• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제26권11호
• /
• pp.1845-1854
• /
• 2016

The transglycosylation activity of amylosucrase (ASase) has received significant attention owing to its use of an inexpensive donor, sucrose, and broad acceptor specificity, including glycone and aglycone compounds. The transglycosylation reaction of recombinant ASase from Deinococcus radiopugnans (DRpAS) was investigated using various phenolic compounds, and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin) was found to be the most suitable acceptor molecule used by DRpAS. Two amino acid residues in DRpAS variants (DRpAS Q299K and DRpAS Q299R), assumed to be involved in acceptor binding, were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Intriguingly, DRpAS Q299K and DRpAS Q299R produced 10-fold and 4-fold higher levels of rutin transglycosylation product than did the wild-type (WT) DRpAS, respectively. According to in silico molecular docking analysis, the lysine residue at position 299 in the mutants enables rutin to more easily position inside the active pocket of the mutant enzyme than in that of the WT, due to conformational changes in loop 4.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제26권11호
• /
• pp.1863-1870
• /
• 2016

Antimicrobial peptides/proteins (AMPs) are present in all types of organisms, from microbes and plants to vertebrates and invertebrates such as insects. The grasshopper Oxya chinensis sinuosa is an insect species that is widely consumed around the world for its broad medicinal value. However, the lack of available genetic information for this species is an obstacle to understanding the full potential of its AMPs. Analysis of the O. chinensis sinuosa transcriptome and expression profile is essential for extending the available genetic information resources. In this study, we determined the whole-body transcriptome of O. chinensis sinuosa and analyzed the potential AMPs induced by bacterial immunization. A high-throughput RNA-Seq approach generated 94,348 contigs and 66,555 unigenes. Of these unigenes, 36,032 (54.14%) matched known proteins in the NCBI database in a BLAST search. Functional analysis demonstrated that 38,219 unigenes were clustered into 5,499 gene ontology terms. In addition, 26 cDNAs encoding novel AMPs were identified by an in silico approach using public databases. Our transcriptome dataset and AMP profile greatly improve our understanding of O. chinensis sinuosa genetics and provide a huge number of gene sequences for further study, including genes of known importance and genes of unknown function.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제28권8호
• /
• pp.1401-1411
• /
• 2018

The serine-threonine kinase AKT plays a pivotal role in tumor progression and is frequently overactivated in cancer cells; this protein is therefore a critical therapeutic target for cancer intervention. We aimed to identify small molecule inhibitors of the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of AKT to disrupt binding of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3), thereby downregulating AKT activity. Liposome pulldown assays coupled with fluorescence spectrometry were used to screen flavonoids for inhibition of the AKT PH-PIP3 interaction. Western blotting was used to determine the effects of the inhibitors on AKT activation in cancer cells, and in silico docking was used for structural analysis and optimization of inhibitor structure. Several flavonoids showing up to 50% inhibition of the AKT PH-PIP3 interaction decreased the level of AKT activation at the cellular level. In addition, the modified flavonoid showed increased inhibitory effects and the approach would be applied to develop anticancer drug candidates. In this study, we provide a rationale for targeting the lipid-binding domain of AKT, rather than the catalytic kinase domain, in anticancer drug development.

• 제어로봇시스템학회논문지
• /
• 제11권10호
• /
• pp.851-856
• /
• 2005

The DNA and protein data of diverse species have been daily discovered and deposited in the public archives according to each established format. Database systems in the public archives provide not only an easy-to-use, flexible interface to the public, but also in silico analysis tools of unidentified sequence data. Of such in silico analysis tools, multiple sequence alignment [1] methods relying on pairwise alignment and Smith-Waterman algorithm [2] enable us to identify unknown DNA, protein sequences or phylogenetic relation among several species. However, in the existing multiple alignment method as the number of sequences increases, the runtime increases exponentially. In order to remedy this problem, we adopted a parallel processing suffix tree algorithm that is able to search for common subsequences at one time without pairwise alignment. Also, the cross-matching subsequences triggering inexact-matching among the searched common subsequences might be produced. So, the cross-matching masking process was suggested in this paper. To identify the function of the clusters generated by suffix tree clustering, BLAST was combined with a clustering tool. Our clustering and annotating tool is summarized as the following steps: (1) construction of suffix tree; (2) masking of cross-matching pairs; (3) clustering of gene sequences and (4) annotating gene clusters by BLAST search. The system was successfully evaluated with 22 gene sequences in the pyrubate pathway of bacteria, clustering 7 clusters and finding out representative common subsequences of each cluster

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제31권12호
• /
• pp.1980-1990
• /
• 2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to discover the functional impact of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) that were found in selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome Methods: Whole-genome re-sequencing data were obtained from 40 pigs, including 14 Landrace, 16 Yorkshire, and 10 wild boars, which were generated with the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. The nsSNPs in the selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome were identified, and the impacts of these variations on protein function were predicted to reveal their potential association with traits of the Landrace breed, such as reproductive capacity. Results: Total of 53,998 nsSNPs in the mapped regions of pigs were identified, and among them, 345 nsSNPs were found in the selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome which were reported previously. The genes featuring these nsSNPs fell into various functional categories, such as reproductive capacity or growth and development during the perinatal period. The impacts of amino acid sequence changes by nsSNPs on protein function were predicted using two in silico SNP prediction algorithms, i.e., sorting intolerant from tolerant and polymorphism phenotyping v2, to reveal their potential roles in biological processes that might be associated with the reproductive capacity of the Landrace breed. Conclusion: The findings elucidated the domestication history of the Landrace breed and illustrated how Landrace domestication led to patterns of genetic variation related to superior reproductive capacity. Our novel findings will help understand the process of Landrace domestication at the genome level and provide SNPs that are informative for breeding.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• 제19권3호
• /
• pp.29.1-29.10
• /
• 2021

In our previous studies, we have demonstrated the association of certain variants of the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and thyroglobulin (TG) genes with congenital hypothyroidism. Herein, we explored the mechanistic basis for this association using different in silico tools. The mRNA 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) plays key roles in gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In TSHR variants (rs2268477, rs7144481, and rs17630128), the binding affinity of microRNAs (miRs) (hsa-miR-154-5p, hsa-miR-376a-2-5p, hsa-miR-3935, hsa-miR-4280, and hsa-miR-6858-3p) to the 3'-UTR is disrupted, affecting post-transcriptional gene regulation. TPO and TG are the two key proteins necessary for the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones in the presence of iodide and H₂O₂. Reduced stability of these proteins leads to aberrant biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Compared to the wild-type TPO protein, the p.S398T variant was found to exhibit less stability and significant rearrangements of intra-atomic bonds affecting the stoichiometry and substrate binding (binding energies, ΔG of wild-type vs. mutant: -15 vs. -13.8 kcal/mol; and dissociation constant, K_d of wild-type vs. mutant: 7.2E^-12 vs. 7.0E^-11 M). The missense mutations p.G653D and p.R1999W on the TG protein showed altered ΔG(0.24 kcal/mol and 0.79 kcal/mol, respectively). In conclusion, an in silico analysis of TSHR genetic variants in the 3'-UTR showed that they alter the binding affinities of different miRs. The TPO protein structure and mutant protein complex (p.S398T) are less stable, with potentially deleterious effects. A structural and energy analysis showed that TG mutations (p.G653D and p.R1999W) reduce the stability of the TG protein and affect its structure-functional relationship.

• 한국정보과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국정보과학회 2003년도 가을 학술발표논문집 Vol.30 No.2 (2)
• /
• pp.772-774
• /
• 2003

DNA/DNA의 연쇄 결합 반응에 대한 시뮬레이션을 열역학적 데이터를 이용하여 구현하였다. 1-Base의 non Watson-Crick 결합과, dangling end(결합이 이루어진 두개의 DNA strand 중 한쪽 끝이 다른 쪽 끝보다 길거나 짧은 경우)를 허용하는 nearest-neighbor model을 사용하여 구현된 이 모델에서는 한번의 hybridization만을 예측하는 것이 아니라 연속적인 결합 반응의 시뮬레이션이 가능하다. 이를 통해서 분자 알고리즘의 설계와 검증이 가능할 뿐만 아니라, cross-homology의 검사를 통한 시퀀스의 검증까지도 가능하다. 이러한 in silico 에서의 접근 방식은 효율적인 분자 알고리즘의 개발과 신뢰성 있는 시퀀스의 설계에 도움이 될 수 있다.

• 환경생물
• /
• 제33권4호
• /
• pp.361-374
• /
• 2015

내분비계장애물질 (endocrine disruptors)은 포유류에서 축적되어 내분비계를 교란하며, 특히 수정능, 초기발생 등에 악영향을 미치고 암을 유발할 수 있는 것으로 잘 알려져 있다. 이러한 내분비계장애물질은 그 내분비계 교란 효과에 대한 지식이 부족하여 페인트, 코팅, 세제, 플라스틱 등에 활발히 사용되어 왔다. 특히 가정에서 내분비계장애물질은 음식 용기, 물병, 세탁용 세제 등에 사용되어 인체에 쉽게 노출되었다. 이후 내분비계장애물질의 위험성을 인식하면서 세계 각국에서는 내분비계장애물질의 생산 및 사용을 규제하고 대체재를 발굴하기 시작하였다. 그러나 현재까지 보고된 대체재의 안전성 또한 불확실하며, 이들의 인체에 대한 악영향을 완전히 파악하지 못한 채 사용하고 있다. 최근 이러한 대체재들 중 기존의 내분비계장애물질과 구조적으로 유사하고 내분비계 교란 효과를 갖는 물질이 있음이 밝혀졌으며, 이에 본 소고에서는 기존에 알려진 대표적인 내분비계장애물질인 bisphenol-A, phthalates, nonylphenols 및 이들의 대체재가 인체에 미치는 영향을 파악하고, 나아가 일부 대체재들에 대한 in-silico 분석을 수행함으로써 현존하는 대체재의 안전성에 의문을 제기하고 바람직한 소재 발굴을 위한 가이드를 제시하고자 하였다.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• 제26권3호
• /
• pp.188-203
• /
• 2023

Lysozymes are well-known antibacterial enzymes that mainly target the peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall. Animal lysozymes are mainly categorized as g-type, c-type, and i-type based on protein sequence and structural differences. In this study, c-type (AcLysC) and g-like-type (AcLysG-like) lysozymes from Amphiprion clarkii were characterized in silico via expressional and functional approaches. According to in silico analysis, open reading frames of AcLysC and AcLysG-like were 429 bp and 570 bp, respectively, encoding the corresponding polypeptide chains with 142 and 189 amino acids. Elevated expression levels of AcLysC and AcLysG-like were observed in the liver and the heart tissues, respectively, as evidenced by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. AcLysC and AcLysG-like transcript levels were upregulated in gills, head kidney, and blood cells following experimental immune stimulation. Recombinant AcLysC exhibited potent lytic activity against Vibrio anguillarum, whereas recombinant AcLysG-like showed remarkable antibacterial activity against Vibrio harveyi and Streptococcus parauberis, which was further evidenced by scanning electron microscopic imaging of destructed bacterial cell walls. The findings of this study collectively suggest the potential roles of AcLysC and AcLysG-like in host immune defense.

• ALGAE
• /
• 제38권4호
• /
• pp.295-306
• /
• 2023

Human coronavirus diseases, particularly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, still remain a persistent public health issue, and many recent studies are focusing on the quest for new leads against coronaviruses. To contribute to this growing pool of knowledge and explore the available marine natural products against coronaviruses, this study investigated the antiviral effects of fucoxanthin isolated from Sargassum siliquastrum-a brown alga found on Jeju Island, South Korea. The antiviral effects of fucoxanthin were confirmed in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-infected Vero cells, and its structural characteristics were verified in silico using molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations and in vitro colorimetric method. Fucoxanthin inhibited the infection in a concentration-dependent manner, without showing cytotoxicity. Molecular docking simulations revealed that fucoxanthin binds to the angiotensinconverting enzyme 2-spike protein (binding energy -318.306 kcal mol^-1) and main protease (binding energy -205.118 kcal mol^-1). Moreover, molecular dynamic simulations showed that fucoxanthin remains docked to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2-spike protein for 20 ns, whereas it breaks away from main protease after 3 ns. Also, the in silico prediction of the fucoxanthin was verified through the in vitro colorimetric method by inhibiting the binding between angiotensinconverting enzyme 2 and spike protein in a concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that fucoxanthin exhibits antiviral effects against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by blocking the entry of the virus. Therefore, fucoxanthin from S. siliquastrum can be a potential candidate for treating coronavirus infection.