• BMB Reports
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.443-450
• /
• 1995

Cloned staphylococcal peptidoglycan hydrolase was used in determining the physiological characteristics of peptidoglycan hydrolase. This enzyme hydrolyzed the bacterial cell walls and released the N-terminal alanine, but not the reducing groups. This cloned gene product was localized in the cytoplasm of transformed Escherichia coli. Activity gels indicated the enzyme had an Mr of about 54,000, which was consistent with the deduced Mr from sequencing of the cloned gene. The activity bound to CM-cellulose but not DEAE-cellulose resin, indicating it as a basic protein. Enhanced enzyme activity in a low concentration of cations, and inhibited enzyme activity in a solution with dissolved phospholipids, suggested that the activity and the availability of this basic protein may be regulated between negatively charged and positively charged cellular molecules. The activity against boiled crude cell wall was much greater than against purifed cell wall, suggesting protein associated with crude cell wall may aid in the binding of the peptidoglycan hydrolase The cloned peptidoglycan hydrolase showed positive activity on whole cells of some lysostaphin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. The cloned enzyme may be an alternative for lysostaphin for lysis of staphylococci.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.37 no.7
• /
• pp.962-971
• /
• 2013

We compared the effectiveness of amidase (amano acylase, AA) and an endopeptidase, (trypsin, TR) in modifying the hydrophobicity of polyamide fabric. We evaluated the number of amino groups released into the reaction mixture in order to optimize the treatment conditions. We found that a large number of amino groups were released into the reaction mixture due to the cleavage of amide bonds by AA hydrolysis; however, the TR hydrolysis exhibited a relatively lower activity compared to AA hydrolysis. In AA and TR hydrolysis, significant differences were observed in the K/S values and moisture regain. Amide bonds in polyamide fabric were hydrolyzed by AA hydrolysis effectively. Compared to TR, AA formed more hydrolysis product (amino groups) on the fabric surface. Thus, the hydrophobicity of polyamide fabric was modified using AA hydrolysis (as verified by the wettability test) without any deterioration of fiber strength.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.429-435
• /
• 1989

A bacterial strain of Brevibaterium sp. CH1 was isolated and used to produce an enzyme (nitrile hydratase) necessary for earring out the bioconversion of acrylonitrile to acrylamide. The culture and reaction conditions, and medium optimization were studied for the strain. The conversion yield was nearly 100％ with a trace amount of acrylic acid produced. The strain showed strong activity of nitrile hydratase toward acrylonitrile and extremely low activity of the amidase toward acrylamide. We sought optimum culture conditions for the formation of nitrile hydratase by Brevibacterium sp. CH1. The effects of temperature and pH on the activity of free and immobilized tells were investigated. The nitrite hydratase of Brevibacterium sp. CH1 acted not only on various aliphatic nitrites such as acrylonitrile, propionitrile and acetonitrile, but also on aromatic nitrile as nicotinonitrile.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.223-228
• /
• 1997

A DNA fragment containing the gene for cell wall hydrolase of alkalophilic Bacillus subtilis BL-29 was cloned into E. coli JM109 using pUC18 as a vector. A recombinant plasmid, designated pCWL45B, was contained in the fragment originating from the alkalophilic B. subtilis BL-29 chromosomal DNA by Southern hybridization analysis. The nucleotide sequence of a 1.6-kb HindIII fragment containing a cell wall hydrolase-encoding gene was determined. The nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 900 bp with a concensus ribosome-binding site located 6 nucleotide upstream from the ATG start codon. The primary amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence revealed a putative protein of 299 amino acid residues with an M.W. of 33, 206. Based on comparison of the amino acid sequence of the ORF with amino acid sequences in the GenBank data, it showed significant homology to the sequence of cell wall amidase of the PBSX bacteriophage of B. subtilis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 1997

We studied the characteristics of extracellular autolysins from Moraxella sp. CK-1 which has been known to lyse the cyanobacterial cell walls. This bacterium excreted autolysins from the early exponential growth phase. These enzymes showed optimal action condition of 60-$70^{\circ}C$ and pH 9.0. Whereas $Na^{+}$, $K^{+}$ and $Li^{+}$ ions exhibited positive effect on the enzyme activity, $Ba^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+}$ ions exhibited negative effect. Especially, $Fe^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions almost completely suppressed the activity. Four extracellular autolysins of 30, 32, 38 and 41 kDa were detected in renaturing SOS-PAGE gel containing 0.2% heat-killed Micrococcus luteus cells as substrate. Among these 4 autolysins, 2 enzymes of 32 and 41 kDa distributed in the culture medium throughout the experimental time, but the 38 kOa enzyme diminished and 30 kOa began to appear at mid-exponential growth phase. When SOS-insoluble peptidoglycan of M. luteus was treated with the autolysins of Moraxella sp. CK-l, the concentration of free amino groups in reaction mixture increased. This indicates that the autolysins are N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase or endopeptidase.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.266-271
• /
• 1996

A recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, is glycosylated at Asn 24, Asn 38, Asn 83, and Ser 126. After release of the N-linked carbohydrate chains by $peptide-N^{4}-(N-acetyl-{\beta}-glucosaminyl)$ asparagine amidase F, the oligosaccharides were analyzed by FACE (Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis). The O-linked carbohydrate chain was separated by hydrazine, and analyzed by FACE. The monosacccharide composition of recombinant EPO showed man nose, fucose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, and a trace of N-acetylgalactosamine, which are typical monosaccharides in the glycoproteins from the CHO cell. Sequences of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides were determined. The structure and composition of oligosaccharides attached to recombinant human EPO, expressed in the CHO cell, are identical to the reported oligosaccharide structure in human EPO isolated from urine.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.630-634
• /
• 1997

A fluorescence tagging agent, FMOC-Cl (9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate) was used for the determination of 1-amino-oligosaccharide intermediates generated from glycoproteins by peptide-N $(N-acetyl-{\beta}-D-glucosaminyl)$ asparagine amidase (N-Glycanase, PNGase F). The derivatives were separated on an Amido 80 column by HPLC using a gradient system with 25 to 51% aqueous acetonitrile and monitored by a fluorometric detector. The detection limit of FMOC-amino-oligosaccharides was $0.05{\sim}1.5$ pmol with fluorometric detection at 278 nm.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.185-191
• /
• 2000

Pest insect control is dependent on about 200 insecticides that work by relatively few mechanisms. The targets they disrupt are mostly involved in the nervous system, respiratory chain, growth and development, or the gut. The major nerve targets are: acetylcholinesterase for the organophosphates and methylcarbamates; the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for the neonicotinoids; the $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid receptor for several chlorinated hydrocarbons and fipronil; the voltage-gated sodium channel for DDT and pyrethroids. Selection of resistant strains often confers cross-resistance to some or all other insecticides working at the same site. The toxicological properties of different compounds acting on the same target are increasingly considered together, summating the risk even though the compounds are of quite diverse chemical types. Continuing attention is also being given to secondary targets not involved in the primary mechanism of toxicity but instead in side effects that must be considered in the overall safety evaluation. Research on insecticide targets is important in learning to keep up with resistance and changing concepts and policies on safety. These relationships are illustrated by recent studies in the Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.1050-1056
• /
• 2023

Weizmannia coagulans (formerly Bacillus coagulans) is Gram-positive, and spore-forming bacteria causing food spoilage, especially in acidic canned food products. To control W. coagulans, we isolated a bacteriophage Youna2 from a sewage sludge sample. Morphological analysis revealed that phage Youna2 belongs to the Siphoviridae family with a non-contractile and flexible tail. Youna2 has 52,903 bp double-stranded DNA containing 61 open reading frames. There are no lysogeny-related genes, suggesting that Youna2 is a virulent phage. plyYouna2, a putative endolysin gene was identified in the genome of Youna2 and predicted to be composed of a N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase domain (PF01520) at the N-terminus and unknown function DUF5776 domain (PF19087) at the C-terminus. While phage Youna2 has a narrow host range, infecting only certain strains of W. coagulans, PlyYouna2 exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum beyond the Bacillus genus. Interestingly, PlyYouna2 can lyse Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas putida and Cronobacter sakazakii without other additives to destabilize bacterial outer membrane. To the best of our knowledge, Youna2 is the first W. coagulans-infecting phage and we speculate its endolysin PlyYouna2 can provide the basis for the development of a novel biocontrol agent against various foodborne pathogens.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.1285-1292
• /
• 2023

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a novel endolysin (PanLys.1) for the specific killing of the ruminal hyper-ammonia-producing bacterium Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (P. anaerobius). Methods: Whole genome sequences of P. anaerobius strains and related bacteriophages were collected from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database, and the candidate gene for PanLys.1 was isolated based on amino acid sequences and conserved domain database (CDD) analysis. The gene was overexpressed using a pET system in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The lytic activity of PanLys.1 was evaluated under various conditions (dosage, pH, temperature, NaCl, and metal ions) to determine the optimal lytic activity conditions. Finally, the killing activity of PanLys.1 against P. anaerobius was confirmed using an in vitro rumen fermentation system. Results: CDD analysis showed that PanLys.1 has a modular design with a catalytic domain, amidase-2, at the N-terminal, and a cell wall binding domain, from the CW-7 superfamily, at the C-terminal. The lytic activity of PanLys.1 against P. anaerobius was the highest at pH 8.0 (p<0.05) and was maintained at 37℃ to 45℃, and 0 to 250 mM NaCl. The activity of PanLys.1 significantly decreased (p<0.05) after Mn²⁺ or Zn²⁺ treatment. The relative abundance of P. anaerobius did not decrease after administration PanLys.1 under in vitro rumen conditions. Conclusion: The application of PanLys.1 to modulate P. anaerobius in the rumen might not be feasible because its lytic activity was not observed in in vitro rumen system.