• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 1999

To evaluate the spreading possibilities of the marRAB mutation of E. coli Mar mutant among gram-negative bacilli, chromosomal marRAB mutations of Mar mutants were transduced by $\lambda$placMu9 into pUC19 (Lac$^{+}$, Ap$^{r}$) cloning site in another strains of E. coli or onto the chrmosome of S. typhimurium and P. aeruginosa, selected for transduction by Mar phenotype, Lac$^{-}$, or Ap$^{r}$, and tested for their antimicrobial resistance with or without addition of salicylate (SAL). Compared with wild type strains of JM109, NM522, harboring pUC19 or not, respectively, all strains of JM109 or NM522 carrying pUC19::marRAB mutation showed higher levels of antimicrobial resistance and SAL induction of Mar phenotype than those of wild type. However, in contrast to the original Mar mutants, there were some tendencies of decreased antimicrobial resistance of JM109 or NM522 harboring pUC19::marRAB mutation with SAL induction against chlorarnphenicol (Cm) and tetracycline (Tc), or Tc and ciprofloxacin (Cp), respectively. Almost the same results, as shown as the cases of E. coli JM109 or NM522, were obtained from all transductants of S. typhimurium and P. aeruginosa, except Cp, against which increased antimicrobial resistance with SAL induction was shown. This study, employed the methods of transformation or transduction among intercellular gene transfer methods between gram-negative bacteria, shows the evidences that suggest indirectly the spreading possibilities of marRAB mutation among gram-negative bacilli.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.179-184
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• 2003

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common hereditary neuromuscular disease. It is inherited manifestations. In some rare cases, the disease can also be manifested in females. The aim of the present study was to determine the molecular alteration in two cases of nonrelated DMD symptomatic carriers with no previous history of DMD. Multiplex PCR is commonly used to search for deletion in the DMD gene of affected males. This method could not be used in females because the normal X chromosome masks the deletion of the mutated one. Therefor, we used a set of seven highly polymorphic dinucleotide $(CA)_n$ repeat markers that lie within the human dystrophin gene. The deletions were evidenced by hemizygosity of the loci under study. We localized a deletion in the locus 7A (intron 7) on the maternal X chromosome in one case, and a deletion in the region of introns 49 and 50 on the paternal X chromosome in the other. The use of microsatellite genotyping within the DMD gene enables the detection of the mutant allele in female carriers. It is also a useful method to provide DMD families with more accurate genetic counseling.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.315-324
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• 2007

The novel $\alpha$-amylase purified from locally isolated strain, Bacillus sp. KR-8104, (KRA) (Enzyme Microb Technol; 2005; 36: 666-671) is active in a wide range of pH. The enzyme maximum activity is at pH 4.0 and it retains 90% of activity at pH 3.5. The irreversible thermoinactivation patterns of KRA and the enzyme activity are not changed in the presence and absence of $Ca^{2+}$ and EDTA. Therefore, KRA acts as a $Ca^{2+}$-independent enzyme. Based on circular dichroism (CD) data from thermal unfolding of the enzyme recorded at 222 nm, addition of $Ca^{2+}$ and EDTA similar to its irreversible thermoinactivation, does not influence the thermal denaturation of the enzyme and its Tm. The amino acid sequence of KRA was obtained from the nucleotide sequencing of PCR products of encoding gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme revealed a very high sequence homology to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BAA) (85% identity, 90% similarity) and Bacillus licheniformis $\alpha$-amylases (BLA) (81% identity, 88% similarity). To elucidate and understand these characteristics of the $\alpha$-amylase, a model of 3D structure of KRA was constructed using the crystal structure of the mutant of BLA as the platform and refined with a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation program. Interestingly enough, there is only one amino acid substitution for KRA in comparison with BLA and BAA in the region involved in the calcium-binding sites. On the other hand, there are many amino acid differences between BLA and KRA at the interface of A and B domains and around the metal triad and active site area. These alterations could have a role in stabilizing the native structure of the loop in the active site cleft and maintenance and stabilization of the putative metal triad-binding site. The amino acid differences at the active site cleft and around the catalytic residues might affect their pKa values and consequently shift its pH profile. In addition, the intrinsic fluorescence intensity of the enzyme at 350 nm does not show considerable change at pH 3.5-7.0.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.186-195
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• 2015

Anthranilate synthase (AS) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of tryptophan (Trp), which is the precursor of bioactive metabolites like indole-3-acetic acid and other indole alkaloids. Alpha anthranilate synthase 2 (OsASA2) plays a critical role in the feedback inhibition of tryptophan biosynthesis. In this study, two vectors with single (F124V) and double (S126F/L530D) point mutations of the OsASA2 gene for feedback-insensitive ${\alpha}$ subunit of rice anthranilate synthase were constructed and transformed into wildtype Dongjinbyeo by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic single and double mutant lines were selected as a single copy using TaqMan PCR utilized nos gene probe. To select intergenic lines, the flanking sequence of RB or LB was digested with a BfaI enzyme. Four intergenic lines were selected using a flanking sequence tagged (FST) analysis. Expression in rice (Oryza sativa L.) of the transgenes resulted in the accumulation of tryptophan (Trp), indole-3-acetonitrile (IAN), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in leaves and tryptophan content as a free amino acid in seeds also increased up to 30 times relative to the wildtype. Two homozygous event lines, S-TG1 and D-TG1, were selected for characterization of agronomic traits and metabolite profiling of seeds. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs), related to ion transfer and nutrient supply, were upregulated and DEGs related to co-enzymes that work as functional genes were down regulated. These results suggest that two homozygous event lines may prove effective for the breeding of crops with an increased level of free tryptophan content.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1451-1457
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• 2010

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important mediator of cell-cell signaling in neuronal systems. The serotonin transporter (SERT) on the plasma membrane controls the extracellular 5-HT level by reuptake of released 5-HT from the synaptic cleft, but the underlying regulation mechanism is unclear. Here, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify the specific binding protein(s) that interacts with the carboxyl (C)-terminal region of SERT and found a specific interaction with protein kinase C-$\varepsilon$ (PKC-$\varepsilon$), a PKC isotype that is characterized as a calcium-independent and phorbol ester/diacylglycerol-sensitive serine/threonine kinase. PKC-$\varepsilon$ bound to the tail region of SERT but not to other members of the $Na^+/Cl^-$ dependent SLC6 gene family in the yeast two-hybrid assay. The C-terminal region of PKC-$\varepsilon$ is essential for interaction with SERT. In addition, these proteins showed specific interactions in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay. PKC-$\varepsilon$ phosphorylated the peptide of the SERT amino (N)-terminus in vitro. These results suggest that the phosphorylation of SERT by PKC-$\varepsilon$ may regulate SERT activity in plasma membrane.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.594-602
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• 2016

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 (PaAhpC) is a member of the 2-Cys peroxiredoxin family. Here, we examined the peroxidase and molecular chaperone functions of PaAhpC using a site-directed mutagenesis approach by substitution of Ser and Thr residues with Cys at positions 78 and 105 located between two catalytic cysteines. Substitution of Ser with Cys at position 78 enhanced the chaperone activity of the mutant (S78C-PaAhpC) by approximately 9-fold compared with that of the wild-type protein (WT-PaAhpC). This increased activity may have been associated with the proportionate increase in the high-molecular-weight (HMW) fraction and enhanced hydrophobicity of S78C-PaAhpC. Homology modeling revealed that mutation of $Ser^{78}$ to $Cys^{78}$ resulted in a more compact decameric structure than that observed in WT-PaAhpC and decreased the atomic distance between the two neighboring sulfur atoms of $Cys^{78}$ in the dimer-dimer interface of S78C-PaAhpC, which could be responsible for the enhanced hydrophobic interaction at the dimer-dimer interface. Furthermore, complementation assays showed that S78C-PaAhpC exhibited greatly improved the heat tolerance, resulting in enhanced1 survival under thermal stress. Thus, addition of Cys at position 78 in PaAhpC modulated the functional shifting of this protein from a peroxidase to a chaperone.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.304-312
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• 1996

In the present report, a p[ossibility of the interaction fo Ser-33 and Asp-112 residues in folding of tryptophan synthase $\alpha$ subunit was explored by examining the effect of single or double substitution of these residues on folding of $\alpha$ subunit in E. coli. $\alpha$ subunit of which Ser-33 was substituted with Leu (SL33) was accumulated as insoluble aggregate form, when overproduced in E. coli, whereas $\alpha$ subunit of which Asp-112 was replaced by Asn (DN112) or Gly (DG112) was accumulated as soluble form to the similar extent as wild type $\alpha$ subunit was. When these alterations were combined into one protein, the synergistic effect of residues 33 and 112 on the amount of aggregate form was shown. The amount of doubly altered SL33/DG112 $\alpha$ subunit as aggregate form was increased 5-13 fold that of SL33 $\alpha$ subunit, and the amount of SL33/DG112 $\alpha$ subunit as aggregate form was decreased 3-4 fold that of SL33 $\alpha$ subunit. Aggregates are derived from the specific association of partially folded or unassembled subunits in the folding process. Therefore, this result suggests that residues 33 and 112 of $\alpha$ subunit may unteract during the folding of this enzyme in E. coli.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.868-873
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• 2004

The efficient fermentative production of L-threonine fermentation was achieved by using Escherichia coli MT201, transformed a plasmid carrying pyruvate carboxylase gene. It is an attempt to supply oxaloacetate to the L-threonine biosynthetic pathway. In order to improve the L-threonine productivity of E. coli MT201, a plasmid pPYC which is an expression vector of the pyruvate carboxylase gene of Coryne-bacterium glutamicum, was introduced. When E. coli MT/pPYC was incubated with medium containing only glucose as a carbon source, both the cell growth and L-threonine production were reduced, compared to the results from fermentation of E. coli MT201. In order to circumvent this effect, we attempted the addition of a mixed carbon source, composed of glucose and sodium citrate at a ratio of 1.5:3.5. It was shown that L-threonine production and cell growth (OD660) with E. coli MT/pPYC reached up to 75.7 g/l and 48, respectively, at incubation for 75 hr under fed-batch fermentation conditions. It is assumed that overproduction of L-threonine by anaplerotic pathway leads unbalance of TCA cycle and sodium citrate might playa role to recover normal TCA cycle.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1606-1611
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• 2008

Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) expressed in the Gram negative bacteria such as Salmonella play multiple functions including material transports, adhesive factors and reception of external signals. This study has been focused on an OmpW protein known as a protein required to form a hydrophobic porin in outer membrane. We have constructed a S. typhimurium CK10 mutant deleting an ompW gene on chromosome. The CK10 strain was more tolerant to SDS than the wild-type strain did. As increase of salt concentration in the culture media, significantly decreased amount of OmpW protein in cells were detected. The maximum OmpW protein was expressed in the absence of salt supplement. However, the growth of CK10 strain was indistinguishable compared to that of the wild-type strain at the variable osmotic conditions. The biological role of differential OmpW expression in response to osmotic conditions remains to be investigated.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.707-711
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• 2006

Phase 2 enzymes are transcriptionally induced by a wide variety of chemical agents and natural products, and their induction plays a critical role in protection against chemical carcinogens and other toxic xenobiotics. The activity of the methanol extract and fractions of paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) was examined in murine Hepa1c1c7 cells for the induction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) NAD(P)H/quinone reductase (QR). The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction induced QR activity in a dose-dependent manner in the concentration range of 10 to $500\;{\mu}g/mL$ with a maximum of a 3.3-fold increase in induction. The EtOAc fraction also showed high QR induction potency in Ah-receptor-defective mutant of Hepa 1c1c7 cells ($BP^rcl$ cells), which indicates that this fraction is a monofunctional inducer of QR. These results suggest that useful cancer chemopreventive materials could be isolated from EtOAc fraction of Paprika.