• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.105-109
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• 2005

Heat Shock Transcription Factor (HSF), and the promoter heat Shock Element (HSE), are among the most highly conserved transcriptional regulatory elements in nature. HSF mediates the transcriptional response of eukaryotic cells to heat, infection and inflammation, pharmacological agents, and other stresses. While HSF is essential for cell viability in yeast, oogenesis and early development in Drosophila, extended life-span in C. elegans, and extra-embryonic development and stress resistance in mammals, little is known about its full range of biological target genes. We used whole genome analyses to identify virtually all of the direct transcriptional targets of yeast HSF, representing nearly three percent of the genomic loci. The majority of the identified loci are heat-inducibly bound by yeast HSF, and the target genes encode proteins that have a broad range of biological functions including protein folding and degradation, energy generation, protein secretion, maintenance of cell integrity, small molecule transport, cell signaling, and transcription. Approximately 30% of the HSF direct target genes are also induced by the diauxic shift, in which glucose levels begin to be depleted. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of HSF by Snf1 kinase is responsible for expression of a subset of HSF targets upon glucose starvation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-146
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• 2000

In eukaryotes, chromosomes undergo a series of complex and coordinated movements during cell division. The kinesin motor proteins, such as the chicken Chromokinesin, are known to bind DNA and transport chromosomes on spindle microtubles. We previously cloned a family of retrograde C-terminus kinesins in Caenorhabditis elegans that mediate chromosomal movement during embryonic development. Here we report the cloning of a C. elegans klp-12 cDNA, encoding an ortholog of chicken Chromokinesin and mouse KIF4. The KLP-12 protein contains 1609 amino acid and harbors two leucine zipper motifs. The insitu RNA hybridization in embryonic stages shows that the klp-12 gene is expressed during the entire embryonic development. The RNA interference assay reveals that, similar to the role of Chromokinesin, klp-12 functions in chromosome segregation. These results support the notion that during mitosis both types, the anterograde N-terminus kinesins such as KLP-12 and the retrograde C-terminus kinesins, such as KLP-3, KLP-15, KLP-16, and KLP-17, may coordinate chromosome assembly at the metaphase plate and chromosomal segregation towards the spindle poles in C. elegans.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2016

Several members of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily that these members activate caspase-8 from death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) in TNF ligand-receptor signal transduction have been identified. In the extrinsic pathway, apoptotic signal transduction is induced in death domain (DD) superfamily; it consists of a hexahelical bundle that contains 80 amino acids. The DD superfamily includes about 100 members that belong to four subfamilies: death domain (DD), caspase recruitment domain (CARD), pyrin domain (PYD), and death effector domain (DED). This superfamily contains key building blocks: with these blocks, multimeric complexes are formed through homotypic interactions. Furthermore, each DD-binding event occurs exclusively. The DD superfamily regulates the balance between death and survival of cells. In this study, the structures, functions, and unique features of DD superfamily members are compared with their complexes. By elucidating structural insights of DD superfamily members, we investigate the interaction mechanisms of DD domains; these domains are involved in TNF ligand-receptor signaling. These DD superfamily members play a pivotal role in the development of more specific treatments of cancer.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.556-559
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• 2006

The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulates mitochondrial functions during cell death by modulating the efflux of death-promoting proteins such as cytochrome c and endonuclease G. Upon the binding of death ligands to their receptors, caspase-8 cleaves Bid, a BH3-only protein, into tBid that causes the mitochondrial damages resulting in the release of cytochrome c and endonuclease G. Also, another BH3-only protein, hNoxa, has been shown to induce the efflux of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. Whether the efflux proteins from the mitochondria in response to tBid or hNoxa are the same or different, however, has not been addressed. We have demonstrated that endonuclease G activities are not detectable among the proteins released from isolated mitochondria by hNoxa but are detectable in that by tBid. These results suggest that the efflux of proteins from the mitochondria are differentially modulated by tBid and hNoxa.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.554-559
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• 2012

Oligosaccharide modification by N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-V (GnT-V), a glycosyltransferase encoded by the Mgat5 gene that catalyzes the formation of ${\beta}1$,6GlcNAc (N-acetylglucosamine) branches on N-glycans, is thought to be associated with cancer growth and metastasis. Overexpression of GnT-V in cancer cells enhances the signaling of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor by increasing galectin-3 binding to polylactosamine structures on receptor N-glycans. In contrast, GnT-V deficient mice are born healthy and lack ${\beta}1$,6GlcNAc branches on N-glycans, but develop immunological disorders due to T-cell dysfunction at 12-20 months of age. We have developed Mgat5 transgenic (Tg) mice (GnT-V Tg mice) using a ${\beta}$-actin promoter and found characteristic phenotypes in skin, liver, and T cells in the mice. Although the GnT-V Tg mice do not develop spontaneous cancers in any organs, there are differences in the response to external stimuli between wild-type and GnT-V Tg mice. These changes are similar to those seen in cancer progression but are unexpected in some aspects. In this review, we summarize what is known about GnT-V functions in skin and liver cells as a means to understand the physiological roles of GnT-V in mice.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.32-34
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• 2000

Computational chemistry is a discipline using computational methods for the calculation of molecular structure, properties, and reaction or for the simulation of molecular behavior. Relating and turning the complexity of data from genomics, high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemical synthesis, gene-expression investigations, pharmacogenomics, and proteomics into useful information and knowledge is the primary goal of bioinformatics. In particular, the structure-based molecular design is one of essential fields in bioinformatics and it can be called as structural bioinformatics. Therefore, the conformational analysis for proteins and peptides using the techniques of computational chemistry is expected to play a role in structural bioinformatics. There are two major computational methods for conformational analysis of proteins and peptides; one is the molecular orbital (MO) method and the other is the force field (or empirical potential function) method. The MO method can be classified into ab initio and semiempirical methods, which have been applied to relatively small and large molecules, respectively. However, the improvement in computer hardwares and softwares enables us to use the ab initio MO method for relatively larger biomolecules with up to v100 atoms or ∼800 basis functions. In order to show how computational chemistry can be used in structural bioinformatics, 1 will present on (1) cis-trans isomerization of proline dipeptide and its derivatives, (2) positional preference of proline in ${\alpha}$-helices, and (3) conformations and activities of Arg-Gly-Asp-containing tetrapeptides.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.448-454
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• 1996

Bacteriophage ${\phi}FC1$ is a temperate phage which was identified as a prophage in the Enterococcus faecalis KBL703 chromosome. Phage ${\phi}FC1$ integrates into the host chromosome by site-specific recombination. The phage attachment site P (attP) was localized within the 0.65-kb XhoI-HindIII fragment and the nucleotide sequence of the region was determined. An open reading frame (mj1) which adjoined the phage attachment site encoded a deduced protein related to the site-specific recombinase family. The organization of this region was comparable to other site-specific recombination systems. The molecular weight of the expressed MJ1 in E. coli was in good agreement with the predicted 53,537 Da of the mj1 gene product. Elucidation of the phage-specific integration process in this study would provide useful genetic tools such as a chromosomal integration system.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2008

Extracellular proteases play an important role in a wide range of host physiological events, such as food digestion, extracellular matrix degradation, coagulation and immunity. Among the large extracellular protease family, serine proteases that contain a "paper clip"-like domain and are therefore referred to as CLIP-domain serine protease (clip-SP), have been found to be involved in unique biological processes, such as immunity and development. Despite the increasing amount of biochemical information available regarding the structure and function of clip-SPs, their in vivo physiological significance is not well known due to a lack of genetic studies. Recently, Drosophila has been shown to be a powerful genetic model system for the dissection of biological functions of the clip-SPs at the organism level. Here, the current knowledge regarding Drosophila clip-SPs has been summarized and future research directions to evaluate the role that clip-SPs play in Drosophila immunity are discussed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.9
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• pp.622-628
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• 2010

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) can be reduced to dimethyl sulfide by MsrA, which stereospecifically catalyzes the reduction of methionine-S-sulfoxide to methionine. Our previous study showed that DMSO can competitively inhibit methionine sulfoxide reduction ability of yeast and mammalian MsrA in both in vitro and in vivo, and also act as a non-competitive inhibitor for mammalian MsrB2, specific for the reduction of methionine-R-sulfoxide, with lower inhibition effects. The present study investigated the effects of DMSO on the physiological antioxidant functions of methionine sulfoxide reductases. DMSO elevated hydrogen peroxide-mediated Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell death, whereas it protected human SK-Hep1 cells against oxidative stress. DMSO reduced the protein-carbonyl content in yeast cells in normal conditions, but markedly increased protein-carbonyl accumulation under oxidative stress. Using Msr deletion mutant yeast cells, we demonstrated the DMSO's selective inhibition of the antioxidant function of MsrA in S. cerevisiae, resulting in an increase in oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.389-394
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• 2006

Human seven-in-absentia (SIAH)-interacting protein (SIP) is a component of the E3 ligase complex targeting beta-catenin for destruction. Arabidopsis has one SIP protein (AtSIP) with 32% amino acid sequence identity to SIP. To investigate the functions of AtSIP, we isolated an atsip knockout mutant, and generated transgenic plants overexpressing AtSIP. The growth rates and morphologies of the atsip and transgenic plants were indistinguishable from those of wild type. However, atsip plants were more susceptible to Pseudomonas syringae infection, and the transgenic plants overexpressing AtSIP were more resistant. Consistent with this, RNA blot analysis showed that the AtSIP gene is strongly induced by wounding and hydrogen peroxide treatment. In addition, when plants were infected with P. syringae, AtSIP was transiently induced prior to PR-1 induction. These observations show that Arabidopsis AtSIP plays a role in resistance to pathogenic infection.