• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1799-1804
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• 2003

Acetolatate synthase(ALS) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, isoleucine in plants and microorganisms. ALS is the target of several classes of herbicides, including the sulfonylureas, the imidazolinones, and the triazolopyrimidines. To elucidate the roles of arginine residues in tobacco ALS, chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis were performed. Recombinant tobacco ALS was expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The ALS was inactivated by arginine specific reagents, phenylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione. The rate of inactivation was a function of the concentration of modifier. The inactivation by butanedione was enhanced by borate, and the inactivation was reversible on removal of excess butanedione and borate. The substrate pyruvate and competitive inhibitors fluoropyruvate and phenylpyruvate protected the enzyme against inactivation by both modifiers. The mutation of well-conserved Arg198 of the ALS by Gln abolished the enzymatic activity as well as the binding affinity for cofactor FAD. However, the mutation of R198K did not affect significantly the binding of FAD to the enzyme. Taken together, the results imply that Arg198 is essential for the catalytic activity of the ALS and involved in the binding of FAD, and that the positive charge of the Arg is crucial for the interaction with negatively charged FAD.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.5-20
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• 2008

GLP-1-based drugs (GLP-1 analogues and DPP IV inhibitors) and incretin mimetics are currently one of the most exciting classes of agents for type II diabetes. GLP-1, a gut peptide, is an incretin that potentiates glucose-dependent insulin release from the pancreas, slows GI-transit and stimulates the proliferation of beta-cells. DPP IV inhibitors act like incretins by inhibiting DPP IV which inactivates GLP-1. LC15-0133 is a competitive, reversible DPP IV inhibitor ($IC_{50}$ = 24 nM, Ki=0.247 nM) with excellent selectivity over other critical human proteases such as DPP II, DPP 8, elastase, trypsin. and urokinase. LC15-0133 showed long half-life and good bioavailability in rats and dogs. Inhibition of plasma DPP IV activity by LC15-0133 was kept more than 50% 24 hours after oral dosing in rats and dogs at 0.1 mg/kg and 0.02 mg/kg, respectively. The Minimum effective doses of LC15-0133 were 0.01 mg/kg for lowering blood glucose excursion during oral glucose tolerance test and 0.1 mg/kg for increasing glucose-induced GLP-1 response in C57BL/6 mice. Repeat oral administration of LC15-0133 for 1 month delayed the progression to diabetes and reduced HbA1c levels in a dose-dependent manner in Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats. In conclusion, LC15-0133 is a novel, potent, selective and orally active DPP IV inhibitor and showed an excellent blood glucose lowering effects in various animal models.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2014

Cystatins (CSTs) are reversible and competitive inhibitors of C1A cysteine proteases, corresponding to papain-like cathepsins in plants and animals. A viral CST (CpBV-CST1) was identified from a polydnavirus, Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV). Our previous study indicated that a transient expression of CpBV-CST1 interfered with immune response and development of Plutella xylostella larvae. To directly demonstrate the protein function, this study produced a recombinant CpBV-CST1 protein (rCpBV-CST1) using bacterial expression system to determine its inhibitory activity against cysteine protease and to assess its physiological alteration in insect immune and development. The open reading frame of CpBV-CST1 encodes a polypeptide of 138 amino acids (${\approx}15kDa$). rCpBV-cystatin protein in BL21 STAR (DE3) competent cells containing a recombinant pGEX4T-3:CpBV-CST1 was over-expressed by 0.5 mM IPTG for 4 h. In biological activity assay, the purified rCpBV-CST1 showed a significant inhibition against papain activity. It inhibited a cellular immune response of hemocyte nodule formation in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Moreover, its oral administration retarded larval development of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that CpBV-CST1 may be applied to control insect pest populations.