• KSBB Journal
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.153-157
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• 2002

Poly-Iysine이 tagging된 hEGF와 angiogenin(6L10ESA)의 융합단백질의 고체상 재접힘이 heparin-Sepharose colullln에서 수행되었을 때, untagging 단백질(E5h)의 기존의 액상 재접힘 방법과 비교하여 재접힘 수율은 약 13배 정도 증가하였다. 게다가 poly-Iysine tagging된angiogenin은 heparin에 친화도를 높여주므로 2.5배에서 3배 정도의 흡탁 수율이 증가한다. 재접힘 수율은 고체상 반응으로 인해 높은 재현성을 보였다. 재접힘 공정시간은 대략 8배 단축되었다. 고체상 재전힘된 단백질은 자신의 생물학적 역가를 유지하였다. 따라서 이 연구는 고체상 재접힘 방법이 분자간의 상호작용을 억제하여 응집현상을 현저히 줄였기 때문에 기인한 결과로 생각된다. 따라서 응집으로 인한 재접힘 수율이 낮은 단백질의 재접힘 긍정에 고체상 재접힘 공정을 사용하면 높은 재접힘 수율을 얻을 수 있다.

• 식물조직배양학회지
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• 제24권5호
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• pp.305-311
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• 1997

Bacillus thuringiensis는 그람 양성 토양 세균으로 포자형성시 결정화된 내포체를 형성하는데, 이 내포체를 구성하는 결정단백질은 각 곤충에 대하여 특이적인 독성을 나타낸다. 살충성 결정단백질 중 Cry II A 결정단백질은 인시류와 쌍시류 곤충에 모두 특이적으로 작용한다. 결정단백질은 살충제로서 불안정하고 포장에서 지속성이 낮은 단점을 가지고 있으므로, 본 연구에서는 Cry II A 결정단백질 유전자가 형질전환된 담배 식물을 제작하고자 하였다. cry IIA 유전자가 삽입된 벡터를 대장균에 형질전환한 후, 알칼리 용액에 대한 용해도의 차이를 이용하여 Cry II A 결정단백질(70 kDa)을 분리하였고, 분리한 Cry II A 결정단백질을 trypsin 처리하여 활성화된 Cry II A (50 kDa)를 확인하였다. 식물 형질전환을 위하여 두 개의 CaMV 35S promoters에 의해 발현이 조절되는 식물 발현 벡터에 cry II A 유전자를 클로닝 하였다. 이 식물 발현 벡터를 Agrobacterium을 이용한 엽편형질 전환을 통해 담배(N. tabacum var. Petit Havana SRI)에 형질전환 시켰으며, 재분화 과정을 거쳐 여섯 개체의 형질전환 식물체를 얻었다. Southern blot을 통하여 분석한 결과 세 개체 내에 cry II A 유전자가 존재하였는데, 한 개체에는 하나의 cry II A 유전자가, 또 한 개체에는 두 개의 cry II A 유전자가, 다른 한 개체에는 잘려진 형태의 cry II A 유전자가 존재함을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 연구를 통하여 얻어진 cry II A 형질전환 식물체는 살충성 검정 등을 거친 후 내충성 식물 생산 및 후대 유전 양상 분석을 위한 기초 자료로 이용될 수 있을 것이다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제2권6호
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• pp.743-752
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• 1998

The atrial acetylcholine-activated $K^+\;(K_{ACh})$ channel is gated by the pertussis toxin-sensitive inhibitory G $(G_K)$ protein. Earlier studies revealed that ATP alone can activate the $K_{ACh}$ channel via transphosphorylation mediated by nucleoside-diphosphate kinase (NDPK) in atrial cells of rabbit and guinea pig. This channel can be activated by various agonists and also modulated its function by phosphorylation. ATP-induced $K_{ACh}$ channel activation (AIKA) was maintained in the presence of the NDPK inhibitor, suggesting the existence of a mechanism other than NDPK-mediated process. Here we hypothesized the phosphorylation process as another mechanism underlying AIKA and was undertaken to examine what kinase is involved in atrial cells isolated from the rat heart. Single application of 1 mM ATP gradually increased the activity of $K_{ACh}$ channels and reached its maximum $40{\sim}50$ sec later following adding ATP. AIKA was not completely reduced but maintained by half even in the presence of NDPK inhibitor. Neither ADP nor a non-hydrolyzable ATP analogue, AMP-PNP can cause AIKA, while a non-specific phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase blocked completely AIKA. PKC antagonists such as sphingosine or tamoxifen, completely blocked AIKA, whereas PKC catalytic domain increased AIKA. Taken together, it is suggested that the PKC-mediated phosphorylation is partly involved in AIKA.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제18권6호
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• pp.1832-1842
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• 2004

The present study was performed to examine the possible anti-inflammatory effects of a herbal drug ASCH in RAW264.7 cell line. Inflammation was induced by LPS toxin treatment to RAW264.7 macrophage cell line. Increases in cytokine production such as IL-1β, IL-6. and IL-18, COX-2, NOS-Ⅱ (iNOS), and TNF-alpha were observed at mRNA level in the LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. Measurement of IL-6, nitric oxide and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) showed increased production of these inflammation mediators. Treatment of ASCH effectively decreased IL-1β protein in a dose-dependent manner, and IL-6 and IL-18 were reduced at 100㎍/㎖ of ASCH concentration. NO production was also decreased by ASCH treatment. A slight inhibition for TNF-alpha in terms of protein, but not mRNA level was obtained by 100㎍/㎖ of ASCH treatment. ASCH treatment to normal RAW264.7 cells did not produce any cytotoxicity, indicting that the action of ASCH was selective to inflammatory cells. Thus, the present data suggest that ASCH may act as an important regulator to alleviate the inflammatory symptoms.

• BMB Reports
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.150-155
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• 2001

The mosquito-larvicidal Cry4B protein from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensds was expressed in Escherichia coli. Upon activation by trypsin, the 130-kDa protoxin was processed into the 65-kDa active toxin containing two polypeptide fragments of ca. 47 and ca. 20 kDa. These two polypeptides are products of internal cleavages on the exposed loop connecting helices 5 and 6 in the seven-helical bundle domain. PCR-based mutagenesis was employed to introduce an additional cleavage site into the loop connecting helices 3 and 4. A series of amino acid changes were introduced into the targeted loop, resulting in seven mutant protoxins. Upon digestion with trypsin, a group of mutants with arginine introduced into the loop (EPRNQ, EPNRNQ, EPRNP, ESRNP and SSRNP) produced polypeptide products similar to those of the wild type (EPNNQ). When the loop, SSRNP, was expanded by an insertion of either asparagine (NSSRNP) or valine (VSSRNP), an additional cleavage was detected with proteolytic products of 47,12 and 6 kDa. This cleavage was confirmed to be at the introduced arginine residue by N-terminal sequencing. The mosquito larvicidal assay against Aedes aegypti demonstrated a relatively unchanged toxicity for the mutants without cleavage and reduced toxicity for those with an additional cleavage.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.389-398
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• 2018

p-Cresol, found at high concentrations in the serum of chronic kidney failure patients, is known to cause cell senescence and other complications in different parts of the body. p-Cresol is thought to mediate cytotoxic effects through the induction of autophagy response. However, toxic effects of p-cresol on mesenchymal stem cells have not been elucidated. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether p-cresol induces senescence of mesenchymal stem cells, and whether melatonin can ameliorate abnormal autophagy response caused by p-cresol. We found that p-cresol concentration-dependently reduced proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells. Pretreatment with melatonin prevented pro-senescence effects of p-cresol on mesenchymal stem cells. We found that by inducing phosphorylation of Akt and activating the Akt signaling pathway, melatonin enhanced catalase activity and thereby inhibited the accumulation of reactive oxygen species induced by p-cresol in mesenchymal stem cells, ultimately preventing abnormal activation of autophagy. Furthermore, preincubation with melatonin counteracted other pro-senescence changes caused by p-cresol, such as the increase in total 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase expression and decrease in the level of phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin. Ultimately, we discovered that melatonin restored the expression of senescence marker protein 30, which is normally suppressed because of the induction of the autophagy pathway in chronic kidney failure patients by p-cresol. Our findings suggest that stem cell senescence in patients with chronic kidney failure could be potentially rescued by the administration of melatonin, which grants this hormone a novel therapeutic role.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.463-477
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Many studies have suggested that Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) and its extract are anticancer agents. However, RVS had limited use because it contains urushiol, an allergenic toxin. By improving an existing allergen-removal extraction method, we developed a new allergen-free Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract (RVSE) with higher flavonoid content. In this study, we examined whether RVSE inhibits the ability of AGS gastric cancer cells to migrate and invade. MATERIALS/METHODS: The flavonoids content of RVSE was analyzed by HPLC. The effects of RVSE on migration and invasion in AGS cells were analyzed by each assay kit. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) protein expression was analyzed by protein antibody array. The Phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 were assayed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: RVSE treatment with 0-100 ㎍/mL dose-dependently reduced the ability of AGS cells to migrate and invade. Notably, treatment with RVSE strongly inhibited the expression of MMP-9 and uPA and the phosphorylation of STAT3. In contrast, RVSE treatment dramatically increased the expression of PAI-1. These results indicate that the inhibition of MMP-9 and uPA expression and STAT3 phosphorylation and the stimulation of PAI-1 expression contributed to the decreased migration and invasion of AGS cells treated with RVSE. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that RVSE may be used as a natural herbal agent to reduce gastric cancer metastasis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권7호
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• pp.905-913
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• 2014

Lj-RGD3, an RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) toxin protein from the salivary gland of Lampetra japonica, exhibits antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Lj-RGD3 has three RGD motifs and shows homology to histidine-rich glycoprotein. We synthesised two mutant derivatives of Lj-RGD3: Lj-26, which lacks all three RGD motifs and contains no His residues; and Lj-112, which lacks only the three RGD motifs. We investigated the effects of the wild-type and mutated toxins on a gram-positive bacterium (Escherichia coli), a gram-negative bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), and a fungus (C. albicans). rLj-RGD3 and its mutants exhibited antifungal but not antibacterial activity, as measured by a radial diffusion assay. The C. albicans inhibition zone induced by rLj-112 was larger than that induced by the other proteins, and its inhibitory effect on C. albicans was dose-dependent. In viable-count assays, the rLj-112 MIC was $7.7{\mu}M$, whereas the MIC of the positive control (ketoconazole) was $15{\mu}M$. Time-kill kinetics demonstrated that rLj-112 effectively killed C. albicans at $1{\times}$ and $2{\times}$ MIC within 12 and 6 h, respectively. Electron microscopy analysis showed that rLj-RGD3 and rLj-112 induced C. albicans lysis. Our results demonstrate a novel anticandidal activity for rLj-RGD3 and its mutant derivatives.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 2003년도 정기총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.29-29
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• 2003

Compartmentation of intracellular signaling pathways serves as an important mechanism conferring the specificity of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. In the heart, stimulation of $\beta$$_2$-adrenoceptor ($\beta$$_2$-AR), a prototypical GPCR, activates a tightly localized protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, which regulates substrates at cell surface membranes, bypassing cytosolic target proteins (eg, phospholamban). Although a concurrent activation of $\beta$$_2$-AR-coupled $G_{i}$ proteins has been implicated in the functional compartmentation of PKA signaling, the exact mechanism underlying the restriction of the $\beta$$_2$-AR-PKA pathway remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) plays an essential role in confining the $\beta$$_2$-AR-PKA signaling. Inhibition of PI3K with LY294002 or wortmannin enables $\beta$$_2$-AR-PKA signaling to reach intracellular substrates, as manifested by a robust increase in phosphorylation of phospholamban, and markedly enhances the receptor-mediated positive contractile and relaxant responses in cardiac myocytes. These potentiating effects of PI3K inhibitors are not accompanied by an increase in $\beta$$_2$-AR-induced cAMP formation. Blocking $G_{i}$ or $G_{$\square$$\square$}$ signaling with pertussis toxin or $\beta$ARK-ct, a peptide inhibitor of $G_{$\square$$\square$}$, completely prevents the potentiating effects induced by PI3K inhibition, indicating that the pathway responsible for the functional compartmentation of $\beta$$_2$-AR-PKA siglaling sequentially involves $G_{i}$, $G_{$\square$$\square$}$, and PI3K. Thus, PI3K constitutes a key downstream event of $\beta$$_2$-AR- $G_{i}$ signaling, which confines and negates the concurrent $\beta$$_2$-AR/Gs-mediated PKA signaling.gnaling.

• 한국동물학회지
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.457-464
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• 1995

인간의 상피세포로부터 유래된 암세포의 일종인 HeLa 세포는 거의 모든 기질분자에 부착하지만 spreading은 오직 collagen 혹은 gelatin에서만 일어난다. HeLa 세포의 spreading은 오직 collagen 결과 활성화된 phosphoipase $A_2$(PLA$_2$)에 의한 arachidonic acid(AA)의 형성으로 유도된다. PLA$_2$에 의해 분해되는 인지질을 확인하기 위해 각종 인지질의 농도변화를 spreading 과정에서 측정한 결과 단지 phosphatidylcoline 만이 감소하였으며, 또한 다양한 lysophospholipids 중 lysophosphatidylcholine 만이 spreading 과정에 생성되는 것으로 보아 phosphatidylcoline이 PLA$_2$에 의해 분해되어 AA가 형성되는 것으로 보인다. PLA$_2$의 활성화는 세포질 CA$_2$+의 농도변화 및 세포질 pH의 알칼리화에 기인하지 않으며, 또한 pertussis 혹은 cholera toxin-sensitive G protein 역시 PLA$_2$활성화와는 무관한 것으로 나타났다.