• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.94-97
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• 2002

Light is one of the most important environmental factors that influence plant growth and development. It does not function independently but exerts its role through coordinated interactions with intrinsic developmental programs, such as hormonal regulation. One typical example is hypocotyl growth in which light signals are modulated through growth hormones. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We demonstrated that brassinosteroids play an important role in the light signal transduction in etiolated hypocotyl growth. A light-responsive Ras-like G-protein, Pra2 from pea, physically and functionally interacts with a cytochrome P450 that specifically catalyzes C-2 hydroxylation in brassinosteroid biosynthesis. The cytochrome P450 expression, along with Pra2, is induced in the dark and predominantly localized in the rapidly elongating zone of etiolated pea epicotyls. Transgenic plants with a reduced level of Pra2 exhibit a dark-specific dwarfism, which is completely rescued by brassinosteroid application. On the contrary, overexpression of the cytochrome P450 results in enhanced hypocotyl growth even in the light, which phenocopies the etiolated hypocotyl growth. It is therefore envisioned that Pra2 is a molecular switch that mediates the crosstalk between light and brassinosteroids in the etiolation process.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.102-106
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• 2011

Thermodynamic stability and refolding kinetics of firefly luciferase and three representative mutants with depletion of negative charge on a flexible loop via substitution of Glu by Arg (ER mutant) or Lys (EK mutant) as well as insertion of another Arg in ER mutants (ERR mutant) was investigated. According to thermodynamic studies, structural stability of ERR and ER mutants are enhanced compared to WT protein, whereas, these mutants become prone to aggregation at higher temperatures. Accordingly, it was concluded that enhanced structural stability of mutants depends on more compactness of folded state, whereas aggregation at higher temperatures in mutants is due to weakening of intermolecular repulsive electrostatic interactions and increase of intermolecular hydrophobic interactions. Kinetic results indicate that early events of protein folding are accelerated in mutants.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.4-4
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• 2003

A large number of in-vitro experiments on the inhibition of kinases and pretenses are reported in literature, and compiled by ProLINT database. Using this powerful wealth of knowledge, we have carried our an analysis of ligand specificity of these two classes of proteins. Each of the pretenses and kinases included in the database has been assigned a consensus ligand fragment signature, based on the available information about its interaction with different ligands. A set of 43 fragments efficiently represent every ligand. We have then organized the consensus fragment signatures for every protein in form of a cluster-tree diagram. This tree is also constructed from other sequence, structure and physical considerations. Cluster-cluster comparison between these analyzes provide a valuable information about ligand specific interactions and similarities between proteins.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.213-220
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• 2012

Viruses have evolved to manipulate the host cell machinery for virus propagation, in part by interfering with the host cellular signaling network. Molecular studies of individual pathways have uncovered many viral host-protein targets; however, it is difficult to predict how viral perturbations will affect the signaling network as a whole. Systems biology approaches rely on multivariate, context-dependent measurements and computational analysis to elucidate how viral infection alters host cell signaling at a network level. Here we describe recent advances in systems analyses of signaling networks in both viral and non-viral biological contexts. These approaches have the potential to uncover virus- mediated changes to host signaling networks, suggest new therapeutic strategies, and assess how cell-to-cell variability affects host responses to infection. We argue that systems approaches will both improve understanding of how individual virus-host protein interactions fit into the progression of viral pathogenesis and help to identify novel therapeutic targets.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2009

Post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA stability by Hu proteins is an important mechanism for tumorigenesis. We focused on the molecular interactions between the HuC protein and AU-rich elements (AREs) to find chemical inhibitors of RNA-protein interactions using RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay with non-radioactive probes. Screening of 52 natural compounds identified 14 candidate compounds that displayed potent inhibitory activity. Six (quercetin, myricetin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, ellagic acid, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and rhamnetin) were categorized as phytochemicals, and their $IC_{50}$ values were low ($0.2-1.8\;{\mu}M$).

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2015

Bub1 is one of the spindle checkpoint proteins and plays a role in recruitment of the related proteins to kinetochore. Here, we studied the structural characteristic of the evolutionarily conserved 160 amino acid region in the N-terminus (hBub1 CD1), using Circular Dichroism (CD) and NMR. Our CD results showed that hBub1 CD1 is a highly helical protein and its structure was affected by pH: as pH was elevated to basic pH, the helical propensity increased. This could be related to the surface charge of the hBub1 CD1. However, the structural change did not largely depend on the salt concentration, though the thermal stability a little increased. The previous NMR analysis revealed that the hBub1 CD1 adopts eight helices, which is consistent with the CD result. Our result would be helpful for evaluating the molecular mechanism of the hBub1 CD1 and protein-protein interactions.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.120-126
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• 2005

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in vascular biology and pathophysiology. Its activity is regulated by multiple mechanisms such as calcium/calmodulin, protein-protein interactions, sub-cellular locations and phosphorylation at various sites. Phosphorylation of eNOS-Ser1177 (based on mouse sequence) has been identified as an important mechanism of eNOS activation. However, signaling pathway leading to it phosphorylation remains controversial. The regulation of eNOS-Ser1177 phosphorylation by Src and protein kinase A (PKA) was investigated in the present study using cultured mouse aorta endothelial cells. Expression of a constitutively active Src mutant in the cells enhanced phosphorylation of eNOS and protein kinase B (Akt). The Src-stimulated phosphorylation was not attenuated by the expression of a dominant negative PKA regulatory subunit. Neither activation nor inhibition of PKA activity had any significant effect on tyrosine phosphorylation of activation or inactivation site in Src. Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that Src/Akt pathway and PKA signaling may regulate eNOS phosphorylation independently. The existence of multiple mechanisms for eNOS phosphorylation may guarantee endothelial nitric oxide production in various cellular contexts which is essential for maintenance of vascular health.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.102-108
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• 2016

With the rapid increase of data on protein-protein interactions, the need for delineating the 3D structures of huge protein complexes has increased. The protocols for determining nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure can be applied to modeling complex structures coupled with sparse experimental restraints. In this report, I suggest the use of multiple rigid bodies for improving the efficiency of NMR-assisted structure modeling of huge complexes using CYANA. By preparing a region of known structure as a new type of residue that has no torsion angle, one can facilitate the search of the conformational spaces. This method has a distinct advantage over the rigidification of a region with synthetic distance restraints, particularly for the calculation of huge molecules. I have demonstrated the idea with calculations of decaubiquitins that are linked via Lys6, Lys11, Lys27, Lys29, Lys33, Lys48, or Lys63, or head to tail. Here, the ubiquitin region consisting of residues 1-70 was treated as a rigid body with a new residue. The efficiency of the calculation was further demonstrated in Lys48-linked decaubiquitin with ambiguous distance restraints. The approach can be readily extended to either protein-protein complexes or large proteins consisting of several domains.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.2627-2632
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• 2010

Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) plays a major role in energy homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Several crystal structures of HSL-homolog proteins have been identified, which has led to a better understanding of its molecular function. HSL-homolog proteins exit as both monomer and dimer, but the biochemical and structural basis for such oligomeric states has not been successfully elucidated. Therefore, we determined the crystal structure of HSL-homolog protein EstE7 from a metagenome library at $2.2\;{\AA}$ resolution and characterized the oligomeric states of EstE7 both structurally and biochemically. EstE7 protein prefers the dimeric state in solution, which is supported by its higher enzymatic activity in the dimeric state. In the crystal form, EstE7 protein shows two-types of dimeric interface. Specifically, dimerization via the external ${beta}8$-strand occurred through tight association between two pseudosymmetric folds via salt bridges, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. This dimer formation was similar to that of other HSL-homolog protein structures such as AFEST, BEFA, and EstE1. We anticipate that our results will provide insight into the oligomeric state of HSL-homolog proteins.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.541-548
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• 1989

The present study was carried out to determine viral antigens and its morphogenesis in the ultrathin frozen and araldite sections of cell cultures infected with ADV by protein A-gold labeling. ADV antigens were labeled with 10nm gold probes, and electron-dense gold particles were mainly present on viral nucleocapsids and viral envelopes. Immunogold labeling in the ultracryosections showed a very low degree of interaction with tissue structures. Immunogold labeling in the ultrathin cryosections can be useful tool for the detection of ADV antigens, and the technique also may provide its great potential for immunocytochemical studies on various virus-host cell Interactions.