Praise God who helped our brother Dr. Taeyun Kwon get a great achievement in his research. His research paper is going to be published in a well known and very prestigious journal called the Nano-Bio Technology Journal, PLoS One 2009. He said that he could get this achievement by God's grace and gave thanks, praise, and glory to God. He said that MIT and Korean University led this research with the cooperation of the Medical School, Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering of Yunsei University, and Kunkook Universtity under the support of the Korean Research Foundation and the Korean Science and Engineering Foundation.
Title : Nanomechanical In Situ Monitoring of Proteolysis of Peptide by Cathepsin B
Authors : Taeyun Kwon, Jinsung Park, Jaemoon Yang, Dae Sung Yoon, Sungsoo Na, Chang-Wan Kim, Jin-Suck Suh, Yong-Min Huh, Seungjoo Haam, and Kilho Eom
Abstract : Over-manifestation of the cellular protease is the kernel factor for genesis of various human body disorders. The development mechanism of a protease and their proteolysis of specific peptide (or protein) as substrate have played a pivotal role on genesis of inflammatory disease and outbreaks of cancer and their metastasis by sudden change of physiological condition and immune system. Recently, synthetic polymers conjugated to drug (or specific molecules) via peptide linker chain have been employed as a targeted drug carrier. When the drug carrier encounters the specific cancer cells where specific protease is contained, the effective release of drug is attributed to proteolysis of peptide linker chain, and released drug attacks tumor mass. Thus, comprehension and control of proteolysis (i.e. peptide-protease interaction) can provide the important information for drug discovery. In this study, we report the nanomechanical, in situ monitoring of proteolysis of peptide chain attributed to protease (Cathepsin B) by using a resonant nanomechanical microcantilever immersed in a liquid. Remarkably, the nanomechanical, in situ monitoring of proteolysis allows us to gain insight into the kinetics of proteolysis of peptides, which is well depicted by Langmuir kinetic model. This implies that nanomechanical biosensor enables the characterization of specific cellular protease such as its kinetics.
<<Schematic illustration of nanomechanical, in situ monitoring of proteolysis of peptide chains on the surface by using resonant microcantilever immersed in a liquid. When GFLG peptides immobilized on a cantilever was exposed to protease (CTSB) in acidic medium, catalytic Cys25 and His159 of CTSB induces the successful cystein protease of GFLG, leading to proteolysis of GFLG. Such proteolysis phenomenon reduces the overall mass of a cantilever, and consequently, the increase of the fundamental resonance.>> |
