• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.230-231
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• 2004

The mycelia of Sparassis crispa DSMZ 5201 were cultivated at $24^{\circ}C$ for 15 days in yeast-malt extract-glucose broth (pH 4.0) and the filtrate was used as crude enzyme solution to determined the extracellular enzyme activity. The specific activity of $\alpha$-amylase was 44.27 unit/protein. The specific activities of protease, CMCase, $\beta$-glucosidase, chitinase, exo-$\beta$-l,4-glucanase were relatively high. However, a very little activity of xylanase was found.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.515-522
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• 1998

Plant root rotting fungi, Fusarium solani are suppressed their growth by the chitinase which is produced from the antagonistic soil bacteria. The chitinase producable antagonistic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. 3098 was selected as a powerful biocontrol agent of F. solani from ginseng rhizosphere. The antagonistic Pseudomonas sp. 3098 was able to produce a large amount of extracellular chitinase which is key enzyme in the decomposition of fusarial hypal walls. The chitinase was purified from cultural filtrate of Pseudomonas sp. 3098 by the procedure of ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange chromatography, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-100, and 1st and 2nd hydroxyapatite chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was ca. 45 kDa on SDS-FAGE. The optimal pH and temperature for the activity of purified chitinase were 5.0 and 45$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable in pH range of 5.0 to 9.0 up to 5$0^{\circ}C$ The enzyme was significantly inhibited by metal compounds such as FeCl$_2$, AgNO$_3$ and HgCl$_2$, and was slightly inhibited by p-CMB, iodoacetic acid, urea, 2,4-DNP and EDTA. The enzyme had ability of digestion on colloidal chitin and chitin from shrimp shell, but could not digest chitosan and chitin from crab shell. Km value of the enzyme was 0.11% on colloidal chitin, and the maximum hydrolysis rate of the enzyme was 34% on colloidal chitin.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2011

The chitinase-producing strain SC081 was isolated from Korean traditional soy sauce and identified as Bacillus atrophaeus based on a phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence and a phenotypic analysis. A gene encoding chitinase from B. atrophaeus SC081 was cloned in Escherichia coli and was named SCChi-1 (GQ360078). The SCChi-1 nucleotide sequences were composed of 1788 base pairs and 596 amino acids, which were 92.6, 89.6, 89.3, and 78.9% identical to those of Bacillus subtilis (ABG57262), Bacillus pumilus (ABI15082), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (ABO15008), and Bacillus licheniformis (ACF40833), respectively. A recombinant SCChi-1 containing a hexahistidine tag at the amino-terminus was constructed, overexpressed, and purified in E. coli to characterize SCChi-1. $H_6SCChi$-1 revealed a hydrolytic band on zymograms containing 0.1% glycol chitin and showed the highest lytic activity on colloidal chitin and acidic chitosan. The optimal temperature and pH for chitinolytic activity were $50^{\circ}C$ and pH 8.0, respectively.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2018

Chitinases are glycosyl hydrolases which cleave the ${\beta}$-1,4 linkage of chitin into oligo or monomers of N-acetylglucosamine. These bacterial enzymes have been used for a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, we isolated two potential chitinolytic strains, BAO-01 and BAO-02, from salt-fermented shrimp, which were shown to belong to the genus Salinivibrio through genetic characterization using 16S rRNA. These isolates were gram-positive, rod-shaped, and non-spore forming. BAO-01 showed greater growth and chitinase activity than BAO-02 after the incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 4 days. Both strains grew on a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources, pH values, temperatures, and salt levels. However, they showed minor biochemical differences. In addition, their antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogens and antibiotic susceptibilities were evaluated. These Salinivibrio spp. did not show bioamine production, hemolytic activity, and mucin degradation. Therefore, the in vitro screening results suggested that these bacteria could be widely used as new candidates for chitin hydrolyzation and seafood fermentation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1897-1903
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• 2006

In order to investigate the functions of the C-terminal region of chitinase ChiCW of Bacillus cereus 28-9, a C-terminal truncated enzyme, ChiCW$\Delta$FC, was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity for biochemical characterization. Compared with ChiCW, ChiCW$\Delta$FC exhibited higher chitinase activity at high temperature and pH, but expressed lower hydrolytic and binding activities toward insoluble substrates. In addition, kinetic properties indicated that ChiCW$\Delta$MC hydrolyzed oligomeric and polymeric substrates less efficiently than ChiCW. These results suggest that the C-terminal region of ChiCW plays important roles in substrate binding and hydrolysis of chitin. In addition, the biological meaning of C-terminal proteolytic modification of ChiCW is discussed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.207-208
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• 2018

Chitinase-Like Proteins (CLPs) are an evolutionarily conserved protein which lose their enzymatic activity for degrading chitin macromolecules. Chitinase-3-like-1 (Chi3l1) is a type of CLP that is highly expressed in epithelial cells, macrophages, etc., and is known to have correlations with type 2 inflammation and cancer. Although the increased level of Chi3l1 in the blood was reported in various disease patients, the function of Chi3l1 in adaptive immunity has been totally unknown. Recently, we found that Chi3l1 is expressed in T cells and has a negative regulatory role in T-cell activation and proliferation. A genetic ablation study of Chi3l1 in T cells showed hyperresponsiveness to TcR stimulation, which increased proliferation and Th1 differentiation. A significant increase of $IFN{\gamma}$ signaling in Chi3l1-deficient T cells synergistically increased Th1 and CTL functions against melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, targeted knockdown by Chi3l1 siRNA complexed with the cell-penetrating peptide dNP2, which showed decreased pulmonary melanoma metastasis with increased infiltration of Th1 and CTL in the lung. This study first suggests that Chi3l1 is a novel regulator of Th1/CTL responses and could be a target for treating cancer to increase tumor immunity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.149-153
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• 1978

A strain of Streptomyces sp producing chitinase was isolated from soil and its cultural condition and some properties of this enzyme were investigated. When 0.375 per cent of glucose was added to basal medium, this organism produced the most quantities of this enzyme after shaking culture at 3$0^{\circ}C$ for 48 hrs., while the production of the enzyme was repressed at the more concentration of glucose than that. The enzyme had a optimal pH of 7.0, optimal temperature of 5$0^{\circ}C$ and the activity of that was not decreased by heat treatment for 20 minute at 7$0^{\circ}C$. And then the activity was increased by Co$^{2+}$ but was slightly inhibited by Hg$^{2+}$, Ni$^{2+}$, Pb$^{2+}$.EX> 2+/.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2010

The effect of Acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) and Rahnella aquatilis Ra39 against apple fire blight disease caused by Erwinia amylovora were tested as a possible alternative to streptomycin. In vitro studies, no inhibition effect against the pathogen was found when ASM was tested. Under greenhouse conditions, application of R. aquatilis Ra39 with the highly susceptible M26 rootstock resulted in a marked disease suppression. Application of ASM and strain Ra39 caused a high decrease of the disease, 82% and 58% respectively; this was correlated with a reduction of the growth of the pathogen within host plants up to 64% and 49.5% respectively. Further studies in the field under artificial infection condition during full bloom revealed that application of ASM and R. aquatilis Ra39 with Gala variety resulted in a control effect up to 21 and 29% respectively. In physiological studies, enhanced activities of PR-proteins (chitinase and $\beta$-1, 3-glucanase) were detected, which are well known as biochemical markers for systemic acquired resistance. Application of ASM to apple shoots caused the highest chitinase activity followed by strain Ra39. The enzyme activity was increased after 2, 4 and 6 days from application. In addition, ASM-treatment caused the higher $\beta$-1, 3-glucanase activity than strain Ra39. Maximum enzyme activity was recorded after 6 days from application and then decreased after 8 and 10 days from application.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2006

Serratia marcescens W1, isolated from cucumber-cultivated soil in Suwon, Korea, evidenced profound antifungal activity and produced the extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, chitinase and protease. In order to isolate the antifungal genes from S. marcescens W1, a cosmid genomic library was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Transformants exhibiting chitinase and protease expression were selected, as well as those transformants evidencing antifungal effects against the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe grisea, and the cucumber leaf spot fungus, Cercospora citrullina. Cosmid clones expressing chitinase or protease exerted no inhibitory effects against the growth of fungal pathogens. However, two cosmid clones evidencing profound antifungal activities were selected for further characterization. An 8.2 kb HindIII fragment from these clones conditioned the expression of antagonistic activity, and harbored seven predicted complete open reading frames(ORFs) and two incomplete ORFs. The deduced amino acid sequences indicated that six ORFs were highly homologous with genes from S. marcescens generating pyrroloquinoline quinone(PQQ). Only subclones harboring the full set of pqq genes were shown to solubilize insoluble phosphate and inhibit fungal pathogen growth. The results of this study indicate that the functional expression of the pqq genes of S. marcescens W1 in E. coli may be involved in antifungal activity, via as-yet unknown mechanisms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.346-356
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Chemical fungicides not only may pollute the ecosystem but also can be environmentally hazardous, as the chemicals accumulate in soil. Biological control is a frequently-used environment-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides in phytopathogen management. However, the use of microbial products as fungicides has limitations. This study isolated and characterized a three-antifungal-enzyme (chitinase, cellulase, and ${\beta}$-1,3-glucanase)-producing bacterium, and examined the conditions required to optimize the production of the antifungal enzymes. METHOD AND RESULTS: The antifungal enzymes chitinase, cellulase, and ${\beta}$-1,3-glucanase were produced by bacteria isolated from an sawmill in Korea. Based on the 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, the bacterial strain AM50 was identical to Streptomyces sp. And their antifungal activity was optimized when Streptomyces sp. AM50 was grown aerobically in a medium composed of 0.4% chitin, 0.4% starch, 0.2% ammonium sulfate, 0.11% $Na_2HPO_4$, 0.07% $KH_2PO_4$, 0.0001% $MgSO_4$, and 0.0001% $MnSO_4$ at $30^{\circ}C$. A culture broth of Streptomyces sp. AM50 showed antifungal activity towards the hyphae of plant pathogenic fungi, including hyphae swelling and lysis in P. capsici, factors that may contribute to its suppression of plant pathogenic fungi. CONCLUSION(S): This study demonstrated the multiantifungal enzyme production by Streptomyces sp. AM50 for the biological control of major plant pathogens. Further studies will investigate the synergistic effect, to the growth regulations by biogenic amines and antifungal enzyme gene promoter.