• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.10
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• pp.125-135
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• 1992

Nine strains of xyl mutants that could not utilize xylose as a carbon source were isolated from E. coli JM109 by the treatment of NTG in order to investigate the regulation of xylose operon and to use recipient cells for the cloning of xylR gene. For the characterization of all isolated mutants, colony colors of all mutants on MacConkey-xylose and MacConkey-xylulose agar plate were observed for the utilization of xylose and xylulose, and the growth level and the activity of xylose isomerase and xylulokinase were determined in need. The isolated xylR/T mutants formed the white colony on MacConkey-xy-lose and MacConkey-xylulose agar plate. They did not detect the activity of xylose isomerase, and the activity of xylose isomerase was not restored in transformants of xylR/T mutant with pEX13 which contained xylA gene. xylR and xylT mutants were classified from xylR/T mutants depending upon the growth level in minimal medium. xylT mutants; DH13, DH121 and DH125 could grow a little in that medium, but xylR mutants; DH10, DH53, and DH60 could not grow that medium.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 2004

Oxycarotenoids are oxygenated carotenoids that perform critical roles in plants. $\beta$-Carotene hydroxylase adds hydroxyl groups to the $\beta$-rings of carotenes and has been cloned from several bacteria and plants including Arabidopsis. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of $\beta$-carotene hydroxylase gene (Chyb) on the oxycarotenoids biosynthesis in the transgenic Arabidopsis. Construct of pGCHYB containing Chyb was established onto Gateway vector system (pENTR3C gateway vector and pH2GW7 destination vector). Arabidopsis thaliana (cv. Columbia) was transformed with Agrobacterium tumerfacience GV3101 harboring pGCHYB construct driven by 35S promoter and hygromycin resistant gene. Seven hundred bases paired PCR products, indicating the presence of Chyb gene, were found in the transformants by PCR analysis using Chyb primers. Hygromycin resistance assay showed that transgenes were stably inherited to next generation. The overexpression of the Chyb gene resulted in the decrease carotenoid content. Especially, astaxanthin unusual oxycarotenoid in wild type Arabidopsis was detected in the transgenic plants. This means that decreased carotenoids might be converted into astaxanthin metabolism with the aid of silent gene in the host.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.344-351
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• 2009

A biocontrol bacterium Bacillus licheniformis N1 grown in nutrient broth showed no chitinolytic activity, while its genome contains a gene which encodes a chitinase. The gene for chitinase from B. licheniformis N1 was amplified by PCR and the deduced amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the chitinase exhibited over 95% identity with chitinases from other B. licheniformis strains. Escherichia coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmid displayed chitinase activity as revealed by the formation of a clear zone on chitin containing media, indicating that the gene could be expressed in E. coli cells. Chitinase gene expression in B. licheniformis N1 was not detected by RT-PCR analysis. The protein was over-expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. The protein could also be produced in B. subtilis 168 strain carrying the chitinase gene of N1 strain. The crude protein extract from E. coli BL21 carrying GST fusion protein or culture supernatant of B. subtilis carrying the chitinase gene exhibited enzyme activity by hydrolyzing chitin analogs, 4-methylumbelliferyl-$\beta$-D-N,N'-diacetylchitobioside and 4-methylumbelliferyl-$\beta$-D-N,N',N"-triacetylchitotrioside. These results indicated that even though the chitinase gene is not expressed in the N1 strain, the coding region is functional and encodes an active chitinase enzyme. Furthermore, B. subtilis 168 transformants expressing the chitinase gene exhibited antifungal activity against Fulvia fulva by suppressing spore germination. Our results suggest that the proper engineering of the expression of the indigenous chitinase gene, which will lead to its expression in the biocontrol strain B. licheniformis N1, may further enhance its biocontrol activity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.241-247
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• 2005

A new lactococcal shuttle/expression vector for lactococci, pWgal13T, was constructed using a $\beta$-galactosi-dase gene (lacZ) from Lacfococcus lactis ssp. lactis ATCC 7962 as a screening marker. The pWgal 13T was introduced into Escherichia coli DH5a and L. lactis MG1363, and was easily detected by the formation of blue colonies on a medium containing X-gal without any false transformants. Also, the quantitatively lacZ activity of pWgal13T was measured in L. lactis ssp. cremoris MG1363, and was found to be four times higher than that of L. lactis ssp. lactis ATCC7962 grown on a medium containing glucose, which shows that the lacZ gene of pWgal13T can be used for the efficient screening of L. lactis on general media. The pWgal13T was equipped with a lactococcal replicon of pWV01 from L. lactis Wg2, the new promoter P13C from L. lactis ssp. cremoris LM0230, multiple cloning sites, and a terminator for the expression of a relevant gene. The vee-tor pWgal13T was used for the expression of the EGFP gene in E. coli and L. lactis. These results show that the lactococcal expression/shuttle vector constructed in the present study can be used for the production of foreign proteins in E. coli and L. lactis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.447-453
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• 1989

In order to study the transfer of antibiotics resistance genes of the genetically cloned bacteria in water environments, DK1 strain, which is resistant to kanamycin (Km), chloramphenicol (Cm), streptomycin (Sm), and sulfadiazine (Su), was selected from the Gram-negative bacterial isolates from wastewater. One of 4 plasmids harboured in the DK1 strain was found to possess Km$^{${\gamma}$}$Cm$^{${\gamma}$}$ gene and be about 68 kb in size, and it was designated as pDK101. The plasmid of pDK101 was also found to have 16, 32, and 6 restriction sites for EcoRI. .PstI, and SalI, respectively. From the digestion fragments of pDK101 plasmid and pKT230 used as a vector by EcoRI restriction endonuclease, pDT309 and pDT529 were constructed as chimeric plasmids which possess Km$^{${\gamma}$}$Cm$^{${\gamma}$}$ gene and are 30.9 and 52.9 kb in size, respectively. When the chimeric plasmids were trasformed into E. coli C600 or E. coli HB101, transformants of DKC601, DKC602, DKH102, and DKH103 were obtained as cloned bacterial cells. The Km$^{${\gamma}$}$Cm$^{${\gamma}$}$ genes were well expressed in those cloned cells and the chimeric plasmids were clearly detected in the cloned cells of DKC601 and DKH103.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.436-439
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• 1989

The chromosomal DNA fragments of thermophilic alkalophilic Bacillus sp, K-17, a potent xylanhydrolyzing bacterium, were ligated to a vector plasmid pBR322 and transformed into Escherichia coli HB101. The plasmid pAX278, isolated from a transformant forming yellow color on the LB agar plate containing 1 mM p-nitrophenyl- $\beta$-xylopyranoside, was found to enable the transformants to produce p-xylosidase. The 5.0 kilobase insert of pAX278 had single sites for EcoRI, PstI, XbaI, and PvuII, and 2 sites for BglII. Biotinylated pAX218 was hybridized to 0.9 kb as well as 5.0 kb fragment from Bacillus sp. K-17 DNA on nitrocellulose filter. pGX718 was constructed by inserting the 5.0 kb HindIII fragment of pGX278 at the HindIII site of pGR71, E. coli and B. subtilis shuttle vector. The enzymatic properties of $\beta$-xylosidase from E. coli HB101 carrying recombinant plasmid were the same those of $\beta$-xylosidase from Bacillus sp. K-17.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 1991

Cellulase genes from thermophilic alkalophilic Bacillus sp. F204 a potent cellulase complex-producing bacterium, were cloned in Escherichia coli with pUC 19. Plasmids pBC191 and pBC192, isolated from transformants forming yellow zone around colony on the LB agar plate containing 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose and ampicillin, contained 4.6 Kb and 5.8 Kb HindIII fragments, respectively. The 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 had single sites for BamHI EcoRI, KpnI and pvuII. DNA hybridization and immunodiffusion studies showed that pBC191-encoded cellulase gene was homologous with that of host strain. pKC231, constructed by inserting 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 at the HindIII site of pKK223-3, E. coli expression vector, and pGC711, constructed by inserting 4.6 Kb insert of pBC191 at the HindIII site of pGR71, E. coli and B. subtilis shuttle vector, had 3.2 times and 2.8 times as much cellulase activity as pBC191, respectively. Substrate specificity analysis showed that cellulases cloned were CMCase.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.206-211
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• 2001

In order to overexpress constitutively the Kluyveromyces marxianus exoinulinase gene (INUI) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, four episomal expression systems employing GAPDH, ADHI, PGK and ENOI promoters were constructed as p YIGP aADHI -INU, pPGK-INU, and pENOI- INU plasmids respectively, When S cereviais transformants harboring each plasmid were batchwisely cultivated in the fermentor containing 5% glucose medium no significant differences in the cell growth are observed How- ever the experession level of exoinulinase and plasmid stability showed a strong dependency on the promoter employed. The expression levels of exoinulinase were about 1.70 unit/ml for GAPDH promoter 1.67 unit/ml for PGK promoter, 1.29 unit /ml for ADH1 promoter, and 0.80 unit/ml for ENOl promoter. The plasmid stabilites were maintaines above 80% in all experession systems. except the GAPDH promoter system of 55%, Based on the plas- mid stability and expression level of exoinulinase the ADHl and PGK promoter system were selected for the fed - batch culture to overproduce exoinulinase By the intermittent feeding of yeast extract and glucose, both promoter systems gave the cell concentration of about 30 g-dry cell weight/1 byt the maximal exoinulinase activity of 3.70 unit/ml and plasmid stability of 96% in the ADH1 promoter were higher than those (2.70 unit/ml, 80%) of PGK sys- tem Taking into account the plasmid stability and extended culture time the ADH1 promoter systems would be the most feasible expression systems for the constitutive overproduction of exoinulinase through high cell-density fed- batch cultures using non-selective rich medium.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.322-328
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• 2003

The Transformation-Associated Recombination (TAR) cloning technique allows selective isolation of chromosomal regions and genes from complex genomes. The procedure requires knowledge of relatively small genomic sequences that reside adjacent to the chromosomal region of interest. This technique involves homologous recombination during yeast spheroplast transformation between genomic DNA and a TAR vector that has 5'and 3' gene targeting sequences. In this study, we examined the minimum size of specific hooks required for a single-copy gene isolation and compared the utility of different TAR vectors, radial and unique vectors, by cloning the same single-copy gene. The efficiency of TAR cloning of the hHPRT gene was same using hooks varying from 750 to 63 bp. The number of transformants decreased approximately 20-fold when the TAR vector contained two unique hooks versus using a radial vector, but the percentage of positive recombinants increased over 2-fold when a unique TAR vector was used. Therefore, we suggest that the two-unique TAR vector is suitable for general TAR cloning given its high selectivity, and the radial TAR vector is more suitable when genomic DNA is in limited quantity, for example, DNA isolated from pathological specimens. Moreover, we confirm the minimal length of a unique sequence in a TAR vector is approximately 60 bp for a single-copy gene isolation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.355-360
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• 2009

In this study, the arylsulfatase gene (astA, 984 bp ORF) from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora genome was expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae by fusing with Aga2p linked to the membrane anchored protein, Aga1p. The constructed plasmid, pCTAST (7.1 kb), was introduced to S. cerevisiae EBY100 cell, and yeast transformants on YPDG plate showed the hydrolyzing activity for 4-methylumbelliferyl-sulfate and p-nitrophenyl-sulfate. When S. cerevisiae EBY100/pCTAST was grown on YPDG medium, the arylsulfatase activity of cell pellet reached about 1.2 unit/mL, whereas no extracellular arylsulfatase activity was detected. The DNA ladder in agarose prepared from agar by this recombinant arylsulfatase showed similar resolution and migration patterns with a commercial agarose. This results revealed that arylsulfatase expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae could be applicable to the economic production of electrophoretic-grade agarose.