• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.9
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• pp.804-812
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• 2020

In cells, proteins form macromolecular complexes to execute their own unique roles in biological processes. Conventional structural biology methods adopt a bottom-up approach starting from defined sets of proteins to investigate the structures and interactions of protein complexes. However, this approach does not reflect the diverse and complex landscape of endogenous molecular architectures. Here, we introduce a top-down approach called Electron Microscopy screening for endogenous Protein ArchitectureS (EMPAS) to investigate the diverse and complex landscape of endogenous macromolecular architectures in an unbiased manner. By applying EMPAS, we discovered a spiral architecture and identified it as AdhE. Furthermore, we performed screening to examine endogenous molecular architectures of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), mouse brains, cyanobacteria and plant leaves, revealing their diverse repertoires of molecular architectures. This study suggests that EMPAS may serve as a tool to investigate the molecular architectures of endogenous macromolecular proteins.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.77-77
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• 2003

p43 is a protein with complex biological activities. It is first found as a protein associated with macromolecular tRNA synthetase complex. Within this complex, p43 specifically interacts with arginyl-tRNA synthetase to help the substrate tRNA binding to the enzyme. It is also necessary for the cellular stability of arginyl-tRNA synthetase and the molecular association of a few complex-forming tRNA synthetases. (omitted)

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2004

[Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)$_2$(4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine)]$^{2+}$(RuBDc) is a very photostable probe that possesses favorable photophysical properties including long lifetime, high quantum yield, large Stokes' shift, and highly polarized emission. To evaluate the usefulness of this luminophore (RuBDc) for studying macromolecular dynamics, its intensity and anisotropy decays when conjugated to RNA bacteriophage MS2 were examined using frequency-domain fluorometry with a high-intensity, blue light-emitting diode (LED) as the modulated light source. The intensity decays were best fit by a sum of two exponentials, and the mean intensity decay time was 442.2 ns. The anisotropy decay data showed a single rotational correlation time (2334.9 ns), which is typical for a spherical molecule. The use of RuBDc enabled us to measure the rotational correlation time up to several microseconds. These results indicate that RuBDc can be useful for studying rotational diffusion of biological macromolecules.s.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.2-4
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• 2009

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.899-908
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• 2020

Intrinsically disordered proteins or regions (IDPs or IDRs) are widespread in the eukaryotic proteome. Although lacking stable three-dimensional structures in the free forms, IDRs perform critical functions in various cellular processes. Accordingly, mutations and altered expression of IDRs are associated with many pathological conditions. Hence, it is of great importance to understand at the molecular level how IDRs interact with their binding partners. In particular, discovering the unique interaction features of IDRs originating from their dynamic nature may reveal uncharted regulatory mechanisms of specific biological processes. Here we discuss the mechanisms of the macromolecular interactions mediated by IDRs and present the relevant cellular processes including transcription, cell cycle progression, signaling, and nucleocytoplasmic transport. Of special interest is the multivalent binding nature of IDRs driving assembly of multicomponent macromolecular complexes. Integrating the previous theoretical and experimental investigations, we suggest that such IDR-driven multiprotein complexes can function as versatile allosteric switches to process diverse cellular signals. Finally, we discuss the future challenges and potential medical applications of the IDR research.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.444-453
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• 2022

Multivalent macromolecular interactions underlie dynamic regulation of diverse biological processes in ever-changing cellular states. These interactions often involve binding of multiple proteins to a linear lattice including intrinsically disordered proteins and the chromosomal DNA with many repeating recognition motifs. Quantitative understanding of such multivalent interactions on a linear lattice is crucial for exploring their unique regulatory potentials in the cellular processes. In this review, the distinctive molecular features of the linear lattice system are first discussed with a particular focus on the overlapping nature of potential protein binding sites within a lattice. Then, we introduce two general quantitative frameworks, combinatorial and conditional probability models, dealing with the overlap problem and relating the binding parameters to the experimentally measurable properties of the linear lattice-protein interactions. To this end, we present two specific examples where the quantitative models have been applied and further extended to provide biological insights into specific cellular processes. In the first case, the conditional probability model was extended to highlight the significant impact of nonspecific binding of transcription factors to the chromosomal DNA on gene-specific transcriptional activities. The second case presents the recently developed combinatorial models to unravel the complex organization of target protein binding sites within an intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of a nucleoporin. In particular, these models have suggested a unique function of IDRs as a molecular switch coupling distinct cellular processes. The quantitative models reviewed here are envisioned to further advance for dissection and functional studies of more complex systems including phase-separated biomolecular condensates.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.273-277
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• 2002

Ultra-thin polymer films containing cobalt(II) meso-tetraphenylporphyrin(CoTPP) have been prepared by vacuum codeposition of the metal complex and trans-2-butene as an organic monomer using an inductively coupled RF glow discharge operating at 7-9 Watts. The polymer films were characterized by sorption measurements. Sorption data obtained for polymer films containing CoTPP indicate that the CoTPP molecules are capable of reversibly binding oxygen molecules. It was found that the adjacent CoTPP molecules in the aggregated metal complex phase could irreversibly share the oxygen molecules. A dispersion of the metal complex molecules in the polymer matrix was made to maintain the reversible reactivity of the metal complex molecules with oxygen in the polymer films via vacuum evaporation process. The Henry mode solubility constant, the Langmuir mode capacity constant, the amount of binding oxygen, and the dissociation equilibrium in the dual mode sorption theory were discussed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.286-289
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• 1991

The changed isotropic absolute Raman intensities of the phosphate residue in the complexes of positive charge oligopeptides, lys-lys, arg-arg, lys-aromat-lys, negative charge diethyl phosphoric acid (DEP) and polyriboadenylic acid{poly(rA)} were reported and discussed. Our measurements showed that the absolute intensities of phosphate stretch vibration in complexes were different according to the reaction partners. Due to the partial electrical charge and molecular structure of oligopeptides for the complex formation lysine can interact more strongly than arginine when the reaction partners have short chain and no steric hindrance. Owing to these reasons the intensity of phosphate stretching vibration is very sensitive according to the circumstance of reaction. From our results we could suggest that we can discriminate any one of the the lysine and arginine in the complicated biological molecule during interaction between nucleotides and proteins. The activity of reaction of two basical oligopeptides is not quite similar for complex formation in aqueous solution. The activity of dipeptides depends upon the structure of molecule and environment for complex formation. Aromatic ring contributes to electrostatic interaction in complexes. The amount of the absolute intensity for pure stacking interaction is smaller than electrostatic interaction in macromolecular complexes.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 2005

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.393-397
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• 2003

By applying a configurational-bias Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo algorithm, priority simulation results regarding the conformation of non-dilute polyelectrolytes in solvents are obtained. Solutions of freely-jointed chains are considered, and a new method termed strandwise configurational-bias sampling is developed so as to effectively overcome a difficulty on the transfer of polymer chains. The structure factors of polyelectrolytes in the bulk as well as in the confined space are estimated with variations of the polymer charge density.