• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2017

In a previous study, we analyzed the transcriptome of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans using next-generation sequencing technology and identified several antimicrobial peptide candidates. One of the peptides, scolopendrasin V, was selected based on the physicochemical properties of antimicrobial peptides using a bioinformatics strategy. In this study, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of scolopendrasin V using the radial diffusion assay and colony count assay. We also investigated the mode of action of scolopendrasin V using flow cytometry. We found that scolopendrasin V's mechanism of action involved binding to the surface of microorganisms via a specific interaction with lipopolysaccharides, lipoteichoic acid, and peptidoglycans, which are components of the bacterial membrane. These results provide a basis for developing peptide antibiotics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1185-1188
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• 2010

Previously, papiliocin was isolated from the swallowtail butterfly Papilio xuthus and its antimicrobial activity was suggested. In this study, the antifungal mechanism of papiliocin against Candida albicans was investigated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence analysis indicated that papiliocin disturbed the fungal plasma membrane. Moreover, the assessment of the release of FITC-dextran (FD) from liposomes further demonstrated that the antifungal mechanism of papiliocin could have originated from the pore-forming action and that the radius of the pores was presumed to be anywhere from 2.3 to 3.3 nm.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.7 no.s1
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• pp.44-49
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• 1998

The antimicrobial effects of HAp and Ag-HAp was observed using periprosthetic infection bacteria such as Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Staphylococcus Epidermidis, Escherichia coli (DH5$\alpha$). Ag-HAp showed good antimicrobial effects. TEM study of E. coli with and without Ag treatment in HAp was experimented in order to find the mechanism of Ag in antimicrobial effects. It was observed that the shape of Ag-treated E. coli was changed, the cells walls became inhomogeneous. The vaculoes at cytoplasm formed into E. coli and finally it was discovered by EDAX that there were many dark granules which contain the Ag element inside the cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.2809-2812
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• 2014

The 43-residue defensin-like peptide coprisin, which is isolated from dung bettle, Copris tripartitus, is a potent antimicrobial peptide. In our previous work, we determined the tertiary structure of coprisin and found that alpha helical region of coprisin from residue 19 to residue 30 is important for its antimicrobial activities. Here, we designed cop12mer and cop9mer analogs of coprisin based on the tertiary structure of coprisin. To investigate the relationship between hydrophobicity and antimicrobial activities and develop the potent peptide antibiotics, we designed cop9mer-1 with substitution of $His^2$ with Trp in cop9mer. The results showed that cop9mer-1 has higher toxicities as well as improved antimicrobial activities compared to cop9mer. In order to reduce the toxicity of cop9mer-1, we designed cop9mer-2 and cop9mer-3 with substitution of $Cys^3$ with Lys or Ser. Substitution of $Cys^3$ with these hydrophilic amino acids results in lower cytotoxicities compared to cop9mer-1. Cop9mer-2 with substitution of $Cys^3$ with Lys in Cop9mer-1 showed high antibacterial activities against drug resistant bacteria without cytotoxicity. Antibiotic action of cop9mer-1 analog appears to involve permeabilization of the bacterial cell membrane while cop9mer-2 and cop9mer-3 may have different mechanism of action. These results imply that that optimum balance in hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity in these 9-meric peptides plays key roles in their antimicrobial activities as well as cytotoxicities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.3-6
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• 2000

Antimicrobial resistance has been a well-recognized problem ever since the introduction of penicillin into clinical use. History of antimicrobial development can be categorized based on the major antibiotics that had been developed against emerging resistant $pathogens^1$. In the first period from 1940 to 1960, penicillin was a dominating antibiotic called as a "magic bullet", although S.aureus armed with penicillinase led antimicrobial era to the second period in 1960s and 1970s. The second stage was characterized by broad-spectrum penicillins and early generation cephalosporins. During this period, nosocomial infections due to gram-negative bacilli became more prevalent, while those caused by S.aureus declined. A variety of new antimicrobial agents with distinct mechanism of action including new generation cephalosporins, monobactams, carbapenems, ${\beta}$-lactamase inhibitors, and quinolones characterized the third period from 1980s to 1990s. However, extensive use of wide variety of antibiotics in the community and hospitals has fueled the crisis in emerging antimicrobial resistance. Newly appeared drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (DRSP), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase-producing Klebsiella, and VRSA have posed a serious threat in many parts of the world. Given the recent epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance and its clinical impact, there is no greater challenge related to emerging infections than the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Problems of antimicrobial resistance can be amplified by the fact that resistant clones or genes can spread within or between the species as well as to geographically distant areas which leads to a global concern$^2$. Antimicrobial resistance is primarily generated and promoted by increased use of antimicrobial agents. Unfortunately, as many as 50 % of prescriptions for antibiotics are reported to be inappropriate$^3$. Injudicious use of antibiotics even for viral upper respiratory infections is a universal phenomenon in every part of the world. The use of large quantities of antibiotics in the animal health industry and farming is another major factor contributing to selection of antibiotic resistance. In addition to these background factors, the tremendous increase in the immunocompromised hosts, popular use of invasive medical interventions, and increase in travel and mixing of human populations are contributing to the resurgence and spread of antimicrobial resistance$^4$. Antimicrobial resistance has critical impact on modem medicine both in clinical and economic aspect. Patients with previously treatable infections may have fatal outcome due to therapeutic failure that is unusual event no more. The potential economic impact of antimicrobial resistance is actually uncountable. With the increase in the problems of resistant organisms in the 21st century, however, additional health care costs for this problem must be enormously increasing.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.507-516
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• 2005

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been isolated and characterized from tissues and organisms representing virtually every kingdom and phylum. Their amino acid composition, amphipathicity, cationic charge, and size allow them to attach to and insert into membrane bilayers to form pores by 'barrel-stave', 'carpet' or 'toroidal-pore' mechanisms. Although these models are helpful for defining mechanisms of AMP activity, their relevance to resolving how peptides damage and kill microorganisms still needs to be clarified. Moreover, many AMPs employ sophisticated and dynamic mechanisms of action to carry out their likely roles in antimicrobial host defense. Recently, it has been speculated that transmembrane pore formation is not the only mechanism of microbial killing by AMPs. In fact, several observations suggest that translocated AMPs can alter cytoplasmic membrane septum formation, reduce cell-wall, nucleic acid, and protein synthesis, and inhibit enzymatic activity. In this review, we present the structures of several AMPs as well as models of how AMPs induce pore formation. AMPs have received special attention as a possible alternative way to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. It may be possible to design synthetic AMPs with enhanced activity for microbial cells, especially those with antibiotic resistance, as well as synergistic effects with conventional antibiotic agents that lack cytotoxic or hemolytic activity.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.87-89
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• 2017

Apo-transferrin is an iron-binding protein that has been reported to have an antimicrobial effect. It is considered a major component of the host defense mechanism as it limits microbial access to iron. This study was performed to investigate whether bovine apo-transferrin would have an inhibitory effect on the growth of S. pseudintermedius, which is one of the most isolated bacteria from dogs, and to compare the antimicrobial efficacy with bovine holo-transferrin. S. pseudintermedius were grown at $37^{\circ}C$ in 96-well culture plates using Muller Hinton broth containing bovine apo-transferrin or bovine holo-transferrin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 or 2.5 to 5.0 mg/ml. The optical densities of the wells were then measured at 570 nm. In this study, the apo-transferrin showed dose-dependent antimicrobial effect against S. pseudintermedius while holo-transferrin did not inhibit the growth of S. pseudintermedius effectively. The results suggest that iron deprivation is an important pathway for inhibiting bacterial growth and bovine apo-transferrin has great antimicrobial effects against S. pseudintermedius.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.371-378
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• 2016

An aim of current study was to investigate the prevalence and the mechanism of quinolone-resistance in E. coli isolates obtained from chicken cecum in Korea. In addition, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was also performed for the molecular characterization of E. coli isolates. In an antimicrobial susceptibility test by the disk diffusion method, the 63.5% (54/85) of E. coli isolates showed the resistance to quinolone group of antimicrobial agents. All of the 54 E. coli isolates showing resistant to quinolone group had sense mutations in gyrA gene and point mutations at the $57^{th}$, $80^{th}$, or $84^{th}$ residues in parC gene were detected in 90.7% of the isolates. Interestingly, E. coli ST was closely related to amino acid substitutions in parE gene. Our results indicated that the long-term use of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals was strongly associated with a prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in commensal Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting the need for continuous surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant determinants in bacterial isolates from food animals.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.875-885
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• 2022

This study was performed to confirm the optimal extraction method for antimicrobial peptides from the Hard-shelled mussel. Extractions were performed with two processes including 1% HAc/boiling and 1% HAc/non-boiling methods and used extracts for the comparison of the antimicrobial activity, protease stability, action mechanism, AU-PAGE (acid-urea PAGE), and HPLC chromatograms. 1% HAc/boiling extract showed potent antibacterial activities both against Gram-positive and negative bacterium but 1% HAc/non-boiling extract showed antibacterial activity only against Gram-positive bacteria. Treatment of 1% HAc/boiling extract with proteases retained almost antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, but abolished significant antibacterial activity against E. coli D31. Only 1% HAc/boiling extract showed two discrete clearing antibacterial zones including slow migrating and rapid migrating zones. Both extracts showed strong DNA-binding ability but did not show bacterial membrane permeabilizing ability. In comparison of the chromatogram obtained from C₁₈ or cation-exchange HPLC, the eluted peaks from 1% HAc/boiling extract showed high hydrophobic property or absorbance compared to 1% HAc/non-boiling extract, respectively. The concentration of the purified antimicrobial peptide was also higher in 1% HAc/boiling extract than in 1% HAc/non-boiling extract. Our results suggest that the effective extraction condition for antimicrobial peptides from marine invertebrate is boiling process in a weak acetic acid solution (1%).

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.3267-3274
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• 2014

In order to investigate the effects of the double replacement of $\small{L}$-Pro, $\small{D}$-Pro, $\small{D}$-Leu or Nleu (the peptoid residue for Leu) in the hydrophobic face (positions 9 and 13) of amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helical non-cell-selective antimicrobial peptide $L_8K_9W_1$ on the structure, cell selectivity and mechanism of action, we synthesized a series of $L_8K_9W_1$ analogs with double replacement of $\small{L}$-Pro, $\small{D}$-Pro, $\small{D}$-Leu or Nleu in the hydrophobic face of $L_8K_9W_1$. In this study, we have confirmed that the double replacement of $\small{L}$-Pro, $\small{D}$-Pro, or Nleu in the hydrophobic face of $L_8K_9W_1$ let to a great increase in the selectivity toward bacterial cells and a complete destruction of ${\alpha}$-helical structure. Interestingly, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{L}$-Pro, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{D}$-Pro and $L_8K_9W_1$-Nleu preferentially interacted with negatively charged phospholipids, but unlike $L_8K_9W_1$ and $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{D}$-Leu, they did not disrupt the integrity of lipid bilayers and depolarize the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. These results suggested that the mode of action of $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{L}$-Pro, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{D}$-Pro and $L_8K_9W_1$-Nleu involves the intracellular target other than the bacterial membrane. In particular, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{L}$-Pro, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{D}$-Pro and $L_8K_9W_1$-Nleu had powerful antimicrobial activity (MIC range, 1 to $4{\mu}M$) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA). Taken together, our results suggested that $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{L}$-Pro, $L_8K_9W_1$-$\small{D}$-Pro and $L_8K_9W_1$-Nleu with great cell selectivity may be promising candidates for novel therapeutic agents, complementing conventional antibiotic therapies to combat pathogenic microorganisms.