• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.2984-2988
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• 2009

A gene (PH0311) encoding a hypothetical protein from the genome sequence data of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 was cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant protein was found to possess FAD-dependent NADH oxidase activity, although it lacked sequence homology to any other known general NADH oxidase family. The product of the PH0311 gene was thus designated PhNOX (NADH oxidase from Pyrococcus horikoshii), with an estimated molecular weight of 84 kDa by gel filtration and 22 kDa by SDS-PAGE, indicating it to be a homotetramer of 22 kDa subunits. PhNOX catalyzed the oxidation of reduced ${\beta}$-NADH with subsequent formation of $H_2O_2$ in the presence of FAD as a cofactor, but not ${\alpha}$-NADH, ${\alpha}$-NADPH, or ${\beta}$-NADPH. PhNOX showed high affinity for ${\beta}$-NADH with a Km value of 3.70 ${\mu}$M and exhibited optimum activity at pH 8.0 and 95$^{\circ}C$ as it is highly stable against high temperature.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.889-892
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• 2010

We investigated a potential for glucose production from cellulose material using two kinds of hyperthermophilic enzymes, endocellulase (EG) and beta-glucosidase (BGL). Two BGLs, from hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus and mesophile Aspergillus aculeatus, were compared with P. horikoshii endocellulase (EGPh) for complete hydrolysis of cellulose. The combination reactions by each BGL enzyme and EGPh could produce only glucose without the other oligosaccharides from phosphoric acid swollen Avicel (PSA). The combination of both the hyperthermophilic cellulases, BGLPf and EGPh, will be adaptable to a high efficiency system to produce glucose at high temperature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1996.07a
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• pp.21-21
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• 1996

The hyperthermostable protein, rubredoxin from Pyrococcus furiosus is 53-residue protein with a three-stranded anti-parallel $\beta$-sheet and several loops. To investigate the effect of changes of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions on the structure and dynamic property of P. furiosus rubredoxin, molecular dynamics simulations in water were performed on three mesophilic rubredoxins, P, furiosus rubresoxin, and 5 mutants of P. furiosus rubredoxin. (omitted)

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2011

$\beta$-1,3-glucanase from Pyrococcus furiosus was applied for the saccharification of laminarin, which is a major oligo-saccharide component of brown algae, and the reaction mixture produced from laminarin was utilized as a substrate for alcohol fermentation using yeast. To prepare the recombinant $\beta$-1,3-glucanase, a $\beta$-1,3-glucanase gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Laminarin was degraded to an oligo- and mono-saccharide, such as glucose, after reaction with the purified recombinant $\beta$-1,3-glucanase, and the products after enzymatic treatment were confirmed by TLC and HPLC analysis. Decomposed laminarin after enzyme reaction was only added to the medium as a C-source for yeast alcohol production reaction. 0.3% alcohol production was detected from the cultured broth by gas chromatography after 48 hr of incubation. Further evaluation for optimal conditions of saccharification and alcohol fermentation can be suggested, as well as the possibility of using this enzymatic method to produce ethanol using laminarin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1249-1253
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• 2007

A hyperthermostable endoglucanase from Pyrococcus horikoshii with the capability of hydrolyzing crystalline cellulose was analyzed. A protein engineering study was carried out to obtain a reduced-size mutant. Five amino acid residues at both the N- and C-terminus were found to be removable without any loss of activity or thermal stability. Site-directed mutagenesis was also performed on R102, N200, E201, H297, Y299, E342, and W377, residues possibly involved in the active center or in the recognition and binding of a cellulose substrate. The activity of the resulting mutants was considerably decreased, confirming that the mutated residues were all important for activity. A reduced-size enzyme, as active as the wild-type endoglucanase, was successfully obtained, plus the residues critical for its activity and specificity were confirmed. Consequently, an engineered enzyme with a reduced size was obtained, and the amino acids essential for activity were confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and comparison with a known three-dimensional structure.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.255-261
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• 2018

Aglycon protopanaxatriol (APPT) has valuable pharmacological effects such as memory enhancement and tumor inhibition. ${\beta}$-Glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Dictyoglomus turgidum (DT-bgl) hydrolyzes the glucose residues linked to APPT, but not other glycoside residues. ${\beta}$-Glycosidase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Pyrococcus furiosus (PF-bgl) hydrolyzes the outer sugar at C-6 but not the inner glucose at C-6 or the glucose at C-20. Thus, the combined use of DT-bgl and PF-bgl is expected to increase the biotransformation of PPT-type ginsenosides to APPT. We optimized the ratio of PF-bgl to DT-bgl, the concentrations of substrate and enzyme, and the reaction time to increase the biotransformation of ginsenoside Re and PPT-type ginsenosides in Panax ginseng leaf extract to APPT. DT-bgl combined with PF-bgl converted 1.0 mg/ml PPT-type ginsenosides in ginseng leaf extract to 0.58 mg/ml APPT without other ginsenosides, with a molar conversion of 100%. We achieved the complete biotransformation of ginsenoside Re and PPT-type ginsenosides in ginseng leaf extract to APPT by the combined use of two ${\beta}$-glycosidases, suggesting that discarded ginseng leaves can be used as a source of the valuable ginsenoside APPT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative production of APPT using ginsenoside Re, and we report the highest concentration and productivity of APPT from ginseng extract to date.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.574-580
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• 2019

ATP drives the conformational change of the group II chaperonin from the open lid substrate-binding conformation to the closed lid conformation to encapsulate an unfolded protein in the central cavity. It is thought that the folding activity of group II chaperonin is strongly correlated with the ATP-dependent conformational change ability. In order to confirm the dependence of the reaction temperature and ATP concentration of PhCpn, the ATPase activities were measured under different reaction temperatures and ATP concentrations. The maximal ATPase activity of PhCpn was observed at 80℃ and 3 mM ATP concentration. As a result of ATPase activity according to the type of salt ions, the highest activity was observed at 300 mM LiCl among the univalent cations and 5 mM MgCl₂ among the divalent cations, respectively. The values of Km and Vmax for ATP substrate were estimated as 2.17 mM and 833.3 μM/min, respectively. This results provide the enzymatic information of PhCpn when the prolonged and high activities of pharmaceutical and industrial proteins (or enzymes), by using chaperonin molecules, are required.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 1999

We checked the presence of phospholipase $A_2(PLA)_2$ which could split the ester bond at the position 2 in the glycerol backbone of glycerophospholipids, in the cells of hyperthermophiles of Pyrococcus horikoshii and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. The results obtained are as follows; (1). Pyrococcus horikoshii cells were grown in obligate anaerobic conditions at $95^{\circ}C$ and they needed sulfur as energy source instead of oxygen, while Sulfolobus acidocaldarius species grew well in the aerobic medium (pH 2.5) containing yeast and sucrose at $75^{\circ}C$. (2). Pyrococcus horikoshii cells produced phospholipase $A_2$ in the cell culture media although this species did not show lipase activity at least in the pH range of 1.5 ${\sim}$ 3.5. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells produced lipase hydrolyzing triacylglycerols such as triolein, but did not split any kind of phospholipids used as substates. (3). The compound of 1-decanoyl-2-(p-nitrophenylglutaryl) phosphatidylcholine was not suitable for a substrate in this experiment, though frequently used as a subtrate for checking presence of phospholipase $A_2$, for its decomposi-tion in this experiment. The L-${\alpha}$-phosphatidylcholine-${\beta}$-[N-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol]aminohexanoyl-${\gamma}$-hexadecanoyl labelled with a fluorescent material, did not show any migration of acyl chains in the molecule during the reaction with phospholipase $A_2$ under a hot condition. (4). Phospholipase $A_2$ in the cells of Pyrococcus horikoshii, showed the optimum activity at $pH6.7{\sim}7.2$ and $95{\sim}105^{\circ}C$, respectively, and was activated by addition of calcium chloride solution. Andthe phospholipase $A_2$ specifically hydrolyzed glycero-phospholipids such as phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine and phosphatidyl inositol, but could not split phospholipid containing ether bonds in the molecule such as DL -${\alpha}$-phosphatidylcholine-${\beta}$-palmitoyl-${\gamma}$-O-hexadecyl, DL-${\alpha}$-phosphati- dylcholine-${\beta}$- oleoyl-${\gamma}$-O-hexadecyl, DL-phosphatidylcholine-dihexadecyl.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.841-843
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• 2002

Pfu DNA polymerase from Pyrococcus furiosus was expressed in the E. coli periplasm, and the fully active polymerase was partially purified by applying osmotic shock, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and heat treatment. This method represents a new way of expressing and purifying functional Pfu DNA polymerase without the use of chromatography.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.245-249
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• 2001