• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.337-345
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• 2001

A Cd-binding protein was identified in the renal cytosol of the Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica which naturally contains high concentrations of Cd. The Cd-binding protein showed similar characteristics of metallothionein (MT) in molecular weight (about 10-12 kDa) and low spectral absorbance at 280 nm with relatively high absorbance at 254nm. Results of immuno-histochemical staining suggested that the MT-like Cd-binding protein was mainly located in the epithelial cells of the kidney. The MT-like protein was a major ligand of cytosolic Cd as shown in the elution profiles of chromatography and may play an important role in Cd sequestration and accumulation in L. elliptica kidney. A considerable amount of Cd was also found to be associated with particulate fraction, indicating the sequestration to particulate fraction is as important as binding to the cytosolic MT-like protein in Cd accumulation in the kidney.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.403-408
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• 2002

A hypothetical 21.0 kDa protein (ORF O197) from Escherichia coli K-12 was cloned, purified, and characterized. The protein sequence of ORF O197(termed EcO197) shares a 33.5% identity with that of a novel NTPase from Methanococcus jannaschii. The EcO197 protein was purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography, protease digestion, and gel filtration column. It hydrolyzed nucleoside triphosphates with an O6 atom-containing purine base to nucleoside monophosphate and pyrophosphate. The EcO197 protein had a strong preference for deoxyinosine triphosphate (dITP) and xanthosine triphosphate (XTP), while it had little activity in the standard nucleoside triphosphates (dATP, dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP). These aberrant nucleotides can be produced by oxidative deamination from purine nucleotides in cells; they are potentially mutagenic. The mutation protection mechanisms are caused by the incorporation into DNA of unwelcome nucleotides that are formed spontaneously. The EcO197 protein may function to eliminate specifically damaged purine nucleotide that contains the 6-keto group. This protein appears to be the first eubacterial dITP-and XTP-hydrolyzing enzyme that has been identified.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.526-531
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• 2018

Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) play essential roles in diverse biological processes and their misregulations are associated with a wide range of diseases. Especially, the growing attention to PPIs as a new class of therapeutic target is increasing the need for an efficient method of cell-based PPI analysis. Thus, we newly developed a robust PPI assay (SeePPI) based on the co-translocation of interacting proteins to the discrete subcellular compartment 'processing body' (p-body) inside living cells, enabling a facile analysis of PPI by the enriched fluorescent signal. The feasibility and strength of SeePPI (${\underline{S}}ignal$ ${\underline{e}}nhancement$ ${\underline{e}}xclusively$ on ${\underline{P}}-body$ for ${\underline{P}}rotein-protein$ ${\underline{I}}nteraction$) assay was firmly demonstrated with FKBP12/FRB interaction induced by rapamycin within seconds in real-time analysis of living cells, indicating its recapitulation of physiological PPI dynamics. In addition, we applied p53/MDM2 interaction and its dissociation by Nutlin-3 to SeePPI assay and further confirmed that SeePPI was quantitative and well reflected the endogenous PPI. Our SeePPI assay will provide another useful tool to achieve an efficient analysis of PPIs and their modulators in cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.476-479
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• 2008

Understanding the dynamics of proteins is essential to gain insight into biological functions of proteins. The protein dynamics is delineated by conformational fluctuation (i.e. thermal vibration), and thus, thermal vibration of proteins has to be understood. In this paper, a simple mechanical model was considered for understanding protein's dynamics. Specifically, a mechanical vibration model was developed for understanding the large protein dynamics related to biological functions. The mechanical model for large proteins was constructed based on simple elastic model (i.e. Tirion's elastic model) and model reduction methods (dynamic model condensation). The large protein structure was described by minimal degrees of freedom on the basis of model reduction method that allows one to transform the refined structure into the coarse-grained structure. In this model, it is shown that a simple reduced model is able to reproduce the thermal fluctuation behavior of proteins qualitatively comparable to original molecular model. Moreover, the protein's dynamic behavior such as collective dynamics is well depicted by a simple reduced mechanical model. This sheds light on that the model reduction may provide the information about large protein dynamics, and consequently, the biological functions of large proteins.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1579-1582
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• 2012

Objective: To assess differences in serum proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. Methods: 144 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients and 50 healthy volunteers were included in this study, with surface-enhanced laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and weak cation exchange magnetic beads. Follow-up allowed the relations between serum proteins and prognosis to be analyzed. Results: A total of 93 protein peaks were detected (molecular weight range: 1500-30000), 10 demonstrating statistically significant differences. There were no differences in protein peaks between 92 patients with a survival more than 2 years and 52 patients with survival less than 2 years. There were two significantly different protein peaks between 45 stage II patients with a survival more than 2 years and 14 stage II patients with survival less than 2 years. There was one significantly different protein peak between 22 stage III patients with a survival more than 2 years and 29 stage III patients with survival less than 2 years. Conclusion: Differences of serum proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are related to prognosis of patients. The protein fingerprint can be helpful for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.229-239
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• 1998

Antibodies were raised against fusion proteins of the N-terminus and a region containing the GDNQ (Gly-Asp-Asn-Gln) polymerase motif of the L (polymerase) protein of sonchus yellow net virus (SYNV). Immunoblot analyses using these antibodies revealed the presence of the L protein in purified SYNV preparations and in nuclear extracts from infected tobacco. The serological analyses and detection in a polyacrylamide gels suggested that the L protein is present in at least a 20 fold lower abundance than the G, N, M1 and M2 proteins, and has size corresponding to a molecular weight of over 200 kDa as predicted from nucleotide sequence data. Electron microscopy with gold-labelled antibodies was used to localize the N, M2, and G proteins of SYNV in thin sections of infected tissue. When sections of SYNV-infected tissue were treated with antisera against total SYNV proteins and N protein, gold label could be detected in both the viroplasms and in virus particles. With the anti-M2 protein antiserum, the gold label was strongly localized in the viroplasms but only limited labelling of the virus particle sonly. Limited labelling of the L protein was observed in the viroplasms and the virus particles, presumably because of the low abundance of L protein in the tissues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.780-786
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• 2002

An immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a self-assembled protein G layer was developed for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. A self-assembled protein C layer on a gold (Au) surface was fabricated by adsorbing the mixture of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and hexanethiol at various molar ratios and by activating chemical binding between free amine (-$NH_2$) of protein G and 11-(MUA) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) in series. The formation of a self-assembled protein G layer on an Au substrate and the binding of the antibody and antigen in series were confirmed by SPR spectroscopy. The surface morphology analyses of the self-assembled protein G layer on the Au substrate, monoclonal antibody (Mab) against E. coli O157:H7 which was immobilized on protein G, and bound E. coli O157:H7 extracts on Immobilized Mab against E. coii O157:H7 were performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The detection limit of the SPR-based immunosensor for E. coli O157:H7 was found to be about $10^4$ cells/ml.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2009

Auxin-binding protein 57 ($ABP_{57}$), a soluble auxin-binding protein, acts as a receptor to activate plasma membrane (PM) $H^+-ATPase$. Here, we report the cloning of abp57 and the biochemical characterization of its protein expressed in E. coli. The analysis of internal amino acid sequences of $ABP_{57}$ purified from rice shoots enabled us to search for the corresponding gene in protein DB of NCBI. Further BLAST analysis showed that rice has four abp57-like genes and maize has at least one homolog. Interestingly, Arabidopsis seems to have no homolog. Recombinant $ABP_{57}$ expressed in E. coli caused the activation of PM $H^+-ATPase$ regardless of the existence of IAA. Scatchard analysis showed that the recombinant protein has relatively low affinity to IAA as compared to natural $ABP_{57}$. These results collectively support the notion that the cloned gene is responsible for $ABP_{57}$.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2009

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was used as a rapid and non-destructive method to determine the protein content in intact and ground seeds of pea (Pisum sativum L.) germplasms grown in Korea. A total of 115 samples were scanned in the reflectance mode of a scanning monochromator at intact seed and flour condition, and the reference values for the protein content was measured by auto-Kjeldahl system. In the developed ground and intact NIRS equations for analysis of protein, the most accurate equation were obtained at 2, 8, 6, 1 math treatment conditions with standard normal variate and detrend scatter correction method and entire spectrum (400-2,500 nm) by using modified partial least squares regression (n=78). External validation (n=34) of these NIRS equations showed significant correlation between reference values and NIRS estimated values based on the standard error of prediction (SEP), $R^2$, and the ratio of standard deviation of reference data to SEP. Therefore, these ground and intact NIRS equations can be applicable and reliable for determination of protein content in pea seeds, and non-destructive NIRS method could be used as a mass analysis technique for selection of high protein pea in breeding program and for quality control in food industry.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.249-256
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• 1992

Potato juice was found out to have a strong inhibition activity on the growth of Clostridium perf;nngens during work of foodstuffs for the improvement of human intestinal microflora. The anti-bacterial activity of the precipitated protein obtained from the potato juice in 70% ammonium sulfate solution was stable at the range of pH 4 to 10, whereas it was lost by a heat treatment at $60^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the precipitated protein on the growth of C1. Pefingens was about 0.2 mg/ml. The potato protein also suppressed the growth of C1. butyrincm and Eubacterium iimosum, while it showed a promoting effect for the growth of Bifdobacterium bifidum, Bif: animalis, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lact. acidophitus. The potato protein was further purified by CM-Sepharose ion exchange column chromatography, Sephadex G-150 gel filtration column chromatography and SDS-polyacrylarnide gel electrophoresis. The purified protein(kCp) was proved to be a glycoprotein by PAS staining and its molecular weight was about 38.7 kd.