• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.259-266
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• 1994

The hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Thermococcus profundus Isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent system, produced several amylolytic enzymes such as extracellular amylase and pullulanase, intracellular a-1,4-91ucosidase in respone to the presence of complex carbohydrates In the growth medium. This strain showed high activities on 0.5% maltose than on complex carbohydrates One of the amylases was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Toyopearl chromatography. The amylase exhibited maximal activity at pH 5.5 and 80$^{\circ}C$, and was stable in the range of pH 5.5 to 9.5 and up to 80$^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. The enzyme activity was no dependence on Ca2+ and not inhibited by detergents. The amylase hydrolyzed soluble starch, amylose, amylopectin and glycogen to produce maltose and maltotriose with trace amounts of glucose, but not pullulan and ${\alpha}$-, ${\beta}$-, ${\gamma}$-cyclodextrin. Malto-oligosaccharides ranging from maltotetraose to maltoheptaose were hydrolyzed in an endo fashion.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.123-129
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• 2007

The trehalose $({\alpha}-D-glucopyranosyl-[1,1]-{\alpha}-D-glucopyranose)$ biosynthesis genes MhMTS and MhMTH, encoding a maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (MhMTS) and a maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (MhMTH), respectively, have been cloned from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Metallosphaera hakonesis. The ORF of MhMTS is 2,142 bp long, and encodes 713 amino acid residues constituting a 83.8 kDa protein. MhMTH is 1,677 bp long, and encodes 558 amino acid residues constituting a 63.7 kDa protein. The deduced amino acid sequences of MhMTS and MhMTH contain four regions highly conserved for MTSs and three for MTHs that are known to constitute substrate-binding sites of starch-hydrolyzing enzymes. Recombinant proteins obtained by expressing the MhMTS and MhMTH genes in E. coli catalyzed a sequential reaction converting maltooligosaccharides to produce trehalose. Optimum pH of the MhMTS/MhMTH enzyme reaction was around 5.0 and optimum temperature was around 70 C. Trehalose-producing activity of the MhMTS/ MhMTH was notably stable, retaining 80% of the activity after preincubation of the enzyme mixture at $70^{\circ}C$ for 48 h, but was gradually abolished by incubating at above $85^{\circ}C$. Addition of thermostable $4-{\alpha}-glucanotransferase$ increased the yield of trehalose production from maltopentaose by 10%. The substrate specificity of the MhMTS/MhMTH-catalyzed reaction was extended to soluble starch, the most abundant maltodextrin in nature.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.354-358
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• 1997

Some sulfur coompounds dissimilation characteristcs of Thermococcus sp. DT1331 were studied. DT1331 had ether-like lipid compounds in addition to esters in the cell membrane. The specific growth rates of DT1331 decreased with increasing head spaces of the cultures. However, when the ratio of head space volume to medium volume was 5.60, the strain showed no growth. DT1331 showed vigo- rous growth with 1% or more elemental sulfur addition. Cystine could substitute elemental sulfur and DT1331 showed moderate growth with 0.1% or more cystine concentration. The specific growth rate and maximum cell concentration of Thermococcus sp. DT1331 in the presence of elemental sulfur were 0.80 hr$^{-1}$ and 2.0 x 10$^{8}$ cells/ml, respectively, while they were 0.67 hr$^{-1}$ and 1.1 x 10$^{8}$ cells/ml, respectively in the presence of cystine.