• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.268-275
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• 2014

The harshness of legionellosis differs from mild Pontiac fever to potentially fatal Legionnaire's disease. The increasing development of drug resistance against legionellosis has led to explore new novel drug targets. It has been found that phosphoglucosamine mutase, phosphomannomutase, and phosphoglyceromutase enzymes can be used as the most probable therapeutic drug targets through extensive data mining. Phosphoglucosamine mutase is involved in amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. The purpose of this study was to predict the potential target of that specific drug. For this, the 3D structure of phosphoglucosamine mutase of Legionella pneumophila (strain Paris) was determined by means of homology modeling through Phyre2 and refined by ModRefiner. Then, the designed model was evaluated with a structure validation program, for instance, PROCHECK, ERRAT, Verify3D, and QMEAN, for further structural analysis. Secondary structural features were determined through self-optimized prediction method with alignment (SOPMA) and interacting networks by STRING. Consequently, we performed molecular docking studies. The analytical result of PROCHECK showed that 95.0% of the residues are in the most favored region, 4.50% are in the additional allowed region and 0.50% are in the generously allowed region of the Ramachandran plot. Verify3D graph value indicates a score of 0.71 and 89.791, 1.11 for ERRAT and QMEAN respectively. Arg419, Thr414, Ser412, and Thr9 were found to dock the substrate for the most favorable binding of S-mercaptocysteine. However, these findings from this current study will pave the way for further extensive investigation of this enzyme in wet lab experiments and in that way assist drug design against legionellosis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제44권5호
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• pp.690-696
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• 2020

Background: As the main metabolites of ginsenosides, 20(S, R)-protopanaxadiol [PPD(S, R)] and 20(S, R)-protopanaxatriol [PPT(S, R)] are the structural basis response to a series of pharmacological effects of their parent components. Although the estrogenicity of several ginsenosides has been confirmed, however, the underlying mechanisms of their estrogenic effects are still largely unclear. In this work, PPD(S, R) and PPT(S, R) were assessed for their ability to bind and activate human estrogen receptor α (hERα) by a combination of in vitro and in silico analysis. Methods: The recombinant hERα ligand-binding domain (hERα-LBD) was expressed in E. coli strain. The direct binding interactions of ginsenosides with hERα-LBD and their ERα agonistic potency were investigated by fluorescence polarization and reporter gene assays, respectively. Then, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to simulate the binding modes between ginsenosides and hERα-LBD to reveal the structural basis for their agonist activities toward receptor. Results: Fluorescence polarization assay revealed that PPD(S, R) and PPT(S, R) could bind to hERα-LBD with moderate affinities. In the dual luciferase reporter assay using transiently transfected MCF-7 cells, PPD(S, R) and PPT(S, R) acted as agonists of hERα. Molecular docking results showed that these ginsenosides adopted an agonist conformation in the flexible hydrophobic ligand-binding pocket. The stereostructure of C-20 hydroxyl group and the presence of C-6 hydroxyl group exerted significant influence on the hydrogen bond network and steric hindrance, respectively. Conclusion: This work may provide insight into the chemical and pharmacological screening of novel therapeutic agents from ginsenosides.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권10호
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• pp.1403-1414
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• 2010

Aspergillus awamori BTMFW032, isolated from sea water, produced tannase as an extracellular enzyme under submerged culture conditions. Enzymes with a specific activity of 2,761.89 IU/mg protein, a final yield of 0.51%, and a purification fold of 6.32 were obtained after purification through to homogeneity, by ultrafiltration and gel filtration. SDS-PAGE analyses, under nonreducing and reducing conditions, yielded a single band of 230 kDa and 37.8 kDa, respectively, indicating the presence of six identical monomers. A pI of 4.4 and a carbohydrate content of 8.02% were observed in the enzyme. The optimal temperature was found to be $30^{\circ}C$, although the enzyme was active in the range of $5-80^{\circ}C$. Two pH optima, pH 2 and pH 8, were recorded, although the enzyme was instable at a pH of 8, but stable at a pH of 2.0 for 24 h. Methylgallate recorded maximal affinity, and $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ were recorded at $1.9{\times}10^{-3}$M and 830 ${\mu}Mol$/min, respectively. The impacts of a number of metal salts, solvents, surfactants, and other typical enzyme inhibitors on tannase activity were determined in order to establish the novel characteristics of the enzyme. The gene encoding tannase, isolated from A. awamori, was found to be 1.232 kb, and nucleic acid sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame consisting of 1,122 bp (374 amino acids) of one stretch in the -1 strand. In silico analyses of gene sequences, and a comparison with reported sequences of other species of Aspergillus, indicate that the acidophilic tannase from marine A. awamori differs from that of other reported species.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.3.1-3.10
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• 2023

Characterization as well as prediction of the secondary and tertiary structure of hypothetical proteins from their amino acid sequences uploaded in databases by in silico approach are the critical issues in computational biology. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which is responsible for pneumonia alike diseases, possesses a wide range of proteins of which many are still uncharacterized. The current study was conducted to reveal the physicochemical characteristics and structures of an uncharacterized protein Q6S8D9_SARS of SARS-CoV. Following the common flowchart of characterizing a hypothetical protein, several sophisticated computerized tools e.g., ExPASy Protparam, CD Search, SOPMA, PSIPRED, HHpred, etc. were employed to discover the functions and structures of Q6S8D9_SARS. After delineating the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein, some quality evaluating tools e.g., PROCHECK, ProSA-web etc. were performed to assess the structures and later the active site was identified also by CASTp v.3.0. The protein contains more negatively charged residues than positively charged residues and a high aliphatic index value which make the protein more stable. The 2D and 3D structures modeled by several bioinformatics tools ensured that the proteins had domain in it which indicated it was functional protein having the ability to trouble host antiviral inflammatory cytokine and interferon production pathways. Moreover, active site was found in the protein where ligand could bind. The study was aimed to unveil the features and structures of an uncharacterized protein of SARS-CoV which can be a therapeutic target for development of vaccines against the virus. Further research are needed to accomplish the task.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.871-879
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• 2024

Our group had isolated Bifidobacterium breve strain BS2-PB3 from human breast milk. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of B. breve BS2-PB3, and with a focus on its safety profile, various probiotic characteristics (presence of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile elements) were then determined through bioinformatic analyses. The antibiotic resistance profile of B. breve BS2-PB3 was also evaluated. The whole genome of B. breve BS2-PB3 consisted of 2,268,931 base pairs with a G-C content of 58.89% and 2,108 coding regions. The average nucleotide identity and whole-genome phylogenetic analyses supported the classification of B. breve BS2-PB3. According to our in silico assessment, B. breve BS2-PB3 possesses antioxidant and immunomodulation properties in addition to various genes related to the probiotic properties of heat, cold, and acid stress, bile tolerance, and adhesion. Antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion test, in which the minimum inhibitory concentrations for selected antibiotics were subsequently tested using the Epsilometer test. B. breve BS2-PB3 only exhibited selected resistance phenotypes, i.e., to mupirocin (minimum inhibitory concentration/MIC >1,024 ㎍/ml), sulfamethoxazole (MIC>1,024 ㎍/ml), and oxacillin (MIC >3 ㎍/ml). The resistance genes against those antibiotics, i.e., ileS, mupB, sul4, mecC and ramA, were detected within its genome as well. While no virulence factor was detected, four insertion sequences were identified within the genome but were located away from the identified antibiotic resistance genes. In conclusion, B. breve BS2-PB3 demonstrated a sufficient safety profile, making it a promising candidate for further development as a potential functional food.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• 제3권4호
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• pp.325-331
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• 2009

To efficiently express a gene of interest in transgenic plants, the choice of promoter is a crucial factor as it directly affects the expression of the transgene that will yield the desired phenotype. The Arabidopsis ${\beta}-carotene$ hydroxylase 1 gene (AtBch1) shows constitutive and ubiquitous expression and was thus selected as one of best candidates for constitutive promoter analysis by both in silico northern blotting and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis. To investigate AtBch1 promoter activity, the 1,981-bp 5'-upstream region of this gene was fused with ${\beta}-glucuronidase$ (GUS) and transformed into Arabidopsis. Through the molecular characterization of transgenic leaf tissues, the AtBch1 promoter generated strong activity that drives 1.8- and 2-fold higher GUS expression than the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (35S) promoter at the transcriptional and translational levels, respectively. Furthermore, the GUS enzyme activity driven by the AtBch1 promoter was 2.8-fold higher than that produced by the 35S promoter. By histochemical GUS staining, the ubiquitous expression of the AtBch1 promoter was observed in all tissues of Arabidopsis. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis with different tissues further showed that this promoter serves as a strong constitutive driver of transgene expression in dicot plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.356-363
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• 2015

나무의 유전 공학적 연구를 위해서는 목본 고유의 유전자 및 프로모터 연구가 필수적이다. 우리는 포플러(P. alba ${\times}$ P. glandulosa)의 Pagns-LTP 유전자의 867 bp 프로모터를 분리하였고, ${\beta}$-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter 유전자를 이용한 프로모터의 형질전환 포플러를 제작하여 특성 분석하였다. Pagns-LTP 유전자는 어린뿌리에서 강하게 발현되었고 어린잎에서는 약하게 발현되었으며, 그밖에 다른 조직에서는 발현되지 않았다. 또한, 프로모터의 활성은 뿌리와 어린잎에서 한정되었으며 어린뿌리의 세포 전체에서 강한 활성을 나타내었다. 이에 포플러 ns-LTP 프로모터 내의 cis-element를 조사하고 현사시나무에서 Pagns-LTP 프로모터를 분리한 후 활성을 분석하였다. 프로모터 내의 cis-element를 분석한 결과, 조직 특이적 발현과 호르몬 및 스트레스에 반응하는 다양한 cis-element가 존재함을 확인하였다. 이를 통해 포플러의 ns-LTP는 생장뿐만 아니라, 스트레스에도 관여할 것이라고 추측할 수 있었다. 본 연구는 목본의 유전자 기능 분석 및 다양한 응용 연구를 위해 유용하게 이용될 수 있는 도구로서의 가능성을 제시하였다.