• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.541-550
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• 2003

E2 glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) comprises a surface of viral particle together with E1 glycoprotein, and is thought to be involved in the attachment of HCV viral particle to receptor (s) on the permissible cells including hepatocytes, B cells, T cells, and monocytes. We constructed a phage library expressing cellular proteins of hepatocytes on the phage surface, which turned out to be 8.8${\times}$$10^5$ cfu of diversity and carried inserts in 95% of library. We screened both cDNA phage library and 12-mer peptide library to identify the cellular proteins binding to E2 protein. Some intracellular proteins including tensin and membrane band 4.1 which are involved in signal transduction of survival and cytoskeleton organization, were selected from cDNA phage library through several rounds of panning and screening. On the contrary, membrane proteins such as CCR7, CKR-L2, and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor were identified through screening of peptide library. Phages expressing peptides corresponding to those membrane proteins were bound to E2 protein specifically as determined by neutralization of binding assay. Since it is well known that HCV can infect T cells as well as hepatocytes, we examined to see if E2 protein can bind to CCR7, a member of C-protein coupled receptor family expressed on T cells, using CCR7 transfected tells. Human CCR7 cDNA was cloned into pcDNA3.1(-) vector and transfected into human embryonic kidney cell, 293T, and expressed on the surface of the cell as shown by flow cytometer. Binding assay of E2 protein using CCR7 transfected cells indicated that E2 protein bound to CCR7 by dose-dependent mode, giving rise to the possibility that CCR7 might be a putative cellular receptor for HCV.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.43-43
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• 1994

We studied chemical reactio of Eu metal on the in situ cleaved CdTe(110) surface by pphotoemission sppectroscoppy using synchrotron radiation. The chamber was maintained with base ppressure $\leq$2${\times}$10-10 mb during the expperiment. The expperiment was carried out in pphoton Factory in Jappan. Core level pphotoemission sppectroscoppy was carried out with Al K${\alpha}$ Line. The CdTe simiconductor was determined to be pp-typpe with low dopping concentration from Hall measurement. We found that there are two reacted pphases of Te with Eu (related to divalent Eu and trivalent Eu, resppectively) from least square fitting of Te 4d sppectra, but three is no indication of Cd reaction. Trivalent Eu exists after roughly one monolayer depposition (600 sec. depposition time is considered as one monolayer), which is also observed at Eu 3d core level sppectra. Overlayer Eu is metallized after roughly 2 monolayers depposition, as can be deduced from the fact that metallic edge near Fermi level begins to appear. The intensity of core-level of Te decreases expponentially at the initial stage (near one monolayer) and after one monolayer depposition it decreases more slowly due to Te out-diffusion. We categorized the growth mode of Eu on CdTe as S-K growth mode (cluster formation after one monolayer deppisition) from the relative intensity pplot of Te 4d normalized to the cleaved surface. At cleaved surface band bending is already established due to surface defects. At first 100 sec. depposition time the shift toward lower binding side by 0.6 eV is found at all core level sppectra of all elements in semiconductor. This shift is considered as the re-adjustment of surface Fermi level to the pposition induced by Eu metal (0.2 eV above the valence band maximum).

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.180-186
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• 2015

Escherichia coli AcrAB-TolC is a multidrug efflux pump that expels a wide range of toxic substrates. The dynamic nature of the binding or low affinity between the components has impeded elucidation of how the three components assemble in the functional state. Here, we created fusion proteins composed of AcrB, a transmembrane linker, and two copies of AcrA. The fusion protein exhibited acridine pumping activity, suggesting that the protein reflects the functional structure in vivo. To discern the assembling mode with TolC, the AcrBA fusion protein was incubated with TolC or a chimeric protein containing the TolC aperture tip region. Three-dimensional structures of the complex proteins were determined through transmission electron microscopy. The overall structure exemplifies the adaptor bridging model, wherein the funnel-like AcrA hexamer forms an intermeshing cogwheel interaction with the ${\alpha}$-barrel tip region of TolC, and a direct interaction between AcrB and TolC is not allowed. These observations provide a structural blueprint for understanding multidrug resistance in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.1500-1506
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• 2011

Tyrosinase is a widespread enzyme with great promising capabilities. The Lineweaver-Burk plots of the catecholase reactions showed that the kinetics of mushroom tyrosinase (MT), activated by $Co^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ at different pHs (6, 7, 8 and 9) obeyed the non-essential activation mode. The binding of metal ions to the enzyme increases the maximum velocity of the enzyme due to an increase in the enzyme catalytic constant ($k_{cat}$). From the kinetic analysis, dissociation constants of the activator from the enzyme-metal ion complex ($K_a$) were obtained as $5{\times}10^4M^{-1}$ and $8.33{\times}10^3M^{-1}$ for $Co^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ at pH 9 and 6 respectively. The structural analysis of MT through circular dichroism (CD) and intensive fluorescence spectra revealed that the conformational stability of the enzyme in these pHs reaches its maximum value in the presence of each of the two metal ions.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2013

We studied the modulation of pacemaker activities by Samchulkunbi-tang (SCKB) in cultured interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) from murine small intestine with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Externally applied SCKB produced membrane depolarization in the current-clamp mode. The pretreatment with $Ca^{2+}$-free solution and thapsigargin, a $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase inhibitor in endoplasmic reticulum, abolished the generation of pacemaker potentials and suppressed the SCKB-induced action. The application of flufenamic acid (a nonselective cation channel blocker) abolished the generation of pacemaker potentials by SCKB. However, the application of niflumic acid (a chloride channel blocker) did not inhibit the generation of pacemaker potentials by SCKB. In addition, the membrane depolarizations were inhibited by not only GDP-${\beta}$-S, which permanently binds G-binding proteins, but also U-73122, an active phospholipase C inhibitor. These results suggest that SCKB modulates the pacemaker activities by nonselective cation channels and external $Ca^{2+}$ influx and internal $Ca^{2+}$ release via G-protein and phospholipase C-dependent mechanism. Therefore, the ICC are targets for SCKB and their interaction can affect intestinal motility.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.1221-1227
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• 2011

Ethyl pyruvate (EP) is known as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body through its role in the donation of diketone groups to metals to form an EP-metal complex. In order to develop a method for the quantification of EP in biological media, a sensitive and specific, high-performance liquid chromatographyelectrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/MS) method is used to determine the EP-alkali metal ion binding species. The analyte was separated on a ZORBOX SB-C8 ($3.5{\mu}m$, $30mm{\times}2.1mm$ I.D.) column and analyzed in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with a positive ESI interface using the m/z 255 $[2M + Na]^+$ ion. The method was validated over the concentration range of $0.5-60.0\;{\mu}g$/mL under 1/9 (v/v) of acetonitrile/methanol solvent system with flow rate 0.05 mL/min. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was $0.5{\mu}g$/mL.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.8 no.3B
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• pp.297-301
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• 1999

High quality CdTe single crystal for the solar cell fabrication was grown by vertical Bridgman method. The etch pits patterns of {111} surfaces of CdTe etched by Nakagawa solution was observed the {11} A composed of Cd atoms with typical triangle etch pits of pyramid mode. From the photoluminescence measurement of {111} A, we observed free exciton $(E_x)$ existing only high quality crystal and neutral acceptor bound exciton ($A^{\circ}$, X) having very strong peak intensity. Then, the full width at half maximum and binding energy of neutral acceptor bound exciton were 7 meV and 5.9 meV, respectively. By Haynes rule, and activation energy of impurity was 59meV. Therefore, the origins on impurity level acting as a neutral acceptor were associated Ag or Cu elements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Dyers and Finishers Conference
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.29-29
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• 2012

Rhodamine chromophore/fluorophore have been attracted to many researchers due to its excellent photophysical properties. In this study, we have designed and synthesized a strong emissive fluorescent dye chemosensor for toxic elements. A rhodamine-based sensor was prepared by incorporation the rhodamine fluorophore and several functional host groups with high affinity to hazardous metal and anion. This sensor shows a high selectivity and an excellent sensitivity and is a dual-responsive colorimetric and fluorescent metal/anion-specific sensor. In addition, the 1:1 binding mode was proposed based on Job's plot method. Finally, computational calculation was simulated and calculated to approach for HOMO/LUMO of this dye chemosensor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2017

In a previous study, we analyzed the transcriptome of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans using next-generation sequencing technology and identified several antimicrobial peptide candidates. One of the peptides, scolopendrasin V, was selected based on the physicochemical properties of antimicrobial peptides using a bioinformatics strategy. In this study, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of scolopendrasin V using the radial diffusion assay and colony count assay. We also investigated the mode of action of scolopendrasin V using flow cytometry. We found that scolopendrasin V's mechanism of action involved binding to the surface of microorganisms via a specific interaction with lipopolysaccharides, lipoteichoic acid, and peptidoglycans, which are components of the bacterial membrane. These results provide a basis for developing peptide antibiotics.