• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.379-385
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• 2007

Receptor-oriented pharmacophore-based in silico screening is a powerful tool for rapidly screening large number of compounds for interactions with a given protein. Inhibition of the enzyme catechol-Omethyltransferase (COMT) offers a novel possibility for treating Parkinson's disease. Bisubstrate inhibitors of COMT containing the adenine of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and a catechol moiety are a new class of potent and selective inhibitor. In the present study, we used receptor-oriented pharmacophore-based in silico screening to examine the interactions between the active site of human COMT and bisubstrate inhibitors. We generated 20 pharmacophore maps, of which 4 maps reproduced the docking model of hCOMT and a bisubstrate inhibitor. Only one of these four, pharmacophore map I, effectively described the common features of a series of bisubstrate inhibitors. Pharmacophore map I consisted of one hydrogen bond acceptor (to Mg2+), three hydrogen bond donors (to Glu199, Glu90, and Gln120), and one hydrophobic feature (an active site region surrounded by several aromatic and hydrophobic residues). This map represented the most essential pharmacophore for explaining interactions between hCOMT and a bisubstrate inhibitor. These results revealed a pharmacophore that should help in the development of new drugs for treating Parkinson's disease.

• 대한임상약리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1995.12a
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• pp.41-41
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• 1995

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 1993

The 4-(2'-(N-(l-methyl-3'-carbamylphenyl)-n-propyl))aminoethyl)-l- hydroxy-2-pyridone which has isoelectronic and isosteric structural similarity with dobutamine without having the Catechol-O- Methyltransferase(COMT) vulnerable m-hydroxy group was synthesized via 12 synthetic steps.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.972-981
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• 2009

In this paper, a fed-batch cultivation process in recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) bacteria, for the production of human soluble catechol-O-methyltransferase (hSCOMT), is presented. For the first time, a straightforward model is applied in a recombinant hSCOMT expression system and distinguishes an initial cell growth phase from a protein production phase upon induction. Specifically, the kinetic model predicts biomass, substrate, and product concentrations in the culture over time and was identified from a series of fed-batch experiments designed by testing several feed profiles. The main advantage of this model is that its parameters can be identified more reliably from distinct fed-batch strategies, such as glycerol pulses and exponential followed by constant substrate additions. Interestingly, with the limited amount of data available, the proposed model accomplishes satisfactorily the experimental results obtained for the three state variables, and no exhaustive process knowledge is required. The comparison of the measurement data obtained in a validation experiment with the model predictions showed the great extrapolation capability of the model presented, which could provide new complementary information for the COMT production system.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.210-214
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• 1998

An association study with Korean schizophrenic patients(N=84) and normal controls(N=87) was performed to find the relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) gene polymorphism and schizophrenia using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. When we compared the allele and genotype frequencies of Bgl I COMT gene polymorphism in schizophrenics and normal controls, there was no significant difference between two groups. Our results do not support an association between the Bgl I polymorphism of COMT gene and schizophrenia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2009

Purpose : Many gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catecholamines, catechol estrogen, and catechol drugs. Polymorphisms of the COMT gene are reported to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease patients. Methods : One hundred and one Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 306 healthy Korean control subjects were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of the COMT gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results : There were no differences in the genotype and allelic frequency of the rs4680 and rs769224 polymorphic sites between Kawasaki disease and control subjects. Further, no significant difference was found in the rs4680 polymorphism between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13). However, the distribution of the rs769224 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P= 0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the polymorphisms of the rs769224 gene might be related to the development of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.134-134
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• 1999

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.506-510
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• 1995

The 5-(2'-(N-(1-methyl-3'-carbamylphenyl)-n-propyl))aminoethyl)-8- hydroxy-4-methyl-carbostyril derivatives which have isoelectronic and isosteric structural similarity with dobutamine without having the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) vulnerable m-hydroxy group were synthesized via 7 synthetic steps, and their stabilities in phosphate buffer solution(pH=7.4), human blood. 80% human plasma and 20% rat liver homogenate were determined in vitro condition.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.68-76
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• 2000

Object : This study was earned out to examine the effect of Bupleuri Radix on experimental cholestasis, and make clear a part of this mechanism. Methods : Two models of common bile duct ligation group and taurocholate load group after common bile duct ligation were induced, and Bupleuri Radix extract was taken orally for 14 days. In the 1, 2, 4, 7 and l4days after treatment, cytosolic, mitochondrial and microsomal catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) activities in liver were measured. Results : The activities of cytosolic, mitochondrial and microsomal COMT increased in the Blupleuri Radix treated group after common bile duct ligation and after taurocholate load and common bile duct ligation. The activities of cytosolic and mitochondrial COMT increased particularly in Blupleuri Radix treated group after taurocholate load and common bile duct ligation. Conclusions : According to the result, it is considered that Blupleuri Radix not only improves cholestatis in liver, but also decreases a genetic synthesis of taurocholic acid.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.522-528
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• 2007

In the present investigation, we studied the modulating effects of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on the methylation status of promoter regions of cell cycle regulator, p16, in human breast cancer T-47D cells. We demonstrated that treatment of T-47D cells with caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, or EGCG partially inhibited the methylation status of the promoter regions of p16 genes determined by methylation-specific PCR. In contrast, unmethylated p16 genes were increased with the treatment of T-47D cells with $20{\mu}M$ of caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid for 6 days. Treatment of T-47D cells with 5, 20 or $50{\mu}M$ of EGCG increased the unmethylation status of p16 gene up to 100%, and the methylation-specific bands of this gene were decreased up to 50% in a concentration-dependent manner. The finding of present study demonstrated that coffee polyphenols and EGCG have strong inhibitory effects of the cellular DNA methylation process through increased formation of S-adenosyl-homocysteine(SAH) during the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)- mediated O-methylation of these dietary chemicals or an direct inhibition of the DNA methyltransferases. In conclusion, various dietary polyphenols could reverse the methylation status of p16 gene in human breast T-47D cells.