• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.1073-1077
• /
• 1999

CRAMP, a 37-amino acid cationic antimicrobial peptide was recently deduced from the cDNA cloned from mouse femoral marrow RNA. In order to investigate the structure-activity relationship and functional region of CRAMP, CRAMP and its 18-mer overlapping peptides were synthesized by the solid phase method. CRAMP showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains (MIC: 3.125-6.25 μM) but had no hemolytic activity until 50 μM. CRAMP was found to have a potent anticancer activity (IC50: 12-23 μM) against two human small cell lung cancer cell lines. Furthermore, CRAMP was found to display faster bactericidal rate in B. subtilis rather than E. coli in the kinetics of bacterial killing. Among 18-meric overlapping fragment peptides, only CRAMP (16-33) displayed potent antibacterial activity (MIC: 12.5-50 μM) against several bacteria with no hemolytic activity. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra anal-ysis indicated that CRAMP and its analogues will form the amphipathic α-helical conformation in the cell membranes similar to other antimicrobial peptides, such as cecropins and magainins.

• Current Applied Physics
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.1196-1200
• /
• 2018

We have experimentally demonstrated circular polarization generation from linear polarized soft X-ray at synchrotron by adopting a thin magnetic film polarizer. Polarizer is composed of Co/Pt multilayer with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which allows us to easily accommodate without needing any tilting angle into the measurement setup since the circular polarization is generated for the X-ray with normal incidence and transmission. Generated circular polarization is examined by observing magnetic domain features based on the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, where~11% of circular component is estimated compared to the case of full circular polarization.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.5 no.5
• /
• pp.575-578
• /
• 1995

X-ray magnetic-circular-dichroism (MCD) spectra, orbital ($$) and spin magnetic moments ($$) for Co(110) monolayers a free standing mode or sandwiched between Pd(Pd/1Co/Pd)and Cu layers (Cu/1Co/Cu) are calculated using the thin film full potential linearized augmented plane wave energy band method. In contrast to the double peak structure predicted for the Co(0001) surface, only a minor side peak is found in the MCD spectra for Cu/Co/Cu, while MCD spectra for the other systems show a single peak structure. The MCD sum rules originally derived from a single ion model are found in the band approach to be valid for the systems investigated. However, for the spin sum rule, the magnetic dipole term ($$) is not negligible and needs to be included.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.275-284
• /
• 2019

Chirality is ubiquitous in physics and biology from microscopic to macroscopic phenomena, such as fermionic interactions and DNA duplication. In photonics, chirality has traditionally represented differentiated optical responses for right and left circular polarizations. This definition of optical chirality in the polarization domain includes handedness-dependent phase velocities or optical absorption inside chiral media, which enable polarimetry for measuring the material concentration and circular dichroism spectroscopy for sensing biological or chemical enantiomers. Recently, the emerging field of non-Hermitian photonics, which explores exotic phenomena in gain or loss media, has provided a new viewpoint on chirality in photonics that is not restricted to the traditional polarization domain but is extended to other physical quantities such as the orbital angular momentum, propagation direction, and system parameter space. Here, we introduce recent milestones in chiral light-matter interactions in non-Hermitian photonics and show an enhanced degree of design freedom in photonic devices for spin and orbital angular momenta, directionality, and asymmetric modal conversion.

• Current Applied Physics
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.1185-1189
• /
• 2018

Thickness-dependent magnetic domain structure of ultrathin Co wedge films (0.3 nm-1.0 nm) sandwiched by Pt layers was investigated by scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) employing X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), utilizing elliptically polarized soft x-rays and electromagnetic fields, with a spatial resolution of 50 nm. The magnetic domain images measured at the Co $L_3$ edge showed the evolution of the magnetic domain structures from maze-like form to the bubble-like form as the perpendicular magnetic field was applied. The asymmetric domain expansion of a 500 nm-scale bubble domain was also measured when the in-plane and perpendicular external magnetic field were applied simultaneously.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.7
• /
• pp.2117-2124
• /
• 2013

The binding properties and sequence selectivities of ${\Delta}{\Delta}$- and ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ (bip = 4,4'-biphenylene (imidazo [4,4-f][1,10]phenanthroline) complexes with $poly[d(A-T)_2]$ and $poly[d(G-C)_2]$ were investigated using conventional spectroscopic methods. When bound to $poly[d(A-T)_2]$, a large positive circular dichroism (CD) spectrum was induced in absorption region of the bridging moiety for both the ${\Delta}{\Delta}$- and ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complexes, which suggested that the bridging moiety sits in the minor groove of the polynucleotide. As luminescence intensity increased, decay times became longer and complexes were well-protected from the negatively charged iodide quencher compared to that in the absence of $poly[d(A-T)_2]$. These luminescence measurements indicated that Ru(II) enantiomers were in a less polar environment compared to that in water and supported by minor groove binding. An angle of $45^{\circ}$ between the molecular plane of the bridging moiety of the ${\Delta}{\Delta}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complex and the local DNA helix axis calculated from reduced linear dichroism ($LD^r$) spectrum further supported the minor groove binding mode. In the case of ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complex, this angle was $55^{\circ}$, suggesting a tilt of DNA stem near the binding site and bridging moiety sit in the minor groove of the $poly[d(A-T)_2]$. In contrast, neither ${\Delta}{\Delta}$-nor ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complex produced significant CD or $LD^r$ signal in the absorption region of the bridging moiety. Luminescence measurements revealed that both the ${\Delta}{\Delta}$- and ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complexes were partially accessible to the $I^-$ quencher. Furthermore, decay times became shorter when bis-Ru(II) complexes bound to $poly[d(G-C)_2]$. These observations suggest that both the ${\Delta}{\Delta}$- and ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ complexes bind at the surface of $poly[d(G-C)_2]$, probably electrostatically to phosphate group. The results indicate that ${\Delta}{\Delta}$- and ${\Lambda}{\Lambda}-[{\mu}-Ru_2(phen)_4(bip)]^{4+}$ are able to discriminate between AT and GC base pairs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.748-755
• /
• 2014

In the genome annotation of Escherichia coli MG1655, the orf382 (1,149 bp) is designated as a gene encoding an alcohol dehydrogenase that may be Fe-dependent. In this study, the gene was amplified from the genome by PCR and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant $6{\times}$His-tag protein was then purified and characterized. In an enzymatic assay using different hydroxyl-containing substrates (n-butanol, $\small{L}$-threonine, ethanol, isopropanol, glucose, glycerol, $\small{L}$-serine, lactic acid, citric acid, methanol, or $\small{D}$-threonine), the enzyme showed the highest activity on $\small{L}$-threonine. Characterization of the mutant constructed using gene knockout of the orf382 also implied the function of the enzyme in the metabolism of $\small{L}$-threonine into glycine. Considering the presence of tested substrates in living E. coli cel ls and previous literature, we believed that the suitable nomenclature for the enzyme should be an $\small{L}$-threonine dehydrogenase (LTDH). When using $\small{L}$-threonine as the substrate, the enzyme exhibited the best catalytic performance at $39^{\circ}C$ and pH 9.8 with $NAD^+$ as the cofactor. The determination of the Km values towards $\small{L}$-threonine (Km = $11.29{\mu}M$), ethanol ($222.5{\mu}M$), and n-butanol ($8.02{\mu}M$) also confirmed the enzyme as an LTDH. Furthermore, the LTDH was shown to be an ion-containing protein based on inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry with an isoelectronic point of pH 5.4. Moreover, a circular dichroism analysis revealed that the metal ion was structurally and enzymatically essential, as its deprivation remarkably changed the ${\alpha}$-helix percentage (from 12.6% to 6.3%).

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.911-920
• /
• 2007

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to be one of the leading infectious diseases to humans. It is urgent to discover novel drug targets for the development of antitubercular agents. The 2-C-methyl-Derythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis has been considered as an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibiotics for its essentiality in bacteria and absence in mammals. MEP cytidyltransferase (IspD), the third-step enzyme of the pathway, catalyzes MEP and CTP to form 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methylerythritol (CDP-ME) and PPi. In the work, ispD gene from M. tuberculosis H37Rv (MtIspD) was cloned and expressed. With N-terminal fusion of a histidine-tagged sequence, MtIspD could be purified to homogeneity by one-step nickel affinity chromatography. MtIspD exists as a homodimer with an apparent molecular mass of 52 kDa. Enzyme property analysis revealed that MtIspD has high specificity for pyrimidine bases and narrow divalent cation requirements, with maximal activity found in the presence of CTP and $Mg^{2+}$. The turnover number of MtIspD is $3.4 s^{-1}$. The Km for MEP and CTP are 43 and $92{\mu}M$, respectively. Furthermore, MtIspD shows thermal instable above $50^{\circ}C$. Circular dichroism spectra revealed that the alteration of tertiary conformation is closely related with sharp loss of enzyme activity at higher temperature. This study is expected to help better understand the features of IspD and provide useful information for the development of novel antibiotics to treat M. tuberculosis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 1999.07a
• /
• pp.169-169
• /
• 1999

We studied magnetic properties of co thin films deposited on Pd (111) surface, which attracted much attention recently due to the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, using magnetic circular dichroism(MCD). Special attention was paid on the effect of Pd capping and interface roughness on the direction of magnetic easy axis, and for that purpose MCD signals for all Co thicknesses were measured with two different ways : in-plane and out-of-plane geometry. In case of bare Co films deposited on smooth Pd(111) surface, no MCD signal was observed under 4$\AA$ co thickness. At 4$\AA$ Co thickness, MCD signal at the out-of-plane geometry was observed, and for thicker Co films, only in-plane MCD signal was measured. This type of magnetic easy axis transition has been reported for other cases like Co/Pt system. The effect of 5$\AA$ Pd capping on these bare Co films made an remarkable change on the transition of magnetic easy axis. Out-of-plane MCD signals exists up to 20$\AA$ Co thickness, and disappears at 24$\AA$ Co thickness. In-plane MCD signals first appears at 10$\AA$ Co thickness and gradually increases up to 24$\AA$ Co thickness. Between 10$\AA$ and 20$\AA$ Co thickness, in-plane and out-of-plane MCD signal coexist. The formation of multi-domain structure or the existence of tilted magnetic easy axis is an possible scenario for such an interesting coexistence. The effect of interface roughness was also tested by measuring MCD signal on Co films deposited on un-annealed Pd(111) surface. Out-of-plane MCD signal was observed up to 8$\AA$ Co thickness and the anisotropy of MCD signal at 4$\AA$ Co thickness was very large with respect to that of Co film deposited on the smooth substrate. Above 8$\AA$ thickness, there exists only in-plane MCD signal. From above results, it was concluded that both Pd capping and interface roughness induce and reenforce the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of Co/Pd multilayer system made by sputtering method can be well understood from our results.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.125-129
• /
• 2012

By employing soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), the electronic structures of molecule-based nano bioparticles, such as Helicobacter pylori ferritin (H. pylori ferritin), Heme, $NaM[Fe(CN)_6]{\cdot}H_2O$-type Prussian Blue (M=Co, Ni) analogue, have been investigated. The measured Fe 2p XAS spectra reveal that Fe ions are trivalent ($Fe^{3+}$) in H. pylori ferritins, while they are in the $Fe^{2+}-Fe^{3+}$ mixed-valent states in $NaM[Fe(CN)_6]{\cdot}H_2O$ Prussian Blue analogues (M=Co, Ni). According to the Fe 2p XMCD spectrum of high-state H. pylori ferritin, all the $Fe^{3+}$ ions have the same local symmetry and their magnetic moments are aligned in the same direction. It is also found that the Fe 3d orbitals in $NaM[Fe(CN)_6]{\cdot}H_2O$ have a strong covalent bonding to $(CN)^-$ ligands, but with a very weak bonding to the 2p orbitals of O ligands.