• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.138-142
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• 1995

An anticoagulant/fibrinolytic protease was purified to homogeneity from the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. The protein was a single chain glycoprotein of 32 kDa that exhibited strong proteolytic activity on human thrombin and fibrin clots. Proteolytic degradation of these plasma proteins by the purified enzyme occurred at a neutral pH range. Among several human plasma proteins tested as possible substrates for the protease reaction, the 32 kDa enzyme specifically hydrolyzed both thrombin and fibrin polymers without affecting other proteins, such as serum albumin, immunoglobulin, and hemoglobin. Treatment of the purified enzyme at neutral pH with either phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride or soybean trypsin inhibitor resulted in a loss of catalytic activity. The enzyme hydrolyzed the chromogenic substrate H-D-Phe-L-Pipecolyl-L-Arg-p-nitroanilide with a $K_m$ value of 1.1 ${\mu}M$ at a neutral pH. These results suggest that the anticoagulant/fibrinolytic enzyme from Lumbricus rubellus is a member of the serine protease family having a trypsin-like active site, and one of the potential clevage sites for the enzyme is the carbonyl side of arginine residues in polypeptide chains.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.49-49
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• 1976

Enzyme activities, such as glucoamylase dextrinogenic amylase, cellulase, acid protase and neutral protease, of Rhizopus isolated from various substrates collected throughout South Korea are measured, and their enzyme activities are surveyed from taxonomical, ecological and physiological viewpoint. Effect of carbon sources and phytohormones on the amylalse production of Rhizopus are also measured. Among the 735 strains of Phizopus isolated, strain number 587 exhibiting most prominent dextrinogenic amylase and netral protease activity is selected as the best strain, and the strain number 673, 108, 329, 165 and 728 are seleted for their predominant cellulase, acid protease, glucoamylase, dextrinogenic amylase and neutral protease activities, respectively. R.acidus and R.nigricans which exhibited relatively higher callulalse activity, showed lower activities for both amylase. R.tritici exhibited higher protease activity. The relations between activities and various substrates of wild strains are not outstnading difference, although the strains isolated from inland region exhibited more or less higher amylase and cellulase activities, than those of coast region, generally. Lactose and dextrin are most effective carbon sources for glucoamylase and dextrinogenic amylase production of the Rhizopus niveus, respectively. Although all phytohormones tested are effective for production of amylase by the Rhizopus strains, except nicotinamide for glucoamylase production, biotin and ascorbate are most effective for dextrinogenic amylase and glucoamylase production, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.47-56
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• 1976

Enzyme activities, such as glucoamylase dextrinogenic amylase, cellulase, acid protase and neutral protease, of Rhizopus isolated from various substrates collected throughout South Korea are measured, and their enzyme activities are surveyed from taxonomical, ecological and physiological viewpoint. Effect of carbon sources and phytohormones on the amylalse production of Rhizopus are also measured. Among the 735 strains of Phizopus isolated, strain number 587 exhibiting most prominent dextrinogenic amylase and netral protease activity is selected as the best strain, and the strain number 673, 108, 329, 165 and 728 are seleted for their predominant cellulase, acid protease, glucoamylase, dextrinogenic amylase and neutral protease activities, respectively. R.acidus and R.nigricans which exhibited relatively higher callulalse activity, showed lower activities for both amylase. R.tritici exhibited higher protease activity. The relations between activities and various substrates of wild strains are not outstnading difference, although the strains isolated from inland region exhibited more or less higher amylase and cellulase activities, than those of coast region, generally. Lactose and dextrin are most effective carbon sources for glucoamylase and dextrinogenic amylase production of the Rhizopus niveus, respectively. Although all phytohormones tested are effective for production of amylase by the Rhizopus strains, except nicotinamide for glucoamylase production, biotin and ascorbate are most effective for dextrinogenic amylase and glucoamylase production, respectively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 1989

The proteases of Toxoplasma gcndii were purified partially and characterisrd for some biochemical properties including various chromatographic patterns, major catalytic classes, and conditions to promote the activity of these enzymes. When Toxoplasma extract was incubated with 3H-casein at various pH, peak hydrolysis of casein was observed at pH 6.0 and at pH 8.5. Proteasfs working at pH 6.0 and at pH 8.5 were purified partially by conventional methods of chromatographies of DE52 anion rxchange, Sephadex G-200 gel permeation, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. Partially purified enzymes were tested by site-specific inhibitors and promotorf. The protease working at pH 6.0 was inactivated by iodoacetamide with LDso of 10-5 M and promoted by dithiothreitol, while the protease working at pH 8.5 was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride with LD50 of 10-5 M and was Promoted by ATP (excess ATP beyond 2 mM inhibited the activity reversely). The protease of pH 8.5 had the activity of ATPase which might exert the energy to its action. Therefore the former was referred to as a cysteinyl acid protease and the latter, ATP-dependent neutral serine protease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1126-1135
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• 2019

From a sample of bamboo byproduct, the protease-producing yeast strain CO-1 was newly isolated. Strain CO-1 is spherical to ovoid in shape and measures $3.1-4.0{\times}3.8-4.4{\mu}m$. For the growth of strain CO-1, the optimal temperature and initial pH were $30^{\circ}C$ and 4.0, respectively. The strain was able to grow in 0.0-15.0%(w/v) NaCl and 0.0-9.0%(v/v) ethanol. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of its 18S rDNA sequences, strain CO-1 was identified as Pichia anomala. The extracellular protease produced by P. anomala CO-1 was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, which resulted in a 14.6-fold purification and a yield of 7.2%. The molecular mass of the protease was recorded as approximately 30 kDa via zymogram. The protease activity reached its maximum when 1.0%(w/v) CMC was used as the carbon source, 1.0%(w/v) yeast extract was used as the nitrogen source, and 0.3%(w/v) $MnSO_4$ was used as the mineral source. The protease revealed the highest activity at pH 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$. This enzyme maintained more than 75% of its stability at a pH range of 4.0-10.0. After heating at $65^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr, the neutral protease registered at 60% of its original activity. The protease production coincided with growth and attained a maximal level during the post-exponential phase.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the changes in microflora, enzyme activity and sensory quality of four kinds of cheonggukjang during fermentation. Three different kinds of cheonggukjang were prepared with germinated soybeans using rice straw, Bacillus natto, B. natto plus Aspergillus oryzae, and the last one was prepared with non-germinated soybeans using rice straw. The pH values of cheonggukjang prepared with germinated or non-germinated soybeans increased up to 36 hr of fermentation and then decreased. The number of bacteria and molds increased significantly up to 24 hr of fermentation and then leveled off during fermentation. Acidic and neutral protease activities of all cheonggukjang continuously increased significantly during fermentation. ${\alpha}$- and ${\beta}$-Amylase activities of cheonggukjang decreased slightly during fermentation except cheonggukjang prepared with germinated soybeans using the mixed culture. The number of microflora, protease and ${\alpha}$-amylase activities were highest in cheonggukjang prepared with germinated soybeans using B. natto plus A. oryzae. The results of the sensory evaluation revealed that for overall acceptability, the cheonggukjang prepared with germinated soybeans using B. natto plus A. oryzae was similar to the cheonggukjang prepared with non-germinated soybeans using rice straw.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1769-1774
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• 2001

Bacillus licheniformis strains L-25 and PWD-1 are two thermophilic feather-degrading bacteria. Despite isolated from different environmental conditions, they were both capable of breaking down chicken feathers and growing in a medium in which feather was the only source of carbon and nitrogen. A 1.46-kb keratinase gene (ker B) was isolated from strain L-25 by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using L-25 genomic DNA as templates. Sequencing results reveal that ker B shares great sequence identity with a previously published keratinase gene of B. licheniformis PWD-1 (ker A). Only two amino acids differences were found in the deduced amino acid sequence between the keratinases from L-25 and PWD-1. However several nucleotide changes were found upstream of the putative promoter region. Protease inhibition studies indicated that neutral protease activity accounted for approximate 25 to 30% of total extracellular proteolytic activity produced by strain L-25 in the feather medium. In contrast, no measurable neutral protease activity was produced by strain PWD-1 in the feather medium. When glucose (1%), a common catabolic repressor, was added into the feather medium, L-25 was still able to grow and produce keratinase. Strain PWD-1 produced no neutral protease activity and its growth was severely inhibited in the feather medium containing glucose. L-25 produced an enhanced level of keratinase in the feather medium in comparison with PWD-1.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.147-151
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• 2000

A gene, nprM, from Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14945 was obtained by PCR using primers synthesized based on two nprM sequences from two different strains, and cloned into Escherichia coli. The gene nprM encoded an extracellular neutral protease, and the molecular mass of the expressed enzyme was estimated to be approximately 36kDa on a denaturating gel. The enzyme was activated by $Ca^{2+}$, and the optimum concentration of $Ca^{2+}$ was 5 mM. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA but not by PMSF. The optimal pH and temperature of the cloned enzyme were $50^{\circ}C and pH 7.5-8.0, respectively, and were similar to those of the enzyme from the gene gonor cell. The cloned NprM caused internal cleavage of the native endoglucanase of B. subtilis BSE616 as a model foregin protein, and resulted in a small truncated but still active endoglucanase.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.397-402
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• 2009

To isolate bacteria secreting protease, which can dissolve fibrin efficiently, we prepared chunggukjang using rice straw and isolated, preliminarily, approximately 100 bacterial stains. Their capabilities to dissolve milk protein as well as fibrin included in media were then examined and finally, five strains named J1 - J5 were selected. Among them, J-4, which is close to bacillus subtilis, showed highest activity for fibrin dissolution. Proteases secreted from the J-4 strain were partially purified from culture supernatant using DEAE-sepharose column chromatography and identified with SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three proteins were subjected to analysis with MALDI-TOF and PMF (Peptide Mass Fingerprinting). 41.9 kDa protein was identified as a neutral protease. On the other hand, 45 kDa protein turned out to be bacillopeptidase F, with a molecular mass of 91.7 kDa, indicating that partially purified peptide is a degradation product.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.407-411
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• 1989

Extracellular neutral pretense of Streptomyces rimosus producing oxytetracycline was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE Sephadex A-50 chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel filteration, and was showed single band on the cathodic gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were pH 8.0 and 6$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was activated about 80% in the presence of Co$^{2+}$ ion, and strongly inhibited by Hg$^{2+}$, Fe$^{2+}$ and chelatig agent, EDTA. Molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 12, 000. The Km value of the enzyme of casein as a substrate was 2.7$\times$10$^{-4}$M.