• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2022

Living cells generate, sense, and respond to mechanical forces through their interaction with neighboring cells or extracellular matrix, thereby regulating diverse cellular processes such as growth, motility, differentiation, and immune responses. Dysregulation of mechanosensitive signaling pathways is found associated with the development and progression of various diseases such as cancer. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms behind mechano-regulation, largely due to the limited availability of tools to study it at the molecular level. The recent development of molecular tension probes allows measurement of cellular forces exerted by single ligand-receptor interaction, which has helped in revealing the hitherto unknown mechanistic details of various mechanosensitive processes in living cells. Here, we provide an introductory overview of two methods based on molecular tension probes, tension gauge tether (TGT), and molecular tension fluorescence microscopy (MTFM). TGT utilizes the irreversible rupture of double-stranded DNA tether upon application of force in the piconewton (pN) range, whereas MTFM utilizes the reversible extension of molecular springs such as polymer or single-stranded DNA hairpin under applied pN forces. Specifically, the underlying principle of how molecular tension probes measure cell-generated mechanical forces and their applications to mechanosensitive biological processes are described.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1031-1034
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• 2009

Fluorescence of quinolones including norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and S- and R-ofloxacin is quenched upon association with single and double-stranded DNA (ss- and ds-DNA). The ratios of fluorescence intensity in the presence of DNA to its absent were plotted with respect to the DNA concentration to construct the Stern-Volmer plot. The slope of the Stern-Volmer plot become larger as the temperature is lowered, ensuring that the fluorescence quenching is static process, i.e., the fluorescence is quenched by formation of the non-fluorescent complex between quinolone and DNA. In the static quenching mechanism, the quenching constant which is equivalent to the slope of the Stern-Volmer plot, is considered as the equilibrium constant for the association of quinolones and DNA. From the temperature-dependent equilibrium constant, ${\Delta}H^0\;and\;{\Delta}S^0$ was obtained using the van’t Hoff relation. In general, association of the quinolone with ds- as well as ss-DNA is energetically favorable (an exothermic) process while the entropy change was unfavorable. Due to the steric effect of the substituents, the effect of the quinolone ring is smaller on the ss-DNA compared to ds-DNA.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.173-178
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• 1995

동물계에서 항바이러스와관련된 dsRNA 의존성 인산화 효소(PKR)의 유전자를 식물체에서 발현시킬 경우 PKR에 의한 단백질합성 및 식물바이러스의 증식조절 가능성에 대한 기초자료를 확보하기 위하여 사람에서 분리된 PKR cDNA를 Agrobacterium 방법에 의하여 연초식물체(Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi-nc)로 형질전환시켰다. HindIII/PstI처리에 의해 얻어지는 약 1.8kb의 phPKR cDNA절편을 일련의 유전자 조작 방법을 통하여 식물발현벡터인 pBI121에 도입하여, p12168을 재조합하였다. 이를 A. tumefaciens LBA 4404에 형질전환시켜 연초식물체형질 전환에 이용하였다. 2mg/l BA와 0.5mg/l NAA가 포함되고 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml의 kanamycin이 첨가된 MS배지에서 shooting시킨 후 phytohormone이 첨가되지 않은 MS배지상에서 rooting을 시켜 형질전환 연초식물체를 얻었으며, 형질전환식물체는 정상식물체와 유사한 생육양상을 나타내었다. 형질전환식물체의 유전자도입은 hPKR cDNA의 전사부여는 RT-PCR 방법에 의하여 확인되었다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.2070-2073
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• 2017

We have discovered a novel chemical compound, (E)-3-(furan-2-yl)-N-(4-sulfamoylphenyl) acrylamide, that suppresses the enzymatic activities of SARS coronavirus helicase. To determine the inhibitory effect, ATP hydrolysis and double-stranded DNA unwinding assays were performed in the presence of various concentrations of the compound. Through these assays, we obtained $IC_{50}$ values of $2.09{\pm}0.30{\mu}M$ (ATP hydrolysis) and $13.2{\pm}0.9{\mu}M$ (DNA unwinding), respectively. Moreover, we found that the compound did not have any significant cytotoxicity when $40{\mu}M$ of it was used. Our results showed that the compound might be useful to be developed as an inhibitor against SARS coronavirus.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.87-90
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• 1995

Complementary DNA of the movement protein (MP) gene of tobacco mosaic virus Korean pepper strain (TMV-KP) was synthesized from purified TMV-KP RNA by using the reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system. The synthesized double stranded cDNA was cloned into the plasmid pUC9 and transformed into Escherichia coli JM110. The movement protein gene of TMV-KP of the selected clones was subjected to sequence analysis by Sanger's dideoxy chain termination method. The complete sequence of viral MP gene from TMV-KP strain was 807 nucleotides long. The nucleotide of MP gene from TMV-KP has thirteen and two nucleotide differences from TMV vulgarae (TMV-OM) and Korean (TMV-K) strains, respectively. Thus, the nucleotide sequence of TMV-KP MP gene showed higher homology of 99% with that of TMV-K MP gene.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.231-236
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• 1989

The larger segment of double stranded RNA genome from a new serotype of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV), DRT, has been partially cloned at Sma I site in pUC19 and compared with the restriction maps of VR-299 and Sp. Restrction sites found in DRT was distinct and hence a new serotype. The cDNA clones of DRT were about 800, 850, and 1, 400 bp long each and do not share any common restiction site. It is not clear yet if there exist any overlapping sequences among them. This partial cloning, however, was sufficient for the comparison of restriction maps with the other serotypes.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2008

Telomeres consist of tandem guanine-thymine(G-T) repeats in most eukaryotic chromosomes. Human telomeres are predominantly linear, double stranded DNA as they ended in 30-200 nucleotides(bases,b) 3'-overhangs. In DNA replication, removal of the terminal RNA primer from the lagging strand results in a 3'-overhang of uncopied DNA. This is because of bidirectional DNA replication and specificity of unidirectional DNA polymerase. After the replication, parental and daughter DNA strands have unequal lengths due to a combination of the end-replication problem and end-processing events. The gradual chromosome shortening is observed in most somatic cells and eventually leads to cellular senescence. Telomere shortening could be a molecular clock that signals the replicative senescence. The shortening of telomeric ends of human chromosomes, leading to sudden growth arrest, triggers DNA instability as biological switches. In addition, telomere dysfunction may cause chronic allograft nephropathy or kidney cancers. The renal cell carcinoma(RCC) in women may be less aggressive and have less genomic instability than in man. Younger patients with telomere dysfunction are at a higher risk for RCC than older patients. Thus, telomeres maintain the integrity of the genome and are involved in cellular aging and cancer. By studying the telomeric DNA, we may characterize the genetic determinants in diseases and discover the tools in molecular medicine.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 1998

The N199H variant of the EcoRI endonuclease has about twice the catalytic activity of the wild-type. A comparison of their biochemical characteristics, using synthetic oligonucleotides 5'-dAAAACTTAAGAAAAAAAAAAA-3' (KA) and 5'-dTTTTTGAATTCTTTTTTTTTT-3' (KT), helps to define the cleavage reaction pathway of these enzymes. Both EcoRI and EcoRI variant N199H were found to cleave singlestranded KA or KT about three times faster than the double-stranded forms, although the KT oligonucleotide was more susceptible. Using the ssDNA substrate in kinetic analyses, lower $K_m$ values were obtained for the N199H variant than for the wild-type at low (50 mM), as well as high (200 mM), sodium chloride concentrations. This difference between the endonucleases is attributed to a grealter accessibility for tbe substrate by the variant, and also a higher affinity for the DNA backbone. It also appears that the relative activities of the two enzymes, particularly at high ionic strength, are proportional to their populations in the monomeric enzyme form. That is, according to gel filtration data, half of the N199H molecules exist as monomers in 200 mM NaCl, whereas those of the wild-type are mainly dimeric. Consequently, the Asp199 residue of the EcoRI endonuclease may be implicated in the protein-protein interaction leading to dimerization, as well as in coupling to DNA substrates. In summary, it is proposed that active monomeric endonuclease molecules, derived from the dimeric enzyme, recognize and form a complex with a single stranded form of the DNA substrate, which then undergoes nucleophilic substitution and cleavage.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.935-940
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• 2005

Fluorescence change of coumarin labeled phosphate binding protein (PBP-MDCC) was monitored to measure the amount of released inorganic phosphate ($P_{i}$) during nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) hydrolysis reaction. After purification of PBP-MDCC, fluorescence emission spectra showed that fluorescence responded linearly to $P_{i}$ up to about 0.7 molar ratio of $P_{i}$ to protein. The correlation of fluorescence signal and $P_{i}$ standard was measured to obtain [$P_{i}$] - fluorescence intensity standard curve on the stopped-flow instrument. When T7 bacteriophage helicase, double-stranded DNA unwinding enzyme using dTTP hydrolysis as an energy source, reacted with dTTP, the change of fluorescence was able to be converted to the amount of released $P_{i}$ by the $P_{i}$ standard curve. $P_{i}$ release results showed that single-stranded Ml3 DNA stimulated dTTP hydrolysis reaction several folds by T7 helicase. Instead of end point assay in NTP hydrolysis reaction, real time $P_{i}$-release assay by PBP-MDCC was proven to be very easy and convenient to measure released $P_{i}$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.2753-2757
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• 2014

INtegrase Interactor 1 protein (INI1/hSNF5) or BRG1-associated factor 47 (BAF47) is a SWI/SNF-related matrix associated actin dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily B member. DNA binding domain of INI1/hSNF5 is cloned into E.coli expression vectors, pET32a and purified as a monomer using size exclusion chromatography. NMR data show that $INI1^{DBD}$ has folded state with high population of ${\alpha}$-helices. By fluorescence-quenching experiments, binding affinities between $INI1^{DBD}$ and two double stranded DNA fragments were determined as $29.9{\pm}2.6{\mu}M$ (GAL4_1) and $258.7{\pm}5.8$ (GAL4_2) ${\mu}M$, respectively. Our data revealed that DNA binding domain of INI1/hSNF5 binds to transcriptional DNA sequences, and it could play an important role as a transcriptional regulator.