• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.601-606
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• 2019

Arginine methylation plays crucial roles in many cellular functions including signal transduction, RNA transcription, and regulation of gene expression. Protein arginine methyltransferase 8 (PRMT8), a unique brain-specific protein, is localized to the plasma membrane. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying PRMT8 plasma membrane targeting remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the N-terminal 20 amino acids of PRMT8 are sufficient for plasma membrane localization and that oligomerization enhances membrane localization. The basic amino acids, combined with myristoylation within the N-terminal 20 amino acids of PRMT8, are critical for plasma membrane targeting. We also found that substituting Gly-2 with Ala [PRMT8(G2A)] or Cys-9 with Ser [PRMT8(C9S)] induces the formation of punctate structures in the cytosol or patch-like plasma membrane localization, respectively. Impairment of PRMT8 oligomerization/dimerization by C-terminal deletion induces PRMT8 mis-localization to the mitochondria, prevents the formation of punctate structures by PRMT8(G2A), and inhibits PRMT8(C9S) patch-like plasma membrane localization. Overall, these results suggest that oligomerization/dimerization plays several roles in inducing the efficient and specific plasma membrane localization of PRMT8.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.341-349
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• 2002

The target controlled infusion(TCI) pump system is a logical approach to the development of improved administration techniques of an intravenous anaesthetic agent. The principle of TCI system is based on an understanding of the pharmacokinetic properties, three or four compartment model. The TCI system is optimal and flexible control of the plasma drug concentration. But the clinical goal is always to achieve a therapeutic drug effect, not a therapeutic concentration. So we developed the algorithm to target the concentration at the site of drug effect rather than the concentration in the plasma. If impulse drug is inputted into body, the decline of plasma concentration with time is shown, resulting in the expression of the differential equation. Therefore, we must reformulate our three-compartment model as four-compartment model with the effect compartment. And we tested plasma targeting and effect targeting algorithm by computer simulation using four-compartment model. So we developed the TCI capable of applying all intravenous drugs by adjusting individual pharmacokinetic parameters independently.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.106-112
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• 2013

PDE plays an important role in cAMP-mediated cellular signaling within the cells. The proper targeting of each PDE is mediated by unique N-terminal of each PDE isoform. It has been recently reported that supershort-, short- and long-forms of PDE4 in Aplysia were cloned in Aplysia. Long-form of ApPDE4 was localized at plasma membrane and presynaptic terminal in Aplysia sensory neurons. However, it remains elusive which part of ApPDE4 is minimal region for the proper targeting and what are the effects on the cell functions. Here, we identified that N-terminal 13 amino acids of ApPDE4 long-form is minimal regions for the plasma membrane targeting. In addition, overexpression of ApPDE4(N20)-mRFP could induce morphological changes in HEK293T cells. Interestingly, mRFP-$PLC{\delta}1$(PH), which selectively binds to PI4,$5P_2$, could induce morphological changes in similar with that by ApPDE4(N20)-mRFP. These results suggested that binding of ApPDE4(N20) to lipids including PI4,$5P_2$ might be responsible for targeting of ApPDE4 to plasma membrane and morphological changes in HEK293T cells.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2015

Intracellular organelles in eukaryotic cells play important roles in many cellular functions. Intracellular trafficking of many proteins to specific intracellular organelles is tightly regulated by various mechanisms in cells. Therefore, elucidating the targeting mechanism of novel markers for intracellular organelles is important for cellular physiology and pathology. In this study, we tried to identify the peptides which could bind to specific glycolipid in cellular membrane using GFP-fused glycolipid-binding peptides, and analyzed their cellular localization. As a result, we could identify mitochondria-, Golgi- or plasma membrane-targeting peptides. Furthermore, we found that the plasma membrane-targeting peptide was localized to the plasma membrane via electrostatic interactions. Thus, our results suggest that various glycolipid-binding peptides could be used as intracellular organelles markers.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2016

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) plays an important role in cAMP-mediated signaling within cells. We previously showed that the long-form of Aplysia PDE4 (ApPDE4) was localized in the plasma membrane and the presynaptic terminal in Aplysia sensory neurons, and the 16 N-terminal amino acid was sufficient for this targeting process. In this study, we characterized the cellular localization of various ApPDE4 mutants. We first identified the roles of each amino acid within the group of 16 N-terminal amino acids of long-form ApPDE4. As a result, we were able to identify various mutants that were localized to both the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex, Golgi only, or both the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi complex. To examine the role of palmitoylation on the cellular localization of ApPDE4 mutants, 2-bromo palmitate (2-BR) was used as a treatment. As a result, in the presence of 2-BR, the plasma membrane targeting of many mutants was impaired, indicating that palmitoylation was involved in the plasma membrane targeting of the mutants. We also found that PI4P play crucial roles in the Golgi targeting of (N16,C3S/VV/G)-mRFP, L(N16,C3S/LFS/R)-mRFP, and L(N16,EPL/R)-mRFP.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.887-890
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• 2008

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.892-897
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• 2003

Anticancer drugs have serious side effects arising from their poor malignant cells selectivity, Since insulin receptors highly express on the cytomembrane of some kind of tumor cells, using insulin as the vector was expected to reduce serious side effects of the drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tumor targeting effect of the newly synthesized mitoxantrone-insulin conjugate (MIT-INS) with the drug loading of 11.68%. In vitro stability trials showed MIT-INS were stable in buffers with different pH (2-8) at $37^{\circ}C$ within 120 h (less than 3% of free MIT released), and were also stable in mouse plasma within 48 h (less than 1 % of free MIT released). In vivo study on tumor-bearing mice showed that, compared with MIT [75.92 $\mu g \cdot$ h/g of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and 86.85 h of mean residence time (MRT)], the conjugates had better tumor-targeting efficiency with enhanced tumor AUC of 126.53 1l9 h/g and MTR of 151.95 h. The conjugate had much lower toxicity to most other tissues with targeting indexes ($TI^c$) no larger than 0.3 besides good tumor targeting efficiency with $TI^c$ of 1.67. The results suggest the feasibility to promote the curative effect in ca.ncer chemotherapy by using insulin as the vector of anti-cancer drugs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2002

Brain drug targeting through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo is possible with peptidornirnetic monoclonal antibodies that undergo receptor-mediated transcytosis through the BBB. Monoclonal antibody to the rat transferrin receptor, such as the OX26 was studied in rats as a transport vector through BBB on the transferrin receptor. But, OX26 is not an effective brain delivery vector in mouse. In the present studies, rat monoclonal antibody, 8D3 to the mouse transferrin receptor were evaluated for brain drug targeting vector intransgenic mouse model. Pharrnacokinetic parameters in plasma and organ uptakes were determined at varioustimes after i.v. bolus injection of [$^{}125}I$] 8D3 in Balb/c mice. Brain uptake of [$^{}125}I$] 8D3 was also studied with an internal carotid artery perfusioncapillary depletion method. After i.v. injection of [$^{}125}I$] 8D3, plasma concentrations declined biexponentially with elimination half lift of approximately 2.2 hours. Brain uptake of [$^{}125}I$] 8D3 was $0.50{\pm}0.09$ persent of injected dose per g brain after 2 hours i.v. injection. After perfusion 5 min the apparent volume of distibution of [$^{}125}I$] 8D3 in brain was $22.3 {\mu}l/g,$ which was 4.8 fold higher than the intravascular volume. These studies indicate rat monoclonal antibody to the mouse transferrin receptor, 8D3 may be used for brain drug targeting vector in mice.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1164-1170
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• 2006

A triptolide-lysozyme (TP-LZM) conjugate was synthesized to achieve renal specific delivery and to reduce the side effects of triptolide. Triptolide was coupled to lysozyme through succinic via an ester bond with an average coupling degree of 1 mol triptolide per 1 mol lysozyme. The lysozyme can specifically accumulate in the proximal tubular cells of the kidney, making it a potential carrier for targeting drugs to the kidney. The structure of triptolide succinate (TPS) was confirmed by IR, $^{1}H-NMR$, MS and UV. The concentrations of triptolide in various samples were determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In this study, the physicochemical and stability profiles of TP-LZM under various conditions were investgated the stability and releasing profiles of triptolide-lysozyme (TP-LZM) under various conditions. In vitro release trails showed triptolide-lysozyme was relatively stable in plasma (less than 30% of free triptolide released) and could release triptolide quickly in lysosome (more than 80% of free triptolide released) at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. In addition, the biological activities of the conjugate on normal rat kidney proximal tubular cells (NRK52E) were also tested. The conjugate can effectively reduce NO production in the medium of NRK52E induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) but with much lower toxicity. These studies suggest the possibility to promote curative effect and reduce its extra-renal toxicity of triptolide by TP-LZM conjugate.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.438-444
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• 2015

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a group of inherent diseases characterized by massive accumulation of undigested compounds in lysosomes, which is caused by genetic defects resulting in the deficiency of a lysosomal hydrolase. Currently, enzyme replacement therapy has been successfully used for treatment of 7 LSDs with 10 approved therapeutic enzymes whereas new approaches such as pharmacological chaperones and gene therapy still await evaluation in clinical trials. While therapeutic enzymes for Gaucher disease have N-glycans with terminal mannose residues for targeting to macrophages, the others require N-glycans containing mannose-6-phosphates that are recognized by mannose-6-phosphate receptors on the plasma membrane for cellular uptake and targeting to lysosomes. Due to the fact that efficient lysosomal delivery of therapeutic enzymes is essential for the clearance of accumulated compounds, the suitable glycan structure and its high content are key factors for efficient therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, glycan remodeling strategies to improve lysosomal targeting and tissue distribution have been highlighted. This review describes the glycan structures that are important for lysosomal targeting and provides information on recent glyco-engineering technologies for the development of therapeutic enzymes with improved efficacy. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(8): 438-444]