• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2006

The baculovirus expression system is a powerful method for producing large amounts of the human erythrocyte-type glucose transport protein, heterologously. Characterization of the expressed protein is expected to show its ability to transport sugars directly. To achieve this, it is a prerequisite to know the properties of the endogenous sugar transport system in Spodoptera frugiperda Clone 21 (Sf21) cells, which are commonly employed as a host permissive cell line to support the baculovirus replication. The Sf21 cells can grow well on TC-100 medium that contains 0.1% D-glucose as the major carbon source, strongly suggesting the presence of endogenous glucose transport system. However, unlike the human glucose transport protein that has a broad substrate and inhibitor specificity, very little is known about the nature of the endogenous sugar transport system in Sf21 cells. In order to characterize further the inhibitor recognition properties of the Sf21 cell transporter, the ability of phloretin, cytochalasin B and D-fructose to inhibit 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dGlc) transport was examined by measuring inhibition constants $(K_i)$. The $K_i's$ for reversible inhibitors were determined from plots of uptake versus inhibitor concentration. The 2dGlc transport in the Sf21 cells was very potently inhibited by phloretin, the aglucone of phlorizin with a $K_i$ similar to the value of about $2{\mu}M$ reported for inhibition of glucose transport in human erythrocytes. However, the Sf21 cell transport system was found to differ from the human transport protein in being much less sensitive to inhibition by cytochalasin B (apparent $K_i$ approximately $10\;{\mu}M$). In contrast, It is reported that the inhibitor binds the human erythrocyte counterpart with a $K_d$ of approximately $0.12\;{\mu}M$. Interestingly, the Sf21 glucose transport system also appeared to have high affinity for D-fructose with a $K_i$ of approximately 5mM, contrasting the reported $K_m$ of the human erythrocyte transport protein for the ketose of 1.5M.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2005

Chitin deacetylase (CDA; EC 3.5.1.41) catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-acetamide bonds of chitin, converting it to chitosan. Chitosan has several applications in areas such as biomedicine, food ingredients, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. In this paper, occurrence, assay and purification protocols, enzymatic characteristics, substrate specificity, and mode of action of microbial CDAs have been described. Several lines of evidence have substantiated the biological roles involved in cell wall formation and plant-pathogen interactions for fungal CDAs. The gene structure of CDAs has been compared with other family 4 carbohydrate esterases which deacetylate a wide variety of acetylated poly/oligo-saccharides. The use of CDAs for the conversion of chitin to chitosan, in contrast to the presently used chemical procedure, offers the possibility of a controlled, non-degradable process, resulting in the production of well-defined chitosan oligomers and polymers. Insect pathogen that can secrete high levels of chitin-metab­olizing enzymes including CDA can be a possible alternative for new pest management tools.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.560-567
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• 1998

We have found that Thermoactinomyces vulgaris KFB-Cl00 produces a chitinase. The optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme activity were $55^{\circ}C$ and 6.5. The enzyme was stable after heat treatment at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 min and stable in acidic and basic conditions (PH 6.0~11.0). The thermostable endo-chitinase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris KFB-C100 was cloned into the plasmid pBR322 by using E. coli DH5$\alpha$ as a host strain. The positive clone carrying a recombinant plasmid (PKCHI23) with a 4.1-kb fragment containing the chitinase gene was found. The recombinant plasmid was analyzed to determine the essential region for chitinase activity and obtained a 2.3-kb fragment, which was sub cloned into pTrc99A using the PstI and SalI sites to construct pTrc99A/pKCHI23-3. The resulting plasmid exerted high chitinase activity upon transformation of E. coli XL1-Blue cells. Chitinase was overproduced 14 times more in the clone cells than in the wild-type cells and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme showed the similar properties as the native chitinase from T. vulgaris in terms of molecular weight and substrate specificity. The catalytic action of the cloned enzyme was an endo type, producing chitobiose as a major reaction product.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2014

Oligopeptidase B (OpdB) is a serine peptidase widespread among bacteria and protozoa that has emerged as a virulence factor despite its function has not yet been precisely established. By using an OpdB-overexpressing Escherichia coli strain, we found that the overexpressed peptidase makes the bacterial cells specifically less susceptible to several proline-rich antimicrobial peptides known to penetrate into the bacterial cytosol, and that its level of activity directly correlates with the degree of resistance. We established that E. coli OpdB can efficiently hydrolyze in vitro cationic antimicrobial peptides up to 30 residues in length, even though they contained several prolines, shortening them to inactive fragments. Two consecutive basic residues are a preferred cleavage site for the peptidase. In the case of a single basic residue, there is no cleavage if proline residues are present in the $P_1$ and $P_2$ positions. These results also indicate that cytosolic peptidases may cause resistance to antimicrobial peptides that have an intracellular mechanism of action, such as the proline-rich peptides, and may contribute to define the substrate specificity of the E. coli OpdB.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.565-570
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• 1999

The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene from Bacillus stearothermopilus was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA was inserted into the expression vector pGEX-KG, and expressed it as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST) in E. coli. The recombinant ADH was produced by induction with 1 mM isopropyl-${\beta}$-D-thiogalactopyranoside at $37^{\circ}C$ and purified by glutathione affinity chromatography. The recombinant ADH exhibited high substrate specificity for ethanol. The activity of the recombinant ADH proceeded optimally at pH 9.0 and $70^{\circ}C$. The recombinant ADH was highly stable against high temperature. This thermostable alcohol dehydrogenase can be used for the enzymatic determination of alcohol and for the industrial production of alcohol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1054-1057
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• 2007

Lipases are industrially useful versatile enzymes that catalyze numerous different reactions including hydrolysis of triglycerides, transesterification, and chiral synthesis of esters under natural conditions. Although lipases from various sources have been widely used in industrial applications, such as in food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and detergent industries, there are still substantial current interests in developing new microbial lipases, specifically those functioning in abnormal conditions. We screened 17 lipase-producing yeast strains, which were prescreened for substrate specificity of lipase from more than 500 yeast strains from the Agricultural Research Service Culture Collection (Peoria, IL, U.S.A.), and selected Yarrowia lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 as a best lipase producer. This report presents new finding and optimal production of a novel extracellular alkaline lipase from Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178. Optimal culture conditions for lipase production by Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 were 72 h incubation time, $27.5^{\circ}C$, pH 9.0. Glycerol and glucose were efficiently used as the most efficient carbon sources, and a combination of yeast extract and peptone was a good nitrogen source for lipase production by Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178. These results suggested that Y. lipolytica NRRL Y-2178 shows good industrial potential as a new alkaline lipase producer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1827-1834
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• 2015

The SMG1 lipase from Malassezia globosa is a newly found mono- and diacylglycerol (DAG) lipase that has a unique lid in the loop conformation that differs from the common alpha-helix lid. In the present study, we characterized the contribution of three residues, L103 and F104 in the lid and F278 in the rim of the binding site groove, on the function of SMG1 lipase. Site-directed mutagenesis was conducted at these sites, and each of the mutants was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris, purified, and characterized for their activity toward DAG and p-nitrophenol (pNP) ester. Compared with wild-type SMG1, F278A retained approximately 78% of its activity toward DAG, but only 11% activity toward pNP octanoate (pNP-C8). L103G increased its activity on pNP-C8 by approximately 2-fold, whereas F104G showed an approximate 40% decrease in pNP-C8 activity, and they both showed decreased activity on the DAG emulsion. The deletion of 103-104 retained approximately 30% of its activity toward the DAG emulsion, with an almost complete loss of pNP-C8 activity. The deletion of 103-104 showed a weaker penetration ability to a soybean phosphocholine monolayer than wild-type SMG1. Based on the modulation of the specificity and activity observed, a pNP-C8 binding model for the ester (pNP-C8, N102, and F278 form a flexible bridge) and a specific lipid-anchoring mechanism for DAG (L103 and F104 serve as "anchors" to the lipid interface) were proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1196-1206
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• 2014

A metagenomic fosmid library was constructed using genomic DNA isolated from the gut microflora of Hermetia illucens, a black soldier fly. A cellulase-positive clone, with the CS10 gene, was identified by extensive Congo-red overlay screenings for cellulase activity from the fosmid library of 92,000 clones. The CS10 gene was composed of a 996 bp DNA sequence encoding the mature protein of 331 amino acids. The deduced amino acids of CS10 showed 72% sequence identity with the glycosyl hydrolase family 5 gene of Dysgonomonas mossii, displaying no significant sequence homology to already known cellulases. The purified CS10 protein presented a single band of cellulase activity with a molecular mass of approximately 40 kDa on the SDS-PAGE gel and zymogram. The purified CS10 protein exhibited optimal activity at $50^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, and the thermostability and pH stability of CS10 were preserved at the ranges of $20{\sim}50^{\circ}C$ and pH 4.0~10.0. CS10 exhibited little loss of cellulase activity against various chemical reagents such as 10% polar organic solvents, 1% non-ionic detergents, and 0.5 M denaturing agents. Moreover, the substrate specificity and the product patterns by thin-layer chromatography suggested that CS10 is an endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase. From these biochemical properties of CS10, it is expected that the enzyme has the potential for application in industrial processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1482-1492
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• 2018

Fusarium oxysporum trypsin (FOT) is a fungal serine protease similar to mammal trypsin. The FOT could be successfully expressed in Pichiapastoris by engineering the natural propeptide APQEIPN. In this study, we constructed two recombinant enzymes with engineered amino acid sequences added to the N-terminus of FOT and expressed in P. pastoris. The N-terminal residues had various effects on the structural and functional properties of trypsin. The FOT, and the recombinants TE (with peptide YVEF) and TS (with peptide YV) displayed the same optimum temperature ($40^{\circ}C$) and pH (8.0). However, the combinants TE and TS showed significantly increased thermal stability at $40^{\circ}C$ and $50^{\circ}C$. Moreover, the combinants TE and TS also showed enhanced tolerance of alkaline pH conditions. Compared with those of wild-type FOT, the intramolecular hydrogen bonds and the cation ${\pi}$-interactions of the recombinants TE and TS were significantly increased. The recombinants TE and TS also had significantly increased catalytic efficiencies (referring to the specificity constant, $k_{cat}/K_m$), 1.75-fold and 1.23-fold than wild-type FOT. In silico modeling analysis uncovered that the introduction of the peptides YVEF and YV resulted in shorter distances between the substrate binding pocket (D174, G198, and G208) and catalytic triad (His42, Asp102, and Ser180), which would improve the electron transfer rate and catalytic efficiency. In addition, N-terminal residues modification described here may be a useful approach for improving the catalytic efficiencies and characteristics of other target enzymes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.185-193
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• 1997

The characteristics of $Na^+$-dependent cycloleucine uptake was investigated in OK cells with regard to substrate specificity and regulation by protein kinase C (PKC). Inhibition studies with different synthetic and natural amino acids showed a broad spectrum affinity to neutral amino acids regardless of their different side chains including branched or aromatic, indicating that the $Na^+$-dependent cycloleucine uptake in OK cells is mediated by System $B^o$ or System $B^o$-like transporter rather than the classical System A or ASC. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, but not $4{\alpha}-PMA$ elicited a time-dependent biphasic stimulation of $Na^+$-dependent cycloleucine uptake, which produced early transient peak at 30 min and late sustained peak at 180min. Both the early and late stimulations by PMA were due to an increase in Vmax and not due to a change in Km. PKC inhibitors blocked both the early and late stimulation by PMA, while protein synthesis inhibitors blocked the late stimulation only. These results suggest the existence and regulation by PKC of System $B^o$ or System $B^o$-like broad spectrum transport system for neutral amino acids in OK cells.