• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.949-954
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• 2019

Membrane topology is a key characteristic of membrane proteins. We previously reported the cloning of the chromosome 4 open-reading frame 32 (C4orf32) gene as a potential membrane protein; however, the cellular localization and membrane topology of C4orf32 was as yet unknown. In this study, we found that green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the C-terminus of C4orf32 (C4orf32-GFP) was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We applied three tools to identify determinants of C4orf32 topology: protease protection, fluorescence protease protection (FPP), and an inducible system using the ternary complex between FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP), rapamycin, and the rapamycin-binding domain of mTOR (FRB) (the FRB-rapamycin-FKBP system). Using protease protection and FPP assays, we found that the GFP tag in C4orf32-GFP was localized to the cytoplasmic surface of the ER membrane of HeLa cells. Protease protection and FPP assays are useful and complimentary tools for identifying the topology of GFP fusion membrane proteins. The FRB-rapamycin-FKBP system was also used to study the topology of C4orf32. In the absence of rapamycin, a monomeric red fluorescent protein-FKBP fusion (mRFP-FKBP) and C4orf32-GFP-FRB were localized to the cytoplasm and the ER membrane, respectively. However, in the presence of rapamycin, the mRFP-FKBP was shifted from the cytoplasm to the ER and colocalized with the C4orf32-GFP-FRB. These results indicate that the FRB moiety is facing the cytoplasmic surface of ER membrane. Overall, our results clearly suggest that C4orf32 belongs to the family of type I ER resident membrane proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.344-349
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• 1995

The alkalophilic bacterium, Xanthomonas sp. JK311, producing extracellular proteases, was isolated from soil. Xanthomonas sp. JK311 produced five extracellular proteases that are all metalloproteases. Four of them were resistant against 1% SDS. Chromosomal DNA of the Xanthomonas sp. JK311 was digested with BamHI and cloned into PUC19. Among E. coli strain HB101 transformants, a clone secreting the proteases was screened through halo formation on skim-milk agar plate and by Southern blot analysis. It had the recombinant plasmid pXEP-1 containing the 7.5 kb-BamHI DNA fragment and produced three extacellular proteases. Their protease properties corresponded to those of Xanthomonas sp. JK311.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 1998

The RNA genome of poliovirus encodes a long polyprotein precursor and this polyprotein is cleaved proteolytically by viral protease to yield mature proteins. The mature proteins derived from the P1 polyprotein precursor are the component of capsids. To further delineate the process of capsid assembly and encapsidation, in a first attempt, a cell line which expresses the authentic P1 polyprotein was established. CV-1 cells were transfected with the pRCRSVS1P1 plasmid DNA which contains 5'ncr sequences, whole authentic capsid gene of poliovirus and neomycin resistance gene. These cells were treated with G418 for 3 months, and eventually G418 resistant cells were selected and formed colonies. Each colony was picked and grown in the media containing G418. DNA analysis indicated that 1 of 13 neomycin resistant cell lines (R2-18) contains whole poliovirus P1 capsid gene segment which was incorporated into the genome. Immuneprecipitation of cell lysates with sera from rabbit immunized with inactivateded Sabin type 1 particles demonstrated the constitutive expression of the poliovirus P1 capsid protein from R2-18.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.759-766
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• 2004

In the present study, we investigated the effects of aqueous extract of the healthful decoction utilizing Phellinus linteus (HDPL) on the cell growth of human lung carcinoma tumor cell line A549. Exposure of A549 cells to HDPL resulted in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner as measured by hemocytometer counts, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometric analysis. This increase in apoptosis was associated with inhibition and/or degradation of apoptotic target proteins such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), b-catenin and phospholipase C- 1 (PLC- 1) protein. HDPL treatment induced the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression, an anti-apoptotic gene, however, the level of Bax. a pro-apoptotic gene, was increased by HDPL treatment. In addition, HDPL-induced apoptotis of A549 cells was connected with activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 protease in a dose-dependent manner, however, the levels of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins family were remained unchanged. Taken together, these results indicated that the anti-proliferative effects of HDPL were associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death through regulation of several major growth regulatory gene products such as Bcl-2 family expression and caspase protease activity, and HDPL may have therapeutic potential in human lung cancer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 2017

Ten Bacillus strains possessing amine oxidase activity were selected from 126 Bacillus isolates from meju and doenjang (two traditional Korean soybean foods). Among the isolates, two B. licheniformis strains (8MI05 and 8MS03) harbored the amine oxidase gene yobN. By conducting a gene search against published B. licheniformis genomes, the possession of yobN was proved to be a strain-specific property. Both strains degraded four types of biogenic amines (cadaverine, histamine, putrescine, and tyramine) supplemented in tryptic soy broth during their culture. A recombinant harboring yobN also degraded the four types of biogenic amines during cultivation. Both Bacillus strains could grow at a NaCl concentration of 14% and exhibited strain-specific protease and lipase activities.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.222-226
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• 2007

Proteases are degradative enzymes which hydrolyze a peptide bond between amino acids and they are abundantly applied to commercial field. In order to screen new source of pretense, bacteria secreting extracellular pretense were isolated by enrichment culture from deep sea water samples of East Sea, Korea. A bacterium, named as HJ19, showed the best growth and the largest clear zone in plates supplemented skim milk at $30^{\circ}C$. The partial DNA sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, phenotypic tests and morphology identified that this strain was In genus Micrococcus. The strain HJ19 could not grow at $10^{\circ}C$ but it started growth and showed pretense activity at $20^{\circ}C$. The optimal growth was at $37^{\circ}C$ and the maximal protease activity at $30^{\circ}C$ was about 480unit/ml.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.280-288
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• 1992

Molecular cloning of metalloprotease gene from Serratia marcescens ATCC 21074 into Escherichia coli JM109 was carried out. Chromosomal DNA of S. marcescens was completely digested with Hind111 and southern hybridization with a synthetic oligonucleotide probe revealed that a 50 KD metalloprotease gene was contained in 4.0 Kb chromosomal DNA fragment, 4.0 Kb chromosomal DNA fragments eluted from agarose gel were ligated with pUC19 and transformed into E. coli JM109. Nine positive clones were obtained from about $1\times 10^3$ transformants by colony hybridization. Their recombinant plasmids, pSPl and pSP2 have same chromosomal DNA fragments in pUC19 in opposite-orientations. When cloned metalloprotease gene was expressed in E. coli, about 52 KD precursor protein of metalloprotease was detected by western blot analysis from E. coli harboring a recombinant plasmid pSP2. Plasmid pSP2 showed no protease activities in E. coli but overproduced the active metalloprotease in S. rnarcescens ATCC 27117.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.773-779
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• 2002

A gene (hap) encoding aminopeptidase from the chromosomal DNA of Bacillus licheniformis was cloned. The gene is 1,347 bp long and encodes a 449 amino acid preproprotein with a major mature region of 401 amino acids (calculated molecular mass 43,241 Da). N-Terminal sequence of the purified protein revealed a potential presence of N-terminal propeptide. The deduced primary amino acid sequence and the mass analysis of the purified protein suggested that a C-terminal peptide YSSVAQ was also cleaved off by a possible endogeneous protease. Tho amino acid sequence displayed 58% identity with that of the aminopeptidase from alkaliphilic Bacillus halodurans. This bacterial enzyme was overexpressed in recombinant Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis cells. Clones containing the intact hap gene, including its own promoter and signal sequence, gave rise to the synthesis of extracellular and thrmostable enzyme by B. subtilis transformants. The secreted protein exhibited the same biochemical properties and the similar apparent molecular mass as the B. lichenzyormis original enzyme.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 2011

Six protein-degrading bacteria were isolated from digestive organ of Harmonia axyridis. These isolates were categorized as Staphylococcus sciuri subsp. sciuri (3 strains), Bacillus subtilis (1 strain), and Bacillus thuringiensis (2 strains) by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The Staphylococcus sp. CB2-3 was selected as a protease-producing bacterium which showed the highest protease activity of 58.5 U/ml at the pH 5.0 medium. The optimal pH and temperature of protease activity were pH 5.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. This acid protease had a relatively high stability of 80% between $30-50^{\circ}C$ at broad temperature range. The opimal medium compositions of carbon, nitrogen and mineral source for cell growth and protease activity were investigated. When sorbitol (0.5%) was used as carbon source, enzyme activity was increased about 2 times than that of the basal medium. When skim milk (0.5%) was used as nitrogen source, activity was increased about 2.5 times than that of the control. Cell growth and enzyme activity were increased by mineral source such as KCl, $K_2HPO_4$, $FeSO_4$, but was completely inhibited by divalent ions such as $Co^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.431-438
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• 2009

The alkaline serine protease asp, which was shown to be a virulence factor of Vibrio alginolyticus as a purified protein, was cloned from V. alginolyticus EPGS, a strain recently isolated from moribund Epinephelus coioides in an outbreak of vibriosis in a mariculture farm of Shenzhen. The asp null mutant was constructed by homologous recombination with suicide plasmid pNQ705-1. Compared with the wild-type strain, the asp null mutant exhibited a significant decrease of total extracellular protease activity, and caused a IS-fold decrease in virulence of V. alginolyticus. In our previous study, the luxO and $luxR_{val}$ genes from V. alginolyticus MVP01 were cloned and identified, and the luxO-$luxR_{val}$ regulatory couple was shown to regulate various genes expression, suggesting that it played a central role in the quorum sensing system of V. alginolyticus. In this study, the regulation of the asp gene was analyzed by using RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR methods; we proved that its transcription was greatly induced at the late stage of growth and was regulated by a luxO-$luxR_{val}$ regulatory system.