• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.187-193
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• 2012

Serine proteases are major insect enzymes involved in the digestion of dietary proteins and in the process of blood meal digestion. In this study, cDNA was constructed using the whole body of Laccotrephes japonensis. The flanking sequences of the 5- and 3- end of this gene were characterized by RACE-PCR. Sequence analysis showed that this gene contained a 963-bp ORF encoding 320 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 62% identity with the Creontiades dilutus serine protease, 58% with the Lygus lineolaris trypsin precursor, and 54% with the Triatoma infestans salivary trypsin. To assess the expression of the L. japonensis serine protease (JGsp), the JGsp gene was cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector, pBac-1, and expressed in Sf9 cells (Spodoptera frugiperda). SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis have shown that the JGsp recombinant protein was a monomer with a molecular weight of about 32 kDa. Recombinant JGsp has shown activity in the protease enzyme assay using gelatin as a substrate.

• Mycobiology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.209-213
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• 2003

Aspergillus flavus K-03 isolated from poultry forming soil in Korea was studied for its ability to produce extracellular proteases on basal medium containing 2%(w/v) chicken feathers. The fungus was observed to be a potent producer of such enzymes. Keratinolytic enzyme secretion was the best at 15 days of incubation period at pH 9 and temperature $40^{\circ}C$. No relationship existed between the enzyme yield and increase of biomass. Enzyme production was suppressed by exogenous sugars in descending order arabinose>maltose>mannose>fructose. But glucose did not influence the enzyme activity. The keratinolytic enzyme released by the fungus demonstrated the ability to decompose keratin substrates as chicken feather when exogenous glucose was present. The keratinolytic activity was inhibited by $HgCl_2$ and serine-protease inhibitors such as phenymethylsulfonyl fluoride(100%), chymostain(88%), crystalline soybean trypsin inhibtor(80%), antipain(45%) and aprotinin(40%), and was not by cystein-protease and aspartyl-protease inhibitors. The enzyme activity is only partially inhibited by metallo-protease inhibitor. Thus, the enzyme secreted by A. flavus K-03 belongs to the alkaline serine-type protease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.7 s.87
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• pp.948-955
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• 2007

Neutrophils play a key role as a first line of defense and are known to acquire the characteristics of dendritic cells (DCs) under the appropriate conditions. The spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils was delayed by treatment with 4-(2-aminoethyl) benzensulfonylfluoride (AEBSF), a serine protease inhibitor. AEBSF inhibited both caspase-3 and serine protease activities, whereas ZVAD-fmk, a pancaspase inhibitor, inhibited only caspase-3 activity. The life span of neutrophils was prolonged up to 5 days by AEBSF in the presence or absence of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor(CM-CSF). DC surface markers, such as CD80, CD83, and MHC class ll were not expressed on neutrophils treated with AEBSF alone. CM-CSF failed to prolong the survival time of neutrophils up to3 days but increased the expression levels of DC markers on neutrophils in the presence of AEBSF. Expression levels of DC markers were the highest on neutrophils treated with CM-CSF and AEBSF for 3 days. AEBSF and CM-CSF-treated neutrophils stimulated proliferation of T cells in the presence of a superantigen, Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) but produced $interferon-{\gamma}$ ($IFN{\gamma}$) in the absence of SEB. These results suggest that the inhibition of serine protease activity prolonged the life span of human neutrophils and combined treatment of neukophils with CM-CSF and serine protease inhibitor induced differentiation of neutrophils into DC-like cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.579-584
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• 1999

Mantis egg fibrolase (MEF-3) was purified from the egg cases of Tenodera sinensis using ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-60, DEAE Affi-Gel blue gel affinity chromatogragphy, and MONO-Q anion-exchange chromatography. This protease had a molecular weight of 35,600 Da as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions and its isoelectric point was 6.0. The N-terminal amino acids sequence was Ala-Thr-Gln-Asp-Asp-Ala-Pro-Pro-Gly-Leu-Ala-Arg-Arg. This sequence was 80% homologous to the serine protease from Tritirachium album. MEF-3 readily digested the ${\alpha}$-and ${\beta}$-chains of fibrinogen and more slowly the ${\gamma}$-chains. It showed strong proteolytic and fibrinolytic activities. Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and chymostatin inhibited its proteolytic activity, while EDTA, EGTA, cysteine, ${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol, elastinal, tosyl-lysine chloromethylketone, and tosyl-amido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone did not affect its proteolytic activity. Among the chromogenic protease substrates, the most sensitive one to the hydrolysis of MEF-3 was benzoyl-Phe-Val-Arg-p-nitroanilide. Based on these experimental results, we speculated that MEF-3 is a serine protease with a strong fibrin(ogen)olytic activity.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 1997

Assuming that Asp225 is the substrate specificity determinant of Achromobacter pretense I (APl) which is lysine-specific serine protease, the 225th residue was substituted for other amino acids with a hope that the substrate specificity of a mutant API is altered. Furthermore, to maturate preform of mutant API autocatalytically, Lys(-1) was also replaced by Met, Asp, or Glu. However, all the mutants were not expressed, or accumulated as inactive precursor proteins. This result implicats that Asp225 plays a critical rol in restricted substrate specificity as a lysylendopeptidase but the substrate specificity of API is not determined only by the nature of residue 225.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.356-360
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• 1988

The alkaline protease producing bacteria isolated from soil and identified as Bacillus subtilis. The optimum medium for alkaline protease production from the microorganism was as follows; soluble starch, 1.5% ; proteose peptone, 0.5% ; $K_2HPO_4$, 0.1% ; $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, 0.02% and sodium carbonate, 1.0%. The optimum temperature for alkaline protease production was $35^{\circ}C$, and the initial pH of medium was pH 10.5. The alkaline protease activity was about 2,300 U per ml of culture broth by Casein-Folin Method. A 9.2 fold purification of alkaline protease was obtained from culture broth. The recovery was 14% and purified enzyme was identified as single band, and its molecular weight was about 19,000. The optimum temperature for enzyme reaction was $70^{\circ}C$, and optimum pH was 12. The activity of purified enzyme was inhibited by metal ion ($Fe^{++}$), and Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride, a serine protease inhibitor.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.178-182
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• 2008

Although the number of patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis has increased dramatically since the widespread use of contact lens, it is still very hard to cure the disease. The proteases from the Acanthamoeba were reported to play important role in the pathogenesis of keratitis. In this study, the inhibitors for extracellular serine proteases of A. castellanii were screened from the extracts of 230 mushroom samples collected from various regions of Korea. The mushrooms were extracted with methanol and water ($65^{\circ}C$). Filtered and concentrated extracts (0.3 mg/ml) were preincubated with proteases before addition of peptide substrate N-succinyl-ala-ala-pro-phe p-anilide. The selected extracts showing strong inhibitory effects were characterized. Although inhibition with single extract was not so high enough, the complete inhibition was achieved with combination of two extracts. The selected extract showed little effect on other serine proteases such as thrombin (human and bovine) and on general protease such as protease K.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2002

From the culture supernatant of the psychrotrophic strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens an extracellular serine protease was purified to apparent homogeneity by successive purification steps using QAE-Sephadex, SP-Sephadex and Sephacryl S-100 column chromatography. The pretense is monomeric, with a relative molecular mass of 23,000. It is inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, but not by EDTA. The enzyme is most active at pH 9-10 and at $45^{\circ}C$, although it is unstable at $60^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.507-513
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• 1992

Serratia marecescens RH1 isolated from soil samples produced large amount of extracellular proteases. One of the genes encoding an extracellular protease form S. marcescens RH1 was cloned in Escherichia coli by shot gun cloning method. The cloned protease, SSP, was stably expressed by its own promoter and excreted into the extracellular medium from E. coli host (ORF) of 3.135 nucleotides corresponding to 1.045 amino acids (112 kDa). The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of SSP showed high overall homology (88%) to one of the S. marcescens protease (27), but low homology to other serine protease families. The optimal pH and temperature of the enzyme were pH 9.0 and 45.deg.C respectively. The activity of protease was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), which suggests that the enzyme is a serine protease.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.183-188
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• 2008

A fibrinolytic serine protease was purified from the fruiting bodies of an edible mushroom, Albatrellus confluens. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 30086.41 Da, as measured by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme was Glu-Thr-Val-Thr-Glu-Thr-Thr-Ala -Pro-Trp-Gly-Leu-Ser-Arg-Ile. It displayed optimal activity at $50^{\circ}C$ and within a pH range of $8.0{\sim}10.0$, suggesting that the enzyme is an alkaline protease. The enzyme was stable up to $30^{\circ}C$. The enzyme displayed a strong substrate specificity for the synthetic peptide, N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe pNA. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by addition of PMSF, indicating that the enzyme is a serine protease. No inhibition was observed following addition of E-64, pepstatin, or EDTA. The activity of the purified enzyme was decreased in the presence $Fe^{2+}$ or $Co^{2+}$, and the enzyme was completely inhibited by addition of $Hg^{2+}$. From these results, we propose that Albatrellus confluens could be used for biofunctional foods development and has potential therapeutic value for the treatment of vascular diseases.