• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.62-66
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• 2010

Benzopyrene is known to be one of the most powerful carcinogens which can build intercalated motif between base pairs in damaged DNA. The dimension of benzopyrene itself is much bigger than any of the DNA bases and thus the question whether the lesion of some base pair by insertion of benzopyrene can happen with or without a dramatic distortion of the helical structure is a highly interesting theme. In this work we used a molecular mechanics simulation using AMBER program package to go into the conformational characteristics. The condition of the insertion process of the benzopyrene motif from minor groove of the starting structure between the base pairs in the internal area of double helix was investigated using the molecular dynamics simulation at elevated temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.54-60
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• 2015

Papiliocin, from the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus, shows high bacterial cell selectivity against Gram-negative bacteria. Recently, we designed a 22mer analog with N-terminal helix from $Lys^3$ to $Ala^{22}$, PapN. It shows outstanding antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria with low toxicity against mammalian cells. In this study, we determined the 3-D structure of PapN in 300 mM DPC micelle using NMR spectroscopy and investigated the interactions between PapN and DPC micelles. The results showed that PapN has an amphipathic ${\alpha}$-helical structure from $Lys^3$ to $Lys^{21}$. STD-NMR and DOSY experiment showed that this helix is important in binding to the bacterial cell membrane. Furthermore, we tested antibacterial activities of PapN in the presence of salt for therapeutic application. PapN was calcium- and magnesium-resistant in a physiological condition, especially against Gram-negative bacteria, implying that it can be a potent candidate as peptide antibiotics.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.73-84
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• 2007

MTH1821 (UniProtKB/TrEMBL ID O27849) is a 96-residue hypothetical protein from the open reading frame of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum H one of the target organisms of structural genomics pilot project. Proteins which contain conserved sequence compared with MTH1821 have not been discovered yet and the functional and structural information for MTH1821 is not available. Here, we present the sequence-specific backbone resonance using multidimensional heteronuc1ear NMR spectroscopy and propose the secondary structure using GetSBY software. The backbone resonances of N, HN, $C_{\alpha}$, $C_{\beta}$, CO and $H_{\alpha}$ which are necessary for a prediction of secondary structure by GetSBY were assigned about 98% (557/568). The secondary structure of MTH1821 confirmed that it is comprised of four strand regions and two helical regions. This report will provide a valuable resource for the calculation solution structure of MTH1821 and for the other hypothetical protein that is targeted for structural-based functional discovery.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.591-594
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• 2005

One of the small proteins from Helicobacter pylori, HP1242, was investigated by the solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. HP1242 is known as a 76-residue conserved hypothetical protein and its function cannot be identified based on sequence homology. Here, the results of the backbone $^1H$, $^{15}N$, and $^{13}C$ resonance assignments of the HP1242 are reported using double- and triple-resonance techniques. About 95% of all of the $^1HN$, $^{15}N$, $^{13}CO$, $^{13}C{\alpha}$, and $^{13}C{\beta}$ resonances that cover 75 non- Proline residues of the 76 residues are clarified through sequential- and specific- assignments. In addition, three helical regions were clearly identified on the basis of the resonance assignments.

• Proceedings of the Korea Crystallographic Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.24-24
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• 2002

HtrA (high temperature requirement A), a periplasmic heat shock protein, is known to have molecular chaperone function at low temperatures and proteolytic activity at elevated temperatures. To investigate the mechanism of functional switch to pretense, we have determined the crystal structure of the N-terminal protease domain (PD) of HtrA from Thermotoga maritima. HtrA PD shares the same fold with chymotrypsin-like serine professes. However, crystal structure suggests that HtrA PD is not an active pretense at current state since its active site is not formed properly and blocked by an additional helical lid. On the surface of the lid, HtrA PD has hydrophobic patches that could be potential substrate binding sites for molecular chaperone activity. Present structure suggests that the activation of the proteolytic function of HtrA PD at elevated temperatures might occur by the conformational change.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.143-153
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• 2009

Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH) is composed of 10 amino acids, and is best known as a neurotransmitter. Because of the 80% homology in animals, much more concerns have focused on the substances that have similar functions or can control LHRH. Ni, Cu-LHRH complexes were synthesized. The degree of complexation was monitored by $^1H,\;^{13}C$-NMR chemical shifts, and final products were identified by ESI-Mass spectrum. Solution-state structure determination of Ni-LHRH complex was accomplished by using NMR results and NMR-based distance geometry (DG). Interproton distances from nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) were utilized for the molecular structure determination. Results were compared with previous structures obtained from energy minimization and other spectroscopic methods. Structure obtained in this study has a cyclic conformation which is similar to that of energy minimized, and exhibits a specific a-helical turn with residue numbers (2~7) out of 10 amino acids. Comparison of chemical shifts and EPR studies of Ni, Cu-LHRH complexes exhibit that Ni-LHRH complex has same binding sites with the 4-coordination mode as in Zn-LHRH complex.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.437-440
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• 2007

$OGL-20P^T$-358 is a novel 66 amino acid residue protein from the hyperthermophile Thermococcus thioreducens sp. nov., strain $OGL-20P^T$, which was collected from the wall of the hydrothermal black smoker in the Rainbow Vent along the mid-Atlantic ridge. This protein, which has no detectable sequence homology with proteins or domains of known function, has a calculated pI of 4.76 and a molecular mass of 8.2 kDa. We report here the backbone $^1H$, $^{15}N$, and $^{13}C$ resonance assignments of $OGL-20P^T$-358. Assignments are 97.5% (316/324) complete. Chemical shift index was used to determine the secondary structure of the protein, which appears to consist of primarily ${\alpha}$-helical regions. This work is the foundation for future studies to determine the three-dimensional solution structure of the protein.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.453-457
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• 2020

The right-handed double-helical structure of DNA (B-DNA), which follows the Watson-Crick model, is the canonical form of DNA existing in normal physiological settings. Even though an alternative left-handed structure of DNA (Z-DNA) was discovered in the late 1970s, Z-form nucleic acid has not received much attention from biologists, because it is extremely unstable under physiological conditions, has an ill-defined mechanism of its formation, and has obscure biological functions. The debate about the physiological relevance of Z-DNA was settled only after a class of proteins was found to potentially recognize the Z-form architecture of DNA. Interestingly, these Z-DNA binding proteins can bind not only the left-handed form of DNA but also the equivalent structure of RNA (Z-RNA). The Z-DNA/RNA binding proteins present from viruses to humans function as important regulators of biological processes. In particular, the proteins ADAR1 and ZBP1 are currently being extensively re-evaluated in the field to understand potential roles of the noncanonical Z-conformation of nucleic acids in host immune responses and human disease. Despite a growing body of evidence supporting the biological importance of Z-DNA/RNA, there remain many unanswered principal questions, such as when Z-form nucleic acids arise and how they signal to downstream pathways. Understanding Z-DNA/RNA and the sensors in different pathophysiological conditions will widen our view on the regulation of immune responses and open a new door of opportunity to develop novel types of immunomodulatory therapeutic possibilities.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.440-445
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• 1999

In order to investigate structure-antibiotic activity relationships of brevinin-1 and thanatin containing Rana box composed of basic loop formed by disulfide bridge in their arboxy terminus, thanatin, brevinin 1 and their analogues (T-B1, T-B2 and B-T) in which their Rana box sequence exchanged was designed and synthesized by the solid phase method using Fmoc-chemistry. The basic sequence of Rana box of thanatin had more significant effect on both antibacterial and antifungal activity than that of brevinin 1. The tail sequence (QRM) of thanatin was found to be important in its antibacterial and antifungal activity. Rana box sequence of brevinin-1 did not have a significant effect on its antitumor and phospholipid vesicle-aggregating activities. Brevinin-1 showed stronger $\alpha$-helical structure in the membrane-mimicking environment such as SDS micelle than thanatin. A remarkable increase in a-helicity of bervinin-1 plays more important role in antibiotic activity than that of thanatin. Furthermore, antibacterial activity of thanatin against E. coli resulted from the disruptive effect against the outer cell membrane of E. coli.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.268-275
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• 2000

In contrast to the pyrimidine (6-4)pyrimidone photoproduct [(6-4) adduct], its Dewar valence isomer (Dewar product) is low mutagenic and produces a broad range of mutations with a 42 % replicating error frequency. In order to determine the origin of the mutagenic property of the Dewar product, we used experimental NMR restraints and molecular dynamics to determine the solution structure of a Dewar·lesion DNA decamer duplex, which contains a mismatched base pair between the 3'-T residue and an opposed G residue. The 3'-T of the Dewar lesion forms stable hydrogen bonds with the opposite G residue. The helical bending and unwinding angles of the DW/GA duplex, however, are much higher than those of the DW/AA duplex. The stable hydrogen bonding of the G 15 residue does not increase the thermal stability of the overall helix. It also does not restore the distorted backbone conformation of the DNA helix that is caused by the forming of a Dewar lesion. These structural features implicate that no thermal stability, or conformational benefits of G over A opposite the 3'-T of the Dewar lesion, facilitate the preferential incorporation of an A. This is in accordance with the A rule during translesion replication and leads to the low frequent $3'-T{\rightarrow}C$ mutation at this site.