• Molecules and Cells
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.651-656
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• 2009

The formation of ${\beta}$-amyloid peptide ($A{\beta}$) is initiated from cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by a family of protease, ${\alpha}$-, ${\beta}$-, and ${\gamma}$-secretase. Sub W, a substrate peptide, consists of 10 amino acids, which are adjacent to the ${\beta}$-cleavage site of wild-type APP, and Sub M is Swedish mutant with double mutations on the left side of the ${\beta}$-cleavage site of APP. Sub W is a normal product of the metabolism of APP in the secretary pathway. Sub M is known to increase the efficiency of ${\beta}$-secretase activity, resulting in a more specific binding model compared to Sub W. Three-dimensional structures of Sub W and Sub M were studied by CD and NMR spectroscopy in water solution. On the basis of these structures, interaction models of ${\beta}$-secretase and substrate peptides were determined by molecular dynamics simulation. Four hydrogen bonds and one water-mediated interaction were formed in the docking models. In particular, the hydrogen bonding network of Sub M-BACE formed spread over the broad region of the active site of ${\beta}$-secretase (P5-P3'), and the side chain of P2- Asn formed a hydrogen bond specifically with the side chain of Arg235. These are more favorable to the cleavage of Sub M by ${\beta}$-secretase than Sub W. The two substrate peptides showed different tendency to bind to ${\beta}$-secretase and this information may useful for drug development to treat and prevent Alzheimer's disease.

• 한국생물정보학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물정보시스템생물학회 2005년도 BIOINFO 2005
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• pp.305-310
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• 2005

Internal motion of the protein has been described in many papers with C$_{\alpha}$ correlation coefficients to find motional correlation and functional characteristics. To describe the secondary structural motion and stability in protein, we have studied molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on FADD Death Domain and FADD Death Effector Domain which have a similar structure but have different functional characteristics. After 10ns MD simulations, the inter-helical motional correlations and the hydrogen bond ratios were compared between the two domains. From these data we could distinctly compare the internal motions of them and could explain the differences in experimental thermodynamic melting behaviors at molecular level.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.397-406
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• 2008

Computational modeling of signal transduction is currently attracting much attention as it can promote the understanding of complex signal transduction mechanisms. Although several mathematical models have been used to examine signaling pathways, little attention has been given to crosstalk mechanisms. In this study, an attempt was made to develop a computational model for the pathways involving growth-factor-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt). In addition, the dynamics of the protein activities were analyzed based on a set of kinetic data. The simulation approach integrates the information on several levels and predicts systems behavior. The in-silico analysis conducted revealed that the Raf and Akt pathways act independently.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권12호
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• pp.609-610
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• 2018

Glycosylation is one form of protein modification and plays a key role in protein stability, function, signaling regulation and even cancer. NleB and SseK are bacterial effector proteins and possess glycosyltransferase activity, even though they have different substrate preferences. NleB/SseKs transfer the GlcNAc sugar to an arginine residue of host proteins, leading to reduced $NF-{\kappa}B-dependent$ responses. By combining X-ray crystallography, NMR, molecular dynamics, enzyme kinetic assays and in vivo experiments, we demonstrated that a conserved HEN (His-Glu-Asn) motif in the active site plays a key role in enzyme catalysis and virulence. The lid-domain regulates the opening and closing of the active site and the HLH domain determines the substrate specificity. Our findings provide evidence for the enzymatic mechanism by which arginine can be glycosylated by SseK/NleB enzymes.

• 한국자기공명학회논문지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.86-90
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• 2020

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are one of the most ancient yet essential cofactors mediating various essential biological processes. In prokaryotes, Fe-S clusters are generated via several distinctive biogenesis mechanisms, among which the ISC (Iron-Sulfur Cluster) mechanism plays a house-keeping role to satisfy cellular needs for Fe-S clusters. The Escherichia coli ISC mechanism is maintained by several essential protein factors, whose structural characterization has been of great interest to reveal mechanistic details of the Fe-S cluster biogenesis mechanisms. In particular, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic approaches have contributed much to elucidate dynamic features not only in the structural states of the protein components but also in the interaction between them. The present minireview discusses recent advances in elucidating structural features of IscU, the key player in the E. coli ISC mechanism. IscU accommodates exceptional structural flexibility for its versatile activities, for which NMR spectroscopy was particularly successful. We expect that understanding to the structural diversity of IscU provides critical insight to appreciate functional versatility of the Fe-S cluster biogenesis mechanism.

• 한국자기공명학회논문지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.26-32
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• 2019

${\alpha}B$-crystallin (${\alpha}BC$) is a member of a small heat-shock protein (sHSP) superfamily and plays a predominant role in cellular protein homeostasis network by rescuing misfolded proteins from irreversible aggregation. ${\alpha}BC$ assembles into dynamic and polydisperse high molecular weight complexes containing 12 to 48 monomers; this variable stereochemistry of ${\alpha}BC$ has been linked to quaternary subunit exchange and its chaperone activity. The chaperone activity of ${\alpha}BC$ poses great potential as therapeutic agents for various neurodegenerative diseases. In this mini-review, we briefly outline the recent advancement in structural characterization of ${\alpha}BCs$ and its potential role to inhibit protein misfolding and aggregation in various human diseases. In particular, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and its complimentary techniques have contributed much to elucidate highly-dynamic nature of ${\alpha}BCs$, among which notable advancements are discussed in detail. We highlight the importance of resolving the structural details of various ${\alpha}BC$ oligomers, their quaternary dynamics, and structural heterogeneity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권12호
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• pp.7473-7482
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• 2013

The G-protein coupled receptor 87 (GPR87) is a recently discovered orphan GPCR which means that the search of their endogenous ligands has been a novel challenge. GPR87 has been shown to be overexpressed in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) or adenocarcinomas in lungs and bladder. The 3D structure of GPR87 was here modeled using two templates (2VT4 and 2ZIY) by a threading method. Functional assignment of GPR87 by SVM revealed that along with transporter activity, various novel functions were predicted. The 3D structure was further validated by comparison with structural features of the templates through Verify-3D, ProSA and ERRAT for determining correct stereochemical parameters. The resulting model was evaluated by Ramachandran plot and good 3D structure compatibility was evidenced by DOPE score. Molecular dynamics simulation and solvation of protein were studied through explicit spherical boundaries with a harmonic restraint membrane water system. A DRY-motif (Asp-Arg-Tyr sequence) was found at the end of transmembrane helix3, where GPCR binds and thus activation of signals is transduced. In a search for better inhibitors of GPR87, in silico modification of some substrate ligands was carried out to form polar interactions with Arg115 and Lys296. Thus, this study provides early insights into the structure of a major drug target for SCCs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제43권9호
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• pp.821-830
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• 2020

Altered dendritic morphology is frequently observed in various neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but the cellular and molecular basis underlying these pathogenic dendritic abnormalities remains largely unclear. In this study, we investigated dendritic morphological defects caused by dipeptide repeat protein (DPR) toxicity associated with G4C2 expansion mutation of C9orf72 (the leading genetic cause of ALS and FTD) in Drosophila neurons and characterized the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Among the five DPRs produced by repeat-associated non-ATG translation of G4C2 repeats, we found that arginine-rich DPRs (PR and GR) led to the most significant reduction in dendritic branches and plasma membrane (PM) supply in Class IV dendritic arborization (C4 da) neurons. Furthermore, expression of PR and GR reduced the number of Golgi outposts (GOPs) in dendrites. In Drosophila brains, expression of PR, but not GR, led to a significant reduction in the mRNA level of CrebA, a transcription factor regulating the formation of GOPs. Overexpressing CrebA in PR-expressing C4 da neurons mitigated PM supply defects and restored the number of GOPs, but the number of dendritic branches remained unchanged, suggesting that other molecules besides CrebA may be involved in dendritic branching. Taken together, our results provide valuable insight into the understanding of dendritic pathology associated with C9-ALS/FTD.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.32.1-32.11
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• 2023

Resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs, especially ethambutol (EMB), has been widely reported worldwide. EMB resistance is caused by mutations in the embB gene, which encodes the arabinosyl transferase enzyme. This study aimed to detect mutations in the embB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Papua and to evaluate their impact on the effectiveness of EMB. We analyzed 20 samples of M. tuberculosis culture that had undergone whole-genome sequencing, of which 19 samples were of sufficient quality for further bioinformatics analysis. Mutation analysis was performed using TBProfiler, which identified M306L, M306V, D1024N, and E378A mutations. In sample TB035, the M306L mutation was present along with E378A. The binding affinity of EMB to arabinosyl transferase was calculated using AutoDock Vina. The molecular docking results revealed that all mutants demonstrated an increased binding affinity to EMB compared to the native protein (-0.948 kcal/mol). The presence of the M306L mutation, when coexisting with E378A, resulted in a slight increase in binding affinity compared to the M306L mutation alone. The molecular dynamics simulation results indicated that the M306L, M306L + E378A, M306V, and E378A mutants decreased protein stability. Conversely, the D1024N mutant exhibited stability comparable to the native protein. In conclusion, this study suggests that the M306L, M306L + E378A, M306V, and E378A mutations may contribute to EMB resistance, while the D1024N mutation may be consistent with continued susceptibility to EMB.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권11호
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• pp.1817-1829
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• 2019

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is an emerging swine enteric coronavirus that causes diarrhea in neonatal piglets. Like other coronaviruses, PDCoV encodes at least three accessory or species-specific proteins; however, the biological roles of these proteins in PDCoV replication remain undetermined. As a first step toward understanding the biology of the PDCoV accessory proteins, we established a stable porcine cell line constitutively expressing the PDCoV NS7 protein in order to investigate the functional characteristics of NS7 for viral replication. Confocal microscopy and subcellular fractionation revealed that the NS7 protein was extensively distributed in the mitochondria. Proteomic analysis was then conducted to assess the expression dynamics of the host proteins in the PDCoV NS7-expressing cells. High-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis initially identified 48 protein spots which were differentially expressed in the presence of NS7. Seven of these spots, including two up-regulated and five down-regulated protein spots, showed statistically significant alterations, and were selected for subsequent protein identification. The affected cellular proteins identified in this study were classified into functional groups involved in various cellular processes such as cytoskeleton networks and cell communication, metabolism, and protein biosynthesis. A substantial down-regulation of α-actinin-4 was confirmed in NS7-expressing and PDCoV-infected cells. These proteomic data will provide insights into the understanding of specific cellular responses to the accessory protein during PDCoV infection.