• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.8
• /
• pp.1179-1184
• /
• 2010

We report the generation of the first monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to the polysaccharide chitosan. Mice were immunized with a mixture of chitosans, and hybridoma clones were screened for specific binders, resulting in the isolation of a single clone secreting a chitosan-specific IgM, mAbG7. In ELISAs, the antibody could bind to chitosans of varying composition, but demonstrated the highest affinity for chitosans with lower degrees of acetylation (DA) and very poor binding to chitin. We tested the ability of the antibody to bind to chitosan in situ, using preparations of fungal cell walls. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed that the antibody bound strongly to the cell walls of fungi with high levels of chitosan, whereas poor staining was observed in those species with cell walls of predominantly chitin or cellulose. The potential use of this antibody for the detection of fungal contamination and the protection of plants against fungal pathogens is discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.411-416
• /
• 2002

Bacillus macerans cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) was expressed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by fusing with Aga2p linked to the membrane-anchored protein, Aga1p. The surface display of CGTase was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy and its enzymatic ability to form ${\alpha}$-cyclodextrin from starch. The maximum surface-display of CGTase was obtained by growing recombinant S. cerevisiae at $20^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.0. S. cerevisiae cells displaying CGTase on their surface consumed glucose and maltose, inhibitory byproducts of the CGTase reaction, to enhance the purity of produced cyclodextrins. Accordingly, the experimental results described herein suggest a possibility of using the recombinant S.cerevisiae anchored with bacterial CGTase on the cell surface as a whole-cell biocatalyst for the production of cyclodextrin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.328-333
• /
• 2008

A series of pep tides binding to the HCV NS5B polymerase was selected from phage display peptide libraries. A conserved motif of Ser-Arg-X-Arg/Leu was identified among the selected peptides, and Pep2 (Trp-Ser-Arg-Pro-Arg-Ser-Leu) was chosen for further characterization. The binding of Pep2 to HCV NS5B in vivo was shown by a yeast two-hybrid assay and by subcellular colocalization analysis using immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The in vitro interaction was also confirmed by GST pulldown assay. The replication of the HCV 1b subgenomic replicon was efficiently inhibited by the presence of the peptide. By using a subtractive biopanning against Pep2, the binding site of the peptide was mapped at the pocket of Pro388 to Pro391 in the thumb subdomain of the polymerase. A yeast two-hybrid analysis using Pro388Ala and Pro391Ala mutants of NS5B confirmed the binding.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.7
• /
• pp.1267-1277
• /
• 2016

Currently, enzymatic synthesis of lactulose, a synthetic prebiotic disaccharide, is commonly performed with glycosyl hydrolases. In this work, a new type of lactulose-producing biocatalyst was developed by displaying β-galactosidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus IAM11001 (Bs-β-Gal) on the surface of Bacillus subtilis 168 spores. Localization of β-Gal on the spore surface as a fusion to CotX was verified by western blot analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry. The optimum pH and temperature for the resulting spore-displayed β-Gal was 6.0 and 75℃, respectively. Under optimal conditions, it showed maximum activity of 0.42 U/mg spores (dry weight). Moreover, the spore-displayed CotX-β-Gal was employed as a whole cell biocatalyst to produce lactulose, yielding 8.8 g/l from 200 g/l lactose and 100 g/l fructose. Reusability tests showed that the spore-displayed CotX-β-Gal retained around 30.3% of its initial activity after eight successive conversion cycles. These results suggest that the CotX-mediated spore-displayed β-Gal may provide a promising strategy for lactulose production.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.127-132
• /
• 2019

Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) is a novel tumor suppressor that function in the nucleus and the cytoplasm and appears to be involved in the regulation of transcription and translation. Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic foci at which untranslated mRNAs accumulate when cells exposed to environmental stresses. Since PDCD4 has implicated in translation repression through direct interaction with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), we here investigated if PDCD4 has a functional role in the process of SG assembly under oxidative stresses. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, we found that PDCD4 is localized to SGs under oxidative stresses. Next, we tested if knockdown of PDCD4 has an effect on the assembly of SG using PDCD4-specific siRNA. Interestingly, SG assembly was accelerated and this effect was caused by sensitization of phosphorylation of eIF2α and dephosphorylation of eIF4E binding protein (4E-BP). These results suggest that PDCD4 has an effect on SG dynamics and possibly involved in cap-dependent translation repression under stress conditions.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.805-813
• /
• 1994

Immunohistochemical study on the intestinal tissues obtained from the 21 pigs of the 14 terms in Korea in which the clinical and epidemiological features had indicated the possible outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED) was performed using the indirect immunofluorescence test and/or the immunoperoxidase method in order to detect PED viral antigens in the infected cells of the intestines, and histopathological features were described as well. By immunohistochemical analysis, PED viral antigens were detected in the epithelial cells covering the small intestinal villi and recognized slightly in the cells lining the colonic surface epithelium as well. Occasional fluorescence was also seen in a few intestinal crypt epithelium. On light microscopy, the piglets with PED showed marked villous atrophy and fusion, and severe enterocyte degeneration and desquamation. On the other hand, the older pigs more than 4 week old age was mild villous atrophy and fusion, severe villous epithelial cell proliferation, and moderate mononuclear cell infiltration.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.58 no.2
• /
• pp.280-285
• /
• 2020

We have developed a constitutive display system of the Pseudomonas fluorescens SIK W1 TliA lipase on the cell surface of Escherichia coli using E. coli outer membrane protein C (OmpC) as an anchoring motif, which is an economical compared to induced system. For the constitutive expression of truncated OmpC-TliA fusion proteins, gntT104 promoter was employed. Cell growth was not affected by over expression of fusion protein during entire culture time, suggesting cell lysis was not a problem. The localization of truncated OmpC-TliA fusion protein on the cell surface was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy and measuring whole cell lipase activity. Constitutively displayed lipase was very stable, retaining activity enantioselectivity throughout the five repeated reactions. These results suggest that OmpC from E. coli be a useful anchoring motif for displaying enzymes on the cell surface without any inducers, and this stable surface display system can be employed for a broad range of biotechnological applications.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.89-96
• /
• 2003

Among the panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against Toxoplasma gondii, mAb of Tg621 (Tg621) clone blotted 38 kDa protein which localized in the cytoplasm of tachyzoites by immunofluorescence microscopy The protein was not released into the parasitophorous vacuole during or after invasion. The cDNA fragment encoding the protein was obtained by screening a T. gondii cDNA expression library with Tg621. The full length cDNA sequence was completed with 5’-RACE as 1,592 bp, which contained open reading frame of 942 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of Tg621 consisted of a polypeptide of 313 amino acids, with significant homology to ribosomal P proteins (RPP) of other organisms especially high to those of apicomplexan species. The expressed and purified TgRPP was assayed in western blot with the sera of toxoplasmosis patients and normal sera, which resulted in the 74.0% of positive reactions in toxoplasmosis patients whereas 8.3% in normal group. Therefore, the antibody formation against TgRPP in toxoplasmosis patients was regarded as specific for T. gondii infection and suggested a potential autoantibody.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 1995.04a
• /
• pp.72-72
• /
• 1995

Monoclonal antibodies against bovine brain succinic semialdehyde reductase were produced and characterized. A total of nine monoclonal antibodies recognizing different epitopes of the enzyme were obtained, of which two inhibited the enzyme activity and three stained cytosol of rat spinal cord neurons as observed by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. When unfractionated total proteins of bovine brain homogenate were seperated by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted, the antibodies specifically recognized a single protein band of 34 kDa, which comigrates with purified bovine succinic semialdehyde reducatase Using the antisuccinic semialdehyde reductase antibodies as probes, we investigated the cross-reactivites of brain succinic semialdehyde reductases from some mammalian and an avian species. The immunoreactive bands on Western blots appeared to be the same in molecular mass-34 kDa-in all animal species tested, including humans. The result indicated that brain succinic semialdehyde reductase is distinct from other aldehyde reductases and that mammalian brains contain only one succinic semialdehyde reductase. Moreover, the enzymes among the species are imunologically very similar, although some properties of the enzymes reported previously were different from one another.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.71-80
• /
• 1996

The envelope of the rnannnalian oocyte plays crucial roles in sperm-oocyte interactions by providing sperm receptors, inducing acrosome reaction and preventing polyspermy. Understanding of properties of the zona pellucida (ZP) is essential for the artificial control of fertility in mammals. This study was carried out to produce and characterize monoclonal antibodies(MAbs) to porcine ZP proteins. Approximately 8,000 ZPs were obtained from follicular oocytes and dissolved in 40$\mu$l of double distilled water. Following immunization through foot-pad injections of Balb /c mice with a ZP solution, the popliteal lymph nodes were recovered at 2 weeks after the last injection. Hybridoma cell lines were established by fusing lymph node cells with P3X63 myeloma cells through selection using HAT medium and screening by immunofluorescence(IF) microscopy on the isolated ZP. Secreted MAbs were found to consist k chains and different heavy chains as evidenced by isotyping. Some of the MAbs demonstrated high specificity to the ZP in IF. The Mabs also showed positive cross reactivity with hamster and mouse eggs, while negative with bovine eggs. The results implicate that the MAbs can be used not only for identification of functional regions of the ZP, but also for elucidation of mechanisms involved in fertilization of mammals. The MAbs will provide basic information on biochemical anatomy of the ZP as well as can be candidates for the future contraceptive vaccines.