water system, 215 water + H+ ion system, and 215 water + OH- ion system using the OSS2 model at 298.15 K with the use of Ewald summation are carried out. The calculated O-H radial distribution functions for these systems are essentially the same and are in very good agreement with that obtained by Ojame.