• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.309-317
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• 2009

Occupational exposure to inorganic dusts such as coal and silica has been identified as a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factor. This risk factor causes lung inflammation and protease-antiprotease imbalance. This abnormal inflammatory response of the lung induces parenchymal tissue destruction and leads to progressive airflow limitation that is characteristics of COPD. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of proteases such as neutrophil elastase (NE) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and antiproteases such as alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 with lung function. The study population contained 223 retired workers exposed to inorganic dusts. We performed lung function test, including percent of forced expiratory volume in one second ($%FEV_1$) predicted and $%FEV_1$/forced vital capacity (FVC). We analyzed serum MMP-9, AAT, TIMP-1 and plasma NE concentrations by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. NE, AAT, and TIMP-1 concentrations in workers, who had $%FEV_1$<80% predicted, were higher than those of workers who had $%FEV_1{\geq}80%$ (P<0.05). Both AAT and TIMP-1 concentrations in workers with airflow limitation were higher than those of workers with normal airflow (P<0.05). $%FEV_1$ predicted showed significant negative correlation with AAT (r=-0.255, P<0.0l), TIMP-1 (r=-0.232, P<0.01), and NE (r=-0.196, P<0.01). $%FEV_1$/FVC predicted showed significant negative correlation with NE (r=-0.172, P<0.05). From the results of stepwise multiple regression analysis about $%FEV_1$ and $%FEV_1$/FVC, significant independents were NE (r=-0.135, P=0.001) and AAT (r=-0.100, P=0.013) in $%FEV_1$, and NE (r=-0.160, P=0.014) in $%FEV_1$/FVC. In the present study, there were significant correlations between airflow limitation and protease concentration and between airflow limitation and antiprotease concentration. Serum protease and antiprotease concentrations, however, may be affected by the biological and inflammatory responses. It is necessary to evaluate specimens more reflected the effects of proteases and antiproteases in the lung such as lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and exhaled breath condensate (EBC).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Cyclin D is a member of the cyclin protein family, which plays a critical role as a core member of the mammalian cell cycle machinery. D-type cyclins (D1, D2, and D3) bind to and activate the cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6, which can then phosphorylate the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene products. This phosphorylation in turn leads to release or derepression of E2F transcription factors that promote progression from the G1 to S phase of the cell cycle. Among the D-type cyclins, cyclin D3 encoded by the CCND3 gene is one of the least well studied. In the present study, we have investigated the biochemistry of the proteolytic mechanism that leads to loss of cyclin D3 protein. Treatment of human prostate carcinoma PC-3-M cells with lovastatin and actinomycin D resulted in a loss of cyclin D3 protein that was completely reversible by the peptide aldehyde calpain inhibitor, LLnL. Additionally, using inhibitors for various proteolytic systems, we show that degradation of cyclin D3 protein involves the $Ca^{2+}$-activated neutral protease calpain. Moreover, the half-life of cyclin D3 protein half-life increased by at least 10-fold in PC-3M cells in response to the calpain inhibitor. We have also demonstrated that the transient expression of the calpain inhibitor calpastatin increased cyclin D3 protein in serum-starved NIH 3T3 cells. These data suggested that the function of cyclin D3 is regulated by $Ca^{2+}$-dependent protease calpain.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.761-768
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• 2007

Serratia proteamaculans HY-3 isolated from the digestive tract of a spider produces an extracellular protease named arazyme, with an estimated molecular mass of 51.5 kDa. The purified enzyme was characterized as having high activities at wide pH and temperature ranges. We further characterized biochemical features of the enzymatic reactions under various reaction conditions. The protease efficiently hydrolyzed a broad range of protein substrates including albumin, keratin, and collagen. The dependence of enzymatic activities on the presence of metal ions such as calcium and zinc indicated that the enzyme is a metalloprotease, together with the previous observation that the proteolytic activity of the enzyme was not inhibited by aspartate, cysteine, or serine protease inhibitors, but strongly inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline and EDTA. The araA gene encoding the exoprotease was isolated as a 5.6 kb BamHI fragment after PCR amplification using degenerate primers and subsequent Southern hybridization. The nucleotide sequence revealed that the deduced amino acid sequences shared extensive similarity with those of the serralysin family of metalloproteases from other enteric bacteria. A gene(inh) encoding a putative protease inhibitor was also identified immediately adjacent to the araA structural gene.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.617-626
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• 2011

Transglutaminase from Streptomyces mobaraensis is an enzyme of unknown function that cross-links proteins to high molecular weight aggregates. Previously, we characterized two intrinsic transglutaminase substrates with inactivating activities against subtilisin and dispase. This report now describes a novel substrate that inhibits papain, bromelain, and trypsin. Papain was the most sensitive protease; thus, the protein was designated Streptomyces papain inhibitor (SPI). To avoid transglutaminase-mediated glutamine deamidation during culture, SPI was produced by Streptomyces mobaraensis at various growth temperatures. The best results were achieved by culturing for 30-50 h at $42^{\circ}C$, which yielded high SPI concentrations and negligibly small amounts of mature transglutaminase. Transglutaminasespecific biotinylation displayed largely unmodified glutamine and lysine residues. In contrast, purified SPI from the $28^{\circ}C$ culture lost the potential to be cross-linked, but exhibited higher inhibitory activity as indicated by a significantly lower $K_i$ (60 nM vs. 140 nM). Despite similarities in molecular mass (12 kDa) and high thermostability, SPI exhibits clear differences in comparison with all members of the wellknown family of Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitors. The neutral protein (pI of 7.3) shares sequence homology with a putative protein from Streptomyces lavendulae, whose conformation is most likely stabilized by two disulfide bridges. However, cysteine residues are not localized in the typical regions of subtilisin inhibitors. SPI and the formerly characterized dispase-inactivating substrate are unique proteins of distinct Streptomycetes such as Streptomyces mobaraensis. Along with the subtilisin inhibitory protein, they could play a crucial role in the defense of vulnerable protein layers that are solidified by transglutaminase.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2003

The angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) has an important role in the maintenance of blood pressure. The ACE inhibitory activities of foods have recently been studied. We tried to isolate ACE inhibitory peptides from the Flavourzyme (FZ), Pescalase (PE), and Thermolysine (TH) protease digests of corn gluten, which was restricted to the use the source of food for digestion problem. The FZ, PE, TH/PE protease hydrolyzed corn gluten and the inhibitory activities of the hydrolyzates for ACE were measured. Major fractions were isolated from the digests using ODS chromatography after treating with ethanol in step gradient. The ACE inhibitors were further purified by Bio-Gel P-2 column and reverse phase HPLC. Five inhibitory peptides were isolated. Their amino acids were sequenced as LPF ($IC_{50}$ = 40$\mu$M), GPP ($IC_{50}$ = 17.6$\mu$M), PNPY ($IC_{50}$ = 30.7$\mu$M), SPPPFYL ($IC_{50}$ = 63 $\mu$M), and SQPP ($IC_{50}$ = 17.2$\mu$M).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 1995

Protease activity was identified in crude extracts of Pnrqgonimw westermnni eggs which were purified from infected dog lungs, isolated on 14 weeks after metacercarial challenge. The eggs were used after removing possibly contaminated host or worm tissues on their shell surfaces. In the crude egg extracts, high proteolytic activities against carboBfrb enzoyl - ph enylalanyl - arginyl-4- methoxy- β- naphthylamide (Cbz - phe - arg- MNA) and Azocoll were detected whereas those against succinyl-alanyl-propyl-phenylalanyl-p- nitroanilide (Suc-ala-pro-phe-pNA) were not revealed. The eVe eBdlibited the maximal activity at pH 6. Its activity was inhibited by specific cysteine protease inhibitors, 105 M I- trans-epoxysuccinylleucylamido (4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and 1 mM iodoacetamide (LAA) while potentiated by 6.5-fold in the presence of 2.5 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) . When the enzyme was purified partially by Sephacryl S-300 High Resolution gel filtration, it migrated as a single homogeneous band at 35 kDa. The 35 kDa cysteine protease has been recognized neither in the metacercariae nor in the adult. These findings indicated the presence of at least one protease of cathepsin family in immature eggs of f westernani.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 1999

Reduced thiols were important compounds for the maintenance of leukemia and lymphoma cell survival (and growth). In the course of examining the microenvirn-mental effects on lymphoma and leukemia cell growth, we found that cysteine suppressed apoptosis in these cells. In a present study, in order to investigate the role of cystein on the suppression of apoptotic cell death, we used CS21, P388, and L1210 cell lines. The addition of BSO, an inhibitor of glutathione synthase, induced apoptosis of these cells by blocking the cellular uptake of cysteine in CS21 cells. Although L1210 cells underwent apoptosis without thiol compounds, the addition of these compounds suppressed the apoptosis and promoted the growth or L1210 cells. When specific inhibitors of caspase3-like proteases, but not caspase1-like proteases, were activated during the L1210 cell apoptosis but the addition of thiol compounds suppressed the activation of caspase3-like proteases. These results suggest that reduced thiols including cysteine play an important role in the suppression of cell apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of caspase3-like proteases.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2004

For the purpose of developing new anti-HIV agents from natural sources, the extracts of Solanum nigrum L. were tested for their inhibitory effects on HIV-1 replication and its essential enzymes as the reverse transcriptase (RT), protease and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase. In the assay of HIV-1-infected human T-cell line, water extracts inhibited the HIV- 1 -induced cytopathic effects with IC (inhibitory concentration) of 100 ug/ml. Moreover water extracts (100ug/ml) of aerial parts showed strong activity of 32.6% on anti-HIV-1 PR using the activity of the enzyme to cleave an oligopeptide. In the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibition assay, aqueous extract a inhibited 17.4%, but no glucosidase inhibitory activities. We found out this result, for these samples it is possible that the inhibition of the viral replication in vitro is due to the inhibition at least one of PR and RT. It would be of great interest to identify the compounds which are responsible for this inhibition, since all therapeutically useful agent up to date are PR, RT and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitors.

• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.219-225
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• 2007

A keratinolytic enzyme secreted by Aspergillus flavus K-03 cultured in feather meal basal medium (FMBM) containing 2% (w/v) chicken feather was purified and characterized. Keratinolytic enzyme secretion was the maximal at day 16 of the incubation period at pH 8 and $28^{\circ}C$. No relationship was detected between enzyme yield and increase of fungal biomass. The fraction obtained at 80% ammonium sulfate saturation showed 2.39-fold purification and was further purified by gel filtration in Sephadex G-100 followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, yielding an active protein peak showing 11.53-fold purification. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and zymograms indicated that the purified keratinase is a monomeric enzyme with 31 kDa molecular weight. The extracellular keratinase of A. flavus was active in a board range of pH ($7{\sim}10$) and temperature ($30^{\circ}C{\sim}70^{\circ}C$) profiles with the optimal for keratinase activity at pH 8 and $45^{\circ}C$. The keratinase activity was totally inhibited by protease inhibitors such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), iodoacetic acid, and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) while no reduction of activity by the addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) was observed. N-terminal amino acid sequences were up to 80% homologous with the fungal subtilisins produced by Fusarium culmorum. Therefore, on the basis of these characteristics, the keratinase of A. flavus K-03 is determined to be subtilisins-like.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.3-6
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• 2001

In common globular proteins, the native form is in its most stable state. However, the native form of inhibitory serpins (serine protease inhibitors) and some viral membrane fusion proteins is in a metastable state. Metastability in these proteins is critical to their biological functions. Our previous studies revealed that unusual interactions, such as side-chain overpacking, buried polar groups, surface hydrophobic pockets, and internal cavities are the structural basis of the native metastability. To understand the mechanism by which these structural defects regulate protein functions, cavity-filling mutations of a 1-antitrypsin, a prototype serpin, were characterized. Increasing conformational stability is correlated with decreasing inhibitory activity. Moreover, the activity loss appears to correlate with the decrease in the rate of the conformational switch during complex formation with a target protease. We also increased the stability of a 1-antitrypsin greatly via combining various stabilizing single amino acid substitutions that were distributed throughout the molecule. The results showed that a substantial increase of stability, over 13 kcal/mol, affected the inhibitory activity with a correlation of 11% activity loss per kcal/mol. The results strongly suggest that the native metastability of proteins is indeed a structural design that regulates protein functions and that the native strain of a 1-antitrypsin distributed throughout the molecule regulates the inhibitory function in a concerted manner.