• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.565-573
• /
• 2004

Orexin-A and orexin-B (hypocretin-1 and hypocretin-2, respectively) are important hypothalamic neuro-peptides, which are encoded by a single mRNA transcript and stimulate food intake as well as regulate wakefulness. Here we determined the solution structure of orexin-A by NMR spectroscopy and by simulated-annealing calculation. The structural features of orexin-A involve two $\alpha$-helices, with the hydrophobic residues disposed to on one side of helix, and hydrophilic residues to the other. A hydrophilic turn induced by two disulfide bonds provides the key difference between orexin-A and -B. With previous mutagenic studies, the derived structure of orexin-A provides us with a structure-functional view for novel drug design.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.131-140
• /
• 1998

The calcium-induced structural changes in the skeletal muscle regulatory protein troponin C (NTnC) involve a transition from a ‘closed’to an ‘open’structure with the concomitant exposure of a large hydrophobic interaction site for target proteins. Structural studies have served to define this conformational change and elucidate the mechanism of the linkage between calcium binding and the induced structural changes. There are now several structures of NTnC available from both NMR and X-ray crystallography. Comparison of the calcium bound structures reveals differences in the level of opening. We have considered the concept of a flexible open state of NTnC as a possible explanation for this apparent discrepancy. We also present simulations of the closed-to-open transition which are in agreement with the flexibility concept and with experimental energetics data.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.287-298
• /
• 2019

Lotus leaf has a special dual micro and nano surface structure which gives its highly hydrophobic surface characteristics and so-called self cleaning effect. In order to endow PVDF hollow fiber membrane with this special structure and improve the hydrophobicity of membrane surface, PVDF hollow fiber composite membranes was obtained through the immersion coating of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) dilute solution on the outside surface of PVDF support membrane. The prepared PVDF composite membranes were used in the vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) for the desalination. The effects of PVDF-HFP dilute solution concentration in the dope solution and coating time on VMD separation performance was studied. Membranes were characterized by SEM, WCA measurement, porosity, and liquid entry pressure of water. VMD test was carried out using $35g{\cdot}L^{-1}$ NaCl aqueous solution as the feed solution at feed temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ and the permeate pressure of 31.3 kPa. The vapour flux reached a maximum when PVDF-HFP concentration in the dilute solution was 5 wt% and the coating time was kept in the range of 10-60 s. This was attributed to the well configuration of micro-nano rods which was similar with the dual micro-nano structure on the lotus leaf. Compared with the original PVDF membrane, the salt rejection can be well maintained which was greater than 99.99 % meanwhile permeation water conductivity was kept at a low value of $7-9{\mu}S{\cdot}cm^{-1}$ during the continuous testing for 360 h.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.214-220
• /
• 2013

Hydrophobic coating on a silicate-based yellow phosphor ($Sr_2SiO_4:Eu^{2+}$) was carried out by using hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) precursor in an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor, eventually to improve the long-term stability and reliability of the phosphor. The phosphor powder samples were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), a fluorescence spectrophotometer and a contact angle analyzer. After the coating was prepared, the contact angle of the phosphor powder increased to $133.0^{\circ}$ for water and to $140.5^{\circ}$ for glycerol, indicating that a hydrophobic layer was formed on its surface. The phosphor coated with HMDSO exhibited photoluminescence enhancement up to 7.8%. The SEM and TEM images of the phosphor powder revealed that the plasma coating led to a morphological change from grain-like structure to smooth surface with 31~46 nm thick hydrophobic layer. The light emitting diode (3528 1 chip LED) fabricated with the coated phosphor showed a substantial enhancement in the reliability under a special test condition at $85^{\circ}C$ and 85% relative humidity for 1,000 h (85/85 testing). The plasma-mediated method proposed in this work may be applicable to the formation of 3-dimensional coating layer on irregular-shaped phosphor powder, thereby improving the reliability.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.116-124
• /
• 2017

A plate-type inorganic pigment complex was manufactured in a manner that treats the surface of the complex by adjusting zeta potential between talc, an inorganic pigment used as a material for color cosmetics, and hydrophobic silica. Talc, which is usually used in the prescription of color cosmetics, is a plate-type, white-colored inorganic substance with good application and spreadability to skin. Furthermore, it features excellent dispersibility and extensibility as well as outstanding heat tolerance, light stability, and chemical resistance. In general, silica contributes to durable makeup and stabilized formulation. This paper covers a process of manufacturing an inorganic pigment complex, where hydrophobic silica was applied to the surface of talc by using differences in zeta potential after the surface charges of talc and hydrophobic silica had been adjusted with cationic and anionic surfactants, respectively. The resulting inorganic pigment complex was composed of talc whose surface is coated hydrophobic silica to the thickness of $1{\mu}m$ or less, which developed an effective hydrophobic property. Zeta potential was measured to analyze the surface charge of an inorganic pigment, and FT-IR, used to check the functional group of a surfactant, was applied to treat the surface of the pigment. The surface of the inorganic pigment complex was observed employing SEM, EDS, and FIB, while its structure was confirmed with XRD and FT-IR.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.10a
• /
• pp.85-85
• /
• 2006

The micellization behavior and the metal-nanoparticle formation in PDEAEMA-b-PHEGMA double hydrophilic block copolymers are investigated. The hydrophobic PDEAEMA block is pH-sensitive: at low pH it can be protonated and it becomes hydrophilic, leading to molecular solubility, whereas at higher pH micelles are formed; the behavior is studied by DLS, NMR and AFM. In these micellar nanoreactors, metal nanorystals nucleate and grow upon reduction with sizes in the range of a few nm's as observed by TEM and XRD. Similarly, metal nanocrystals can be formed within pH-sensitive microgels (${\sim}250nm$ in diameter), synthesized by emulsion copolymerization of DEAEMA, which also exhibit reversible swelling properties in water by adjusting the pH.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Hygiene and Safety Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.46-46
• /
• 2003

Hypocholesterolemic peptide isolated from glycimin (11S protein) hydrolyzate by trypsin was purified and identified as LPYP and IAVPGEVA. To investigate the effects of phyiscal properties of side chains of the hypocholesterolemic activity, some of mutant peptides were designed and synthesized chemically. The structure related structures of each peptide were simulated and constructed and their conformations were observed by using spectropolarimeter. The hypocholesterolemic activities were monitored by assaying the inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) in vitro and by the determination of cholesterol content in mice serum. For LPYP derivatives, Hypocholesterolemic activity was lost when hydrophobic leucine residue at N-terminus was not so critical for maintaining hypocholesterolemic activity. For idealogical design of hypocholesterolemic peptides, the structure of HMG-CoA reductase are shown and inhibition mechanism of some peptides or inhibitors will be presented. For IAVPGEVA derivative inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase has been studied. For detail study of hypocholesterolemic activity, kinetic study of inhibition of peptides on HMG-CoA reductase and structural view of ligand binding should be investigated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
• /
• 1996.07a
• /
• pp.11-11
• /
• 1996

The three-dimensional structure of the carboxyl-terminal domain of the E.coli RNA polymerase $\alpha$ subunit, which is regarded as the contact site for transcription activator proteins and the promoter UP element, was determined by NMR spectroscopy. Its compact structure of four helices and two long arms enclosing its hydrophobic core shows a folding topology distinct from those of other DNA-binding proteins. (omitted)

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.76-78
• /
• 2008

A series of the long-chain iron(II) alkylsulfonate hydrates were synthesized via self-assembly of surfactant alkyl chains in aqueous medium. Reaction of iron(II) salts with n-alkylsulfonate yields lamellar $Fe(CnH2n+1SO3)2{\cdot}4H_2O$. These compounds show a layered structure, as determined by XRD, consisting of alternating organic alkylsulfonate layers and inorganic iron(II) hydrate layers, with interlayer distances of upto 3.2 nm. This lamellar structure may be attributed to the amphiphilic nature of the surfactants, mediating the coordination and H-bionding interactions, and the hydrophobic alkyl chains. An alkyl chain packing of present system are differ from those of similar Cu(II) series, which are attributed from the size of hydrated metal(II) ions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.1763-1770
• /
• 2013

A series of the block copolymers were successfully synthesized from post-sulfonated hydrophilic and hydrophobic macromers via three-step copolymerization. The degrees of sulfonation (DS) of the copolymers (10%, 30%, or 50%) were controlled by changing the molar ratio of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. The resulting block copolymers were characterized by $^1H$ NMR and other technologies. The membranes were successfully cast using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution at $100^{\circ}C$. The copolymers were characterized to confirm chemical structure by $^1H$ NMR and FT-IR. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that all sulfonated block copolymers exhibited good thermal stability with an initial weight loss at temperatures above $240^{\circ}C$. The membranes showed acceptable ion exchange capacity (IEC) and water uptake values in accordance with DS. The maximum proton conductivity was 184 mS $cm^{-1}$ in block copolymer-50 at $60^{\circ}C$ and 100% relative humidity, while the conductivity of Nifion-115 was 160 mS $cm^{-1}$ under the same measurement conditions. AFM images of the block copolymer membranes showed well separated the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. From the observed results it is that the prepared block membranes can be considered as suitable polymer electrolyte membranes for the application of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).