• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1262-1266
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• 2009

Thermodynamics of the interaction between Cerium (III) chloride, $Ce^{3+}$, with Human Serum Albumin, HSA, was investigated at pH 7.0 and $27\;{^{\circ}C}$ in phosphate buffer by isothermal titration calorimetry. Our recently solvation model was used to reproduce the enthalpies of HSA interaction by $Ce^{3+}$. The solvation parameters recovered from our new model, attributed to the structural change of HSA and its biological activity. The interaction of HSA with $Ce^{3+}$ showed a set of two binding sites with negative cooperativity. $Ce^{3+}$ interacts with multiple sites on HSA affecting its biochemical and biophysical properties.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.42
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• pp.61-67
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• 2000

Composting of hog manure amended with sawdust trials lasted three weeks and used pilot-scale in bin composting system. Results showed that the rise temperature and carbon dioxide evolution in compost during the composting decomposition process were affected by the aeration method, pH, C/N, moisture content, bulk density and particle size distribution. No significant differences existed in biophysical properties of the composit produced from the continuous and intermittent aeration method. The intermittent aeration was very successful in compost odor control and required less time to reach stability than the continuous aeration.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2018

Microfluidic technologies hold high promise and emerge as a potential molecular tool to facilitate the progress of fundamental and applied biomedical researches by enabling miniaturization and upgrading current biological research tools. In this review, we summarize the state of the art of existing microfluidic technologies and its' application for characterizing biophysical properties of individual cells. Microfluidic devices offer significant advantages and ability to handle in integrating sample processes, minimizing sample and reagent volumes, and increased analysis speed. Therefore, we first present the basic concepts and summarize several achievements in new coupling between microfluidic devices and mass spectrometers. Secondly, we discuss the recent applications of microfluidic chips in various biological research field including cellular and molecular level. Finally, we present the current challenge of microfluidic technologies and future perspective in this study field.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.128.1-128.1
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• 2003

VR1, a capsaicin receptor, is now known to playa major role in mediating inflammatory thermal nociception. Although the physiological role or biophysical properties of VR1 are known, its activation mechanisms by ligands are poorly understood. Here, we show that VR1 requires phosphorylation by $Ca^{2+}$-calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) for its activation by capsaicin. In contrast, dephosphorylation by calcineurin, leads to desensitization of the receptor. Point mutation of VR1 at two putative consensus sites for CaMKII fails to elicit capsaicin-sensitive currents with concomitant reduction in phosphorylation of VR1 in vivo. (omitted)

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.614-618
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• 2001

Low-threshold T-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels are distinctive voltage-operated gates for external $Ca^{2+}$ entry around a resting membrane potential due to their low voltage activation. These phenomena have already been extensively studied due to their relevance in diverse physiological functions. Recently, three T-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel ${\alpha}$$_1$subunits were cloned and their biophysical properties were characterized after expression in mammalian expression systems. In this study, ${\alpha_IG} and {\alpha_IH}$ low-threshold $Ca^{2+}$ channels were expressed and characterized in Xenopus oocytes after adding 5' and 3'untranslated portions of a Xenopus ${\beta}$ globin to improve their expression levels. The added portions dramatically enhanced the expression levels of the ${\alpha_IG} and {\alpha_IH}$ T-type channels. When currents were recorded in 10 mM $Ba^{2+}$ as the charge carrier, the activation thresholds were about -60 mV, peak currents appeared at -20 mV, and the reversal potentials were between +40 and +45. The activation time constants were very similar to each other, while the inactivation time constants of the ${\alpha_IG}$ currents were smaller than those of ${\alpha_IH}$. Taken together, the electrophysiological properties of the ${\alpha_IG} and {\alpha_IH}$ channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes were similar to the previously reported characteristics of low-threshold $Ca^{2+}$ channel currents.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2018

Meat comes from the skeletal muscles of farm animals, such as pigs, chickens, and cows. Skeletal muscles are composed of many muscle fibers. Muscle fibers are categorized into three types, fiber type I, IIA, and IIB, based on their contractile speed and metabolic properties. Different muscle fiber types have different biochemical, physiological, and biophysical characteristics. Especially, the characteristics of muscle fiber type I and IIB are opposite to each other. Muscle fiber type I has a relatively strong oxidative metabolic trait and a higher content of lipids. In contrast to fiber type I, muscle fiber type IIB has a strong glycolytic metabolic trait and a relatively lower content of lipids and a higher content of glycogen. Muscle fiber type IIA has intermediate properties between fiber type I and IIB. Thus, muscles with different fiber type compositions exhibit different ante- and post-mortem muscle characteristics. In particular, the different metabolic traits of muscles due to the different compositions of the fiber types strongly affect the biochemical and physiological processes during the conversion of muscle to meat and subsequently influence the quality of the meat. Therefore, understating muscle metabolism and muscle fiber characteristics is very important when discussing the traits of meat quality. This review is an overview on basic muscle metabolism, muscle fiber characteristics, and their influence on meat quality and finally provides a comprehensive understanding about the fundamental traits of muscles and meat quality.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2016

Characterization of intact protein structures in the gas phase using electrospray ionization combined with ion mobility mass spectrometry has become an important tool of research. However, the biophysical properties that govern the structures of protein ions in the gas phase remain to be understood. Here, we investigated the impact of host-guest complexation of ubiquitin (Ubq) with macrocyclic host molecules, cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s, n = 6, 7), on its structure in the gas phase. We found that CB[n] complexation induces the formation of compact Ubq ions. Both CB[6] and CB[7] exhibited similar effects despite differences in their binding properties in solution. In addition, CB[n] attachment prevented Ubq from unfolding by collisional activation. Based on the experimental results, we suggest that CB[n]s prevent unfolding of Ubq during transfer to the gas phase to promote the formation of compact protein ions. Furthermore, interaction with positively charged residues per se is suggested to be the most important factor for the host-guest complexation effect.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.472-480
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• 2010

Mechanically deformed cartilage undergoes a temperature dependent phase transformation resulting in reshaping of cartilage. Laser-assisted cartilage reshaping (LCR) is recently introduced to recreate the underlying cartilage framework in structures such as ear, larynx, trachea, and nose. However, this procedure has not been fully supported by confirmed efficacy because of the lack of scientific research and its safety issues. The purpose of this study is to evaluate current laser sources to determine optimal laser wavelength for LCR using mathematical simulations and investigate optical, thermo-mechanical, and backscattering properties of cartilage after laser irradiation. The results showed that 1444 nm wavelength was effective for reshaping of cartilage with minimal thermal damage in the surrounded tissues by monte carlo simulations. Analysis of bend angle changes, thermo-mechanical characteristics, and backscattered properties may be useful to better identify the biophysical transformation responsible for stress relaxation in cartilage and develop an optical feedback control methodologies.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 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 IKEEE
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.18-23
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• 2009

FEATURE is a computational method to recognize functional and structural sites for automatic protein function prediction. By profiling physicochemical properties around residues, FEATURE can characterize and predict functional and structural sites in 3D protein structures in a high-throughput manner. Despite its effectiveness, it has been challenging to apply FEATURE to novel protein data due to limited customization support. To address this problem, we thoroughly analyze the internal modules of FEATURE and propose a methodology to customize FEATURE so that it can be used for new protein data for automatic functional annotations.