• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2000.11a
• /
• pp.45-46
• /
• 2000

After cell removal from fermentation broth the supernatant containing poly (${\gamma}-glutamic acid$) (${\gamma}-PGA$) was concentrated by ultrafiltration in order to reduce the amount of organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, propanol required for the recover of ${\gamma}-PGA$ with precipitation. The concentration and volume reduction of cell-free solution by ultrafiltration could reduce 3 times the amount of ethanol for the recover of ${\gamma}-PGA$ from cell-free fermentation broth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.412-415
• /
• 2017

Prebiotics improve the growth or activities of specific microbial genera and species in the gut microbiota in order to confer health benefits to the host. In this study, we investigated the effect of poly-gamma-glutamate (${\gamma}-PGA$) as a prebiotic on the gut microbiota of mice and the organ distributions of ${\gamma}-PGA$ in mice. Pyrosequencing analysis for 16S rRNA genes of bacteria indicated that oral administration of ${\gamma}-PGA$ increased the abundance of Lactobacillales while reducing the abundance of Clostridiales in murine guts. It is suggested that oral administration of ${\gamma}-PGA$ can be helpful for modulating the gut microbiota as a prebiotic.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.855-858
• /
• 2005

The bioavailability of Ca is currently one of the most important topics in nutrition research and is correlated with gastrointestinal solubility. Thus, to increase the solubility of calcium, this study was undertaken to examine the effect of $\gamma$-PGA on intestinal Ca solubility. The calcium solubility increased when the amount of $\gamma$-PGA was increased, due to the inhibition of the formation of an insoluble Ca complex with phosphate. Therefore, when $\gamma$-PGA-500 (avg. MW 5,000 kDa) was added at 0.5 mg/ml, $75\%$ of the total Ca was soluble. The amount of soluble Ca uptake in the small intestine was investigated using Balb/c mice as an animal model system. The soluble Ca uptake in the mice orally administered with $\gamma$-PGA-500 (avg. MW 5,000 kDa) was significantly higher than that in the $\gamma$-PGA-l00 (avg. MW 1,000 kDa)-administered mice (P<0.05). Accordingly, these results strongly support the notion that the molecular size of $\gamma$-PGA is correlated with Ca solubility. The effects of other factors, such as casein phosphopeptide and vitamin D, on intestinal Ca absorption have also previously been investigated. Therefore, it is hoped that the present observations will help clarify the role of $\gamma$-PGA in Ca solubility and its industrial application as an additive.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.9
• /
• pp.1339-1346
• /
• 2013

Conventional chemotherapeutic regimens often accompany severe side effects and fail to induce complete regression of chemoresistant or relapsing metastatic cancers. The need for establishing more efficacious anticancer strategies led to the development of a combined modality treatment of chemotherapy in conjunction with immunotherapy or radiotherapy. It has been reported that poly-gamma-glutamate (${\gamma}$-PGA), a natural polymer composed of glutamic acids, increases antitumor activity by activating antigen-presenting cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we investigated the antitumor effect of ${\gamma}$-PGA in combination with cyclophosphamide in a murine melanoma model. Whereas cyclophosphamide alone directly triggered apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro, ${\gamma}$-PGA did not show cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Instead, it activated macrophages, as reflected by the upregulation of surface activation markers and the secretion of proinflammatory factors, such as nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$. When the antitumor effects were examined in a mouse model, combined treatment with cyclophosphamide and ${\gamma}$-PGA markedly suppressed tumor growth and metastasis. Notably, ${\gamma}$-PGA treatment dramatically increased the NK cell population in lung tissues, coinciding with decreased metastasis and increased survival. These data collectively suggest that ${\gamma}$-PGA can act as an immunotherapeutic agent that exhibits a synergistic antitumor effect in combination with conventional chemotherapy.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.677-684
• /
• 2012

A bacterium strain GS-2 isolated from the Korean traditional seasoning food, Chungkookjang and was determined to produce large amounts of ${\gamma}$-PGA with high productivity when provided with simple nutrients (L-glutamic acid 2.0%, glucose 1.0%, $NH_4Cl$ 0.5%, $KH_2PO_4$ 0.05%, $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ 0.01%, pH 7.0). In this study, the culture medium for this strain was optimized for the production of ${\gamma}$-PGA. The Bacillus subtilis GS-2 required supplementation with L-glutamic acid and other nutrients for maximal production of ${\gamma}$-PGA. The optimal culture conditions for ${\gamma}$-PGA production were a 48 hr culture time, a temperature of $33^{\circ}C$ and initial pH of 6.5 by rotary shaking (220 rpm). A maximum ${\gamma}$-PGA production of 31.0 $g/{\ell}$ was obtained with L-glutamic acid (30 $g/{\ell}$), sucrose (the main carbon source, 30 $g/{\ell}$), $NH_4Cl$ (the main nitrogen source, 2.5 $g/{\ell}$), $KH_2PO_4$ (1.5 $g/{\ell}$) and $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ (0.15 $g/{\ell}$) in the culture medium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.919-923
• /
• 2005

A bacterium capable of poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) production was isolated from nonpasteurized soy sauce. It was judged to be a variety of Bacillus subtilis and designated as B. subtilis C1. B. subtilis C1 produced ${\gamma}$-PGA in the absence of exogenous glutamic acid; therefore, it is a de novo PGA­producing bacterium. The product produced by B. subtilis C1 was characterized by amino acid analysis to be composed of solely glutamic acid. However, the $H^1-NMR$ spectra showed chemical shifts of glycerol protons in addition to those of authentic ${\gamma}$-PGA, indicating that the product is in fact a bioconjugate of ${\gamma}$-PGA. The finding is unique, because the microbial production of ${\gamma}$-PGA bioconjugate has never been reported before. The molecular mass of the product was over 10,000 kDa as determined by GPC, and $97\%$ of the product was D-glutamate, indicating that L-glutamate was converted to its D-form counterpart by B. subtilis C1.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.527-533
• /
• 2018

This study compared the radioprotective effects of high-molecular-weight poly-gamma-glutamate (${\gamma}-PGA$, average molecular mass 3,000 kDa) and a reduced form of glutathione (GSH, a known radioprotector) on calf thymus DNA damage. The radiation-induced DNA damage was measured on the basis of the decreased fluorescence intensity after binding the DNA with ethidium bromide. All the experiments used $^{60}Co$ gamma radiation at 1,252 Gy, representing 50% DNA damage. When increasing the concentration of ${\gamma}-PGA$ from 0.33 to $1.65{\mu}M$, the DNA protection from radiation-induced damage also increased, with a maximum of 87% protection. Meanwhile, the maximal DNA protection when increasing the concentration of GSH was only 70%. Therefore, ${\gamma}-PGA$ exhibited significant radioprotective effects against gamma irradiation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.46 no.9
• /
• pp.1114-1121
• /
• 2017

Bacillus strains not producing harmful components were isolated from Korean traditional soybean products. Extracellular enzyme activities (amylase, protease, cellulase, and xylanase) of isolated Bacillus strains were measured, and Bacillus strains with high protease activity were selected. The selected 15 strains were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (10), Bacillus methylotrophicus (1), Bacillus velezensis (1), and Bacillus subtilis (3). Among them, B. subtilis JBG17019, B. amyloliquefaciens JBD17076, and B. amyloliquefaciens JBD17109 showed antimicrobial activities against food-borne microorganisms. The production abilities of glutamate, glutamine, and poly-${\gamma}$-glutamic acid (${\gamma}$-PGA) of the selected Bacillus strains were measured to analyze fermentation characteristics related to glutamic acid metabolism. The factor for multivariate was analyzed by the principal components analysis (PCA) method between fermentation characteristics and ${\gamma}$-PGA production. The three principal components were classified according to the PCA method: PC1 [enzyme activity (amylase, cellulase, and xylanase)], PC2 (${\gamma}$-PGA), and PC3 (protease, glutamate, and glutamine). As a result, B. amyloliquefaciens JBD17076 and B. subtilis JBG17019 strains were evaluated as having excellent enzyme activity and ${\gamma}$-PGA production.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.812-815
• /
• 2005

Effects of poly-${\gamma}$-glutamate (PGA) on antioxidative characteristics of amino-carbonyl reaction products of glucose were investigated. Rapid browning reaction was observed under heat and alkaline condition (pH 8.2). Browning products were separated by Sephadex G-50, and brown color intensity and electron-donating ability of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) of each fraction were measured. Fraction-7 (F-7) and -20 (F-20) showed high DPPH scavenging values. UV-VIS absorption spectrum of F-20 was similar to melanoidin peak, and F-7 showed maximum absorption peak at 270 nm. Molecular weight of F-7 was over 35 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. Although F-20 could not be measured on SDS-PAGE, its size was smaller than F-7.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.547-552
• /
• 1995

Some functional and rheological properties of the ${\gamma}$-polyglutamic acid(${\gamma}$-PGA) produced from alkalophilic Alcaligenes sp. were investigated. Viscosity synergism with thickening agents, capacities for gelling, entrapig of heavy metals, and flocculability of ${\gamma}$-PGA were not observed, but the relatively good compatability with various polyvalent metallic ins, excellent absorption ability and spinability were observed. The ${\gamma}$-PGA solution showed non-Newtonian flow behavior and exhibited pseudoplastic property with a yield stress at above 1% concentration. The values of flow index for 1% solution were in the range of 0.41∼0.75 showing shear rate dependency and the value of yield stress was 2.28 Pa. The value of consistency index was 0.868 Pa$.$Sn and was exponentially dependent on concentration.