• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.680-689
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• 2020

Background: Peptides have diverse and important physiological roles in plants and are ideal markers for species identification. It is unclear whether there are specific peptides in Panax quinquefolius L. (PQ). The aims of this study were to identify Quinetides, a series of diverse posttranslational modified native peptides of the ribonuclease-like storage protein (ginseng major protein), from PQ to explore novel peptide markers and develop a new method to distinguish PQ from Panax ginseng. Methods: We used different fragmentation modes in the LTQ Orbitrap analysis to identify the enriched Quinetide targets of PQ, and we discovered Quinetide markers of PQ and P. ginseng using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. These "peptide markers" were validated by simultaneously monitoring Rf and F11 as standard ginsenosides. Results: We discovered 100 Quinetides of PQ with various post-translational modifications (PTMs), including a series of glycopeptides, all of which originated from the protein ginseng major protein. We effectively distinguished PQ from P. ginseng using new "peptide markers." Four unique peptides (Quinetides TP6 and TP7 as markers of PQ and Quinetides TP8 and TP9 as markers of P. ginseng) and their associated glycosylation products were discovered in PQ and P. ginseng. Conclusion: We provide specific information on PQ peptides and propose the clinical application of peptide markers to distinguish PQ from P. ginseng.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.384-393
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• 2006

Protein carboxylmethylation methylates the free carboxyl groups in various substrate proteins by protein carboxyl O-methyltransferase (PCMT) and is one of the post-translational modifications. There have been many studies on protein carboxylmethylation. However, the precise functional role in mammalian systems is unclear. In this study, immunoglobulin, a specific form of $\gamma-globulin$, which is a well-known substrate for PCMT, was chosen to investigate the regulatory roles of protein carboxylmethylation in the immune system. It was found that the anti-BSA antibody could be carboxylmethylated via spleen PCMT to a level similar to $\gamma-globulin$. This carboxylmethylation increased the hydrophobicity of the anti-BSA antibody up to 11.4%, and enhanced the antigen-binding activity of this antibody up to 24.6%. In particular, the Fc region showed a higher methyl accepting capacity with 80% of the whole structure level. According to the amino acid sequence alignment, indeed, 7 aspartic acids and 5 glutamic acids, as potential carboxylmethylation sites, were found to be conserved in the Fc portion in the human, mouse and rabbit. The carboxylmethylation of the anti-BSA antibody was reversibly demethylated under a higher pH and long incubation time. Therefore, these results suggest that protein carboxylmethylation may reversibly regulate the antibody-mediated immunological events via the Fc region.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.265-278
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• 1973

The incoherent neutron scattering cross section of molecular liquids is analyzed using a damping function model for correlation functions of molecular translations and rotations. The present approach is different from recent works in that the scattering function is evaluated directly, not through the intermediate scattering function. The damping fuction is determined from a simple relation between its long-wavelength limit and the generalized frequency distribution function, and translation-rotation couplings are assumed to be neglected. A physical model is used for the translational motions of center-of-mass of a molecule, including properly its short-time and long-time behaviors. A simple model for the rotational motions is suggested which relates the damping function to the Fourier transform of the dipole correlation function, or equivalently, the infrared vibrational absorption spectrum. Theoretical absolute scattering intensities are computed for liquid methane and shown to be in satisfactory agreement with both thermal and cold neutron measurements.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.168-175
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• 2020

Runx2 is an essential transcription factor for skeletal development. It is expressed in multipotent mesenchymal cells, osteoblast-lineage cells, and chondrocytes. Runx2 plays a major role in chondrocyte maturation, and Runx3 is partly involved. Runx2 regulates chondrocyte proliferation by directly regulating Ihh expression. It also determines whether chondrocytes become those that form transient cartilage or permanent cartilage, and functions in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Runx2 is essential for osteoblast differentiation and is required for the proliferation of osteoprogenitors. Ihh is required for Runx2 expression in osteoprogenitors, and hedgehog signaling and Runx2 induce the differentiation of osteoprogenitors to preosteoblasts in endochondral bone. Runx2 induces Sp7 expression, and Runx2, Sp7, and canonical Wnt signaling are required for the differentiation of preosteoblasts to immature osteoblasts. It also induces the proliferation of osteoprogenitors by directly regulating the expression of Fgfr2 and Fgfr3. Furthermore, Runx2 induces the proliferation of mesenchymal cells and their commitment into osteoblast-lineage cells through the induction of hedgehog (Gli1, Ptch1, Ihh), Fgf (Fgfr2, Fgfr3), Wnt (Tcf7, Wnt10b), and Pthlh (Pth1r) signaling pathway gene expression in calvaria, and more than a half-dosage of Runx2 is required for their expression. This is a major cause of cleidocranial dysplasia, which is caused by heterozygous mutation of RUNX2. Cbfb, which is a co-transcription factor that forms a heterodimer with Runx2, enhances DNA binding of Runx2 and stabilizes Runx2 protein by inhibiting its ubiquitination. Thus, Runx2/Cbfb regulates the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes and osteoblast-lineage cells by activating multiple signaling pathways and via their reciprocal regulation.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.1142-1158
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• 2021

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolic products produced during the microbial fermentation of non-digestible fibers and play an important role in metabolic homeostasis and overall gut health. In this study, we investigated the effects of supplementation with multispecies probiotics (MSPs) containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, and Levilactobacillus brevis on the gut microbiota, and fecal SCFAs and lactate levels of weaned pigs. A total of 38 pigs weaned at 4 weeks of age were fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with MSPs for 6 weeks. MSP administration significantly increased the fecal concentrations of lactate (2.3-fold; p < 0.01), acetate (1.8-fold; p < 0.05), and formate (1.4-fold; p < 0.05). Moreover, MSP supplementation altered the gut microbiota of the pigs by significantly increasing the population of potentially beneficial bacteria such as Olsenella, Catonella, Catenibacterium, Acidaminococcus, and Ruminococcaceae. MSP supplementation also decreased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia and Chlamydia. The modulation of the gut microbiota was observed to be strongly correlated with the changes in fecal SCFAs and lactate levels. Furthermore, we found changes in the functional pathways present within the gut, which supports our findings that MSP modulates the gut microbiota and SCFAs levels in pigs. The results support the potential use of MSPs to improve the gut health of animals by modulating SCFAs production.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.85-89
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• 2019

Cell-free protein synthesis utilizes the translational machinery in a cell extract. Unlike the conventional cell-based expression methods, not being affected by the conditions for cell growth, cell-free protein synthesis enables flexible manipulation of individual factors affecting the efficiency protein biosynthesis. However, the high cost and low stability of the energy sources to regenerate ATP have limited the use of cell-free synthesis for large-scale production of recombinant proteins. One of the approaches to address this problem is to use glucose as an alternative energy source to regenerate ATP through the glucose-metabolizing pathways in a cell extract. In this study, in an attempt to improve the efficiency of ATP regeneration by reinforcing oxidative phosphorylation process, we supplemented with cellular lipids to a glucose-fueled reaction mixture for cell-free protein synthesis. As a result of the lipid supplementation, the productivity of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in a cell-free synthesis system using glucose increased more than 6 fold compared to when the lipid was not supplemented.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.128-133
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• 2018

Appropriate prescription writing is one of the critical medical processes affecting the quality of public health care. However, this is a complex task for newly qualified intern doctors because of its complex characteristics requiring sufficient knowledge of medications and principles of clinical pharmacology, skills of diagnosis and communication, and critical judgment. This study aims to gather data on the current status of undergraduate prescribing education in South Korea. Two surveys were administered in this study: survey A to 26 medical schools in South Korea to gather information on the status of undergraduate education in clinical pharmacology; and survey B to 244 intern doctors in large hospitals to gather their opinions regarding prescribing education and ability. In survey A, half of the responding institutions provided prescribing education via various formats of classes over two curriculums including lecture, applied practice, group discussions, computer-utilized training, and workshops. In survey B, we found that intern doctors have the least confidence when prescribing drugs for special patient populations, especially pregnant women. These intern doctors believed that a case-based practical training or group discussion class would be an effective approach to supplement their prescribing education concurrently or after the clerkship in medical schools or right before starting intern training with a core drug list. The results of the present study may help instructors in charge of prescribing education when communicating and cooperating with each other to improve undergraduate prescribing education and the quality of national medical care.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.63-66
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• 2017

Allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome are reportedly associated with the $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ genotype. Three patients who developed SCARs after allopurinol administration were subjected to HLA-B genotyping and lymphocyte activation test (LAT) to evaluate genetic risk and to detect the causative agent, respectively. All three patients given allopurinol to treat gout were diagnosed with DRESS syndrome. Symptom onset commenced 7-24 days after drug exposure; the patients took allopurinol (100-200 mg/d) for 2-30 days. HLA-B genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-based typing (SBT) method. All patients had a single $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ allele: $HLA-B^{\star}13:02/^{\star}58:01$ (a 63-year-old male), $HLA-B^{\star}48:01/^{\star}58:01$ (a 71-year-old female), and $HLA-B^{\star}44:03/^{\star}58:01$ (a 22-year-old male). Only the last patient yielded a positive LAT result, confirming that allopurinol was the causative agent. These findings suggest that patients with $HLA-B^{\star}58:01$ may develop SCARs upon allopurinol administration. Therefore, HLA-B genotyping could be helpful in preventing serious problems attributable to allopurinol treatment, although PCR-SBT HLA-B genotyping is time consuming. A simple genotyping test is required in practice. LAT may help to identify a causative agent.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2021

Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing unmethylated CpG phosphorothioate (PS CpG-ODN) are known to decrease IgE synthesis in Th2 allergy responses. Nonetheless, the therapeutic role of PS CpG-ODN is limited due to cytotoxicity. Therefore, we developed a phosphodiester (PO) form of CpG-ODN (46O) with reduced toxicity but effective against allergies. In this study, we first compared the toxicity of 46O with CpG-ODNs containing a PS backbone (1826S). We also investigated the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of 46O injected intravenously in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD). To elucidate the mechanism of 46O underlying the inhibition of IgE production, IgE- and TGF-β-associated molecules were evaluated in CD40/IL-4- or LPS/IL-4-stimulated B cells. Our data showed that the treatment with 46O was associated with a lower hematological toxicity compared with 1826S. In addition, injection with 46O reduced erythema, epidermal thickness, and suppressed IgE and IL-4 synthesis in mice with OVA-induced AD. Additionally, 46O induced TGF-β production in LPS/IL-4-stimulated B cells via inhibition of Smad7, which suppressed IgE synthesis via interaction between Id2 and E2A. These findings suggest that enhanced TGF-β signaling is an effective treatment for IgE-mediated allergic conditions, and 46O may be safe and effective for treating allergic diseases such as AD and asthma.

• Exercise Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2017

INTRODUCTION: Regulation of skeletal muscle protein mass is implicated not only in exercise performance but in metabolic health. Exercise in combination with nutrition, particularly dietary protein/amino acid intake, are the pragmatic approach that effectively induces muscle anabolic response (i.e., muscle hypertrophy) through regulating protein synthesis and breakdown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to summarize available data on the effect of exercise intervention and amino acids intake on muscle protein synthesis and breakdown and provide an insight into development of an effective exercise intervention and amino acids supplements, applicable to training practice. METHODS: In this review, we have reviewed currently available data mainly from stable isotope tracer studies with respect to the effect of exercise intervention and protein or amino acid supplement on muscle protein anabolic response. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, exercise alone may not be effective in achieving a positive net muscle protein balance due to the fact that protein breakdown still exceeds protein synthesis until nutrition intake such as protein/amino acids. It appears that muscle anabolic response increases in proportional to the amount of protein intake up to 20 - 35 g depending on quality of protein, age, differences on exercise intensity, duration, and frequency, and individual's training status