• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.930-939
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• 2024

Mushroom laccases play a crucial role in lignin depolymerization, one of the most critical challenges in lignin utilization. Importantly, laccases can utilize a wide range of substrates, such as toxicants and antibiotics. This study isolated a novel laccase, named HeLac4c, from endophytic white-rot fungi Hericium erinaceus mushrooms. The cDNAs for this enzyme were 1569 bp in length and encoded a protein of 523 amino acids, including a 20 amino-acid signal peptide. Active extracellular production of glycosylated laccases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was successfully achieved by selecting an optimal translational fusion partner. We observed that 5 and 10 mM Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, and K⁺ increased laccase activity, whereas 5 mM Fe²⁺ and Al³⁺ inhibited laccase activity. The laccase activity was inhibited by the addition of low concentrations of sodium azide and ⳑ-cysteine. The optimal pH for the 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt was 4.4. Guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether, a lignin model compound, was polymerized by the HeLac4c enzyme. These results indicated that HeLac4c is a novel oxidase biocatalyst for the bioconversion of lignin into value-added products for environmental biotechnological applications.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.126-135
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• 2003

Background: One of the important factors in the prognosis of chronic hepatitis B patient is the degree of replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV). It has been known that HBV DNA polymerase plays the essential role in the replication of HBV. HBV DNA polymerase is composed of four domains, TP (Terminal protein), spacer, RT (Reverse transcriptase) and RNaseH. Among these domains, tyrosine, the $65^{th}$ residue of TP is an important residue in protein-priming reaction that initiates reverse transcription. If monoclonal antibody that recognizes around tyrosine residue were selected, it could be applied to further study of HBV replication. Methods: To produce TP-specific scFv (single-chain Fv) by phage display, mice were immunized using synthetic TP-peptide contains $57{\sim}80^{th}$ amino acid residues of TP domain. After isolation of mRNA of heavy-variable region ($V_H$) and light-chain variable region ($V_L$) from the spleen of the immunized mouse, DNA of $V_H$ and $V_L$ were obtained by RT-PCR and joined by a DNA linker encoding peptide (Gly4Ser)3 as a scFv DNA fragments. ScFv DNA fragments were cloned into a phagemid vector. scFv was expressed in E.coli TG1 as a fusion protein with E tag and phage gIII. To select the scFv that has specific affinity to TP-peptide from the phage-antibody library, we used two cycles of panning and colony lift assay. Results: The TP-peptide-specific scFv was isolated by selection process using TP-peptide as an antigen. Selected scFv had 30 kDa of protein size and its nucleotide sequences were analyzed. Indirect- and competitive-ELISA revealed that the selected scFv specifically recognized both TP-peptide and the HBV DNA polymerase. Conclusion: The scFv that recognizes the TP domain of the HBV DNA polymerase was isolated by phage display.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1535-1538
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• 2007

The work presented in this paper represents a study of the rate and extent of transdermal penetration of three synthetic hexapeptides consisting only of glycine (Gly) and phenylalanine (Phe) as the constituent amino acids and they include Phe-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly (Pep-1), Phe-Phe-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly (Pep-2), and Phe-Phe-Phe- Gly-Gly-Gly (Pep-3). The present study demonstrated the extent to which the peptides having a high metabolic stability were transdermally transported from the various vehicles. The results of this study appear to indicate that minor differences in the lipophilicity of the synthetic hexapeptides have a slight influence on the rate and extent of transport. In the presence of terpene permeation enhancers, together with ethanol (i.e., menthone/ EtOH, carveol/EtOH or cineole/EtOH), the peptides were more rapidly penetrated through the skin and among the terpenes tested, cineole was the most effective for all three peptides. The maximum enhancement ratio of approximately 2 was achieved by cineole in 50% ethanol solution.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.187-196
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• 1978

Antimetabolite N-2292 substance, an antagonist of L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid was isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces. Taxonomical study on the producing strain made it a related species of Streptomyces albulus judged by cultural characteristics and carbon utilization. N-2292 substance was isolated as amorphous white powder with melting point at 185$^{\circ}C$. From the physicochemical characteristics of the substance, it was peptide like substance. It was active against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria but negative against yeast and mold in its biological properties. It was reversed by L-Asp and L-Glu on the synthetic medium.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.590-600
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• 2003

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes responsible for degrading connective tissue. MMPs catalyze the breakdown of collagen from the extracellular matrix, leading to wrinkle formation and accelerated skin aging. Furthermore, ultraviolet irradiation causes increased expression of certain MMPs. In the extracellular matrix turnover, MMPs are interacting with endogenous regulators named tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Using peptide substrate assays, it has been demonstrated that TIMP-MMP complexes interact highly specifically with $K_{i}$ values of 10$^{-9}$ -10$^{-16}$ M. Therefore applications for TIMP as inhibitor of collagen degradation are suggested for cosmetic anti-aging products to prevent wrinkle formation and loss of elasticity. To date four TIMP proteins (TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TIMP-3 and TIMP-4) have been identified which show a high degree in sequence similarity. The production of human TIMP-2, a 194-residue nonglycosylated protein, was performed by fed-batch culture of Escherichia coli. TIMP-2 accumulated in the bacterial cells in an insoluble form as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were solubilized and the protein refolded to yield the native TIMP-2 in the active form. The integrity of the protein was confirmed by mass analysis, Edman sequencing and gel shift experiments with authentic samples. The inhibitory activity of the refolded and purified TIMP-2 was demonstrated with MMP-1 and MMP-2 assays using synthetic fluorogenic peptide substrates.s.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.579-583
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• 1996

This study is involved to develop new catalysts to decompose plastics, detergents and surfactants containing synthetic peptide bonds. As the first year research, the catalytic-hydrolysis of amide bond in copper complex was accomplished. The hydrolysis reaction in aqueous solution was monitored by UV/VIS spectroscopy. As the pH of the solution Is increased and the temperature is raised, the reaction rate increases. The reaction rate is observed as the first order kinetic behavior for the copper complex. The metal catalyzed hydrolysis mechanism is proposed cia metal-hydroxide in the pH region of 5.5 to 6.3. The results of characterization of the catalytic reaction mechanism can be applied to develop new catalysts for peptide bond degradation in further research.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.757-766
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• 2002

Growth hormone-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2, also named KP102) is a new hexapeptide of a series of synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs) which stimulates the secretion of growth hormone (GH) in vitro and in vivo in several species including calf, sheep and pig. The GH-releasing activity of GHRP-2 is two to three times more effective than that of the original GHRP-6, and GHRP-1 in the rats and humans. To date, GHRP-2 seems to be the most potent member of the family of GHRPs. Since the GHRPs are short peptides (5-7 amino acid residues), they are synthesized easily and are not as readily degraded in plasma as GHreleasing hormone (GHRH). These features ameliorate their potential on domestic animals because of their chemical nature the GHRPs are efficacious when administered i.v. orally or orally. However, studies in cow, pig and sheep do not indicate such a close relationship between GHRH, somatostatin (SS) and GH, calling into question the general applicability of the human and rat models. Perhaps there is an important role for an endogenous GHRP in the regulation of GH secretion in domestic animals. This review provides an overview on the current knowledge of physiological role of GHRP-2 in domestic animals.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.274-278
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• 1996

Two peptides, MA-inv AND MA-ME, with the sequence 10-17 of maganin 2 at their-N-termini were designed and synthesized. The peptides had higher antifungal activities against Aspergilus fumigatus without hemolytic activities. The minimal inhibition concentratory (MIC) values of both peptides against A. fumigatus were 5 .mu.g/ml, whereas those of the native peptides, magainin 2 and melittin, were 10.mu.g/ml. At 3 .mu.g/ml, MA-inv and MA-ME inhibited the mycelium growth of A. fumigatus by 94.6% and 97.3% respectively, whereas magainin 2 and melittin inhibited by 62.2% and 32.4, respectively. MA-inv showed up to 80% inhibition of (1, 3)-.betha.-D-glucan synthase activity of A. fumigatus. The peptides also showed up to 80% inhibition of (1, 3)-.betha.-D glucan synthase activity of A. fumigatus. The peptides also showed antifungal activities for other fungi of Aspergillus sp. However, the antibiotic activities of MA-ME against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Fusarium oxysporum were more effective than those of MA-inv, suggesting that the C-terminal sequences of MA-inv and MA-ME may also influence their antibiotic activities. These results suggest that the N-terminal sequence of the designed peptides, KKFGKAFV, is important for their antifungal activities against A. fumigatus and their C- terminal sequences are related to the organism selectivity.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.488-495
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• 1994

To evaluate the feasibility of transmucosal delivery of leucine enkephalin (Leu-Enk) and its synthetic analog, $[D-Ala^2]$-leucine enkephalinamide (YAGFL), their physicochemical stabilities in aqueous buffered solutions were first investigated using a stability indicating high performance liquid chromatography. The degradation of Leu-Enk and YAGFL followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. From the pH-rate profiles, it was found that the maximal stability of the two pentapeptides was at the pH of about 5.0. The shelf lives $(t_{90%})$ for the degradation of Leu-Enk and YAGFL at pH 5.0 and $40^{\circ}C$ were found to be 48.13 and 50.9 days, respectively. From the temperature dependence of the degradation, activation energies for Leu-Enk and YAGFL were calculated to be 13.61 and 13.47 kcal/mole, respectively. A higher ionic strength and a higher initial peptide concentration in buffered solution slowed the degradation of the two pentapeptides. The addition of 2-hydroxypropyl-${\beta}$-cyclodextrin into the peptide solution did not affect the stability significantly.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1175-1182
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• 2021

We investigated the effect of bovine lactoferricin (Lfcin-B), a peptide derived from bovine lactoferrin, on activation of intestinal epithelial cells in IEC-6 intestinal cell, and protection against in vivo rotavirus (RV) infection. Treatment with Lfcin-B significantly enhanced the growth of IEC-6 cells and increased their capacity for attachment and spreading in culture plates. Also, Lfcin-B synergistically augmented the binding of IEC-6 cells to laminin, a component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In the analysis of the intracellular mechanism related to Lfcin-B-induced activation of IEC-6 cells, this peptide upregulated tyrosine-dependent phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and paxillin, which are intracellular proteins associated with cell adhesion, spreading, and signal transduction during cell activation. An experiment using synthetic peptides with various sequences of amino acids revealed that a sequence of 9 amino acids (FKCRRWQWR) corresponding to 17-25 of the N-terminus of Lfcin-B is responsible for the epithelial cell activation. In an in vivo experiment, treatment with Lfcin-B one day before RV infection effectively prevented RV-induced diarrhea and significantly reduced RV titers in the bowels of infected mice. These results suggest that Lfcin-B plays meaningful roles in the maintenance and repair of intestinal mucosal tissues, as well as in protecting against intestinal infection by RV. Collectively, Lfcin-B is a promising candidate with potential applications in drugs or functional foods beneficial for intestinal health and mucosal immunity.