• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.29-29
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• 1996

The structure of an antimicrobial peptide buforin II has been studied by $^1$H NMR and CD spectroscopy. Buforin II is flexible and random structure in H$_2$O but the parts of buforin II become helical structure in trifluoroethanol (TFE)/H$_2$O (1:1, v/v) solution. From the restrained molecular dynamics calculation using NMR data, we obtained the possible conformation of buforin II in TFE/H$_2$O solution. (omitted)

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1073-1077
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• 1999

CRAMP, a 37-amino acid cationic antimicrobial peptide was recently deduced from the cDNA cloned from mouse femoral marrow RNA. In order to investigate the structure-activity relationship and functional region of CRAMP, CRAMP and its 18-mer overlapping peptides were synthesized by the solid phase method. CRAMP showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains (MIC: 3.125-6.25 μM) but had no hemolytic activity until 50 μM. CRAMP was found to have a potent anticancer activity (IC50: 12-23 μM) against two human small cell lung cancer cell lines. Furthermore, CRAMP was found to display faster bactericidal rate in B. subtilis rather than E. coli in the kinetics of bacterial killing. Among 18-meric overlapping fragment peptides, only CRAMP (16-33) displayed potent antibacterial activity (MIC: 12.5-50 μM) against several bacteria with no hemolytic activity. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra anal-ysis indicated that CRAMP and its analogues will form the amphipathic α-helical conformation in the cell membranes similar to other antimicrobial peptides, such as cecropins and magainins.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.227-231
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• 1995

In order to figure out the relationships between structural features and biological activity of the host-specific HC-toxin in maize, structurally related cyclic tetrapeptides, chlamydocin and CYL-2 were isolated, and their biological activities in maize were examined. Biological activities of preparations were determined by root growth inhibition and electrolyte leakage bioassays. Chlamydocin and CYL-2 showed toxicities to maize. However, the toxicities of these compounds were non-specific. Thus, the precise peptide ring structure of HC-toxin apparently does not play an important role in toxicity, while resistance of maize to HC-toxin is based on a precise ring conformation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1997.07a
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• pp.9-10
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• 1997

Calmodulin: very large conformation change of helix uncoiling, hinge-bending and domain rotation. Calmodulin (CaM) is the principal Ca$\^$2＋/ -dependent regulator of a variety of important eukaryotic cellular processes. In many of these processes, calmodulin activates a plethora of target enzymes, and the calmodulin-binding domains in several targets have been shown to residue in a region of about 18-residue peptide segment.(omitted)

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.182-188
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• 1996

Early attempts to identify plausible conformations of a linear octapeptide hormone, angiotensin-II (Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe), using various theoretical and experimental methods, have led to various conformational models. So far, no consensus has been made about the solution phase structure and the receptor binding structure of angiotensin-II. The ultimate goal for the conformation study of the peptide hormone is to develop a new potent drug. Therefore, we have devised a strategy for designing the pharmacophore by studying thermodynamically possible conformations of various kinds of angiotensin-II antagonists and angiotensin-II.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.342.2-342.2
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• 2002

The ${\beta}$-turn has been implicated as an important conformation for biological recognition of peptides or proteins. Benzodiazepine classes have been known as one of the non peptide ${\beta}$-turn mimic scaffolds. We have developed an efficient approach for the synthesis and derivatization of a scaffold of hydroxytetrahydrodizepinone class in order to screen compound library in various protein targets for new lead generations as well as for structure activity relationships of the scaffold. (omitted)

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1429-1433
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• 2006

Application of recombinant protein production and particularly their isotopic enrichment has stimulated development of a range of novel multidimensional heteronuclear NMR techniques. Peptides in most cases are amenable to assignment and structure determination without the need for isotopic labeling. However, there are many cases where the availability of $^{15}N$ and/or $^{13}C$ labeled peptides is useful to study the structure of peptides with more than 30 residues and the interaction between peptides and membrane. CRAMP (Cathelicidin-Related AntiMicrobial Peptide) was identified from a cDNA clone derived from mouse femoral marrow cells as a member of cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptides. CRAMP was successfully expressed as a GST-fused form in E. coli and purified using affinity chromatography and reverse-phase chromatography. The yield of the CRAMP was 1.5 mg/l 1. According to CD spectra, CRAMP adopted ${\alpha}$-helical conformation in membrane-mimetic environments. Isotope labeling of CRAMP is expected to make it possible to study the structure and dynamic properties of CRAMP in various membrane systems.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.3565-3570
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• 2012

Until now, few groups reported the antifreeze activity of cyclic glycopeptides; however, the tedious synthetic procedure is not amenable to study the intensive structure activity relationship. A series of N-linked cyclic glycopeptoids and glycopeptide have been prepared to evaluate antifreeze activity as a function of peptide backbone cyclization and methyl stereochemical effect on the rigid Thr position. This study has combined the cyclization protocol with solid phase peptide synthesis and obtained significant quantities of homogeneous cyclic glycopeptide and glycopeptoids. Analysis of antifreeze activity revealed that our cyclic peptide demonstrated RI activity while cyclic glycopeptoids showed no RI activity. These results suggest that the subtle changes in conformation and Thr orientation dramatically influence RI activity of N-linked glycopeptoids.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.362-368
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• 2010

Dermcidin is a human antibiotic peptide that is secreted by the sweat glands and has no homology to other known antimicrobial peptides. As an initial step toward understanding dermcidin's mode of action at bacterial membranes, we used homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR to determine the conformation of the peptide in 50% trifluoroethanol solution. We found that dermcidin adopts a flexible amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure with a helix-hinge-helix motif, which is a common molecular fold among antimicrobial peptides. Spin-down assays of dermcidin and several related peptides revealed that the affinity with which dermcidin binds to bacterial-mimetic membranes is primarily dependent on its amphipathic $\alpha$-helical structure and its length (>30 residues); its negative net charge and acidic pI have little effect on binding. These findings suggest that the mode of action of dermcidin is similar to that of other membrane-targeting antimicrobial peptides, though the details of its antimicrobial action remain to be determined.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.880-888
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• 2006

Pleurocidin, an $\alpha$-helical cationic antimicrobial peptide, was isolated from skin mucosa of winter flounder (Pleuronectes americamus). It had strong antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, but had very weak hemolytic activity. The Gly$^{13,17}\rightarrow$Ala analog (pleurocidin-AA) showed similar antibacterial activities, but had dramatically increased hemolytic activity. The bacterial cell selectivity of pleurocidin was confirmed through the membrane-disrupting and membrane-binding affinities using dye leakage, tryptophan fluorescence blue shift, and tryptophan quenching experiments. However, the non-cell-selective antimicrobial peptide, pleurocidin-AA, interacts strongly with both negatively charged and zwitterionic phospholipid membranes, the latter of which are the major constituents of the outer leaflet of erythrocytes. Circular dihroism spectra showed that pleurocidin-AA has much higher contents of $\alpha$-helical conformation than pleurocidin. The tertiary structure determined by NMR spectroscopy showed that pleurocidin has a flexible. structure between the long helix from $Gly^3$ to $Gly^{17}$ and the short helix from $Gly^{17}$ to $Leu^{25}$. Cell-selective antimicrobial peptide pleurocidin interacts strongly with negatively charged phospholipid membranes, which mimic bacterial membranes. Structural flexibility between the two helices may play a key role in bacterial cell selectivity of pleurocidin.