• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1559-1563
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• 2004

The topoisomerase II poisoning effect of certain protoberberine alkaloids is associated with anti-cancer activity. Structure-activity relationships of protoberberine analogues substituted on the ring protons reveal that substitution at the C19 position is an important determinant of biological activity. In this study, the effects of substituent modification at the C19 position on the interaction of protoberberines with DNA are determined using UV and NMR spectroscopy. The line broadening effect on aliphatic resonances, chemical shift changes of the imino protons of HP14 upon berberine and berberrubine binding to HP14, and the rate of the exchange process between protoberberine analogs bound indicate that berberrubine binds HP14 more specifically than berberine. In addition, the free HP14 is altered by the substituent at the 19-position. UV spectra of berberrubine have shown a hypochromic effect together with a slight red shift, which are usually regarded as characteristics of DNA intercalation. These results are consistent with our previous report that the berberrubine is partially intercalated with HP14 with molar ratio 1 : 1, whereas a non-specific interaction is predominant between the berberine and HP14.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.4169-4172
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• 2012

To elucidate the roles of cysteine residues in rice Phi-class GST F3, in this study, all three cysteine residues were replaced with alanine by site-directed mutagenesis in order to obtain mutants C22A, C73A and C77A. Three mutant enzymes were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by affinity chromatography on immobilized GSH. The substitutions of Cys73 and Cys77 residues in OsGSTF3 with alanine did not affect the glutathione conjugation activities, showing non-essentiality of these residues. On the other hand, the substitution of Cys22 residue with alanine resulted in approximately a 60% loss of specific activity toward ethacrynic acid. Moreover, the ${K_m}^{CDNB}$ value of the mutant C22A was approximately 2.2 fold larger than that of the wild type. From these results, the evolutionally conserved cysteine 22 residue seems to participate rather in the structural stability of the active site in OsGSTF3 by stabilizing the electrophilic substrates-binding site's conformation than in the substrate binding directly.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2006

Non-viral gene carriers continue to attract a great deal of interest due to advantageous safety profile. Among the non-viral gene carriers, cationic liposomes or synthetic gene carriers are efficient DNA carriers in vitro. but their in vivo applications are greatly hampered because of low biocompatibility. On the other hand, chitosan, a natural cationic polysaccharide, is a candidate non-viral vector for gene delivery because of its low cytotoxicity and high positive charges. In this work, targeted gene carrier was synthesized to target artery wall cells using low molecular water-soluble chitosan (LMWSC). The molecular weight $(M_W)$ and degree of de acetylation (DDA) of LMWSC were measured by relative viscometer and Kina titration. respectively. The structure of LMWSC was analyzed by measuring FTIR, $^1H-NMR,\;and\;^{13}C-NMR$. AWBP-PEG-g-LMWSC was synthesized by conjugation of the artery wall binding peptide (AWBP), a specific targeting peptide, to the end of pegylated LMWSC as a gene carrier to target artery wall cells. The synthesized AWBP-PEG-g-LMWSC were analyzed by measuring FTIR, $^1H-NMR$, zeta -potentiometer, and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.986-992
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• 2007

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of carbon films pyrolyzed with various photoresists for bioMEMS applications. To verify the usefulness of pyrolyzed carbon films as an electrode material in an electrochemical biosensor developed by the authors, interactions between avidin and biotin on the pyrolyzed carbon film were studied via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy based on electrostatic interactions between avidin and negatively-charged ferricyanide. The pyrolyzed carbon films were characterized using a surface profiler, a precision semiconductor parameter analyzer, a nanoindentor, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Amine conjugated biotin was immobilized on the electrode using EDC/NHS as crosslinkers after $O_2$ plasma treatment to enhance functional groups on the carbon electrode pyrolyzed at $1000^{\circ}C$ with AZ9260. The detection of avidin binding with different concentrations in a range of 0.75 nM to $7.5\;{\mu}M$ to the pyrolyzed carbon electrode modified with biotin was carried out by measuring the electrochemical impedance change. The results show that avidin binds to the biotin on the electrode not by non-specific interaction but by specific interaction, and that EIS successfully detects this binding event. Pyrolyzed carbon films are a promising material for miniaturization, integration, and low-cost fabrication in electrochemical biosensors.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 2007

Nebulin is a giant actin binding protein (600-900 kDa) which is specific to skeletal muscle. This protein is known to regulate thin filaments length in sarcomere as a molecular template. The C-terminus of nebulin is located in the Z-disc of muscle sarcomere and is bound to other proteins such like myopalladin, titin, archvillin, and desmin. The N-terminus of nebulin binds to tropomodulin at the pointed ends of the thin filaments. In recent research, nebulin not only found in brain but also expressed in heart, stomach, and liver. So, the roles of nebulin in non-muscle tissue have been studied. However, lack of information or studies on nebulin binding proteins and nebulin function in brain are available so far. Therefore, the current study have investigated a novel binding partner of Nebulin C-terminus by using yeast two-hybrid screening with human brain cDNA library. Nebulin C-terminus, containing simple repeats, serine rich and SH3 domain, interacts with osteonectin C-terminal region. The specific interaction of nebulin and osteonectin were confirmed in vitro by using GST pull-down assay and reconfirmed in vivo by using transfected COS-7 cells with EGFP-tagged nebulin and DsRed-tagged osteonectin. Consequently, this study identified SH3 domain in nebulin C-terminus specifically binds to extracellular Ca-binding (EeC domain in osteonectin. Also, nebulin C-terminus fusion protein colocalized with osteonectin EC domain fusion protein in transfected COS-7 cells. The current study found the interaction between nebulin and osteonectin in human brain for the first time and suggested the nebulin in brain may be associated with osteonectin, as a regulator of cell cycle progression and mitosis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2012

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and bioaccumulative environmental pollutants. Recently, it is suggested that neurotoxic effects such as motor dysfunction and impairment in memory and learning have been associated with PCB exposure. However, structure relationship of PCB congeners with neurotoxic effects remains unknown. Since PKC signaling pathway is implicated in the modulation of motor behavior as well as learning and memory and the role of PKC are subspecies-specific, we attempted to study the effects of structurally distinct PCBs on the total PKC activity as well as subspecies of PKC in cerebellar granule cell culture model. Cells were exposed to 0, 25 and 50 ${\mu}M$ of PCB-126, PCB-169, PCB-114, PCB-157, PCB-52 and PCB-4 for 15 min. Cells were subsequently analyzed by [$^3H$] phorbol ester binding assay or immunoblotted against PKC-${\alpha}$ and -${\varepsilon}$ monoclonal antibodies. While non-dioxin-like-PCB (PCB-52 and PCB-4) induced a translocation of PKC-${\alpha}$ and -${\varepsilon}$ from cytosol to membrane fraction, dioxin-like PCBs (PCB-126, -169, -114, -157) had no effects. [$^3H$] Phorbol ester binding assay also revealed structure-dependent increase similar to translocation of PKC isozymes. While PCB-4 induced translocation of PKC-${\alpha}$ and -${\varepsilon}$ was inhibited by ROS inhibitor, the pattern of translocation was not affected in presence of AhR inhibitor. It is suggested that PCB-4-induced PKC activity may not be mediated via AhR-dependent pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that chlorination of ortho-position in PCB may be a critical structural moiety associated with neurotoxic effects, which may be preferentially mediated via non-AhR-dependent pathway. Therefore, the present study may contribute to understanding the neurotoxic mechanism of PCBs as well as providing a basis for establishing a better neurotoxic assessment.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 2019

Molecular recognition technology has attracted considerable attention for improving the selectivity of a specific molecule by imprinting it on a polymer matrix. In this study, adsorption and release characteristics of chitosan based drug delivery films imprinted with sulindac (SLD) were investigated in terms of the plasticizer, temperature and pH and the results were also interpreted by the related mathematical models. The adsorption characteristics of target molecules on SLD-imprinted polymer films were better explained by the Freundlich and Sips equation than that of the Langmuir equation. The binding site energy distribution function was also useful for understanding the adsorption relationship between target molecules and polymer films. The drug release of SLD-imprinted polymer films followed the Fickian diffusion mechanism, whereas the drug release using artificial skin followed the non-Fickian diffusion behavior.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2010

The mu opioid receptor (MOR) has been regarded as the main site of interaction with analgesics in major clinical use, particularly morphine. The repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) functions as a transcriptional repressor of neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells. However, it is expressed in certain mature neurons, suggesting that it may have complex and novel roles. In addition, the interactions between MOR and REST and their functions remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of morphine on the expression of REST mRNA and protein in human neuroblastoma NMB cells to investigate the roles of REST induced by MOR activation in neuronal cells. To determine the effects of morphine on REST expression, we performed RT-PCR, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, western blot analysis and radioligand binding assays in NMB cells. By RTPCR and real-time quantitative RT-PCR, the expression of REST was found to be unchanged by either the MOR agonist morphine or the MOR specific antagonist CTOP. By western blot, morphine was shown to significantly inhibit the expression of REST, but this suppression was completely blocked by treatment with CTOP. In the radioligand binding assay, the overexpression of REST led to an increased opioid ligand binding activity of endogenous MOR in the NMB cells. These results together suggest that morphine inhibits the expression of REST in human neuroblastoma cells through a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism mediated through MOR.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1604-1613
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• 2018

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a probiotic commonly used in fermented dairy products. In this study, RNA-sequencing was performed to unravel the effects of acid stress on LGG. The transcriptomic data revealed that the exposure of LGG to acid at pH 4.5 (resembling the final pH of fermented dairy products) for 1 h or 24 h provoked a stringent-type transcriptomic response wherein stress response- and glycolysis-related genes were upregulated, whereas genes involved in gluconeogenesis, amino acid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism were suppressed. Notably, the pilus-specific adhesion genes, spaC, and spaF were significantly upregulated upon exposure to acid-stress. The transcriptomic results were further confirmed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Moreover, acid-stressed LGG demonstrated an enhanced mucin-binding ability in vitro, with 1 log more LGG cells (p < 0.05) bound to a mucin layer in a 96-well culture plate as compared to the control. The enhanced intestinal binding ability of acid-stressed LGG was confirmed in an animal study, wherein significantly more viable LGG cells (${\geq}2log\;CFU/g$) were observed in the ileum, caecum, and colon of acid-stressed LGG-treated mice as compared with a non-acid-stressed LGG-treated control group. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that acid stress enhanced the intestine-binding ability of LGG through the induction of pili-related genes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.316-321
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• 2016

The receptor activator of nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (RANK) and its ligand RANKL are key regulators of osteoclastogenesis and well-recognized targets in developing treatments for bone disorders associated with excessive bone resorption, such as osteoporosis. Our previous work on the structure of the RANK-RANKL complex revealed that Loop3 of RANK, specifically the non-canonical disulfide bond at the tip, performs a crucial role in specific recognition of RANKL. It also demonstrated that peptide mimics of Loop3 were capable of interfering with the function of RANKL in osteoclastogenesis. Here, we reported the structure-based design of a smaller peptide with enhanced inhibitory efficiency. The kinetic analysis and osteoclast differentiation assay showed that in addition to the sharp turn induced by the disulfide bond, two consecutive arginine residues were also important for binding to RANKL and inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations proposed the binding mode of the peptide to the RANKL trimer, showing that the arginine residues provide electrostatic interactions with RANKL and contribute to stabilizing the complex. These findings provided useful information for the rational design of therapeutics for bone diseases associated with RANK/RANKL function.