• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 1999

To acquire an industrially useful biocatalyst for the enzymatic synthesis and production of various D-amino acid aminotransferase (D-AAT) activity. The enzyme activity was found from 110 strains of isolated thermophiles revealing its wide occurrence in thermophiles. Enzyme activity and thermal stability of the D-AAT producers were compared. Finally we have selected four thermophiles as producers of potent biocatalysts for the D-amino acid production; two thermophiles, Bacillus sp. Lk-1 and LK-2, having higher specific activity and two thermophiles, B. stearothermophilus KL-01 and Bacillus sp. KLS-01, having higher thermal stability than the D-AAT producers. Taxonomic and physiological characteristics of the four isolated thermophiles were described herein.

• 한국유가공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.11-19
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• 2005

Heat treatment is essential for hygienic safety and for extending shelf-life of milk. Heating of milk affects principally its physicochemical, nutritional and organoleptic properties. The most important changes are the decrease in whey protein solubility and the decrease in stability of casein micelles. Maillard reactions are also important and undesirable consequences.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2017

Human sterol ${\Delta}8-{\Delta}7$ isomerase, commonly known as emopamil binding protein (EBP), is an essential protein in the cholesterol-synthetic pathway, and mutations of this protein are critically associated with human diseases such as Conradi-Hunermann-Happle or male EBP disorder with neurological defects syndrome. Due to such a clinical importance, EBP has been intensively investigated and some important features have been reported. EBP is a tetra-spanning membrane protein, of which $2^{nd}$, $3^{rd}$, and $4^{th}$ membrane-spanning ${\alpha}$ helices play an important role in its enzymatic function. However, detailed structural feature at atomic resolution has not yet been elucidated, due to characteristic difficulties in dealing with membrane protein. Here, we over-expressed EBP using Escherichia coli and performed detergent screening to find suitable membrane mimetics for structural studies of the protein by NMR. As results, DPC and LMPG could be evaluated as the most favorable detergents to acquire promising NMR spectra for structural study of EBP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1322-1329
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• 2011

Filamentous fungi colonizing rice straw were collected from 11 different sites in Korea and were identified based on characterization of their morphology and molecular properties. The fungi were divided into 25 species belonging to 16 genera, including 14 ascomycetes, one zygomycete, and one basidiomycete. Fungal cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes were assessed through a two-step process, wherein highly active cellulase- and/or hemicellulase-producing fungi were selected in a first screening step followed by a second step to isolate the best enzyme-producer. Twenty-five fungal species were first screened for the production of total cellulase (TC), endo-${\beta}$-1,4 glucanase (EG), and endo-${\beta}$-1,4 xylanase (XYL) using solid-state fermentation with rice straw as substrate. From this screening, six species, namely, Aspergillus niger KUC5183, A. ochraceus KUC5204, A. versicolor KUC5201, Mucor circinelloides KUC6014, Trichoderma harzianum 1 KUC5182, and an unknown basidiomycete species, KUC8721, were selected. These six species were then incubated in liquid Mandels' media containing cellulose, glucose, rice straw, or xylan as the sole carbon source and the activities of six different enzymes were measured. Enzyme production was highly influenced by media conditions and in some cases significantly increased. Through this screening process, Trichoderma harzianum 1 KUC5182 was selected as the best enzyme producer. Rice straw and xylan were good carbon sources for the screening of cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1670-1679
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• 2020

The substantial use of fungal enzymes to degrade lignocellulosic plant biomass has widely been attributed to the extensive requirement of powerful enzyme-producing fungal strains. In this study, a two-step screening procedure for finding cellulolytic fungi, involving a miniaturized culture method with shake-flask fermentation, was proposed and demonstrated. We isolated 297 fungal strains from several cellulose-containing samples found in two different locations in Thailand. By using this screening strategy, we then selected 9 fungal strains based on their potential for cellulase production. Through sequence-based identification of these fungal isolates, 4 species in 4 genera were identified: Aspergillus terreus (3 strains: AG466, AG438 and AG499), Penicillium oxalicum (4 strains: AG452, AG496, AG498 and AG559), Talaromyces siamensis (1 strain: AG548) and Trichoderma afroharzianum (1 strain: AG500). After examining their lignocellulose degradation capacity, our data showed that P. oxalicum AG452 exhibited the highest glucose yield after saccharification of pretreated sugarcane trash, cassava pulp and coffee silverskin. In addition, Ta. siamensis AG548 produced the highest glucose yield after hydrolysis of pretreated sugarcane bagasse. Our study demonstrated that the proposed two-step screening strategy can be further applied for discovering potential cellulolytic fungi isolated from various environmental samples. Meanwhile, the fungal strains isolated in this study will prove useful in the bioconversion of agricultural lignocellulosic residues into valuable biotechnological products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.968-973
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• 2010

In order to study its biochemical properties, the integrase (IN) protein of feline foamy virus (FFV) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified by two-step chromatography, (Talon column and heparin column), and characterized in biochemical aspects. For the three enzymatic reactions of the 3'-processing, strand transfer, and disintegration activities, the $Mn^{2+}$ ion was essentially required as a cofactor. Interestingly, $Co^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ ions were found to act as effective cofactors, whereas other transition elements such as $Ni^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $La^{3+}$, $Y^{3+}$, $Cd^{2+}$, $Li^{1+}$, $Ba^{2+}$, $Sr^{2+}$, and $V^{3+}$ were not. Regarding the substrate specificity, FFV IN has low substrate specificities as it cleaved in a significant level prototype foamy virus (PFV) U5 LTR substrate as well as FFV U5 LTR substrate, whereas PFV IN did not. Finally, the 3'-processing activity was observed in high concentrations of several solvents such as CHAPS, glycerol, Tween 20, and Triton X-100, which are generally used for dissolution of chemicals in inhibitor screening. Therefore, in this first report showing its biochemical properties, FFV IN is proposed to have low specificities on the use of cofactor and substrate for enzymatic reaction as compared with other retroviral INs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1699-1706
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• 2014

A lichenase gene (mt-lic) was identified for the first time through function-based screening of a soil metagenomic library. Its deduced amino acid sequence exhibited a high degree of homology with endo-${\beta}$-1,3-1,4-glucanase (having both lichenase and chitosanase activities), encoded by the bgc gene of Bacillus circulans WL-12. The recombinant lichenase overexpressed and purified from Escherichia coli was able to efficiently hydrolyze both barley ${\beta}$-glucan and lichenan. The enzyme showed maximal activity at a pH of 6.0 at $50^{\circ}C$, with Azo-barley-glucan as the substrate. The metal ions $Mn^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $Fe^{2+}$ enhanced the enzymatic activity, whereas the $Cu^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ ions inhibited the enzymatic activity. The $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of the purified lichenase were determined to be 0.45 mg/ml and 24.83 U/min/mg of protein, respectively.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.80-85
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• 2014

In the course of screening for antioxidant compounds from natural plants in Korea by measuring the radical scavenging effect, a methanol extract of the flower buds of Daphne genkwa S. et Z. (Thymelaeaceae) was found to show a potent antioxidant activity. Subsequent activity-guided fractionation of methanol extract of D. genkwa led to the isolation of four compounds from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction. The chemical structures were elucidated as genkwanin (1), 3'-hydroxygenkwanin (2), apigenin (3), and tiliroside (4) by spectroscopic techniques. Among them, compound 2 showed the significant anti-oxidative effect on DPPH. And compound 2 showed the significant riboflavin-and xanthine-originated superoxide quenching activities. To verify the antioxidant enzymatic activities of compound 2, the SOD enzymatic activity was measured spectrophtometrically using prepared Caenorhabditis elegans homogenates. The results showed that compound 2 was able to elevate SOD activity of C. elegans in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, compound 2 decreased the intracellular ROS accumulation of worms.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.37 no.1 s.109
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• pp.38-46
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• 2005

This study was focused on the optimum culture condition in CMCase, FPase and xylanase activities of two fungal strains that secret extracellular enzymes for using enzymatic deinking agent to old newsprint. The results of this study were as follows. When Fusarium pallidoroseum was grown on the medium, containing of rice bran+xylan $2.0\%,\;peptone\;0.6\%,\;KH_2PO_4\;0.075\%\;and\;MnSO_4\;0.06\%\;with\;pH\;9.0,\;at\;29^{\circ}C$ for 6 days, the quantitative degree of extracellular enzyme production was the highest. Optimum culture condition for Aspergillus niger was pH 5.0, $27^{\circ}C$ incubating temperature and 7 days incubation period on liquid medium, containing of CMC+xylan $2.5\%,\;yeast\;extract\;0.4\%,\;K_3PO_4\;0.05\%\;and\;CaCl_2+FeSO_4\;0.08\%$. Aspergillus niger was fairly higher FPase and xylanase activities than Trichoderma reesei ATCC 28217.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2005

Seven brown algal species (Ecklonia cava, Ishige okamurae, Sargassum fulvellum, Sargassum horneri, Sargassum coreanum, Sargassum thunbergii and Scytosiphon lomentaria) were hydrolyzed using five proteases (Protamex, Kojizyme, Neutrase, Flavourzyme and Alcalase) and screened for angiotensin 1-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities. Most algal species examined showed good ACE inhibitory activities after the enzymatic hydrolysis. However, E. cava was the most potent ACE inhibitor of the seven species. Flavourzyme digest of E. cava exhibited an $IC_{50}$ of around $0.3\;{\mu}g/mL$ for ACE; captopril has an $IC_{50}$ of $\~0.05\;{\mu}g/mL$. The Flavourzyme digest was separated to three fractions by an ultrafiltration membrane (5, 10, 30 kDa MWCO) system according to the molecular weights. The active components were mainly concentrated in >30 kD fraction which are composed of the highest protein content $(27\%)$ and phenolic content (261 mg/100 mL) compared to the other two smaller molecular weight fractions. Therefore, the active compounds appear to be relatively high molecular weight complex molecules associated with protein (glycoprotein) and polyphenols. Therefore, E. cave is a potential source of antihypertensive compound.