• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.880-888
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• 2006

Pleurocidin, an $\alpha$-helical cationic antimicrobial peptide, was isolated from skin mucosa of winter flounder (Pleuronectes americamus). It had strong antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, but had very weak hemolytic activity. The Gly$^{13,17}\rightarrow$Ala analog (pleurocidin-AA) showed similar antibacterial activities, but had dramatically increased hemolytic activity. The bacterial cell selectivity of pleurocidin was confirmed through the membrane-disrupting and membrane-binding affinities using dye leakage, tryptophan fluorescence blue shift, and tryptophan quenching experiments. However, the non-cell-selective antimicrobial peptide, pleurocidin-AA, interacts strongly with both negatively charged and zwitterionic phospholipid membranes, the latter of which are the major constituents of the outer leaflet of erythrocytes. Circular dihroism spectra showed that pleurocidin-AA has much higher contents of $\alpha$-helical conformation than pleurocidin. The tertiary structure determined by NMR spectroscopy showed that pleurocidin has a flexible. structure between the long helix from $Gly^3$ to $Gly^{17}$ and the short helix from $Gly^{17}$ to $Leu^{25}$. Cell-selective antimicrobial peptide pleurocidin interacts strongly with negatively charged phospholipid membranes, which mimic bacterial membranes. Structural flexibility between the two helices may play a key role in bacterial cell selectivity of pleurocidin.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2017

Estrogens are effective neuroprotectants in vivo and in vitro. To obtain a better insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of neuroprotection by $17{\beta}-estradiol$ (E2), we examined the differential effects of E2 on the fluidity of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV) isolated from rat cerebral cortex. Intramolecular excimerization of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)-propane (Py-3-Py) was used to investigate the effects of E2 on the bulk and annular lateral diffusion of the SPMV. In addition, we examined the effects of E2 on the rotational diffusion of individual leaflet of SPMV exploiting selective quenching of outer monolayer 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence by trinitrophenyl groups. The $F{\ddot{o}}rster$ distance $R_0$ value for the tryptophan-Py-3-Py donor-acceptor pair was $26.9{\AA}$. E2 increased the lateral mobility of both bulk and annular lipids in SPMV in a dose-dependent manner, but a larger effect on bulk lipids was observed. Although E2 decreased the anisotropy of DPH in SPMV, E2 had a greater fluidizing effect on the outer leaflet compared to the inner leaflet. These results suggest that E2 selectively fluidizes the more fluid regions within SPMV. It is highly probable that E2 mostly fluidizes the bulk lipids, away from either annular lipids or lipid rafts, in the outer leaflet of SPMV. This selective fluidization may be one of the nongenomic mechanisms of neuroprotection by E2.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.277-287
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• 2003

Acetolactate synthase (ALS, EC 4.1.3.18; also referred to as acetohydroxy acid synthase) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, and isoleucine in microorganisms and plants. Recently X-ray structure of yeast ALS was available. Pair-wise alignment of yeast and tobacco ALS sequences revealed 63% sequence similarity. Using Deep View and automatic modeling on Swiss model server, we have generated reliable models of tobacco ALS based on yeast ALS template with a calculated pair-wise RMSD of 0.86 Angstrom. Functional roles of four residues located on the subunit interface (H142, El43, M350, and R376) were examined by site-directed mutagenesis. Seven mutants were generated and purified, of which three mutants (H142T, M350V, and R376F) were found to be inactivated under various assay conditions. The H142k mutant showed moderately altered kinetic properties. The E143A mutant increased 10-fold in K$_m$ value while other parameters remained unchanged. The M350C mutant was strongly resistant to three tested herbicides, while the R376k mutant can bind with herbicide carder at similar affinity to that of wild type enzyme, as determined by tryptophan quenching study. Except M350V mutant, all other mutants were ate to bind with cofactor FAD. Taken together, it is likely that residues H142 and E143 are located at the active site, while residues M350 and R376 are possibly located at the overlapping region of active site and herbicide binding site of the enzyme. Our data also allows us to hypothesize that the interaction between side chains of residues M350 and R376 are probably essential for the correct conformation of the active site. It remains to be elucidated that, whether the herbicide, upon binding with enzyme, inactivates the enzyme by causing change in the active site allosterically, which is unfavorable for catalytic activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.603-611
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• 2004

Fluorescence probes located in different membrane regions were used to evaluate the effects of chlorpromazine HCl on structural parameters (transbilayer lateral mobility, annular lipid fluidity, protein distribution, and lipid bilayer thickness) of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMVs) isolated from bovine cerebral cortex. The experimental procedure was based on the selective quenching of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) by trinitrophenyl groups, radiationless energy transfer from the tryptophan of membrane proteins to Py-3-Py, and energy transfer from Py-3-Py monomers to 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS). In this study, chlorpromazine HCl decreased the lateral mobility of Py-3-Py in a concentration dependent-manner, showed a greater ordering effect on the inner monolayer than on the outer monolayer, decreased annular lipid fluidity in a dose dependent-manner, and contracted the membrane lipid bilayer. Furthermore, the drug was found to have a clustering effect on membrane proteins.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.653-661
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• 2004

Fluorescence probes located in different membrane regions were used to evaluate the effect of dopamine$.$HCI on the structural parameters (transbilayer lateral mobility, annular lipid fluidity, protein distribution, and thickness of the lipid bilayer) of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV), which were obtained from the bovine cerebral cortex. An experimental procedure was used based on selective quenching of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl)propane (Py-3-Py) by trinitrophenyl groups, and radiationless energy transfer from the tryptophan of membrane pro-teins to Py-3-Py and energy transfer from Py-3-Py monomers to 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) was also utilized. Dopamine$.$HCI increased both the bulk lateral mobility and annular lipid fluidity, and it had a greater fluidizing effect on the inner monolayer than on the outer monolayer. Furthermore, the drug had a clustering effect on membrane proteins.