• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제28권10호
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• pp.1709-1714
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• 2007

It is demonstrated in this study that the nanoliter reactor arrays with an inkjet printing, can be used for high throughput screen of antibiotic function. As a model antibiotic, gramicidin was used in this study. The gramicidin embedded lipid vesicles were immobilized on the surface in the nanoliter reactor structure with control of the volume in the nanoliter reactor. By dispensing acidic drops into the reactor, the gramicidin function was monitored. The technique developed in this research also has a great potential to be used for discovery of drugs.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.199-204
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• 2001

In order to understand the phenomenon in a living cell correctly, it has been required to obtain intact responses from the cell membrane without disrupting the cytoplasmic circumstances. Gramicidin perforated patch configuration allows the electrical access to the whole cell with a minimal dialysis of cytoplasm and preventing the loss of native intracellular constituents, such as $Cl^-.$ Here, we would like to show the background of this method and the actual application of the gramicidin perforated patch recording mode on the dissociated neurons.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.116-122
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• 1999

식물세포의 세포질 $Ca^{2+}$ 이동과 관련된 $Ca^{2+}$ 수송 특성을 조사하기 위하여, 토마토 뿌리조직으로부터 마이크로솜을 분리하고, $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수 실험을 수행하였다. 반응용액에 P-type ATPase의 선택적 저해제인 1 mM vanadate와 액포막 $H^+-ATPase$의 선택적 저해제인 50 mM $NO_3^-$를 첨가하였을 때, $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수는 각각 20%와 33%가 저해되었고, 두 가지 저해제를 동시에 첨가하였을 때, 약 47%가 저해되었다. 이러한 저해효과의 특성을 밝히기 위하여 protonophore인 gramicidin을 처리하여 막을 경계로 형성된 $H^{+}$의 농도기울기를 감소시켰을 때, $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수는 30% 가량 저해되어, 토마토 뿌리조직 마이크로솜에 $Ca^{2+}/H^+$ antiporter가 존재할 가능성을 확인하였다. Gramicidin의 저해효과는 vanadate에 의한 $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수 저해 이후에도 대조실험과 같은 정도로 얻어져 vanadate의 저해효과와는 무관한 것이 확인되었다. 그러나, $NO_3^-$를 처리하여 $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수를 저해시킨 후, gramicidin에 의한 추가저해는 거의 관측되지 않았다. 한편, 동물조직 ER/SR-type $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$의 선택적 저해제인 thapsigargin은 마이크로솜 $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ 흡수를 농도 의존적으로 저해하였으며, $10\;{\mu}M$ 농도에서 최대 저해효과를 나타냈다. Thapsigargin에 의한 저해효과는 $NO_3^-$를 사용하여 액포막 $H^{+}-ATPase$ 활성을 저해하였을 때와 gramicidin을 사용하였을 때, 현저하게 감소하였으며 , vanadate의 효과와는 무관하였다. 이러한 결과는 vanadate가 직접적으로 $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$를 저해하며, $NO_3^-$와 thapsigargin은 액포막에 위치한 $H^{+}-ATPase$의 활성을 저해하여 간접적으로 $Ca^{2+}/H^+$ antiporter를 저해함을 의미한다. 결론적으로, 본 연구의 결과는 토마토 뿌리조직에 $Ca^{2+}$ 이동을 유발하는 주요 효소로서 $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$와 액포막 $Ca^{2+}/H^+$ antiporter가 존재함을 보여준다.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.191-197
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• 2009

Somatostatin (SST) is a known neuromodulator of the central nervous system. The substantia gelatinosa (SG) of the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) receives many thinmyelinated $A{\delta}$-fiber and unmyelinated C primary afferent fibers and is involved in nociceptive processing. Many studies have demonstrated that SST plays a pivotal role in pain modulation in the spinal cord. However, little is yet known about the direct effects of SST on the SG neurons of the Vc in adult mice. In our present study, we investigated the direct membrane effects of SST and a type 2 SST receptor agonist, seglitide (SEG), on the SG neurons of the Vc using a gramicidin-perforated current clamp in adult mice. The majority (53%, n = 27/51) of the adult SG neurons were hyperpolarized by SST (300 nM) but no differences were found in the hyperpolarization response rate between males and females. When SST was applied successively, the second response was smaller ($76{\pm}9.5%$, n=19), suggesting that SST receptors are desensitized by repeated application. SST-induced hyperpolarization was also maintained under conditions where presynaptic events were blocked ($75{\pm}1.0%$, n=5), suggesting that this neuromodulator exerts direct effects upon postsynaptic SG neurons. SEG was further found to induce membrane hyperpolarization of the SG neurons of the Vc. These results collectively demonstrate that SST inhibits the SG neuronal activities of the Vc in adult mice with no gender bias, and that these effects are mediated via a type 2 SST receptor, suggesting that this is a potential target for orofacial pain modulation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제53권9호
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• pp.845-851
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• 2010

Purpose: Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been widely used to treat short stature. However, there are some concerns that growth hormone treatment may induce skeletal maturation and early onset of puberty. In this study, we investigated whether rhGH can directly affect the neuronal activities of of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Methods: We performed brain slice gramicidin-perforated current clamp recording to examine the direct membrane effects of rhGH on GnRH neurons, and a whole-cell voltage-clamp recording to examine the effects of rhGH on spontaneous postsynaptic events and holding currents in immature (postnatal days 13-21) and adult (postnatal days 42-73) mice. Results: In immature mice, all 5 GnRH neurons recorded in gramicidin-perforated current clamp mode showed no membrane potential changes on application of rhGH (0.4, $1{\mu}g/mL$). In adult GnRH neurons, 7 (78%) of 9 neurons tested showed no response to rhGH ($0.2-1{\mu}g/mL$) and 2 neurons showed slight depolarization. In 9 (90%) of 10 immature neurons tested, rhGH did not induce any membrane holding current changes or spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs). There was no change in sPSCs and holding current in 4 of 5 adult GnRH neurons. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that rhGH does not directly affect the GnRH neuronal activities in our experimental model.

• EDISON SW 활용 경진대회 논문집
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• 제3회(2014년)
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• pp.75-88
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 비선형 Poisson-Boltzmann 식의 해를 구할 수 있는 웹 기반 EPBS를 이용하여 이온채널의 전하 분포와 유전률이 이온채널의 이온선택성에 미치는 영향에 대해 알아본다. 모델로 사용한 이온채널은 이온채널과 유사한 구조를 갖는 합성 단백질인 고리형 펩타이드 나노튜브와 자연계에 존재하는 Gramicidin A 이다. 계산 결과로부터 용매인 물과 단백질의 유전율 차이에 의해 이온이 이온채널을 통과할 때 반응장이 생성되며, 이는 이온과 상호작용을 통해 이온 종류에 관계없이 이온 통과를 방해하는 에너지 장벽을 형성함을 알 수 있다. 한편, 두 이온채널 부분 전하, 특히 골격에 존재하는 카르보닐기의 쌍극자 모멘트에 의해 이온채널 내부에는 0 보다 작은 정전기 퍼텐셜이 형성된다. 이온채널 내부의 총 정전기 퍼텐셜은 이온채널의 부분 전하에 의한 정전기 퍼텐셜과 유전률 차이에 의한 반응장의 합으로 나타나며, 계산 결과 0 보다 작은 값을 갖는다. 이로부터 본 연구에서 사용된 두 종류의 이온채널이 양이온에 선택성이 있음을 알 수 있다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.127-135
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• 2005

The uptake of putrescine, spermidine and spermine by Fortner's hamster amelanocytic melanoma AMEL-3 cells was observed in this study to be time-dependent, temperature-sensitive, pH-dependent and saturable. Metabolic poisons nullified polyamine uptake, an indication that this is an energy-requiring mechanism. The presence of $Na^+$ ions was found to be requisite to full activity. Valinomycin, gramicidin, monensin and the calcium ionophore calcimycin were also observed to inhibit the process substantially. The transporter active site would seem to contain sulfhydryl groups. Other diamines and polyamine analogues, as well as cationic diamidines, suppressed putrescine uptake. The presence of the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor DFMO in the culture medium induced putrescine inflows. Putrescine, in turn, induced the negative expression of the carrier, thus suggesting that this influx mechanism is governed by up/down regulation. The cationic diamidine CGP 40215A and its analogue CGP039937A competitively inhibited putrescine transport, with Ki values of 1.9 and $15{\mu}M$, respectively. The role of polyamine uptake in these cultures is discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.65-74
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• 2017

Here we investigated the central processing mechanisms of mechanical allodynia and found a direct excitatory link with low-threshold input to nociceptive neurons. Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-280 g. Subcutaneous injection of interleukin 1 beta ($IL-1{\beta}$) ($1ng/10{\mu}L$) was used to produce mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Intracisternal administration of bicuculline, a gamma aminobutyric acid A ($GABA_A$) receptor antagonist, produced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial area under normal conditions. However, intracisternal administration of bicuculline (50 ng) produced a paradoxical anti-allodynic effect under inflammatory pain conditions. Pretreatment with resiniferatoxin (RTX), which depletes capsaicin receptor protein in primary afferent fibers, did not alter the paradoxical anti-allodynic effects produced by the intracisternal injection of bicuculline. Intracisternal injection of bumetanide, an Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC 1) inhibitor, reversed the $IL-1{\beta}$-induced mechanical allodynia. In the control group, application of GABA ($100{\mu}M$) or muscimol ($3{\mu}M$) led to membrane hyperpolarization in gramicidin perforated current clamp mode. However, in some neurons, application of GABA or muscimol led to membrane depolarization in the $IL-1{\beta}$-treated rats. These results suggest that some large myelinated $A{\beta}$ fibers gain access to the nociceptive system and elicit pain sensation via $GABA_A$ receptors under inflammatory pain conditions.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.30-30
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• 2003

Without a definitive resolution of stoichiometry of cardiac Na$^{+}$-Ca$^{2+}$exchange (NCX), we cannot proceed to any quantitative analysis of exchange function as well as cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. The stoichiometry of cardiac NCX, however, is presently in doubt because reversal potentials determined by various groups range between those expected for a 3-to-1 and a 4-to-1 flux coupling. For a new perspective on this problem, we have used ion-selective microelectrodes to quantify directly exchanger-mediated fluxes of $Ca^{2+}$and Na$^{+}$in giant membrane patches. $Ca^{2+}$- and Na$^{+}$-selective microelectrodes, fabricated from quartz capillaries, are placed inside of the patch pipettes to detect extracellular ion transients associated with exchange activity. Ion changes are monitored at various distances from the membrane, and the absolute ion fluxes through NCX are determined via simulations of ion diffusion and compared with standard ion fluxes (Ca$^{2+}$ fluxes mediated by $Ca^{2+}$ ionophore, and Na$^{+}$ fluxes through gramicidin channels and Na$^{+}$/K$^{+}$pumps). Both guinea pig myocytes and NCX1-expressing BHK cells were employed, and for both systems the calculated stoichiometries for inward and outward exchange currents range between 3.2- and 3.4-to-1. The coupling ratios do not change significantly when currents are varied by changing cytoplasmic [Ca$^{2+}$] or by adding cytoplasmic Na$^{+}$. The exchanger reversal potentials, measured in both systems under several ionic conditions, range from 3.1- to 3.3-to-1. Taken together, a clear discrepancy from a NCX stoichiometry of 3-to-1 was obtained. Further definitive experiments are required to acquire a fixed number, and the present working hypothesis is that NCX current has an extra current via ‘conduction mode’.ent via ‘conduction mode’.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.47-54
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• 2012

Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been used worldwide as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various reproductive diseases. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the fundamental regulators of pulsatile release of gonadotropin required for fertility. In this study, an extract of KRG (KRGE) was applied to GnRH neurons to identify the receptors activated by KRGE. The brain slice patch clamp technique in whole cell and perforated patch was used to clarify the effect of KRGE on the membrane currents and membrane potentials of GnRH neurons. Application of KRGE (3 ${\mu}g$/${\mu}L$) under whole cell patch induced remarkable inward currents (56.17${\pm}$7.45 pA, n=25) and depolarization (12.91${\pm}$3.80 mV, n=4) in GnRH neurons under high $Cl^-$ pipette solution condition. These inward currents were not only reproducible, but also concentration dependent. In addition, inward currents and depolarization induced by KRGE persisted in the presence of the voltage gated $Na^+$ channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX), suggesting that the responses by KRGE were postsynaptic events. Application of KRGE under the gramicidin perforated patch induced depolarization in the presence of TTX suggesting its physiological significance on GnRH response. Further, the KRGE-induced inward currents were partially blocked by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX; non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist, 10 ${\mu}M$) or picrotoxin (PIC; $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, 50 ${\mu}M$), and almost blocked by PIC and CNQX mixture. Taken together, these results suggest that KRGE contains ingredients with possible GABA and non-NMDA glutamate receptor mimetic activity, and may play an important role in the endocrine function of reproductive physiology, via activation of $GABA_A$ and non-NMDA glutamate receptors in GnRH neurons.