• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.588-596
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• 2018

An endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase gene, cel9K, was cloned using the shot-gun method from Paenibacillus sp. X4, which was isolated from alpine soil. The gene was 2,994 bp in length, encoding a protein of 997 amino acid residues with a predicted signal peptide composed of 32 amino acid residues. Cel9K was a multimodular enzyme, and the molecular mass and theoretical pI of the mature Cel9K were 103.5 kDa and 4.81, respectively. Cel9K contains the GGxxDAGD, PHHR, GAxxGG, YxDDI, and EVxxDYN motifs found in most glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) members. The protein sequence showed the highest similarity (88%) with the cellulase of Bacillus sp. BP23 in comparison with the enzymes with reported properties. The enzyme was purified by chromatography using HiTrap Q, CHT-II, and HiTrap Butyl HP. Using SDS-PAGE/activity staining, the molecular mass of Cel9K was estimated to be 93 kDa, which is a truncated form produced by the proteolytic cleavage of its C-terminus. Cel9K was optimally active at pH 5.5 and $50^{\circ}C$ and showed a half-life of 59.2 min at $50^{\circ}C$. The CMCase activity was increased to more than 150% in the presence of 2 mM $Na^+$, $K^+$, and $Ba^{2+}$, but decreased significantly to less than 50% by $Mn^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$. The addition of Cel9K to a commercial enzyme set (Celluclast 1.5L + Novozym 188) increased the saccharification of the pretreated reed and rice straw powders by 30.4% and 15.9%, respectively. The results suggest that Cel9K can be used to enhance the enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to reducing sugars as an additive.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.606-612
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• 2018

The enzyme xylose isomerase (E.C. 5.3.1.5, XI) is responsible for the conversion of an aldose to ketose, especially xylose to xylulose. Owing to the ability of XI to isomerize glucose to fructose, this enzyme is used in the food industry to prepare high-fructose corn syrup. Therefore, we studied the characteristics of XI from Anoxybacillus kamchatkensis G10, a thermophilic bacterium. First, the gene coding for XI (xylA) was inserted into the pET-21a(+) expression vector and the construct was transformed into the Escherichia coli competent cell BL21 (DE3). The expression of recombinant XI was induced in the absence of isopropyl-thio-${\beta}$-galactopyranoside and purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The optimum temperature of recombinant XI was $80^{\circ}C$ and measurement of the heat stability indicated that 55% of residual activity was maintained after 2 h incubation at $60^{\circ}C$. The optimum pH was found to be 7.5 in sodium phosphate buffer. Magnesium, manganese, and cobalt ions were found to increase the enzyme activity; manganese was the most effective. Additionally, recombinant XI was resistant to the presence of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ ions. The kinetic properties, $K_m$ and $V_{max}$, were calculated as 81.44 mM and $2.237{\mu}mol/min/mg$, respectively. Through redundancy analysis, XI of A. kamchatkensis G10 was classified into a family containing type II XIs produced by the genera Geobacillus, Bacillus, and Thermotoga. These results suggested that the thermostable nature of XI of A. kamchatkensis G10 may be advantageous in industrial applications and food processing.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.536-547
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• 2008

Anthocyanidin synthase (ANS, leucoanthocyanidin oxygenase), a 2-oxoglutarate iron-dependent oxygenase, catalyzed the penultimate step in the biosynthesis of the anthocyanin class of flavonoids, from the colorless leucoanthocyanidins to the colored anthocyanidins. The full-length cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of ANS gene (designated as GbANS) were isolated from Ginkgo biloba for the first time. The full-length cDNA of GbANS contained a 1062-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 354-amino-acid protein. The genomic DNA analysis showed that GbANS gene had three exons and two introns. The deduced GbANS protein showed high identities to other plant ANSs. The conserved amino acids (H-X-D) ligating ferrous iron and residues (R-X-S) participating in 2-oxoglutarate binding were found in GbANS at the similar positions like other ANSs. Southern blot analysis indicated that GbANS belonged to a multi-gene family. The expression analysis by real-time PCR showed that GbANS expressed in a tissue-specific manner in G. biloba. GbANS was also found to be up-regulated by all of the six tested abiotic stresses, UV-B, abscisic acid, sucrose, salicylic acid, cold and ethylene, consistent with the promoter region analysis of GbANS. The recombinant protein was successfully expressed in E. coli strain with pET-28a vector. The in vitro enzyme activity assay by HPLC indicated that recombinant GbANS protein could catalyze the formation the cyanidin from leucocyanidin and conversion of dihydroquercetin to quercetin, suggesting GbANS is a bifunctional enzyme within the anthocyanidin and flavonol biosynthetic pathway.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.95-103
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• 2011

We have investigated pretreatment of waste wood using milling refinery combined with poping method, which can save energy for pretreatment and enzyme loading for enzymatic hydrolysis. The chemical analysis of holocellulose of non and popping treated waste wood showed 65.9% and 58.8%, and the lignin, organic extracts and ash were increased by 3%, 4% and 0.7% after pretreatment, respectively. The reducing sugar yields of pretreated waste wood were increased four times more than non-pretreated one and the synergistic effect of cellulase and xylanase were evaluated compare with individual enzyme treatment. Especially, enzyme cocktail (cellulase 50 U and xylanase 50 U) treatment was very efficient in 1% substrate (50 mg). Also, glucose and xylose conversion rate of pretreated waste wood by GC analysis were 45.9% and 38.7%, respectively.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 2015

Ginsenosides (ginseng saponin) as the one of important pharmaceutical compounds of ginseng and is responsible for the pharmacological and biological activities. These ginsenoside produces diverse small molecules ginsenoside which have more pharmacological activities including anti-wrinkle, anti-cancer and anti-oxidant effects. In the present study, we isolated bacteria using esculin agar, to produce ${\beta}$-glucosidase, and we focused on the bio-transformation of ginsenoside. Phylogenetic tree analysis was performed by comparing the 16S rRNA sequences; we identified the strain as Stenotrophomonas rhizopilae strain GFC09. In order to determine the optimal conditions for enzyme activity, the crude enzyme was incubated with 1 mM ginsenoside $Rb_1$. Bioconversion of ginsenoside $Rb_1$ were analyzed using TLC and HPLC. The crude enzyme hydrolyzed the ginsenoside $Rb_1$ along the following pathway: LB: $Rb_1{\rightarrow}Rd{\rightarrow}F_2$ into compound K, TSB: $Rb_1{\rightarrow}Rd{\rightarrow}F_2$. The structure of the hydrolyzed metabolites were identified by NMR. The activity screening tests showed that the conversion product induced the production of type I procollagen in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that hydrolyzed ginseng product containing the ginsenoside $F_2$ and compound K could be useful as an active ingredient for wrinkle-care cosmetics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.373-381
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• 2019

Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to generate five different triple point mutations in the double mutant (C295A/I86A) of Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus alcohol dehydrogenase (TeSADH) by computer-aided modeling with the aim of widening the small alkyl-binding pocket. TeSADH engineering enables the enzyme to accept sterically hindered substrates that could not be accepted by the wild-type enzyme. The underline in the mutations highlights the additional point mutation on the double mutant TeSADH introduced in this work. The catalytic efficiency ($k_{cat}/K_M$) of the ${\underline{M151A}}$/C295A/I86A triple TeSADH mutant for acetophenone increased about 4.8-fold higher than that of the double mutant. A 2.4-fold increase in conversion of 3'-methylacetophenone to (R)-1-(3-methylphenyl)-ethanol with a yield of 87% was obtained by using ${\underline{V115A}}$/C295A/I86A mutant in asymmetric reduction. The ${\underline{A85G}}$/C295A/I86A mutant also produced (R)-1-(3-methylphenyl)-ethanol (1.7-fold) from 3'-methylacetophenone and (R)-1-(3-methoxyphenyl)-ethanol (1.2-fold) from 3'-methoxyacetophenone, with improved yield. In terms of thermal stability, the ${\underline{M151A}}$/C295A/I86A and ${\underline{V115A}}$/C295A/I86A mutants significantly increased ${\Delta}T_{1/2}$ by $+6.8^{\circ}C$ and $+2.4^{\circ}C$, respectively, with thermal deactivation constant ($k_d$) close to the wild-type enzyme. The ${\underline{M151A}}$/C295A/I86A mutant reacts optimally at $70^{\circ}C$ with almost 4 times more residual activity than the wild type. Considering broad substrate tolerance and thermal stability together, it would be promising to produce (R)-1-(3-methylphenyl)-ethanol from 3'-methylacetophenone by ${\underline{V115A}}$/C295A/I86A, and (R)-1-phenylethanol from acetophenone by ${\underline{M151A}}$/C295A/I86A mutant, in large-scale bioreduction processes.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.514-518
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• 2008

After overproduction of a recombinant $\beta$-galactosidase of Bifidobacterium infantis in Pichia pastoris, a synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) from 36% lactose using the enzyme (170.74 U/mg) was investigated. The transgalactosylation ratio reached up to 25.2% with 83.1% conversion of initial lactose and the maximum yield of GOS was 40.6%. The GOS syrup was composed of a 13.43% galacto-oligosaccharides, 5.06% lactose, and 8.76% monosaccharides. The prebiotic effect of GOS on the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli strains was investigated in vitro. The maximum growth rate of Bifidobacterium breve and Lactobacillus acidophillus in GOS syrup (5%, v/v) media were 0.49 and 0.96/hr that are higher than those in 1%(w/v) galactose and 1%(w/v) lactose containing media. However, there was no significant difference between the specific growth rates of L. acidophillus in 1%(w/v) glucose and 5%(v/v) GOS syrup. Our data showed that GOS definitely promoted the growth of B. breve ATCC $15700^T$ and L. acidophilus ATCC 33323.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.21-29
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• 2015

In this study, the feasibility of utilizing wood chips from pitch pine (Pinus rigida) was evaluated for bioethanol production by an organosolv pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. When wood chips from pitch wood were pretreated with 75% (v/v) ethanol and 1.7% sulfuric acid as a catalyst at H-factor 2000, average pulp yield was 43.3%, which pretreated wood fibers showed higher glucan (55.8%) and lower lignin (12.2%) contents than untreated control (43.9% glucan and 27.8% lignin). After enzymatic saccharification, the organosolv pulps with 56.2% delignification rate reached above 97% conversion rate of cellulose to glucose. These results indicated that increasing the delignification rate causes micro pores on the surface of organosolv pulps resulting in improved the accessibility of enzyme onto the substrate. Moreover, it was in agreement with the SEM examination of wood fibers.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2012

Glycolysis is responsible for the conversion of glucose into pyruvate and for supplying reducing power and several metabolites. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (AtFBA1), a central enzyme in the glycolysis pathway, was isolated by functional complementation of the salt-sensitive phenotype of a calcineurin (CaN)-deficient yeast mutant. Under high salinity conditions, aldolase activity and the concentration of NADH were compromised. However, expression of AtFBA1 maintained aldolase activity and the NADH level in yeast cells. AtFBA1 shares a high degree of sequence identity with known class I type aldolases, and its expression was negatively regulated by stress conditions including NaCl. The fusion protein GFP-AtFBA1 was localized in the cytosol of Arabidopsis protoplasts. The seed germination and root elongation of AtFBA1 knock-out plants exhibited sensitivity to ABA and salt stress. These results indicate that AtFBA1 expression and aldolase activity is important for stress tolerance in yeast and plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.696-703
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• 2015

A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producing microorganism was isolated from jeot-gal (anchovy), a Korean fermented seafood. The isolate, A156, produced GABA profusely when incubated in MRS broth with monosodium glutamate (3% (w/v)) at 37℃ for 48 h. A156 was identified as Lactobacillus sakei by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The GABA conversion yield was 86% as determined by GABase enzyme assay. The gadB gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) was cloned by PCR. gadC encoding a glutamate/GABA antiporter was located immediately upstream of gadB. The operon structure of gadCB was confirmed by RT-PCR. gadB was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and recombinant GAD was purified. The purified GAD was 54.4 kDa in size by SDS-PAGE. Maximum GAD activity was observed at pH 5.0 and 55℃ and the activity was dependent on pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The K_m and V_max of GAD were 0.045 mM and 0.011 mM/min, respectively, when glutamate was used as the substrate.