• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2019.05a
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• pp.293-294
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• 2019

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.1279-1284
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• 2014

The binding of TATA-binding protein (TBP) to the TATA-box containing promoter region is aided by many other transcriptional factors including TFIIA and TFIIB. The mechanistic insight into the assembly of RNA polymerase II preinitation complex (PIC) has been gained by either directly altering a function of target protein or perturbing molecular interactions using drugs, RNAi, or aptamers. Aptamers have been found particularly useful for studying a role of a subset of PIC on transcription for their ability to inhibit specific molecular interactions. One major hurdle to the wide use of aptamers as specific inhibitors arises from the difficulty with traditional assays to validate and determine specificity, affinity, and binding epitopes for aptamers against targets. Here, using a technique called the bio-layer interferometry (BLI) designed for a label-free, real-time, and multiplexed detection of molecular interactions, we studied the assembly of a subset of PIC, TBP binding to TATA DNA, and two distinct classes of aptamers against TPB in regard to their ability to inhibit TBP binding to TFIIA or TATA DNA. Using BLI, we measured not only equilibrium binding constants ($K_D$), which were overall in close agreement with those obtained by electrophoretic mobility shift assay, but also kinetic constants of binding ($k_{on}$ and $k_{off}$), differentiating aptamers of comparable KDs by their difference in binding kinetics. The assay developed in this study can readily be adopted for high throughput validation of candidate aptamers for specificity, affinity, and epitopes, providing both equilibrium and kinetic information for aptamer interaction with targets.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.2669-2674
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• 2012

Crown ether is one of well-known host molecules and able to selectively sequester metal cation. We employed M06-2X density functional theory with IEFPCM and SMD continuum solvation models to study selectivity of dibenzo-18-crown-6-ether (DB18C6) for alkaline earth dications, $Ba^{2+}$, $Sr^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Mg^{2+}$ in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. $Mg^{2+}$ showed predominantly strong binding affinity in the gas phase because of strong polarization of CO bonds by cation. In aqueous solution, binding free energy differences became smaller among these dications. However, $Mg^{2+}$ had the best binding, being incompatible with experimental observations in aqueous solution. The enthalpies of the dication exchange reaction between DB18C6 and water cluster molecules were computed as another estimation of selectivity in aqueous solution. These results also demonstrated that $Mg^{2+}$ bound to DB18C6 better than $Ba^{2+}$. We speculated that the species determining selectivity in water could be 2:1 complexes of two DB18C6s and one dication.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.119-122
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• 2008

The baculovirus/insect cell expression system is of great value in the study of structure-function relationships in mammalian glucose-transport proteins by site-directed mutagenesis and for the large-scale production of these proteins for mechanistic and biochemical studies. In order to exploit this, the effects of substitution at the highly conserved residue glutamine 282 of the human erythrocyte-type glucose transporter have been examined by in vitro site-directed mutagenesis. The modified human transport protein has been expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 21 cells by using the recombinant baculovirus AcNPV-GTL. To assess the functional integrity of the expressed transporter, measurements of the transport inhibitor cytochalasin B binding were performed, involving the membranes prepared from 4 days post infection with no virus, with wild-type virus or AcNPV-GTL virus. Data obtained showed that there was little or no D-glucose-inhibitable binding in cells infected with the wild type or no virus. Only the recombinant virus infected cells exhibited specific binding, which is inhibitable by D- but not by L-glucose. However, there was a notable reduction in the affinity for the potent inhibitor cytochalasin B when binding measurements of AcNPV-GTL were compared with those of AcNPV-GT, which has no substitution. It is thus suggested that although the modified and unmodified human transporters differed slightly in their affinity for cytochalasin B, the glutamine substitution did not interfere the heterologous expression of the human transporter in the insect cells.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2016

Exogenous nucleic acids induce an innate immune response in mammalian host cells through activation of the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I). We evaluated RIG-I protein for RNA binding and ATPase stimulation with RNA ligands to investigate the correlation with the extent of immune response through RIG-I activation in cells. RIG-I protein favored blunt-ended, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) ligands over sticky-ended dsRNA. Moreover, the presence of the 5'-triphosphate (5'-ppp) moiety in dsRNA further enhanced binding affinity to RIG-I. Two structural motifs in RNA, blunt ends in dsRNA and 5'-ppp, stimulated the ATP hydrolysis activity of RIG-I. These structural motifs also strongly induced IFN expression as an innate immune response in cells. Therefore, we suggest that IFN induction through RIG-I activation is mainly determined by structural motifs in dsRNA that increase its affinity for RIG-I protein and stimulate ATPase activity in RIG-I.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.408-414
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• 2018

Actein is the well-known active ingredient of Cimicifugae rhizoma (Black cohosh). In this study, we investigated and compared the binding affinity of tubocurarine, actein, and actein derivatives on the B&C domain of the acetylcholine binding protein through in silico computational docking studies. The three-dimensional crystallographic structure of the acetylcholine binding protein B&C domain was obtained from the PDB database (PDB ID: 2XYT). An in silico computational autodocking analysis was performed using PyRx, Autodock Vina, Discovery Studio Version 4.5, and NX-QuickPharm based on scoring functions. The actein showed an optimum binding affinity (docking energy), with the acetylcholine binding protein at -10.50 kcal/mol as compared to the tubocurarine (-9.80 kcal/mol). The interacting amino acids tryptophan 84 and tryptophan 147, in the B domain of the acetylcholine binding protein active site, significantly interacted with the actein and 27-deoxyactein, and (26R)-actein. The centroid XYZ grid position of the tubocurarine was X=38.300689, Y=112.053467, and Z=51.991022, but the actein and its derivatives showed values around X=26.4, Y=127.3, Z=43.7. These results clearly indicated that actein and its derivatives could be a more potent antagonist to the acetylcholine binding protein than tubocurarine. Therefore, the extract of Cimicifugae rhizoma or actein containing biomaterials can substitute for the botulinum toxin-mediated acetylcholine receptor regulation, and be applied to the anti-wrinkle cosmetics industry.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.723-730
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• 2007

Kinesin is an ATP-driven microtubule motor protein that plays important roles in control of microtubule dynamics, intracellular transport, cell division and signal transduction. The kinesin superfamily is composed of numerous members that are classified into 14 subfamilies. Animal kinesins have been well characterized. In contrast, plant kinesins have not yet to be characterized adequately. Here, a novel plant-specific kinesin gene, GhKCH2, has been cloned from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibers and biochemically identified by prokaryotic expression, affinity purification, ATPase activity assay and microtubule-binding analysis. The putative motor domain of GhKCH2, $M_{396-734}$ corresponding to amino acids Q396-N734 was fused with 6$\times$His-tag, soluble-expressed in E. coli and affinity-purified in a large amount. The biochemical analysis demonstrated that the basal ATPase activity of $M_{396-734}$ is not activated by $Ca^{2+}$, but stimulated 30-fold max by microtubules. The enzymatic activation is microtubule-concentration-dependent, and the concentration of microtubules that corresponds to half-maximum activation was about 11 ${\mu}M$, much higher than that of other kinesins reported. The cosedimentation assay indicated that $M_{396-734}$ could bind to microtubules in vitro whenever the nucleotide AMP-PNP is present or absent. As a plant-specific microtubule-dependent kinesin with a lower microtubule-affinity and a nucleotide-independent microtubule-binding ability, cotton GhKCH2 might be involved in the function of microtubules during the deposition of cellulose microfibrils in fibers or the formation of cell wall.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 1996

To investigate whether human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor devoid of the C-terminal two transmembrane helices retain its ligand binding activity and specificity, 5'780-bp DNA fragment of the receptor gene which encodes amino acid 1-260 of human $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor was subcloned into the bacterial fusion protein expression vector and expressed as a form of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in E. coli DH5$\alpha$. The receptor fusion protein was expressed as a membrane bound form which was verified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The fusion protein expressed in this study specifically bound $\beta$-adrenergic receptor ligand [$^3$H] Dihydroalprenolol. In saturation ligand binding assay, the $K_{d}$ value was 7.6 nM which was similar to that of intact $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor in normal animal tissue ( $K_{d}$=1~2 nM) and the $B_{max}$ value was 266 fmol/mg membrane protein. In competition binding assay, the order of binding affinity of various adrenergic receptor agonists to the fusion protein was isoproterenol》epinephrine norepinephrine, which was similar to that of intact receptor in normal animal tissue. These results suggest that N-terminal five transmembrane helices of the $\beta$$_2$-adrenergic receptor be sufficient to determine the ligand binding activity and specificity, irrespective of the presence or absence of the C-terminal two transmembrane helices.s.s.s.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.406-413
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• 2015

Background: Pathogenesis-related 10 (PR-10) proteins are small, cytosolic proteins with a similar three-dimensional structure. Crystal structures for several PR-10 homologs have similar overall folding patterns, with an unusually large internal cavity that is a binding site for biologically important molecules. Although structural information on PR-10 proteins is substantial, understanding of their biological function remains limited. Here, we showed that one of the PgPR-10 homologs, PgPR-10.3, shares binding properties with flavonoids, kinetin, emodin, deoxycholic acid, and ginsenoside Re (1 of the steroid glycosides). Methods: Gene expression patterns of PgPR-10.3 were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. The three-dimensional structure of PgPR-10 proteins was visualized by homology modeling, and docking to retrieve biologically active molecules was performed using AutoDock4 program. Results: Transcript levels of PgPR-10.3 expressed in leaves, stems, and roots of 3-wk-old ginseng plantlets were on average 86-fold lower than those of PgPR-10.2. In mature 2-yr-old ginseng plants, the mRNA of PgPR-10.3 is restricted to leaves. Ginsenoside Re production is especially prominent in leaves of Panax ginseng Meyer, and the binding property of PgPR-10.3 with ginsenoside Re suggests that this protein has an important role in the control of secondary metabolism. Conclusion: Although ginseng PR-10.3 gene is expressed in all organs of 3-wk-old plantlets, its expression is restricted to leaves in mature 2-yr-old ginseng plants. The putative binding property of PgPR-10.3 with Re is intriguing. Further verification of binding affinity with other biologically important molecules in the large hydrophobic cavity of PgPR-10.3 may provide an insight into the biological features of PR-10 proteins.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.89-100
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• 2019

In our previous studies, we developed a ¹⁸F-labeled TSPO-binding ligand, named [¹⁸F]CB251, which has been proved to be a promising TSPO-binding PET radiotracer for the detection and monitoring of TSPO expression in pathological diseases. (Ki = 0.27 nM for TSPO, 1.96% ID/g of tumor uptake at 1h post-injection) Based on these results, we utilized 6,8-dichloro-2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridineacetamide analogs, CB185 (1) as a targeting moiety for the selective delivery of probes and anticancer molecules to TSPO-overexpressed tissues. In this study, we designed CB185 derivatives contains different PEG chains (n = 1, 3 and 5) and fluorescence dye (Cy5) to identify the necessary space between a TSPO-binding ligand and an anticancer agent. Three CB185 derivatives (11a-c) which contains Cy5 and PEG chain, were synthesized and the effect of PEG additive on their TSPO-binding affinities were evaluated using in vitro assays. The binding affinity for compounds 11a-c was lower than that of PK11195 (Ki = 3.2 nM), but still characterized by nanomolar binding affinity for TSPO (Ki = 46.5 nM for 11a, 51.0 nM for 11b, and 388.5 nM for 11c). These results showed that the conjugates are characterized by a moderate binding affinity toward TSPO except for compound 11c, which PEG chain consist of five PEG monomers. Our finding might add useful information to decide the appropriate PET chain length for developing new TSPO-targeting drug carriers.