• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.297-301
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• 1985

The dependence of activities of Aspergillus phoenicis on the culture conditions in the progesterone transformation reaction was investigated. In the beginning of the reaction, $6{\beta},\;11{\alpha}-dihydroxyprogesterone$ was not produced even at high concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. However, large amount of the product was obtained after the complete exhaustion of progesterone. When spores of A.phoenicis replaced mycelia as enzyme source, $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ was produced after a considerably long indyction period, and its maximum production rate followed the exponential growth phase. The $6{\beta}-hydroxylation\;of\;11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ continued, even after the stationary growth phase. A. phoenicis showed high enzyme activity for these reactions when the phosphate buffer solutions were used in place of the ordinary culture medium. The buffer solutions of low pH gave more yield of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ than those of high pH. However, the addition of flucose to the buffer solutions did not activate the transformation reaction. The presence of progesterone seems to be necessary for the induction of enzymes for the $6{\beta}-hydroxylation\;of\;11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone\;since\;6{\beta},\;11{\alpha}-dihydroxyprogesterone$ is not produced in the reaction medium containing only $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ as a substrate.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 1987

Physicochemical factors influencing the $11{\alpha}$, hydroxylation of progesterone by Rhizopus nigricans Ehrenberg were studied. The higher is the concentration of progesterone. the shorter time is need to attain maximum yield in the $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. High concentration in progesterone was supposed to inhibit the hydroxylation reaction of the $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. The range of optimum pH and temperature appeared to be rather broad and these conditions were similar to those of optimum growth of the mycelia. Agitation at a higher speed than a certain limit, and the presence of sugars accelerated the $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ reaction. Glucose was found to be more effective for the reaction using spores rather than mycelia as enzyme sources. Organic solvents were proved to supress the enzyme activity, which decreased with increase in the concentration of the organic solvents and in the time for pretreatment with the solvents.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 1985

The temperature dependency and the stability of enzyme systems for $11{\alpha}-hydroxyla­tion$ of progesterone were investigated using Aspergillus phoenicis. Though A. phoenicis conserves high enzyme activities for lactose hydrolysis even at high temperatures, the bioconversion reaction of progesterone by this strain was found to be very temperature sensitive. The compositions of reaction mediums of inside and outside of cells were analyzed using sonication technique. At early stage of reaction, the concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ of cell inside was higher than that of outside. But as the reaction proceeded further, the $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ existing inside of cells being converted into another products, its concentration was lower within the cells that in the bulk medium. Even in the reaction mediums containing organic solvents, A. phoenicis was founded to be able to metabolite, so that $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ can be produced continuously from fixed bed reactions packed with immobilized A phoenicis in vivo.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 1993

Ion effects on $11{\alpha}-hydroxylation$ of progesterone and $5{\alpha}-reduction\;of\;11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ by Rhizopus nigricans were investigated. Metal ions such as $Cu^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;Co^{2+},\;Mn^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Fe^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Fe^{3+}\;and\;Na^+$ reduced the $11{\alpha}-hydroxylation$ activity, while $K^+$ stimulated the same reaction. Enzyme activity for the $5{\alpha}-reduction$ of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ was increased in the presence of $Fe^{2+},\;Mn^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Co^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Fe^{3+},\;K^+\;and\;Na^+$, whereas it was decreased in the presence of $Cd^{2+}\;and\;Cu^{2+}$. Potassium ion of $10^{-3}\;M\;$ of concentration was found to be effective for the promotion of $11{\alpha}-hydroxylation$. On the other hand, cadmium ion of $10^{-4}\;M$ was proved to suppress the $5{\alpha}-reduction$ reaction. Progesterone is reported to be transformed into $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ which, in turn, is converted further into $11{\alpha}-hydroxy-allopregnane-3$, 20-dione by R. nigricans. From this point of view, the highest yield of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ could be obtained when potassium ion of $10^{-3}\;M$ was given initially followed by addition of cadmium ion of $10^{-4}\;M$ to limit conversion of 11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone into $11{\alpha}-hydroxy-allopregnane-\;3$, 20-dione.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.115-119
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• 1983

The bioconversion of progesterone by Aspergillus phoenicis has been studied. The metabolism in the conditions of experiment gave $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ as main product. The concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ increased monotonically and leveled off after 40 hours of incubation. Addition of glucose into the medium reduced considerably the time for attaining limiting concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. The increase in initial progesterone concentration did not affected the percentage of conversion nor the time required for termination of the reaction. But it could not be represented as first order reaction with respect to progesterone concentration. The degree of inhibition of enzymes by organic solvents depended upon the concentration of solvents. At low solvent concentration, acetone proved to yield the highest conversion.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.66-70
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• 1990

A study on 11 $\alpha$-hydroxylation of progesterone by using Rhizopus nigricans was carried out to produce efficiently 11 $\alpha$-hydroxyprogesterone which is an essential intermediate of corticosteroids synthesis. Firstly, medium was optimized in view of bioconversion yield and cell growth. Glucose and casamino acid were selected as carbon and nitrogen source and the ratio of carbon to nitrogen which maximize bioconversion yield was determined to be 2:1. Secondly, the addition time of progesterone and dispersion method were studied. When progesterone dispersed with 0.01% (v/v) Tween 80 was added at 12-14 hr of cultivation, higher bioconversion yield was obtained. When 20g/$\ell$ of progesterone was added, the yield reached 70% under optimized conditions.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 1991

Rhizopus nigricans produces 11.alpha.-hydroxyprogesternoe with a unidentified byproduct, which is hardly separated. Results of chromatography, IR and NMR spectroscopy identified the byproduct to be 11.alpha.-hydroxy-allopregnane-3,20-dione. R. nigricans was found to transform progesternoe into a monoform intermediate, 11.alpha.-hydroxyprogesterone, from which 11.alpha.-hydroxy-allopregnane-3,20-dione and 6.betha., 11.alpha. - dihydroxyprogesterone were formed respectively by 5.alpha.-reduction and 6.betha.-hydroxylation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.280-285
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• 1990

Biotransformation of progesterone to 11 $\alpha$ -hydroxyprogesterone by growing cells of Rhizopus nigricans was investigated. As the concentration of progesterone increased, the specific growth rate of R. nigricans decreased linearly, and consequently the conversion yield lowered. The hyphae of the microorganism were observed to become thicker, shorter, and more densely branched at high concentrations of progesterone. In order to improve the process productivity, biotransformation was conducted with continuous addition of progesterone. When the substrate was added continuously at a rate of 0.86 g/hr for 30 hrs, overall conversion yield reached upto 56% while a single addition of the same amount of progesterone yielded about 40% eonversion. When additional feeding of glucose was carried out upon its depletion, an improved br'oconversion yield upto 68% was obtained.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 1989

Progestrone bioconversion by immobilized Aspergillus phoenicis was studied. Progesterone was converted into 11$\alpha$-hydroxyprogesterone and 3-minor byproducts. Whole cells of A. phoenicis were immobillized by enreappment with calcium-alginate, K-carrageenan, or polyacrylamide. Of these materials tested, cell immobilized in $Ca^{2+}$ -alginate gels showed the highest activity for 11$\alpha$-hydroxylation of progesterone. In the case of mycelia immobilized in $Ca^{2+}$-alginate, futher progressing hydroxylation of 11$\alpha$-hydroxyprogesterone was greatly reduced. Spores of A. phoenicis which were immobillized with $Ca^{2+}$-alginate and germinatedin situ for 25 hours showed higher 11$\alpha$-hydroxylase activity than those of entrapped whole mycelia and maintained initial enzyme activity for all 8 times of repeated use. After 16 times of reuse, the activity was declined 30% or more. When culture media and $Zn^{2+}$ were introduced into the reaction media, the activity of the immobilized mycelia which had been lowered due to many times of reuse was effectively reactivated.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.150-155
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• 2014

The measurement of $17{\alpha}$-hydroxyprogesterone ($17{\alpha}$-OHP) in a dried blood spot on filter paper is an important for screening of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Since high levels of $17{\alpha}$-OHP are frequently observed in premature infants without congenital adrenal hyperplasia, we evaluated cuts-off based on birth weight and performed validation. Birth weight and $17{\alpha}$-OHP concentration data of 292,204 newborn screening subjects in Greencross labopratories were analyzed. The cut-off values based on birth weight were newly evaluated and validated with the original data. The mean $17{\alpha}$-OHP concentration were 7.25 ng/mL in very low birth weight (VLBW) group, 4.02 ng/mL in low birth weight (LBW) group, 2.53 g/mL in normal birth weight (NBW) group, and 2.24 ng/mL in heavy birth weight (HBW) group. The cut-offs for CAH were decided as follows: 21.12 ng/mL for VLBW and LBW groups and 11.14 ng/mL for NBW and HBW groups. When applied new cut-offs for original data, positive rates in VLBW and LBW groups were decreased and positive rates in NBW and HBW groups were increased. The cut-offs based on birth weight should be used in the screening for CAH. We believe that our new cut-off reduce the false positive rate and false negative rate and our experience for cut-off set up and validation will be helpful for other laboratories doing newborn screening test.