research
Professor Seyun Kim’s team at the Department of Biological Sciences reported the mechanism by which cellular signaling transduction networks are precisely controlled in mediating innate immune responses, such as sepsis, by the enzyme IPMK (Inositol polyphosphate multikinase) which is essential for inositol biosynthesis metabolism.
In collaboration with Professor Hyun Seong Roh at Seoul National University, the study’s first author, Eunha Kim, a Ph.D. candidate in Department of Biological Sciences, performed a series of cellular, biochemical, and physiological experiments searching for the new function of IPMK enzymes in macrophages. The research findings were published in Science Advances on April 21.
Professor Kim’s team has been investigating various inositol metabolites and their biosynthesis metabolism for several years and has multilaterally identified the signaling actions of IPMK for controlling cellular growth and energy homeostasis.
This research showed that the specific deletion of IPMK enzymes in macrophages could significantly reduce levels of inflammation and increase survival rates in mice when they were challenged by microbial septic shock and endotoxins. This suggests a role for IPMK enzymes in mediating innate inflammatory responses that are directly related to a host’s defense against pathogenic bacterial infection.
The team further discovered that IPMK enzymes directly bind to TRAF6 proteins, a key player in immune signaling, thus protecting TRAF6 proteins from ubiquitination reactions that are involved in protein degradation. In addition, Kim and his colleagues successfully verified this IPMK-dependent immune control by employing short peptides which can specifically interfere with the binding between IPMK enzymes and TRAF6 proteins in macrophage cells.
This research revealed a novel function of IPMK enzymes in the fine tuning of innate immune signaling networks, suggesting a new direction for developing therapeutics targeting serious medical conditions such as neuroinflammation, type 2 diabetes, as well as polymicrobial sepsis that are developed from uncontrolled host immune responses. This research was funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
(Figure: Deletion of IPMK (inositol polyphosphate multikinase) in macrophages reduces the stability of TRAF6 protein which is the key to innate immune signaling, thereby blocking excessive inflammation in response to pathological bacterial infection.)
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research A Novel Material for Transparent and Flexible Displays
(Research team led by Professor Sang Youl Kim from the Department of Chemistry) The next generation of flexible and transparent displays will require a high-performing and flexible polymeric material that has the optical and thermal properties of glass. The material must be transparent to visible light and have a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Unfortunately, such a polymeric material has not been available. A KAIST research team has succeeded in making a new polymeric mat
2019-01-24 -
research Photonic Capsules for Injectable Laser Resonators
A KAIST research group presented photonic capsules for injectable laser resonators using microfluidic technology. The capsule’s diameter is comparable to a human hair and stable in gas and liquid media, so it is injectable into any target volume. The research group headed by Professor Shin-Hyun Kim in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering applied an interesting optical property from nature. Professor Kim, who has dived deep into photonic materials research inspired
2018-07-05 -
research Successful Synthesis of Gamma-Lanctam Rings from Hydrocarbons
(The team of Professor Chang, far right, at the Department of Chemistry) KAIST chemists have designed a novel strategy to synthesize ring-shaped cyclic molecules, highly sought-after by pharmaceutical and chemical industries, and known as gamma-lactams. This study describes how these five-membered rings can be prepared from inexpensive and readily available feedstock hydrocarbons, as well as from complex organic molecules, such as amino acids and steroids. Gamma-lactams find several app
2018-03-02 -
research Structural Insight into the Molecular Mechanism of PET Degradation
A KAIST metabolic engineering research team has newly suggested a molecular mechanism showing superior degradability of poly ethylene terephthalate (PET). This is the first report to simultaneously determine the 3D crystal structure of Ideonella sakaiensis PETase and develop the new variant with enhanced PET degradation. Recently, diverse research projects are working to address the non-degradability of materials. A poly ethylene terephthalate (PET)-degrading bacterium called Ideonella sa
2018-01-31 -
research Expanding the Genetic Code of Mus Musculus
Professor Hee-Sung Park of the Department of Chemistry, who garnered attention for his novel strategy of installing authentic post-translational modifications into recombinant proteins, expanded his research portfolio to another level. Professor Park’s team was the first to report the generation of a mouse strain with an expanded genetic code, allowing site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids. Professor Park published the research on the new chemical biology method for achiev
2017-03-27