• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.323-331
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• 2021

Lincomycin is a lincosamide antibiotic isolated from the actinomycete Streptomyces lincolnensis. Moreover, it has been found to be effective against infections caused by Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Bacteroides fragillis. To identify the melanin-inducing properties of lincomycin, we used B16F10 melanoma cells in this study. The melanin content and intracellular tyrosinase activity in the cells were increased by lincomycin, without any cytotoxicity. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein expressions of tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein 1 (TRP1) and TRP2 increased after lincomycin treatment. In addition, lincomycin enhanced the expression of master transcription regulator of melanogenesis, a microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). Lincomycin also increased the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and decreased the AKT phosphorylation. Moreover, the activation of tyrosinase activity by lincomycin was inhibited by the treatment with SB203580, which is p38 inhibitor. Furthermore, we also found that lincomycin-induced tyrosinase expression was reduced by H-89, a specific protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor. These results indicate that lincomycin stimulate melanogenesis via MITF activation via p38 MAPK, AKT, and PKA signal pathways. Thus, lincomycin can potentially be used for treatment of hypopigmentation disorders.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.693-699
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• 2001

An intracellular levansucrase gene, lscR from Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 15552, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this gene revealed a 1,238 bp open reading frame coding for a protein of 415 amino acids. The levansucrase was expressed by using a T7 promoter in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the enzyme activity was detected in the cytoplasmic fraction. The optimum pH and temperature of this enzyme for levan formation was pH 6 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence of the lscR gene showed a high sequence similarity (59-89%) with Gram-negative levansucrses, while the level of similarity with Gram-positive enzymes was less than 42%. Multiple alignments of levansucrase sequences reported from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria revealed seven conserved regions. A comparison of the catalytic properties and deduced amino acid sequence of lscR with those of other bacterial levansucrases strongly suggest that Gram-negative and Gram-positive levansucrases have an overall different structure, but they have a similar structure at the active site.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.210-213
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• 1999

In Serratia marcescens, acetolactate produced by the catabolic acetolactate synthase (ALS) is converted into acetoin, its physiological role of which is to maintain intracellular pH homeostasis. In this study, the expression mode of catabolic ALS by aeration and branched-chain amino acids was examined by the ELISA method. The amount of catabolic ALS decreased approximately 93% under aerobic conditions. We also showed that the expression of catabolic ALS decreased approximately 34 % and 65 % in the presence of 2.5 mM and 10 mM leucine, respectively. The repression of catabolic ALS by leucine has not been reported previously. In contrast to leucine, catabolic ALS levels increased approximately 13% and 38% by treatment with 2.5 mM and 10 mM isoleucine, respectively, while valine alone did not have any significant effect on the synthesis of catabolic ALS. The amount of catabolic ALS was also reduced to approximately 32% and 45% in the presence of 10 mM Leu+Ile and Leu+Ile+Val, respectively. The regulatory mode of the Serratia catabolic ALS suggests that catabolic ALS may also have a role in supplying acetolactate as an intermediate of valine and leucine biosynthesis in addition to the maintenance of internal pH.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2017

Although green algae of the genus Closterium are considered ideal models for testing toxicity in aquatic ecosystems, little data about the effects of toxicity on these algal species is currently available. Here, Closterium ehrenbergii was used to assess the acute toxicity of copper (Cu). The median effective concentration ($EC_{50}$) of copper sulfate based on a dose response curve was $0.202mg\;L^{-1}$, and reductions in photosynthetic efficiency ($F_v/F_m$ ratio) of cells were observed in cultures exposed to Cu for 6 h, with efficiency significantly reduced after 48 h (p < 0.01). In addition, production of reactive oxygen species significantly increased over time (p < 0.01), leading to damage to intracellular organelles. Our results indicate that Cu induces oxidative stress in cellular metabolic processes and causes severe physiological damage within C. ehrenbergii cells, and even cell death; moreover, they clearly suggest that C. ehrenbergii represents a potentially powerful test model for use in aquatic toxicity assessments.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.417-422
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• 1990

For optimal production of fructosyl transferase in AureobasidiumpuZZulane C-23, the effect of fermentation conditions for cell growth and fructosyl transferase production were investigated. Sucrose was excellent carbon source. Sucrose concentration for the optimum production of fructosyl transferase was 35%. Enzyme productivity was significantly increased by addition of ammonium oxalate and yeast extract. A time course study for the enzyme production by Aureobasidium pullutans C-23 was carried out. At 2 days incubation, the production of intracellular enzyme was maximum. The extracellular enzyme production was found to be increased up to 6 days.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.271-275
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• 1999

The intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Staphylococcus sciuri was isolated to homogeneity by continuous steps, including ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and phenyl hydrophobic gel chromatography. Pure SOD had a specific activity of 4,625 U/mg and was purified 158-fold with a yield of 31 % from a cell free extract. The molecular weight of the purified SOD was determined to be approximately 35.5 kDa by gel filtration and the enzyme was also shown to be composed of dimeric subunits on denaturing SDS-PAGE. The enzyme activity remained stable at pH 5 to 11 and also to heat treatment of up to $50^{\circ}C$ at pH 7.8, with 80% relative activity. The enzyme was insensitive to cyanide, hydrogen peroxide, and azide, indicating that it is a manganese-containing SOD. The EPR spectrum showed the enzyme containing manganese as a cofactor.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2010

A bacterial strain with phytase and glucose-1-phosphatase activity was isolated from seawater. The colony was identified as an Enterobacter cloacae strain and named E. cloacae B11. A gene, agpEnB11, coding for an intracellular acid glucose phosphatase was cloned from the strain and sequenced. It comprised 1,242 nucleotides and encoded a polypeptide of 413 amino acids. Recombinant glucose-1-phosphatase (AgpEn) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified using Ni-NTA column under native conditions. Purified protein displayed a single band of 47 kDa on SDS-PAGE. AgpEn hydrolyzed a wide variety of phosphorylated compounds, with high activity for glucose-1-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate. Optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were pH 5.0 and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. Enzyme activity was stimulated by $Ca^{2+}$ and $Co^{2+}$, and inhibited by $Cu^{2+}$.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1761-1769
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• 2018

Enzyme-assisted extraction is a cost-effective, safe, and efficient method to obtain bioactives from plant materials. During this study, 10 different marine algae from Sri Lanka were individually extracted by using five commercial food-grade carbohydrases. The enzymatic and water extracts of the seaweeds were analyzed for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The highest DPPH, hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and intracellular $H_2O_2$ scavenging abilities were observed from the Celluclast extract of Sargassum polycystum (CSp). CSp exerted protective effects against oxidative stress-induced cell death in hydrogen peroxide-induced Chang cells and in model zebrafish. The Celluclast extract of Chnoospora minima (CCm) showed the strongest anti-inflammatory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages ($IC_{50}=44.47{\mu}g/mL$) and in model zebrafish. CCm inhibited the levels of iNOS, COX-2, $PGE_2$, and TNF-${\alpha}$ in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Hence, CSp and CCm could be utilized in developing functional ingredients for foods, and cosmeceuticals.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.197-208
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• 1996

Endosomes lower their internal pH by an ATP-driven proton pump, which is critical to dissociation of many receptor-ligand complexes, the first step in the intracellular sorting of internalized receptors and ligands. Endosomes are known to exhibit n great range of pH values that can vary between 5.0 and 7.0 within a single cell although the factors that regulate endosomal pH remain uncertain. To evaluate the morphological and topological differences of endosomes in the different stages, confocal microscopy was used. The early endosomes labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran for 10 min at $37^{\circ}C$ were identifiable at the peripheral and tubule-vesicular endosome compartment. In contrast, the late endosomes formed by 10 min pulse and 20 min trace were located deeper in the cytoplasm and showed more vesicular features than early endosomes. For the purpose of determining whether ATP-dependent acidification was heterogeneous and whether the differences in acidification were attributed to differences in the activity of $Na^{+}-K^{+}$-ATPase and/or $Cl^{-}$ channel, endocytic compartments were fractionated into subpopulation using percoll gradient and measured ATP-dependent acidification. While all fractions exhibited ATP-dependent acidification activity, both the initial rate of acidification and extent of proton translocation were lower in early endosomes and gradually increased in late endosomes. Phosphorylation by PKA and ATP enhanced ATP-dependent acidification in both early and late endosomes, hut there was no difference in the degree of enhancement by phosphorylation between two subpopulations. When ATP-dependent acidification was determined in the presence or absence of vanadate ($Na_{3}VO_{4}$) or ouabain, only early endosomes exhibited the vanadate or ouabain dependent stimulation of acidification activity, suggesting the inhibition of $Na^{+}-K^{+}$-ATPase. Therefore, it seems probable that the inhibition of early endosome acidification by $Na^{+}-K^{+}$-ATPase observed in vitro at least in part plays a physiological role in controlling the acidification of early endosomes in vivo.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.221-227
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• 2006

BSCX1 was an antimicrobial peptide produced by Bacillus subtilis cx1. Attempts were made to determine the location of inducing factor in the bacteriocin-sensitive cell affecting bacteriocin BSCX1 production. Mixed culture of the bacteriocin producer strain B. subtilis cx1 and its sensitive strain B. subtilis ATCC6633, increased production of bacteriocin BSCX1. The result suggested the presence of a bacteriocin inducing factor in the sensitive strain. The inducing factor was localized in the cell debris and intracellular fraction of B. subtilis ATCC6633. Bacteriocin BSCX1 inducing factor was found to be highly stable in the pH range 2.5-9.5, but inactivated within 3h over $50^{\circ}C$, and treatment with proteinase K destroyed its inducing activity, this result suggested that the inducing factor should be a proteinaceous nature.