• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.902-909
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• 2007

Granular maize starch was treated with Thermus scotoductus 4-${\alpha}$-glucanotransferase (${\alpha}$-GTase), and its physicochemical properties were determined. The gelatinization and pasting temperatures of ${\alpha}$-GTase-modified starch were decreased by higher enzyme concentrations. ${\alpha}$-GTase treatment lowered the peak, setback, and [mal viscosity of the starch. At a higher level of enzyme treatment, the melting peak of the amylose-lipid complex was undetectable on the DSC thermogram. Also, ${\alpha}$-GTase-modified starch showed a slower retrogradation rate. The enzyme treatment changed the dynamic rheological properties of the starch, leading to decreases in its elastic (G') and viscous (G") moduli. ${\alpha}$-GTase-modified starch showed more liquid-like characteristics, whereas normal maize starch was more elastic and solid-like. Gel permeation chromatography of modified starch showed that amylose was degraded, and a low molecular-weight fraction with $M_w$ of $1.1{\times}10^5$ was produced. Branch chain-length (BCL) distribution of modified starch showed increases in BCL (DP>20), which could result from the glucans degraded from amylose molecules transferred to the branch chains of amylopectin by inter-/intra-molecular transglycosylation of ${\alpha}$-GTase. These new physicochemical functionalities of the modified starch produced by ${\alpha}$-GTase treatment are applicable to starch-based products in various industries.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1093-1100
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• 2015

Acetate and lactate in growth media are detrimental to the production of Thermus maltogenic amylase (ThMA), a heterologous protein, as well as to the growth of recombinant Escherichia coli. Only 50 mM of acetate or 10 mM of lactate reduced 90% of specific ThMA activity. In this study, mutant E. coli strains blocked in the ackA-pta or ackA-pta and ldh pathways were created, characterized, and assessed for their culture performace in 300 L-scale fermentation. The ackApta and ldh double-mutant strain formed significantly less lactate and acetate, and produced a concomitant increase in the excretion of pyruvate (17.8 mM) under anaerobic conditions. The ackA-pta mutant strain accumulated significant acetate but had an approximately 2-fold increase in the formation of lactate. The ackA-pta and ldh double-mutant strain had superior overall performance in large-scale culture under suboptimal conditions, giving 67% higher cell density and 66% higher ThMA activity compared with those of the control strain. The doublemutant strain also achieved a 179% improvement in volumetric ThMA production.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.350-359
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• 2020

Pathogenic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are attractive targets for anti-infective agents because their catalytic active sites are different from those of human ARSs. Mupirocin is a topical antibiotic that specifically inhibits bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IleRS), resulting in a block to protein synthesis. Previous studies on Thermus thermophilus IleRS indicated that mupirocin-resistance of eukaryotic IleRS is primarily due to differences in two amino acids, His581 and Leu583, in the active site. However, without a eukaryotic IleRS structure, the structural basis for mupirocin-resistance of eukaryotic IleRS remains elusive. Herein, we determined the crystal structure of Candida albicans IleRS complexed with Ile-AMP at 2.9 A resolution. The largest difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic IleRS enzymes is closure of the active site pocket by Phe55 in the HIGH loop; Arg410 in the CP core loop; and the second Lys in the KMSKR loop. The Ile-AMP product is lodged in a closed active site, which may restrict its release and thereby enhance catalytic efficiency. The compact active site also prevents the optimal positioning of the 9-hydroxynonanoic acid of mupirocin and plays a critical role in resistance of eukaryotic IleRS to anti-infective agents.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.384-388
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• 1999

We have used high pH anion-exchange chromatography to analyze low level (below $20{\mu}M$) $\alpha$-D-glucose-1-phosphate (G-1-P) that can be used as a cytostatic compound, an antibiotic, and immunosuppressive drug. Our chromatographic method afforded excellent peak resolution and seletivity for glucose-6-phosphate and various maltooligosaccharides as well as G-1-P. The pulsed amperometric detector yielded linear response on G-1-P ranging from 2 - $20{\mu}M$, giving slope of $4.8{\times}10^4$(peak area/${\mu}M$). The detection limit was $2{\mu}M$. This method was applied to the purification of thermophilic $\alpha$-glucan phosphorylase from Thermus caldophilus. The technique will be extremely useful in future studies concerning carbohydrate metabolism in living organisms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2021

A newly cloned 4-α-glucanotransferase (αGT) from Deinococcus geothermalis and two typical bacterial αGTs from Thermus scotoductus and Escherichia coli (MalQ) were investigated. Among 4 types of catalysis, the cyclization activity of αGTs that produces cycloamylose (CA), a valuable carbohydrate making inclusion complexes, was intensively studied. The new αGT, DgαGT, showed close protein sequence to the αGT from T. scotoductus (TsαGT). MalQ was clearly separated from the other two αGTs in the phylogenetic and the conserved regions analyses. The reaction velocities of disproportionation, cyclization, coupling, and hydrolysis of three αGTs were determined. Intriguingly, MalQ exhibited more than 100-fold lower cyclization activity than the others. To lesser extent, the disproportionation activity of MalQ was relatively low. DgαGT and TsαGT showed similar kinetics results, but TsαGT had nearly 10-fold lower hydrolysis activity than DgαGT. Due to the very low cyclizing activity of MalQ, DgαGT and TsαGT were selected for further analyses. When amylose was treated with DgαGT or TsαGT, CA with a broad DP range was generated immediately. The DP distribution of CA had a bimodal shape (DP 7 and 27 as peaks) for the both enzymes, but larger DPs of CA quickly decreased in the DgαGT. Cyclomaltopentaose, a rare cyclic sugar, was produced at early reaction stage and accumulated as the reactions went on in the both enzymes, but the increase was more profound in the TsαGT. Taken together, we clearly demonstrated the catalytic differences between αGT groups from thermophilic and pathogenic bacteria that and showed that αGTs play different roles depending on their lifestyle.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.345-350
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• 2007

Phosphosugars are found in all living organisms and are commercially valuable compounds with possible applications in the development of a wide range of specialty chemicals and medicines. In carbohydrate metabolism, fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) is an essential intermediate formed by phosphorylation of 6' position of fructose in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway and Calvin cycle. In glycolysis, F6P lies within the glycolysis metabolic pathway and is produced by isomerisation of glucose 6-phosphate. For large-scale production, F6P could be produced from starch using many enzymes such as pullulanase, starch phosphorylase, isomerase and mutase. In enzymatic reactions carried out at high temperatures, the solubility of starch is increased and microbial contamination is minimized. Thus, thermophile-derived enzymes are preferred over mesophile-derived enzymes for industrial applications using starch. Recently, we reported the production of glucose 1-phosphate (G1P) from starch by Thermus caldophilus GK24 enzymes. Here we report the production of F6P from starch through three steps; from starch to glucose 1-phosphate (glucan phosphorylase, GP), then glucose 6-phosphate (phosphoglucomutase, GM) and then F6P (phosphoglucoisomerase, GI). Using 200 L of 1.2% soluble starch solution in potassium phosphate buffer, 1,253 g of G1P were produced. Then, 30% yields of F6P were attained at the optimum reaction conditions of GM : G1 (1 : 2.3), 63.5$^{\circ}C$, and pH 6.85. The optimum conditions were found by response surface methodology and the theoretical values were confirmed by the experiments. The optimum starch concentrations were 20 g/L under the given conditions.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.377-386
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• 1982

This experiment was carried out to elucidate the thermotolerant properties of a thermophilic bacterium which was isolated from soils of the hot springs area and selected for the ${\beta}$-galactosidase production. This bacterium was identified as a strain belong to the genus Thermus. Biochemical and physiological characteristics of this strain were studied, including the investigation of the fatty acid composition of its neutral fats. The results obtained were summarized as follows. 1. Optimal temperature and pH for growth of this strain were $65^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.5 respectively, and it was found to be an absolute thermophilic bacterium which could not grow at the temperature below $43^{\circ}C$. 2. No growth was obtained in the medium which contained more than 1.0% of sodium chloride. 3. The tolerable concentration of antibiotics were 10mg of penicillin G per ml of medium and 0.5mg of chloramphenicol per ml respectively. 4. This strain had auxotrophilic requirements for calcium-pantothenate and pyridoxin-HCl as an essential factor and for niacin as a stimulative factor. 5. Yellow pigment was released into the liquid culture of this strain, which showed maximum absorption at 420 nm. 6. Fatty acid composition of neutral fats of the strain was palmitic acid, 60.20%; lauric acid, 11.80%; myristic acid, 7.56%; behenic acid, 4.25%; capric acid, 1.77%; stearic acid, 2.13%; arachidic acid, 1.53%; and others unidentified, 10.7%.