• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2003

Recently, many researches for plant alkaloids, one of the largest groups of natural products, are reported because of their various pharmacological activity. This study was carried out to clone putrescine N-methyltransferase (PMT) gene which is a key enzyme in diverting polyamine metabolism towards the biosynthesis of nicotine and related alkaloids from Burley tobacco. To induce expression of PMT gene in tobacco plant, the floral meristem was removed and then mRNA was purified from root. cDNA encoding PMT gene was isolated by RT PCR and cloned. Three different groups of clones were screened by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion analysis and were characterized. The data of these screening revealed that three types of PMT are present in Burley tobacco. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of this three genes encoding putative PMT with those of other tobaccos revealed that two types of PMT are newly discovered from Nicotiana tabacum cv. Br21 tobacco and they were same as PMT2, PMT3 of N. tabacum cv. Xanthi.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2003

Transgenic tobacco plants were selected by using the transformation of putrescine N-methyltransferase(PMT) gene, the key enzyme in diverting polyamine metabolism towards the biosynthesis of nicotine. PMT was fused in reverse orientation to the CaMV 35S promoter of the plant expression vector pBTEX(pPAB3) to produce tobacco plants of low nicotine content. To compare nicotine content, only pBTEX vector and PMT gene which was fused in forward orientation to the CaMV 35S promoter(pPAB2) were also transformed to the leaf tobacco plants(Nicotiana tabacum cv. NC82 and N. tabacum cv. Br2l). The presence of sense- and antisense-PMT gene, and pBTEX vector in the transgenic plant was confirmed by genomic PCR.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.170-176
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• 1998

Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) is known to be a membrane-associated protein. However, cytosolic PEMT was detected when sufficient amounts of exogenous phospholipids were added in the incubation media. The methylation of phospholipids was measured by the incorporation of the $[^3H]-methyl$ group from S-adenosylmethionine and the methylated phospholipids were analyzed by thinlayer chromatography. The essence of the assay condition for the cytosolic enzyme was the inclusion of 200 ${\mu}g$ of each substrate, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl N-monomethylethanolamine (PME) and phosphatidyl N,N-dimethylethanolamine (PDE), in the reaction mixture of 100 ${\mu}l$. The subcellular fractionation of brain PEMT activities revealed that approximately 38.1 % for PME, 39.5% for PDE, and 22.4% for PC formation was present in the cytosolic fraction. The general properties of cytosolic PEMT were characterized and compared with those of neuronal nuclei PEMT.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 1996

To determine the regulatory mechanism of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in the adrenal gland and in central nervous system, we observed the change of enzyme activity and mRNA level of PNMT in the adrenal gland, the brain stem, and hypothalamus of rats, which were injected with two neuroleptic agents(reserpine and haloperidol ). Reserpine depleting catecholamines in presynaptic vesicle increased PNMT activities in the adrenal gland and the brain stem to 150% of the control in time-dependent manner, but not in the hypothalamus. Haloperidol blocking dopamine receptor decreased PNMT activities in the adrenal gland and the hypothalamus, but not in the brain stem. Thus, the results indicate that catecholamines inhibit synthesis of epinephrine in the brain stem and the adrenal gland, and that dopamine stimulates synthesis of epinephrine in the hypothalamus and the adrenal gland. In addition, since the change of mRNA levels were nearly in accordance with the change of activities, the transcriptional regulation of PNMT is considered the mechanism of the regulation of epinephrine neuron.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2019

DNA methylation is involved in diverse processes in bacteria, including maintenance of genome integrity and regulation of gene expression. CcrM, the DNA methyltransferase conserved in Alphaproteobacterial species, carries out $N^6$-adenine or $N^4$-cytosine methyltransferase activities using S-adenosyl methionine as a co-substrate. Celeribacter marinus IMCC12053 from the Alphaproteobacterial group was isolated from a marine environment. Single molecule real-time sequencing method (SMRT) was used to detect the methylation patterns of C. marinus IMCC12053. Gibbs motif sampler program was used to observe the conversion of adenosine of 5'-GANTC-3' to $N^6$-methyladenosine and conversion of $N^4$-cytosine of 5'-GpC-3' to $N^4$-methylcytosine. Exocyclic DNA methyltransferase from the genome of strain IMCC12053 was chosen using phylogenetic analysis and $N^4$-cytosine methyltransferase was cloned. IPTG inducer was used to confirm the methylation activity of DNA methylase, and cloned into a pQE30 vector using dam-/dcm- E. coli as the expression host. The genomic DNA and the plasmid carrying methylase-encoding sequences were extracted and cleaved with restriction enzymes that were sensitive to methylation, to confirm the methylation activity. These methylases protected the restriction enzyme site once IPTG-induced methylases methylated the chromosome and plasmid, harboring the DNA methylase. In this study, cloned exocyclic DNA methylases were investigated for potential use as a novel type of GpC methylase for molecular biology and epigenetics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.262-262
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• 1994

Ras oncogene의 산물로서 대부분의 암조직이나 transformed human cell에서 거의 공통적으로 발견되는 p21 단백질은 C-terminal processing에 의해 먼저 C-terminal cysyeine에 palmition 된 후 carboxylmethylation 된다. Palmitation은 transforming activity의 요건인 세포막에 대한 친화력을 유지시키기 위한것으로 추측되며, cysteine residue의 carboxylmethylation의 의미는 아직 확실히 밝혀지고 있지 않으나 세포막에 대한 친화력을 증가 시키는 것으로 추측되고있다. 본 연구에서는 S-Farnesylcysteine Methyltransferase의 기질로서 N-acetyl-S-trans, trans-farnesyl-L-cysteine(AFC)을 합성하였으며, 본 실험실에서 계속 연구하여 온 돼지 간장으로 부터 정제한 천연 단백성 Methylation Inhibitor의 S-Farnesylcysteine Methyltransferase 활성에 대한 억제효과를 검색하였다. 천연 단백성 Methylation Inhibitor는 돼지 간조직의 soluble fraction을 열처리하여 Sephadex G-25 column chromatngraphy한 후 reverse phase HPLC로 정제하였다. 본 inhibitor는 약 10개의 아미노산으로 구성된 peptide성 천연물질로 분자량은 1,400 Da 으로서 합성한 AFC를 기질로 하였을 때, 흰쥐 뇌 조직내 S-Farnesylcysteine methyltransferase에 대한 $IC_{50}$/은 0,82 $\times$ $10^{-6}$ M이었으며 또한 human cancer cell line의 S-Farnesylcysteine Methyltransferase에 대해서도 현저한 저해효과를 나타내었다.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.354-359
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• 1994

The activity of SD-framesylcysteine O-methyltransferase was assayed by incubating the enzyrne with a synthetic in vitro substrate, [N-acetyl-S-trans, trns-famesyl-L-cysteine (AFC)], together with S-adenosyl-L-[emthyl-$_{14}$C)ester(AFCME)], was then analyzed either directly on HPLC or by converting the AFC[$methyl^{14}C$]ME to [$methyl^{14}C$] aclcohol by basehydrolysis. Employing these two analytical methods, it was established that a peptide purifed from rat liver cytosol fraction [Int. J. Biochem., 25, 1157 919930] strongly inhibited the above enzyme activity with $IC_{50}\; of\; 7.1\times 10^{-8}$ M. Also, the S-famesylcysteine O-methyltransferase from several human colon cancer cells was equally inhibited by the peptide.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2014

Coptis chinensis 3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine 4'-O-methyltransferase (HOMT), an essential enzyme in the berberine biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the methylation of 3'-hydroxy-N-methylcoclaurine (HMC) producing reticuline. A 3D model of HOMT was constructed by homology modeling and further subjected to docking with its ligands and molecular dynamics simulations. The 3D structure of HOMT revealed unique structural features which permitted the methylation of HMC. The methylation of HMC was proposed to proceed by deprotonation of the 4'-hydroxyl group via His257 and Asp258 of HOMT, followed by a nucleophilic attack on the SAM-methyl group resulting in reticuline. HOMT showed high substrate specificity for methylation of HMC. The study evidenced that Gly117, Thr312 and Asp258 in HOMT might be the key residues for orienting substrate for specific catalysis.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 1993

The metE gene coding for $N^{5}-methyl-H_{4}-folate;$ homocysteine methyltransferase from the basidiomycete Ganoderma lucidum was cloned by complementation of methionine-requiring mutants of E. coli. The size of a inserted DNA was about 1.54 kb and had 5 restriction enzyme sites. A physical map was constructed. Southern blot analysis confirmed the presence of a transforming DNA in the genome of Ganoderma lucidum. indicating the presence of a single copy.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.441-448
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• 2019

Two new SAM-dependent methyltransferase encoding genes (fvsmt1 and fvsmt2) were identified from the genome of Flammulina velutipes. In order to make a comprehensive characterization of both genes, we performed in silico analysis of both genes and used qRT-PCR to reveal their expression patterns during the development of F. velutipes. There are 4 and 6 exons with total length of 693 and 978 bp in fvsmt2 and fvsmt1, respectively. The deduced proteins, i.e., FVSMT1 and FVSMT2 contained 325 and 230 amino acids with molecular weight 36297 and 24894 Da, respectively. Both proteins contained a SAM-dependent catalytic domain with signature motifs (I, p-I, II, and III) defining the SAM fold. SAM-dependent catalytic domain is located either in the middle or at the N-terminal of FVSMT2 and FVSMT1, respectively. Alignment and phylogenic analysis showed that FVSMT1 is a homolog to a protein-arginine omega-N-methyltransferase, while FVSMT2 is of cinnamoyl CoA O-methyltransferase type and predicted subcellular locations of these proteins are mitochondria and cytoplasm, respectively. qRT-PCR showed that fvsmt1 and fvsmt2 expression was regulated in different developmental stages. The maximum expression levels of fvsmt1 and fvsmt2 were observed in stipe elongation, while no difference was found in mycelium and pileus. These results positively demonstrate that both the methyltransferase encoding genes are involved in the stipe elongation of F. velutipes.