• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.413-421
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• 2000

We have isolated a large cylindrical protein complex from hyperthermophile archaeon Thermococcus profundus. Structural analysis by image processing of electron micrographs suggests that the complex is composed of two stacked rings of eight subunits each; the ring enclose a central channel. The purified protein was shown to be a homomultimer of 60 kDa subunit (P60 complex). It exhibits an extremely thermostable ATPase activity with a temperature optimum of $80^{\circ}C$. This protein complex may play an important role in the adaptation of thermophile archaeon to life at high temperature.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.185-191
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• 2000

An unusually large protein complex was found in the cytosol of the hyperthmophilic archaeon. Thermococcus profundus. The purified protein was shown to be a homomultimer of 93 kDa subunit (P93 complex). The complex is extremely heat stable. During 12 hrs incubation with SDS (final concentration 1%) at $85^{\circ}C$, no changed structure could be observed. Electron image analysis of negatively stained showed that the complex has a single, stable characteristic view and a well-preserved core with threefold rotational symmetry. The periphery of the assembly is composed of a nebulose, possibly flexible, component. Based on the projected structure suggest the P93 complex from T. profundus is composed 24 homomultimer.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.237-242
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• 2011

As a number of archaea are ubiquitously found in non-extreme habitats, elucidation of their functional roles becomes currently an emerging issue. However, most of them are unable to grow in pure culture and so it remains to be established. In order to find genes lacking in the genome of an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon (AOA), we here report on the comparative analyses of an AOA genome with those of experimentally or theoretically established minimal genomes for independent growth. We assessed the genes lacking in AOA using logic of clusters of orthologous groups (COG), remote homology, consensus sequence weight matrix, function-based motif or domain, and then further excluded genes encoding hypothetical orarchaea-specific proteins. The results of these combination analyses revealed 19 candidate genes lacking in the genome of an AOA. Thus, our results provide a possibility of inducing independent growth of AOA when supplemented with product (s) of the lacking gene (s), and also give a chance for finding new proteins with novel sequence or structure space even if the predicted lacking-genes will be found using another algorithms or biochemical studies.

• The Korea Genome Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.36-36
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• 2005

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 1998

Utilization of yeast extract and formation of byproduct metabolite were investigated for hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (DSH 1617). In both batch and fed-batch cultivations of S. solfataricus, maximal cell density, {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}} ion production and pH change were highly dependent on the ratio of yeast extract to glucose in the medium. Variation of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ion level was identified as a major cause of pH change during cultivation, and acidification of culture broth was attributed to consumption of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ions rather than formation of acid byproducts. It was also observed that increase of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ion concentrations in the medium resulted in greater degree of growth inhibition.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2000

A thermostable esterase from the hyper thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was partially purified 590-fold with $16.2\%$ recovery. The partially purified esterase had a specific activity of $29.5\;{\mu}mol\;min^{-1}mg^{-1}$ when the enzyme activity was determined using p-nitrophenyl butyrate as a substrate. The apparent molecular weight was about 100 kDa, while the optimum temperature and pH for esterase were $75^{\circ}C$ and 8.0, respectively. The enzyme showed high thermal stability and solvent tolerance in comparison to its mesophilic counterpart. The enzyme also showed chiral resolution activity for (S)-ibuprofen, indicating that S. solfataricus esterase can be used for the production of commercially important chiral drugs.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.344-350
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• 2006

Thermoplasma acidophilum is a thermoacidophilic archaeon that grows optimally at $59^{\circ}C$ and pH 2. Along with another thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, it is known to metabolize glucose by the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff (nED) pathway. In the course of these studies, the specific activities of glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase and glycerate kinase, two enzymes that are involved in the downstream part of the nED pathway, were found to be much higher in T. acidophilum than in S. solfataricus. To characterize glycerate kinase, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from T. acidophilum cell extracts. The N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme was in exact agreement with that of Ta0453m in the genome database, with the removal of the initiator methionine. Furthermore, the enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 49kDa and followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with $K_m$ values of 0.56 and 0.32mM for DL-glycerate and ATP, respectively. The enzyme also exhibited excellent thermal stability at $70^{\circ}C$. Of the seven sugars and four phosphate donors tested, only DL-glycerate and ATP were utilized by glycerate kinase as substrates. In addition, a coupled enzyme assay indicated that 2-phosphoglycerate was produced as a product. When divalent metal ions, such as $Mn^{2+},\;CO^{2+},\;Ni^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ca^{2+},\;and\;Sr^{2+}$, were substituted for $Mg^{2+}$ the enzyme activities were less than 10% of that obtained in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$. The amino acid sequence of T. acidophilum glycerate kinase showed no similarity with E. coli glycerate kinases, which belong to the first glycerate kinase family. This is the first report on the biochemical characterization of an enzyme which belongs to a member of the second glycerate kinase family.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2017

Medium compositions for the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 was statistically optimized to enhance formate-driven hydrogen ($H_2$) production by using response surface methodology. From the Plackett-Burman design-based experiment, it was confirmed that among the minor components of medium such as KCl, $MgSO_4$, $NH_4Cl$, Cystein-HCl, trace elements, Fe-EDTA and $CaCl_2$, the trace elements were screened as the only positively effective components with respect to $H_2$ production. Subsequently, the optimal concentrations of the trace elements and the major components of a medium such as NaCl, yeast extract and sodium formate were determined from the five-level central composite design (CCD)-based experiment. The resulting quadratic model predicted the maximum $H_2$ production of 46.6 mmol/L in serum bottle and it was validated experimentally using the optimal medium initially supplemented with 26.70 g/L of NaCl, 9.81 g/L of sodium formate, 3.50 g/L of yeast extract and 4.59 mL/L of trace elements. From the duplicate batch cultivations in the fermentor using the optimized medium, the a maximum $H_2$ production rate up to 71.8 mmol/L/h could be obtained, which was a 65% enhanced value compared with that obtained using the control medium, showing the high efficiency of the optimized medium.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.479-479
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• 2003

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.536-536
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• 2005