• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.120-130
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• 1998

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society Conference
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• 1999.02a
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• pp.13-13
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• 1999

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.335-337
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• 1997

In this study, we show a convenient MTT assay for detect the susceptibility of yeast-like form of Trichosporon beigelii against antifungal agents. This assay was developed based on mitocondrial respiration by determining reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to formazan. Cells of T beigelii are seeded into 96-well microtiter plates, and antifungal agents, amphotericin B, magainin and CA-ME hybrid peptide were added with various concentrations. After 24 hr incubation, MTT was added, then incubations were continued for 4 hr. Formazan formation was quantified photometrically after extraction of the formazan with acid sodium dodesyl sulfate (SDS). From this assay, we could obtained MICs of antifungal agents against T. beigelii. The presented method can easily be used as an effective methods to assess the antiftingal action of various agents on yeasts with minimal amounts of antifungal agents.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.369-376
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• 2003

Coulson (ZINDO), Mulliken $(MP2/6-31G^*)$ and Natural $(MP2/6-31G^*)$ population analyses of several large molecules were performed by the Fragment Reassociation (FR) method. The agreement between the conventional ZINDO (or conventional MP2) and FR-ZINDO (or FR-MP2) charges of these molecules was excellent. The standard deviations of the FR-ZINDO net atomic charges from the conventional ZINDO net atomic charges were 0.0008 for $C_{10}H_{22}$ (32 atoms), 0.0012 for $NH_2-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COOH$ (53 atoms), 0.0014 for $NH_3^+-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COOH$ (54 atoms), 0.0017 for $NH_2-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COO^-$ (52 atoms), 0.0019 for $NH_3^+-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COO^-$ (53 atoms), 0.0024 for a conjugated model $(O=CH-(CH=CH)_{15}-C=O-(CH=CH)_{12}-CH=CH_2)$, 118 atoms), 0.0038 for aglycoristocetin $(C_{60}N_7O_{19}H_{52}^+$, 138 atoms), 0.0023 for a polypropylene model complexed with a zirconocene catalyst $(C_{68}H-{121}Zr^+$, 190 atoms) and 0.0013 for magainin $(C_{112}N_{29}O_{28}SH_{177}$, 347 atoms), respectively. The standard deviations of the FR-MP2 Mulliken (or Natural) partial atomic charges from the conventional ones were 0.0016 (or 0.0016) for $C_{10}H_{22}$, 0.0019 (or 0.0018) for $NH_2-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COOH$ and 0.0033 (or 0.0023) for $NH_3^+-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COO^-$, respectively. These errors were attributed to the shape of molecules, the choice of fragments and the degree of ionic characters of molecules as well as the choice of methods. The CPU time of aglycoristocetin, conjugated model, polypropylene model complexed with zirconocene and magainin computed by the FR-ZINDO method was respectively 2, 4, 6 and 21 times faster than that by the normal ZINDO method. The CPU time of $NH_2-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COOH\;and\;NH_3^+-C_{16}O_2H_{28}-COO^-$ computed by the FR-MP2 method was, respectively, 6 and 20 times faster than that by the normal MP2 method. The largest molecule calculated by the FR-ZINDO method was B-DNA (766 atoms). These results will enable us to compute atomic charges of huge molecules near future.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.278-284
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• 2007

A novel screening strategy for salt-resistant antimicrobial peptides from a M13 peptide library was developed. Fusion of MSI-344, a magainin derivative and indolicidin to pIII coat proteins did not significantly affect viability of the recombinant phages, which indicated that the pIII could neutralize toxicity of the antimicrobial peptides and therefore it is possible to construct antimicrobial peptide library in Escherichia coli. On the basis of the conserved sequence of ${\alpha}$-helical antimicrobial peptides, a semi-combinatorial peptide library was constructed in which the peptides were displayed by pIII. To remove hemolytic activity from the library, the phages bound to red blood cells were removed, and the subtracted phage library was screened for binding to target bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus under high salt concentrations. The screened peptides showed relatively low antimicrobial activity against the target bacteria. However, antimicrobial activities of the screened peptides P06 and S18 were not affected by the cation concentrations of 150 mM $Na^+$, 2 mM $Mg^{2+}$ and 2 mM $Ca^{2+}$ without significant hemolytic activity. This screening strategy that is based on binding capacity to target cells provides new potential to develop salt-tolerant antimicrobial peptides.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2008

In a previous study, we showed that Cecropin A (1-8)-Magainin 2 (1-12) hybrid peptide (CA-MA)'s analogue, Anal P5, exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Anal P5, designed by flexible region (positions 9, 10)-substitution, Lys- (positions 4, 8, 14, 15) and Leu- (positions 5, 6, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20) substitutions, showed an enhanced antimicrobial and antitumor activity without hemolysis. The primary objective of the present study was to gain insight into the relevant mechanisms of antimicrobial activities of Anal P5 by using flow cytometric analysis. Anal P5 exhibits strong antifungal activity in a salt concentration independent manner. In addition, Anal P5 causes significant morphological alterations of the bacterial surfaces as shown by scanning electron microscopy, supporting its antibacterial activity. Its potent antibiotic activity suggests that Anal P5 is an excellent candidate as a lead compound for the development of novel antibiotic agents.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.529-533
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• 1996

Melittin (ME) from honeybee venom has a broad range of strong antimicrobial activity, but it has hemolytic activity against eukaryotic cells. In order to design peptides with powerful antifungal activity without cytotoxic property of ME and understand structure-antifungal activity relationships, the hybrid peptides derived from the sequences of ME and cecropin A (CA) or magainin 2 (MA), MA(10-17)ME(1-12) and CA(1-8)ME(1-12). were synthesized by solid phase method. MA(10-17)ME(1-12) showed potent antifungal activity comparable to ME against Fusarium oxysporum with no hemolytic activity against human red blood cells. The hybrid peptides showed strong inhibi- tion of (1, 3)-$\beta$-D-glucan synthase. This result indicates that the antifungal activity of the hybrid peptides against Fusarium oxysporum is attributed to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis. The results therefore showed a successful design of a peptide having antifungal activity without hemolytic property.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1839-1844
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• 2009

A 20-residue hybrid peptide CA(1-8)-MA(1-12) (CAMA) incorporating residues 1-8 of cecropin A (CA) and residues 1-12 of magainin 2 (MA) has high antimicrobial activity without toxicity. To investigate the effects of the total positive charges of CAMA on the antibacterial activity and toxicity, a hybrid peptide analogue (CAMA-syn) was designed with substitutions of $Ile^{10}\;and\;Ser^{16}$ with Lys. According to CD spectra, structure of CAMA-syn with increase of cationicity was very similar to that of CAMA in DPC micelle. CAMA-syn showed antimicrobial activity similar with CAMA while CAMA-syn has no hemolytic activity and much lower cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 macrophage cells than CAMA. Also, CAMA and CAMA-syn significantly inhibited NO production by LPSstimulated RAW264.7 macrophage at 10.0∼20.0 $\mu$M. CAMA-syn displayed salt resistance on antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli at the physiological concentrations of $CaCl_2\;and\;MgCl_2$. The combination studies of peptides and antibiotics showed that CAMA-syn has synergistic effects with synthetic compound and flavonoid against Enterococcus faecalis and VREF. CAMA-syn can be a good candidate for the development of new antibiotics with potent antibacterial and synergistic activity but without cytotoxicity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.545-548
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• 1996

CA(1-8)ME(1-12), the CA-ME hybrid peptide of the amino terminal segments of cecropin A (CA) and melittin (ME), has been reported to have a broad spectrum and improved potency without a hemolytic property. In order to obtain new synthetic peptides with powerful antibacterial activity without hemolytic activity, several hybrid peptides were designed from the sequences of CA, ME, magainin 2, bombinin and lactoferricin. All hybrid peptides were constructed to form an amphipathically basic-flexible-hydrophobic structure and synthesized by the solid phase method. Their hemolytic activities against human red blood cells and antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were detennined. CA(1-8)MA(1-12), CA(1-8)BO(1-12), MA(10-17)ME(1-12) and LF(20-29)ME(1-12) showed comparable activities with broad spectra against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria relative to CA(1-8)ME(1-12) but without hemolytic properties. These hybrid peptides, therefore, could be useful as model peptides to design a novel peptide with improved antibacterial activity and study on structure-activity relationships of antimicrobial peptides.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 1997

The hybrid peptides, CA-ME, CA-MA and CA-BO, with the N-terminal sequence 1-8 of cecropin A and the N-terminal sequences 1-12 of melittin, magainin 2 and bombinin, respectively, have more improved antibacterial activities. CA-MA was found to have stronger antifungal activity against Trichoderma sp than other hybrid peptides and their parental peptides. In order to elucidate the relationships between the peptide structure and antifungal activity, several analogues of CA-MA or CA-BO were also designed and synthesized by the solid phase method. An tifungal activity was measured against T. reesei and T. viride, and hemolytic activity was measured by a solution method against human red blood cells. The residue 16 of CA-MA, Ser, was found to be important for antifungal activity. When the residue was substituted with Leu, showed powerful antifungal activity was dramatically decreased. CA-MA, P1, P4 and P5 designed in this study showed powerful antifungal activity against T. reesei and T. viride with low hemolytic activity against human red blood cells. These hybrid peptides will be potentially useful model to further design peptides with powerful antifungal activity for the effective therepy of fungal infection and understand the mechanisms of antifungal actions of hybrid peptides.