• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2003

The cellular responses of RDX-degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 to explosive hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) were examined. Strain HK-6 grown at different RDX concentrations was found to demonstrate the survival rate in proportional to the rate of the stress shock proteins produced in this bacterium. Analysis of total cellular fatty acid acids showed that lipids 10:0 iso and 14:1 $\omega$5c/$\omega$5t increased approx three times in strain HK-6 grown on RDX media than TSA media. SDS-PAGE and Western blot using anti-DnaK and GroEL revealed that several stress shock proteins including 70 kDa DnaK and 60 kDa CroEL were newly synthesized in strain HK-6 exposed to different RDX concentrations in exponentially growing cultures. 2-D PAGE of soluble protein fractions from the culture of HK-6 exposed to RDX demonstrated that approximately 300 spots were observed on the silver stained gel ranging from pH 3 to pH 10. As a result, 10 spots were significantly induced and expressed in response to RDX. Scanning electron microscopy fur the cells treated with 0.135 mM RDX for 12 hrs showed the presence of perforations and irregular rod shapes with wrinkled surfaces.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.230-237
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• 2004

In this study nitroreductase from Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 capable of degrading 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was characterized. Through a series of purification process including ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-sepharose, and Q-sepharose, three different fractions I, II, and III having the enzyme activity of NTRs whose molecular weights were approximately 27 kDa were detected in fractions from HK-6 cells. Specific activity of the three fractions were approximately 4.85 unit/mg, 5.47 unit/mg, and 5.01 unit/mg, and concentrated to 9.0-, 10.1-, and 9.3-fold compared to crude extract, respectively. The optimal pH and temperature for the three NTR fractions were approximately 7.5 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. Metal ions, $Ag^{＋}$ , $Cu^{ 2+}$, $Hg^{2＋}$ inhibited approximately 70% of enzymes activities of all NTR, while $Fe^{2＋}$ did not stimulate or inhibit the activities. Monitoring the effect of chemicals on the enzyme activity revealed that those NTR fractions lost enzyme activity in presence of $\beta$-mercaptoethanol, but were a little influenced by dithiothreitol, EDTA and NaCl. The three NTR fractions demonstrated enzyme activities for nitrobenzene and RDX as well as TNT.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2002

The cellular responses of soil-borne bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 to explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) were examined. Two stress shock proteins (SSPs), approximately 70-kDa DnaK and a 60-kDa GroEL were found in HK-6 cells in response to TNT. Analyses of SDS-PAGE and Western blot using anti-DnaK and GroEL revealed that SSPs were induced in HK-6 cells exposed to 0.5 M of TNT far 6-12 hrs. The maximum induction of proteins was achieved at 8-hr incubation point after HK-6 cells'exposure to TNT. Similar SSPs were found to be induced in HK-6 cells by heat shock (shift of temperature, from $30^{\circ}C$ to $42^{\circ}C$) or cold shock (shift of temperature,$30^{\circ}C$ to $4^{\circ}C$).2D-PAGE of soluble protein tractions from the culture of Pseudomonas sp. HX-6 exposed to TNT demonstrated that approximately 450 spots were observed on the silver stained gels ranging from pH 3 to pH 10. Among them, 12 spots significantly induced and expressed in response to TNT were selected and analyzed. Approximately 60-kDa protein, which was assumed highly expressed on the gel, was used for amino acid sequencing. N-terminal microsequencing with in-gel digestion showed that N-terminal sequence of the TNT-induced protein, <$^1XXAKDVKFGDSARKKML^17$, shared extensive similarity with $^1XXAKDVKFGDSARKKML^17$, N-terminal sequence of (P48216) GroEL of Pseudomonas putida.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2018

Our previous research demonstrated the essential role of the xenB gene in stress response to RDX by using Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 xenB knockout. We have extended this work to examine the cellular responses and altered proteomic profiles of the HK-6 xenA knockout mutant under RDX stress. The xenA mutant degraded RDX about 2-fold more slowly and its growth and survival rates were several-fold lower than the wild-type HK-6 strain. SEM revealed more severe morphological damages on the surface of the xenA mutant cells under RDX stress. The wild-type cells expressed proportionally-increased two stress shock proteins, DnaK and GroEL from the initial incubation time point or the relatively low RDX concentrations, but slightly less expressed at prolonged incubation period or higher RDX. However the xenA mutant did not produced DnaK and GroEL as RDX concentrations were gradually increased. The wild-type cells well maintained transcription levels of dnaA and groEL under increased RDX stress while those in the xenA mutant were decreased and eventually disappeared. The altered proteome profiles of xenA mutant cells under RDX stress also observed so that the 27 down-regulated plus the 3 up-regulated expression proteins were detected in 2-DE PAGE. These all results indicated that the intact xenA gene is necessary for maintaining cell integrity under the xenobiotic stress as well as performing an efficient RDX degradation process.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.234.1-234
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• 2000

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