• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.748-753
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• 2012

A sequence of 10 amino acids at the C-terminus region of methylglyoxal synthase from Escherichia coli (EMGS) provides an arginine, which plays a crucial role in forming a salt bridge with a proximal aspartate residue in the neighboring subunit, consequently transferring the allosteric signal between subunits. In order to verify the role of arginine, the gene encoding MGS from a thermophile species, Thermus sp. GH5 (TMGS) lacking this arginine was cloned with an additional 30 bp sequence at the 3'-end and then expressed in form of a fusion TMGS with a 10 residual segment at the C-terminus ($TMGS^+$). The resulting recombinant enzyme showed a significant increase in cooperativity towards phosphate, reflected by a change in the Hill coefficient (nH) from 1.5 to 1.99. Experiments including site directed mutagenesis for Asp-10 in TMGS and $TMGS^+$, two dimentional structural survey, fluorescence and irreversible thermoinactivation were carried out to confirm this pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.846-853
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• 2011

Glycerol has become an attractive carbon source in the biotechnology industry owing to its low price and reduced state. However, glycerol is rarely used as a carbon source in Saccharomyces cerevisiae because of its low utilization rate. In this study, we used glycerol as a main carbon source in S. cerevisiae to produce 1,2-propanediol. Metabolically engineered S. cerevisiae strains with overexpression of glycerol dissimilation pathway genes, including glycerol kinase (GUT1), glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GUT2), glycerol dehydrogenase (gdh), and a glycerol transporter gene (GUP1), showed increased glycerol utilization and growth rate. More significant improvement of glycerol utilization and growth rate was accomplished by introducing 1,2-propanediol pathway genes, mgs (methylglyoxal synthase) and gldA (glycerol dehydrogenase) from Escherichia coli. By engineering both glycerol dissimilation and 1,2-propanediol pathways, the glycerol utilization and growth rate were improved 141% and 77%, respectively, and a 2.19 g 1,2- propanediol/l titer was achieved in 1% (v/v) glycerolcontaining YEPD medium in engineered S. cerevisiae.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.439-442
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• 2011

1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) is a commodity chemical that is currently produced from petrochemical derivatives. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well characterized and a successful industrial microorganism to enable the improvement of the 1,2-propanediol production by metabolic engineering. A recombinant S. cerevisiae M3G3 was used to produce 1,2-propanediol. S. cerevisiae M3G3 is the diploid strain that contains 3 copies of mgs (methylglyoxal synthase) and gldA (glycerol dehydrogenase). S. cerevisiae M3G3 was cultivated at various culture conditions by changing culture temperature, glucose concentration, and inducer concentration. Also the effect of induction time was studied to optimize the production of 1,2-propanediol. Batch and fed-batch cultivation of S. cerevisiae M3G3 was performed by using a 5 L jar fermenter. The highest concentration of 1,2-propanediol in batch cultivation was 0.86 g/L and it was further improved to 1.33 g/L in fed-batch cultivation.