• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.191-194
• /
• 1990

Tyrosine is a monohydrolic aromatic amino acid and DOPA is a tyrosine derivative containing dihydroxy group. DOPA can be synthesized from tyrosine by enzymatic reaction. The separation and quantitative determination of each component are very difficult in the reaction mixture. In the present study, two wavelengths giving maximum absorbance difference of each amino acid were determined using UV/VIS spectrophotometer by wavelength scanning and simple assay method was developed for the analysis of the reaction mixture of tyrosine and DOPA by measuring absorbances of reaction mixture. This method can be simply used for the analysis of the tyrosine and DOPA mixture because it does not require and procedure for the pretreatment of the reaction mixture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.12
• /
• pp.2110-2115
• /
• 2015

A liquid-based colorimetric assay using a pH indicator was introduced for high-throughput monitoring of lysine decarboxylase activity. The assay is based on the color change of bromocresol purple, measured at 595 nm in liquid reaction mixture, due to an increase of pH by the production of cadaverine. Bromocresol purple was selected as the indicator because it has higher sensitivity than bromothymol blue and pheonol red within a broad range and shows good linearity within the applied pH. We applied this for simple determination of lysine decarboxylase reusability using 96-well plates, and optimization of conditions for enzyme overexpression with different concentrations of IPTG on lysine decarboxylase. This assay is expected to be applied for monitoring and quantifying the liquid-based enzyme reaction in biotransformation of decarboxylase in a high-throughput way.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.441-444
• /
• 2004

This study was performed to establish a simple and rapid method for measuring thrombin activity based on weight of fibrin clot formed. The new method was based on the weight measurement of fibrin clot after enzymatic reaction of thrombin with fibrinogen. The fibrin formation depended upon the activities of thrombin used, temperature, incubation time, and centrifugation time. The fibrin formation was increased proportionally up to 1.0 unit/ml of thrombin activity, 4.0mg/ml of fibrinogen concentration, and 5 min of incubation time at 37$^{\circ}C$. The fibrin clot formed was stable by centrifugation at 3,000$\times$g for 5min. This simple assay based on weight of fibrin after centrifugation would be useful for identifying natural food anticoagulants by inhibiting thrombin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.530-533
• /
• 2002

This paper describes the development of an enzymatic assay system for the identification of specific inhibitors of sortase, a transpeptidase that cleaves surface proteins of Cram-positive bacteria, from Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538p for antibacterial drug discovery. The coding region of the enzyme was amplified with the exception of the N-terminal membrane anchor sequence, cloned into a vector providing His-Patch-thioredoxin-tag at the N-terminus, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified by metal chelate affinity chromatography. The enzyme activity was determined by quantifying increased fluorescence intensity upon cleavage of synthetic Dabcyl-QALPETGEE-Edans peptide. The results suggest that the developed in vitro assay system call be used in the search for sortase inhibitors In a short period of time.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.487-492
• /
• 2013

Cytochrome P450 4A11 (CYP4A11) is a fatty acid hydroxylase enzyme expressed in human liver. It catalyzes not only the hydroxylation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, but the conversion of arachidonic acid to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), a regulator of blood pressure. In this study, we performed a directed evolution analysis of CYP4A11 using the luminogenic assay system. A random mutant library of CYP4A11, in which mutations were made throughout the entire coding region, was screened with luciferase activity to detect the demethylation of luciferin-4A (2-[6-methoxyquinolin-2-yl]-4,5-dihydrothiazole-4-carboxylic acid) of CYP4A11 mutants in Escherichia coli. Consecutive rounds of random mutagenesis and screening yielded three improved CYP4A11 mutants, CP2600 (A24T/T263A), CP2601 (T263A), and CP2616 (A24T/T263A/V430E) with ~3-fold increase in whole cells and >10-fold increase in purified proteins on the luminescence assay. However, the steady state kinetic analysis for lauric acid hydroxylation showed the significant reductions in enzymatic activities in all three mutants. A mutant, CP2600, showed a 51% decrease in catalytic efficiency ($k_{cat}/K_m$) for lauric acid hydroxylation mainly due to an increase in $K_m$. CP2601 and CP2616 showed much greater reductions (>75%) in the catalytic efficiency due to both a decrease in $k_{cat}$ and an increase in Km. These decreased catalytic activities of CP2601 and CP2616 can be partially attributed to the changes in substrate affinities. These results suggest that the enzymatic activities of CYP4A11 mutants selected from directed evolution using a luminogenic P450 substrate may not demonstrate a direct correlation with the hydroxylation activities of lauric acid.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.16.1-16.7
• /
• 2018

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are linked with several complications such as metastasis of cancer progression, oxidative stress, and hepatic fibrosis. Brown seaweeds are being extensively studied for their bioactive molecule content against cancer progression. In this context, Sargassum horneri was reported to possess various bioactivities including antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory partly due to its phenolic compound content. Methods: In this study, potential of S. horneri was evaluated through anti-MMP effect in HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. S. horneri crude extract was fractionated with organic solvents, namely, water ($H_2O$), n-buthanol (n-BuOH), 85% aqueous methanol (85% aq. MeOH), and n-hexane. The non-toxicity of fraction samples (Sargassum horneri solvent-partitioned extracts (SHEs)) was confirmed by cell-viability assay. SHEs were tested for their ability to inhibit MMP enzymatic activity through gelatin digestion evaluation and cell migration assay. Expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMPs) were evaluated by reverse transcription and Western blotting. Results: All fractions inhibited the enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 according to gelatin zymography. Except $H_2O$ fraction, fractions hindered the cell migration significantly. All tested fractions suppressed both mRNA and protein levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. Conclusion: Overall, current results suggested that S. horneri has potential to be a good source for anti-MMP agents, and further investigations are underway for better understanding of the action mechanism and isolation and elucidation of the bioactive molecules.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.541-546
• /
• 1999

When we compared the chitinase activity of various plant sources using colorimetric or active gel-staining assay methods, the specific activity of pumpkin leaves was the highest among the samples we analyzed. The highly active chitinase from pumpkin leaves (designated PL-ChtIII) was purified to homogeneity using affinity chitin gel and HPLC Mono-Q anion-exchange cloumn chromatographies. In contrast to other members of the class III chitinase family, PL-ChtIII showed a strong binding affinity to the regenerated chitin gel column. The apparent molecular weight of PL-ChtIII was estimated to be 29 kDa on SDS-PAGE gel, while its optimum pH and temperature were shown to be pH 6.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. Analyzing the reaction products of PL-ChtIII with swollen chitin as substrate, the dimer and tetramer of N-acetylglucosamine were produced as major products in the first hour of the enzymatic reaction along with a small amount of monomers and trimers. As the reaction time increased, dimeric N-acetylglucosamine became the predominant form of reaction product.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.143-151
• /
• 2004

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are capable of degrading extracellular matrix, a process that is necessary for angiogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis. Platelet-activating factor (PAP) increases angiogenesis, tumor growth and metastasis through nuclear factor (NF)-$\kappa$B activation. Based on these facts, the involvement of MMPs in PAF-induced pulmonary metastasis was investigated in murine sarcoma cells, MMSV-BALB/3T3. Messenger RNA expression and enzymatic activity of MMP-9 were assessed by RT-PCR and zymography, and cell migration and metastasis were done for the detection of MMP-9 functional activity. PAP induced mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of MMP-9, and its effects were either inhibited by the PAP antagonist, WEB 2170 or by the NF-$\kappa$B inhibitor, parthenolide, or p65 antisense oligonucleotide in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, PAF induced promoter activity of MMP-9, which was inhibited by WEB 2170, phenanthroline, NAC, PDTC. These results indicate that PAF induces mRNA expression and enzymatic activity of MMP-9 in NF-$\kappa$B dependent manner. Cell migration assay showed that PAF induced MMSV-BALB/3T3 migration, and its effect was significantly inhibited by treatment with phenanthroline. PAF enhanced pulmonary metastasis of murine sarcoma cells, MMSV-BALB/3T3 was also reduced by phenanthroline. These results suggest that PAF-enhanced cell migration and pulmonary metastasis is mediated through the expression of MMP. In conclusion, It is suggested that PAF enhances pulmonary metastasis by inducing MMP-9 expression via the activation of NF-$\kappa$B.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.151-155
• /
• 2010

Allergen extracts from dust mites and cockroaches commonly found in Korean homes were used to evaluate their enzymatic activity as they are believed to influence allergenicity. Allergen extracts were prepared from 3 dust mite species (Dermatophagoides farinae, D. pteronyssinus, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae) and 3 cockroach species (Blattella germanica, Periplaneta americana, and P. fuliginosa) maintained in the Korea National Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank. Proteins were extracted in PBS after homogenization using liquid nitrogen. The activities of various enzymes were investigated using the API Zym system. No significant difference in phosphatase, lipase, or glycosidase activity was observed among the 6 allergen extracts, but much difference was observed in protease activity. Protease activity was assessed in more detail by gelatin zymography and the EnzChek assay. Extract from T. putrescentiae showed the highest protease activity, followed by those of the cockroach extracts. Extracts from D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus showed only weak protease activity. Gelatinolytic activity was detected mainly in a 30-kDa protein in D. farinae, a 28-kDa protein in D. pteronyssinus, a > 26-kDa protein in T. putrescentiae, a > 20-kDa protein in B. germanica, and a > 23-kDa protein in P. americana and P. fuliginosa. The information on various enzymatic activities obtained in this study may be useful for future studies. In particular, the strong protease activity found in cockroach extracts could contribute to sensitization to cockroach allergens, which is known to be associated with the development of asthma.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.90-98
• /
• 2007

The antioxidant activities of water ($H_2O$) and ethanol (EtOH) extracts from hamcho (Salicornia herbacea L.) juice and cake prepared by enzymatic treatments were evaluated by in vitro assays against DPPH, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals. Among the $H_2O$ and EtOH extracts from five different carbohydrases treated, the EtOH extract from viscozyme-treated hamcho cake had higher yield and phenolic content, and exhibited the strongest radical scavenging activity against DPPH ($IC_{50}=186.91\;{\mu}g/mL$), superoxide ($IC_{50}=87.54\;{\mu}g/mL$), and hydroxyl radicals ($IC_{50}=367.07\;{\mu}g/mL$). Antioxidant assay-guided fractionation and purification of the EtOH extract led to isolation and identification of five phenolic compounds, procatechuic, ferulic and caffeic acids, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. Most of these phenolic compounds exhibited considerable DPPH, superoxide, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, and in particular, caffeic and ferulic acids had stronger superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities than the well-known antioxidant radical scavenger, (+)-catechin (p<0.05). Quercetin and isorhamnetin were the primary compounds responsible for the strong antioxidant activity in the EtOH extract of the viscozyme-treated hamcho cake. Meanwhile, these five phenolic compounds were detected in the EtOH extract of the viscozyme-treated hamcho cake at the following levels (dry base of hamcho); procatechuic acid (1.54 mg%), caffeic acid (6.87 mg%), ferulic acid (8.45 mg%), quercetin (12.63 mg%), and isorhamnetin (6.65 mg%). However, three of these phenolic compounds (procatechuic, caffeic acid, and ferulic acids) were detectable in the $H_2O$ extract of viscozyme-treated hamcho juice. These results suggest that the EtOH extract of viscozyme-treated hamcho cake may be a potential source of natural antioxidants.