• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권10호
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• pp.889-899
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• 2018

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are highly unorthodox proteins that do not form three-dimensional structures under physiological conditions. The discovery of IDPs has destroyed the classical structure-function paradigm in protein science, 3-D structure = function, because IDPs even without well-folded 3-D structures are still capable of performing important biological functions and furthermore are associated with fatal diseases such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and viral pandemics. Pre-structured motifs (PreSMos) refer to transient local secondary structural elements present in the target-unbound state of IDPs. During the last two decades PreSMos have been steadily acknowledged as the critical determinants for target binding in dozens of IDPs. To date, the PreSMo concept provides the most convincing structural rationale explaining the IDP-target binding behavior at an atomic resolution. Here we present a brief developmental history of PreSMos and describe their common characteristics. We also provide a list of newly discovered PreSMos along with their functional relevance.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제39권9호
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• pp.645-653
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• 2016

Morphine is the most potent analgesic for chronic pain, but its clinical use has been limited by the opiate's innate tendency to produce tolerance, severe withdrawal symptoms and rewarding properties with a high risk of relapse. To understand the addictive properties of morphine, past studies have focused on relevant molecular and cellular changes in the brain, highlighting the functional roles of reward-related brain regions. Given the accumulated findings, a recent, emerging trend in morphine research is that of examining the dynamics of neuronal interactions in brain reward circuits under the influence of morphine action. In this review, we highlight recent findings on the roles of several reward circuits involved in morphine addiction based on pharmacological, molecular and physiological evidences.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.155-168
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• 1996

The active site of cyclooxygenase was modeled by complementary receptor-cavity mapping procedure using 3D structures of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). A total of 50 NSAIDs were chosen as data ligands which compete the same site on the enzyme. Partial atomic charges were estimated, and the energetic differences for various conformations were calculated so as to meet the need for a most efficient overlapping of the probably-equivalent functional groups of the ligand molecules. The structure activity relationships of the NSAIDs, if available, were fully considered throughout the modeling. The overall shape of the model obtained is similar to a boot-without-bottom. Most of inner surface of the cavity appeared as hydrophobic; two polar counterparts except the carboxyl-binding position were found. By this model, some clear explanations could be given on the experimental observations which were not satisfiably understood yet.

• 한국표면공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국표면공학회 2012년도 추계총회 및 학술대회 논문집
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• pp.66-67
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• 2012

As polymer coatings of nano-structured surface become significant to obtain functionalized materials, catechol derived from a mussel protein has attracted increasing attention for its universal adhesiveness. In addition to the unique adhesion property, its reducing ability of metal ions during oxidative polymerization to polydopamine (pD) widely expands the application of catechol molecules in the field of surface modification. In this study, we present the catechol conjugated smart polymer coatings for regulating surface properties such as wettability and anti-fouling effects. In additino, the in situ silver coating of electrospun polymer nanofibers using a silver-catechol redox reaction is presented as a simple method to produce metal nanostructures.

• KSBB Journal
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.133-141
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• 2005

This review presents the preparation, transport mechanism and application of molecularly imprinted membranes (MIM). Molecular imprinting has now been established as a technique which allows the creation of tailor-made binding sites for many classes of compounds. MIM have some advantages; a high capacity due to a large surface area, faster transport of substrate molecules and faster equilibrium of binding cavities compared to molecularly imprinted particles. MIM were prepared by covalent and non-covalent chemical bonding systems, by interactions between functional monomer and template. MIM can be prepared by in-situ polymerization, wet phase inversion, dry phase inversion, and surface imprinting method. MIM can continuously separate mixtures based on facilitated or retarded diffusion of the template. MIM can change their permeability in the presence of templates. MIM have a potential to be used to separate chiral compounds and materials with similar structures. However the application of MIM by the chemical industries is still in its infancy stages.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.509-516
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• 2020

To perceive fluctuations in light quality, quantity, and timing, higher plants have evolved diverse photoreceptors including UVR8 (a UV-B photoreceptor), cryptochromes, phototropins, and phytochromes (Phys). In contrast to plants, prokaryotic oxygen-evolving photosynthetic organisms, cyanobacteria, rely mostly on bilin-based photoreceptors, namely, cyanobacterial phytochromes (Cphs) and cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs), which exhibit structural and functional differences compared with plant Phys. CBCRs comprise varying numbers of light sensing domains with diverse color-tuning mechanisms and signal transmission pathways, allowing cyanobacteria to respond to UV-A, visible, and far-red lights. Recent genomic surveys of filamentous cyanobacteria revealed novel CBCRs with broader chromophore-binding specificity and photocycle protochromicity. Furthermore, a novel Cph lineage has been identified that absorbs blue-violet/yellow-orange light. In this minireview, we briefly discuss the diversity in color sensing and signal transmission mechanisms of Cphs and CBCRs, along with their potential utility in the field of optogenetics.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제15권7호
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• pp.671-675
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• 2007

Soybean proteins appear to harbor a great deal of potential as functional ingredients due to the fact that they are composed of highly bioavailable peptides and amino acids. To develop drink- or gel-type foods formulated with soybean protein, the physicochemical properties of intact and chemically modified soy glycinin were assessed. Maleylation to soy glycinin altered the surface charges of glycinin via the modification of lysine residues, and subsequently generated the dissociation of glycinin subunits owing to the increase in charge repulsion. This modification thus improved the solubility of glycinin, particularly under acidic pH conditions. It is worthy of note that maleylation increased the susceptibility of the basic subunits of mTGase and the formation of a substantial quantity of molecules at a low protein solution concentration. The results of dynamic rheological studies indicated that the 5% intact glycinin progressively formed the gel with mTGase treatment in a concentration-dependent manner, but maleylated-glycinin did not.

• 폴리머
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.268-274
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• 2015

In this paper, the isothermal crystallization kinetics of a functional PP (FPP) with different grafting yields (GY)-methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) grafted PP were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the crystallization rate of FPP (GY=4.83%) was the highest for all of the studied samples. Furthermore, for the FPP with different GY, the value of $t_{1/2}$ became longer with increasing the grafting yield (GY). The possible explanation was that the quaternary ammonium groups introduced affected the crystallization process of the FPP in two opposite directions, i.e. promoting the nucleation and hindering the transport of the chain molecules towards the growing nuclei. Polarized optical micrographs showed that the DMC chains acted as nucleating agents, which accelerated the nucleation. In addition, the results showed the FPP had lower nucleation free energy than the PP. This study would be useful for designing the processing parameters of the grafted samples.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.294-300
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• 2007

The mammalian glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor consists of three mannoses attached to acylated GlcN-(acyl)PI to form $Man_3$-GlcN-(acyl)PI. The first of the three mannose groups is attached to an intermediate to generate Man-GlcN-(acyl)PI by the first mannosyltransferase (GPI-MT-I). Mammalian and protozoan GPI-MT-I have different substrate specificities. PIG-M encodes the mammalial GPI-MT-I which has 423 amino acids and multiple transmembrane domains. In this work we cloned PIG-M homologues from humans, Plasmodium falciparum (PfPIG-M), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (GPI14), to test whether they could complement GPI-MT-I-deficient mammalian cells, since this biosynthetic step is likely to be a good target for selective screening of inhibitors against many pathogenic organisms. PfPIG-M partially restored cell surface expression of the GPI-anchored protein CD59 in PIG-M deficient mammalian cells, and first mannose transfer activity in vitro; however, this was not the case for GPI14.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.428-437
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• 2008

To identify transcriptional markers for beef traits related to meat tenderness and moisture, we measured the transcriptome of the Longissimus dorsi skeletal muscle in 10 Korean native cattle (KNC). We analyzed the correlation between the beef transcriptome and measurements of four different beef traits, shear force (SF), water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), and loin eye area (LEA). We obtained non-overlapping and unique panels of genes showing strong correlations (${\mid}r{\mid}$ > 0.8) with SF, WHC, CL, and LEA, respectively. Functional studies of these genes indicated that SF was mainly related to energy metabolism, and LEA to rRNA processing. Interestingly, our data suggested that WHC is influenced by protein metabolism. Overall, the skeletal muscle transcriptome pointed to the importance of energy and protein metabolism in determining meat quality after the aging process. The panels of transcripts for beef traits may be useful for predicting meat tenderness and moisture.