• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.201-207
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• 2018

Porphyromonas gingivalis is among the major etiological pathogens of chronic periodontitis. The virulence mechanisms of P. gingivalis is yet to be identified as its activity is largely unknown in actual disease process. The purpose of this study is to identify antigens of P. gingivalis expressed only in patients with chronic periodontitis using a unique immunoscreening technique. Change Mediated Antigen Technology (CMAT), an antibody-based screening technique, was used to identify virulence-associated proteins of P. gingivalis that are expressed only during infection stage in patients having chronic periodontitis. Out of 13,000 recombinant clones screened, 22 tested positive for reproducible reactivity with rabbit hyperimmune anti-sera prepared against dental plaque samples acquired from periodontitis patients. The DNA sequences of these 18 genes were determined. CMAT-identified protein antigens of P. gingivalis included proteins involved in energy metabolism and biosynthesis, heme and iron binding, drug resistance, specific enzyme activities, and unknown functions. Further analysis of these genes could result in a novel insight into the virulence mechanisms of P. gingivalis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1261-1271
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• 2020

Cytochrome c_L (Cytc_L) is an essential protein in the process of methanol oxidation in methylotrophs. It receives an electron from the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) cofactor of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) to produce formaldehyde. The direct electron transfer mechanism between Cytc_L and MDH remains unknown due to the lack of structural information. To help gain a better understanding of the mechanism, we determined the first crystal structure of heme c containing Cytc_L from the aquatic methylotrophic bacterium Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans MP^T at 2.13 Å resolution. The crystal structure of Ma-Cytc_L revealed its unique features compared to those of the terrestrial homologues. Apart from Fe in heme, three additional metal ion binding sites for Na⁺, Ca⁺, and Fe²⁺ were found, wherein the ions mostly formed coordination bonds with the amino acid residues on the loop (G93-Y111) that interacts with heme. Therefore, these ions seemed to enhance the stability of heme insertion by increasing the loop's steadiness. The basic N-terminal end, together with helix α4 and loop (G126 to Y136), contributed positive charge to the region. In contrast, the acidic C-terminal end provided a negatively charged surface, yielding several electrostatic contact points with partner proteins for electron transfer. These exceptional features of Ma-Cytc_L, along with the structural information of MDH, led us to hypothesize the need for an adapter protein bridging MDH to Cytc_L within appropriate proximity for electron transfer. With this knowledge in mind, the methanol oxidation complex reconstitution in vitro could be utilized to produce metabolic intermediates at the industry level.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.94-94
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• 2001

Prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase (PGHS) catalyzes the committed step in prostaglandins and thromboxane A$_2$-- oxygenation of arachidonic acid to the hydroperoxy endoperoxide PGG$_2$, followed by reduction PGG$_2$to the alcohol PGH$_2$. The two reactions by PGHS -- cyclooxygenase and peroxidase -- occur at distinct but structurally and functionally interconnected sites. The peroxidase reaction occurs at a heme-containing active site located near the protein surface. The cyclooxygenase reaction occurs in a hydrophobic channel in the core of the enzyme. Initially a peroxide reacts with the heme group, yielding Compound I and an alcohol derived from the oxidizing peroxide. Compound I next undergoes an intramolecular reduction by a single electron traveling from Tyr385 along the peptide chain to the proximal heme ligand, His388, and finally to the heme group. Following the binding of arachidonic acid, Tyr385 tyrosyl radical initiates the cyclooxygenase reaction by abstracting the 13-pro(5) hydrogen atom to give an arachidonyl radical, which sequentially reacts with two molecules of oxygen to yield PGG$_2$. In order to characterize PGHS peroxidase active site, we examined various lipid peroxides with purified recombinant ovine PGHS proteins and determined the rate constants. The results have shown that twenty-carbon unsaturated fatty acid hydroperoxides have similar efficiency in peroxidation by PGHS, irrespective of either the location of hydroperoxy group or the number of double bonds. It was also confirmed by the subsequent study with PGHS peroxidase active site mutants.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.758-764
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• 2014

Femtosecond vibrational spectroscopy was used to measure the vibrational population relaxation time ($T_1$) of different anions bound to ferric myoglobin ($Mb^{III}$) and hemoglobin ($Hb_{III}$) in $D_2O$ at 293 K. The $T_1$ values of the anti-symmetric stretching (${\nu}_1$) mode of NCS in the $NCS^-$ bound to $Mb^{III}$ ($Mb^{III}$NCS) and $Hb_{III}$ ($Hb_{III}$NCS) in $D_2O$ are $7.2{\pm}0.2$ and $6.6{\pm}0.2$ ps, respectively, which are smaller than that of free NCS. in $D_2O$ (18.3 ps). The $T_1$ values of the ${\nu}_1$ mode of NCO in the $NCO^-$ bound to $Mb^{III}$ ($Mb^{III}$NCO) and $Hb_{III}$ ($Hb_{III}$NCO) in $D_2O$ are $2.4{\pm}0.2$ and $2.6{\pm}0.2$ ps, respectively, which are larger than that of free $NCO^-$ in $D_2O$ ($1.9{\pm}0.2$ ps). The smaller $T_1$ values of the ${\nu}_1$ mode of the heme-bound NCS suggest that intramolecular vibrational relaxation (VR) is the dominant relaxation pathway for the excess vibrational energy. On the other hand, the longer $T_1$ values of the ${\nu}_1$ mode of the heme-bound NCO suggest that intermolecular VR is the dominant relaxation pathway for the excess vibrational energy in the ${\nu}_1$ mode of $NCO^-$ in $D_2O$, and that intramolecular VR becomes more important in the vibrational energy dissipation of the ${\nu}_1$ mode of NCO in $Mb^{III}$NCO and $Hb_{III}$NCO.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.471-481
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• 2017

Objectives : Noemyeong-san (NMS) is a novel herbal prescription composed of five oriental medicinal herbs including Prunellae Spica, Betulae Cortex, Foeniculi Fructus, Asiasari Radix, and Clematidis Radix for treating Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects and molecular mechanisms of NMS on BV2 microglia to evaluate the potential action of this formula for preventing or treating neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease. Methods : To determine the cytotoxicity of NMS on BV2 microglia, the MTT assay was performed. The effects of NMS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia were determined with a nitric oxide (NO) assay and western blots for inflammatory mediator-related proteins, mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) pathway-related proteins, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Result : NMS inhibited induction of iNOS and COX-2 as well as NO production without affecting the cell viability in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia. NMS also suppressed activation of ERK and p38 MAPK among main kinases of MAPKs as well as NF-${\kappa}B$ by LPS stimulation. Furthermore, NMS dose-dependently induced the expression of HO-1 and the inhibitory effect of NMS on the production of NO were blocked by pretreatment with an HO-1 inhibitor, Snpp. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that NMS has potent anti-neuroinflammatory effect on the LPS-stimulated microglia. These findings provide evidences for NMS to be considered as a new prescription for preventing or treating neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2009

This study aimed to investigate whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) attenuate brain injury and facilitate recovery following photothrombotic cortical ischemia in mice. Male ICR mice were anesthetized and systemically administered Rose Bengal. Permanent focal ischemia was induced in the medial frontal and somatosensory cortices by irradiating the skull with cold light laser. The animals were treated with fluoxetine or sertraline once a day for 14 d starting 1 h after ischemic insult. Treatment with fluoxetine and sertraline significantly reduced the infarct size. The Evans blue extravasation indices of the fluoxetine- and sertraline-treated groups were significantly lower than that of the vehicle group. Treatment with fluoxetine and sertraline shifted the lower limit of the mean arterial blood pressure for cerebral blood flow autoregulation toward normal, and significantly increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 ${\alpha}$ (HIF-1 ${\alpha}$) proteins in the ischemic region. These results suggest that SSRIs, such as fluoxetine and sertraline, facilitate recovery following photothrombotic cortical ischemia via enhancement of HO-1 and HIF-1 ${\alpha}$ proteins expression, thereby providing a benefit in therapy of cerebral ischemia.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1055-1062
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate whether dietary chlorella intake could have an effect on antioxidative capacity in rats oxidatively stressed with cadmium (Cd). Sprague-Dawley rats fed dietary chlorella (0, 5, and 10%) for 4 weeks after induction of oxidative stress by exposing to Cd (200 ppm) for 8 weeks. After the oxidative stress applied, plasma and liver malondialdehyde concentrations and xanthine oxidase activities were decreased in 5% chlorella fed group compared to chlorella free group. Although liver heme oxygenase-1 protein expression was not affected by chlorella, the enzyme activity was improved in 5% chlorella fed group. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity and hepatic metallothionein concentration were increased in 5% chlorella fed group. However, 10% chlorella intake had no effect on the improvement of oxidative stress-related enzymes and proteins. These findings suggest that, after induction of oxidative stress with Cd, 5% chlorella intake might improve antioxidative capacity against oxidative stress.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 1997

Heliobacillus mobilis is a strictly anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium which contains a primitive Photosystem I-type reaction center. The membrane-bound cytochrome $C_{553}$ from the heliobacterium suggested to be the immediate electron donor to the photooxidized pigment (P798+) has been isolated and characterized. The heme protein was visualized as a major component with an apparent molecular size of 17kDa in TMBZ-staining analysis of the membrane preparation and showed characteristic $\alpha$ (552.5 nm), $\beta$ (522nm), and Soret absorption (416 nm) peaks of a typical reduced c-type cytochrome in the partially purified sample. The internal 43 amino acid sequence of the electron donor was obtained by chemical agent and protease treatments followed by N-terminal sequencing of the resulting fragments. The internal sequence carries lots of lysine residues and a Cys-X-X-Cys-His sequence motif which are the characteristics of typical c-type cytochromes. The analysis of the sequence by FAST or FASTA program, however, did not show any significant similarity to other known heme proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 1995

Deinococcus radiophilus, an UV resistant bacterium seemed to contain three issoenzymes of catalase. Among them, the samllest and most abundant species in cell-free extract, catalase-3 which also exhibited peroxidase activity was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity (145-fold purification) by chromatographic procedures. Its molecular weight was 155 kDa composed of four 38 kDa subunits. The $K_{m}$ value of catalase-3 for H$\_$2/O$\_$2/ was approximately 0.5 mM. This enzyme showed a typical ferric heme spectrum with maximum absorption at 405 nm. Upon binding to cyanide, the 405 nm peak shifted to 420 nm. Catalase-3 was very sensitive to inhibitors of heme proteins, such as cyanide, azide and hydroxylamine. A ratio of A$\_$405/A$\_$28O/ was 0.5 Catalase-3 was active over a wide range of pH, between pH 7 and 10. The enzyme was rather heat-labile and partially sensitive to edthanol-chloroform treatment, but resistant to 3-amino-1, 2, 4-triazole. Catalase-3 of D. radiophilus, which is a bifunction catalatic peroxidatic enzyme seemed to share certain molecular properties with the typical catalase and the catalase-[roxidase along with its own unique features.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.486-491
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• 1999

An engineered cDNA from Phanerochaete chrysosporium encoding both the mature and propeptide-sequence regions of lignin peroxidase H2 (Lip H2) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to evaluate its catalytic characteristics and potential application as a pollution scavenger. All expressed proteins were aggregated in an inactive inclusion body, which might be due to inherent disulfide bonds. Active enzyme was obtained by refolding with glutathione-mediated oxidation in refolding solution containing $Ca^{2+}$, heme, and urea. Propeptide-sequence region was not processed as evidenced by N-terminal sequence analysis. Recombinant Lip H2 (rLip H2) had the same physical properties of the native protein but differed in the $K_{cat}$. Catalytic efficiency ($k_{cat}/K_m$) of rLip H2 was slightly higher than that of the native enzyme. In order to express an active protein, fusion systems with thioredoxin or Dsb A, which have disulfide isomerase activity, were used. The fused proteins expressed by the Dsb A fusion vector were aggregated, whereas half of the thioredoxin fusion proteins were recovered as a soluble form but still catalytically inactive. These results suggest that Lip H2 may not be expressed as an active enzyme in Escherichia coli although the activity can be recovered by in vitro refolding.