• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1903-1905
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• 2013

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2023

We recently found that the insect-derived antimicrobial peptide CopA3 (LLCIALRKK) directly binds to and inhibits the proteolytic activation of caspases, which play essential roles in apoptotic processes. However, the mechanism of CopA3 binding to caspases remained unknown. Here, using recombinant GST-caspase-3 and -6 proteins, we investigated the mechanism by which CopA3 binds to caspases. We showed that replacement of cysteine in CopA3 with alanine caused a marked loss in its binding activity towards caspase-3 and -6. Exposure to DTT, a reducing agent, also diminished their interaction, suggesting that this cysteine plays an essential role in caspase binding. Experiments using deletion mutants of CopA3 showed that the last N-terminal leucine residue of CopA3 peptide is required for binding of CopA3 to caspases, and that C-terminal lysine and arginine residues also contribute to their interaction. These conclusions are supported by binding experiments employing direct addition of CopA3 deletion mutants to human colonocyte (HT29) extracts containing endogenous caspase-3 and -6 proteins. In summary, binding of CopA3 to caspases is dependent on a cysteine in the intermediate region of the CopA3 peptide and a leucine in the N-terminal region, but that both an arginine and two adjacent lysines in the C-terminal region of CopA3 also contribute. Collectively, these results provide insight into the interaction mechanism and the high selectivity of CopA3 for caspases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.278-283
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• 2006

Defensins are small cysteine rich peptides with a molecular mass of 5-10 kDa and some of them exhibit potent antifungal activity. We have cloned the coding region of a cDNA of 225 bp cysteine rich defensin, named as Tfgd1, from the legume Trigonella foenum-graecum. The amino acid sequence deduced from the coding region comprised 74 amino acids, of which the N-terminal 27 amino acids constituted the signal peptide and the mature peptide comprised 47 amino acids. The protein is characterized by the presence of eight cysteine resisdues, conserved in the various plant defensins forming four disulphide bridges, which stabilize the mature peptide. The recombinant protein expressed in E coli exhibited antifungal activity against the broad host range fungus, Rhizoctonia solani and the peanut leaf spot fungus, Phaeoisariopsis personata.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 1999

A cost-effective mass production method for a strong antimicrobial peptide, buforin II, which was isolated from the stomach of Bufo bufo gargarizans, has been developed. This method is based on the neutralization of the positive charge of buforin II by fusion with a cysteine-rich acidic peptide (CAP) to avoid any lethal effect on the host. The neutralized fusion peptide was multimerized and expressed in Escherichia coli as tandem repeats to increase the production yield. Multimers of the CAP-buforin II fusion peptide were successfully expressed at high levels in E. coli as inclusion bodies. More than 100mg of pure buforin II was obtained per 11 of E. coli culture after cleaving the multimeric polypeptide with CNBr. The buforin II obtained from the recombinant E. coli had antimicrobial activity identical to that of natural buforin II. The proposed expression system can provide a cost-effective mass production method for both antimicrobial peptides and other host-lethal basic proteins.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1301-1302
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• 2008

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2012

Artificially oxidized cysteine residues in peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx6) were detected by electrospray interface capillary liquid chromatography-linear ion trap mass spectrometry after the preparation of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-GE). We used Prx6 as a model protein because it possesses only two cysteine residues at the 47th and 91st positions. The spot of Prx6 on 2D-GE undergoes a basic (isoelectric point, pI 6.6) to acidic (pI 6.2) shift by exposure to peroxide due to selective overoxidation of the active-site cysteine Cys-47 but not of Cys-91. However, we detected a tryptic peptide containing cysteine sulfonic acid at the 47th position from the basic spot and a peptide containing both oxidized Cys-47 and oxidized Cys-91 from the acidic spot of Prx6 after the separation by 2D-GE. We prepared two types of oxidized Prx6s: carrying oxidized Cys-47 (single oxidized Prx6), and other carrying both oxidized Cys-47 and Cys-91 (double oxidized Prx6). Using these oxidized Prx6s, the single oxidized Prx6 and double oxidized Prx6 migrated to pIs at 6.2 and 5.9, respectively. These results suggest that oxidized Cys-47 from the basic spot and oxidized Cys-91 from the acidic spot are generated by artificial oxidation during sample handling processes after isoelectric focusing of 2D-GE. Therefore, it is important to make sure of the origin of cysteine oxidation, if it is physiological or artificial, when an oxidized cysteine residue(s) is identified.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.788-794
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• 2015

Cationic liposomes have been actively used as gene delivery vehicles despite their unsatisfactory efficiencies because of their relatively low toxicity. In this study, we designed novel heterodimeric peptides as nonviral gene delivery systems from TAT and NLS peptides using cysteine-to-cysteine disulfide bonds between the two. Mixing these heterodimeric peptides with DNA before mixing with lipofectamine resulted in higher transfection efficiencies in MCF-7 breast cancer cells than mixing unmodified TAT, NLS, and a simple mixture of TAT and NLS with DNA, but did not show an adverse effect on cell viability. In gel retardation assays, the DNA binding affinities of heterodimeric peptides were stronger than NLS but weaker than TAT. However, this enhancement was only observed when heterodimeric peptides were premixed with DNA before being mixed with lipofectamine. The described novel transfection-enhancing peptide system produced by the heterodimerization of TAT and NLS peptides followed by simple mixing with DNA, increased the gene transfer efficiency of cationic lipids without enhancing cytotoxicity.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.352-357
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• 2008

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a soluble decoy receptor that inhibits osteoclastogenesis and is closely associated with bone resorption processes. We have designed and determined the solution structures of potent OPG analogue peptides, derived from sequences of the cysteine-rich domain of OPG. The inhibitory effects of the peptides on osteoclastogenesis are dose-dependent ($10^{-6}M-10^{-4}M$), and the activity of the linear peptide at $10^{-4}M$ is ten-fold higher than that of the cyclic OPG peptide. Both linear and cyclic peptides have a ${\beta}$-turn-like conformation and the cyclic peptide has a rigid conformation, suggesting that structural flexibility is an important factor for receptor binding. Based on structural and biochemical information about RANKL and the OPG peptides, we suggest that complex formation between the peptide and RANKL is mediated by both hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. These results provide structural insights that should aid in the design of peptidyl-mimetic inhibitors for treating metabolic bone diseases caused by abnormal osteoclast recruitment.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2005

The trend towards ageing populations has been observed over many years in Europe and the US but has accelerated significantly in developed countries in Asia including Japan and South Korea. In the latter country the elderly population (65+) has increased 5-fold between 1960 and 2000 and this group will comprise 40% of the population by 2050. This creates a new socio-economic group with specific demands and considerable spending power. As ageing occurs a range of changes occur in the body that can be moderated by adjustments in nutrition. A significant body of evidence points to changes in the balance of glutathione synthesis and utilisation as people age. Glutathione is tile most important natural anti-oxidant of the body and the amounts present can become limited by available cysteine in the diet. A cysteine-enriched peptide product, Cysteine Peption$^{TM}$ has been developed by DMV International for dietary supplement and food applications. A qualitative consumer trial has indicated benefits including improved sleep and more energy. Animal and clinical trial will be described that provide indications on bioavailability and possible mechanisms of action of Cysteine Peption$^{TM}$ with particular focus on the ageing population.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 2007

Cysteine-cysteine chemokine receptor 9 (CCR9) homologue cDNA was isolated from olive flounder leukocyte cDNA library. Olive flounder CCR9 homologue consisted of 1709 bp encoding 367amino acid residues. When compared with other known CCR peptide sequences, the most conserved region of the olive flounder CCR9 peptide is the seven transmembranes. A phylogenetic analysis based on the deduced amino acid sequence showed the homologous relationship between the olive flounder CCR9 sequence and that of Mouse CCR9. The olive flounder CCR9 gene was predominantly expressed in the Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs), kidney, spleen, and gills.