• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.61-70
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• 2009

We have examined the effects of certain mutations of the selectivity filter and of the membrane helix M2 on $Ba^{2+}$ blockage of the inward rectifier potassium channel, Kir 2.1. We expressed mutant and wild type murine Kir 2.1 in Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells and used the whole cell patch-clamp technique to record $K^+$ currents in the absence and presence of externally applied $Ba^{2+}$. Wild type Kir2.1 was blocked by externally applied $Ba^{2+}$ in a voltage and concentration dependent manner. Mutants of Y145 in the selectivity filter showed little change in the kinetics of $Ba^{2+}$ blockage. The estimated $K_d(0)$ was 108 ${\mu}M$ for Kir2.1 wild type, 124 ${\mu}M$ for a concatameric WT-Y145V dimer, 109 ${\mu}M$ for a WT-Y145L dimer, and 267 ${\mu}M$ for Y145F. Mutant channels T141A and S165L exhibit a reduced affinity together with a large reduction in the rate of blockage. In S165L, blockage proceeds with a double exponential time course, suggestive of more than one blocking site. The double mutation T141A/S165L dramatically reduced affinity for $Ba^{2+}$, also showing two components with very different time courses. Mutants D172K and D172R(lining the central, aqueous cavity of the channel) showed both a decreased affinity to $Ba^{2+}$ and a decrease in the on transition rate constant(${\kappa}_{on}$). These results imply that residues stabilising the cytoplasmic end of the selectivity filter(T141, S165) and in the central cavity(D172) are major determinants of high affinity $Ba^{2+}$ blockage in Kir 2.1.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2001

We have previously shown that oocyte maturation is induced by an immobilized progesterone, progesterone-3-carboxymethyloxime - bovine serum albumin conjugate (P-BSA) in Rana dybowskii. In this study, we confirmed the maturation inducing activity of P-BSA on Xenopus oocyte and examined the binding character of the immobilized progesterone on the surface of Xenopus oocytes after removal of the vitelline layer. P-BSA induced maturation of Xenopus oocytes but E-BSA failed to do so as observed in Rana. Binding of the immobilized progesterone, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled progesterone-3-0-carboxymethyloxime-BSA (P-BSA-FITC) on the devitellined oocytes surface was examined by fluorescence confocal microscopy. The binding affinity of P-BSA-FITC to the devitellined oocyte was higher than that of estrogen-BSA-FITC (E-BSA-FITC) or testosterone-BSA-FITC (T-BSA-FITC). The binding disappeared in the presence of excess free progesterone but not in the presence of free estrogen. Maximum binding occurred after two-hours of incubation with P-BSA-FITC at pH 7.5. Stronger binding occurred in oocytes at stage Vl than stage IV, and in vitro treatment of hCG enhanced the binding. Taken together, these results suggest that a specific receptor for progesterone exists on the plasma membrane of Xenopus oocytes and that progesterone acts initially on this putative receptors and triggers generation of membrane-mediated second messengers during the early stage of oocyte maturation In amphibians.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2010

Dermcidin is a human antibiotic peptide that is secreted by the sweat glands and has no homology to other known antimicrobial peptides. As an initial step toward understanding dermcidin's mode of action at bacterial membranes, we used homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR to determine the conformation of the peptide in 50% trifluoroethanol solution. We found that dermcidin adopts a flexible amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure with a helix-hinge-helix motif, which is a common molecular fold among antimicrobial peptides. Spin-down assays of dermcidin and several related peptides revealed that the affinity with which dermcidin binds to bacterial-mimetic membranes is primarily dependent on its amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure and its length (>30 residues); its negative net charge and acidic pI have little effect on binding. These findings suggest that the mode of action of dermcidin is similar to that of other membrane-targeting antimicrobial peptides, though the details of its antimicrobial action remain to be determined.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 1986

The effects of ginseng saponins on the sarcolemmal $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase were compared to gypsophila saponin, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), and Triton X-100 to elucidate whether the effects are due to the membrane distruption, using a highly enriched preparation of cardiac sarcolemma prepared from dog ventricular myocardium. About 26% and 29% of vesicles in the preparation, enriched in ouabain-sensitive $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATP ase, $\beta$-adrenergic and muscarinic receptors are rightside-out and inside-out orientation, respectively. Ginseng saponins (triol>total> diol) inhibited $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATP ase activity, $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase activity and [$^{3}$H]ouabain binding of sarcolemmal vesicles. However, gypsophila saponin, SDS (0.4$\mu$g/$\mu$g protein) and Triton X-100 (0.6 $\mu$g/$\mu$g protein) caused about 1.35 and 1.40-fold increase in $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase activity and [$^{3}$H] oubain binding, respectively. Especially, the activating effect of gypsophila saponin on membrane Na+, K+ ATPase was detected at gypsophila saponin to sarcolemmal protein ratios as high as 100. Low dose of ginseng saponin (3$\mu$g/$\mu$g protein) decreased the phosphorylation sites and the concentration of ouabain binding sites (Bmax) without affecting the turnover number and affinity for ouabain binding, while gypsophila saponin, SDS(0.4 ug/ug protein), ahd Triton X-100 (0.6$\mu$g/$\mu$g protein) increased the Bmax. The results suggest that ginseng saponins cause a decrease in the number of active sites by interacting directly with $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$-ATPase before disruption of membrane barriers of sarcolemmal vesicles.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.264-270
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• 1999

Enzyme electrodes for amperometric measurement of glucose were prepared by immobilization of glucose oxidase on an Immobilon-AV Affinity membrane and attachement to a Pt electrodes. The electrochemical oxidation of Hz02 was monitored at +0.8V vs. Ag/AgCl. Response was linear from 0.2 mM to 20mM. The detection limit was 10m3 mM. Response time, the optimum pH and life time of enzyme immobilized membrane was 12 seconds, pH 5.5(CH3COONaJCH3COOH) and about 27 days, respectively. When the enzyme electrode was applied for the determinaion of glucose with amperometric method, other physiolosical materials have not interfered. Also, we compared the result with that from AOAC(Association of Offical Analytical Chemists) method, measuring the glucose in sweet potato. The relative error was 0.1%.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.266-271
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• 1994

Lipsome system composed of egg phosphatidylcholine was employed to reduce the membrane toxicity of Amphotericin B(Amp. B). Liposomal Amp. B, which showed a free drug equivalent antibiotic effect on fungi, displayed a remarkable reduction of toxicity of the drug against the membrane of red blood cell than that of fungizone which has been used in clinical treatment, and it shows conspicuously lowered toxicity on red blood cells. However liposomal Amp. B which contains cholesterol as a component of liposome lowered the antibiotic effect and toxicity than that phosphatidylcholine liposome. This due to the affinity between Amp. B and cholesterol. In addition to this, ${\beta}$-glucuronidase from snail juice crude enzyme reveals synergistic effect on liposomal Amp. B and free Amp. B. We also obtained positively raised antibiotic effect, when enzyme which is coupled with palmitic acid using NHSP inserted into liposome bilayer From these results, we suppose that the use of liposomal system in the case of Amp. B shows increasing antibiotic effect and dramatically lowered toxicity, thus, we think that we can solve the problem of Amp. B toxicity, which cause hesitate of clinical use.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 2016

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular Apicomplexan parasite and a causative agent of toxoplasmosis in human. It causes encephalitis, uveitis, chorioretinitis, and congenital infection. T. gondii invades the host cell by forming a moving junction (MJ) complex. This complex formation is initiated by intermolecular interactions between the two secretory parasitic proteins-namely, apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) and rhoptry neck protein 2 (RON2) and is critically essential for the host invasion process. By this study, we propose two potential leads, NSC95522 and NSC179676 that can efficiently target the AMA1 hydrophobic cleft, which is a hotspot for targeting MJ complex formation. The proposed leads are the result of an exhaustive conformational search-based virtual screen with multilevel precision scoring of the docking affinities. These two compounds surpassed all the precision levels of docking and also the stringent post docking and cumulative molecular dynamics evaluations. Moreover, the backbone flexibility of hotspot residues in the hydrophobic cleft, which has been previously reported to be essential for accommodative binding of RON2 to AMA1, was also highly perturbed by these compounds. Furthermore, binding free energy calculations of these two compounds also revealed a significant affinity to AMA1. Machine learning approaches also predicted these two compounds to possess more relevant activities. Hence, these two leads, NSC95522 and NSC179676, may prove to be potential inhibitors targeting AMA1-RON2 complex formation towards combating toxoplasmosis.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2005

The objectives of the current study were to develop polyclonal antibodies in sheep against adipocyte plasma membrane(APM) proteins isolated from swine, to investigate tissue specificity, and to determine cytotoxic effects of antiserum on swine adipocytes. Plasma membrane proteins from adipocyte, brain, heart, kidney, liver, and spleen were isolated using a 32% sucrose gradient. Adult male sheep was immunized three times at three week interval with the purified swine APM proteins. Antiserum was taken from immunized sheep at 10, 12, and 14 days after the third immunization. Antiserum expressed strong reactivity with APM proteins determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and the reactivity could be detected at dilutions in excess of 1 : 81,000. Antiserum showed very low binding affinity with proteins isolated from brain, heart, kidney, liver, or spleen. Tissue specificity of the antiserum was reconfirmed by Western immunoblotting using anti-sheep immunoglobulin G•alkalinephosphatase conjugate as a secondary antibody. The reactivity of antiserum to the external surface of fixed swine adipocytes was confmned by an immunohistochemical technique using anti-sheep immunoglobulin G-FITC. Confluent swine adipocytes in culture were lysed by antiserum treatment and cytosolie lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) was released as a dose-dependent patterns while adipocytes treated with normal sheep serum maintained their integrity and expressed low level of LDH. These results implicate that fat contents in the pigs can be reduced by immunological methods.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 1999

In order to eventually fabricate an analytical system for infectious microorganisms, we synthesized major immunochemical components, utilized them for the construction of model system, and investigated an assay concept for bacterial whole cells. For the preparation of system components, a polyclonal antibody, against Salmonella thompson as model analyte, purified by immuno-affinity chromatography was used to chemically link to streptavidin or an enzyme, horseradish peroxidase(HRP). The antibody and streptavidin was modified with sulfosuccinimidyl 4-[N-maleimidomethyl]cyclohexane-1-carboxylate and N-succinimidyl-3-[2-pyridyldithio]propionate(subsequently activated by dithiotheritol), respectively. The modified components were reacted to synthesize antibody-streptavidin conjugates which were then purified on a two-layer chromatography column of diaminobiotin gel and Sephadex G-100. For antibody-HRP conjugates, HRP molecules were activated by $NalO_4$ oxidation and then coupled to immunoglobulin. After stabilizing with ($NaCNBH_3$, the conjugates were purified by size exclusion chromatography on Biogel A5M column. To devise a model system, such produced components were combined with a dot-blotter in which a nitrocellulose membrane($12{\mu}m$ pre size) with immobilized biotin was already located. The analyte (S. thompson cells) was reacted with the both antibody conjugates in a liquid phase, and the complexes formed were captured on the membrane surfaces by applying vacuum in the bottom compartment of the blotter to invoke biotin-streptavidin reaction. Under optimal conditions, the system enabled to identify the analytical concept for bacterial whole cells, and the lower limit of detection was approximately $1{\mu}g/m{\ell}$($10^5-10^6$ cells/m$m{\ell}$). The controlling factors were the concentrations of each antibody conjugate that caused agglutination in the presence of analyte as they increased.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 2013

The effect of layered double hydroxides (LDH) on the gas separation properties of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer was investigated. Mg-Al LDH/EVA nanocomposite membranes were prepared from solution intercalation using organically modified LDH (DS-LDH). Dodecyl sulfate (DS)-LDH was obtained by the intercalation of DS anion in the interlayer. The nanocomposite structure has been elucidated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD pattern clearly shows that the DS-LDH layers are disorderly well dispersed in the EVA matrix. The maximum tensile strength and elongation of the LDH/EVA nanocomposite membrane were found with the LDH content 3 wt%. The thermal properties of nanocompostie membrane were enhanced by the incorporation of LDH in EVA matrix. Gas permeation of LDH/EVA nanocomposite membranes with LDH contents of 1, 3, 5 wt% was studied for $O_2$ and $CO_2$ single gases. The presence of 3 wt% LDH decreased $O_2$ permeability by up to 53% compared to the EVA membrane. In spite of barrier property of nanocomposite membrane, however, the gas permeability for $CO_2$ was increased due to its strong affinity with the residual OH groups on the LDH.