• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제35권9호
• /
• pp.2655-2659
• /
• 2014

Dual specificity protein phosphatase 4 (DUSP4) has been considered a promising target for the development of therapeutics for various human cancers. Here, we report the first example for a successful application of the structure-based virtual screening to identify the novel small-molecule DUSP4 inhibitors. As a consequence of the virtual screening with the modified scoring function to include an effective molecular solvation free energy term, five micromolar DUSP4 inhibitors are found with the associated $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 3.5 to $10.8{\mu}M$. Because these newly identified inhibitors were also screened for having desirable physicochemical properties as a drug candidate, they may serve as a starting point of the structure-activity relationship study to optimize the medical efficacy. Structural features relevant to the stabilization of the new inhibitors in the active site of DUSP4 are discussed in detail.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제26권12호
• /
• pp.2033-2037
• /
• 2005

In vitro selection was used to isolate $Mg^{2+}$-dependent self-cleaving ribozymes with cis-cleavage activity from a pre-tRNA library having 40-mer random sequences attached to 5'-end of E. coli $tRNA^{Phe}$. After 8 rounds of SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment), RNA molecules which can self-cleave at the high concentration of $Mg^{2+}$ were isolated. The selected ribozymes can carry out the self-cleavage reaction in the presence of 100 mM $Mg^{2+}$ but not in 10 mM $Mg^{2+}$. The cleavage sites of the ribozymes are located at +3 and +4 of $tRNA^{Phe}$, compared with +1 position of 5'-end cleavage site of pre-tRNA by RNase P. New RNA constructs deprived of its D stem-loop, anticodon stem-loop, variable loop and T stem-loop, respectively showed the cleavage specificity identical to a ribozyme having the intact tRNA structure. Also, the new ribozyme fused with both a ribozyme and $tRNA^{Leu}$ showed the cleavage activities at the various sites within its sequences, different from two sites of position +3 and +4 observed in the ribozyme with $tRNA^{Phe}$. Our results suggest that the selected ribozyme is not structural-specific for tRNA.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
• /
• 제16권4호
• /
• pp.379-384
• /
• 2012

Lhx8 (LIM homeobox 8) gene encodes a LIM homeodomain transcriptional regulator that is preferentially expressed in germ cells and critical for mammalian folliculogenesis. However, Lhx8 DNA binding sequences are not characterized yet. We aimed to identify and characterize a cis-acting sequence of germ-cell specific transcriptional factor, Lhx8. To identify Lhx8 DNA binding element, Cyclic Amplification of Sequence Target (CAST) Analysis was performed. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) was processed for the binding specificity of Lhx8. Luciferase assay was for the transcriptional activity of Lhx8 through identified DNA binding site. We identified a putative cis-acting sequence, TGATTG as Lhx8 DNA binding element (LBE). In addition, Lhx8 binds to the LBE with high affinity and augments transcriptional activity of luciferase reporter driven by artificial promoter containing the Lhx8 binding element. These findings indicate that Lhx8 directly regulates the transcription of genes containing Lhx8 binding element in oocytes during early folliculogenesis.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• 제42권1호
• /
• pp.56-59
• /
• 2004

Together with the previous reports, my computer survey revealed that several bacteria contain six copies of the type group II intron IntA. The sequence analysis of IntAs showed the high level of homology in the nucleotide sequence (91.9-99.8%). The consensus sequence, 2,270 base pair long, was derived from the nucleotide sequences of all IntA members. The size of the open reading frame intA was 502 amino acids long, that is homologous to reverse transcriptase-like proteins encoded within the group II introns. It was reported that EPEC.IntA and Sf.IntA were inserted into IS911 and IS629, respectively. The sequence of the flanking region IntA was analyzed here. The data show the insertion of EC.IntA into IS629, the insertion of EHEC.IntA into IS3, the insertion of Yp.IntA into IS904-like sequence, and the insertion of EK12.IntA into IS911. Interestingly, these IS elements nested by IntAs were the members of IS3 family elements. The sequences of the IS3 members correspond to the OrfB with the DDE motif conserved in retroviral integrases. Alignment of the flanking sequences of IntAs revealed that the flanking regions -25 to + 10 of insertion sites, that are generally believed to be required for the retrohoming, were not strongly conserved. The data presented here suggests that the retrohoming pathway of IntA seems to differ from those of other group II introns.

• 한국생물정보학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국생물정보시스템생물학회 2003년도 제2차 연례학술대회 발표논문집
• /
• pp.5-5
• /
• 2003

The purple acid phosphatases comprise a family of binuclear metal-containing enzymes. The metal centre contains one ferric ion and one divalent metal ion. Spectroscopic studies of the monomeric, ${\sim}$36 kDa mammalian purple acid phosphatases reveal the presence of an Fe(III)Fe(II) centre in which the metals are weakly antiferromagnetically coupled, whereas the dimeric, ${\sim}$110 000 kDa plant enzymes contain either Fe(III)Zn(II) or Fe(III)Mn(II). The three dimensional structures of the red kidney bean and pig enzymes show very similar arrangements of the metal ligands but some significant differences beyond the immediate vicinity of the metals. In addition to the catalytic domain, the plant enzyme contains a second domain of unknown function. A search of sequence databases was undertaken using a sequence pattern which includes the conserved metal-binding residues in the plant and animal enzymes. The search revealed the presence in plants of a 'mammalian-type' low molecular weight purple acid phosphatase, a high molecular weight form in some fungi, and a homologue in some bacteria. The catalytic mechanism of the enzyme has been investigated with a view to understanding the marked difference in specificity between the Fe-Mn sweet potato enzyme, which exhibits highly efficient catalysis towards both activated and unactivated phosphate esters, and other PAPs, which hydrolyse only activated esters. Comparison of the active site structures of the enzymes reveal some interesting differences between them which may account for the difference. The implications fur understanding the physiological functions of the enzymes will be discussed.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제34권1호
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2001

Structural and physical properties of type wild type and various selected mutants of the vnd/NK-2 homeodomain, the protein product of the homeobox, and the implication in genetic disease are reviewed. The structure, dynamics and thermodynamics have been Investigated by NMR and by calorimetry. The interactions responsible for the nucleotide sequence-specific binding of the homeodomain to its consensus DNA binding site have been identified. There is a strong correlation between significant structural alterations within the homeodomain or its DNA complex and the appearance of genetic disease. Mutations in positions known to be important in genetic disease have been examined carefully For example, mutation of position 52 of vnd/NK-2 results in a significant structural modification and mutation of position 54 alters the DNA binding specificity and amity The $^{15}N$ relaxation behavior and heteronuclear Overhauser effect data was used to characterize and describe the protein backbone dynamics. These studies were carried out on the wild type and the double mutant proteins both in the free and in the DNA bound states. Finally, the thermodynamic properties associated with DNA binding are described for the vnd/NK-2 homeodomain. These thermodynamic measurements reinforce the hypothesis that water structure around a protein and around DNA significantly contribute to the protein-DNA binding behavior. The results, taken together, demonstrate that structure and dynamic studies of proteins combined with thermodynamic measurements provide a significantly more complete picture of the solution behavior than the individual studies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제11권6호
• /
• pp.957-963
• /
• 2001

Bacillus subtilis YL-1004 was isolated from soil for the development of agents to control dental caries. This strain produced an extracellular lytic enzyme that hydrolyzed the Streptococcus mutans cell wall. The lytic enzyme was purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography and gel permeation chromatography to give a single band on SDS-PAGE and non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the enzyme was deduced from SDS-PAGE and gel chromatography to be 38 kDa and the PI to be 4.3 from isoelectric focusing. Sirty $\%$ of its lytic activity remained after incubation at $50^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, and its optimal temperature was $37^{\circ}C$ . The enzyme showed its highest activity at pH 8.0 and was stable at pHs ranging from 4.0 to 9.0. Treatment with several modifiers showed that a cysteine residue was involved in the active site of the enzyme. This lytic enzyme from Bacillus subtilis YL-1004 exhibited specificity towards Streptococci and also showed autolytic activity on Bacillus subtilis YL-1004.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제50권10호
• /
• pp.485-486
• /
• 2017

Many intrinsically unstructured/unfolded proteins (IUPs) contain transient local secondary structures even though they are "unstructured" in a tertiary sense. These local secondary structures are named "pre-structured motifs (PreSMos)" and in fact are the specificity determinants for IUP-target binding, i.e., the active sites in IUPs. Using high-resolution NMR we have delineated a PreSMo active site in the intrinsically unfolded mid-domain (residues 201-300) of SUMO-specific protease 4 (SUSP4). This 29-residue motif which we termed a p53 rescue motif can protect p53 from mdm2 quenching by binding to the p53-helix binding pocket in mdm2(3-109). Our work demonstrates that the PreSMo approach is quite effective in providing a structural rationale for interactions of p53-mdm2-SUSP4 and opens a novel avenue for designing mdm2-inhibiting anticancer compounds.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• 제21권1호
• /
• pp.4.1-4.9
• /
• 2020

Fast and accurate detection of viral RNA pathogens is important in apiculture. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection method has been developed, which is simple, specific, and sensitive. In this study, we rapidly (in 1 min) synthesized cDNA from the RNA of deformed wing virus (DWV)-infected bees (Apis mellifera), and then, within 10 min, amplified the target cDNA by ultra-rapid qPCR. The PCR products were hybridized to a DNA-chip for confirmation of target gene specificity. The results of this study suggest that our method might be a useful tool for detecting DWV, as well as for the diagnosis of RNA virus-mediated diseases on-site.

• 한국인터넷방송통신학회논문지
• /
• 제21권2호
• /
• pp.55-60
• /
• 2021

스마트 팩토리화가 진행됨에 따라 자동화 설비 및 로봇의 활용이 늘어나고 있다. 또한 IT 기술의 발달로 음성인식을 활용한 시스템의 활용도도 올라가고 있다. 음성인식 기술은 스마트홈과 각종 IoT 기술에서 두각을 나타내고 있는 기술이지만 공장의 특수성으로 공장에 적용되기 힘든 상황에 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 제조 현장의 상황을 고려한 음성인식 기술을 활용하여 산업용 다관절 로봇을 제어하는 방법을 설계하였다. 모바일을 통해 로봇 조작을 위한 음성명령을입력 받은 후 네트워크 프로토콜 변환 및 명령어 변환 과정을 거쳐 로봇을 제어할 수 있음을 확인하였다.