• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1210-1215
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• 2006

The properties related to the temperature and oxygen stability of the cytoplasmic hydrogenases from the fermentative strict anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium butyricum NCIB 9576 (Cl. butyricum), and purple sulfur phototrophic bacterium, Thiocapsa roseopersicina NCIB 8347 (T. roseopersicina), were compared. The optimum temperatures for the growth of Cl. butyricum and T. roseopersicina were 37$^{\circ}C$ and 25$^{\circ}C$, respectively, whereas those for the H$_2$ evolution of the cytoplasmic hydrogenases prepared from Cl. butyricum (C-H$_2$ase) and T. roseopersicina (T-H$_2$ase) were 45$^{\circ}C$ and 65$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The T-H$_2$ase was more thermostable than the C-H$_2$ase and retained its full activity for 5 h at 50$^{\circ}C$ under anaerobic conditions and 90% of its activity at 60$^{\circ}C$, whereas the C-H$_2$ase lost its activity drastically at 50$^{\circ}C$. The optimum pHs for H$_2$ oxidation of the C-H$_2$ase and T-H$_2$ase were 9.0 and 7.5, respectively. Both enzymes showed a maximum H$_2$ evolution activity at pH 7.0. Under aerobic conditions, 80% of the T-H$_2$ase activity was retained for 10 h at 30$^{\circ}C$, and 50% of the activity remained after 6 days under the same experimental conditions. However, the C-H$_2$ase was labile to oxygen and lost its activity immediately on exposure to air. Therefore, these properties of the T-H$_2$ase are expected to be advantageous for application in in vitro biological H$_2$ production systems.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.371-378
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• 2006

Effect of $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ precipitation and heat-treatment on hydrogenase which was extracted from the cytoplasmic fraction of the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Thiocapsa roseopersicina NCIB 8347 was studied. Crude enzyme extract was prepared by centrifugation($28,000{\times}g$, $400,000{\times}g$) after sonication of cells grown under photosynthetic condition for 96 hrs. Various conditions of $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ precipitation and heat-treatment were examined and the effect of protein concentration was analyzed by SDS-electrophoresis between the treatments. Optimum conditions for $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ precipitation and heat-treatment for evolution hydrogenase activity were 40-60% saturation and $60^{\circ}C$ for 20 min, respectively, which exhibited the specific hydrogenase activity of 0.78 U/mg-protein. Specific hydrogenase activity was decreased to 31.6% when the heat-treatment at $60^{\circ}C$ increased from 20 min to 5 hrs.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2005

Fermentative strict anaerobic bacterium, Clostricium butyricum NCIB 9576 (Cl. butyricum) and purple sulfur phototrophic bacterium, Thiocapsa roseopersicina NCIB 8347 (T. roseopersicina) were compared on their temperature and oxygen stabilities of cytoplasmic hydrogenases. Cell growth phase and the specific activities of evolution $H_2ase$ were related for both strains, exhibiting the highest cytoplasmic $H_2ase$ activities during the logarithmic growth phases which were 4 and 18 hrs after the incubation for Cl. butyricum and T. roseopersicina, respectively. The optimum temperatures for the growth of Cl. butyricum and T. roseopersicina were 37$^{\circ}C$ and 27$^{\circ}C$, respectively, while those for $H_2$ evolution of cytoplsmic hydrogenases prepared from Cl. butyricum ($C-H_2ase$) and T. roseopersicina ($T-H_2ase$) were 45$^{\circ}C$ and 65$^{\circ}C$, respectively. $T-H_2ase$ was more thermo-stable than $C-H_2ase$. $T-H_2ase$ retained its full activity for 5 hrs at 50$^{\circ}C$ and retained 90% of its original activity for 5 hrs at 60$^{\circ}C$, however, $C-H_2ase$ lost its activity drastically at 50$^{\circ}C$. The optimum pHs for $H_2$ oxidation of $C-H_2ase$ and $T-H_2ase$ were 9.0 and 7.5 respectively. The both enzymes showed maximum $H_2$ evolution activity at pH 7.0. Under the aerobic condition, 80% of $T-H_2ase$ activity was retained for 10 hrs at 30$^{\circ}C$, and 50% of activity was still remained after 6 days at the same experimental conditions. But the $C-H_2ase$ was labile to oxygen and lost its activity immediately after the exposure to air.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.413-417
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• 2005

The purple sulfur phototrophic bacterium, Thiocapsa roseopersicina NCIB 8347 has been studied on hydrogen production and cell growth under different culture conditions, such as light source, light intensity, and growth temperature. T. roseopersicina showed maximum cell growth of 1.38 and 1.42 g-DCW/L under 7.5-10 klux of halogen and fluorescent light, respectively, and produced maximum amount of hydrogen with values of 0.90 and 0.48 $mL-H_2/mg$-DCW under the irradiation of 10 klux of halogen and fluorescent light, respectively. The optimum growth temperature for hydrogen production was $26^{\circ}C$, and hydrogen production rate was lowered over $30^{\circ}C$. When T. roseopersicina was grown photoheterotrophically under irradiation of 8-9 klux of halogen lamp, the generation time was 4.2 hr. The strains started producing hydrgen from the middle of the logarithmic growth phase and continued until succinate concentration leveled out.