• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.17-25
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• 2003

Determining the binding sites in protein-nucleic acid complexes is essential to the complete understanding of protein-nucleic acid interactions and to the development of new drugs. We have developed a set of algorithms for analyzing protein-nucleic acid interactions and for predicting potential binding sites in protein-nucleic acid complexes. The algorithms were used to analyze the hydrogen-bonding interactions in protein-RNA and protein-DNA complexes. The analysis was done both at the atomic and residue level, and discovered several interesting interaction patterns and differences between the two types of nucleic acids. The interaction patterns were used for predicting potential binding sites in new protein-RNA complexes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.700-706
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• 2012

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic as well as being a major risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancers. Obesity is mainly due to the overgrowth of adipose tissue arising from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Adipose tissue, primarily composed of adipocytes, plays a key role in maintaining whole body energy homeostasis. In view of the treatment of obesity and obesity-related diseases, it is critical to understand the detailed signal transduction mechanisms of adipogenic differentiation. Adipogenic differentiation is tightly regulated by many key signal cascades, including insulin signaling. These signal cascades generally transfer or amplify the signal by using serial tyrosine phosphorylations. Thus, protein tyrosine kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatases are closely related to adipogenic differentiation. Compared to protein tyrosine kinases, protein tyrosine phosphatases have received little attention in adipogenic differentiation. This review aims to highlight the involvement of protein tyrosine phosphatases in adipogenic differentiation and the possibility of protein tyrosine phosphatases as drugs to target obesity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 1982

In order to investigate the pharmacological action of the combined preparation of crude drugs, 'Saengkankunbi-Tang' were studied. These studies were conducted in an attempt to investigate the effect of 'Saengkankunbi-Tang' on activities of the liver enzyme, protein contents and the excretory action of bile juice in the serum of $CCl_4-intoxicated$ rabbits. The results of this investigate were summarized as follows; GOT, GPT activities and total cholesterol contents in the serum of rabbits induced by $CCl_4$ were shown to the remarkable decrease with the passage of the time in the oral administration of the sample. Albumin contents in the serum of rabbits induce by $CCl_4$ were noted to the significant increase with the passage of the time. Serum total protein contents were noted to the significant increase only the 4th and 6th day. BSP accumulation contents in the serum of rabbits induced by $CCl_4$ showed the remarkable decrease with the passage of the time.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.31 no.1 s.57
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• pp.135-140
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• 1995

Glycation occurs by covalent binding between the carbonyl group of monosaccharides and the epsilon amino group of amino acid. It can alter the physiological function of proteins and causes the development of diabetic complications. In this study, the influence of glycation on protein binding of warfarin and dansylsarcosine was studied by equilibrium dialysis which was performed for 3 hours at $37^{\circ}C$ in the water bath. The high glycated albumin which contained $50{\pm}16%$ of glycated albumin bound less than natural albumin which contained $8.5{\pm}5.28%$ of glycated albumin, if drugs concentration were more than the albumin concentration. But only warfarin binding showed a significant difference of 6% (P<0.05) when the molar concentration ratio of warfarin per albumin was 3. In consideration of low therapeutic concentrations, low glycated albumin concentrations in the body, and rapid elimination of excessive free drugs, these small increaes of free warfarin concentrations by glycation of albumin are not considered as risk. factors for drug intoxication for diabetics, if renal functions are intact.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.403-409
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• 2005

For transdermal delivery of large molecular drugs such as vaccine and protein drugs, novel microneedle treatment device with roll was designed. The roll dimension is 1.43 cm diameter and 2.8 cm perimeter. Total number of microneedle on the roll is 3,360 with $230\;{\mu}m$ height and $740\;{\mu}m$ distance. The pore with $150\;{\mu}m$ depth and $35\;{\mu}m$ diameter on the skin was made by the designed microneedle device. This system could be achieved without pain. The permeation rates of FITC labelled ovalbumin (FITC-OVA, molecular weight: 45,000 g/mol) as a model protein were determined by modified Franz diffusion cells using skins of hairless mice or SD rats which were treated by using microneedle device two or four times. The average penetration fluxes of model protein increased from 674 to $872\;{\mu}g/cm^{2}{\cdot}hr$ as the number of treatment to make pore increased from two to four times. In conclusion, we confirmed the possibility of using the designed microneedle treatment device for transdermal delivery of the large molecular drugs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2008

CSE1L/CAS, a microtubule-associated, cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein, is highly expressed in various cancers. Microtubules are the target of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. We studied the effects of increased or reduced CAS expression on cancer cell apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic drugs including paclitaxel. Our results showed that CAS overexpression enhanced apoptosis induced by doxorubicin, 5-fluorour-acil, cisplatin, and tamoxifen, but inhibited paclitaxel-induced apoptosis of cancer cells. Reductions in CAS produced opposite results. CAS overexpression enhanced p53 accumulation induced by doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, tamoxifen, and etoposide. CAS was associated with $\alpha$-tubulin and $\beta$-tubulin and enhanced the association between $\alpha$-tubulin and $\beta$-tubulin. Paclitaxel can induce G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and microtubule aster formation during apoptosis induction, but CAS overexpression reduced paclitaxel-induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and microtubule aster formation. Our results indicate that CAS may play an important role in regulating the cytotoxicities of chemotherapeutic drugs used in cancer chemotherapy against cancer cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 2001

The human papillomavirus E7 protein can form a specific complex with a retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene product (p105-Rb) that results in the release of the E2F transcription factor, which is critical for the growth-deregulation and transforming properties of the viral E7 oncoprotein. In an attempt to apply interaction between the E7 oncoprotein and a target cellular protein Rb for an in vitro screening system for drugs against human papillomavirus infection, we primarily investigated the E7Rb binding through a pull down assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pull down assay showed that both glutathione S-transferase-tagged E7 and His-tagged E7 immobilized on resins specifically produced complexes with bacterially expressed Rb in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by immunoblot analyses. This result coincided with that of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which is a useful system for the mass screening of potential drugs. Taken together, this screening system (based on the interaction between E7 and Rb) can be a promising system in the development of drugs against cervical cancers caused by human papillomavirus infection.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 2013

Biosimilars are important drugs in medicine and contain many glycosylated proteins. Thorough analysis of the glycosylated protein is a prerequisite for evaluation of biosimilar glycan drugs. A method to assess the diversity of N-glycosylation sites and N-glycans from biosimilar glycan drugs has been developed using two separate methods, LC-MS/MS and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. Development of sensitive, accurate, and efficient methods for evaluation of glycoproteins is still needed. In this study, analysis of both N-glycosylation sites and N-glycans of glycoprotein was performed using the same LC-MS/MS with two different nano-LC columns, nano-C18 and nano-porous graphitized carbon (nano-PGC) columns. N-glycosylated proteins, including RNAse B (one N-glycosylation site), Fetuin (three sites), and ${\alpha}$-1 acid glycoprotein (four sites), were used, and small amounts of each protein were used for identification of N-glycosylation sites. In addition, high mannose N-glycans (one type of typical glycan structure), Mannose 5 and 9, eluted from RNAse B, were successfully identified using nano-PGC-LC MS/MS analysis, and the abundance of each glycan from the glycoprotein was calculated. This study demonstrated an accurate and efficient method for determination of N-glycosylation sites and N-glycans of glycoproteins based on high sensitive LC-MS/MS using two different nano-columns; this method could be applied for evaluation of the quality of various biosimilar drugs containing N-glycosylation groups.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 1998

Purpose : To study whether a low protein diet increase the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy on the progression of renal failure, we conducted an experimental study using 5/6 nephrectomized rats(n=63). Methods : At 7 days after surgery, rats were randomly assigned to three groups according to receiving antihypertensive drug: no antihypertensive drug (U), enalapril (E), and nicardipine (N), respectively and fed a low protein diet (6$\%$ protein). Proteinuria, mesangial matrix expansion score and glomerular volume were assessed at 4, 12 and 16 weeks after renal ablation. Results : Group U rats on a low protein diet developed progressive hypertension ($140{\pm}8,\;162{\pm}5,\;171{\pm}5\;and\;184{\pm}11\;mmHg$ at 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks) which were controlled by E and N. Group U rats on a low protein diet developed proteinuria ($74{\pm}15\;mg/day$ at 16 weeks) which were decreased by E ($42{\pm}12 mg/day$) or N ($48{\pm}8 mg/day$) (p<0.05). Mesangial matrix expansion score and glomerular volume were not different between groups U, E and N on a low protein diet regardless of the antihypertensive drugs administered. Conclusion : A low protein diet did not affect blood pressure. Enalapril and nicardipine-treated rats on a low protein diet did not have different mesangial matrix expansion and glomerular volumes from rats on a low protein diet at 12 weeks and 16 weeks, in spite of the better controlling of systemic hypertension and lessening of proteinuria. Thus, combined treatment with a low protein diet and antihypertensive drugs didn't appear to show any addition,11 effects to attenuate glomerular injury.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2006

The regulators of the G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are responsible for the rapid acceleration of the GTPase-activity intrinsic to the heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunits. As GTPase-activating proteins (GAP), the RGS proteins negatively regulate the G-protein signals. Recently, the RGS proteins are known to be one of the important regulators of opioid signal transduction and the development of tolerance. The aim of this study was to review the recent discovery and understanding of the role of RGS proteins in opioid signaling and the development of tolerance. This information will be useful for medical personnel, particularly those involved in anesthesia and pain medicine, by helping them improve the effective use of opioids and develop new drugs that can prevent opioid tolerance.