3'-[S-Methyl-cysteinyl]-3'-amino-3'-deoxy-N,N- dimethyl adenosine, cystocin, is a biosynthesized antibiotic material newly identified from Streptomyces sp. GCA0001. Its structure was found to be similar to puromycin, where the terminal tyrosine is replaced by a methyl cysteine. NMR data prove that the 3-ammo ribose is connected to dimethylaminopurine through the anomeric carbon at 1'-carbon. The methyl cysteinyl unit is connected to the amino unit of ribose by peptide bond. The verification of the structure was performed by comparing the puromycin nucleosides resulted from the hydrolysis of cystocin and puromycin, respectively. Antibiotic activity of cystocin against Streptococcus was found to be two times more potent than that of puromycin.

2,3-Dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (23DBDO), an enzyme of the biphenyl biodegradation pathway encoded by the bphC gene of Comnmonas sp. SMN4, was expressed and purified using column chromatographies. SDS-PAGE of purified 23DBDO showed a single band with a molecular mass of 32 kDa, which was consistent with the data from the gel filtration chromatography (GFC). The purified enzyme exhibited a maximum 23DBDO activity at pH 9.0 and was stable at pH 8.0. The enzyme showed maximum activity at $40^{\circ}C$ and maintained activity at $30^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. Kinetic parameters represented by Michaelis-Menten constants such as $K_m\;and\;V_{max}$ values for various substrates were determined by Lineweaver-Burk plots: The purified enzyme 23DBDO from Comamonas sp. SMN4 had the highest catalytic activity for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl and 3-methylcatechol, and had very poor activity with catechol and 4-methylcatechol.

Tight junctions (TJ) between adjacent Sertoli cells in testis are important for the formation of the blood testis barrier (BTB). In an effort to verify the reproductive health risk of endocrine-active chemicals (EACs), changes in the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and the expression of TJ genes were examined by co-planar polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) treatment in cultured mouse Sertoli cells. Although the increase in TER of Sertoli cells was accelerated by 10 nM co-planar PCB, it was downregulated by 100 nM co-planar PCB. The expression of claudin-1 was downregulated by co-planar PCB in a concentration-dependent manner. On the contrary, the expression of claudin-1 was increased in the Sertoli cells by 10 nM co-planar PCB treatment. These results suggest that the structure and function of TJ may be targeted by co-planar PCB in Sertoli cells. Assessment of the structure and function of TJ in Sertoli cells might be useful for screening the reproductive health risk of EACs.

Artificial coupling of one enzyme with another can provide an efficient means for the production of industrially important chemicals. Xylose reductase has been recently discovered to be useful in the reductive production of xylitol. However, a limitation of its in vitro or in vivo use is the regeneration of the cofactor NAD(P)H in the enzyme activity. In the present study, an efficient process for the production of xylitol from D-xylose was established by coupling two enzymes. A NADH-dependent xylose reductase (XR) from Pichia stipitis catalyzed the reduction of xylose with a stoichiometric consumption of NADH, and the resulting cofactor $NAD^+$ was continuously re-reduced by formate dehydrogenase (FDH) for regeneration. Using simple kinetic analyses as tools for process optimization, suitable conditions for the performance and yield of the coupled reaction were established. The optimal reaction temperature and pH were determined to be about $30^{\circ}C$ and 7.0, respectively. Formate, as a substrate of FDH, affected the yield and cofactor regeneration, and was, therefore, adjusted to a concentration of 20 mM. When the total activity of FDH was about 1.8-fold higher than that of XR, the performance was better than that by any other activity ratios. As expected, there were no distinct differences in the conversion yields of reactions, when supplied with the oxidized form $NAD^+$ instead of the reduced form NADH, as a starting cofactor for regeneration. Under these conditions, a complete conversion (>99%) could be readily obtained from a small-scale batch reaction.

A model system for the immnunochemical detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 using a combined immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and test-strip liposome immunoassay (LIA) procedure was developed. Immunomagnetic beads coated with anti-E. coli O157 IgG antibodies were used to separate the E. coli O157 (including the H7 serotype) from culture. Immunoliposomes, whose surface was conjugated to goat anti-E. coli O157:H7 IgG and which encapsulated the marker dye, sulforhodamine B, were used as a detection label. The test strip, onto which antibodies to goat IgG were immobilized, was the immunosensor capturing immunoliposomes that did not bind to E. coli O157:H7 on the immunomagnetic bead-E. coli O157:H7 complexes. In experiments, pure cell culture suspensions of $10^5 E.$ coli O157:H7 organisms per ml produced a measurable signal inhibition, whereas a weak yet detectable signal inhibition occurred with $10^3CFU/ml$. The inhibition signals increased, when the incubation time for IMS was extended to 90 min and higher IgG-tag density (0.4mol%) was used on the liposomes. With 0.2 and 0.4mol% IgG-tagged liposomes, the IMS-LIA procedure showed more improved signal inhibitions than those of a direct (no IMS) LIA. The combined assay, which measures the instantaneous signal from immunoliposomes, can be completed within 90 min, making it significantly faster than conventional plating methods and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Accordingly, it is quite feasible to use the combined immunoassay format of IMS and dye-loaded immunoliposomes for the detection of E. coli O157:H7.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex whose function is to add telomeric repeats to chromosomal ends. Telomerase consists of two essential components, telomerase RNA template (hTR) and catalytic subunit (hTERT). hTERT is expressed only in cells and tissues positive for telomerase activity, i.e., tumor and fetal cells. In this report, the possibility of utilization of the hTERT promoter in targeted cancer gene therapy was tested. The hTERT promoter was cloned in the replacement of the CMV promoter, and the HSV-TK gene was subcloned to be controlled by the hTERT gene promoter in the adenovirus shuttle plasmid. Then, the recombinant adenovirus Ad-hT-TK was constructed and was infected into normal and human gynecological cancer cell lines. The selective tumor specific cell death by Ad-hT-TK was identified through these experiments, showing that Ad-hT-TK could be used for targeted cancer gene therapy.

The growth responses of Phellodendron amurense root-derived materials against seven intestinal bacteria were examined, using an impregnated paper disk agar diffusion method and spectrometric method under $O_2$-free condition. The biologically active constituent of the P. amurense root extract was characterized as berberine chloride ($C_{20}H_{18}NO_{41}Cl$) using various spectroscopic analyses. The growth responses varied depending on the bacterial strain, chemicals, and dose tested. At 1 mg/disk, berberine chloride strongly inhibited the growth of Clostridium perfringens, and moderately inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans without any adverse effects on the growth of three lactic acid-bacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. longum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus). The structure-activity relationship revealed that berberine chloride exhibited more growth-inhibiting activity against C. perfringens, E. coli, and S. mutans than berberine iodide and berberine sulfate. These results, therefore, indicate that the growth-inhibiting activity of the three berberines was much more pronounced as chloridated analogue than iodided and sulphated analogues. As for the morphological effect caused by 1 mg/disk of berberine chloride, most strains of C. perfringens were damaged and killed, indicating that berberine chloride showed a strong inhibition against C. perfringens. As naturally occurring growth-inhibiting agents, the P. amurense root-derived materials described could be useful as a preventive agent against diseases caused by harmful intestinal bacteria such as clostridia.

The growth-inhibitory activity of Cassia tora seed-derived materials against seven intestinal bacteria was examined in vitro, and compared with that of anthraquinone, anthraflavine, anthrarufin, and 1-hydroxyanthraquinone. The active constituent of C. tore seeds was characterized as quinizarin, using various spectroscopic analyses. The growth responses varied depending on the compound, dose, and bacterial strain tested. At 1 mg/disk, quinizarin exhibited a strong inhibition of Clostridium perfringens and moderate inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus without any adverse effects on the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis, B. bifidum, B. longum, and Lactobacillus casei. Furthermore, the isolate at 0.1 mg/disk showed moderate and no activity against C. perfringens and S. aureus. The structure-activity relationship revealed that anthrarufin, anthraflavine, and quinizarin moderately inhibited the growth of S. aureus. However. anthraquinone and 1-hydroxyanthraquinone did not inhibit the human intestinal bacteria tested. As for the morphological effect of 1 mg/disk quinizarin, most strains of C. perfringens were damaged and disappeared, indicating that the strong activity of quinizarin was morphologically exhibited against C. perfringens. The inhibitory effect on aflatoxin $B_1$ biotransformation by anthraquinones revealed that anthrarufin ($IC_50,\;11.49\mu\textrm{M}$) anthraflavine ($IC_50,\;26.94\mu\textrm{M}$), and quinizarin ($IC_50,\;4.12\mu\textrm{M}$), were potent inhibitors of aflatoxin ${B_1}-8,9-epoxide$ formation. However, anthraquinone and 1-hydroxyanthraquinone did not inhibit the mouse liver microsomal sample to convert aflatoxin $B_1$ to aflatoxin ${B_1}-8,9-epoxide$. These results indicate that the two hydroxyl groups on A ring of anthraquinones may be essential for inhibiting the formation of aflatoxin ${B_1}-8,9-epoxide$. Accordingly, as naturally occurring inhibitory agents, the C. tora seed-derived materials described could be useful as a preventive agent against diseases caused by harmful intestinal bacteria, such as clostridia, and as an inhibitory agent for the mouse liver microsomal conversion of aflatoxin $B_1$ to aflatoxin ${B_1}-8,9-epoxide$.

The mouse interferon gene (MuIFN-${\gamma}$) was cloned and then used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expressed MuIFN-$\{gamma}$ protein (MuIFN-${\gamma}$) was successfully secreted into culture medium due to the presence oi the signal peptide of rice amylase 1A. Two different promoters fused to MuIFN-${\gamma}$ were tested: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) promoter and a yeast hybrid ADH2-GPD (AG) promoter consisting of alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH2) and GPD promoter. Using the hybrid promoter, the accumulation of MuIFN-${\gamma}$transcript was the highest after the 24 h cultivation, and then gradually decreased as the cultivation proceeded. However, both cell growth and recombinant MuIFN-${\gamma}$production reached their peaks after the 4-day cultivation. It was possible to produce 6.5 mg/l of MuIFN-${\gamma}$ without any changes in cell growth. Using GPD promoter, the MuIFN-${\gamma}$ transcript accumulation and the recombinant MuIFN-${\gamma}$ production followed the same pattern as the cell growth. However. compared to that of the hybrid promoter, the production of recombinant MuIFN-${\gamma}$ was 0.2 mg/l. The secreted MuIFN-${\gamma}$ had estimated molecular masses of 21 kDa and 23 kDa, which were larger than that of the encoded size due to glycosylation. The protection assay against the viral infection indicated that the recombinant MuIFN-${\gamma}$ was bioactive.

Interactive effects of UV-B and Cd on growth, pigment, photosynthesis, and lipid peroxidation have been studied in Anabaena, Microcystis, and Nostoc; all the tested cyanobacteria showed differential sensitivity to different dosage of UV-B and Cd alone as well as in combination. Phycocyanin was severely affected by UV-B and Cd by all the strains; the degree of pigment bleaching was most pronounced in Anabaena followed by Microcystis and Nostoc. $UV-B_2+Cd_2$ produced nearly 83, 78, and 65% inhibition of phycocyanin in Anabaena, Microcystis, and Nostoc, respectively. The above treatment also significantly decreased the contents of Chl ${\alpha}$ and carotenoid. Presence of capsule in Microcystis protected the phycocyanin bleaching as compared to decapsulated cells. Laboratory-grown Microcystis revealed about 75 and 80% inhibition, following $UV-B_2+Cd_2$ treatment, respectively. in capsulated and decapsulated cells. Damage caused by Cd was more pronounced than UV-B. Inhibition of photosynthesis did occur in all the test strains, being maximum in Anabaena. PS II was the most sensitive component of the electron transport chain, showing 84, 80, and 70% inhibition in Anabaena, Microcystis, and Nostoc, respectively. As compared to control, significant lipid peroxidation (6.5-fold higher) was observed in Anabaena with $UV-B_2+Cd_2$, $^{14}C-uptake$ was more susceptible to Cd and Uv-B than oxygen-evolution. Approximately 84, 80, and 76% inhibition of $^{14}C-uptake$ was observed in Anabaena, Microcystis, and Nostoc, respectively. Similarly, $UV-B_2+Cd_2$ inhibited APT content of Anabaena by 87%. This ,study suggests that inhibition of carbon fixation was due to decreased ATP content of the test cyanobacteria by UV-B+Cd, where Anabaena was the most sensitive and Nostoc the most tolerant.

The FimH subunit of type 1-fimbriated Escherichiu coli (E. coli) has been determined as a major cause for urinary tract infections. Thus, to produce a possible vaccine antigen against urinary tract infections, the fimIH gene was genetically coupled to the ctxa2b gene and cloned into a pMAL-p2E expression vector. The chimeric construction of pMALfimH/ctxa2b was then transformed into E. coli K-12 TB1 and its nucleotide sequence was verified. A fusion protein, based on fusing adhesin to the cholera toxin subunit A2B (CTXA2B), was induced with 0.01 mM isopropyl-${\beta}-D-thiogalactoside$ (IPTG) for 4 h at $37^{\circ}C$ to yield a soluble fusion protein. The fusion protein was then purified by affinity chromatography. The expressed fusion protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using antibodies to the maltose binding protein (MBP) or the cholera toxin subunit B (CTXB), plus the N-terminal amino acid sequence was also analyzed. The orderly-assembled fusion protein was confirmed by a modified $G_{Ml}-ganglioside$ ELISA, using antibodies to adhesin. The results indicated that the purified fusion protein was an adhesin/CTXA2B protein containing E. coli adhesin and the $G_{Ml}-ganglioside$ binding activity of CTXB. Accordingly, this adhesin/CTXA2B protein may be a potential antigen for oral immunization against uropathogenic E. coli.

During our previous studies on the relationship between nutrient requirements of S. hygroscopicus C9 and rapamycin biosynthesis, we developed chemically-defined media containing among other nutrients, aspartic acid, arginine, histidine, or ammonium sulfate. However, these media (“Cheng et al. medium” and “Lee et al. medium”) showed very slow growth characterized by a very long lag phase of growth. In an attempt to develop a chemically-defined or semi-defined medium to support more rapid growth and increased cell production, we have carried out studies to shorten the lag phase. Of the various additives tested, vitamin-free casein acid hydrolysate was the most significant by shortening the lag phase by 2-3 days. Mixtures of amino acids failed to replace casein acid hydrolysate. The active principle passed through an ultrafilter with a molecular weight cutoff of 1,000 and thus may be a peptide. The present work has yielded a semi-defined medium which should be useful for further growth studies on S. hygroscopicus C9.

The antibacterial mechanism of enterobacter Salmonella typhimurium was studied. The rfa (Waa) gene cluster of S. typhimurium encodes the core oligosaccharide biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Among the rfa gene cluster, we recently cloned the rfaE gene, which is involved in ADP-L-glycero-D-manno-heptose biosynthesis. The rfaE mutant synthesizes heptose-deficient LPS, which consists of only lipid A and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (KDO), thus making an incomplete LPS and a rough phenotype mutant. S. typhimurium deep-rough mutants with the heptose region of the inner core show a reduced growth rate, sensitivity to high temperature, and hypersensitivity to hydrophobic antibiotics such as baicalin isolated from the medicinal herb of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Thus, in this study, the cloned rfaE gene was added to the S. typhimurium rfaE mutant strain SL1102 (rfaE543), which makes heptose-deficient LPS and has a deep-rough phenotype. The complementation created a smooth phenotype in the SL1102 strain. The sensitivity of SL1102 to bacteriophages was also recovered to that of wild-type strain, indicating that LPS is used as the receptor for bacteriophage infection. The permeability barrier of SL1102 to hydrophobic antibiotics such as novobiocin and baicalin was restored to that of the wild-type, suggesting that antibiotic resistance of the wild-type strain is highly correlated with their LPS. Through an agar diffusion assay, the growth-inhibition activity of baicalin was fully observed in the mutant SL1102 strain. However, only a half of the inhibitory activity was detected in the rfaE complemented SL1102 strain. Furthermore, the LPS produced by the rfaE-complemented SL1102 strain was indistinguishable from LPS biosynthesis of smooth strains.

The intracellular metabolic fluxes can be calculated by metabolic flux analysis, which uses a stoichiometric model for the intracellulal reactions along with mass balances around the intracellular metabolites. In this study, metabolic flux analyses were carried out to estimate flux distributions for the maximum in silico yields of various metabolites in Escherichia coli. The maximum in silico yields of acetic acid and lactic acid were identical to their theoretical yields. On the other hand, the in silico yields of succinic acid and ethanol were only 83% and 6.5% of their theoretical yields, respectively. The lower in silico yield of succinic acid was found to be due to the insufficient reducing power. but this lower yield could be increased to its theoretical yield by supplying more reducing power. The maximum theoretical yield of ethanol could be achieved, when a reaction catalyzed by pyruvate decarboxylase was added in the metabolic network. Futhermore, optimal metabolic pathways for the production of various metabolites could be proposed, based on the results of metabolic flux analyses. In the case of succinic acid production, it was found that the pyruvate carboxylation pathway should be used for its optimal production in E. coli rather than the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylation pathway.

The desulfurization genes (dszABC) were cloned from Gordonia nitida. Nucleotide sequences similarity between the dszABC genes of G. nitida and those of Rhodococcus rhodochrous IGTS8 was 89%. The similarities of deduced amino acids between the two were 86% for DszA, 86% for DszB, and 90% for DszC. The G. nitida dszABC genes were expressed in several different Escherichia coli strains under an inducible trc promoter. Cultivation of these metabolically engineered E. coli strains in the presence of 0.2 mM dibenzothiophene (DBT) allowed the conversion of DBT to 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP), which is the final metabolite of the sulfur-specific desulfurization pathway. The maximum conversion of DBT to 2-HBP was 16% in 60 h. Recombinant E. coli was applied for the deep desulfurization of diesel oil supplemented into the medium at 5% (v/v). Sulfur content in diesel oil was decreased from 250 mg sulfur/1 to 212.5 mg sulfur/1, resulting in the removal of 15% of sulfur in diesel oil in 60 h.

The xylA gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus No. 236 encoding ${\beta}-xylosidase$, a major xylanolytic enzyme, was previously cloned and sequenced by the present authors. Sequence analysis indicated that translation of the xylA gene was initiated from the noncanonical initiation codon UUG, confirmed by analyzing three different amber (UAG) mutants of the xylA gene. In the present study, the UUG initiation codon was mutated into AUG or GUG, and the effects of the mutations on the XylA synthesis were examined. The AUG initiation codon was found to direct the highest level of ${\beta}-xylosidase$ synthesis; three-fold and fourteen-fold more enzyme activity than the UUG codon in E. coli and B. subtilis cells, respectively. Surprisingly, contrary to other systems reported to date, the UUG start codon was found next to AUG in the relative order of translational efficiency in both organisms. In addition, a greater abundance of the xylA mRNA was detected with the AUG start codon in both of these host cells than with GUG or UUG. Northern blot and Toeprint assays revealed that this was due to enhanced stability of mRNA with the AUG initiation codon. As expected, the ${\beta}-xylosidase$ protein level in the bacterial cells containing mRNA with the AUC start codon was also much higher than the levels with the other two different mRNAs.

Human urokinase kringle domain, sharing homology with angiostatin kringles, has been shown to be an inhibitor of angiogenesis, which can be used for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and retinopathy. Here, the expression of the kringle domain of urokinase (UK1) as a secreted protein in high levels is reported. UK1 was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris GS115 by fusion of the cDNA spanning from Ser47 to Lys135 to the secretion signal sequence of ${\alpha}-factor$ prepro-peptide. In a flask culture, the secreted UK1 reached about 1 g/l level after 120h of methanol induction and was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography. Amino-terminal sequencing of the purified UK1 revealed that it was cleaved at the Ste13 signal cleavage site. The molecular mass of UK1 was determined to be 10,297.01 Da. It was also confirmed that the purified UK1 inhibited endothelial cell proliferation stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, or epidermal growth factor, in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that a P. pastoris sytem can be employed to obtain large amounts of soluble and active UK1.

Salmonella encodes an enterotoxin (Stn) which possesses biological activity similar to the cholera toxin. Stn contributes significantly to the overall virulence of S. typhimurium in a murine model. The production of Stn is enhanced in a high-osmolarity medium and by contact with epithelial cells. In the present study, the in vitro and in vivo transcriptional regulations of the sin promoter revealed two promoters, P1 and P2. The P1 promoter identified by a primer extension analysis of stn mRNA exhibited a switching mechanism in vivo. Depending on the growth stage, transcription was initiated from different start sites termed $P1_S\;and\;P1_E$. $P1_S$, recognized by RNA polymerase containing ${\sigma}^S(E{\sigma}^S),\;and\;P1_E$, recognized by $E{\sigma}^70$, were activated during the stationary and exponential phases, respectively, while $P1_S\;and\;P1_E$ were both negatively regulated by CRPㆍcAMP and H-NS. Results revealed that $P1_S$ was the responsible promoter activated under a high osmolarity and low pH. The P2 promoter was identified 45 nucleotides downstream from $P1_E$ and negatively controlled by CRPㆍcAMP in vitro. No P2 activity was detected in vivo. The regulation of stn expression monitored using a Pstn::egfp fusion indicated that $E{\sigma}^S$ was required for the induction of stn and various factors were involved in stn regulation inside animal cells.

To elucidate the action mechanism of MCS-C2, a novel analogue of toyocamycin and sangivamycin, its effect on the expression of cell cycle-related proteins in the human myelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 was examined using Western blotting and a flow cytometric analysis. MCS-C2, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, was found to inhibit cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and inhibits cell cycle progression by inducing the arrest at G1 and G2/M phases, in HL-60 cells. The flow cytometric analysis revealed an appreciable arrest of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle after treatment with MCS-C2. The HL-60 cell population increased gradually from 13% at 0 h, to 28% at 12 h in the G2/M phase, after exposure to $2{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that MCS-C2 induced the cell cycle arrest at G1 phase through the inhibition of pRb phosphorylation. Hypophosphorylated pRb accumulated after treatment with $5{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ MCS-C2 for 12 h, whereas, the level of hyperphosphorylated pRb was reduced. Thus, treatment of the cell with MCS-C2 suppressed the hyperphosphorylated form of pRb with a commensurate increase in the hypophosphorylated form.

The polyketide backbone of rifamycin B is assembled by the type I rifamycin polyketide synthase (PKS) encoded by the rifA-rifE genes. In order to produce novel analogs of rifamycin via engineering of the PKS genes, inactivation of the ${\beta}-ketoacyl:acyl$ carrier protein reductase (KR) domain in module 8 of rifD, by site-specific mutagenesis of the NADPH binding site, was attempted. Module 8 contains a nonfunctional dehydratase (DH) domain and a functional KR domain that is involved in the reduction of the ${\beta}-carbonyl$ group, resulting in the C-21 hydroxyl of rifamycin B. This mutant strain produced linear polyketides, from tetraketide to octaketide, which were also produced by a rifD-disruption mutant as a consequence of premature termination of the polyketide assembly. Another attempt to replace the DH domain of module 7, which has been considered nonfunctional, with a functional homolog derived from module 7 of rapamycin-producing PKS also resulted in the production of linear polyketides, including the heptaketide intermediate and its precursors. Premature release of the carbon chain assembly intermediates is an unusual property of the rifamycin PKS. that is not seen in other PKSs such as the erythromycin PKS.

The delta sleep-inducing peptides (DSIP, Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu) is an important regulatory hormone, controlling hypothalamus and pituitary functions. In the current study, an expression system was designed for the rapid and economic expression oi recombinant DSIP for biophysical studies. Artificially synthesized oligonucleotides encoding DSIP were cloned into a pGEX-KG vector and expressed in E. coli (BL21). The recombinant GST-DSIP was then readily purified using a GST affinity column. To obtain intact DSIP from the GST-DSIP, thrombin cleavage and a CNBr reaction were successively carried out. The DSIP in the CNBr reaction mixture was subjected to RP-HPLC purification to yield 1.2 mg DSIP from a 1 liter culture of E. coli. Identification of the DSIP was peformed using MALDI-MS and an amino acid composition analysis.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is an environmental pollutant that has been implicated in carcinogenesis. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was treated with B[a]P, and the responses of its cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme and DNA-damage checkpoint genes were examined through gene expression profiles using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The DNA-damage checkpoint genes tested were the chk1 and pds1 genes, involved in a metaphase arrest, the swi6 gene targeted by G1 arrest, the pol2 gene related to S phase arrest, and the cln2 gene encoding a cyclin protein, all of which are based on rad9 and rad24. Among these genes, no noticeable effect was found when the cells were exposed to various concentrations of B[a]P. However, the transcriptional activity of CYP51 was significantly different when the cells were exposed to B[a]P. Accordingly, the present results indicate that cytochrome P450 plays a more significant role than DNA-damage checkpoint genes in the response of S. cerevisiae to B[a]P.

The recombinant alanine dehydrogenase (ADH) from E. coli containing Thermus caldophilus ADH was purified to homogeneity from a cell-free extract. The enzyme was purified 38-fold with a yield of 68% from the starting cell-free extract. The purified enzyme gave a single band in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and its molecular weight was estimated to be 45 kDa. The pH optimum was 8.0 for reductive amination of pyruvate and 12.0 for oxidative deamination of L-alanine. The enzyme was stable up to $70^{\circ}C$. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by 1 mM $Zn^{2+}$, 20% hexane, and 20% $CHCl_3$. However, 10 mM $Mg^{2+}$ and 40% propanol had no effect on the enzyme activity. The Michaelis constants ($K_m$) for the substrates were $50\;\mu\textrm{M}$ for NADH, 0.2 mM for pyruvate, 39.4 mM for $NH_4+$, 2.6 mM for L-alanine, and 1.8 mM for $NAD^+$.

Novel poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates), PHAs, having either methoxy or ethoxy groups as the terminal hydrophilic moieties, were biosynthesized by Pseudolnons oleovorans. grown either solely with 11-alkoxyundecanoic acid or 8-alkoxyoctanoic acid, or grown with a mixture of 6-alkoxyhexanoic acid and nonanoic acid. The PHA synthesized from 11-methoxyundecanoic acid consisted of 88 mol% 3-hydroxy-7-methoxyheptanoate and 12 mol% 3-hydroxy-9-methoxynonanoate. However, the PHA produced from 11-ethoxyundecanoic acid consisted of 56 mol% 3-hydroxy-5-ethoxypentanoate and 44 mol% 3-hydroxy-7-ethoxyheptanoate. The high solubility of the PHAs in methanol and ethanol indicated that the alkoxy groups in the side chains resulted in the formation of PHAs with an enhanced hydrophilicity.

Entercbacter agglomerans 6L was isolated from citron (Citrus junos) peel by using an enrichment culture containing (+)-limonene. It was able to metabolize limonene and grew well ($A_{600}$:4.5) on limonene as a sole carbon source. E. agglomernas 6L was highly resistant to limonene toxicity, and grew to 1.0 optical density ($A_{600}$) even at 5% (v/v) of limonene in Luria-Bertani media. ${\gamma}-Valerolactone$ and cryptone were detected as the major metabolic products of limonene by E. agglomerans 6L.