• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1392-1398
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• 2006

We investigated a possible coordination between the biosyntheses of two polyketides in the cereal head blight fungus Gibberella zeae, zearalenone (ZEA) and aurofusarin (AUR), which are catalyzed by the polyketide synthases (PKS) PKS4/PKS13 and PKS12, respectively. To determine if the production of one polyketide influences that of the other, we used four different transgenic strains of G zeae; three were deficient for either ZEA or AUR or both, and one was an AUR-overproducing strain. The mycelia of both the wild-type and ${\Delta}PKS4$ strain deficient for ZEA produced AUR normally, whereas the mycelia of both the ${\Delta}PKS12$ and ${\Delta}PKS4::{\Delta}PKS12$ strain showed no AUR accumulation. All the examined deletion strains caused necrotic spots on the surface of com kernels and were found to produce the nonpolyketide mycotoxins trichothecenes to the same amount as the wild-type strain. In contrast, the AUR-deficient ${\Delta}PKS12$ strains produced greater quantities of ZEA and its derivatives than the wild-type progenitor on both a rice substrate and a liquid medium; the AUR-overproducing strain did not produce ZEA on either medium. Furthermore, the expression of both PKS4 and PKS13 was induced earlier in the ${\Delta}PKS12$ strains than in the wild-type strain, and there was no difference in the transcription of PKS12 between the two strains. Therefore, these results indicate that the ZEA biosynthetic pathway is negatively regulated by the accumulation of another polyketide (AUR) in G zeae.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2014

Usnea longissima has a long history of use as a traditional medicine. Several bioactive compounds, primarily belonging to the polyketide family, have been isolated from U. longissima. However, the genes for the biosynthesis of these compounds are yet to be identified. In the present study, three different types of non-reducing polyketide synthases (UlPKS2, UlPKS4, and UlPKS6) were identified from a cultured lichen-forming fungus of U. longissima. Phylogenetic analysis of product template domains showed that UlPKS2 and UlPKS4 belong to group IV, which includes the non-reducing polyketide synthases with an methyltransferase (MeT) domain that are involved in methylorcinol-based compound synthesis; UlPKS6 was found to belong to group I, which includes the non-reducing polyketide synthases that synthesize single aromatic ring polyketides, such as orsellinic acid. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis demonstrated that UlPKS2 and UlPKS4 were upregulated by sucrose; UlPKS6 was downregulated by asparagine, glycine, and alanine.

• Mycobiology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.360-371
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• 2023

Hispidin is an important styrylpyrone produced by Sanghuangporus sanghuang. To analyze hispidin biosynthesis in S. sanghuang, the transcriptomes of hispidin-producing and non-producing S. sanghuang were determined by Illumina sequencing. Five PKSs were identified using genome annotation. Comparative analysis with the reference transcriptome showed that two PKSs (ShPKS3 and ShPKS4) had low expression levels in four types of media. The gene expression pattern of only ShPKS1 was consistent with the yield variation of hispidin. The combined analyses of gene expression with qPCR and hispidin detection by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with ion-trap and time-of-flight technologies (LCMS-IT-TOF) showed that ShPKS1 was involved in hispidin biosynthesis in S. sanghuang. ShPKS1 is a partially reducing PKS gene with extra AMP and ACP domains before the KS domain. The domain architecture of ShPKS1 was AMP-ACP-KS-AT-DH-KR-ACP-ACP. Phylogenetic analysis shows that ShPKS1 and other PKS genes from Hymenochaetaceae form a unique monophyletic clade closely related to the clade containing Agaricales hispidin synthase. Taken together, our data indicate that ShPKS1 is a novel PKS of S. sanghuang involved in hispidin biosynthesis.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.597-601
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• 2017

The clpks18 gene was first cloned and identified in Curvularia lunata. It contains 6571 base pairs (bp) and an 6276 bp open reading frame encoding 2091 amino acids. The ClPKS18 deletion mutant displayed an albino phenotype, and almost lost the ability to product 5-(hydroxymethyl) furan-2-carboxylate (M5HF2C) toxin, implying that clpks18 gene in C. lunata is not only involved in 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene melanin synthesis, but also relatively associated with M5HF2C toxin biosynthesis of the pathogen. The pathogenicity assays revealed that ${\Delta}ClPKS18$ was impaired in colonizing the maize leaves, which corresponds to the finding that ClPKS18 controls the production of melanin and M5HF2C in C. lunata. Results indicate that ClPKS18 plays a vital role in regulating pathogenicity of in C. lunata.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2013

In this study, oil palm biomass such as empty fruit bunch (EFP) and palm kernel shell (PKS) was used as raw materials for making pellets. EFB and PKS are valuable lignocellulosic biomass that can be used for various purposes. If EFB and PKS are used as alternative raw materials for making pellets instead of wood, wood could be saved for making pulps or other value-added products. In order to explore their combustion characteristics, EFB and PKS were analyzed using thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) with ultimate and proximate analyses. From the TGA results, thermal decomposition of EFB and PKS occurred in the range of 280 to $400^{\circ}C$ through devolatilization and combustion of fixed carbon. After $400^{\circ}C$, their combustion were stabilized with combustion of residual lignin and char. PKS contained more fixed carbons and less ash contents than EFB, which indicated that PKS could be more active in combustion than EFB.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2001

We present the results of optical differential photometry of five blazars [PKS0219+428 (3C66A), PKS 0235+164 (AO 0235+16), H0414+019, PKS 0851+202 (OJ 287) and QSO 1807+698 (3C 371)] that were observed on 7 nights between November 05, 1997 and December 29, 1998, using the B and the V band filters. We have detected microvariations in four blazars (3C66A, AO 0235+16, H04l4+019, and OJ 287). In addition, the light curve of AO 0235+16 has displayed a mini-flare when the brightness of this source was decreasing. Night-to-night variations have also been detected in 3C66A, H04l4+019, and OJ 287. The results of our observations are discussed in the framework of accretion disk phenomena (magnetic flares or hot spots in accretion disks) and jet phenomena (plasma instabilities in jets).

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2013

In this study, oil palm biomass such as empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS) was used as raw materials for making pellets. Hardwood sawdusts were also mixed with EFB and PKS for making pellets. For improving a bad forming behavior in a pelletizer, 1 to 3 per cent of corn starch based on oven-dried weight biomass was added. The starch contributed to the decrease of dust generation in addition to the improvement of forming capability during pellet forming. Heating values of every pellets made of EFB and PKS were higher than 4,300 kcal/kg for the first grade pellet, irrespective of addition of sawdusts. However, the pellets made of EFB and PKS had ash contents over 3 per cent, which made it impossible to be applied for home use. Instead, they could be applied for industrial use. For studying their combustion characteristics, the pellets from the mixtures of EFB, PKS and sawdusts were analyzed using thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA). From the TGA results, thermal decomposition of EFB and PKS occurred following three including endothermic reaction and dehydration, devolatilization of the major chemical components, and finally combustion of residual lignin and char.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2010

DNA fragments encoding the ketosynthase (KS) domain of polyketide synthase (PKS) genes were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from 9 strains of Sorangium cellulosum isolated in Korea, cloned into a plasmid vector and sequenced. A total of 83 cloned DNA fragments were analyzed, and similar fragments were excluded, leaving 43 independent DNA fragments encoding the KS domains. The predicted amino acid sequences of 32 fragments were 70%-100% identical to the amino acid sequences of already known PKS genes, while the remaining 11 fragments were $\leq$67% or less identical to the known sequences, suggesting that these genes are novel PKS genes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.229-237
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• 2009

Among 12 marine bacterial strains from the China coast that exhibited interesting bioactivity (positive for both antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities), only four strains, namely, NJ6-3-1, NJ6-3-2, NB-6, and YTHM-17, had a KS domain or A domain when screened for PKS and NRPS genes using a PCR. Interestingly, two of these strains belonging to Pseudoalteromonas and associated with the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve were positive for both PKS and NRPS, whereas the other two strains of Pseudoalteromonas did not have a PKS or NRPS gene. A molecular phylogeny analysis and DGGE analysis of the Pseudoalteromonas sp. indicated that they had a specific affinity with the host marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve. Furthermore, an analysis of a partial sequence of Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ6-3-2 isolated from the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve obtained from genomic walking using a computational approach indicated a relatively complete PKS module including auxiliary domains (DH, KR, and Cy).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.613-619
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• 2003

The polyketide backbone of rifamycin B is assembled by the type I rifamycin polyketide synthase (PKS) encoded by the rifA-rifE genes. In order to produce novel analogs of rifamycin via engineering of the PKS genes, inactivation of the ${\beta}-ketoacyl:acyl$ carrier protein reductase (KR) domain in module 8 of rifD, by site-specific mutagenesis of the NADPH binding site, was attempted. Module 8 contains a nonfunctional dehydratase (DH) domain and a functional KR domain that is involved in the reduction of the ${\beta}-carbonyl$ group, resulting in the C-21 hydroxyl of rifamycin B. This mutant strain produced linear polyketides, from tetraketide to octaketide, which were also produced by a rifD-disruption mutant as a consequence of premature termination of the polyketide assembly. Another attempt to replace the DH domain of module 7, which has been considered nonfunctional, with a functional homolog derived from module 7 of rapamycin-producing PKS also resulted in the production of linear polyketides, including the heptaketide intermediate and its precursors. Premature release of the carbon chain assembly intermediates is an unusual property of the rifamycin PKS. that is not seen in other PKSs such as the erythromycin PKS.