• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.360-363
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• 2010

To enhance the expression and secretion of pediocin PA-1 from heterologous bacterial hosts, the promoter and deduced signal sequence (PS) of an $\alpha$-amylase gene from a Bifidobacterium adolescentis strain was fused with pediocin PA-1 structural and immunity genes (AB) and the resulting functions were evaluated in Escherichia coli. Two recombinant PCR products were created-one with just the deduced signal sequence and one with the sequence plus the Ser and Thr sequences that are the next two amino acids of the signal sequence. These two products, the PSAB (---AQA::KYY---) and PSABST (---AQA$\underline{ST}$::KYY---), respectively, were inserted into a TA cloning vector (yT&A) and named pPSAB, which was previously reported, and pPSABST. The two recombinant plasmid DNAs were transferred into E. coli JM109 and the transformants displayed antimicrobial activity, where the activity of E. coli JM109 (pPSAB) was stronger than that of E. coli JM109 (pPSABST), indicating that the ST amino acid residues were not necessary for secretion and might have even decreased the antimicrobial activity of recombinant pediocin PA-1.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

The advantages of replicon vectors of RNA viruses include a high ability to stimulate innate immunity and exponential amplification of target mRNA leading to high expression of foreign antigens. The present study aimed to construct a DNA-layered nervous necrosis virus (NNV) replicon vector system in which the capsid protein gene was replaced with a foreign antigen gene and to compare the efficiency of foreign antigen expression between the conventional DNA vaccine vector and the present replicon vector. We presented the first report of a nodavirus DNA replicon-based foreign antigen expression system. Instead of a two-vector system, we devised a one-vector system containing both an NNV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase cassette and a foreign antigen-expressing cassette. This single-vector approach circumvents the issue of low foreign protein expression associated with the low co-transfection efficiency of a two-vector system. Cells transfected with a vector harboring hammerhead ribozyme-fused RNA1 and RNA2 (with the capsid gene ORF replaced with VHSV glycoprotein ORF) exhibited significantly higher transcription of the VHSV glycoprotein gene compared to cells transfected with either a vector without hammerhead ribozyme or a conventional DNA vaccine vector expressing the VHSV glycoprotein. Furthermore, the transcription level of the VHSV glycoprotein in cells transfected with a vector harboring hammerhead ribozyme-fused RNA1 and RNA2 showed a significant increase over time. These results suggest that NNV genome-based DNA replicon vectors have the potential to induce stronger and longer expression of target antigens compared to conventional DNA vaccine vectors.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2011

The dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREB1)/C-repeat (CRT) binding factors (CBF) function as transcription factors and play an important role in agricultural biotechnology and molecular biology studies of drought and freezing stress tolerance. We generated transgenic Lolium perenne plants containing the PCR-cloned Arabidopsis DREB1A/CBF3 gene (AtDREB1A/CBF3) to study the function of this gene construct in drought and freezing tolerance in a species of turfgrass. Compared to the control, AtDREB1A/CBF3 transgenic L. perenne plants showed enhanced drought and freezing stress tolerance. The activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were higher in transgenic plants than in the non-transgenic plant control. These results demonstrate that the expression of the AtDREB1A/CBF3 gene in transgenic L. perenne plants enhanced drought and freezing tolerance and that the increased stress tolerance was associated with the increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. These results are relevant to stress biology and biotechnology studies of turfgrass.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1751-1757
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• 2004

Recombinant heterologous proteins can be produced as insoluble aggregates partially or perfectly inactive in Escherichia coli. One of the strateges to improve the solubility of recombinant proteins is fusion with a partner that is excellent in producing soluble fusion proteins. To improve the production of soluble $\beta$-galactosidase, the gene of Thermus thermophilus KNOUC112 $\beta$-galactosidase (KNOUC112 $\beta$-gal) was fused with thioredoxin gene, and optimization of its expression in E. coli TOP10 was performed. KNOUC112 $\beta$-gal in pET-5b was isolated out, fused with thioredoxin gene in pThioHis C, and transformed to E. coli TOP10. The $\beta$-galactosidase fused with thioredoxin was produced in E. coli TOP10 as dimer and trimer. The productivity of fusion $\beta$ -galactosidase expressed via pThioHis C at 37$^{\circ}C$ was about 5 times higher than that of unfused $\beta$-galactosidase expressed via pET-5b at 37$^{\circ}C$. Inclusion body of $\beta$-galactosidase was formed highly, regardless of the induction by IPTG when KNOUC112 $\beta$ -gal was expressed via pET-5b at 37$^{\circ}C$. Fusion $\beta$ -galactosidase expressed at 37$^{\circ}C$ via pThioHis C without the induction by IPTG was soluble, but the induction by IPTG promoted the formation of inclusion body. Lowering the incubation temperature for the expression of fusion gene under 25$^{\circ}C$ prevented the formation of inclusion body, optimally at 25$^{\circ}C$. 0.07 mM of IPTG was sufficient for the soluble expression of fusion gene at 25$^{\circ}C$. The soluble production of Thermus thermophilus KNOUC112 $\beta$-galactosidase could be increased about 10 times by fusion with thioredoxin, and optimization of incubation temperature and IPTG concentration for induction.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.319-329
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• 2010

Bifidobacteria comprises up to 25% of the cultivable fecal bacteria in adults and 80% in infants. Many in vivo and clinical research results supporting its efficacy in the prevention and improvement of gastrointestinal health have been accumulated. As a consequence, expert committee WHO/FAO expert committee recommended Bifidobacterium as representative probiotics together with Lactobacillus acidophilus. In this review, research trends in bifidobacteria concerning the classification and identification of the genus Bifidobacterium, modulation of intestinal microflora, improvement of constipation, prevention of diarrhea, alleviation of atopy and allergy, barrier function through antimicrobial activity andimmune enhancement of the host will be introduced. Several gene expression systems based on bifidobacterial plasmids have been developed and successfully used to express several heterologous genes including anticancer proteins in Bifidogacterium. In animal test, bifidobacteria was proven to be a promising candidate for safe gene delivery system which can specifically colonize in the solid tumor.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.185-192
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• 2014

Recombinant proteins can be generated quickly and easily in large amounts and at low-cost in silkworm larvae by using Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV). We searched for high-permissive silkworm strains that have high production levels of heterologous proteins and are thus suitable for use as biofactories. In this study, we performed the analysis using a BmNPV vector expressing luciferase as a marker, and we confirmed protein expression by evaluating luciferase activity, determined by western blotting and luciferase ELISA, and confirmed transcription expression by semi- and quantitative real time PCR. For the selection of host silkworm strains, we first chose 52 domestic BmNPV sensitive strains and then identified 10 high-permissive and 5 low-permissive strains. In addition, to determine which hybrid of the high-permissive strains would show heterosis, nine strains derived through three-way crossing were tested for luciferase activity by western blotting, and luciferase ELISA. We found a correlation between luciferase activity and luciferase protein expression, but not transcription. There was no noticeable difference in protein expression levels between Jam313 as the high-permissive control strain and the three-way hybrid strains; however, the three-way cross strains showed lower luciferase activity compared with Jam313. In this study, luciferase protein production in the larvae of 52 domestic silkworm strains was elucidated using BmNPV.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 1999

Genetic determinant for the secondary metabolism was studied in heterologous expression in Streptomyces lividans TK-24 using Streptomyces griseus ATCC 10137 as a donor strain. Chromosomal DNA of S. griseus was ligated into the high-copy number Streptomyces shuttle plasmid, pWHM3, and introduced into S. lividans TK-24. A plasmid clone with 4.3-kb BamHI DNA of S. griseus (pMJJ201) was isolated by detecting for stimulatory effect on actinorhodin production by visual inspection. The 4.3-kb BamHI DNA was cloned into pWHM3 under the control of the strong constitutive ermEp promoter in both directions (pMJJ202); ermEp promoter-mediated transcription for coding sequence reading right to left: pMJJ203; ermEp promoter-mediated transcription for coding sequence reading left to right) and reintroduced into S. lividans TK-24. The production of actinorhodin was markedly stimulated due to introduction of pMJJ202 on regeneration agar. The introduction of pMJJ202 also stimulated production of actinorhodin and undecylproidigiosin in submerged culture employing the actinorhodin production medium. Introduction of pMJJ203 resulted in a marked decrease of production of the two pigments. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 4.3-kb region revealed three coding sequences: two coding sequences reading left to right, ORF1 and ORF2, one coding sequence reading right to left, ORF3. Therefore, it was suggested that the ORF3 product was responsible for the stimulation of antibiotic production. The C-terminal region of ORF3 product showed a local alignment with Myb-related transcriptional factors, which implicated that the ORF3 product might be a novel DNA-binding protein related to the regulation of secondary metabolism in Streptomyces.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.730-735
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• 2012

p13 gene was first described in Leucania separata multinuclear polyhedrosis virus (Ls-p13) several years ago, but the function of P13 protein has not been experimentally investigated to date. In this article, we indicated that the expression of p13 from Heliothis armigera single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (Ha-p13) was regulated by both early and late promoter. Luciferase assay demonstrated that the activity of Ha-p13 promoter with hr4 enhancer was more than 100 times in heterologous Sf9 cells than that in nature host Hz-AM1 cells. Both Ls-P13 and Ha-P13 are transmembrane proteins. Confocal microscopic analysis showed that both mainly located in the cytoplasm membrane at 48 h. Results of RNA interference indicated that Ha-p13 was a killing-associated gene for host insects H. armigera. The AcMNPV acquired the mentioned killing activity and markedly accelerate the killing rate when expressing Ls-p13. In conclusion, p13 is a killing associated gene in both homologous and heterologous nucleopolyhedrovirus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.330-336
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• 2005

Lactococcus lactis A164 is a nisin Z-producing strain isolated from kimchi. Its antimicrobial spectrum has been found to be active against most Gram-positive bacteria tested, yet inactive against Gram-negative bacteria [3]. Accordingly, to overcome this drawback, the current study attempted to express human $\beta$-defensin-l (hBD-l), which kills both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in L. lactis AI64. When the hBD-l cDNA was introduced using a nisin Z-controlled expression cassette, the L. lactis A164 transformants grew very poorly, due to the bactericidal effect of the expressed hBD-l against the transformants. Therefore, a gene fusion system was designed to reduce the toxicity of the expressed heterologous protein against the host cells. As such, the hBD-l gene was fused to the DsbC- Tag of pET -40b(+), then introduced to L. lactis A 164. The transformants expressed an intracellular 35.6-kDa DsbC-hBD-l fusion protein that exhibited slight activity against the host cells, yet not enough to strongly inhibit the cell growth. To obtain the recombinant hBD-l, the DsbC-hBD-l fusion protein was purified by nickel-affinity column chromatography, and the DsbC-Tag removed by cleaving with enterokinase. The cleaved mature hBD-l exhibited strong bactericidal activity against E. coli JM109, indicating that the recombinant L. lactis A 164 produced a biologically active hBD-I. In addition, the recombinant L. lactis A 164 was also found to produce the same level of nisin Z as the wild-type.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1018-1023
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• 2007

Bacillus subtilis CH3-5 was isolated from cheonggukjang prepared according to traditional methods. CH3-5 secreted at least four different fibrinolytic proteases (63, 47, 29, and 20 kDa) into the culture medium. A fibrinolytic enzyme gene, aprE2, encoding a 29kDa enzyme was cloned from the genomic DNA of CH3-5, and the DNA sequence determined. aprE2 was overexpressed in heterologous B. subtilis strains deficient in extracellular proteases using a E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector. A 29 kDa AprE2 band was observed and AprE2 seemed to exhibit higher activities towards fibrin rather than casein.