• Title/Summary/Keyword: cognate

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FTIR spectroscopy of the two-photon product of sensory rhodopsin I

  • Sasaki, Jun;Kannaka, Masato;Kandori, Hideki;Tokunaga, Fumio
    • Journal of Photoscience
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.534-536
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    • 2002
  • A halophilic archaeon, Halobacterium salinarum, exhibits phototactic behaviors, by which the organism is guided to red-orange light and evades shorter wavelengths of light. The phototaxis is mediated by two retinal proteins, sensory rhodopsin I and II (SRI and SRII), whose structures are analogous to the cognate protein bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump. SRI mediates both attractant and repellent swimming behaviors to orange light and near- UV light, respectively. The two different signaling through the single photoreceptor have been ascribed to the presence of two active structures of SRI (S$\_$373/ and P$\_$520), which are produced upon orange light illumination of SRI and upon subsequent near-UV illumination of S$\_$373/, respectively. In the present study, we have measured the difference FTIR spectra of S$\_$373/ and P$\_$520/ states. In P$\_$520/, the isomeric structure of the chromophore is assignable to all-trans, and the Schiff base of the chromophore is protonated with concomitant deprotonation of Asp76, a combination which allows for the formation of a salt bridge between them. It was suggested that the way of interaction between the Schiff base and the counterion, which is different among SRI$\_$587/, S$\_$373/ and P$\_$520/ and which has been shown to drive the conformational changes in the cognate protein, bacteriorhodopsin, is the key to controlling conformational changes for the attractant and the repellent signaling by SRI.

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Enhancing T Cell Immune Responses by B Cell-based Therapeutic Vaccine Against Chronic Virus Infection

  • Kim, Min Ki;Lee, Ara;Hwang, Yu Kyeong;Kang, Chang-Yuil;Ha, Sang-Jun
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.207-218
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    • 2014
  • Chronic virus infection leads to the functional impairment of dendritic cells (DCs) as well as T cells, limiting the clinical usefulness of DC-based therapeutic vaccine against chronic virus infection. Meanwhile, B cells have been known to maintain the ability to differentiate plasma cells producing antibodies even during chronic virus infection. Previously, ${\alpha}$-galactosylceramide (${\alpha}GC$) and cognate peptide-loaded B cells were comparable to DCs in priming peptide-specific $CD8^+$ T cells as antigen presenting cells (APCs). Here, we investigated whether B cells activated by ${\alpha}GC$ can improve virus-specific T cell immune responses instead of DCs during chronic virus infection. We found that comparable to B cells isolated from naïve mice, chronic B cells isolated from chronically infected mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13 (CL13) after ${\alpha}GC$-loading could activate CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to produce effector cytokines and upregulate co-stimulatory molecules in both naïve and chronically infected mice. Similar to naïve B cells, chronic B cells efficiently primed LCMV glycoprotein (GP) 33-41-specific P14 $CD8^+$ T cells in vivo, thereby allowing the proliferation of functional $CD8^+$ T cells. Importantly, when ${\alpha}GC$ and cognate epitope-loaded chronic B cells were transferred into chronically infected mice, the mice showed a significant increase in the population of epitope-specific $CD8^+$ T cells and the accelerated control of viremia. Therefore, our studies demonstrate that reciprocal activation between ${\alpha}GC$-loaded chronic B cells and iNKT cells can strengthen virus-specific T cell immune responses, providing an effective regimen of autologous B cell-based therapeutic vaccine to treat chronic virus infection.

Expression of a Gene Encoding Heat shock Protein 70-Related Protein from Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

  • Kim, Woo-Jin;Lee, Jeong-Ho;Kim, Kyung-Kil;Park, Jung-Youn;Kang, Ho-Sung;Kim, Han-Do
    • Journal of Aquaculture
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.175-183
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    • 1999
  • We have shown previously that the sequence of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) hsp70-related cDAN has a high similarity with those of cognate hsc70 of other species (Kim et al., 1999; J. Aquaculture, 12:91-100). In order to investigate whether this gene encodes the congate hsc70, we examined the expression of this gene in normal and heat-shocked conditions. By in vitro translation, this gene encoded a 70 kD protein which was constitutively experessed and was not induced by heat shock. This translated protein was recognized by anti-hsp/hsc70 antibody. Tests of heat-inducibility showed that this gene was constitutively expressed in normal conditions and its expression was not increased after heat shock. The expression levels of this gene were high in stomach, gill, intestine, kidney and brain, moderate in liver, and comparatively low in overy and heart. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis of transcript expression showed that the corresponding mRNA were detected throughout embryonic development in the absence of any heat shock. These results provided evidence that olive flounder hsp70-related cDNA encoded to cognate member of hsp70 family, hsc70.

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Growth Inhibition of Escherichia coli during Heterologous Expression of Bacillus subtilis Glutamyl-tRNA Synthetase that Catalyzes the Formation of Mischarged Glutamyl-$tRNA_{l}$$^{Gln}$

  • Baick, Ji-Won;Yoon, Jang-Ho;Suk Namgoong;Dieter Soll;Kim, Sung-Il;Eom, Soo-Hyun;Hong, Kwang-Won
    • Journal of Microbiology
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    • v.42 no.2
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    • pp.111-116
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    • 2004
  • It is known that Bacillus subtilis glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS) mischarges E. coli $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ with glutamate in vitro. It has also been established that the expression of B. subtilis GluRS in Escherichia coli results in the death of the host cell. To ascertain whether E. coli growth inhibition caused by B. subtilis GluRS synthesis is a consequence of Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ formation, we constructed an in vivo test system, in which B. subtilis GluRS gene expression is controlled by IPTG. Such a system permits the investigation of factors affecting E. coli growth. Expression of E. coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) also amelio-rated growth inhibition, presumably by competitively preventing $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ misacylation. However, when amounts of up to 10 mM L-glutamine, the cognate amino acid for acylation of $tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$, were added to the growth medium, cell growth was unaffected. Overexpression of the B. subtilis gatCAB gene encoding Glu-$tRNA^{Gln}$ amidotransferase (Glu-AdT) rescued cells from toxic effects caused by the formation of the mis-charging GluRS. This result indicates that B. subtilis Glu-AdT recognizes the mischarged E. coli Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$, and converts it to the cognate Gln-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ species. B. subtilis GluRS-dependent Glu-$tRNA_{1}$$^{Gln}$ formation may cause growth inhibition in the transformed E. coli strain, possibly due to abnormal protein synthesis.

Inactivation of the genes involved in histone H3-lysine 4 methylation abates the biosynthesis of pigment azaphilone in Monascus purpureus

  • Balakrishnan, Bijinu;Lim, Yoon Ji;Suh, Jae-Won;Kwon, Hyung-Jin
    • Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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    • v.62 no.2
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    • pp.157-165
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    • 2019
  • Di- and tri-methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me2 and H3K4me3, respectively) are epigenetic markers of active genes. Complex associated with Set1 (COMPASS) mediates these H3K4 methylations. The involvement of COMPASS activity in secondary metabolite (SM) biosynthesis was first demonstrated with an Aspergillus nidulans cclA knockout mutant. The cclA knockout induced the transcription of two cryptic SM biosynthetic gene clusters, leading to the production of the cognate SM. Monascus spp. are filamentous fungi that have been used for food fermentation in eastern Asia, and the pigment Monascus azaphione (MAz) is their main SM. Monascus highly produces MAz, implying that the cognate biosynthetic genes are highly active in transcription. In the present study, we examined how COMPASS activity modulates MAz biosynthesis by inactivating Monascus purpureus cclA (Mp-cclA) and swd1 (Mp-swd1). For both ${\Delta}Mp-cclA$ and ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$, a reduction in MAz production, accompanied by an abated cell growth, was observed. Suppression of MAz production was more effective in an agar culture than in the submerged liquid culture. The fidelity of the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ phenotypes was verified by restoring the WT-like phenotypes in a reversion recombinant mutant, namely, trpCp: Mp-swd1, that was generated from the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ mutant. Real-time quantitative Polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the transcription of MAz biosynthetic genes was repressed in the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ mutant. This study demonstrated that MAz biosynthesis is under the control of COMPASS activity and that the extent of this regulation is dependent on growth conditions.

Regulation of amyloid precursor protein processing by its KFERQ motif

  • Park, Ji-Seon;Kim, Dong-Hou;Yoon, Seung-Yong
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.49 no.6
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    • pp.337-343
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    • 2016
  • Understanding of trafficking, processing, and degradation mechanisms of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is important because APP can be processed to produce β-amyloid (Aβ), a key pathogenic molecule in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we found that APP contains KFERQ motif at its C-terminus, a consensus sequence for chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) or microautophagy which are another types of autophagy for degradation of pathogenic molecules in neurodegenerative diseases. Deletion of KFERQ in APP increased C-terminal fragments (CTFs) and secreted N-terminal fragments of APP and kept it away from lysosomes. KFERQ deletion did not abolish the interaction of APP or its cleaved products with heat shock cognate protein 70 (Hsc70), a protein necessary for CMA or microautophagy. These findings suggest that KFERQ motif is important for normal processing and degradation of APP to preclude the accumulation of APP-CTFs although it may not be important for CMA or microautophagy.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Family in Cancer

  • Riaz, Syeda Kiran;Iqbal, Yasmeen;Malik, Muhammad Faraz Arshad
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.5
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    • pp.1677-1682
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    • 2015
  • Cancer progression is attained by uncontrolled cell division and metastasis. Increase in tumor size triggers different vascular channel formation to address cell nutritional demands. These channels are responsible for transferring of nutrients and gaseous to the cancer cells. Cancer vascularization is regulated by numerous factors including vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs). These factors play an important role during embryonic development. Members included in this group are VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, PIGF and VEGFD which markedly influence cellular growth and apoptosis. Being freely diffusible these proteins act in both autocrine and paracrine fashions. In this review, genetic characterization these molecules and their putative role in cancer staging has been elaborated. Prognostic significance of these molecules along with different stages of cancer has also been summarized. Brief outline of ongoing efforts to target hot spot target sites against these VEGFs and their cognate limitations for therapeutic implications are also highlighted.

Cognition of Korean Kinship Name : Investigating the Children's Recognition of Cognate Group Ranges (한국아동(韓國兒童)의 친척명(親戚名) 인지(認知))

  • Yi, Soon Hyung
    • Korean Journal of Child Studies
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    • v.5
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    • pp.21-45
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    • 1984
  • The cognition of Korean kinship names was examined in children in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 9th grades (N=188) of public school. The task consisted of 43 items which identified the relative relationships of cognates and cognates-in-law. It was found that the main effects of age and residential area on cognition scores were significant and the interaction effects between the variables were also significant. As expected, older children performed the task more precisely than the younger children and children in Seoul performed better than in outlying regions. Under 15 years of age, the scores in Seoul were higher than in Andong, but at the age of l5, this trend was reversed. The gap between residential areas under 15 years of age could be explained by differences in cognitive ability and test effects, but the gap at 15 by culture.

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System-Wide Expression and Function of Olfactory Receptors in Mammals

  • Oh, S. June
    • Genomics & Informatics
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.2-9
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    • 2018
  • Olfactory receptors (ORs) in mammals are generally considered to function as chemosensors in the olfactory organs of animals. They are membrane proteins that traverse the cytoplasmic membrane seven times and work generally by coupling to heterotrimeric G protein. The OR is a G protein-coupled receptor that binds the guanine nucleotide-binding $G{\alpha}_{olf}$ subunit and the $G{\beta}{\gamma}$ dimer to recognize a wide spectrum of organic compounds in accordance with its cognate ligand. Mammalian ORs were originally identified from the olfactory epithelium of rat. However, it has been recently reported that the expression of ORs is not limited to the olfactory organ. In recent decades, they have been found to be expressed in diverse organs or tissues and even tumors in mammals. In this review, the expression and expected function of olfactory receptors that exist throughout an organism's system are discussed.