• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.325-334
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• 2023

Edema disease (ED) in pigs is enterotoxemia caused by Shiga toxin type 2e (Stx2e)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and frequently occurs in young piglets. Therefore, ED causes enormous economic losses in pig farms. In this study, a modified Stx2e (mStx2e) antigen was expressed and purified using commercial E. coli expression system. Monoclonal antibody was serviced by Ynto Ab Inc., using Phage Display Technique. Anti-Stx2e antibodies in piglets were measured by indirect ELISA using mStx2e antigens. Naive Stx2e in piglets were detected by Sandwich ELISA using Stx2e-monoclonal antibodies and commercial Stx2e-polyclonal antibodies. Among 3,480 piglets, anti-Stx2e antibodies were observed in 2,573 piglets. The 49.4% among 830 piglet serum samples possessed 0.625 ㎍/mL or more of Stx2e proteins. The 18.3% of 830 sera had 0.313 ㎍/mL of Stx2e proteins. The 32.3% of 830 samples held 0.156 ㎍/mL or less of Stx2e proteins. These results show that indirect ELISA using mStx2e antigen and Sandwich ELISA using Stx2e-monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies can be useful to detect ED in piglets.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.114-120
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• 2002

A 1,989-bp genomic region encoding nickel resistance genes was isolated from Legionella pneumophila, a pathogen for legionellosis. From a sequencing and computer analysis, the region was found to harbor two structural genes, a nreB-like protein gene (1,149 bp) and a nreA-like protein gene (270 bp), in a row. Both genes exhibited a significant degree of similarity to the corresponding genes from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 ($54\%$ amino acid sequence identity) and Achromobacter xylosoxidans 31A ($76\%$). The gene was successfully expressed in E. coli MG1655 and conferred a nickel resistance of up to 5 mM in an LB medium and 3 mM in a TMS medium including gluconate as the sole carbon source. E. coli harboring the nickel resistance gene also exhibited a substantial resistance to cobalt, yet no resistance to cadmium or zinc. Since the extracellular concentration of nickel remained constant during the whole period of cultivation, it was confirmed that the nickel resistance was provided by an efflux system like the $Ni^2＋$permease (nrsD) of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. Since polyphosphate (poly-P) is known as a global regulator for gene expression as well as a potential virulence factor in E. coli, the nickel resistance of a ppk mutant of E. coli MG 1655 harboring the nickel resistance gene from L. pneumophila was compared with that of its parental strain. The nickel resistance was significantly attenuated by ppk inactivation, which was more pronounced in an LB medium than in a TMS medium.

• 대한바이러스학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.31-38
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• 1998

In Korea, all domestic made test systems for detecting antibodies in HIV-1 contain the antigens from human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B. However, because HIV-1 subtype O is significantly different in amino acid sequences from all other subtypes of HIV-1, there has been a need for developing a test for detecting antibodies in subtype O. For this purpose, the entire nucleotide sequence corresponding to the extracellular domain of the transmembrane glycoprotein of HIV-1 subtype O was synthesized with consideration of Escherichia coli condon usage. Various regions of the extracellular domain were cloned into E. coli expression vectors and tested for levels of protein production. The nucleotide sequence, named ECTM, that can encode a 129 amino acid-long peptide, was found to be expressed at a high level in E. coli. The protein of approximately 17 kDa specifically reacted with sera from individuals infected with HIV-1 subtype O. The ECTM protein was purified to near homogeneity by the CM-T gel chromatography, using concentrated, denatured inclusion bodies. In Western blot analysis, the purified viral antigen reacted with sera from individuals infected with subtype O more efficiently than subtype B. The enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) system was developed using the subtype O viral protein and compared with the commercially available kit lacking the antigens from subtype O. The ELISA kit containing the subtype O antigen ECTM alone efficiently reacted with sera from individuals infected with subtype O. The subtype O antigen-containing kit produced a positive absorbence even when sera were diluted 512-fold, suggesting a high sensitivity. The commercially available kit also reacted with subtype O sera, but produced a negative result at a dilution of 8-fold. Our results suggest that the currently available kit may not be able to efficiently detect subtype O sera and that the viral protein developed in this study may be added to the current system to maximize the detection of sera from individuals infected with subtype O.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.652-655
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• 2005

This paper describes the development of an enzymatic assay system for the identification of inhibitors of isocitrate lyase (ICL), one of the key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle that is considered as a new target for antifungal drugs. A 1.6 kb DNA fragment encoding the isocitrate lyase from Candida albicans ATCC10231 was amplified by PCR, 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 molecular mass of the purified ICL was approximately 62 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE, and the enzyme activity was directly proportional to incubation time and enzyme concentration. The effects of itaconate-related compounds on ICL activity were also investigated. Among them, itaconic acid, 3-nitropropionate, and oxalate had strong inhibitory activities with $IC_{50}$ values of 5.8, 5.4 and $8.6\;{mu}g/ml$, respectively. These inhibitors also exhibited antifungal activity on YPD agar media containing acetate as a sole carbon source, albeit at high concentration. The results indicate that the C. albicans ICL may be a regulatory enzyme playing a crucial role in fungal growth and is a prime target for antifungal agents.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.262-269
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• 2019

The porcine myeloid antimicrobial peptide (PMAP), one of the cathelicidin family members, contains small cationic peptides with amphipathic properties. We used a putative lysozyme originated from the bacteriophage P22 (P22 lysozyme) as a fusion partner, which was connected to the N-terminus of the PMAP36 peptide, to markedly increase the expression levels of recombinant PMAP36. The PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein with high solubility was produced in Escherichia coli. The final purified yield was approximately 1.8 mg/L. The purified PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative and Grampositive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis). Furthermore, we estimated its hemolytic activity against pig erythrocytes as 6% at the high concentration ($128{\mu}M$) of the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein. Compared with the PMAP36 peptide (12%), our fusion protein exhibited half of the hemolytic activity. Overall, our recombinant PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein sustained the antimicrobial activity with the lower hemolytic activity associated with the synthetic PMAP36 peptide. This study suggests that the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion system could be a crucial addition to the plethora of novel antimicrobials.

• BMB Reports
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.590-594
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• 1998

X-ray crystallographic studies of the deoxy form of human adult hemoglobin (Hb A) have shown that ${\beta}99Asp$ is hydrogen bonded to both ${\alpha}42Tyr$ and ${\alpha}97Asn$ in the ${\alpha}_1{\beta}_2$ subunit interface, suggesting that the essential role of ${\beta}99Asp$ is to stabilize the deoxy-Hb by creating the intersubunit hydrogen bond. In particular, for Hb Kempsey (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$), molecular dynamics simulation indicated that a new hydrogen bond involving ${\beta}99Asn$ can be induced by replacing ${\alpha}42Tyr$ with a strong hydrogen-bond acceptor such as Asp. Designed mutant recombinant (r) Hb (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$, ${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$) have been produced in the Escherichia coli expression system and have shown that functional defects of Hb Kempsey could be compensated by the ${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$ substitution. However, as the ${\alpha}42 Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$ mutation has never been reported before, it is still possible that the functional properties of r Hb (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$, ${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$) may be due to the mutation itself. Thus, it is required to produce r Hb (${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$) and r Hb Kempsey (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}AsnX$( as controls, and to compare their properties with those of r Hb (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$, ${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$). r Hb (${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp$) could not be purified because it is an unstable hemoglobin which forms Heinz bodies. r Hb Kempsey (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$) exhibits very high oxygen affinity and greatly reduced cooperativity. Thus, r Hb (${\beta}99Asp{\rightarrow}Asn$) and r Hb (${\alpha}42Tyr{\rightarrow}Asp)$ compensate each other.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.584-592
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• 2004

A thermostable $\beta$-glycosidase gene, tfi $\beta$-gly, was cloned from the genomic library of Thermus filiformis Wai33 A1. ifi $\beta$-gly consists of 1,296 bp nucleotide sequence and encodes a polypeptide of 431 amino acids. It shares a strong amino acid sequence similarity with the $\beta$-glycosidases from other Thermus spp. belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family 1. In the present study, the enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) using the pET21b(+) vector system. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment and a $Ni^{2+}$-affinity chromatography. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that the recombinant Tfi $\beta$-glycosidase was a monomeric form with molecular mass of 49 kDa. The temperature and pH range for optimal activity of the purified enzyme were 80- $90^{\circ}C$ and 5.0-6.0, respectively. Ninety-three percent of the enzyme activity was remained at $70^{\circ}C$ after 12 h, and its half-life at $80^{\circ}C$ was 6 h, indicating that Tfi $\beta$-glycosidase is highly thermostable. Based on its K_m$, or $K_{cat}K_m$, ratio, Tfi $\beta$-glycosidase appeared to have higher affinity for $\beta$-D-glucoside than for $\beta$-D-galactoside, however, $K_{cat} for \beta$-D-galactoside was much higher than that for $\beta$-D-glucoside. The activity for lactose hydrolysis was proportionally increased at $70^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0 without substrate inhibition until reaching 250 mM lactose concentration. The specific activity of Tfi TEX>$\beta$-glycosidase on 138 mM lactose at $70{^\circ}C$ and pH 7.0 was 134.9 U/mg. Consequently, this newly cloned enzyme appears to have a valuable advantage of conducting biotechnological processes at elevated temperature during milk pasteurization in the production of low-lactose milk.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권9호
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• pp.1110-1119
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• 2022

Fe-S clusters are versatile and essential cofactors that participate in multiple and fundamental biological processes. In Escherichia coli, the biogenesis of these cofactors requires either the housekeeping Isc pathway, or the stress-induced Suf pathway which plays a general role under conditions of oxidative stress or iron limitation. In the present work, the Fe-S cluster assembly Isc and Suf systems of acidophilic Bacteria and Archaea, which thrive in highly oxidative environments, were studied. This analysis revealed that acidophilic microorganisms have a complete set of genes encoding for a single system (either Suf or Isc). In acidophilic Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae, a complete set of isc genes (iscRSUAX-hscBA-fdx), but not genes coding for the Suf system, was detected. The activity of the Isc system was studied in Leptospirillum sp. CF-1 (Nitrospirae). RT-PCR experiments showed that eight candidate genes were co-transcribed and conform the isc operon in this strain. Additionally, RT-qPCR assays showed that the expression of the iscS gene was significantly up-regulated in cells exposed to oxidative stress imposed by 260 mM Fe₂(SO₄)₃ for 1 h or iron starvation for 3 h. The activity of cysteine desulfurase (IscS) in CF-1 cell extracts was also upregulated under such conditions. Thus, the Isc system from Leptospirillum sp. CF-1 seems to play an active role in stressful environments. These results contribute to a better understanding of the distribution and role of Fe-S cluster protein biogenesis systems in organisms that thrive in extreme environmental conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제17권11호
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• pp.1751-1757
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• 2007

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) undergo a reversible inverse phase transition upon a change in temperature. This thermally triggered phase transition allows for a simple and rapid means of purifying a fusion protein. Recovery of ELPs-tagged fusion protein was easily achieved by aggregation, triggered either by raising temperature or by adding salt. In this study, levansucrase has been used as a model enzyme in the development of a simple one-step purification method using ELPs. The levansucrase gene cloned from Pseudomonas aurantiaca S-4380 was tagged with various sizes of ELPs to functionally express and optimize the purification of levansucrase. One of two ELPs, ELP[V-20] or ELP[V-40], was fused at the C-terminus of the levansucrase gene. A levansucrase-ELP fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli $DH5{\alpha}$ at $37^{\circ}C$ for 18 h. The molecular masses of levansucrase-ELP[V-20] and levansucrase-ELP[V-40] were determined as 56 kDa and 65 kDa, respectively. The phase transition of levansucrase-ELP[V-20] occurred at $20^{\circ}C$ in 50 mM Tris-Cl (pH 8) buffer with 3 M NaCl added, whereas the phase transition temperature ($T_t$) of levansucrase-ELP[V-40] was $17^{\circ}C$ with 2 M NaCl. Levansucrase was successfully purified using the phase transition characteristics of ELPs, with a recovery yield of higher than 80%, as verified by SDS-PAGE. The specific activity was measured spectrophotometrically to be 173 U/mg and 171 U/mg for levansucrase-ELP[V-20] and levansucrase-ELP[V-40], respectively, implying that the ELP-tagging system provides an efficient one-step separation method for protein purification.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2012년도 정기총회 및 춘계학술발표회
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• pp.8-8
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• 2012

Ginseng have been traditionally used for strengthening immunity, providing nutrition and recovering health from fatigue. Recently, pharmaceutical activities of ginseng roots have been proven by many researches, and ginseng has become a world-famous medicinal plant. Ginseng saponin, ginsenoside, is one of the most important secondary metabolite in ginseng which has various pharmacological activities. Many studies have aimed to convert major ginsenosides to the more active minor ginsenoside Rg3 for consumer demand ginseng product. Microbial strain GS514 strain was isolated from soil around ginseng roots for enzymatic preparation of ginsenoside Rg3, which strain shows strong ability of converting ginsenoside Rb1and Rd into Rg3 in the solution with NaCl. The gene encoding a ${\beta}$-glucosidase from this GS514 was cloned and expressed in the BL21 (DE3) strain of Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of purified was 87.5 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The gene sequence revealed significant homology to the family 3 glycoside hydrolases. The purified single enzyme also catalyzed the conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 into Rg3. This target enzyme will be able to produce as much saponin for consumer demand ginseng product. Anti-apoptotic proteins bind with pro-apoptotic proteins to induce apoptosis mechanism. Over expression of these anti-apoptotic proteins lead to several cancers by preventing apoptosis. Docking simulations were performed for anti-apoptotic proteins with several ginsenosides from Panax ginseng. Our finding shows ginsenosides particularly Rg3, Rh2 and Rf have more binding affinity with apoptotic proteins. Further, these docking system of each ginsenosides can be extended to experimental screen system for further brief confirmations of several diseases.