• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.3-6
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• 2001

In common globular proteins, the native form is in its most stable state. However, the native form of inhibitory serpins (serine protease inhibitors) and some viral membrane fusion proteins is in a metastable state. Metastability in these proteins is critical to their biological functions. Our previous studies revealed that unusual interactions, such as side-chain overpacking, buried polar groups, surface hydrophobic pockets, and internal cavities are the structural basis of the native metastability. To understand the mechanism by which these structural defects regulate protein functions, cavity-filling mutations of a 1-antitrypsin, a prototype serpin, were characterized. Increasing conformational stability is correlated with decreasing inhibitory activity. Moreover, the activity loss appears to correlate with the decrease in the rate of the conformational switch during complex formation with a target protease. We also increased the stability of a 1-antitrypsin greatly via combining various stabilizing single amino acid substitutions that were distributed throughout the molecule. The results showed that a substantial increase of stability, over 13 kcal/mol, affected the inhibitory activity with a correlation of 11% activity loss per kcal/mol. The results strongly suggest that the native metastability of proteins is indeed a structural design that regulates protein functions and that the native strain of a 1-antitrypsin distributed throughout the molecule regulates the inhibitory function in a concerted manner.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.3-6
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• 2001

In common globular proteins, the native form is n its most stable state. However, the native form of inhibitory serpins (serine protease inhibitors) and some viral membrane fusion proteins is in a metastable state. Metastability in these proteins is critical to their biological functions. Our previous studies revealed that unusual interactions, such as side-chain overpacking, buried polar groups, surface hydrophobic pockets, ad internal cavities are the structural basis of the native metastability. To understand the mechanism by which these structural defects regulate protein functions, cavity-filling mutations of $\alpha$1-antitrypsin, a prototype serpin, were characterized. Increasing conformational stability is correlated with decreasing inhibitory activity. Moreover, the activity loss appears to correlate with the decrease in the rate of the conformational switch during complex formation with a target protease. We also increased the stability of $\alpha$1-antitrypsin greatly via combining various stabilizing single amino acid substitutions that were distributed throughout the molecule. The results showed that a substantial increase of stability, over 13 kcal/mol, affected the inhibitory activity with a correlation of 11% activity loss per kcal/mol. The results strongly suggest that the native metastability of proteins is indeed a structural design that regulates protein functions and that the native strain of $\alpha$1-antitrypsin distributed throughout the molecule regulates the inhibitory function in a concerted manner.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.3-6
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• 2001

In common globular proteins, the native form is in its most stable state. However, the native form of inhibitory serpins (serine protease inhibitors) and some viral membrane fusion proteins is in a metastable state. Metastability in these Proteins is critical to their biological functions. Our previous studies revealed that unusual interactions, such as side-chain overpacking, buried polar groups, surface hydrophobic pockets, and internal cavities are the structural basis of the native metastability. To understand the mechanism by which these structural defects regulate protein functions, cavity-filling mutations of ${\alpha}$1-antitrypsin, a prototype serpin, were characterized. Increasing conformational stability is correlated with decreasing inhibitory activity. Moreover, the activity loss appears to correlate with the decrease in the rate of the conformational switch during complex formation with a target protease. We also increased the stability of ${\alpha}$1-antitrypsin greatly via combining various stabilizing single amino acid substitutions that were distributed throughout the molecule. The results showed that a substantial increase of stability, over 13 kcal/mol, affected the inhibitory activity with a correlation of 11% activity loss per kcal/mol. The results strongly suggest that the native metastability of proteins is indeed a structural design that regulates protein functions and that the native strain of e 1-antitrypsin distributed throughout the molecule regulates the inhibitory function in a concerted manner.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.343-347
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• 2002

The human protein tyrosine kinase-6 (PTK6) polypeptide that is deduced from the cDNA sequence contains a Src homology (SH) 3 domain, SH2 domain, and catalytic domain of tyrosine kinase. We initiated biochemical and NMR characterization of PTK6 SH3 domain in order to correlate the structural role of the PTK6 using circular dichroism and heteronuclear NMR techniques. The circular dichroism data suggested that the secondary structural elements of the SH3 domain are mainly composed of $\beta$-sheet conformations. It is most stable when the pH is neutral based on the pH titration data. In addition, a number of cross peaks at the low-field area of the proton chemical shift of the NMR spectra indicated that the PTK6 SH3 domain retains a unique and folded conformation at the neutral pH condition. For other pH conditions, the SH3 domain became unstable and aggregated during NMR measurements, indicating that the structural stability is very sensitive to pH environments. Both the NMR and circular dichroism data indicate that the PTK6 SH3 domain experiences a conformational instability, even in an aqueous solution.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.286-293
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• 1996

Association of antigenic peptide with class I MHC is believed to be crucial for maintaining stable conformation of class I molecules. T2 cells that are defective in TAP gene function mainly express class I molecules with an unstable conformation due to little or no association with antigenic peptides, whereas T1 cells that are normal in TAP gene function mainly express the stable form of class I molecules. In this work, attempts were made to determine the molecular stability of stable and unstable class I molecules. Dissociation of HLA-A2 molecules on T1 and T2 cells was monitored by flow cytometry using anti-HLA-A2 antibody after the cells were treated with brefeldin A to shut down the transport of newly-assembled HLA-A2. Estimated dissociation rate constants for the stable and unstable forms of HLA-A2 were 0.076 $h^{-1}$ and 0.66 $h^{-1}$, respectively. It appeared that both T1 and T2 cells express stable and unstable class I complex, but with different ratios of the two forms. Furthermore, $interferon-{\gamma}$ treatment of T1 cells appeared to induce the expression of both the stable and unstable class I molecules. These results demonstrate that class I MHC molecules can be divided into two groups in terms of structural stability and that they exist on the cell surface in both forms in a certain ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.171-179
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• 1977

Proton magnetic resonance spectra of five glycine-containing dipeptides glycyl-L-valine, L-valyl-glycine, glycyl-DL-alanine, glycyl-DL-serine and glycyl-L-aspartic acid in $D_2O$ were investigated as a function of pH at room temperature. From the analysis of the spectra, it was found that the chemical shift of the $C_{\alpha}H,\;C_{\beta}H\;and\;C_rH$protons varies with pH as a one-step titration curve, and that the spin-spin coupling constant remains almost unchanged. Two distinct values of the chemical shift for $C_{\alpha}H,\;C_{\beta}H\;or\;C_rH$protons of constituent amino acids in dipeptide solutions indicate the existence of two magnetically non-equivalent sites in solution. From this study, the structures of the five dipeptides have been confirmed by proton magnetic resonance spectra and it has been suggested that the structural change, conformation and sequence determination can be explored for oligopeptides by an analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectra.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 1998

The SS-phpm 4HCl(N,N'-bis-[2(S)-pyrrolidinylmethyl]phenylene-l,2-diamine-4-Hydrochloride) ligand having stereospecificity has been prepared and reacted with trans-[$Co(pyridine)_4Cl_2]$Cl. The resultants are purple crystals, which are identified to be ${\Delta}$-cis-${\beta}$-[$Co(SS-phpm)Cl_2$]Cl by elemental analysis and UV/Vis- and CD-absorption spectra, The conformation of SS-phpm in ${\Delta}$-cis-${\beta}$ complex is ${\delta}$ ${\varepsilon}$ ${\lambda}$ (SSSS) for each of the five-membered chelated ring. Futhermore, according to orientation of secondary amine, total strain energy on each isomers was calculated by molecular mechanics(MM) to verify structural characterization and spectral data. As the result, the most stabilized isomer was ${\Delta}$-cis-${\beta}$(SSSS). The value of total strain energy(U) of ${\Delta}$-cis-${\beta}$(SSSS) isomer was 63.21 kcal/mol, respectively.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.206-218
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• 2005

Structural studies of series of 'as spun' and drawn PEEK fibers have been carried out using X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy techniques. The analysis of results suggest that fibers produced at a constant draw ratio with increasing draw temperatures show enhanced orientation and crystalline behaviour. The resolved equatorial and meridional traces provide additional structural parameters in terms of crystallinity, crystallite size, and crystallite thickness. It is concluded that drawing at a temperature below $T_g(i.e.,\;144^{\circ}C)$ results in poorly oriented non-crystalline materials, whereas drawing above $T_g$ results in highly oriented semi crystalline materials. Additional drawing proved to increase the overall orientation with slight improvements in lateral order of the chain molecules. Quantitative analysis revealed that the crystallite size increases with increasing drawing temperature. The results also revealed the increased crystallite size upon additional drawing. Crystalline orientation parameter, $_c$, suggests almost perfect orientation. In all cases, the amorphous orientation is found to be lower than the overall orientation parameter obtained from the optical birefringence. As a result of additional drawing, crystalline orientation was found to increase slightly but the increase in the orientation of non-crystalline material was found to be substantial. An average crystalline density was determined from the orthorhombic unit cell dimensions. It was found to vary as a result of processing conditions. It was also found that the value of the maximum birefringence shows heavy dependence on the chain conformation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.268-275
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• 2000

In contrast to the pyrimidine (6-4)pyrimidone photoproduct [(6-4) adduct], its Dewar valence isomer (Dewar product) is low mutagenic and produces a broad range of mutations with a 42 % replicating error frequency. In order to determine the origin of the mutagenic property of the Dewar product, we used experimental NMR restraints and molecular dynamics to determine the solution structure of a Dewar·lesion DNA decamer duplex, which contains a mismatched base pair between the 3'-T residue and an opposed G residue. The 3'-T of the Dewar lesion forms stable hydrogen bonds with the opposite G residue. The helical bending and unwinding angles of the DW/GA duplex, however, are much higher than those of the DW/AA duplex. The stable hydrogen bonding of the G 15 residue does not increase the thermal stability of the overall helix. It also does not restore the distorted backbone conformation of the DNA helix that is caused by the forming of a Dewar lesion. These structural features implicate that no thermal stability, or conformational benefits of G over A opposite the 3'-T of the Dewar lesion, facilitate the preferential incorporation of an A. This is in accordance with the A rule during translesion replication and leads to the low frequent $3'-T{\rightarrow}C$ mutation at this site.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.408-412
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• 2008

FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) in Arabidopsis are homologous proteins that perform opposite functions: FT is an activator of flowering, and TFL1 is a repressor. It was shown before that change of a single amino acid (His88) of TFL1 to the corresponding amino acid (Tyr) of FT is enough to convert the floral repressor to an activator. However, structural basis of the functional conversion has not been understood. In our molecular dynamics simulations on modified TFL1 proteins, a hydrogen bond present in native TFL1 between the His88 residue and a residue (Asp144) in a neighboring external loop became broken by change of His88 to Tyr. This breakage induced conformational change of the external loop whose structure was previously reported to be another key functional determinant. These findings reveal that the two important factors determining the functional specificities of the floral regulators, the key amino acid (His88) and the external loop, are correlated, and the key amino acid determines the functional specificity indirectly by affecting the conformation of the external loop.